Oakdale Planning Commission Approves Church’s Conditional Use Permit Amid Traffic Concerns

During the recent Oakdale Planning Commission meeting, a significant topic of discussion was the approval of a conditional use permit for the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Minnesota to establish a place of worship at the former LA Fitness site. Despite concerns about potential traffic issues, the commission approved the proposal with one condition related to wayfinding signage.

The church plans to utilize the existing 45,000 square-foot building, accommodating up to 915 congregants, although the current membership is around 700. The proposal includes maintaining 300 existing parking spaces, exceeding the required 247 for the church’s operations. The commission addressed traffic concerns, particularly at the intersection of Hemingway and 34th Street, where the absence of a left turn lane poses challenges. A traffic study suggested several measures, including a shared parking agreement with adjacent properties and potential future traffic improvements with Washington County.

The church’s attorney acknowledged traffic concerns, noting that the primary impact would be on Sundays. The church agreed to the condition of installing wayfinding signage to direct traffic and minimize congestion. The commission discussed potential adjustments, such as retiming traffic lights, but no immediate structural changes were planned.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.

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