Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Business Park And Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debates business‑park placement and shoreland limits as master plan is refined
Summary
Option 3 would place a lighter business park in the southwest corner of the master plan boundary, but councilmembers asked staff to account for wetlands, shoreland impervious limits and parcel splits before finalizing maps. Members discussed commercial acreage and likely market demand.
At the Aug. 27 work session staff described Option 3, which places a light business park in the southwest corner of the master plan boundary, and several councilmembers raised concerns about shoreland, wetlands and how much commercial the market can support.
Staff noted that French Lake shoreland rules affect impervious‑surface calculations and that some parcels contain wetlands that reduce buildable area. "You can go above that with CUPs and stuff like that, but it's just harder on businesses that might try to hit, like, a 70% impervious calculation," said Speaker 3, describing how shoreland standards affect commercial and industrial layouts.
Councilmembers discussed a commercial 'bubble' shown at roughly 60 acres in the draft and staff estimated that, using typical land‑to‑building ratios, that could translate to about 400,000–450,000 square feet of commercial building area — a scale some members said would likely require one or more big‑box anchors and may not be market‑feasible in the near term.
Participants suggested alternatives including swapping commercial and business‑park parcels to protect shoreland areas, showing split land uses on parcel lines to reflect intent, and trimming the commercial footprint to 45–50 acres if the group wants a more conservative market assumption.
Ending: Staff agreed to show wetlands, shoreland boundaries and contour maps on the next set of materials and to model alternative commercial footprints for council review before the open house.
