Agenda - Council - 03/28/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I CASE PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR ACCESSORY APARTMENTS By: Sylvia Frolik, Zoning Administrator Background: Per direction fn ~m the Planning Commission and the City Council, Staff has prepared the following reporl and proposed ordinance to regulate accessory apartments. The Planning Commission revi~ ~wed this report and the proposed ordinance at their regular meeting in January. On February 7 the Planning Commission conducted the public hearing and several persons were present expressing concern with the proposed ordinance. Their concerns focused on increasing population withir, i neighborhoods and the community without increasing tax base and the possible impact to valuati, m of neighboring homes caused by the rental units. Because of the number of cases on the ager :la and the late hour, the Commission tabled action on the accessory apartment case until the Mat :h meeting. Between the Feb. tuary and March meetings of the Planning C6mmission, City Staff received several telephone calls from residents expressing concern and/or opposition to the proposed ordinance. Those persons were advised to deliver their written comments to City Hall or submit their verbal cornn~, nts to the Planning Commission in March. No written comments were received and one citizen s~bmitted verbal comments at the March meeting in opposition to the proposed ordinance. The' following items are enclosed: a) b) c) Observations:' Pldaning Commission meeting minutes dated Febm'~y 7, 1995 PI~ ming Commission meeting minutes dated March 7, 1995 PrO )osed accessory apartment ordinance Staff has conductOd a survey, and basically Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids and Elk River are currently doin~g the same as Ramsey. There is nothing in the codes to prevent boarders and roommates, and f~ lack of regulations, accessory apartments are considered prohibited. Ramsey has accepted and alpproved applications for accessory apartments in single family districts via the conditional use pe '~r~ait procedure. The census data instates that people are living in smaller households than they did 20 or 30 years ago. There are monte single people, either because they are marrying later, divorced more often, or living longer afterltheir spouses die. Working women are having fewer children, and the baby boom has been fol~wed by an empty-nester boom. Accessory apartments add affordable housing stock without drar(aatically changing the nature of neighborhoods, while keeping the dream of home ownership~.~i:ve even when housing costs seem prohibitive, especially under extenuating circumstances such! as divorce or death. It is anticipated tha,t significant increases in population within neighborhoods will not happen with the legalization of 4ccessory apartments. Communities that allow accessory apartments typically average one conversion, from a single-family unit to a single-family unit with an accessory