WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=demy2pxLmSk

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: demy2pxLmSk):
- 00:00:00: Call to Order, Pledge, Agenda, and Minutes Approval
- 00:01:07: Public Comment - Elizabeth Wright and Sho Springs
- 00:16:44: Conditional Use Permit for Riverchase Multifamily Building
- 00:22:45: Approval of Conditional Use Permit Resolution
- 00:23:18: Second Reading of Data Center Ordinance Discussion
- 00:29:10: Data Center Ordinance Vote and Publication Approval
- 00:30:24: Discussion and Rejection of Storage Garage Resolution
- 00:37:12: Commissioners Reports, Announcements, and Adjournment


Part: 1

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Here >> to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Item number two is approval of the

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agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> I opposed. >> Agenda is approved. >> Number three, presentation and introductions. Four, approval of the minutes of April. Second

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>> I I >> that's our pass once again. We have a maximum of 50. Each person is allowed three minutes. State your name. We are going to do

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Very well. All the cities are That's fine. Elizabeth Wright and please state your name. a small section. Birthday. And the last one for tonight, Sho

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Springs. Mayor Spooner. >> Yes. I'll make a motion to approve agenda items 6A through 6J. >> Second A through 6J motion. I >> I

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pass for discuss. >> Thank you, mayor, and good evening, council. So the item in front of you is a resolution for a conditional use permit and that would be to allow uh a new multifamily uh building standalone use on uh property at 105 Riverchase

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Court. Uh the property is currently owned by the city, but it is in talks to uh transfer that land to a developer. Uh they're submitting this just to make sure that their entitlements are all in place once they own the land.

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the property. It's it's located here just in relation to downtown and uh Highway 60 and I35. Um this is the site in particular. So this would be Riverchase 2. Uh Riverchase 1 is just on the other side

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of Riverchase Court. Um same developer. Um it's uh 76 or sorry 79 units. um it would be within the central business district which is part of why this requires a conditional use permit. Um

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central business district on its own does not allow um a multif family structure. There are a few other things that are included as a part of this. Um the maximum height for a central business

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district is actually three stories. Um and there is a requirement for the number of units based off of the floor area for the structure. Um you can request a uh a a allowance to go higher uh and to have different density uh

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which is the other part or the other two parts of this conditional use permit. Um so really just to summarize uh the conditional use permit covers fact that it's a standalone multi-un or a multif family structure. Uh it also covers the

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fact that it's requested to be four stories uh when the maximum would be three stories. And then in terms of density, there are some uh there's a there's a limitation based off of the size of the building that would say 69 units would be the maximum. Uh they're

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asking for 79. Um and then there are some changes in terms of uh how they are looking at some of their unit sizes where they are slightly lower than our uh minimums as as required by the central uh central business district. All that is covered within a conditional

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use permit. So no variances are being requested. This is the project. Uh it's kind of this you know dog leg looking building um that'll be in some ways mirroring what Riverchase One looks like. Um the architecture and the aesthetics of the

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building will be very similar as well. Uh there'll be uh quite a number of spaces associated with Riverchase 2. Some of these spaces will end up serving uh Riverchase 1, particularly the garage spaces. Uh they just found that having

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these garage spaces was uh a a bonus to the Riverchase one uh patrons. Because of the condition permit itself, we do feel uh from staff's point of view that the requirements uh are met for approval. It won't create any

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incompatibility issues. It's very similar to Riverchase 1. Um and Willow is a is a is a very sizable uh street that can handle the additional traffic. The planning commission did unanimously approve or recommend approval of this

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project to city council. Um, and there was no public comment uh aside from the applicant at that meeting. So, staff is recommending that, and I do apologize, uh, it would be city council approve resolution 2026-138,

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uh, which would approve the conditional use permit. With that, I'm happy to take questions. Can >> you bring up the map, the land use map with the central business district? I'm sorry. >> So, is there any reason why we continue

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to have this? I know this is a longer term question. >> Uh have that >> I mean, we've got apartment buildings there. >> Could we look at just getting that out of the central business district unless there's some compelling reason? >> Jessica thing, a David thing.

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>> Yeah, Mr. Mayor, it's a it's a really good question. Um it is probably more of a longer term dis uh discussion to to figure out you know what is an appropriate uh zoning district for some of these multi- family structures uh that that we're seeing come through es

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especially within the central business district. Um there are some advantages. There are very reduced setbacks. Um there's also uh not as much of a density limitation versus uh say like RM uh the

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um uh R4 zoning district. Um so there are some advantages to going this route that the applicant is is is is utilizing as a part of it. Um, but I think that this is probably a longer term question

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about how how are zoning districts set up for success with multif family and how does that work in terms of just across the board with our commercial districts um with our existing residential districts. Um, it's a it's a really good question.

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>> Okay. And then one other thing uh more for the for the public's knowledge. Is this market rate or subsidized? >> Uh it is market rate. >> Okay. Nothing further. >> Mayor Spooner. >> I make a motion to approve resolution

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2026-138. Second. I motion passes. >> Thank you, mayor. Um, so this is the second reading of this ordinance. Um, in terms of the uh ordinance itself, staff

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did not make any substantial changes to the ordinance since you last saw it uh at the previous city council meeting. Um, so we are again recommending that you approve the uh zoning text amendment. I'm happy to take questions. >> Okay. Again, for audience clarity, if we

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do nothing, now listen to me carefully. If we do nothing then anybody can put a data center anywhere at any time. Minnesota land use the way the legislature set this up is that in very

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limited cases can you deny the building of something on somebody's land. It's very narrow. That's something that has to be taken up with the legislature. Right? So the thing is I get it that some of you want or maybe all of you

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want a moratorum that may be a possibility in the future but today we're putting the guide rails in because if we do nothing it's going to be a bigger problem right I don't think it's the city council versus you guys. We

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just can't publicly say what our positions are because of litigation. Okay so at least cut us a break a little bit on this. That's the first point. So, we're doing this to put the guardrails in. The best example I can give you is

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we have a similar thing with strip clubs. If our city in 1970 didn't put in guard rails for strip clubs, they could be put anywhere. Okay? Is that what you want? I don't think anybody in this audience wants data centers everywhere. Okay? So,

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that's what we're deciding today to put the guard rails on. The other key piece is regardless of what we do here today, it has no bearing on the Archer data centers because that was before today. This is to protect people and the

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community moving forward. So with that, >> beautifully said. >> Yes. >> Uh thank you, Mayor. Yeah, just to follow up on uh council member Rowan's uh statements because there does seem to be confusion on what we're approving

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tonight. Right now, the Farbo City does not define a data center as anything. So therefore, a DA developer could come in and you know call his data center anything and you know we'd have to go with it. We also have no limitations on

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where the data center can be placed. In other words, right now the city of Farbo has a very wide wide openen door with no limitations on data centers. What we're approving tonight defines it and narrows

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it down on specifically what a data center is and it specifically states where they can go. We're not making this easier tonight for a data center to come in. we're actually narrowing the window or the door and making it more difficult

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to come in. Thank you. Well, I I appreciate the comments uh my fellow council member have made, but I also have different opinions on this. Um passing this tonight

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is a good thing but also it can be exploited by other people. They can look at this definition and get us to start the process of starting a data center in Febbo.

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So for that reason I choose to listen to our resident. Uh, I'm not in favor of the starting of the very beginning because I believe that it can be used as a

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starting point as we move forward. And just to add to that, um, I understand we need five out of the seven in favor to make this pass. Correct. Um, summary publication. And so

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this just takes a majority of four of you to actually approve the second reading. But if five of you do not approve the summary publication, we have to publish the entire ordinance in the newspaper. >> So to your point, just understand what

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you're voting for. If this fails, I could buy a house. I could buy the land next to your house and I could put a data center in. Just so you know that that's really what you're saying here. That's not in the public's best interest, convenience, or necessity. I do respect your opinion. I just want to

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make sure we're on the same page. >> Yeah. Just one thing that I wanted to add to all of this because this was kind of one of the things from the last meeting in in the moratorum language. If if this passes tonight, um Harry and uh planning staff will be working on um

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some of those design standards um right away. That's that's one of the things that I think is not something that a moratorum needs to be in place for development of that work can happen right away. And so I don't know how quickly it will happen, but ultimately that is that is what we have decided internally as staff is that if this is

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approved, that work doesn't need to wait until there's further discussion of a moratorum. Mayor Spooner. Yes, Mr. >> I'll make a motion to approve ordinance 2026-06. >> I'll second. >> Council member Barnes

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>> abstain. Jumbo. >> Nay. >> Ross. Hi. Rowan. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Hi. Mayor >> Spooner. Hi. Publication ordinance.

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>> So moved. Second. >> I resolution 2026. storage garage. something's happening where it's not have two monitors in your office, then you're going to have to drag it over.

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>> There you go. I'm sorry. And we received three gifts. Uh, thank you, Mayor. Um, director, this is this is about the size of a double garage, >> correct? >> Right. >> And maybe it needs a little bit of extra

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cement on the floor, you know, for thickness due to some heavier equipment or something. I don't know if it was going to be made out of block, but that'd be reasonable. But how did a double garage basically get up to 600,000? I mean, is this thing trimmed in gold and have Trump's name on the

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front or what? Thank you. Now, I have no doubt that we have the u you know the the people, the horsepower to to oversee this, but do we have the staff time? No. Well, I I definitely thank you for uh going to a plan B, C, or D or

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whatever we're on. Thank you very much for bringing this. >> May I call you Relle? It's much shorter. Um, thank you. I actually reached out to you over the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, and you responded. So, thank you for your dedication on that. But I was thinking I'll try to help her out

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maybe and see if we can even use utilize a ConX box. I know sometimes you can convert those. It's just not the right size. So, thank you for reooking this um reset. Hopefully, we can find a resolution, but also for your dedication.

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Mayor Spooner. Yes. >> I make a motion to reject resolution 2026-118. >> Second. >> Hold on. >> I think that verbiage is right. You're approving a resolution that says to

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reject the bids. >> Prove it. >> Approve. make a resol or a motion to approve resolution 2026-1. >> I opposed motion.

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>> Commissioners reports announcements. Yeah, just a reminder that tomorrow night at 6 PM at the Washington Recreation Center will be our next council chat where we'll be talking about elections, which we are just about ready to kick off the filing process. So, city clerk Heather Selecta and um

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two council members as well as some election judges will have more insight in uh into the elections process and um hopefully we'll be recruiting some candidates as well as some election judges. So move >> second.

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Thank you everyone.

