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Consolidating and memorializing the City Council’s December 13, 2017 decisions denying each of two separate appeals taken from a decision of the Planning Commission, and upholding the Zoning Administrator’s Determination of Similar Use for the operation of Listening House of Saint Paul, Inc. at 463 Maria Avenue.
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WHEREAS, on January 12, 2017, Brenda J. Olson, Director of Development for First Lutheran Church (“FLC”), 463 Maria Avenue, submitted a letter pursuant to Leg. Code § 61.106 to the Zoning Administrator requesting a “Similar Use Determination” regarding FLC’s desire to lease space in its “main church” building that would be used by the Listening House of Saint Paul, Inc. (“Listening House”) as “a low-barrier community center that serves an ethnically diverse group of low-income, homeless or lonely adults.” The FLC letter contained information intended to be used by the Zoning Administrator to meet Leg. Code § 61.106’s required findings for making a Similar Use Determination regarding the operations of Listening House; and
WHEREAS, on March 20, 2017, a Department of Safety and Inspections (“DSI”) Zoning Inspector, on behalf of the Zoning Administrator, issued a “Statement of Clarification” as required under Leg. Code § 61.106 which, based upon FLC’s supplied information, concluded that the tenancy of Listening House would be “secondary” to FLC’s main use of the building for church purposes, that the uses Listening House would undertake at FLC were similar to accessory uses undertaken in other churches reviewed by the City, and that the uses proposed by Listening House at FLC met the findings required for a Similar Use Determination pursuant to Leg. Code § 61.106. Accordingly, DSI’s letter stated “based on the above findings, we determine that the use of First Lutheran Church leasing space to Listening House to provide assistance to low income, homeless or lonely adults for hospitality, practical aide and referrals to other agencies for spe...
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