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Planning commission recommends changes to home-occupation rules; removes "animal boarding" from allowed home occupations
Summary
The commission voted July 9 to forward to City Council a zoning text amendment clarifying home-occupation levels. Key changes include moving cottage food producers under a lower-review category, striking 'animal boarding' from the home-occupation list, and removing family-day-care references because those uses are already covered elsewhere in the code.
On July 9, the North St. Paul City Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve a zoning text amendment to clarify home-occupation rules, including moving cottage food producers to a lower-review level and removing references to family day care and "animal boarding." The commission forwarded the amendment with the hand-written changes discussed by staff and commissioners.
Planning staff said the draft ordinance incorporated nine edits requested at the prior meeting and addressed resident comments received after the packet was published. Staff proposed listing cottage food producers under a lower level (Level 1 or Level 2), noting that cottage food operators are subject to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's regulations and that state rules limit shipping of human food from such operations. "Cottage food producers, subject to the regulations of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture," staff said, and recommended the category be included as a Level 1 home occupation if customers do not come to the home.
Commissioners debated whether references to day-care uses should remain in the home-occupation section; staff recommended removing those references because day-care and day-nursery uses are already defined and permitted elsewhere in the zoning code. Commissioners also discussed animal boarding, kennels and numeric thresholds for animals: staff noted the city's kennel rule applies when a property houses "3 or more dogs," which triggers a kennel permit. After discussion about overlap and enforceability, commissioners agreed to remove animal boarding from the home-occupation list and rely on existing kennel requirements and conditional-use processes.
The draft also preserves a Level 3 category for certain trades (electrical, plumbing, heating) that staff consider more likely to have negative impacts on neighbors because of equipment and noise; those Level 3 uses would require an interim use or conditional permit reviewed by the planning commission and city council, while Level 1 and Level 2 home occupations would be processed administratively by staff.
Commissioner Wise moved to recommend the amended ordinance to City Council with the changes discussed (including moving cottage food to Level 2 and striking animal boarding). The motion carried; the record shows one dissent (Commissioner Alvarez). Staff said the item may appear on the City Council agenda next week or in August if scheduling requires.
The amendment clarifies permit routes and enforcement expectations but does not itself change the zoning map; the council must adopt the text amendment for it to take effect.
