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Amdt7_RCA_031113 (2).doc Page 2 of 4 B ACKGROUND 16 As City Council Members are aware, the updated Zoning Ordinance went into 17 effect on December 21, 2010, and since that date the Planning Division has been 18 monitoring the many different nuances of this broad document. However, in 19 early 2012, it became evident that certain clarifications were necessary in order 20 for the Planning Division to continuing s upporting certain uses and/or to allow 21 new uses to occupy the districts. 22 Unlike the previous case, this request is predicated on language absent from the 23 Code. Specifically the Zoning Ordinance makes no mention of warehousing 24 and/or distribution as a permitted or conditional use in the Office/Business Park 25 District which creates conflict and ambiguity when limited production and 26 processing is a permitted use and which use relies heavily on the distribution and 27 often warehousing of the goods produced. The same clarification is necessary in 28 the Regional Business District assuming the city Council adopted the previous 29 request by the Planning Division. 30 As a way to understanding the situation (for amendment purposes) the Planning 31 Division observed the Oakcrest Avenue area, generally from Fairview Avenue to 32 Cleveland Avenue along both sides of the street (although not specifically 33 observed/monitored, the same area along County Road C has very similar uses). 34 The Oakcrest Avenue properties (except for Roseville Office Plaza, Radisson and 35 Days Inn) have traditionally been light industrial uses of manufacturing, 36 production, processing, warehousing and distribution. To gain a better 37 perspective of what is occurring in Oakcrest Avenue area, the Planning Division 38 visited different sites multiple times. This area consists of eight multi-tenant 39 office/warehouse buildings, all with dock doors; the newest building, 1975 40 Oakcrest, was constructed in 2006. Our “inspections” confirmed that many uses 41 within these structures included varying production, processing, manufacturing 42 and warehousing, and most all had some form of distribution. 43 Fastenal, which bills itself as America's largest industrial supply store, at 1920 44 Oakcrest, is a good example of such a use. They occupy 6,000 sq. ft. of the 45 30,000 sq. ft. building and have approximately 10 to 16 pick-up trucks that are 46 used for distribution. Although one might consider that number of vehicles to be 47 high, the Planning Division never witnesses more than two vehicles entering or 48 leaving the site in a hour time frame – this is not to say that the frequency is not 49 greater, but rather that such an ancillary use does not appear to come and go 50 frequently as other distribution uses or services. The Planning Division would 51 deem the distribution at Fastenal as clean and non-impactful to the area with 52 trucks parked in the lot awaiting orders or indoors for loading. 53 Another unique property/situation lies at 1995 Oakcrest at the former Arthur 54 Schuster building. Here, a building initially designed and constructed as an 55 office, showroom, warehousing building, was modified years ago into an interior 56 design firm consisting mainly of office with limited warehousing. The building, 57 which the Planning Division was allowed to tour, has a modest office component, 58 but largely is a warehouse that boasts two rear dock doors (previously there were 59 three, but one was converted to office use). The complexity here is that the 60 initial/former use, since the conversion occurred many years ago, cannot be 61