Discussion:
The MET Council as part of the EAW review for Canterbury Park's redevelopment, noted that they could not find a clear definition in the 2008 Comprehensive Plan for the Entertainment Land Use. They have requested a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to provide that definition. Staff has worked with planning expert John Shardlow, FAICP, and is proposing the following definition that would apply to the two Entertainment Land Uses, Canterbury and ValleyFair.
Entertainment Land Use Designation
The Entertainment land use designation has been applied to two areas that both contain major, regional entertainment facilities. These are the Valley Fair amusement park and the Canterbury Park racetrack, entertainment campus, accessory uses and surrounding, mutually supportive and compatible mixed use development.
Both Valley Fair and Canterbury Park are mature and evolving entertainment designations within the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Both complexes have changed over the years to respond to new opportunities and to remain viable. This has required changes in facilities and the reconfiguration of ancillary and accessory uses. The Entertainment Land Use is implemented through the MR- Major Recreational Zoning District and Planned Unit Development zoning. Both zoning districts support this reinvestment and design flexibility.
As these entertainment complexes have matured, they are increasingly changing in response to new opportunities to attract and retain more visitors, and to increase land use efficiency by developing complimentary and compatible surrounding land uses. These land uses include restaurants, hospitality and entertainment, medium and high density residential (limited to 20% of the designated land, with a maximum density of 30 dwelling units per acre), office, office tech, and medical, retail, and commercial recreational uses.
Entertainment will continue to be the dominant use within these areas.