Clock ticks on Cloquet rezoning plea

A local business owner, his neighbors and the city of Cloquet have at least two more weeks to try to find a solution that would “make more people happy.”

Cloquet City councilors voted Tuesday to table a request from business owner Ken Maki to give Maki time to explore other options.

The request came because Maki would like to construct an office/shop for his business, on land near his home south of North Road and Sunnyside Lane. In order to do that, he’s asking the city to change its comprehensive plan for that property from moderate/high-density residential to highway commercial, and then rezone the property from single family residential to regional commercial. The comp plan is a planning document intended to guide future development of the city

The land in question is surrounded by mixed properties, with some single-family homes nearby as well as the Diamond Willow Assisted Living facility. There’s a four-unit townhouse to the north, and Gordy’s Hi-Hat and Warming House property to the southeast. The Boulder Drive neighborhood lies about 300 yards south of the property.

The Cloquet Planning Commission recommended the council approve the changes, but several neighbors spoke out against the proposal at the Oct. 17 council meeting.

“I never want to see us harm a business in Cloquet because the city values all of our business owners, but we have a lot of options here and a lot of incentives,” said Ward 2 councilor Sheila Lamb, who proposed Maki meet with Community Development director Holly Hansen to discuss a list of available properties and business enhancement programs that might offer a different solution. “You may find that there's something more economically feasible for you and that would allow even a little bit more growth if you wanted it. It would also show due diligence on your behalf and ours.”

Lamb’s suggestion came after an extensive discussion between councilors, city planning and zoning director Al Cottingham and Maki.

During the meeting, Cottingham reiterated that the planning commission had recommended the changes be approved, after neighbors at the meeting realized they would hear less noise from dump trucks and equipment repairs.

However, one person spoke up on behalf of Maki’s largest neighbor — Diamond Willow Assisted Living, which would end up 200 feet closer to the business site — at the start of Tuesday’s meeting. Dana Tchida, director of operations at Diamond Willow, said he was “strongly opposed” to the zoning and comp plan changes.

“Diamond Willow Assisted Living chose this location because its philosophy is based on placing our homes for seniors in a residential setting,” Tchida told the council. “We’re a resident-centered facility placed in communities of single-family homes, not commercial areas.”

The trucks going to Maki’s property use the same driveway as Diamond Willow and would negatively impact their business with increased noise, he told the council.

Both councilors Warren “Bun” Carlson and Lara Wilkinson said they’d visited the properties in question. Carlson wanted to know if Maki could redesign the driveway to the proposed business building, to make more people happy and also reduce a steep incline.

Cottingham said the property was landlocked, other than the road shared by Diamond Willow. Going a different direction with the rezoning would result in “spot zoning,” Cottingham said, pointing out that the Gordy’s property adjacent to the land in question is zoned highway commercial.

Wilkinson questioned the precedent as well as the long-term impact of the requested changes to the neighborhood, pointing out that the way Maki runs his business now may not be what happens 10 years from now. Additionally, the rezone and comprehensive plan changes could bring more businesses to the area, which is not adjacent to Highway 33.

“I am concerned about the Diamond Willow facility. It’s right there,” the at-large councilor said.

“I feel like we have so much development potential north and south on Highway 33, I hate to see us not being very thoughtful about infiltrating those neighborhoods,”

“But nothing’s going to change,” Carlson said, referring to the assertion by Maki and Cottingham that a new building would resolve some of the noise issues because the dump trucks would be kept inside overnight and maintenance would be performed inside, versus in Maki’s yard.

Not addressed Tuesday was the fact that Maki has been operating his business from his home — on property zoned residential, not for business — a violation of city code.

However, both Cottingham and city administrator Tim Peterson pointed out that there had been no complaints from neighbors before the rezoning request, although they have raised issues in letters to the city and the newspaper since they were notified of the rezoning request.

The vote was tabled until at least the next council meeting on Nov. 21. It takes a supermajority of the council (five of six possible votes) to change the city’s comprehensive plan.

In other matters, the council approved contracts with the city’s AFSCME and non-union employees which included pay raises of 5 percent in 2024, 4 percent in 2025 and 3 percent in 2026. Councilors also approved a request for proposals for a new housing study in 2024.

Mayor Roger Maki closed the meeting Tuesday by taking time to talk about former mayor Bruce Ahlgren, who passed away unexpectedly late last month. Maki’s first term on the council coincided with Ahlgren’s last term. Maki spoke highly of the city’s longest-serving mayor, noting that he oversaw the implementation of a smoking ban and the approval of the industrial landfill in the Antus Addition while he was mayor, the latter because he felt it was legally prudent.

“He worked hard, was very outgoing and liked to laugh,” Maki said, recalling that it was Ahlgren who told him he had won his first term. “He will be missed, without a doubt.”