The purpose of the B-1 district is to provide a district for office and accessory service uses but which excludes general retail and service uses. Retail sales shall be prohibited except for uses established primarily in support of the principal office use. Exterior display of merchandise shall be prohibited. The B-1 district is intended for those areas of the city identified for office development by the comprehensive plan or for transitional areas between residential and more intense uses.

Within the B-1 district no structure or land shall be used except for one or more of the following uses;

a)   administrative, executive, professional or other offices; or

b)   cabinets no larger than 150 cubic feet that hold utility equipment and for which a landscape plan has been approved by the city planner; overhead utility poles and lines for a distribution line up to a maximum height of 60 feet as measured from the ground upon which it is located, except that utility poles and lines for a distribution line may be taller than 60 feet, but not taller than 80 feet, when needed to cross a major roadway such as a freeway.

Within the B-1 district the following shall be permitted provided they are subordinate to and associated with a permitted use:

a)   receive-only satellite dish antennas and other antenna devices up to a maximum height of 60 feet as measured from the ground upon which it is located subject to the requirements found in section 300.28, subd. 13; and radio devices no larger than one cubic foot in size that are attached to utility poles, if there is no more than one per pole;

b)   evergreen material sales if in compliance with the standards specified in section 300.15, subd. 13, and the city planner has given approval; and

c)   solar energy systems;

d)   other uses customarily associated with but subordinate to a permitted use, as determined by the city.

(Amended by Ord. No. 2022-18, effective November 14, 2022)

Within the B-1 district no structure or land shall be used for the following except by conditional use permit and except in conformance with the standards specified in section 300.21 of this ordinance:

a)   business service uses normally associated with office developments and containing limited retail activity;

b)   residential dwelling units;

c)   restaurants and cafeterias incorporated within a principal structure and oriented predominantly towards serving the needs of employees of the surrounding area but excluding drive-up and exterior walk-up facilities;

d)   storage, assembly or servicing incidental to the principal use;

e)   hospitals and medical clinics;

f)   minor manufacturing or assembly incidental to the principal use;

g)   heliports;

h)   hotels and motels;

i)   financial institutions, with or without drive-up facilities;

j)   licensed day care facilities;

k)   cemeteries;

l)   marinas;

m)   public buildings or facilities and cabinets larger than 150 cubic feet that hold utility equipment;

n)   telecommunication facilities as defined in Section 300.34;

o)   utility poles and appurtenances (such as wires) that are over 60 feet in height and freestanding upon the ground, and all transmission lines which are not subject to state review under the Minnesota power plant siting act; or

p)   other uses similar to those permitted by this section, as determined by the city.

None of the uses permitted by conditional use permit shall occupy more than 25 percent of the gross floor area of the building or of several buildings developed under a unified site plan.

No building or land in the B-1 district shall be used except in conformance with the following:

a)   building height: buildings located within 200 feet of any residential district shall be limited to four stories or 45 feet, whichever is less. The height of all other buildings shall be regulated by setback and floor area requirements;

b)   front yard setback: minimum of 35 feet from the right-of-way of local and neighborhood collector streets as identified in the comprehensive plan; or a minimum of 50 feet from railroad lines and from the right-of-way of major collector or arterial roadways as identified in the comprehensive plan; or the height of the building, whichever is greater. The most restrictive of the above shall apply up to a maximum of 100 feet;

c)   side and rear yard setbacks: side and rear yard setbacks shall comply with the following formula: setback = (1.5 times building height) - 10 feet up to a maximum setback of 100 feet but in no case shall the setbacks be less than the following when measured from land designated accordingly in the comprehensive plan:

   1)   50 feet from low density residential;

   2)   40 feet from medium and high density residential; and

   3)   20 feet from commercial, office, industrial, institutional and public park.

d)   floor area ratio: maximum of 1.0;

e)   lot coverage: maximum lot coverage shall be 85 percent and shall be calculated to include building footprints; parking areas; driveways; loading, storage and trash areas and other areas covered by any impervious surface;

f)   access: by permit from a public body with principal access from a collector or arterial roadway as designated in the comprehensive plan or a street specifically designed to accommodate commercial traffic; and

g)   trash enclosures or accessory buildings not to exceed 600 square feet in size shall be located behind the front building line of the principal building. Setbacks shall be equal to the parking setback as specified in section 300.28, subd. 12(b)(4).

a)   All developments shall be subject to site and building plan review pursuant to section 300.27 of this ordinance.

b)   All developments must be in compliance with city code sections 300.23 wetland protection; 300.24 floodplain protection; 300.25 shoreland district; 300.28 Subd.20 performance standards regulating steep slopes; and 314.01 tree protection.

c)   Parking shall be regulated pursuant to section 300.28 of this ordinance.

d)   All developments shall comply with the city's water resources management plan.

e)   Signs shall be regulated pursuant to section 325 of the code of city ordinances.

(Amended by Ord. 2016-08, effective May 23, 2016; Amended by Ord. 2002-04, adopted February 11, 2002; amended by Ord. 2002-03, adopted January 7, 2002; amended by Ord. 2000-19, adopted October 16, 2000; amended by Ord. No. 2023-02, effective February 27, 2023)