Grand Marais Planning Commission recommends zoning amendment for school, church accessory uses

The Grand Marais Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend adding a conditional use to the city’s R-1 residential zoning district for accessory uses customary to schools and places of worship.

The recommendation follows a request earlier this fall from Great Expectations Foundation to rezone its property from R-1 residential to Highway Mixed Use, which would provide greater flexibility to lease unused space in the Great Expectations School building for commercial purposes. However, the commission previously expressed concerns about rezoning the property and explored alternatives.

At its Sept. 30 meeting, the Planning Commission recommended amending the R-1 zoning ordinance to allow accessory uses customary to schools and places of worship as permitted uses. The City Council then discussed the proposal Oct. 7 but raised concerns about the scope of the amendment and the city’s ability to oversee potential uses of the space. The council returned the proposal to the planning commission for further review.

Tim Kennedy, representing Great Expectations Foundation, attended the Wednesday, Oct. 28, planning commission meeting to answer questions about the proposal. When asked about separating rented space from the school, Kennedy said they were awaiting approval from the city council before exploring options with potential tenants.

During the discussion, commissioners expressed concerns about the broad scope of the proposed language and considered requiring a conditional use permit to provide additional oversight of activities conducted in schools and places of worship.

“Since we’re talking about the foundation specifically, another thing that came up in the meeting was the safety of students and how is that addressed?”  Planning Commissioner Ben Peters said.

Commissioners discussed how much oversight the city should have over prospective tenants and whether the foundation would need to apply for a new conditional use permit whenever the use of the space changed.

The commission sought to balance city oversight with flexibility for property owners while avoiding an excessive administrative burden.

“It was expressed at council that it’s not like we really want to get into the weeds too much, but I feel like what they ultimately said as a group makes me think that if we bring it back as a conditional use, it will more likely fit what they requested,” Planning Commissioner Michael Garry said.

The City Planning Commission ultimately voted to recommend making accessory uses customary to schools and places of worship conditional rather than permitted uses.

If adopted by the city council, the amendment would allow the property owner to seek conditional use permits (CUP) for qualifying activities without rezoning their properties.

The City Council is scheduled to meet Nov. 4, when the proposed amendment is expected to return for consideration.

Josh Hinke October 29, 2026