Council establishes Mixed Use Business Campus (MUBC) zoning district and waives second reading

The Apple Valley City Council on Feb. 27 passed an ordinance establishing a new Mixed Use Business Campus (MUBC) zoning district in Chapter 155 of the city code and voted to waive the ordinance’s second reading.

City staff said the MUBC district implements guidance in the Apple Valley 2040 Comprehensive Plan (Figure 4.2, Orchard Place concept) and is intended to permit a mix of office, health care, hotels, restaurants, banks and other uses that support a business-campus environment. The ordinance adds definitions for "commercial recreation" and "data centers," includes performance standards and expressly makes data centers a conditional use in the new district. Staff emphasized, and the mayor reiterated, that adopting the zoning district does not approve any particular data center project; separate rezoning, platting and CUP actions would be required for a specific proposal.

Tim (city staff) explained where the MUBC boundary is tentatively mapped — covering much of the area currently designated Mixed Business Campus (MBC) in the 2040 plan — and noted the underlying land-use guidance remains MBC. The ordinance text includes provisions for conditional uses (for example, day care centers are listed as permitted under the commercial retail section but also appear as conditional uses under certain office-use headings; staff clarified day care centers are permitted in the commercial-retail subsection and conditional under office-use guidance). The planning commission reviewed the draft ordinance on Feb. 5 and recommended approval.

Councilmember Bergman moved to pass the ordinance and to waive the second reading; Councilmember Ebert seconded. The motion passed by voice vote. Council members discussed the broader process needed to approve any future data center — including a land-use amendment, Met Council review and separate applications for rezoning, plat and CUP — and asked staff to return with any further amendments if specific tech-park standards are needed.

Staff said the MUBC ordinance was prepared with multiple rounds of review and edits to align the code with the city’s 2040 plan, and that the ordinance includes performance standards addressing noise and pollution concerns raised in recent public discussions about potential data centers. The council approved the ordinance as presented and waived the second reading.