|
|
Grand Marais city councilors approved two conditional use permits at their June 9 meeting and denied one.
Council granted Katherine McClure’s request to operate a home-based chiropractic office at her home on North Broadway Avenue.
The property is zoned R-1 Residential District. In her letter to the board, McClure started her business wouldn’t adversely impact the area. She said there wouldn’t be any signage and no additions or even an office front built on her home. Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Planning and Zoning Commission received four comments, two in favor and two against the conditional zoning request. However, after reviewing McClure’s proposal, the commission voted 4-0 to allow the business to operate at McClure’s home. The city council agreed and voted to approve the request.
Next, Lawrence (Larry) Marxen requested a conditional use permit to operate a home-based small engine repair business on his property which is located at 204 N. Broadway. In his application,
Larry noted that he has been in operation for 15 years and wasn’t sure why he needed to file for a conditional use permit at this time. He added he has no storefront, no outdoor storage equipment, and no signage advertising his location.
Neighbors include single family and multi-family residential and commercial uses. The planning commission received six public comments in support and two opposing. One supporting comment suggested that Marxen’s operation of business concludes at 5 p.m. to avoid noise conflicts.
In weighing Marxen’s request, the planning commission noted that a small engine repair is allowed as a home-based business and is allowed as a conditional use in R-1 so long as welding for hire is not conducted. They also said the business has been operating on-site for some time without causing any issues, and much of what Marxen does is undertaken at a clients’ location rather than at his house.
The planning commission approved Marxen’s request 4-0 with three caveats: No on-street parking, hours of operation will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and no welding will be allowed.
City councilors agreed unanimously with the planning commission in passing the conditional use permit for Larry Marxen.
Based on the planning commission’s recommendation, the council denied a variance request from Randall (Randy) Eastlund to construct a covered carport 8.5 feet from the front line of his property, less than the 25-foot required front yard setback. Eastman hoped to build an open-sided timber framed carport that would sit where a vehicle is currently parked. In addition, he wanted the carport roofline to match the roofline of his house.
In its recommendation to the city council, the planning commission said the location of surrounding structures within the required setback affects the proposed deck location, and the area, developed after the adoption of the zoning ordinance, does not have significant deviations from the established setback requirements.
Eastlund said he would like to change his drive- way access from W. 2nd St to 10th Avenue West along with his proposed carport, which would reduce surface and erosion runoff.
Council voted 5-0 to deny the request, but Mayor Jay Decoux said Eastlund could resubmit an application with changes to his plan if he wished.
Council spent more than an hour talking about ranking city improvement projects. This process started more than two years ago but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During a recent exercise, three priorities rose to the top. Those three are: capital improvements, the city hall liquor store, and housing.
In a memo to the council, City Administrator Mike Roth, who wasn’t at the meeting, recommended adopting the top three and selecting two other priorities. Otherwise, he recommended scheduling a work session between June 8-14, where council and staff can do a follow-up prioritization exercise to help decide.
Councilor Kelly Swearengen asked for a definition of capital improvements, noting that building a new liquor store was a capital improvement. She mentioned sewer, water, streets, and other projects the city is looking at doing in the future. Swearingen worried that the council might be taking on too many issues, and maybe they should stick to two, not five.
On the issue of housing, councilor Michael Garry cited all of the recent work the city has done on making changes to the city zoning ordinances, which will allow for more houses to be built in town. He and the other councilors agreed creating housing was a top priority but wondered what more the city could do at this time.
Councilor Craig Schulte suggested that capital improvements blend into the city PUC, working on expanding sewer, water and electricity to new potential housing sites when builders or landowners make those requests, “so we can get more houses built.” Schulte also said with the recent rise in building materials, the city would have to take a long look at the plans for the liquor store and maybe scale those plans back or wait for prices to fall before moving ahead. He also noted that repairing streets might be more of an issue of delayed maintenance. “We kind of forgot about general maintenance,” he said.
Councilors agreed there was a lot to look at and scheduled a planning meeting for Wednesday, June 16, with more planning sessions to come.
*Enno K. Limvere, the pastor of the First Congregational Church, applied to become a member of the Grand Marais Library board. His application was accepted, and he will serve for a term ending December 31, 2022.
Leave a Reply