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Goodhue council approves conditional use permit for upstairs community space with limits
Summary
The Goodhue City Council approved a conditional use permit for an upstairs community space at 103 North Fourth Street, imposing limits including 10 a.m.–6 p.m. hours, donations-only use, a 50-person maximum and prohibitions on alcohol and drugs; staff will prepare the written permit for the next meeting.
The Goodhue City Council on a voice vote approved a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow an upstairs community space at 103 North Fourth Street, setting conditions intended to address neighbors’ concerns about parking and commercialization.
Resident Dean Stton, who said he lives at 103 North Fourth Street, told the council he feared the space could "turn into a commercial business" and warned that relying on the word "donation" could become a loophole: "this could be a three-day Comic-Con convention," he said, noting limited street parking and safety concerns near the intersection.
The applicants, who identified themselves in the hearing as Britney and Mark, described the intended use as low-frequency community events — for example, a monthly open-play session for children ages 0–6 — and said an architect had estimated a safe occupancy of about 50 people. "Based on its current state, we could only have a certain amount of people in there at one time for the community space right now around that like 50 number," Britney said. She said the site has roughly 16 parking stalls and that tenants and users would use separate entrances and keypad access to reduce tenant–user interactions.
City attorney Bob Vos told councilors the R2 zoning language that allows this mixed use is new to the city's code and described typical conditions the council might attach, including limits on hours, occupancy and whether the space can charge rent. "You would typically make that condition of granting the CUP...you can have this recreational activities space on the main floor, but you can only collect donations for it," Vos said, advising the council to identify specific hour and occupancy limits.
After discussion, the council approved a motion that placed the following conditions on the CUP: hours of operation 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily; donations-only (no mandatory fee or commercial rental); maximum occupancy of 50 people; no alcohol or illegal drugs on the property; a sign posted with contact information for the applicants; and a provision that the CUP would terminate if the property is sold. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Councilors and applicants also discussed enforcement mechanisms and outreach to neighbors; the applicants said they will provide contact information and that staff will "doctor up" the formal permit language for council review at a subsequent meeting. The application filing date noted by staff was March 21, and Vos reminded the council of the 60‑day review window for the city's decision.
The council closed the public hearing and directed staff to prepare the written CUP reflecting the approved conditions for formal adoption at a future meeting.
