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_________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Arden Hills Planning Commission Meeting for July 5, 2017 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2017\PC 17-006 - Higher Education Study\Memos_Reports_17-006\PC Memo (07-05- 17)_17-006 Final.docx Page 3 of 6 Definitions The existing definition for higher education schools in the City Code is: “Schools, higher education. Junior colleges, colleges and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Minnesota Department of Education.” The “Higher education, campus” definition would describe the uses expected from a traditional four-year, undergraduate institution. The staff suggested definition is: “Higher education, campus. The facilities for technical colleges, junior colleges, colleges and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Minnesota Department of Education. These facilities can include, but are not limited to, classrooms; laboratories; seminaries; dining and residence halls; athletic, wellness, and spiritual facilities; administrative offices; performance art centers; parking and transit structures; and child care facilities.” The “Higher education, classroom/office” use is intended for classroom space that is becoming more common for off-campus continuing or graduate level education and other higher education uses that function similarly to a traditional office use. The staff suggested definition is: “Higher education, classroom/office. The facilities of technical colleges, junior colleges, colleges and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Minnesota Department of Education that function in a similar way to traditional business office uses. These facilities are limited to classrooms, administrative offices, or similar uses.” Higher Education, Classroom/Office Use The purpose of the separate Higher Education, Classroom/Office use is to allow for higher education uses that function similar to traditional office uses or have similar impacts or benefits as traditional office uses. The method to ensure that the higher education uses do not create impacts greater than traditional office uses would be to codify conditions and standards that a conditional use permit for higher education uses would need to comply with. These conditions could also address the City Council’s concern that higher education would occupy too much of the City’s limited commercial area. Staff would recommend that Higher Education, Classroom/Office be limited to a conditional use in only the B-2 zoning district. This would be more restrictive than the current Schools, Higher Education use which is a conditional use in the B-4 and CC zoning districts as well. There are currently no higher education uses in the B-4 and CC zoning districts, so no uses would become non-conforming if higher education was eliminated from those zoning districts. To address these concerns, staff has prepared the following draft language.