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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, March 23, 2015 <br /> Page 23 <br /> Mr. Bilotta noted, in subarea 7 (e.g. boat company), big box had been universally <br /> hated until that area had been separated out as a subarea from others, and if look- <br /> ing for an area to allow more big box, this seemed to be the area least objectiona- <br /> ble, noting the location of the drainage ditch in relationship to County Road C <br /> versus along Fairview Avenue. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined hat 24-hour operations were still a big issue for <br /> her. <br /> Mayor Roe noted the need to address 24-hour operations consistently in determin- <br /> ing if they were not supported across theboard. Mayor Roe noted that another op- <br /> tion in considering a 24-hour operation could be addressed under current code and <br /> property performance standards addressing height, screening, buffers, traffic pat- <br /> terns, loading times and other requirements needing to be met. Whether or not <br /> those code requirements were being enforced or not, Mayor Roe noted the stand- <br /> ards that could be applied still were outlined in current code. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte questioned Mr. Bilotta on why the least objectionable <br /> area appeared to be Subarea 7 for this type of use, and whether that was due to its <br /> proximity to Snelling Avenue. <br /> Mr. Bilotta responded that, in reviewing past comments that were more intense <br /> and passionate, he suspected that the location off County Road C was the big is- <br /> sue to move traffic beyond Fairview Avenue versus Cleveland Avenue. With the <br /> drainage ditch separating that area and the northern part of subarea 2 being closer <br /> to Langton Lake Park with some overlap perceived, Mr. Bilotta stated that those <br /> comments had been heard from residents in Applewood and/or Cherrywood de- <br /> velopment sites. Mr. Bilotta noted that residents apparently viewed Cleveland <br /> Avenue differently, with the retail area next to the strip mall housing Byerly's al- <br /> ready being perceived as an existing retail area. However, Mr. Bilotta noted that <br /> the neighborhood representative, Ms. McCormick, may have more input based on <br /> those discussions. <br /> At the rest of Councilmember Willmus, Mr. Bilotta defined several existing busi- <br /> nesses (e.g. the Tile Shop classified as a big box retail, and the unique Fireplace <br /> Store to the north falling on the edge of home improvement uses). <br /> Councilmember Willmus questioned if categorically stating "no more retail" in <br /> this area was appropriate or clearly defining where it made sense, perhaps along <br /> major arterials in the area (e.g. County Road C). Councilmember Willmus also <br /> cautioned the need to qualify 24-hour operations in order not to preclude preferred <br /> uses needing 24-hour operations, such as the hospital type use being considered <br /> several hours ago. <br />