Agenda - Planning Commission - 08/05/2010

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Summary of City Recommendations Based on the proposed Shoreland/Wild & Scenic Rules, the City provides the following recommendations: • No additional bodies of water shall be classified as to be subject to review of shoreland ordinances. • Consider amending Sunfish (Grass) Lake to general development lake to be more consistent with approved Comprehensive Plan. • Provide for flexibility for areas separated by physical characteristics rather than general buffer around water body; allow cities to proposed flexible boundaries for overlays. • Non -conforming protections shall extend to previous setback requirements without the necessity for additional variances. • Mitigation efforts shall consist of the minimum standards required to achieve the stated goal to protect key resources and shall provide the flexibility for the City to approve alternative mitigation techniques aside from natural vegetative buffers. • DNR Staff shall be more accessible to assist cities in management of local ordinance and be available to answer questions directly from residents. • Bulk standards shall not excessively exceed underlying zoning standards; use minimum standards to achieve goal and allow cities to adopt higher standards if desired. • Allow for exceptions from lot size and density standards in Wild and Scenic; especially those areas separated from river from development or transportation corridors, etc., consistent with DRAFT land use descriptions for MRCCA. • Allow for exceptions from minimum height restrictions in those areas providing for substantial areas of conservation. • Allow for expansion of roads without additional review when already going through required environmental review. • Allow for select vegetative cutting in order to enhance view of river. • Allow cities to implement a variety of best management practices as it relates to stormwater management. • Impervious surface requirements shall, at minimum, relate only to riparian lots when proper stormwater management is provide in non -riparian lots. • Proposed subdivision requirements generally acceptable. Allow for `banking' of permanent conservation areas. • Proposed minimum lot size and density may be excessive for conventional lot and block subdivision. • Supportive of merger with Wild and Scenic provided rules for Wild and Scenic do not exceed today's standards. The City of Ramsey formally requests exclusion of areas along the Mississippi River that are already protect by MRCCA. The City of Ramsey formally request to be included in only one of these two sets of standards. The City of Ramsey does not support any proposed rules that add additional layers/overlays and includes multiple overlays for any area. 137