Eagan planning commission recommends conditional use permit to allow Champion Plumbing fleet to park in front yard

The Eagan Advisory Planning Commission on May 27 recommended approval of a conditional use permit that would allow Champion Plumbing to keep seven box trucks and eight service vans in the front parking area at 3670 Dodd Road.

Planning staff told the commission the 2.23-acre site, developed with a roughly 21,000-square-foot multi-tenant office/warehouse built in 1987, does not meet four of six city performance standards for outdoor storage because the vehicles are in the front yard, are not enclosed or screened from the public right of way, and the oversized vehicles reduce the drive aisle below the 24-foot width standard.

Staff planner Miss Thomas said the property meets two of the six performance standards — the building meets the off-street parking requirement from its original construction and the storage area is paved and being maintained — and recommended approval only if conditions in the staff report are met. The recommended conditions include working with city staff on a revised landscaping plan and submitting revised plans that clarify employee parking and vehicle maneuvering.

Richard McGarrin, identified as president of Champion Plumbing and speaking on behalf of owner Jack Hurley, said the company moved vehicles to the front yard after repeated catalytic-converter thefts and break-ins when vehicles were stored in the rear. McGarrin said the company installed lighting and cameras after police advised moving vehicles to a more visible location; he told the commission he has not seen break-ins since the change.

Commissioners asked whether the police department had evaluated alternatives such as fencing, lighting, or cameras. Mr. Schultz, a city staff member, said the police directed staff to consider front-yard storage and recommended that enclosure designs preserve visibility so passersby and police can see into an enclosure. Commissioners also raised concerns that approving the request could set a precedent for neighboring properties and that the parked vehicles currently reduce the drive aisle width, which could affect emergency vehicle access.

Staff noted a condition requiring revised plans to show how employee parking could be shifted to the rear to improve maneuvering. Vice Chair Schwanke moved to recommend approval of the conditional use permit, Member Whitfield seconded, and the commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval. The motion directs that the nine conditions listed in the staff report be applied; the recommendation will go to the Eagan City Council on Tuesday, June 3 for final action.

The commission record shows the property is in a limited industrial zoning district where outdoor storage is common, typically in side or rear yards. Staff advised the commission that the city treats vehicles kept outdoors overnight as outdoor storage, with a limited exemption for up to a few standard-size passenger vehicles.

The commission closed the public hearing after no members of the public spoke. The applicant and staff will prepare the revised plans requested by the conditions before the council review.