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Regular Planning CommissionMeeting <br />Minutes –Wednesday, December 2, 2015 <br />Page 9 <br />remediation or related matters, to avoid any potential conflict of interest, advised that on <br />401 <br />caution’s side he would abstain from any action on this request. <br />402 <br />C <br />hair Boguszewski opened the public hearing for PLANNING FILE 15-024 at 7:36 p.m. <br />403 <br />Senior Planner Bryan Lloyd provided a brief history of this request as detailed in the staff <br />404 <br />report dated December 2, 2015.As outlined in the staff report, Mr. Lloyd noted the intent <br />405 <br />of the applicant to develop a corporate headquarters, including indoor research and <br />406 <br />development facilities, greenhouses, and up to five acres of outdoor research plots, as <br />407 <br />the remaining uses were permitted.Mr. Lloyd noted the requested Conditional Use was <br />408 <br />specific to that outdoor research and development use.Mr. Lloyd noted that the firm was <br />409 <br />currently located in New Brighton, but was now growing sufficiently to seek this <br />410 <br />expansion of their businesses. <br />411 <br />As detailed in the staff report, Mr. Lloyd reviewed the Conditional Use criteria and staff’s <br />412 <br />analysis of each component; and addressed the remainder outside city purview and <br />413 <br />regulated by other regulatory agencies, as staff consulted with those agencies and <br />414 <br />indicating no concerns to-date with the request. <br />415 <br />Mr. Lloyd reported that staff had received no public comment to-date, and confirmed that <br />416 <br />staff recommended approval of the Conditional Use as conditioned for the outdoor <br />417 <br />research plots. <br />418 <br />Discussion <br />419 <br />Chair Boguszewski referenced Section 6 of Attachment C (applicant’s written narrative) <br />420 <br />related to screening, and asked if there should be any reference to that screening as a <br />421 <br />condition to the Conditional Use. <br />422 <br />Mr. Lloyd responded that the Commission could choose to add a condition; however, <br />423 <br />advised thatbuffering regulations in the city’s regulating plan would take effect along <br />424 <br />Langton Lake Park boundaries and influence that screening.Also due to the proprietary <br />425 <br />nature of the company’s research, Mr. Lloyd advised that the applicant had an interest in <br />426 <br />obscuring those research plots from the public’s view, which staff had found to be <br />427 <br />adequate. <br />428 <br />Member Murphy noted Ramsey County’s property identification numbers (PIN’s) <br />429 <br />compared to actual property boundaries being recommended for approval for the <br />430 <br />applicant, and asked specifically what properties were under consideration for the <br />431 <br />Conditional Use request and whether it applied only to those two properties defined by <br />432 <br />those two PIN’s. <br />433 <br />Mr. Lloyd clarified that this request was specific to the two parcels and several underlying <br />434 <br />lots. At Member Murphy’s question as to the applicant’s intent to purchase additional lots, <br />435 <br />Mr. Lloyd advised that while the applicant intended to purchase additional lots, the big <br />436 <br />question for them is if they would be approved for the outdoortest plots.If that answer <br />437 <br />from the Planning commission was yes, Mr. Lloyd advised that then they could proceed <br />438 <br />with purchasing additional parcels.Mr. Lloyd further clarified that the plat may come <br />439 <br />forward at a later point it was not now part of this request for the outdoor research plots. <br />440 <br />Member Bull questioned staff’s conversation with the Department Agriculture on potential <br />441 <br />problems with windblown dust to nearby residential areas when the applicant may spray. <br />442 <br />Member Bull noted another concern may be odors from manure spreading across the <br />443 <br />test fieldand if and how they would remediate that. <br />444 <br />While admitting he was ill-equipped to know, Mr. Lloyd advised based on his <br />445 <br />conversation with other regulating agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, that <br />446 <br />any such application was regulated by them.As the City operates, Mr. Lloyd clarified that <br />447 <br />this would not be under their active oversight, but that it would respond to any concerns <br />448 <br />or complaints should something arise.However, how those chemicals were handled, Mr. <br />449 <br />Lloyd advised he could not answer definitively.Mr. Lloyd noted that in an urban <br />450 <br />environment, environmental regulations would prevent an application of significant <br />451 <br /> <br />