5.1b. PCSR 12-18-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Description of Project Narrative Legal Description / Property Under Consideration: The legal description of the property is “Lots 1 and 2, Block 1. Elk River Plaza Second Addition”, according to the plat thereof on file and of record in the Office of the County Recorder in and for Sherburne County, Minnesota. Or, 13,000+/- square feet (the South end of the Marcus Theater Building) and the adjoining outdoor space directly South of the building. Glory of Christ Fellowship (hereafter GCF or the Church) was founded in 2007 and is registered with the State of Minnesota as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The Church was granted State and Federal tax-exempt status and began holding public meetings and offering various services that same year. From the beginning, GCF has held Sunday morning worship at the Handke Family Center (1170 Main Street NW) and maintained a small office in Old Town Elk River (707 Highway 10, Suite 300). In addition to the services GCF offers to its congregants, it has also been a member of the Chamber of Commerce, contributed time and resources to other non-profit organizations in the City of Elk River (hereafter the City), and held occasional events for the community like back- to-school give-aways and a Christmas dinner for disadvantaged families. While the church has experienced a modest amount of growth (approximately 180 members and regular attenders), the time has come for GCF to transition to a full-time, dedicated facility from which it can better serve its congregants and the community at-large. The Church’s Facilities Team has considered several properties available for lease or purchase, and through a vetting process has chosen to pursue a long-term lease (12-15 years) with Marcus Properties for the space at the south end of their building (550 Freeport Avenue). This space has been vacant for several years, and therefore, the church thinks that occupying this space will be good for the City, for Marcus Properties, and for its congregants. If the Church is granted permission from the City and is able to reach an agreement with Marcus Properties, it plans to build out the 13,000+/- interior space on the South end of the building according to the provisional fit-use plan attached to this request. Generally speaking, the buildout will include (1) a large space that will be used for worship, presentations, weddings, and the like, (2) several classrooms, (3) a non-commercial kitchen and gathering space, (4) office space, and (5) storage space. The church plans to utilize these spaces for Sunday morning worship and religious education (approximately 7:00 a.m-1:00 p.m.), Wednesday evening programing for adults and children (approximately 5:00-9:00 p.m.), religious education, biblical counseling services, community service (for example, giving away educational supplies in the fall or feeding disadvantaged families during the holiday season), and church administration. While the Marcus Theater property is located in a Subzone C. Commercial zone, GCF is seeking a zoning change/addition only to the 13,000+/- square feet and the adjoining outside space to the south of the building to an “institutional user,” that is, one of “those establishments engaged in activities of a noneconomic nature, frequently being the performance of services classified as a governmental or commercial user in this division” The legal description of the property is “Lots