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City of Gem hake Planning Comm ission--Mecting--April 11,2023 Meeting Minutes Planning Commission Chair Joshua Patrick called the meeting to order at 7.00 p.m. Commission Met bers:Don Cummings, Stephanie.Fan-ell and Art Pratt were:present. Not present was Cont mission Member Derek Wippich. Also present: City .Attorney Kevin Beck, City Planner Evan Monson, Acting City .Clerk Melissa Lawrence, White Bear Montessori Head of School Marnie McPherson, Justin McPherson, City Councilnnember Jim Lindner and Resident Dan .Marier. April 11, 2023 Agenda A.motion 'was made by Commissioner Cummings to accept the agenda, seconded by Commissioner Pratt. Voice vote. taken, ail. voted yes, inotion: passes; agenda accepted. Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Pratt to approve the March 14; 2023, Planning.Commission Meeting minutes. seconded by Commissioner:Farrell. Voice vote taken, -all voted yes,. motion passes, minutes are approved. Public 14earin2s Requested Ordinance Amendment to the Consolidated Lane Use Ordinanee = White Bear Montessori School The White Bear .School (1n 8MS) operates at 1201 County Road E Past, at the southwest corner of the city. The parcel is zoned Executive Residential (RX), and is also identified as being. within the Institution al. zone (tine 2017 zoning.niap refers to the Institutional Overlay as a. `Conditional Use Institutional'), The.Consolidated Land.. Use. Ordinance states in Section i5.1 that.the purpose of the institutional Overlay.Js for perm ittiing.uses that serve.the public, and that:are providing uses on a..nonprofit basis. Section 15.2 lists `religious. institutions' and private child care and education facilities' as. uses that are permitted within the.zone; Sections 15.3 and 15.4 1ists.accessory and conditional/interim uses permitted in the overlay. Tlie everlay zone establishes:limitations onuses within the zone. WBMS would be considered as.a 'private child care and education facilities' use in the ordiriance. WBMS.is considering improvernents to their facility, and. is requesting changes to the ordinarice.that Would allow for an increase in students; as well as: potential expansion. of their existing facilities. The requested increase in students. Would be to establish a. new maxitnurn of IV. 'Elie applicant has also requested allowing structures on the site to.occupy up to 30% of a lot in the Institutional Overlay, and that the minimum amount of green space: on a lot in the Institutional Overlay be reduced from 2 5 % of tine lot to 20%. Marnie McPherson shared that the school as is right now can hold 140 students if they changed the. common room that they have into, a classroom, bit the school would prefer to keep it as a common. roam. Commissioner Cummings introduced a motion to open.the:public hearing on the matter at 7.07 p.m., Commissioner Prattseconded.the motion. All in .Favor, motion carried. Councilrnember Jim Lindner shared that the buildingused to be a church .before it was turned into.a school. Cou 0 ci I m ember Lindner feels that from a resident'.s perspective these changes should have been nnade a longtime ago. aind sees nothing wrong with the plan. Head of School Mannie McPherson shared that the school has. never grown beyond 120 stu den ts. a n d -does have. a wait.list about.a year: and a half out. Currently there are 115 students enroIIed..The school is hoping to expand their.eIementary pro arann'and leave the preschool as is, Commission Chair. Patrick asked.tit ose in attendance if anyone else had any comments on the nnatter. The public had no other comments.