Minutes - Council - 07/21/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Adminis ~g'at_o,r, Schroeder asked if Staff takes a "by the book stance" to enforce requirements, would Coun¢ii be willing to take the heat" from the business owners. Mayor Gilb~lSon stated he has no problem with "heat". Councilmera~r Peterson stated it could be more than a phone call, it could be lawsuits against the City. Mayor GilbertS°n. stated "no one else takes all this junk"! Zoning Adrait~istlmtor Frolik stated that what she's hearing is to step up code enforcement to match what the Ci~!do~s with site enforcement. The City's standards for site plan review are not out of line. She sul~gestixl maybe the City needs to budget more time for code enforcement and also more attorney tirfl~ f~ same. She added that the new businesses are not really balking at the requirement~the.:City has set. She also stated that enforcement of zoning regulations is more difficult. Mr. Schroeder stated that if increased code enforcement is what Council wants, it will cost money. Mayor Gilbettson stated the City has an obligation to the business people who do keep their businesses looking neat. Councilmerllber Peterson stated he didn't really think Ramsey was so different from other cities and mentione3 that Coon Rapids has it's share of junk too. Ms. Frolik statedthat sometimes, as standards are raised, these types of "junky" businesses move on. Mayor Gilb¢~tson stated if an area is zo,ned for somethi,n,g and someone wants to put something else that isn!t ~ll°Wed there, why is it so tough to say no . Councilmember Zimmerman suggested that if the City wants to clean up the junk around the industrial area, maybe a subcommittee should be formed which would include business owners. They could apprOach these business places as a group and maybe they would be more receptive because there~are Other business owners involved and not just people employed by the City. Councilmember Peterson asked if the types of businesses should be limited in Ramsey such as three liquor stores, four grocery stores, etc. Mayor Gilb~tson replied the City can state what types of businesses can operate in certain zones but should not limit the amount of certain types. Police Chief Auspos stated that if the City gets a good level of code enforcement, it can then come up with a p;!~n tO have more industry move in. He inquired if there is enough Staff to do a comprehens!¥~ clean-up in the industrial area. He added that it would be very time consuming and an increase In,dollars spent. Mr. Schroeder felt there is not enough Staff. Ms. Frolik slated that she's heard conversation about streamlining the City's development procedures. She :suggested setting general standards and if the business meets all the standards, then maybe,they .wouldn't have to appear before both the Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission. City Council Goals Workshop/July 21, 1992 Page 2 of 8