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<br />City of Arden Hills <br />City Council Meeting for November 28, 2016 <br /> P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2016\PC 16-028 - University of Northwestern - CUP & Zoning Code Amendment - <br />1260 Grey Fox Road\Memos_16-028\CC Report (12-12-16)_16-028.docx <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />Plan Evaluation <br /> <br />1. Zoning Code Amendment <br /> <br />When considering the Zoning Code Amendment, the Planning Commission was asked to <br />consider the following three questions: <br /> <br />1. Is the proposed Zoning Code Amendment consistent with the City’s Comprehensive <br />Plan? <br />2. Are higher education school uses consistent with the purpose of the I-Flex District? <br />3. Are higher education school uses compatible with the other uses in the I-Flex District? <br /> <br />Following their review of the Planning Commission Staff Report’s (Attachment B) analysis of <br />how the “school, higher education” use is inconsistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the <br />purpose of the I-Flex District and the incompatibility with the other uses in the I-Flex District, <br />the Planning Commissioners made an number of comments that are summarized as follows: <br /> That the approved University of Northwestern Campus Master Plan has room for <br />additional development. <br /> That there is not a safe path for students to walk or bike to the Smiths Medical site for <br />the University of Northwestern Campus. <br /> That there will be a significant reduction in the amount of employee at the site if it were <br />converted to the STEM facility. <br /> That the application is premature due to the City Council’s higher education use <br />moratorium and its future study of higher education uses issues. <br /> <br />The Planning Commission recommended denial of the Zoning Code Amendment with a 5-1 <br />vote. <br /> <br />2. Conditional Use Permit Criteria – Section 1355.04, Subd. 3 <br />Because the Planning Commission recommended denial of the Zoning Code Amendment to add <br />“schools, higher education” as a conditional use in the I-Flex Zoning District, the Planning <br />Commission then denied the Conditional Use Permit because “schools, higher education” are not <br />an allowed conditional use. <br /> <br />Findings of Fact <br /> <br />Based on the Planning Commission discussion and recommendation during their November 9, <br />2016 meeting, the City Attorney has prepared the following Findings of Fact. The formal <br />Findings of Fact and Decision is provided in Attachment K and is the document referred to in the <br />recommended motion. <br /> <br />1. The property located at 1265 Grey Fox Road is located in the I-Flex Zoning District. <br />2. “Schools, higher education” uses are not a permitted use or conditional use in the I-Flex <br />Zoning District under Section 1320.05 of the Zoning Code.