08-15-16-Joint WS with JDA - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Arden Hills City Council Work Session for August 15, 2016 Page 2 of 3 • Flex Office District: Located on the Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) property on the west side of the main boulevard and at the southeast corner of the site. There are no businesses located in this district at this time. Land Use Classification The Zoning Code includes the following definition for higher education schools: Junior colleges, colleges, and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Boards for the Minnesota Department of Education Currently, higher education uses are not allowed as a permitted or conditional use in any of the four industrial zoning districts. Higher education is allowed as a conditional use in the B-1, B-2, B-4, and Civic Center Districts, and as a PUD in the R-1 District. The land use charts from the Zoning Code and the TCAAP Redevelopment Code have been included as an attachment for your reference. Colleges and universities are comprised of several different types of uses, including classrooms, administrative offices, recreational facilities, and residential dormitories. The Zoning Code includes separate land use classifications for some of these uses, such as office and residential dormitories, and may treat them differently than the broader higher education land use. For example, a college dormitory is a conditional use in the R-4 District, but higher education schools are not permitted. However, the Zoning Code does not include a separate category for classroom facilities and this use is grouped with the higher education land use category. Discussion In order to allow for higher education uses in any of the industrial zoning districts, a Zoning Code amendment would be required. The City does not have specific criteria for evaluating proposed Zoning Code amendments. However, the following questions should be considered: • Is the higher education use compatible with the other uses in the Zoning District? • Is the higher education use consistent with the purpose of the Zoning District? The City Council could choose to allow this use as either a permitted or conditional use. By requiring a conditional use permit for higher education uses, the City would have an opportunity to evaluate traffic patterns, parking, and other potential negative impacts of the use, and to place reasonable conditions on the approval to mitigate the impacts. Additionally, the City would be able to limit the use to activities that are compatible with the rest of the zoning district and restrict those uses that are not compatible, such as residential dormitories. From a land use perspective, the reuse of an industrial property by a higher education institution is in many situations generally indistinguishable from the previous use of the property. For example, existing research and development or lab facilities may be used as classroom space and