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<br />_____________________________________________________________________________________________ <br />City of Arden Hills <br />City Council Meeting for March 20, 2017 <br />P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2017\PC 17-006 - Higher Education Study\CC Packet_03202017_17-006\Memo.docx <br />Page 10 of 11 <br />LEGEND <br />P Permitted Use <br />C Conditional Use <br />A Accessory Use <br />CA Conditional Accessory Use <br />D Planned Unit <br /> <br />March 8, 2017 Planning Commission Discussion <br /> <br />During their March 8, 2017 meeting, the Planning Commission reviewed the Campus Master <br />Plans, Universities’ Missions and the Purpose Statement and Uses within the business and <br />industrial zoning districts. Discussion after the review centered on the following topics: <br /> <br /> Can the missions and short term goals of the Universities be achieved within their <br />existing campuses and Campus Master Plans? <br />Staff responded that it is unlikely that the University of Northwestern will be able to <br />achieve their mission within their existing campus and that the President of the <br />University has stated that he is looking into purchasing property in Arden Hills, Roseville <br />or Shoreview. Bethel University may be able to accommodate their growth goals using <br />both the Anderson Center and their existing campus property, but an amendment to their <br />existing Campus Master Plan would likely be required to deviate from the lot coverage <br />and landscape coverage standards. The President of Bethel University would also like to <br />have the option to purchase additional property off campus, but that their current focus is <br />on increasing the efficiency of their use of the Anderson Center. <br /> <br /> Would addition classrooms, student housing and other facilities be needed to attract new <br />adult continuing education students? <br />Neither Bethel nor Northwestern are looking to expand their residence halls or their on- <br />campus full time student services to accommodate their growth. Many of the additional <br />programs will include online instruction and require in-person classroom attendance one <br />night a week or less. Many of these courses can be accommodated in their existing <br />facilities or, in Bethel’s case, the use of the Anderson Center. The exception is the new <br />STEM programs that both Universities are looking to expand. Those STEM programs <br />will require laboratory facilities that cannot be replicated online and are not <br />accommodated within the existing classrooms at either campus. Additional laboratory <br />facilities would need to be constructed or acquired to accomplish the growth goals of the <br />Universities. <br /> <br /> Are all the different business and zoning districts needed? <br />The Planning Commission reviewed the groupings of zoning districts provided earlier in <br />this memorandum. The Planning Commission discussed if there is a clear difference <br />between the NB and B-1 districts; or the B-3 and B-4 districts. Staff stated that the <br />purpose statement of the B-2 district is different than the B-3 and B-4 districts and that <br />this study does not include the residential or mixed uses allowed in the B-2 district.