Businesses Remove Redboxes After Maple Grove Zoning Crack Down

In response to the enforcement of an almost 20-year-old city ordinance, at least two local businesses have removed their Redbox movie rental kiosk from their premises.

The Wedgwood Road CVS and the 96th Avenue Holiday were both told they needed to either move the Redbox kiosk inside, shield it from view or remove it. The Holiday store manager said there was not space inside the store, and both stores removed their kiosks.

The intention of the ordinance, Maple Grove City Administrator Al Madsen said, is to “No. 1, reduce clutter, No. 2 eliminate vandalism and No. 3 prevent theft.”

While Madsen noted that the ordinance was not intended to target Redbox in particular, he said that “Redboxes are somewhat vulnerable because they sit out there by themselves.”

The County Road 30 Walgreens decided to move their Redbox kiosk inside the store rather than remove it.

“We thought it was kind of weird because we had it out there for a few years,” Walgreens store manager Vanessa Heise said.

The zoning board ordinance states that “outdoor sales and display shall be screened from all lot lines.”

“It needs to be screened from adjoining properties by a fence, masonry or wood, or by shrubbery or trees,” said Zoning Enforcement Officer Barb Bogen.

Bogen added, “We have also allowed, for example, propane tank cages to be painted the same color as the building, and I suggested that but it defeated the purpose of the Redbox.”

Bogen said the ordinance was established in the early- to mid-1990s. She said she decided to apply it to Redboxes recently when “someone in city government” told her they fit the ordinance’s criteria.