City Council Meeting Date: June 17, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
Ben Martig, City Administrator
From: Mikayla Schmidt, City Planner
Title
First Reading of Text Amendments to the Permitted Use Table in Chapter 34: Land Development Code.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council is asked to approve text amendments to the permitted use table in Chapter 34: Land Development Code.
Summary Report:
On April 17, 2025, the Planning Commission (PC) reviewed the permitted use table to update uses for agriculture, group living, daycares and public, institutional, or recreational uses. The PC recommended approval of the amendments unanimously to the city council. These changes update our code to reflect the desired flexibility in land use regulations expressed by staff, policy advisors and policymakers.
Overall, the proposed amendments to Table 2.7-1 address some of the permitted uses that are dated. The proposed text amendment includes:
- updating the Agricultural Use category to:
o permit Crop Raising in the Industrial zoning district to complement/expand Cannabis/hemp Cultivation, Outdoor.
- updating the Group Living Use category to:
o permit Residential-Care, Licensed In-Home for six or Fewer Persons in the C2 zoning district, which are permitted in all other residential and commercial base zoning districts, except C2. Six or Fewer Persons and Six or more are allowed by right in the C1 district, so it is logical to include this use in the C2 district as well.
o permit Residential-Care, Licensed In-Home for More than six Persons in the C2 zoning district, which are permitted in all other residential and commercial base zoning districts, except R1 and C2. Same rationale as above.
o permit Specialized Care Facilities conditionally in R1 (currently not permitted - an example of this would be Laura Baker Services Association facilities), and permit them by-right in N1 and C1 (currently not allowed in either district) like Residential-Care, Licensed In-...
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