This transcript is from an **Oakdale Planning Commission** meeting. Based on the roll call and the official list provided, the speakers include Planning Commissioners (who were not on your list but are identified in the text) and City Staff members **Luke McClanahan** and **Max** (City Planning staff). Note: Phonetic errors in the original transcript (e.g., "Will and bring" for Ingerbring, "eephus" for EIFS) have been interpreted for clarity. *** **[00:00] Chair Pearson:** Tonight, greetings and welcome to the Planning Commission regular meeting, November 7th, 2024. I call the meeting to order and call for the roll. **[00:10] Commissioner Pearson:** Pearson here. **[00:12] Commissioner Ingerbring:** Ingerbring here. **[00:14] Commissioner Campbell:** Campbell here. **[00:16] Chair Pearson:** Moli is absent; had a personal issue to address. **[00:18] Commissioner Wilson:** Wilson here. **[00:20] Chair Pearson:** Diata also had a personal issue to address. **[00:22] Commissioner Hagen:** Hagen here. **[00:24] Chair Pearson:** Okay, thank you very much. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:30] All:** I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. **[00:45] Chair Pearson:** There's a modification I would like to do for the agenda, which is to move Council Member Morcomb’s update up to the item right after the Open Forum. **[00:50] Commissioner Ingerbring:** So moved. **[00:52] Commissioner Campbell:** Second. **[00:54] Chair Pearson:** All in favor? **[00:56] All:** Aye. **[00:58] Chair Pearson:** The agenda is passed as approved. Approval of the minutes: does anyone have any comments or changes to the minutes for August 1st, 2024? Hearing none, I'll look for a motion to approve the minutes. **[01:05] Commissioner Hagen:** So moved. **[01:07] Commissioner Wilson:** Second. **[01:09] Chair Pearson:** Thank you. All those in favor? **[01:10] All:** Aye. **[01:11] Chair Pearson:** All those opposed? You'll abstain. Okay. Open Forum: this is the time when people can come forward to speak to any item that's not on the agenda. I will open the Forum. Seeing no one in the audience, I'll close the Open Forum right now. Thank you. Council Member Morcomb? **[01:25] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Just a couple of quick updates. The Tanner Lake development continues to move ahead; we're working diligently to get that done as soon as possible. The other thing we had a workshop item for was the Forefront PUD Amendment. The developer is interested in putting apartments behind the Forefront building, basically between that building and the Willowbrook homes. There's a parcel of land there that's not great for commercial or warehouse, so the Council seemed pretty receptive to it. Those are the two updates I have. You guys have anything for me? Thank you. **[01:50] Chair Pearson:** Planning Commission review of new business: a public hearing on an ordinance amendment to add definitions and designate appropriate zoning districts for cannabis businesses. **[02:00] Luke McClanahan (Planning Manager):** Thank you, Chair. I will tee it up and then I'll hand it over to Max, who actually knows what he's talking about on this topic in terms of the regulations. The State approved an adult-use cannabis bill last year. The legislature created the OCM (Office of Cannabis Management). State statute limits the regulations that cities can impose, however, cities can still adopt reasonable restrictions on operations and limit the number of establishments. The use itself cannot be prohibited; the city cannot "zone out" this type of use. Oakdale adopted a moratorium in September 2023. We are bringing forward a proposed amendment for new definitions and designating zoning districts. This draft follows OCM guidelines and was prepared by the City Attorney’s office. Cannabis businesses must be licensed through the State, and the City will have to certify that the zoning is appropriate. Other portions of the City ordinance, like Chapter 9 for business licensing, will be updated by City Council. We are focusing on Chapter 25, the zoning section. With that, I’ll hand it off to Max. **[03:20] Max (Planning Staff):** Thanks, Luke. I'll walk through components of the ordinance. This looks at definitions of cannabis and which districts are appropriate. Other components like hours of operation and buffers from schools will be handled by the licensing department in a different chapter. The red text on the screen is new proposed text. We have a number of new business types from the State: Cannabis Cultivation, Cannabis Microbusinesses (similar to how breweries create and sell on-site), Cannabis Delivery, Cannabis Combination, and Cannabis Lounges (for edibles/drinks, not smoking). We also have Cannabis or Hemp Industrial for production and manufacturing. We aren't likely to see much cultivation in the Metro given the lack of farmland, but it’s possible in an industrial setting. Finally, we have Cannabis or Hemp Retailers, which includes lower-potency hemp edibles you see in liquor stores or gas stations. **[05:30] Max:** Looking at locations: neighborhood commercial and community commercial (C1 and C2) are proposed for lounges and retail. Industrial Office districts would include delivery and transportation. General Industrial is where we would allow growth operations and industrial manufacturing. That sums up the proposed changes. **[06:30] Commissioner (Vice Chair):** You've got references to city code 918-185 throughout this. What does that say? What is that restricting that we can't see right now? **[06:45] Max:** That is a chapter that has not been finalized yet. That is the licensing component pertaining to actual business regulations. State statute says those must be handled through licensing rather than zoning. That will include hours of operation and buffers from schools, parks, and childcare centers. **[07:15] Commissioner (Vice Chair):** I see cannabis is allowed in C1, C2, and Industrial, but it’s not allowed under "Mixed Use" where we have clubs, lodges, breweries, and taprooms. Why is cannabis an outlier from those related businesses in the future plan? **[07:45] Luke McClanahan:** That’s a really good question. When we started the code update project, we weren't sure what cannabis regulations the City would take on. We can absolutely update the Mixed Use district to accommodate it because we can't zone these businesses out of existence. **[08:15] Commissioner (Vice Chair):** Has there been anything added that deviates from what the State proposed, or is this boilerplate? **[08:20] Max:** This is largely from the State and was drafted by our legal department to be in compliance with the Adult Use Cannabis Act. **[08:40] Commissioner Wilson:** I have a question. What about people growing it in their yards? **[08:45] Max:** That is handled by the State. We are looking at business regulations here. The City passed an ordinance in 2023 restricting where you can smoke (private areas only, no public sidewalks or parking lots), but growth regulations are largely State-handled. **[09:15] Commissioner Campbell:** Looking at the districts, it doesn't look like we call out any district for "Cannabis Cultivation Business." **[09:30] Max:** Cultivation falls under the definition for "Cannabis or Hemp Industrial Business," which is allowed in the General Industrial district. **[09:45] Commissioner Campbell:** I understand that, but since we have a specific definition for it, and we call out all the other definitions in the districts, I would propose we just add it as "Number 8: Cannabis Cultivation Business" in the Industrial district if we are comfortable with it there. **[10:15] Max:** If you'd like to recommend that, staff is open to it. We’ll check with City Legal to make sure it wasn’t an intentional omission. **[11:00] Chair Pearson:** Since it's a public hearing, I now open the public hearing. Seeing no one in the room, I will close the public hearing. Any final comments? I look for a motion to recommend approval of the ordinance amendment to Chapter 25 to add definitions and designate districts for cannabis. **[11:30] Commissioner Campbell:** I’m okay as is, as long as staff talks with Legal and updates it for Council if needed. **[11:40] Commissioner Ingerbring:** So moved. **[11:42] Commissioner Hagen:** I will second. **[11:45] Chair Pearson:** All those in favor? **[11:47] All:** Aye. **[11:50] Chair Pearson:** Motion passes. Next is the Zoning and Subdivision code update discussion. **[12:00] Luke McClanahan:** Thank you, Chair. We’ve been working with a consultant, HKGI, on updating our zoning and subdivision regulations. Tonight we want feedback on zoning districts, dimensional standards, and key development standards like parking and landscaping. We began in March and anticipate adoption early next year. We’ve done engagement with developers, realtors, the Chamber, and past applicants. We also have an online questionnaire open through November 15th. **[13:30] Luke McClanahan:** We are revising the districts to be in table form for readability. We are proposing reducing the 14 existing districts down to 10. We want to align them with the Comprehensive Plan, create a Mixed Use district for flexibility, and consolidate commercial districts. We also want to convert wetland-based districts to an "overlay" district, which is a best practice. **[15:00] Max:** I’ll walk through the use tables. In your packet, you’ll see "P" for permitted by right, "PS" for permitted with standards, and "C" for conditional use (which requires a public hearing). We’ve updated dimensional standards for lot size and width to accommodate modern "infill" developments. For example, the Willowbrook neighborhood has narrower lots (40-60 ft) than the city standard of 80 ft. We are exploring 50-foot lots in denser neighborhoods. **[17:00] Max:** We are also proposing increasing maximum building height in the densest district to 60 feet with a CUP. Right now, it’s 40 feet, which forces all apartments into PUDs because they can't meet the standard code. **[18:00] Commissioner Hagen:** Is there a map we can look at to see where these zones are? **[18:10] Max:** (Displaying map) Generally, reds are commercial, yellows/oranges are residential, and gray is industrial. **[19:00] Commissioner Hagen:** What is the "Gateway" district? **[19:10] Max:** It’s a special district northwest of 94 and 694. It was intended for a large corporate office campus, but with post-COVID realities, we are looking to expand the allowed uses there. **[20:30] Commissioner:** I heard the legislature was going to stop cities from keeping high density out of residential areas. Do you know where that stands? **[20:45] Max:** That bill fell through last session. It would have required duplexes in all single-family zones. We don’t need to worry about that for now. **[21:40] Commissioner Hagen:** "Infill development"—what does that mean? **[21:45] Max:** It refers to development in areas that are already built out, like an empty lot in an existing neighborhood or a large lot being split. **[22:40] Commissioner:** Your maximum impervious surface coverage of 24% for a single-unit home seems tight. Do we have anyone negatively impacted by that? **[23:00] Luke McClanahan:** That is already in place for R1. Those are our largest lots, so 24% is actually quite a bit of space. We’ve seen very few instances where a builder runs into that limit. **[24:50] Commissioner Campbell:** I have a vocabulary/technical question. 27-foot side setback for manufactured home parks? It seems like an odd number compared to 25 or 30. **[25:00] Max:** That is an error in the spreadsheet; it should read 10 feet to be consistent with other districts. **[25:30] Commissioner Campbell:** For building height, do we have a mechanism for towers or architectural features to exceed the limit? **[25:45] Max:** Yes, we have provisions for spires and architectural features. We are looking to clarify those measurements. **[27:00] Luke McClanahan:** Moving to parking. Currently, our code is difficult to calculate—industrial parking is based on "peak employment shifts," which change. Multi-family is based on bedrooms rather than units. We are proposing to reduce minimum requirements because they currently exceed modern needs. Any thoughts on reducing parking spaces? **[28:30] Commissioner Campbell:** It's important to have a mechanism to adjust. I’ve seen cities require 800 spots for a business that only needs 200, creating a "sea of asphalt." Even for apartments, requiring an extra half-space per unit for visitors seems like a lot for a 100-unit building. **[30:00] Max:** We are looking to roll guest parking into a flat "per unit" rate to simplify things. **[31:00] Luke McClanahan:** Regarding landscaping, we want to "right-size" tree requirements. Current code is one tree per 800 square feet of green space, which is hard to calculate. We are considering using the "building footprint" or "site perimeter" as the metric. **[32:30] Commissioner Campbell:** I’m in favor of "site perimeter" over building size. If I put a small building on a big site, I don’t want it to just be a sea of sod because the building footprint was small. **[33:15] Commissioner Wilson:** Do we have a "Fee in Lieu" program? **[33:30] Luke McClanahan:** We have it for tree preservation, but not typically for standard landscaping. That’s an interesting point to consider. **[35:30] Luke McClanahan:** Finally, exterior design standards. Currently, we have Class 1, 2, and 3 materials. Class 1 is brick/stone; Class 2 is EIFS/Stucco; Class 3 is wood. Should we allow more flexibility for facades that aren't visible from the public right-of-way? **[36:30] Commissioner Campbell:** That makes a lot of sense. If you can’t see the back of the building, why force brick? **[37:00] Commissioner (Vice Chair):** Look at that dog shelter we had recently. The code didn't give leeway for materials around doggy doors that the dogs were going to ruin anyway. We need design standards that fit the *purpose* of the building. **[39:00] Commissioner Campbell:** Regarding the metal paneling question—architectural metal wall panels should be Class 1. They are durable for 30 years. But EIFS (stucco) should stay as Class 2 because it's easily damaged at ground level. **[41:00] Luke McClanahan:** We also struggle with "pre-engineered metal buildings." They are currently prohibited but not well-defined. Some developers argue their metal is "Superior Metal" (Class 1). How should we define this? **[43:00] Commissioner Campbell:** If you allow a prefab metal building, you can still require them to clad 70% of it in brick or stone. They lose the cost savings of the prefab, but the city gets the look it wants. **[44:30] Commissioner Hagen:** Is there a rule about sidewalks? When I moved here, 50th Street had no sidewalk, and it was dangerous for kids. Century Avenue is a nightmare for pedestrians. **[45:30] Max:** We require sidewalks in all new subdivisions and PUDs, like the Tanner Lake site. For existing gaps, we have a bike and pedestrian plan. The issue with Century Avenue is that it’s a State road. We are working with the State to ensure pedestrian infrastructure is included in their future projects. **[47:20] Luke McClanahan:** Briefly, the 2025 Planning Commission Work Plan. It’s very similar to 2024. It covers development applications, the Geneva and 12th Street small area plan, and preparation for the next Comprehensive Plan update. **[51:00] Chair Pearson:** Is the League of Minnesota Cities training still available? I remember having to take a test on legal responsibilities when I started. **[51:15] Max:** There is a handbook available. I'm not sure about the specific test, but the resources are fully available online. **[53:40] Luke McClanahan:** Staff updates: Tanner Lake land use was approved Oct 8. The Enclave Helmo Station project goes to Council Nov 26. Expect a December 5th Planning Commission meeting for a pylon sign and a home occupation permit. Have a good Thanksgiving. **[54:15] Commissioner Hagen:** I heard the city was 97% built out. Is that true? **[54:30] Max:** It’s high, but Willowbrook is only halfway done. I’ll run a map analysis for the next Comp Plan update. **[54:45] Commissioner Campbell:** When is Aldi opening? **[54:50] Luke McClanahan:** We’re hearing Spring 2025. **[55:00] Chair Pearson:** I’ll ask for a motion to adjourn. **[55:05] Commissioner Hagen:** So moved. **[55:07] Commissioner Ingerbring:** Second. **[55:10] Chair Pearson:** All in favor? Aye. We are adjourned.