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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – February 4, 2026 9 office, storage, restrooms, and utilities. The Subject Property would allow for a combination of retail space for direct sales and inventory space for both direct and online sales. Senior Planner Fransen indicated the business is open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with typically four (4) employees on site at a given time. The business receives deliveries from standard-size courier vans and does not regularly use overhead doors or a loading dock. The Applicant states these operations are likely to continue. The Applicant states that on the busiest days, the business does not require more than 22 parking spaces at one time. Recent checks showed that at the current location, a maximum of 13 spaces have been used at one time, and the average number of parked cars is eight. The store is a destination for customers who plan their visit, know what they are looking for, and do not linger for long periods of time. Therefore, sales are typically spread throughout the day, and the existing parking lot will accommodate the need. Senior Planner Fransen reviewed the Plan Evaluation and provided the Findings of Fact for review: General Findings: 1. The Subject Property is located within the General Business District designated for Community Mixed Uses on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. 2. The Subject Property is zoned B-2 General Business. 3. The Subject Property contains an existing nonconforming principal structure and existing nonconforming setbacks, landscaping and parking lot. 4. The Subject Property has been used for manufacturing continuously since 1959. Manufacturing is not a permitted use in the B-2 General Business District. 5. The Applicant submitted site plan review and variance applications to establish a retail sales use in an existing manufacturing and warehousing facility at 3628 Connelly Avenue. Retail sales is a permitted use in the B-2 General Business District. 6. Site Plan Review is required for conversions from one permitted use to another permitted use when the new use has a greater off-street parking requirement than the existing use. In the parking requirements table, manufacturing use falls under the category of Other Business and Industry, which requires a minimum of 1 for each 1,000 square feet of floor area, or 10 required parking spaces. The minimum number of off-street parking spaces required for retail sales use is 1 for each 150 square feet of gross retail sales floor space. The Applicant proposes to dedicate 7,500 square feet of the structure sales floor space, which would require 50 off street parking spaces. 7. The Zoning Code requires 50 parking spaces for a retail use with Applicant is seeking site plan approval to operate a retail sales use with 24 off street parking spaces where the Zoning Code requires 50 parking spaces. 8. The Applicant is seeking a variance from design standards in Section 1325.06 related to required parking location, parking islands, landscaping, boulevard trees, and window and door openings. 9. The Applicant is proposing to remove three existing parking spaces that encroach on the right-of-way from Connelly Avenue and to increase the landscaped area on the property. 10. The Applicant requests to waive the requirement for a traffic study. The Applicant offers sufficient data in the application to demonstrate the proposed use will not result in a large amount of additional traffic and that the current conditions of the site can support the anticipated traffic. 11. The proposed plan does not conflict with the general purpose and intent of the Zoning Code or the Comprehensive Development Plan for the City.