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Oak Park Heights City Council approves conditional use permit to expand parking at Stage Coach Trail condos
Summary
On March 25, 2025 the Oak Park Heights City Council approved a conditional use permit allowing a six-unit, three-story condominium at 5845 Stage Coach Trail North to add on-site parking from six to 13 spaces, with conditions including annual staff review and additional landscaping after debate about neighborhood impact and lighting.
On March 25, 2025 the Oak Park Heights City Council voted to approve a conditional use permit allowing a proposed three-story, six-unit condominium at 5845 Stage Coach Trail North to expand on-site parking from six spaces to 13, subject to added conditions including annual staff review and arborist-led landscaping recommendations.
Planning staff member Scott told the council the applicant, CJ Ranzo of JAAC Capital Holding, had redesigned the building to meet height and density requirements but still required a CUP because the project requests more parking than the zoning minimum. Scott said the project would not change the number of units but would increase parking to reduce street parking pressure.
Jim Kramer, a member of the Planning Commission, urged council members to consider broader neighborhood impacts. “This is not just an approval of six parking spots in a vacuum,” Kramer said, arguing the permit could affect surrounding property values and therefore deserved fuller scrutiny. The Planning Commission had recommended denial on a 3–2 vote at its March 13 meeting.
The applicant and other speakers disagreed that the CUP, which addresses parking, would inherently devalue neighboring properties. One council member summarized the counterpoint: approving additional on-site parking can mitigate the exact street-parking concerns neighbors have raised.
Council members focused on several specific conditions: limiting light spill consistent with Shoreland setback rules, encouraging additional tree and shrub coverage at the front of the building as directed by the City Arborist, and adding a staff review of parking and traffic safety on an annual basis with the option to report back to council if problems arise. Council members also discussed coordinating with Washington County on curb-cut and street-parking signage and the possibility of a speed study if traffic conditions change after nearby developments are completed.
City Attorney and staff said draft language would be tightened so council direction becomes explicit conditions rather than general concepts. Council member dhy moved to approve the resolution with the changes recommended by the city attorney; council member Johnson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a roll-call vote recorded in the meeting as yes from council member dhy, council member Johnson, council member Len, council member Run and Mayor McCumber.
The council’s approval followed repeated emphasis that the conditional use permit specifically addressed parking above the minimum required by zoning and that design, building height and density otherwise complied with earlier approvals and a comprehensive-plan amendment that the council had approved the prior year and that was accepted by the Met Council.
The council did not require modifications to the unit count or general building design as part of the CUP; the approval focused on the parking, landscaping, lighting and the annual review condition. The council’s action allows the applicant to pursue a building permit with the clarified CUP conditions in place.
Next steps: staff will incorporate the council’s specific conditions into the final resolution language and the applicant may submit a building permit application that reflects the approved parking configuration.
