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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – March 8, 2017 5 <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber stated this was the case but noted the City and brokers were showing this space to <br />other interested parties as well. <br /> <br />Commissioner Lambeth believed that Bethel had expansion opportunities onsite, while <br />Northwestern does not. He questioned what staff recommended based on the information that <br />has been gathered. <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber indicated he had no recommendations for the Planning Commission at this time. <br />He explained that staff was too early into the study to make any recommendations, but would <br />continue to evaluate higher education before coming to any conclusions. <br /> <br />Commissioner Gehrig suggested staff speak with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce <br />regarding the study, along with the major employers in the community. <br /> <br />Commissioner Jones asked if additional on campus housing would be needed for Bethel and <br />Northwestern in order to house all of the new students. <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber reported the bulk of the new students were expected to be non-traditional adults or <br />online students. <br /> <br />Chair Thompson discussed the impact of the Anderson Center on the City’s traffic patterns. <br />She requested staff investigate how additional students and off-campus classrooms are going to <br />impact the community. <br /> <br />Commissioner Gehrig questioned what zoning district the Anderson Center was located in. <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber stated the Anderson Center was in the B-2 zoning district. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holmes commented on the number of zoning districts in the City and believed <br />it may be helpful to consider the differences in each district. She believed there was a difference <br />in the business zoning districts versus the industrial zoning districts and the type of traffic each <br />generates. <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber reviewed the location of the different business and industrial zoning districts within <br />the City and noted the location of Smiths Medical. He looked forward to further investigating <br />the location and purposes of the City’s various zoning districts. <br /> <br />Further discussion ensued regarding the traffic that was generated by industrial and heavy <br />manufacturing uses. <br /> <br />Mr. Zweber thanked the Commission for their input and stated the City Council and Planning <br />Commission will discuss the Higher Education Moratorium Study at a joint Work Session <br />meeting on Monday, March 20 at 5:00 p.m. At their regular meeting on May 3, 2017, the <br />Planning Commission will be reviewing the employment and economic activity from the <br />commercial and industrial uses and how other communities zone for higher educational uses. <br />