City Council Meeting Date: April 21, 2026
To: Mayor and Members of Council
City Administrator
From: Scott Wopata, Community Development Director
Mathias Hughey, Associate City Planner
Title
Consideration of a Conditional Use Permit for Carleton College to Make Transportation Facility Improvements within the Perimeter Transition Area North of 1st St. E.
Body
Action Requested:
The City Council is asked to approve the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Carleton College to make specified transportation improvements within the Perimeter Transition Area (PTA) north of 1st St. E.
Summary Report:
Carleton College, the applicant, is proposing to close that portion of College St. north of 1st St. E. to general vehicle traffic and expand a parking lot located two blocks east at the northwest corner of Nevada St. and 1st St. E. to include an additional 12-13 parking spaces, a bus stop, and a trash enclosure. These facilities will replace those lost due to the closure of College St.
The Planning Commission (PC) considered their recommendation for the CUP at the April 16, 2026 Planning Commission Meeting after postponing the decision at the March 19, 2026 PC meeting. The PC voted to recommend approval with two conditions on a split vote 5-2 after a motion to recommend denial failed on a 2-5 split vote. The two conditions proposed are intended to address resident concerns about the amount of lighting and improve screening during the winter.
The motion to deny was based on the project not being mutually beneficial to the residents and college and that the justification for the proposal was based only on internal campus considerations. The applicant is not required to meet a standard of mutual benefit, but only to show the proposal is not hazardous or unreasonably disturbing.
The PC also made the following motion with the expressed intent of elevating concerns raised by residents that could not be appropriately addressed through the CUP:
Recommend to City Counci...
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