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<br />Commissioner Van Scoy stated there is also discussion about accessory apartments and he <br />wondered what that meant and if it was an issue. <br /> <br />Associate Planner DaInes stated they are talking about clarifying that they are not allowed in <br />garages. They do not currently allow them anywhere in the City. <br /> <br />Commissioner Hunt stated as the City grows, he thought they would want to have areas with <br />higher end homes. The reality is in a lot of the parts of the country, the higher end homes hire <br />caretakers and most provide apartments or cottages for them on the property. He thought in the <br />future the City will have some homes that will fit into that category and they should allow <br />caretaker cottages on the properties. <br /> <br />Associate Planner DaInes stated the HRA will be looking at accessory dwellings but she did not <br />know if the City is ready to take on more density in single-family neighborhoods. <br /> <br />Motion by Commissioner Brauer, seconded by Commissioner Cleveland, to recommend that City <br />Council adopt an ordinance to amend Section 9.11.2 (Accessory Structures). <br /> <br />Motion Carried. V oting Yes: Vice Chairperson Levine, Commissioners Brauer, Cleveland, <br />Hunt, Levine, Rogers and Van Scoy. Voting No: None. Absent: None. <br /> <br />Case #5: <br /> <br />Discussion Item - Addressing Electronic Signs with the Sign Ordinance; <br />Case of City of Ramsey <br /> <br />Associate Planner DaInes stated as part of the series of changes to be made to bring the City's <br />sign ordinance up to date, staff has been conducting research with regard to the regulation of <br />electronic signs. These signs have many different names, but generally refer to signs with <br />electronic or dynamic messages that automatically change. The popularity of these signs stems <br />from the ability to easily show many advertisements within a short time period. The impetus for <br />the regulation of these signs is that there is a potential for these signs to be distracting to drivers <br />and can compromise the aesthetics of the surrounding environment. While staff recognizes the <br />importance of emerging technologies in the ability to adequately advertise both on-premise and <br />off-premise businesses, it is also important to consider the negative effects of these signs, and <br />provide regulations to mitigate these factors. <br /> <br />Associate Planner DaInes stated that staff recommends using a variation of the Minnetonka <br />ordinance. This ordinance was well written by attorneys, and reviewed by the League of <br />Minnesota Cities loss prevention department. The variations from this ordinance that staff <br />recommends is reducing the speed of message change from 20 minutes and eliminating the letter <br />size requirements, due to its difficulty to enforce. <br /> <br />Commissioner Cleveland asked if staff has checked with the banks on Hwy 47 regarding the <br />timing on their signs because it seemed to be very well coordinated and easy to read. <br /> <br />Commissioner VanScoy asked if they would still not allow additional billboards at this time. <br /> <br />Planning Commission/June 5, 2008 <br />Page 10 of 12 <br />