Victoria City Council — Transcript
Monday, July 13, 2026
Senior Advisory Committee Annual Work Plan
Parks and Recreation Committee Annual Work Plan
Planning Commission Annual Work Plan
Outdoor Dining Permit for Vic's Bar and Grill
Temporary Noise Permit for Floyd's Bar and Grill
Modification to TIF District Number 1-9 (Roers)
Illuminated Commercial Signs (Victoria Orthodontics & Circle K)
Amendment to Fence Ordinance
Lawsuit Against Bell Maple Farm Development
Votes (9)
2026 Senior Advisory Committee Annual Work Plan and Year-End Review
Moved by Council Member [00:10:33] · Seconded by Council Member [00:10:40]
Co-chairs Jenny Spalding and Kyle Niebauer presented the committee's 2026 work plan, highlighting the Community Connection Series, efforts to increase awareness of senior resources, improvements to senior-focused facilities like the Victoria Rec Center, initiatives to redevelop the city's volunteer program, and collaboration on community risk reduction (e.g., fall prevention). Council members expressed appreciation for the committee's work and shared positive feedback on their events. A call for new volunteers was also made.
2026 Parks and Rec Committee Annual Work Plan and Year-End Review
Moved by Council Member [00:19:35] · Seconded by Council Member [00:19:38]
Vice Chair Amanda Cahill presented the committee's three focus areas: continuing public engagement for park projects (e.g., Brookmore Park survey), addressing strategic growth areas (including the 2050 comprehensive plan, park master planning, and new developments like Astoria), and exploring non-traditional park spaces (e.g., trail gaps). The committee discussed the positive impact of expanded membership on diverse perspectives and their commitment to resident feedback. Council members acknowledged the committee's hard work, especially in navigating budget constraints, and lauded their role as community ambassadors.
2026 Planning Commission Annual Work Plan and Year-End Review
Moved by Council Member [00:23:09] · Seconded by Council Member [00:23:13]
Chair Ben Sakora reviewed the Planning Commission's busy past year, including numerous meetings, public hearings, and reviews of land use applications, ordinances, and development standards for areas like Downtown West. The 2026-2027 work plan focuses on completing the zoning code overhaul, providing recommendations on land use, attending training, and supporting city priority projects, with the addition of the 2050 comprehensive plan rewrite. Council members thanked the commission for their 'heavy lifting' and appreciated the offer to take on more tasks.
Public Hearing: Interim Use Permit Request for Vic's Bar and Grill for Outdoor Dining
Moved by Council Member Ivanski [00:29:21] · Seconded by Council Member Roberts [00:29:29]
Community and Economic Development Director Jen Brewington presented the request for Vic's Bar and Grill to use four public parking spaces for seasonal outdoor patio dining. She explained the formalization of the outdoor dining program via Interim Use Permit (I.U.P.) for transparency and condition-setting, with annual renewal. Council discussion clarified that the permit was solely for Vic's, addressing concerns about broader 'Eat Street' expansion, and balanced the impact of lost parking with the community benefit of outdoor dining, especially during summer.
Public Hearing: Temporary Noise Permit for Floyd's Bar and Grill
Dissent: Council Member Roberts
Moved by Mayor [00:47:49] · Seconded by Council Member [00:48:30]
Jen Brewington introduced the request for Floyd's Bar and Grill (1758 Arboretum Boulevard) to extend outdoor amplified music until 11:00 p.m. on six dates. During the public hearing, residents James Robling and Wayne Kesti expressed concerns about past noise ordinance violations (music played past 10:00 p.m. and even 11:00 p.m.), loud motorcycle traffic, and a lack of compliance by the establishment since new rules were adopted. Council discussion focused on Floyd's non-compliance history and the need for them to be a 'good neighbor.' The City Attorney clarified the Council's authority to impose conditions and revoke permits.
Public Hearing: Proposed Modification to TIF District Number 1-9, Roers
Moved by Council Member [01:05:58] · Seconded by Council Member [01:06:06]
Jen Brewington and Tammy Amdahl (Northland Securities) presented the proposed modification to TIF District 1-9, established to support downtown redevelopment. The amendment expands the district to include additional qualifying properties, allowing the city to assist with eligible redevelopment costs and fund municipal parking improvements, aligning with Victoria's long-term vision. Tammy Amdahl detailed the financial projections, emphasizing that the modification creates an opportunity to capture significant future tax increment ($33.2M over 26 years) but does not obligate immediate bond issuance. Discussion covered the valuation process, the TIF budget as a 'ceiling,' and the city's assumption of risk if future bonds are issued. No public comments were made.
Public Hearing: Conditional Use Permit Request for Illuminated Commercial Signs for Victoria Orthodontics
Moved by Council Member [01:10:14] · Seconded by Council Member [01:10:20]
Associate Planner Travis Brierly presented the CUP request for Victoria Orthodontics (7980 Rose Street) to install two illuminated commercial signs facing Highway 5. The signs met city dimensional standards, and the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval. The discussion focused on confirming the sign's exact location and orientation, and clarification that a CUP is a land use right specific to the business, requiring a new application if a new business takes over. The proposed conditions included maintenance requirements and ensuring signs are off when the business is closed.
Public Hearing: Conditional Use Permit Request for Illuminated Commercial Signs for Circle K
Moved by Council Member Ivanski [01:17:58] · Seconded by Council Member Roberts [01:18:35]
Travis Brierly presented a CUP request for Circle K (1793 Arboretum Boulevard), rebranding the current Holiday site. The application included six new illuminated signs (canopy, main storefront, backlit car wash entrance/exit, totem). The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval. Council discussion centered on potential light disruption from the 24/7 illuminated car wash signs to adjacent residential properties. While staff noted existing code protects against ground illumination and hazards, Council sought to add a condition allowing restriction of operating hours if complaints arise, which the City Attorney confirmed was permissible.
Public Hearing: Request to Amend Ordinance 490 ZC Section 18-9 of the Victoria Zoning Code on Fences
Dissent: Council Member Evansky
Moved by Council Member Ivanski [01:34:49] · Seconded by Council Member [01:35:00]
Associate Planner Travis Brierly presented a request to amend the zoning code regarding front yard fence heights. The proposed amendments would allow 6-foot fences under specific conditions (e.g., gates crossing driveways, adjacent to non-residential streets, or certain residential streets without driveways between intersections). The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval. Council discussion heavily debated the appropriateness of using zoning text amendments versus individual variances for these situations. Council Member Evansky voiced strong opposition, arguing that variances are the proper tool for 'practical difficulties' and that amending the code for specific requests could compromise safety and appearance. Staff clarified that current regulations allow 4-foot fences and the variance test requires demonstrating a 'plight of the landowner' not just a desire for a taller fence. Despite the opposition, the amendment passed.
Notable Quotes (19)
The Senior Advisory Committee has established five key focus areas for our current work plan that we're here to discuss with you tonight. Um the first is the development and execution of our Community Connection Series.
I don't have any questions, but I did attend the event that you guys put on and I had nothing but positive feedback from everybody who was there. I thought it was done extremely well.
Our first focus area is continuing public engagement for all park projects. Last year the committee drafted and the council approved a formal engagement policy for our park projects and this policy has already been put into place providing helpful clear framework.
Yeah. Um so, where we feel like uh I think that is part of where the committee feels most um useful and engaged. Um and because at those events, um they're able to interact and have conversations with residents.
I would just point out that we have uh courageous and um hard-working staff that prepare prepares for our meetings with us and materials that we can uh look at and make a decisions on and digest information.
I think our planning commission is um hungry and capable and if the there's things that city council feels they're um have overwhelmed with, uh put us in, coach, you know, so.
The reason this program is before you tonight is that the city wanted to formalize the approval process. In the past, these requests were reviewed administratively by staff. Um, and this just moves us to an interim use permit process to provide greater transparency, allowing the city to establish conditions of the approval.
Um, that does not go unnoticed, but I I always feel like this is a time of the year when it's nice outside, people are more willing to walk a little bit further, and Minnesotans love to eat outside in the summertime, and um, anything that we can do to help facilitate that, I think, is is a reasonable request, and to the point that it's lovely out. Take a walk down beautiful downtown Victoria.
It's 10:00. They played until quarter after 11:00 last Saturday. So, I don't know who's going to watch that or listen to that, but um, the noise is or music ain't too bad until last Saturday. Then it just cranked up till quarter after 10:00 after.
Um it's disheartening to hear that on the opinion of residents that the noise was even louder. Um I certainly will take that at face value. That's certainly not something that would be part of an administrative record. However, the or the reality is that uh we want Floyd's to be a good neighbor and this is one of the reasons why we had to engage in an ordinance in the first place.
The the backstory on all that is, of course, cities don't have to allow outdoor amplified music at all, and so you are doing a you we've talked in the past about how you're trying to balance the interests of one or maybe a couple of uh of eating drinking establishments that have had music historically with folks more and more living in your downtown.
This amendment is needed to update the existing TIF plan so it can support current redevelopment opportunities in downtown Victoria. It expands the district [clears throat] to include additional qualifying properties, allowing the city to assist with eligible redevelopment costs where private investment alone may not be sufficient.
Um the first one, the approval of the modification will provide the opportunity for the city to consider the use of the additional tax increment that is projected to be generated, and I will have a slide in a moment on those amounts, but I want to emphasize opportunity. You could approve the modification tonight. You get to, and if you don't act, and I'm going to have some dates, year 15 after the Roers TIF District um pay go notice satisfied, the council could determine to decertify the district at that point. So, the approval of this modification, I must say that again, provides the opportunity, but not the requirement that you use that tool.
Uh tonight there's a couple different permits. The first one that we're looking at is a CUP for Victoria Orthodontics. Specifically, it's for an illuminated commercial sign. This is the same process that we used for Blue Agave just a few weeks ago.
Uh council member, uh conditional use permits are land use right. So, it'll be a land use right that's specific to this business. Uh it's something that came up when we looked at it, making sure that it's written in such a way where if Victoria Orthodontics was to replace their sign with something similar that would meet the code, as long as it met the code and wasn't a completely different type of illumination, they would be allowed to do so.
I guess uh other councilmembers My only reservation, and maybe it's not a big one, is that the entrances and the exits to the car washes uh are not there today. Do they um face residential properties and have we uh do we have a view on whether or not that now that those signs are going to be there, somebody's going to be looking out through their front room window and seeing a giant red car wash exit?
I think it's just fine to say you can have this lit, but if people are negatively affected and they go to the trouble of complaining to us about it, then we can restrict the hours that you illuminate that exit sign. I think that's fine.
Everything that I think we're seeing lately could be handled by a variance process and go through that process and we make a determination as to whether in that instance it's merited or it isn't. The um you know, so for example, the gate that you you talked about, we could deal with that with a variance.
Underneath the practical difficulties test, we have to identify a plight of the landowner. That has to be a situation that wasn't created or known by the landowner, who regardless of if it was a previous landowner, current landowner, prior at the time an ordinance was changed. So, when we look at our new developments, and we already have a definition for front yards being between the principal structure and the street, um, set taking the example here, um, a variance wouldn't qualify because at the time of the purchase of the property, those regulations are already in place.
Ordinances & Resolutions (10)
Focus of an upcoming City Council budget workshop.
Annual review by the Senior Advisory Committee to ensure relevance and accuracy.
Guiding document for the Parks and Recreation Committee's master planning process and a focus area for the Planning Commission.
Amendment establishing a temporary noise permit process, setting a 10:00 p.m. standard ending time for outdoor amplified music in the Central Business District.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District created to support redevelopment in downtown Victoria, subject to a proposed modification to expand boundaries and update the plan.
Permit type requested by Vic's Bar and Grill for seasonal outdoor dining.
Permit type requested by Floyd's Bar and Grill to extend outdoor amplified music hours.
Permit type requested by Victoria Orthodontics and Circle K for illuminated commercial signs.
City's approval for the Bell Maple Farm development, which is the subject of a lawsuit.
Section of the Victoria zoning code pertaining to fences, proposed to be amended regarding front yard fence heights.