PUBLIC HEARING: Consider a request for a Sketch Plan, Conditional Use Permit, Zoning Map Amendment, Site Plan, Final Plat, and Comprehensive Plan Amendment approval for Green Valley Greenhouse to expand the commercial greenhouses on the properties generally located south of Green Valley Rd. NW and east of Nowthen Blvd. NW.

Background
Green Valley Greenhouse (GVG) has been in operation for many years along the south side of Green Valley Road.  Over the years, the business has expanded after receiving the proper approvals.  The most recent approval, in 2018, identified an overall area for additional greenhouses to be installed in phases over the years.  GVG is planning to purchase a 22-acre portion of the property to the west owned by the Hunt family to expand the greenhouse operations further.  The portion southwest of the meandering ditch will be retained by the Hunt family.

Staff mailed a public hearing notice to property owners within 700 feet of the parcels included in the plat on July 28, 2022.  A notice of the Public Hearing was also published in the Anoka County UnionHerald, the City's official newspaper.

Zoning
The GVG property is zoned R-1 MUSA.  The Hunt property is split with the eastern half also being zoned R-1 MUSA-80 and the western half being zoned R-2.  Commercial greenhouses are an allowed conditional use in the R-1 districts, though the use is not allowed in R-2.  In order to expand greenhouses fully onto the adjacent property, it must be zoned entirely R-1 to accommodate it.  Approximately six acres are affected.  In exchange, a 6.73-acre portion of the Hunt property (conveniently drawn from two lot corners) is proposed to be rezoned to R-2.
 
Comprehensive Plan Amendment
Simply rezoning the R-2 to R-1 MUSA-80 on the Hunt property cannot be accomplished since that portion of land is also guided for medium density residential uses in the Comprehensive Plan.  Zoning designations must be in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan per state statutes.  An amendment to the Comprehensive Plan is proposed that re-guides the medium density land to low density residential. 
 
In recent years, the City has been under pressure from the Metropolitan Council to maintain or increase overall density to justify its investment in the sanitary sewer system in Ramsey.  Getting the Metropolitan Council to sign off on downgrading approximately six acres is extremely unlikely as our existing overall density is at 2.9 units/acre (3.0 units/acre is the benchmark).  Therefore, the applicant is looking to swap density on the Hunt’s property to the south.  This land is still adjacent to other medium density property.  Once the density is swapped, the rezoning can occur for both the area that GVG is purchasing and what the Hunt family is retaining. 
 
Since maintaining areas for medium- and high-density residential property is important, should the Planning Commission and Council want, additional portions of the Hunt property can be up-guided/up-zoned to provide the City the density cushion it needs--up to a total of 40.85 acres.  The Hunt property is encumbered by wetlands, the ditch easement, and a pipeline easement that will make a traditional single-family development difficult.  The medium density designation could be more forgiving in that attached or clustered homesites could offset the open areas that are restricted due to these easements or odd shapes between easement.  Representatives of the Hunt family have stated that they have no desire to develop their property in the foreseeable future.
 
Plat
The proposed plat of Davis Farms 2^nd Addition is proposed to turn these three existing parcels into two lots.  By incorporating the area southwest of the ditch into the Hunt’s southern parcel in the plat, the possibility of a landlocked parcel is eliminated. 
 
Conditional Use Permit Amendment
Like in 2017, GVG is proposing a site plan that shows the extent of future greenhouses.  It is anticipated that the additional area will take several years before it is filled with greenhouses.  The applicant has indicated that the business is not expected to generate additional employees with the expansion and that their delivery trucks have become more efficient, so traffic is not expected to be noticeably increased with the expansion. 
 

All costs associated with the application is the responsibility of the applicant. 

Recommendation - Staff recommends approval of the four-part application as proposed. 

Alternative 1 - Recommend approval of the four-part application including the entire Hunt parcel reguided to Medium Density Residential and rezoned to R-2.  

Alternative 2 - Deny the request based on certain findings.  

Four motions are required:

Motion to recommend approval of Sketch Plan and Final Plat of Davis Farms 2nd Addition.

Motion to recommend approval of a Comprehensive Plan amendment re-guiding lands between Low Density Residential and Medium Density Residential southeast of Green Valley Road NW and Nowthen Blvd. NW.

Motion to recommend approval of a rezoning ordinance rezoning lands between R-1 MUSA-80 and R-2 southeast of Green Valley Road NW and Nowthen Blvd. NW.

Motion to recommend approval of a Conditional Use Permit amendment for the expansion of a commercial greenhouse at 6530 Green Valley Road NW.