Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - August 2, 2024
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Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - August 2, 2024
The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on Friday, August 2, 2024, at 8:38 AM. Vice Chair Nieeta Presley presided in the absence of Chair Kristine Grill. The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, zoning committee actions, and a detailed presentation on the Adult-Use Cannabis Zoning Study, culminating in a vote to forward the study's recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the July 19, 2024, Planning Commission meeting were approved unanimously without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the meeting. Public testimony on the cannabis zoning study had been taken at a prior public hearing on June 7, 2024, where three people spoke in person, one comment overlapped with an online comment, two comments were in favor, and four were opposed to the proposed amendments.
Discussion Items
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Zoning Committee:
- 470 White Bear Rezoning (Item #24-056-254): The applicant temporarily withdrew the application to rezone 470 White Bear Ave. N. from H2 to RM2. The withdrawal was initiated by the applicant; it is expected to return in a future meeting. If resubmitted, a new application and public hearing process will be required.
- 920 Atlantic CUP (Item #24-055-063): A conditional use permit for an auto repair station at 920 Atlantic St. was approved unanimously by the Zoning Committee. The full commission then voted to approve the permit as a consent item.
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Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee – Adult-Use Cannabis Zoning Study:
- Tony Johnson and Nellie Jerome presented the final report. Key points:
- State law (Chapter 342) legalized cannabis; state licenses expected in early 2025.
- Cities may prohibit cannabis within 1,000 feet of schools, 500 feet of daycares, and 500 feet of park features.
- Staff analyzed 29 other cities and modeled two distance scenarios: the maximum state option (1,000 feet from schools, etc.) would prohibit cannabis retail on most major commercial corridors (e.g., University Avenue, Payne Avenue, downtown) and concentrate uses in certain neighborhoods. A 300-foot distance from schools (consistent with existing liquor store rules) would allow more equitable distribution across the city.
- The Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee (CNPC) made five recommendations on June 17, 2024, including requiring security cameras for cannabis retail, prohibiting sharing a primary entrance with tobacco product shops, and creating a parking maximum.
- The study proposes two new use categories: "cannabis retail" (for full range of cannabis products) and adjustments to general retail to allow lower-potency hemp edibles (currently sold in 178 registered businesses). Manufacturing and cultivation amendments allow limited production (under 15,000 sq ft) in mixed-use areas, with larger operations restricted to industrial districts. Outdoor cultivation requires a conditional use permit.
- Additional amendments cover package delivery, transportation, testing facilities, accessory uses, and parking.
- Tony Johnson and Nellie Jerome presented the final report. Key points:
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Transportation Committee: The next meeting on August 5, 2024, was cancelled; the next meeting is August 19, 2024 (agenda TBD).
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Communications-Nomination Committee: No updates.
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Announcements:
- Vice Chair Presley announced the Preserve Minnesota conference (Sept. 18–20) and her participation in a session on "Black Voices in Preservation Planning and Context Studies."
- Planning Director Yasmine Robinson noted the APA conference, welcomed Commissioner Hackney’s twin newborns, and mentioned the commission is baby-friendly.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of July 19, 2024, unanimously.
- Approved Conditional Use Permit for 920 Atlantic St. (auto repair station) unanimously.
- Voted to forward the Adult-Use Cannabis Zoning Study resolution and amendments to the Mayor and City Council for review and final adoption. The motion was made by Commissioner Brian Martinson, seconded by Commissioner Luis E. Ortega, and passed unanimously. The timeline: first reading at City Council on August 28, 2024, second public hearing on September 4, 2024, with potential effective date of October 11, 2024.
Meeting Transcript
I'm gonna call the um plan Saint Pot Planning Commission meeting to order for today Friday August 2nd. And our time is 8 38. First thing on the uh first of all, I'm um of course I'm not Chair Grill. And I'm just uh filling in for her as the first vice president. She is not able to attend today. So the first thing of order on the agenda is the approval of the minutes of July 19th. And I have a motion. So move. Second. It's been approved. I mean it's been um moved and seconded. All in favor? Is there any discussion? Seeing none, then the minutes for July 19th have been approved. Next on our agenda. Um I checked in with Yasmin to see if there was any um announcements from the chair and chair grill didn't leave me any announcements, but I do want to repeat what Yasmin talked about, the um preserved Minnesota conference coming up uh September 18th through September, September 20th. I also wanted to let you know that I will be participating as a presenter um along with some other folk for one of their planning sessions on the 19th at 1.30. The name of our session is Black Voices in Preservation Planning and Context Studies. I will be talking about uh first African St. Paul, African American historic cultural context study, along with what Minneapolis has started doing um a cultural context study as well, and with um one of the planning people from there, CPID, and um with Judge Lajune Lang, um, who is acting as um leading the plan the task force in Minneapolis. So that's all the announcements I have and moving right along to the director's announcements. Thank you, Mice Chair. Um also just wanted to say there's a lot of conferences coming up. Um is the APA conference, which we will have uh Tony speaking in about the item that we have on the agenda today. So that's always great. Uh let me know if you'll be there. We'd like to see you. Uh second is that just found out this morning that Commissioner Hackney has welcomed two uh twins into the world. So he's not here today, but uh that's exciting. And we also have a special guest here. So just wanted to put it out there that this commission is baby friendly. We are okay with that. Well, that's great news. Um I also have twins. Wow. But they're 50. I'm over the hump. Well congratulations. Okay, well, going right into the zoning committee. I see one of the items was taken off the the agenda, but we still have uh 920 Atlantic for CUP. Uh Commissioner Taggyoff. Thank you, Chair Presley. Um, so yes, uh, we did have two items at Law Zoning Committee on the White Air V zoning, which was a HTRM2 zone. The applicant has temporarily withdrawn that application. I think I'm gonna make some changes to that, even though we discussed and voted, so we're not we're not bringing recommendations before you today. Um the other one we did was the um the Atlantic uh CEP, and that was a conditional use plan for an author of casting that was um a unanimous approval. Um I don't have any details, I think that was a late slide meeting. So anyone from the submissive wants to add anything to that um to that one feel free, otherwise we'll just move straight to the recommendation and a committee is for approval. Okay, and I think uh no one wants to add anything, so I think we're just gonna go motion for approval as a pass coming out of things we've 920 Atlantic C UC, which is the CUP for considered pass session. Do I have a second?
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