Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/06/2008

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CASE # ~ PUBLIC HEARING PROPOSED ORDINANCE TO AMEND OFF-STREET PARKING REGULATIONS; CASE OF CITY OF RAMSEY B~: Sylvia Frolik, Interim Community Development Director Background: Currently City ,Code does not place any restrictions ,on the number of vehicles ahd equipment that can be stored outside on a residential parcel; only that vehicles must be operable and parked on an improved surface., Regulating outside storage of vehicles and equipment by whether or not they are operable is very challeng~g. On July 10, 2007, the City Council directed City Staff to draft an ordinance amendment to regulate outdoor storage and parking by numbers of items rather than by operability. On September 6,,2007, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing regarding the proposed ordinance to regulate numbers of vehicles permitted to be stored outside, basically by the ~umber of licensed drivers living within the dwelling on the property. The Commission tabled the case for additional information. On December 6, 2007, the Planning Commission reviewed two alternatives brought forward by City Staff: 1) regulating the amount of outdoor storage by setting limits on the amount of parking surfaces allowed on a parcel, based on the size of the parcel; and 2) regulating the amount of outdoor storage based on an aggregate number of items that would increase with parcel size. The Planning Commission recommended that the City Council monitor the success rate of the newly implemented abatement ordinance and not take action to amend the City Code at this time. On January 22, 2008, City Council reviewed the draft ordinance and the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The City Council determined that regulating items stored outside by the number of licensed drivers in the home could be as difficult as trying to regulate by operability. The City Council reviewed the alternatives that were presented to the Planning Commission. As a result, City Council directed City Staff to draft an ordinance that would establish an aggregate number of items allowed to be parked or stored outdoors on parcels less than 5 acres and parcels 5 acres or greater in size. Notification: In accordance with State Statute and City Code, the March 6, 2008 public hearing notice for the most recent version of the proposed ordinance was published in the City's official newspaper. The proposed ordinance and public hearing date were also noted in the Marchi April issue of the Ramsey Resident newsletter. 25