Commission recommends code text amendment to resolve nonconformity and allow Coughlin/Nursery lot house construction
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Summary
The commission recommended a text amendment to Chapter 15 to allow a platting approach that would enable construction of a house adjacent to Oak Ridge Nursery; the rezone that follows is a separate, two‑step process. Commissioner Shoneman recused from the vote.
At its July 3 meeting the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that City Council approve a proposed text amendment to Chapter 15 of the zoning code to enable a specific platting solution for a lot called Oak Ridge Nursery (Coughlin Nursery). Staff said the change is needed so that the proposed platting and a new house would not create zoning nonconformities related to hoop structures that cross lot lines.
Staff described the amendment as a targeted change that would apply to the lot currently occupied by Oak Ridge Nursery and would set front‑yard setbacks based on frontage along Split Rock Boulevard, Sioux Boulevard and an access easement. The text change also adjusted lot area to permit future platting of the existing house if the owner chooses.
Staff noted related administrative details: sidewalks on the mutual access easement or adjacent boulevards would ordinarily be required; exemptions would need to be requested from City Council if the developer seeks to avoid sidewalk construction. Staff and commissioners also reviewed internal cross‑references to other sections of Chapter 15 and agreed to remove redundant citations before forwarding the amendment to Council. A planning commissioner identified a typographical error in the off‑street parking paragraph and staff agreed to correct it for the City Council version.
Commissioners voted to recommend the text amendment to City Council. Commissioner Shoneman announced a recusal prior to the vote; the record shows Shoneman recused himself. Staff explained the text amendment is the first step; after the code change is adopted the rezone for the lot would be scheduled (staff projected the earliest practical rezone hearing would be August 7, 2025, due to noticing timelines).
Background: The proposed code language is a site‑specific special area regulation intended to allow the house to be built and to enable the owner to plat off the existing house later. Because of existing hoop structures and the way lot lines are drawn, the code change is necessary to avoid creating new nonconformities when a plat is approved.