Resident objects as Minot council rezones Our Lady of Grace property to public use for food‑bank site

The Minot City Council on Jan. 25 approved a zoning map amendment and preliminary plat to reclassify the Our Lady of Grace property to the city's public zone, a change the property owner and planning staff said supports a proposed food‑bank building on the site.

A nearby resident who spoke during the public hearing urged the council to deny the request, saying the church parcel should not be rezoned to public to permit a separate commercial‑scale food‑bank warehouse in a residential neighborhood. The speaker said the planned 3,000–4,000 square‑foot building would increase semi‑truck traffic and was not identified clearly on the notice given to neighbors. The resident added that the subject parcel contains a high water table and drainage easements that complicate development.

City planning staff responded that religious and public assembly uses are permitted in the public zone and that the parcel is designated "public and institutional" on the comprehensive plan's future land‑use map. Staff also cited the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), explaining municipalities must use the least‑restrictive means when regulating religious institutions' uses of their land. "Religious and public assembly falls under public and private institutional uses within our use table and is a permitted use in the public zone," a city planner said.

After hearing public comment and staff explanation, the council moved to close the public hearing and accept the planning commission's recommendation; the motion passed unanimously. Council members noted that site‑specific concerns such as easements and drainage would be addressed during permitting and platting processes.

Speakers who addressed the council included neighbors and the planning staff; the speaker who opposed the rezoning identified their home address in Edison neighborhood and described longtime residency. The council's approval allows the applicant to proceed to the next steps in the city's land‑use and permitting process, but building permits and any required engineering work remain to be completed and approved.