A laundromat and a coffee shop are proposed in vacant buildings on Second Avenue NW. But both proposals would require city zoning changes, code variances or both.
The owners of Mighty Fine! Coffee Company want to move their coffee roasting business and add a coffee shop with a drive-thru at the southeast corner of Second and 14th Street NW.
A local perhaps best known for his golf swing wants to transform the shuttered Kwik Trip at Second and 11th Street NW into a laundromat.
The Faribault Planning Commission got an early look at the proposals and was asked by the new property owners to give feedback before the owners decide whether to move forward with their plans.
Commissioners were receptive to making a change to where laundromats are permitted within the city. They requested more information about the coffee shop plans and necessary rezoning and variances, but they did not object to the concept.
The Planning Commission is an advisory body, the first to hear rezoning requests. The volunteer body makes recommendations to the City Council, which has the final say.
Coffee shop
Mighty Fine currently has a coffee roasting operation in a building next to 10,000 Drops Craft Distillers and has a coffee cart in the Crossroads Professional Building.
Owners Jordan Brennan and Nathan Cunningham have purchased a building that most recently was home to a pet grooming business and an adjacent open lot that previously had a residence. In addition to moving their business roasting and selling coffee beans, they want to open a coffee shop serving coffee and baked goods.
Cunningham said they’re tentatively planning a horseshoe-shaped drive-thru lane on the open site and the only access would be off of 14th Street.
To allow that, City Planner Harry Davis said new zoning would be required, as well as a conditional use permit for a drive-thru, and multiple variances including on the minimum lot size for a commercial use.
“There’s a lot to consider to try to make this property usable — whether it’s for Mighty Fine! Coffee or for anyone else,” Davis said.
The current building has sat empty for several years and one prior reuse proposal did not come to fruition.
Commissioner Steve White was concerned about the potential for traffic congestion on 14th Street.
Commissioners asked for a more-detailed site plan and input from the city engineer and potentially a study of the traffic impact.
“i think the use is excellent, but i would like some more information,” said Commissioner Samantha Green.
Laundromat
JC Ahlers said he plans to buy all new equipment and transform the former gas station into a self-serve laundromat that is open daytime hours and will be staffed by an attendant at least during peak hours. He said his research has indicated a need for the service, especially following the closure of a laundromat on the other side of town late last year.
The former Kwik Trip property is zoned neighborhood commercial, which is typically on properties adjacent to residences, and does not currently allow laundromats. Davis recommended city code be changed to allow laundromats in all commercial districts, like it currently allows for dry cleaners.
Commissioners did not object to Ahlers’ plans.
“I can’t imagine a laundromat is going to generate more traffic than a Kwik Trip. I can’t imagine a laundromat is going to generate more noise than a Kwik Trip,” Green said.
But commissioners preferred to require a conditional use permit for laundromats in the neighborhood commercial district, so the city could place specific requirements on each development, such as limiting the hours of operation.
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