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Council clears multiple development permits: Mighty Fine Coffee, Mala Auto Body and Blaze accessory-structure variances
Summary
The Faribault City Council approved a package of permits for Mighty Fine Coffee and Mala Auto Body, and granted variances and a conditional-use permit for a large accessory structure at 1216 First Street NE after staff and planning commission differed on some size variances.
The Faribault City Council approved several land-use decisions on May 27, including a multi-permit package for the Mighty Fine Coffee project, an expansion for Mala Auto Body and a set of variances for an accessory structure at 1216 First Street NE.
Harry Davis summarized the Mighty Fine Coffee request for 127 14th Street NW as a comprehensive plan amendment (from Established Residential to Commercial Residential), zoning changes, preliminary and final plats, variances for lot area and impervious surface, a conditional-use permit and related parking/drive‑thru stacking accommodations. Staff told the council it found no major zoning issues and planning commission recommended approval; the council approved the related resolutions and plats by voice vote.
For Mala Auto Body (190 20th Street NW), applicant Steve Underall presented plans to combine adjacent parcels, vacate a drainage and utility easement and amend a conditional-use permit to expand the major auto-repair business. Staff reported planning-commission unanimous approval and recommended council approval; the council approved the ordinance and related resolutions.
A more contested item concerned a request from David Blae for a 4,000-square-foot accessory structure on a roughly 7.3-acre parcel at 1216 First Street NE. Staff supported the conditional-use permit and one variance (relocation to the flatter portion of the lot) but recommended denying two variances that would allow substantially larger accessory-structure area and accessory-to-principal-use ratios because staff said the variances did not meet the practical-difficulty standard. Planning commission had unanimously recommended granting all requests and asked the council to consider a code amendment to allow larger accessory structures on large lots.
Council members debated the issue and asked staff to develop ordinance language if the council wants to make larger accessory structures more permissible by right. Despite staff reservations, the council approved the CUP and all three variances on voice vote. Staff asked for direction to prepare code amendments to address similar future requests.
Council also asked staff to place follow-up code discussion on a June work session agenda to consider guidance for future applications.
