Planning Commission Meeting Date: October 10, 2024
To: Members of the Planning Commission
From: Jake Reilly, Community Development Director
Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Nate Carlson, Economic Development Coordinator
Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Review and Discussion of Amendments to Chapter 34 - Land Development Code Related to Industrial and Agricultural Land Uses and Re-Zoning of Property.
Body
Action Requested:
No formal action requested. Staff will facilitate a discussion related to standards and guidelines for industrial districts.
Summary Report:
The proposed industrial zoning ordinance amendments are in response to:
1) stated interest in refining land development code regulations to provide clarity to both staff and developers regarding design guidelines and standards;
2) the adoption of the Northwest Area Business Park Alternative Urban Areawide Review (2023) and related renewed interest from developers and site selectors;
3) and MN Session Law Chapter 63, which legalized adult-use cannabis and established a regulatory framework over the cannabis industry through the State of Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is expected to begin licensing cannabis businesses in early 2025.
The proposed amendments herein focus on permitted industrial uses for emerging technologies including data storage, industrial scale agri-business, clean energy production, cannabis cultivation, processing and manufacturing enterprises, along with Land Development Code definitions, guidelines, and standards.
Background
The City of Northfield has been planning for the development of the Northwest Area in addition to other redevelopment and infill site strategies consistent with the adopted Comprehensive Plan (2008) (Attachment 1) and the City's Strategic Plan related to tax base growth. This area is being explored to further enhance updates for development in conjunc...
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