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Allina Health Emergency Medical Services (AHEMS) provides ambulance response service for much of the north metro region, including Arden Hills, under a license granted by the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. AHEMS is the only emergency response service provider licensed to operate within the area. In December 2013, AHEMS applied for a building permit to complete interior modifications at 1209 County Road E for an ambulance substation. Staff determined that the proposed use did not clearly fall under any of the permitted land use categories for the B-2 General Business District and recommended that an amendment to the Zoning Code be completed to permit ambulance dispatch facilities as a conditional use in the district. AHEMS previously operated an ambulance station at 3760 Dunlap Street for several years beginning in 1991. The City approved this use on an interim basis in Planning Case 91-013, as the facility was not seen as being consistent with the long-term vision for the B-4 Retail Center District. At that time, the facility functioned as the main ambulance base for the area and deployed crews to three substations. The main AHEMS ambulance base is now located in Mounds View. Overview of Request Ambulance Dispatch Facility Ambulance dispatch facilities are typically comprised of an office and lounge area for crewmembers to use between calls as well as an interior garage for ambulances and associated equipment. The closest comparison to this use would be office and warehousing. Office uses are permitted as a principal use in the B-2 District and warehousing is allowed as an accessory use. These types of facilities provide a public service that could be considered as a quasi-public use. A conditional use permit is required for public uses in the B-2 District. However, the Zoning Code defines a public use as the use of a property exclusively by a federal, state, county, or city government entity. Since the proposed use does not fall under any of the existing land use categories, and because the City previously processed an interim use permit for this type of use in the B-4 District, the City Attorney advised staff to process an amendment to the Zoning Code to include a new land use category that could be applied specifically to the ambulance substation being proposed by AHEMS. Staff has developed the following definition for the ambulance dispatch facility land use: A base facility that accommodates ambulances and associated staff that respond to requests for emergency vehicles. ______________________________________________________________________________ City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for February 24, 2014 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2014\PC 14-004 - Zoning Code Amendment - Ambulance Dispatch Facility\Memos_14-004 25 Page of