Planning commission recommends council approve tutoring business at former Vista Chiropractic on North Union

The Fergus Falls City planning commission recommended the Fergus Falls City Council approve a conditional use permit that would allow MyReader's Edge, a tutoring service for dyslexic and struggling readers, to operate at 301 North Union Avenue.

Clara, city planning staff, told the commission the address is better known as the former Vista Chiropractic building and described it as an old church building that has housed a chiropractic clinic since the late 1970s. "One of the things that we have in our city code for churches as former uses is that they can be used as business uses or other similar uses after they've been a church with a conditional use permit," Clara said, and added the code requires owners to "retain 60% of the church look." Clara said the proposal would not make significant exterior changes beyond a new sign face.

Applicant representative Steven Smith, 2022 Connell Drive, said the tutoring service operates under the name "MyReader's Edge" and is designed to serve dyslexic and struggling readers. "Any age," he said when asked who the program serves, adding that students typically are in late elementary grades; he also said the operation currently uses one room at the NAS but has outgrown that space and started tutoring at the new location. Smith described hours as about 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and said the program currently includes about eight tutors and roughly 15 students.

Commissioners asked whether the whole building would be used; Smith said tutoring would use the upstairs level and Clara confirmed an existing makeshift apartment would not be used for residential purposes in the planned operation. Clara advised that any conversion to residential use in future would require additional building-department approvals and occupancy permitting review by the city's building inspector.

After closing the public hearing, the commission moved to recommend approval without conditions. Unidentified Speaker 1 made the motion and it was seconded; the motion carried on a voice vote. Unidentified Speaker 7 noted the planning commission is a recommending body and that the item will go to the City Council, likely appearing on a consent agenda. Clara said staff will follow up with the building department and keep the applicant informed.

Next steps: the recommendation will be forwarded to the Fergus Falls City Council for final action; staff will coordinate building-department reviews and any required occupancy permits before the business can fully occupy the space.