HomeMy WebLinkAbout010807 WorkSession
16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E.
Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714
CITY COUNCil/PLANNING COMMISSSION
WORKSHOP MEMORANDUM
RE:
Mayor and City Council Members
Planning Commission Members
Jane Kansier, Planning Director
Danette Moore, Planning Coordinator
Joint City Council/Planning Commission
Workshop
January 8, 2008
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
BACKGROUND
By statute, the City must adopt a Comprehensive Plan. Tonight, we will
summarize the differences between the 2020 Comprehensive Plan and the 2030
Comprehensive Plan as a refresher.
According to Minnesota Statute, once a comprehensive plan for a city has been
adopted, the zoning ordinance must be updated within nine months to provide
consistency between the two documents. As the Planning Commission and City
Council are aware, the Metropolitan Council adopted the Prior Lake 2030
Comprehensive Plan on October 25, 2006. For that reason, the City must
update the Prior Lake Zoning Code. The staff is asking for direction from the
Planning Commission and City Council on how to proceed with the 2007
revision.
There are three components involved in updating the Zoning Ordinance. These
are:
1. Content (what is to be revised)
2. Process (who and how the revisions take place)
3. Timing (when does the process come to a conclusion)
Each of these components is outlined in the following paragraphs.
CONTENT
The staff believes we should build off of the existing Zoning Ordinance. The
format and the general regulations of the ordinance are familiar to both the staff
and the major users. The City completed a major overhaul of both the Zoning
and Subdivision Ordinance in 1999 and 2001, respectively. We have continued
to revise this ordinance over the last several years to reflect changing conditions.
Such revisions, for example, include the PUD requirements and the Tree
Preservation requirements.
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The major changes necessary at this time are intended to correct the
inconsistencies between the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning
Ordinance. This is also an opportunity to look at other revisions to the
ordinance. For example, some changes are required as a result of the recent
agreements with the Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District and the Scott
WMO. The staff has also compiled a list of minor revisions and potential
changes that we feel should be reviewed. Rather than do this in a piecemeal
fashion, this is an opportunity to look at these revisions in a comprehensive
manner.
The inconsistencies involving the zoning (>rdinance and comprehensive plan and
other potential changes fall in the followinlg areas:
1. Density:
. The density ranges for each of the residential districts must be
changed to match the Comprehensive Plan.
2. Districts:
. The Zoning Map - The land us~ designations of some areas have
changed and the Zoning Map must be updated to reflect those
changes. I
. Transitional Town Center - This designation is new, and there is
currently no corresponding Zoning District. It requires a definition and
a process to move from transitional to actual.
. Residential Districts - There are currently four residential districts. Do
we need four, or can it be reduced to three?
3. Wetlands and stormwater revisions
4. Miscellaneous:
. Streamlining & minor corrections
. PUD Criteria (starter home:))
PROCESS
Any update to the Zoning Ordinance follqWs a statutorily prescribed process,
which includes at least one public hearinm before the Planning Commission and
review and approval by the City Council. However, there are many options for
the procedure used to create the documE~nt ultimately presented at the public
hearing. The most common include the following:
I
1. Planning Commission and staff collectively - this process is similar to the
process followed in the 1999 upd te, where the Planning Commission and
staff discussed each element bef re it was drafted.
2. Task force format - this process i similar to the Tree Preservation Task
Force, a group specifically appoin ed to review that provision. The Task
Force consists of a cross section ! f interested parties.
3. Staff write with Planning Commision and City Council direction
Within any of these, there are opportunities to solicit public input.
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TIMELlNE:
The actual timeline for completion of the l'lpdate depends on the magnitude of
the changes and the process. In any event, staff believes it would be realistic
and prudent to have the revision process completed by the end of 2007.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The purpose of this workshop is to have tne City Council and the Planning
Commission discuss the three elements ipvolved in the update: content,
process and timeline. The specifics of any changes will be discussed at a later
date. The City Council members or Planning Commission members should feel
free to list any elements of the ordinance you feel should be reviewed as part of
the update. Details of those elements cal be discussed later in the process.
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