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Regular Planning Commission Meeting <br />Minutes – Wednesday, June 6, 2012 <br />Page 5 <br />Mr. Grefenberg referenced pages 4-8 of the Comprehensive Plan and definition of <br />198 <br />“Community Business;” and examples provided of what was included. Mr. Grefenberg <br />199 <br />noted that this section also stated, it would encourage access and traffic management, <br />200 <br />when those areas were located on A-minor augmenters or relievers as defined in the <br />201 <br />Transportation Plan. Mr. Grefenberg questioned if this use met that requirement. <br />202 <br />Mr. Paschke responded that he was unable to answer that particular question of Mr. <br />203 <br />Grefenberg. <br />204 <br />Mr. Grefenberg expressed appreciation that shuttle service would be provided, since the <br />205 <br />Comprehensive Plan indicated a strong orientation to pedestrian and bicycle access. <br />206 <br />While reassured by staff related to his concerns with parking, Mr. Grefenberg noted that <br />207 <br />he remained concerned that this proposed use and Text Amendment was a significant <br />208 <br />departure from the Comprehensive Plan; and without a satisfactory answer to his <br />209 <br />questions, why waste time doing a Comprehensive Plan at all. <br />210 <br />Mr. Grefenberg opined that this issue had come up before; and further opined that the <br />211 <br />City apparently wasn’t learning from past mistakes. While recognizing that the <br />212 <br />Commission may not be prepared to respond to his questions as a citizen or those of the <br />213 <br />volunteer Commission, at tonight’s meeting, he stated that he would like some answers. <br />214 <br />Mr. Grefenberg advised that his remaining questions were: 1) clarifying the clear <br />215 <br />distinction between a campus setting and non-educational land use; 2) whether there <br />216 <br />was some way that the Planning Division and Planning Commission could collaboratively <br />217 <br />work with Northwestern College to determine the extent of their future expansion needs <br />218 <br />to addressed their increased need for services and demand on the City’s infrastructure. <br />219 <br />Mr. Paschke advised that Northwestern College had a Master Plan that outlined those <br />220 <br />details, and if not available online, suggested that Mr. Grefenberg request a copy from <br />221 <br />the College. <br />222 <br />Mr. Grefenberg advised that he had looked for such a Master Plan on the College <br />223 <br />website; however, he was unable to find anything outside the campus, with the Master <br />224 <br />Plan apparently focused on the College’s purpose, goals and mission, but not addressing <br />225 <br />the physical plant itself. <br />226 <br />Member Boguszewski asked the applicant to verify that they had no intent to make any <br />227 <br />physical modification to the building or site, or access points; and that this request simply <br />228 <br />allowed for changes in the function of some of the rooms within the existing building. <br />229 <br />Mr. Lloyd verified that intent, with concurrence by the applicant. <br />230 <br />At the request of Member Boguszewski, Mr. Humphries addressed current uses or <br />231 <br />tenants in the building, stating that the first floor was currently leased to Edina Realty; <br />232 <br />with the other two (2) floors used by Northwestern College employees as offices and <br />233 <br />conference rooms. <br />234 <br />Member Boguszewski, based on the applicant representative’s response, noted that this <br />235 <br />use would not be much different from its current use, with all activities occurring in a <br />236 <br />building that already existed and rooms within it for a new, but different function. Member <br />237 <br />Boguszewski observed that this should then in no way materially or negatively affect <br />238 <br />traffic. <br />239 <br />At the request of Member Boguszewski, Mr. Humphries advised that, while he was <br />240 <br />unsure of the number of employees currently occupying the Edina Realty space on a <br />241 <br />daily basis, there were twenty-five (25) Northwestern College employees on the site. <br />242 <br />Dr. Ginger Wolgemuth, Northwestern College, Nursing Department Chair <br />243 <br />Ms. Wolgemuth advised that there would be no increase from current to future <br />244 <br />employees or students on that site, as most of the students throughout the day would be <br />245 <br />based at agencies and/or clinics around the metropolitan area. Ms. Wolgemuth further <br />246 <br />noted that the number of students per square foot was stringently calculated and <br />247 <br />enforced by the State for average space per student. <br />248 <br /> <br />