5.3. PCSR 09-14-2010REQUEST FOR ACTION
TO ITEM NUMBER
Planning Commission 5.3.
AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY
Plannin Se tember 14, 2010 Jerem Barnhart, Planning Manager
ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By
Request by Elk River Lutheran Church for Conditional Use
Permit for Church Facility at 19437 Evans Street, Public REVIEWED BY
Hearing -Case No. CU 10-19
ACTION REQUESTED
Interim Use Permit approval to permit an institutional use (Elk River Lutheran Church) at 19437 Evans
Street for up to 5 years, subject to the following conditions:
1. Interim Use Permit shall expire December 31, 2015 or when Elk River Lutheran vacates
the site, which ever occurs first.
2. As a Conditional Use Permit is not a Building Permit, the applicant shall apply for and
receive all require permits.
3. The development shall meet all applicable fire codes.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The review of this request is predicated on the City Council approving the Planned Unit Development
Agreement amendment to permit institutional uses at the subject parcel (CU 10-18).
Should the City Council not approve the CUP to amend the PUD agreement, the proper action would be
to deny the application on the grounds that it is not permitted by zoning.
Application
The applicant requests approval to use approximately 10,000 square feet at 19437 Evans Street for a
religious institutional use. Improvements to the space include the development of a 279-seat sanctuary, 8
classrooms, and 5 offices. The primary use of the space will take place on Sunday mornings. The offices
would be used Monday -Friday for work and small classes.
Other improvements to the space include bathrooms, and any building/ fire code required
improvements.
Parking is generallythe biggest concern in the siting of churches. Parking for the site will be provided via
the existing parking lot to the west of the building. This parking lot includes 144 spaces south of the
entrance, exceeding the required 93 spaces on site. The parking lot includes additional spaces to the
north of the entrance drive, and due to the expected off-peak usage of the parking, parking is not
expected to be a problem even on highest capacity days. It does not appear that nearby residential streets
are a likely to be used as an alternative for parking, based on their distance from the entrances and
significant natural impediments to access (fencing, ponds, rough terrain}.
Case File No. CU 10-19 Elk River Lutheran Church
September 14, 2010
Page 2
Analysis
The applicants propose using the space for no more than 5 years, during which time theywill build a
permanent structure somewhere in Elk River. With this time frame proposed, staff can support the use
of the parcel for non-commercial uses. Long term, staff anticipates the viability of the shopping center to
increase, or the property drastically redeveloped; during either, non-commercial uses would be
inappropriate.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
None
ATTACHMENTS
^ Applicants narrative
^ Location map
^ Floor plan (A 101, dated 8-4-2010)
Action Motion by Second by Vote
Follow Up
N:\Departments\CommurutyDevelopment\Plaruung\Case Files\C[JP\CU 10-19 ERLutheran Church\Staff report of PC RE IUP 9-1410.doc
N:\Departments\Community Development\Planning\Case Files\CUP\CU 10-19 ER Lutheran Church\Location Map.dwg, 8/13/2010 8:33:24 AM
August 2, 2010
Re: Conditional Use permit, Elk River Lutheran Church - ELCA for 19437 Evans, Elk River
We are seeking to use the property at 1943 7 Evans, Elk River for our Church office, meeting and
worship space on a temporary basis for up to five years. Currently we are assembling on Sunday
mornings at Lincoln Elementary and are renting an office in Downtown Elk River. The proposed
lease agreement is for two years with aone-year option. It is the intention of Elk River Lutheran
Church to purchase land in the Elk River area and build a permanent structure within this
timeline.
Two additional bathrooms will be added to the existing facility to meet code requirements. The
existing office space will be enclosed to give the pastor a private conference space and additional
office space and classroom space will be defined by the use of portable walls. The combined
three exits of 144 inches exceed the minimum fire exit requirements. Existing parking of 126
spaces is sufficient for the calculated maximum occupancy load of the assembly. No free-
standing signage will be constructed, there is no proposed screening of the site and no outdoor
storage will be sought.
The primary use of the space will take place on Sunday mornings between the hours of 8 am and
12:30 pm. Monday through Friday the office will be used for work and occasionally for small
group meetings of between five and twenty people. Currently there are two employees and
several volunteers. We project adding up to 5 employees during the time of the lease. The space
will also be used for evening meetings of between two and twenty people. Confirmation classes
have not yet been scheduled but are likely to be scheduled one evening each week. Sunday
school will be scheduled during the Sunday morning hours directly after the first worship
service.
Sunday morning will be the only time that a substantial number of parking spaces will be used. If
we experience our anticipated growth, a second service will be added on Sunday morning. The
Sunday school for children will be scheduled for the hour between the two services to allow time
for the parking lot to be cleared before people start arriving for the second service. When we do
schedule a second service time, the parking lot will still be cleared by the 12:30 time. (With our
current schedule with one worship service, the parking lot clears by about 11:00.) During
weekdays and on any evenings, we anticipate that fewer than thirty parking places will be used at
any one time for scheduled meetings and confirmation classes. During the season of Lent,
Wednesday evening services may be scheduled with an anticipated attendance of about 50.
We anticipate sufficient growth will happen over the next three years that will require the
addition of a second worship time. It is planned to control the size of any one assembly to be less
than the calculated maximum occupancy by adding additional worship times within the Sunday
morning time slot. The maximum daily worship attendance is likely to be on Christmas and
Easter. On those days, the assembly size will be controlled by adding enough services to
accommodate the anticipated attendance.
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