On the agenda: St Joseph meeting — Data Center (Aug 10)

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city of st. joseph

St. Joseph Planning Commission
Monday, August 10th, 2026
6:00 PM
St. Joseph Council Chambers
75 Callaway St E
**The meeting will also be available through Zoom**
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Agenda Review and Adoption
4. Public Comment
5. Minutes – July 13th, 2026
6. New Business
a. Solar Gardens – Ordinance discussion
7. Old Business
a. None
8. Other Business
a. General Updates
9. Adjourn

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Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Planning Commission for the City of St. Joseph met on
Monday, July 13th 2026, at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall opening with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Planning Commission Members Present: Commissioners Andrew Mooney, Cody Evander, Jon Hazen,
Mark Thompson
Staff Present: Nate Kevis, Grant Hellermann
Public Comments: None
Agenda Review & Adoption: Thompson made a motion to approve Agenda Review & Adoption. The
motion was seconded by Mooney and passed unanimously.
Public Comment: None
Minutes – June 8th, 2026:Thompson made a motion to approve the minutes of June 8th, 2026. The
motion was seconded by Mooney and passed unanimously.
New Business: None
Old Business:
7a. Summit Commons C. U. P. Extension
Kevis provided an overview of the property and plans related to the C. U. P. Extension as well as the
history of the extension being previously granted. Kevis also stated he notified the applicant that several
coniferous trees were dying and, upon being notified, the applicant stated they would plant new trees in
their place.
Erin Lambert, attorney representative for Summit Commons, was present and answered commission
questions regarding trees and estimated start dates for the planned project.
Thompson made a motion to approve PC 2026-009. The motion was seconded by Mooney and
passed unanimously.
7b. Update on Moratorium’s
Kevis provided updates on recent Council action to enact two moratoriums: one on Multifamily Housing and
another on Data Centers.
Other Business:
Kevis updated the Commission that: Rural Residential 1.5 zone will be brought to Council at next meeting,
the Monastery has broken ground since last meeting, registration opened for the CEC Conference in
September, and completion of the Council’s visioning session.
Adjourn: Mooney moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 PM. The motion was seconded by
Thompson and passed unanimously.
Minutes approved by:
Nate Kevis
Community Development Director

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Planning Commission Agenda Item 6a

MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM:
ACTION REQUESTED:

August 10th, 2026
6a. Solar Garden – Ordinance discussion
none just discussion

PREVIOUS PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: none
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Staff would like to discuss the current ordinance regulations for solar gardens specifically allowing them
as conditional use or interim use. Conditional use runs with the land so once approval is granted it is
contiguous to the land. Interim uses have a sunset and once the interim use expires the right to use the
land as such also sunsets. Most communities prefer to regulate the use through an interim use permit.
ATTACHMENTS:

Current ordinance regulations
Conditional Use handout
Interim Use handout

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INTERIM USE PERMIT

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Section 502.12 GENERAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Subd. 14: Solar and Wind Energy Conversion Systems. Solar and wind energy systems
shall be permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts, subject to the standards of
this section and other provisions of this Ordinance. Solar collector surfaces and all
mounting devices and wind energy conversion systems shall comply with minimum
setback and lot coverage requirements of the district in which they are located.
a)

Building-Mounted Solar Energy Systems.
1. Permitted accessory use in all zoning districts (both principal and accessory
buildings) provided it is roof-mounted or built into roofing, including solar
shingles, roofing tiles, and skylights or a photovoltaic curtain wall
(photovoltaic glass). Solar awnings shall be allowed in agriculture and
residential districts provided it is in the rear yard.
2. Notwithstanding the height limitations of the zoning district, roof mounted
solar energy systems shall not extend higher than three (3) feet above the
ridge level of a roof on a structure with a gable, hip, or gambrel roof and shall
not extend higher than ten (10) feet above the surface of the roof when
installed on a flat or shed roof.
3. The solar collector surface and mounting devices for roof-mounted solar
energy systems shall be set back not less than one (1) foot from the exterior
perimeter of a roof for every one (1) foot that the system extends above the
roof surface on which the systems is mounted. Solar energy systems that
extend less than one (1) foot above the roof surface shall be exempt from this
provision but shall not hang over the edge of the roof.

b)

Ground-Mounted Solar Energy Systems.
1. Permitted accessory use in the agriculture, and rural residential zoning
districts.
2. Ground-Mounted solar energy systems, measured to the highest point of the
system, shall not exceed the twenty (20) feet when oriented at maximum tilt.
3. Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be located in the side or rear yard
subject to the minimum setback of the zoning district and be located a
minimum of fifty (50) feet from the rear and side yard property line. The
required setback shall be measured from the property line to the closest part of
the structure at minimum design tilt.
4. The area of the solar collector surface of ground-mounted solar energy
systems shall not exceed one half the building footprint of the principal
structure. The maximum area of the solar energy systems shall be calculated

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independently of the floor area of all other accessory structures on the zoning
lot and shall be exempt from the number of accessory building limits.
c)

Conditional Interim Use. Solar energy systems in the industrial, educationalecclesiastical, public and in the agriculture and rural residential zoning districts
that do not comply with the standards of Subd. 14 b above may be allowed by
conditional Interim use permit, subject to the following standards:
1. Solar energy systems in the industrial, educational-ecclesiastical, and public
zoning districts shall be an accessory use and not exceed three (3) percent of
the lot area and be less than 1 MW, whichever is less.
2. Solar energy systems in the agriculture, and rural residential zoning districts
shall be allowed as a principal or accessory use up to 5 MW.
3. Power and communication lines. Power and communication lines running
between the banks of solar panels to electric substations or interconnections
with buildings that are on adjacent parcels shall be buried underground. 4.
Setbacks. Solar farms and gardens must meet the minimum building setback
for the zoning district and be located a minimum of two hundred (200) feet
from a residential use/dwelling not located on the property.
5. Screening. Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be screened when
adjacent to a public right of way or a residential use or zoned property
pursuant to Section 502.12 Subd. 5.
6. Vegetation requirements and management. The following provisions shall be
met related to the establishment of vegetated ground cover if the groundmounted solar system has a generating capacity of more than 40 kilowatts.
Additional requirements may apply as required by the City Council.
1. The project site design shall include the installation and establishment of
ground cover meeting the beneficial habitat standards using native plant
species and seed mixes consistent with the Department of Natural
Resources “Prairie Establishment & Maintenance Technical Guidance for
Solar Projects” and guidance as set by the Minnesota Board of Water and
Soil Resources.
a) Beneficial habitat standards shall be maintained on the site for the
duration of operation, until the site is decommissioned.

d)

General Performance Standards for Solar Systems. Requirements for all zoning
districts.
1. No solar energy system of any kind shall be erected anywhere within the city
without first making application for and obtaining from the city a permit

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thereof which shall not be granted unless all requirements of this Section and
this Ordinance are met, and the proposed use will not be harmful to the public
health, welfare, and safety.
2. The supporting framework for freestanding solar energy systems shall not
include unfinished lumber.
3. Solar thermal piping shall match roof or solar collector color.
4. Solar energy systems shall not be used for the display of advertising.
5. Stormwater management shall meet the requirements of the City’s Stormwater
Design Standards and this Ordinance.
6. Erosion and sediment control shall meet the requirements of this Ordinance.
7. Foundations. The manufacturer’s engineer or another qualified engineer shall
certify that the foundation and design of the solar panels is within accepted
professional standards, given soil and climate conditions.
8. All solar systems shall be in compliance with any applicable local, state and
federal regulatory standards, including the State of Minnesota Uniform
Building Code, as amended; and National Electric Code, as amended.
9. All solar energy systems using a reflector to enhance solar production shall
minimize glare from the reflector that affects adjacent or nearby properties.
Measures to minimize nuisance glare include selective placement of the
system, screening on the north side of the solar array, modifying the
orientation of the system, reducing use of the reflector systems, or other
remedies that limit glare.
10. All abandoned or unused solar panels and/or ground-mounted solar energy
systems shall be removed within twelve (12) months of the cessation of
operations.

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Section 502.27: RR - RURAL RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
Subd. 6: Interim Uses. The following uses require an Interim Use Permit as regulated in
this ordinance as:
a)
Mining, and extraction of minerals, sand, gravel and other granular materials and
the like subject to other applicable sections of this Ordinance.
b) Portable asphalt and concrete mixing plants within extractive uses.
The interim use permit issues shall include, but is not limited to, the
following conditions: provisions for adherence to pollution control
standards, hours of operation, setbacks, haul roads, areas where the
plant is to be located and slopes. The interim use permit required for
portable asphalt and concrete mixing plants is in addition to the
interim use permit required for the operation of the mining/extractive
use.
C)

Solar Energy Systems

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