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Home My WebLink About2000-03-01 NAC Memo with Draft Document_ NORTHWEST ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS I C91 r TO: FROM: DATE: RE: FILE No: COMMUNITY PLANNING DESIGN MARKET RESEARCH Kris Danielson Scott Richards March 1, 2000 Oak Park Hei — Stillwater Hi School: Amended Ropes Course CUP 798.02 — 00.04 Please find attached the draft plannin report related to the re b ISD 834 for extended hours of operation for the ropes course. The report will serve to indicate staff's position on the issue of operational hours which includes extendin the Monda throu Frida use to 9:30 PM or dusk and allowin Saturda use to 6:00 PM. It is expected that the School District will make a final application b March 24, 2000 for consideration of this matter b the Plannin Commission at a public hearin on April 13, 2000. pc: Tom Melena Mark Vierlin Kathleen Mac 5 7 7 5 WAYZATA BOULEVARD, SUITE 555 T. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA 5 5 4 1 6 PHONE 61 2-595-9636 FAX 5 1-2-595-9837 E-MAIL NAG WINTERNET.COM EW TO: FROM DATE RE FILE NO: m 901, [] 7 ih - 0 lei PI I I' Scott Richards March 1, 2000 Oak Park Heights — Stillwater High School: Amended Ropes Course Conditional Use Permit 798.02 — 00.04 Independent School District 834 (ISD 834) has requested an amendment to the conditional use permit (CUP) for the High School to allow for extended hours of operation for the ropes course. In addition, the City will conduct the required annual review of the ropes course as prescribed by the conditions for approval. The City approved the original High School CUP in December of 1991. The ropes course was allowed through an amended CUP that was approved in September of 1999. The High School is zoned 0, open Space District. The ropes course is considered to be a recreational equipment accessory use to the High School. Public school facilities are a conditional use within this district. The current request would be processed as an amendment to the original CUP of 1991 and amended CUP of 1 999. Attached for reference: Exhibit A: Letter from Superintendent Kathleen Macy, ISD 834 Exhibit B: Ropes course CUP, September 1999 ISSUES ANALYSIS Comprehensive Plana The comprehensive Plan specifies the use of this site for school facilities. The ropes course is considered as an accessory recreational use to the High School. Zoning. The High School is zoned as o, open Space, which allows for education and recreational use. Any changes to the terms of the conditions of an adopted CUP require an amendment processed in the same way as the original CUP. As such, a public hearing and notification requirements have been followed for this request. Annual Review. The ropes course amended CUP specified the requirement of an annual review to assure compliance and address any neighborhood issues with the recreational and training facility. The Superintendent acknowledged in the letter that they had complied with all the conditions of the CUP, but had not been able to schedule any training sessions related to rescue activities due to the limiting hours specified for operation. The Planning commission and City council should review the original conditions of approval with School District personnel present at the meetings and discuss the compliance issues. The Superintendent has also asked for further discussion on condition d., which requires approval of an amended CUP for any changes to the ropes course. The Planning Commission could recommend and the city council adopt amendments to the CUP conditions based upon findings of the annual review. Hours of Operation. The CUP specifies that the hours of operation "shall be established as occurring from 8:00 AM until 5 oo PM, or dusk, whichever occurs earlier, Monday through Friday, with no use allowed on weekends or legal holidays ". The Superintendent has indicated that they would prefer that the ropes course be available for use under the same policies and guidelines that govern all of their facilities. In terms of the ropes course, the hours of use would be expanded with safety of participants as the benchmark of when the course would be in use. The City will likely not agree to such an open ended allowance for ropes course hours but it is acknowledged that the current conditions may be too restricting. The current restrictions do not allow for use on Summer nights or on weekends. As a reasonable compromise to allow for extended use but recognizing the impact to neighboring residents, staff would suggest that the hours be extended to 9 :30 PM or dusk, whichever occurs earlier and allow for Saturday use from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The restriction on Sundays and legal holidays would remain. The School District is not requesting that the ropes course be lit or any changes occur to the current operation of the recreational facility. :............... . ....:.... . :............... City staff recommends that an amendment be made to the High School CUP to allow for extended hours of operations for the ropes course facility. Additionally, staff recommends that the Planning commission and City Council conduct the annual review of the CUP conditions with High School representatives. Further consideration of ra condition d. related to the requirement for CUP approval of changes to the ropes course has been requested by the School District. The Planning commission and city council of oak Park Heights recommend approval of the amended CUP to the Stillwater High School conditional use permit to allow for changes to the conditions relating to the accessory ropes course, subject to the following: 1. The hours of operation of the ropes course shall be amended as follows: The hours of operation of the ropes course shall be established as occurring from 8:00 AM until 9:30 PM or dusk, whichever occurs earlier, Monday through Friday, and allow for Saturday use from 8:66 AM to 6:00 PM with no use allowed on Sundays or legal holidays. 2. Any amendments to the CUP conditions based upon the annual review as approved by the city Council. pc: Kris Danielson Mark vierl ing Kathleen Macy, ISD 834 3 1875 South Greeley Street Stillwater Minnesota 55082 Phone: 651- 351 -8340 Fax: 651 - 351 -8380 V -TDD: 651- 351 -8338 January 27, 2000 Mr. Tom Melena, City Administrator City of oak Park Heights 14168 57` Street North P.O. Box 2007 Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 RE: Co of the use of the ropes course be provided by the same District 834 Cam mun ty ]Education and general education policies and use guidelines that prescribe the use of all of our facilities, fields, apparatus etc. Dear Mr. Melena, During the past year, I have met with you and members of our respective staff each month to discuss areas of mutual concerns and to develop more active communication between our organizations. The goals of our meetings are to serve our communities better and to re- establish strong, positive relations hips b l? between our organizations. The meetings have been helpful to us as a way to resolve roblems and chart art the future. I am grateful for your commitment to this work. As a result of our ongoing conversations and as part of our annual review, I report that we have met the conditions of the permit awarded by the City of oak Park Heights on April 29, 1999 for the use of the ropes course. Any issues, and there have been very few, that have arisen have been discussed and resolved. The only issue unable to be resolved is the requirement to train City police and fire officials for potential rescue activities on the course. At this time, our prescribed hours of operation do not allow us to schedule the training at a time that the firefighters can participate. As per our conversation and at your directive, I am writing es to request that we be able to use the ropes course on the grounds of Stillwater Area Hi¢ - P b h School under the same District 834 policies and guidelines that govern all of our facilities. What this means in this case is that: Hours of use would be expanded with safety of participants as the benchmark of when the course would be In use. Availability of natural daylight and high standards of safety and supervision would prescribe the hours of use. The current guidelines limit the use of the course to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or dusk, whichever occurs earlier. This restriction prohibits some of our students and parents from participation, one of the federal requirements of the grant that supported the development of this course. This is not a request for lighting. ... *APIEi'II An Equal Opportunity Employer Afton - Lakeland Elementary , Andersen Elementary * Area Learning Center a Early Childhood Family Center ° Lake Elmo Elementary Lily lake Elementary o Marine Elementary s oak Park Elementary o Oak -Land Junior High G Rutherford Elementary e Stonebridge Elementary Stillwater Area High School g Stillwater Junior High g Valley Crossing Community School o Withrow Elementary Mr. Tom Melena, City Administrator January, City Administrator January '27, 2000 Page two Independent of this request, I ask that the following be considered by the Cit y as an item of future discussion. d. Any changes to the ropes course, including structures, fencing, access or security measures, shall require approval of an amended conditional use permit by the City Council unless the City Council amends the conditional use permit to exclude recreational structures from its application. Conditional Use Permit, April 1999 Thank you again for your commitment to our shared responsibility of service to the community. I look forward to the action of the City Council on this request. Sin ,ely Ka�hleen P. Macy Su erintendent of Sch ols IPM: dkh c: Board of Education Ms. Teri Lewis, SANS Ms, Mary Pat Cumming Juhl, Assistant Principal SANS Mr. Paul Westmoreland, Community Education Dr. Mary Jo 'Weingarten, Deputy Superintendent CITY OF OAX PARK HEIGHTN :J FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONDITIONA US P FOR STILLWATER AREA HIGH SCHOOL/ INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 834 File No,: Date Issued: Legal Description: (Washington County Geo . Code See Ex -'Jqi blt "A ll attached hereto Owner: St i ll.water Area Hi crh School Inde - cendent School. District Nn- 834 Address, 1875 South Greeley Street stillwate Minnesota 55082 Present Zoning District: [l P e rmi tted u set fo i n O rdinan c e . 4 00 S eotiori 401.01 et . se I. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR All uses shall be subject to the following conditions and /or restrictions imposed by the City Council of the Heights. e City of o Park General Description 1. Amendment to that certain Conditional. Trade endent School District Use Permit Issued to No. 834 and dated December to 1991 which i incor - corated herein by reference and reaffirmed in who s that it this s amendment _ is modified within le except to the extent . II. ADD I'T' I ONAL RESTRICTIONS AND PROVISIONS The following additional restrict and rov ' ' �' irs t .Amendment to Condi. t ion P z s Ions being part o f the a1. Use Permit to be issU herein shall be Amending said Conditional. Use Permit dated Dece mber Stillwater Area High School/ to � 1391 for the g ool. /Independent School. District #834 to per and allow the ropes course as an accessory P m � se subject to the following zt conditions: � i ti a. That access to the ropes course be maintained year round for emergency vehicles; b. Gate to the ropes course shall be closed and locked at all times when the facility is not in use; C. Installation of any future lighting at the ropes course shall require approval of an amended conditional use permit by the City Council; d. Any changes to the ropes course, including structures, fencing, access or security measures, shall require approval of an amended conditional use permit by the City Council unless the City Council amends the conditional use permit to exclude recreational structures from its application; e. The hours of operation of the ropes course shall be established as occurring from 8:00 A . M . unt 5:00 P . M . or dusk whichever occurs earlier, Monday through Friday, with no use allowed on weekends or legal holidays; f . The final landscaping plan to be implemented on the ropes course site shall be subject to the review and approval of the city Arborist; g. School District personnel shall work with City Police and fire officials in training for potential rescue activities fox the ropes course. All further use of the ropes course shall require written approvals from the Police and Fire Chiefs tha adequate access, safety and rescue plans are in place for the ropes course. h. Annual review should be imposed as a condition of this conditional use permit to assure compliance and provide a mechanism to deal with any issues that may arise affecting the use of the ropes course vis a vis the neighboring properties in the future III. REVIEW Pursuant to order of the City Council of the City of oak Park Heights, a periodic review of this First Amendment to Conditional Use P ermit is imposed as a condition of its grant. This Conditional Use Permit shall be reviewed annually at the Direction of the City Clerk, which shall notify the permit holder of the date of the annual review at least ten (lo) days prior to the review hearing. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have set forth their hands and seals. CITY -0F opt PARK x IGxTs Date: ��'�� By �- David SchaaL Mayor Date: 9 /7�-�� Date : 9 - 17 - 99 Dat e: 9 -1799 Thomas Melena Ci A inist for By Appl cant /Permit Ho d�r J Applicant Permit Holder