[0:06] call the regular meeting of the oakdale [0:08] city council to [0:09] order uh march 6 2025 [0:13] roll call please pearson here wilenbring [0:17] here campbell is absent mccauley here [0:21] data here hagen also absent and wilson [0:26] here [0:28] uh pledge of allegiance [0:32] please i pledge allegiance to the flag [0:35] of the united states of america and to [0:38] the republic for which it stands one [0:40] nation under god indivisible with [0:43] liberty and justice for all [0:50] okay i call for approval of the agendas [0:52] any changes anybody needs to make or we [0:54] just approve it [0:57] make a motion for approval of agenda [0:59] second all those in favor i any opposed [1:03] thank you approval of the minutes anyone [1:06] have any changes to the minutes uh that [1:08] they need to make [1:11] make a motion to approval of minutes [1:12] second [1:14] all those in favor i i any opposed [1:17] motion passes thank you call open forum [1:21] this is a time chance for anybody who is [1:24] in the in attendance who wishes to make [1:26] a comment that's not on the agenda to [1:28] come forward and speak but again it's [1:30] not on the agenda anything that's not on [1:32] the agenda does anyone wish to come [1:35] forward seeing none i close the open [1:39] forum uh we have no old no old business [1:43] so we will start with new business a [1:44] public hearing for the ethiopian [1:46] evangelical church in minnesota [1:49] 736033rd street north a conditional use [1:52] permit for a place of [1:55] worship thank you chair so i will have [1:57] the uh presentation slides up here in [2:00] just a moment so the location of the [2:02] site is 7360 33rd street it's the former [2:05] la fitness site uh the zoning for this [2:09] property is planned unit development or [2:10] pud and the purpose of the request is to [2:13] establish a place of worship or a church [2:16] and places of worship are allowed in all [2:18] zoning districts through the conditional [2:20] use permit process i would like to note [2:22] that there is federal law that also [2:23] provides some guidance here it's um our [2:26] lupa or the religious land use and [2:28] institutionalized persons act of 2000 it [2:31] essentially requires that religious [2:33] assemblies and institutions be treated [2:36] equally as non-religious assemblies and [2:38] institutions for example um city [2:41] buildings or school district or school [2:43] public school district buildings uh they [2:45] all have to be treated um equally so [2:48] access to the site it there is an [2:50] existing access off hemingway so as you [2:53] probably know the intersection of [2:54] hemingway and 34th street can be a [2:56] little bit tricky to navigate because [2:57] there is no left turn lane off hemingway [3:00] to go westbound on 34th street so at the [3:03] request of both the city and the [3:04] washington county public works [3:06] department the developer commissioned a [3:08] traffic study uh for the proposed change [3:10] in use and i'll talk a little bit more [3:12] about the traffic situation in just a [3:15] moment so here's a look at the site in [3:18] question it's outlined in red the [3:20] existing building is approximately [3:22] 45,000 square ft i'll show the concept [3:25] floor plans in just a moment but the uh [3:26] the main assembly hall would be able to [3:28] accommodate up to 915 people so however [3:32] the church which is currently located in [3:34] st paul uh it currently has about 700 [3:38] congregants and that this figure [3:39] includes not just adults but also [3:41] children uh now for parking requirements [3:44] which is based on the size of the [3:45] assembly hall and the office space [3:47] that's associated with the church 247 [3:51] parking spaces are required this site [3:53] has 300 existing parking spaces so there [3:57] uh the parking requirements aren't [3:59] met so here are some photos of the [4:02] property when it was previously [4:04] operating as a commercial gym and the [4:06] applicant has stated that there will be [4:08] no exterior building expansions or [4:10] additions all renovation work will be [4:12] limited to the inside of the building [4:14] only i would like to note that uh any [4:16] changes to signage would require a sign [4:18] permit through the [4:20] city so here's a look at the preliminary [4:24] floor plans for the church and again the [4:25] main assembly hall would is expected to [4:28] seat up to 915 people there will be [4:32] approximately 3,000 square ft of office [4:34] space a mom/family room connected to the [4:37] assembly hall seven sunday school [4:40] classrooms an infant and toddler room [4:42] restrooms a gym an entryway a gathering [4:45] area and also a kitchen [4:48] so here's another look at the [4:50] preliminary floor plans which show the [4:52] existing uh partitions and rooms which [4:54] is kind of in the lighter outline it's [4:56] very difficult to see on on this screen [4:58] so i apologize about that um but moving [5:01] on so as a reminder conditional use [5:03] permits are subject to certain review [5:06] criteria that's found in the city's [5:07] zoning ordinance and i'll just briefly [5:10] summarize those review [5:11] criterias the first one is compliance [5:14] with the city's comprehensive plan next [5:17] is uh compatibility compatibility of the [5:19] use with the zoning district in which it [5:21] is located no nuisance effects generated [5:25] no traffic congestion or parking issues [5:28] and again i would like to note that [5:29] again the uh the applicant worked with [5:31] the traffic engineer to prepare a [5:33] traffic [5:34] study uh moving on with the criteria the [5:37] use must be adequately served by public [5:40] services no excessive costs incurred for [5:43] public services or infrastructure and [5:45] finally minimal impacts to environmental [5:47] and natural [5:49] features so with that said staff finds [5:51] that the conditional use permit review [5:54] criteria of the ordinance has been [5:55] satisfied as detailed in the staff [5:57] report on file uh staff recommends [6:00] approval subject to the following [6:02] condition of approval and if you're [6:04] following along on the in the agenda [6:06] packet i'm on page 20 last page and it's [6:08] uh in the draft resolution and again [6:10] it's just one condition of approval so [6:13] wayfinding signage shall be added at the [6:16] intersection of 33rd street north and [6:18] hemingway avenue north and along 33rd [6:20] street [6:21] north so the wayfinding signage is [6:24] intended to help direct drivers who are [6:26] looking to go westbound on 34th street [6:28] and essentially trying to avoid having [6:30] them um make that turn um at the [6:33] intersection of hemingway 34th they [6:35] would be redirected further east in that [6:37] neighborhood so that they could make a [6:39] proper left turn at the intersection of [6:42] marketplace and 34th [6:44] street uh one final note so although [6:47] there is only one condition of approval [6:49] staff is suggesting but is not requiring [6:52] that the applicant implement the [6:53] recommendations that's found in the [6:55] traffic study and these include adding [6:58] excuse me adding a feature sidewalk [6:59] connection from the church to hemingway [7:01] avenue developing a shared parking [7:04] agreement with the adjacent [7:05] property conducting further traffic [7:07] analysis adjusting internal driveway [7:10] alignments and also working with [7:11] washington county on potential future [7:13] traffic improvements and as a reminder [7:16] this is a public hearing the applicant [7:17] is here in attendance and i'd be happy [7:19] to answer any questions thank [7:21] you okay anyone have any questions [7:29] i don't one question one one question i [7:31] have [7:33] though so the traffic study is going to [7:35] be limited to just sort of those two [7:38] parking lot that you are conditioning to [7:40] be um shared like a shared parking [7:42] agreement or we talking maybe highway 14 [7:45] or that 34 uh typically it's a [7:48] right-hand turn on 34 uh going east to [7:52] loop around to go uh west or you're [7:54] looking at creating an intersection [7:56] there at hemingway and 34 [8:00] so yeah in terms of u i guess if i'm [8:03] understanding the the question correctly [8:04] so the traffic study yeah one of the [8:08] suggestions was um i'll i'll take the [8:11] parking first the the question on the [8:13] parking uh it's just a suggestion that [8:16] um the church work with the property [8:19] immediately to the east so that's the [8:20] the multi-tenant building just for the [8:22] cross parking [8:23] agreement and then um the actual [8:27] condition of approval for that [8:28] wayfinding signage um it's just a a a [8:34] couple signs is really all that it would [8:36] amount to to help direct traffic um [8:39] instead of going taking a a a left turn [8:43] if you're exiting the church taking a [8:45] left turn or going north on hemingway [8:48] really trying to prevent that and have [8:49] them go closer or um take take a [8:54] right-hand turn go south on hemingway [8:56] and then east towards target and then uh [8:58] going to that intersection okay all [9:00] right thank you it's good but there [9:02] wouldn't be any blockage for them to go [9:04] up hemingway and turn right to go east [9:06] along 34th [9:09] no you could still make that right turn [9:12] going north on hemingway and then east [9:14] on 34th [9:16] is there any other there's a pylon sign [9:20] down further by the gas station is there [9:23] a pylon sign near there for pins or [9:26] anything like that i believe there is a [9:28] pylon sign there's several pylon signs [9:30] in that [9:31] neighborhood um and then there there's [9:35] the old la fitness pylon sign as well [9:37] that's close on the the west side of the [9:39] site along the interstate [9:45] go ahead michael i was just going to ask [9:48] is there an apartment complex that's [9:50] being built directly to the south of it [9:52] or am i thinking [9:54] of like to the south southeast of it [9:57] southeast okay i was just thinking of [9:59] like the adjacent parking workout or [10:03] traffic uh analysis there but looks like [10:06] it's just the gas station that's right [10:07] next to it that' be the only the a [10:10] doctor's building that was minimally [10:13] used but they've got uh some parking [10:16] facility in there as well okay but it's [10:18] just during the day not not on the [10:20] weekends i believe and i can bring up [10:22] the location map here in a moment [10:27] um so where my cursor is that's the new [10:31] apartment that just opened back in [10:32] november and then the gas station to the [10:34] to the north so there is a bit of a [10:36] separation distance from uh the proposed [10:38] church to the th those two structures [10:46] any further questions just as as a [10:50] thought traffic and parking was my only [10:52] issue with this and could there be [10:56] a on a new onramp lane i don't know how [11:00] i'm saying this on the corner of um [11:02] hemingway and 34th going east just [11:05] because you know there's going to be a [11:06] higher traffic there adding a little bit [11:08] larger lane as traffic turns onto there [11:11] it gives a little more of an on-ramp [11:13] there [11:14] so 34th street is it's also it's a [11:17] county road so it's also called county [11:19] road 14 um i my understanding is there's [11:23] no immediate plans for improvements at [11:26] that intersection but it's it's it's [11:27] certainly on the county's radar in terms [11:29] of making improvements and as this area [11:31] continues to build out [11:36] anyone [11:37] else if not then i guess i'll proceed to [11:40] ask if there's anybody in the audience [11:41] who wishes to come forward to speak to [11:43] this matter [11:50] my name is chuck blair i've been i'm an [11:52] attorney i've been assisting the church [11:54] on the acquisition of the property and [11:56] the conditional use permit um and i [12:00] think some of the the issues with the uh [12:02] traffic i i i reviewed too and i think [12:05] the thing with the county uh what was [12:08] recommended to us and through the city [12:10] engineer and also our own engineer was [12:13] that the the county most likely would [12:16] start by retiming some of the lights [12:19] that hasn't been done for a long time [12:21] and especially on sunday so the church's [12:24] use by and large is going to be pretty [12:26] minimal uh they have one service sunday [12:29] morning late in the morning until i [12:31] think just afternoon and then otherwise [12:34] uh they have religion classes where like [12:36] 40 50 students show up and then they [12:40] have some events here and there so i [12:41] think by and large the only traffic uh [12:44] concern is going to be on that sunday uh [12:46] coming and going during those limited [12:48] times when i i suspect that traffic [12:51] overall may be lessened because it's a [12:52] sunday rather than a weekday um so we'll [12:56] be working with the the engineers on [12:58] that and then as far as the way uh [13:00] finding signs as a condition is uh [13:03] perfectly fine i think the only thing [13:05] we'd want to do is kind of get some [13:06] direction on what that means and when [13:08] that should be done i think in talking [13:10] to luke the thought was we'd do a bit of [13:13] a wait and see approach to see what's [13:15] necessary and what would be best based [13:17] on some [13:18] experience so i'm not sure how that [13:20] would work into the approval um but [13:23] other than that we have the architect [13:24] here if you had any questions about the [13:26] internal renovations um but otherwise i [13:29] think it's all uh well set out and luke [13:32] did a great job of presenting it so i [13:33] don't really have anything to add the [13:35] only question i would have for the [13:37] engineer would would be a off the [13:39] subject question as to what you going to [13:40] do with the pool because it's it's [13:42] marked it's marked my understanding it's [13:44] going to be filled it's not going to be [13:46] built in yeah they're not going to use [13:48] it as a pool no i think they went to [13:50] just building a floor over it or taking [13:51] it all out basically just infill it [13:54] saying insulation and then this concrete [13:56] over the top okay answers my question [13:59] okay thank you [14:03] anyone else have any questions for them [14:06] one question here is the second floor [14:08] demo too also [14:10] the mez the mezzanine it's marked it's [14:12] actually marked in there for seating as [14:13] well oh that's what they call a [14:14] mezzanine yeah that's what it is okay [14:16] all right got it [14:19] anyone else have a question for [14:22] me okay i'll bring it back here for uh [14:26] final final questions amongst the commit [14:29] amongst us uh anybody have any final [14:32] comments [14:33] none okay then i look for a motion [14:38] move to recommend the approval of the [14:39] conditional use permit to establish a [14:41] place of worship at [14:44] 7360 33rd street north [14:49] second second all those in favor i any [14:53] opposed motion passes thank you very [14:55] much [14:59] our staff leazison update [15:02] yes thank you so really just one update [15:06] here so i expect that we will have an [15:08] april planning commission meeting we [15:10] have two applications or um two requests [15:14] so one is a senior condos proposal by um [15:18] fourth and ideal or the oak meadows uh [15:22] apartment if if you're familiar with [15:24] that and then we have another [15:25] conditional use permit for an oversized [15:27] garage that's all i have thank you thank [15:31] you commissioner updates so anyone have [15:34] any updates that they wish to express no [15:37] since uh you mentioned april i would [15:40] actually not be available at that [15:42] meeting i'll be on vacation okay thank [15:44] you [15:46] that's all [15:48] council [15:49] liaison miss wenbring [15:54] nothing new to report but happy to [15:56] answer questions [15:58] i have no questions for you no questions [16:01] nice to see you again yeah yeah it's [16:03] been a long time what's that i said it's [16:05] nice to see you again oh yeah thank you [16:07] yeah i was out of the country for a [16:08] while oh nice [16:10] [Applause] [16:12] okay thank you very [16:14] much uh move to adjourn so moved all [16:19] those in favor i all those opposed [16:23] we stand adjourned [16:27] quick meeting quick meeting [16:30] 18 minutes