Laserfiche WebLink
Metadata
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015 Laserfiche. All rights reserved.
ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – September 6, 2017 8 <br /> <br />Senior Planner Bachler stated any amendments to the regulation of higher education uses will <br />need to be ultimately approved by the City Council by October 9, 2017 before the moratorium <br />expires. The economic development issues will continue to be discussed as the City develops the <br />Comprehensive Plan update, which is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2018. The <br />existing definition for higher education schools in the City Code is: <br /> <br />“Schools, higher education. Junior colleges, colleges and universities approved by the <br />Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Minnesota Department of <br />Education.” <br /> <br />Senior Planner Bachler commented the proposed Zoning Code amendment would eliminate the <br />existing definition for higher education schools and replace it with two new land use categories: <br />“Higher education, campus” and “Higher education, classroom/office.” The “Higher education, <br />campus” definition would describe the uses expected from a traditional four-year, undergraduate <br />institution. The staff suggested definition is: <br /> <br />“Higher education, campus. The facilities for technical colleges, junior colleges, colleges <br />and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board for <br />the Minnesota Department of Education. These facilities can include, but are not limited <br />to, classrooms; laboratories; seminaries; dining and residence halls; athletic, wellness, <br />and spiritual facilities; administrative offices; performance art centers; parking and <br />transit structures; and child care facilities.” <br /> <br />Senior Planner Bachler explained the “Higher education, classroom/office” use is intended for <br />classroom space that is becoming more common for off-campus continuing or graduate level <br />education and other higher education uses that function similarly to a traditional office use. The <br />staff suggested definition is: <br /> <br />“Higher education, classroom/office. The facilities of technical colleges, junior colleges, <br />colleges and universities approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating <br />Board for the Minnesota Department of Education that function in a similar way to a <br />traditional business office use regarding traffic, trip generation, parking, hours of <br />operation, noise, odors and other effects. These facilities are limited to classrooms, <br />laboratories integral to training necessary for completion of a degree certification, <br />administrative offices, or similar uses.” <br /> <br />Senior Planner Bachler indicated the purpose of the separate Higher Education, <br />Classroom/Office use is to allow for higher education uses that function similar to traditional <br />office uses or have similar impacts or benefits as traditional office uses. The method to ensure <br />that the higher education uses do not create impacts greater than traditional office uses would be <br />to codify conditions and standards that a Conditional Use Permit for higher education uses would <br />need to comply with. These conditions could also address the City Council’s concern that higher <br />education would occupy too much of the City’s limited commercial area. Staff would <br />recommend that Higher Education, Classroom/Office be limited to a conditional use in only the <br />B-2 zoning district. This would be more restrictive than the current Schools, Higher Education <br />use which is a conditional use in the B-4 and Civic Center zoning districts as well. There are <br />currently no higher education uses in the B-4 and Civic Center zoning districts, so no uses would <br />become non-conforming if higher education was eliminated from those zoning districts.