Planning commission unanimously recommends repeal and replacement of land‑use tables to improve clarity and add licensed uses

The Inver Grove Heights Planning Commission on Sept. 3, 2025 unanimously recommended repealing and replacing City Code sections 10‑6‑1 and 10‑6‑2, which contain the city’s residential and nonresidential land‑use matrices. The commission voted 9‑0 to forward the code amendment to the Inver Grove Heights City Council for a tentative hearing on Sept. 22, 2025.

Planning staff told the commission the effort is largely a formatting and clarity update rather than a policy overhaul. Staff said the primary goals are to convert the use tables into a linked PDF (to allow richer formatting and color), add clearer headings and subheadings, include a references column for uses with specific performance standards, and remove PUD columns that duplicate individual PUD ordinances. The PDF will use color coding to match zoning map colors so users can cross‑reference the map and the table more easily.

Staff also said they will consolidate narrow, duplicative retail categories into a single “general retail” entry where appropriate, add licensed commercial uses that are currently not listed (examples given include off‑sale wine, tobacco shops, and small brewer/taproom uses), and add beekeeping as a specific use entry. Staff noted one substantive change under consideration in the table: reclassifying swimming pools in multi‑family districts from a conditional use to an accessory use, relying on site‑plan review to address necessary performance standards.

Several commissioners praised the readability improvements. One commissioner who works frequently with PDF workflows said matching exact colors to the zoning map would reduce user confusion; staff replied they would use exact color values. Commissioners asked about notice practices and whether interested parties — for example, local beekeepers or E‑1 property owners — would receive direct notice. Planning staff explained state law and local practice require publication for citywide code updates and not individualized mailed notice for non‑site‑specific amendments; staff said they would check whether beekeeping should explicitly be allowed in the E‑1 agricultural district and, if needed, present adjustments to the City Council.

Commissioner Schaffer moved the recommendation; a second was recorded and the motion carried unanimously. The motion as stated in the minutes was to recommend approval of the code amendment to update the land‑use tables in City Code sections 10‑6‑1 and 10‑6‑2 as represented in the staff report dated Sept. 3, 2025.

Staff said the changes are intended to improve user access and reduce future code interpretation questions; they emphasized that the update does not, at this stage, remove currently allowed uses from zoning districts but reorganizes and clarifies the presentation. Planning staff will follow up on a commissioner’s request to confirm the current agricultural/ E‑1 provisions for beekeeping (the staff member referenced the existing ordinance provision, cited in the meeting as 10‑15‑27 for E‑1 agricultural uses) and, if necessary, propose targeted edits to ensure consistency.