(A) Purpose. The purpose of the General Mixed Use (MU-2) District is to provide an area for compact, walkable, mixed use development along key community corridors and to support high quality development and site flexibility due to the unique site conditions in these areas. The mixture of land uses within the district is essential to establishing the level of vitality and intensity needed to support retail and service uses. A combination of retail, office, service, and residential uses are encouraged although not required. Buildings may also be entirely residential. The mix of uses can occur vertically and horizontally. The placement of building and the relationship of the building, parking, landscaping, and pedestrian spaces is essential to creating the pedestrian-friendly environment envisioned for the MU-2 District. The standards in this section are reinforced within the Design Manual through pictures and graphics representing the intent of this section.
(B) Design character. The character of the General Mixed Use District shall reflect high quality design due to the high visibility of these areas. Although development in this mixed use district will be more auto-oriented in design than the traditional Downtown Mixed Use District, pedestrian connections and amenities will still be required to provide connections to existing and future planned trails and to provide for safe pedestrian circulation within the site. Landscaping, signage, and architectural details shall be used to unify sites within each of the General Mixed Use areas in Forest Lake.
(C) Permitted uses. Subject to applicable provisions of this chapter, the following are permitted in the General Mixed Use District:
(1) Bank (without drive-thru);
(2) Club or lodge;
(3) Dwelling, multiple-family (apartment, condominium, cooperative, townhouse) at a minimum density of 10 and maximum of 15 units per acre;
(4) Dwelling, multiple-family, row house style townhomes;
(5) Essential services, government buildings;
(6) Existing auto sales, new and used as of the date of the adoption of this chapter;
(7) Existing minor auto repair as of the date of the adoption of this chapter and according to the standards set forth in § 153.324;
(8) Hotel;
(9) Health recreation facility;
(10) Medical uses;
(11) Museums/art galleries;
(12) Movie theatres;
(13) Offices;
(14) Restaurants, full service;
(15) Restaurants, fast food;
(16) Retail/office/multi-tenant structure;
(17) Retail sales and services;
(18) Tavern or bar;
(19) Brewery;
(20) Micro distillery;
(21) Taproom;
(22) Motor vehicle part sales.
(D) Accessory uses. Subject to the applicable provisions of this chapter, the following permitted accessory uses in the General Mixed Use District are allowed only when it is an accessory to an existing principal permitted use on the same lot. All accessory uses must meet the procedures set forth in and regulated by §§ 153.110 et seq.
(1) Outdoor seating accessory to a restaurant;
(2) Public open space plaza, square or other related uses;
(3) Trash enclosure service structure;
(4) Attached smoking facility associated with a principal use;
(5) Structured parking;
(6) Other uses customarily associated with but subordinate to a permitted use as determined by the Planning Commission and City Council;
(7) Amateur radio antenna (subject to the amateur radio antenna standards in § 153.096(II)(9)).
(8) On-site removal and installation of minor motor vehicle parts, including batteries, exterior vehicle lights, and windshield wiper blades, and other similarly minor installations that:
(a) Are incidental to a retail sale;
(b) Are not time intensive;
(c) Do not cause obnoxious noise or odor; and
(d) Do not require lifting any part of the vehicle or removing doors or fenders.
(E) Conditional uses. Subject to the applicable provision of this chapter, the following are conditional uses in the General Mixed Use District (requires a conditional use permit based upon procedures set forth in and regulated by § 153.034 of this chapter).
(1) Place of worship;
(2) Drive-thru lanes for permitted uses if provisions for vehicle stacking, vehicle maneuvering, outdoor speaker devices, appearance and lighting of outdoor menu boards, and other related matters can be shown to be in keeping with the intent and character of the MU-2 District and compatible with surrounding uses;
(3) Motor fuel stations;
(4) Schools, specialty;
(5) School;
(6) Other uses similar to those permitted in this section as determined by the Planning Commission and City Council.
(F) Interim uses. Subject to the applicable provisions of this chapter, the following are interim uses in the General
Mixed Use District (requires an interim use permit based upon procedures set forth and regulated by § 153.035 of this chapter).
(1) Place of worship in leased premises.
(2) Other uses as determined by the Planning Commission and City Council.
(G) Lot size, setback, site design, and height requirements.
(1) Minimum lot size requirements. The following minimum requirements shall be observed in the MU-2 District subject to additional requirements, exceptions, and modifications set forth in this chapter.
(a) Minimum lot requirements:
1. Lot size: 25,000 square feet.
2. Lot width: 150 feet.
(b) Setbacks:
1. Front: 20 feet from public roadways and 30 feet from Highway 61.
2. Side: No setback is required unless abutting a residential district; a setback of 35 feet shall then be required.
3. Rear: No setback is required unless abutting a residential district; a setback of 35 feet shall then be required.
(H) Site design.
(1) Orient and consolidate structures to complement existing, adjacent development to create a coordinated and visually attractive mixed use setting.
(2) Site planning shall respect the relationship of the site to the existing and proposed buildings and streets and major roadways including Highway 61.
(3) Buildings with frontage on a primary street shall orient front facades parallel to the primary street.
(4) Align the building front facade with adjacent buildings to promote visual continuity from the public right-of-way, unless site or use constraints are prohibitive.
(5) Buildings shall have a clearly defined primary pedestrian entrance at street level.
(6) Wherever a surface parking area faces a street frontage, such frontage shall be screened with a decorative wall, railing, hedge, or a combination of these elements to a minimum height of 2-1/2 feet and a maximum height of 3-1/2 feet above the level of the parking lot at the build to line.
(7) Drive-thru or drive-in lanes are not allowed within the front of any buildings. They must be located to the side or rear of a building.
(8) Maximum impervious coverage. The total lot coverage shall not exceed 80% impervious.
(I) Building height.
(1) Maximum height on all buildings shall be 45 feet or 4 stories.
(2) Where multiple buildings are proposed on a single site the buildings shall be designed with varying heights while meeting the following minimum standards:
(a) Buildings at the front setback line along Highway 61 shall have a minimum height of 15 feet for 60% of the building length with a maximum height of 25 feet. Buildings set back from Highway 61 (not meeting the minimum front yard setback to Highway 61) shall have a minimum height of 25 feet for 60% of the building length in order to provide visibility.
(J) Parking requirements.
(1) Parking for residential units in the MU-2 District shall be provided underground and shall be calculated as required under § 153.132. The residential parking spaces shall be specifically reserved for the use of residents and visitors only, separate from any commercial, office or other uses on-site or nearby and shall not be counted as part of any shared parking or joint parking arrangement.
(K) Building design requirements. To maintain the character of the downtown area the MU-2 District is subject to the following standards to reflect the character of the district. The design standards are explained in further detail and illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirements Manual.
(1) All new building fronts (single-story or multi-story) and 100% refacing of existing buildings, shall include a minimum of 4 of the following elements:
(a) Architectural detailing, such as cornice, awning, parapet, or columns;
(b) A visually pleasing primary front entrance that, in addition to doors, shall be accented a minimum of 150 square feet around the door entrance for single-occupancy buildings and a minimum of 300 square feet total for the front of multi-tenant buildings (this area shall be counted as 1 element). Entrances shall be clearly articulated and obvious from the street;
(c) A minimum of 30% window coverage on each front that faces a street;
(d) Contrasting, yet complementary material colors;
(e) A combination of horizontal and vertical design features;
(f) Irregular building shapes;
(g) Horizontal offsets of at least 4 feet in depth;
(h) Vertical offsets in the roofline of at least 4 feet;
(i) Fenestration at the first floor level which is recessed horizontally at least 1 foot into the facade;
(j) Other architectural features in the overall architectural concept.
(2) Multi-story buildings shall have the ground floor distinguished from the upper floors by having 1 or more of the following:
(a) Awning;
(b) Trellis;
(c) Arcade;
(d) Window lintels;
(e) Intermediate cornice line;
(f) Brick detailing such as quoins or corbels.
(3) Residential uses on first floors. Whenever residential uses are included on the first floor of a building the first floor elevation shall be a minimum of 2 feet 6 inches above the sidewalk elevations immediately adjacent to the front of the residential unit to ensure the residential unit is raised from the public space. In addition, each first floor unit must have an individual private entrance at the street level with private courtyard enclosure.
(4) Any exterior building wall adjacent to or visible from a public street, public open space or abutting property may not exceed 50 feet in length without significant visual relief consisting of 1 of the following:
(a) The facade shall be divided architecturally by means of significantly different materials or textures;
(b) Horizontal offsets of at least 4 feet in depth;
(c) Vertical offsets in the roofline of at least 4 feet; or
(d) Fenestration at the first floor level that is recessed horizontally at least 1 foot into the facade.
(5) Accent materials. Accent materials shall be wrapped around walls visible from public view. Where a mixed use building is visible from a public road all elevations shall be architecturally treated. Accent material shall consist of materials comparable in grade and quality to the primary exterior material. Such materials may include glass, prefinished decorative metal, and fiber cement trim within soffit and fascia areas.
(6) Major exterior materials of all walls including face brick, stone, glass, stucco, synthetic stucco, fiber cement vertical panel siding, architectural concrete, and precast panels shall be acceptable as the major exterior wall surface when they are incorporated into an overall design of the building. Major materials must cover at least 60% of the exterior.
(7) Fiber cement seam lines shall be architecturally integrated into the building design so that they are not visible. Seam lines can be filled, covered by other accent material or other method thereby making the seam lines invisible. Color impregnated decorative block shall also be allowed as a major exterior wall material and shall be required to be sealed. All materials shall be color impregnated with the exception of architectural concrete precast panel systems and fiber cement siding which may be painted.
(8) Restricted exterior materials. Unadorned pre-stressed concrete panels, whether smooth or raked, non-decorative concrete block, sheet metal, unfinished metal, and/or galvanized and unfinished aluminum surfaces (walls or roofs) shall not be used as exterior materials. This restriction shall apply to all principal structures and to all accessory buildings except those accessory buildings not visible from any property line. No more than 25% of any exterior wall on a building shall be fiber cement siding, wood, or metal accent material.
(9) Building roofs. Mansard or mansard style roofs are not permitted except for mansard style cornices. Acceptable designs include flat, pitched, or curved. Building roof styling shall incorporate a minimum of 1 of the following elements:
(a) Parapets or cornices;
(b) Varying building height and variety of roof lines (while meeting requirements in division (D)).
(L) Screening.
(1) Rooftop mechanical equipment. The view of all rooftop equipment and related piping, ducting, electrical and mechanical utilities abutting a street on buildings shall be screened from the ground level view. Screening may include parapet walls, penthouses, or other architecturally integrated elements. Wood fencing or chain link with slats shall not be used for screening. A cross-sectional drawing shall be provided that illustrates the sight lines from the ground level view.
(2) Screening adjoining residential use. Wherever a Mixed Use (MU) District abuts, or is across the street from an Residential (R) District, a berm, fence, or screening consisting of compact evergreen trees or hedge or a combination thereof, not less than 80% opaque at time of installation, nor less than 6 feet in height, except adjacent to a street where it shall be not less than 3 feet nor more than 4 feet in height shall be erected or installed and maintained. All screening shall comply with § 153.146 of this chapter.
(3) Ground mechanical equipment. Ground mechanical equipment shall be 100% screened from contiguous properties and adjacent streets by opaque landscaping or screen wall compatible with the architectural treatment of the principal structure.
(4) Trash enclosure service structure. All exterior trash enclosures or other accessory structures shall be constructed of the same materials and colors as the principal building.
(M) Exterior storage. All exterior storage of material and equipment related to, located on, and used by any business or other non-residential use shall be stored within a building or fully screened so as not to be visible from streets, highways, or neighboring property, with the exception of the following:
(1) Merchandise being displayed for sale or rental as of the adoption of this section;
(2) Materials and equipment currently being used for construction on the premises;
(3) Merchandise located on service station pump islands.
(N) Lighting. In addition to the lighting requirements presented in § 153.185, lighting in the MU-2 District shall also be subject to the following requirements:
(1) Decorative style lighting a maximum of 14 feet in height shall be used to illuminate all site areas with the exception of parking areas.
(2) Shoe-box style lighting shall only be permitted in parking areas.
(3) Lighting fixtures shall be compatible with the architecture of the building.
(4) Wall mounted lighting shall be used on building fronts to illuminate entry points and highlight architectural features.
(O) Landscape design. In addition to the landscape requirements presented in § 153.230, plant materials shall be used to create a unified and attractive mixed use environment.
(1) Planting areas should be located and designed to avoid visual interference with public signage and private commercial communication.
(2) Plant materials shall be arranged to provide focal points on the site, and concentrated to signify key site locations such as the primary building entrance, site entrance, around signage, along pedestrian walkways, and along the perimeter of the building.
(P) Signage. In addition to the sign requirements presented in §§ 153.205 et seq., signs in the MU-2 District shall also be subject to the following requirements:
(1) To reduce visual sign clutter, signage shall be distinct and minimal.
(2) Monument sign bases shall be constructed of similar materials, style, and color as that of the principal building.
(3) Signage shall be designed in a manner consistent with this chapter, and as illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(Q) Compliance.
(1) All new construction shall fully comply with the requirements in § 153.324.
(2) A complete building face lift combined with a building addition shall fully comply with the requirements in § 153.324.
(3) Other existing building and site improvements shall comply with the standards in § 153.054.
(R) Expansion of legally established nonconforming residential uses. Legally established nonconforming single family and duplex residential uses may be expanded with a building permit. Such permitted expansions shall include the construction of detached accessory structures which shall comply with the applicable procedures and performance standards for detached accessory structures in this section.
(Ord. 596, passed 2-8-2010; Am. Ord. 598, passed 7-26-2010; Am. Ord. 628, passed 5-13-2013; Am. Ord. 646, passed 9-14-2015; Am. Ord. 651, passed 3-14-2016; Am. Ord. 669, passed 12-4-2017; Am. Ord. 702, passed 2-22-2021)