Planning commission recommends 5-year interim use permit for River Valley Church at 875 Blue Gentian Road

The Eagan Advisory Planning Commission voted unanimously Aug. 26 to recommend a five-year interim use permit allowing River Valley Church to operate at 875 Blue Gentian Road in a Business Park (BP) zoning district.

Planner Miss Dusiak told the commission that churches are not a listed use in the BP district but that interim use permits may allow otherwise-unlisted uses where they are compatible with surrounding development. She said the church has occupied the site since 2011 under a prior interim use permit and staff found "no apparent adverse impacts" from past operations.

The commission’s recommendation follows staff findings that the property, developed in 1997, would not require site modifications for continued church use and that the church’s activities are primarily limited to Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. The staff report noted, however, that some original site landscaping is missing and should be restored as a condition of approval.

At the meeting the applicant, identified as a River Valley Church representative, made no substantive additions to the staff presentation. No members of the public spoke during the item’s public hearing.

Commissioners moved and seconded the recommendation to approve the interim use permit for a five-year term, with the conditions listed in the staff report. The motion passed 7-0. The item will be forwarded to the Eagan City Council for final consideration on Sept. 2.

In summary, the commission found the church’s continued use at the business-park site compatible on a temporary basis provided staff conditions — including restoration of landscaping — are met.