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Oakdale planning panel recommends approval for church at former LA Fitness site
Summary
The Oakdale Planning Commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit to allow the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Minnesota to convert the former LA Fitness building into a place of worship, subject to wayfinding signage and with additional traffic recommendations suggested but not required.
The Oakdale Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to allow the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Minnesota to locate a place of worship in the former LA Fitness building at 7360 3rd Street North.
City staff told the commission the building is in a planned unit development (PUD) and that places of worship are allowed in all zoning districts through the conditional use permit process. A staff presentation noted the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) requires religious assemblies be treated the same as nonreligious assemblies for land-use purposes.
Staff said the existing building is about 45,000 square feet and the proposed main assembly hall could accommodate up to 915 people; the congregation currently based in Saint Paul has about 700 congregants including children. Based on the size of the assembly hall and ancillary office space,…
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