04-10-1995 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION ON DOMESTIC ABUSE SHELTERS HELD ON FEBRUARY 21, 1995 Gaffron continued that the City of Minnetonka also allows shelters as a conditional use in residential zones, with specific site criteria such as 3,000 s.f. of lot area for each overnight resident. 300 s.f. or residential building area for each overnight resident, maximum impact standards for traffic 'generation, parking standards, etc. Schroeder asked on what basis the Minnetonka and Plymouth shelters canw to be located where they are. Mabusth noted that the Plymouth location is a natural outgrowth of the institutional uses surrounding it at that site. Tlic Minnetonka shelter site is embedded within a single family residential neighborhood, and their City Attorney indicated in hind sight that may not have been the most appropriate location. Peterson noted that Inver Grove Heights took a differen approach, and allowed shelters as a conditional use only when accessory to a church, post secondary school, or hospital, and only in what they define as an 'instinitional zoning district". He noted this is similar to what St. Paul Park did. allowing the shelter as part of an existing church use. Gaffron noted that Hill House in White Bear Lake was located in a downtown commercial area in a "diversified" zoning district. "Rogers House" in St. Paul Park is accessory to a church use with the church holding"the lease, located in a residential zone. The church is allowed through a conditional use permit which was '’dopted as an ordinance. He noted that the ordinance establishes a committee to review the shelter on an annual basis. Nolan asked what authority the committee would have if the shelter was not being operated property. Gaffron noted the Council could presumably rescind the CUP. Peterson noted the 42 police calls to that shelter in 1994. Nolan questioned what was included in the Miscellaneous Service Calls portion of the list. Valerie Hessburg commented that some might be due to parking problems or other issues. Mabusth noted that at Sojourner, many of the calls related to parking issues, kids skateboarding on the driveways, etc. Hessburg noted that the same questions were asked in Mound, noting that that proposed site was next to a convenience store which had a significant number of calls. Hessburg suggested that the shelter use would generate no more calls than a convenience store, for instance. She questioned how often the Orono police were called to the proposed Navarre site already, due to vandalism, etc., which has apparently been a frequent occurrence given the degree of damage inside the church building. Gaffron noted that the City of Blaine was proactive in locating "Alexander House" in a "flex district" which allows flexibility in allowing non-standard uses. Blaine concluded they wanted the existing shelter use to remain in the city and found a new location for it of the City s choosing, allowing them to locate it to have minimal impact on neighborhoods or traffic. Gaffron further noted that the City of Eagan has an "interim use" district, which allows non standard uses via conditional use permit. Nolan suggested that an interim use district might allow uses normally not allowed in a district, but limit them to a finite period of time m anticipation of a change in the use once the area’s master plan development begins to take place. He indicated he had run across an interim use district in Burnsville. Mabusth questioned whether such a district was appropriate for Orono or the Navarre area which is essentially