Agenda - Council - 06/23/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5.05: Public Hearing: Consider Ordinance #15-12 Amending City Code Chapter 10 (Animals) and Section 117-111 (R-1 Residential District) Amending Approval Process for Certain Animals. Public Hearing Chairperson Levine called the public hearing to order at 7:32 p.m. Presentation Community Development Director Gladhill presented the staff report stating the purpose of this case is to hold a Public Hearing and provide a recommendation to the City Council for Ordinance #15-12. The intent of this Ordinance was to revise the approval process for the following requests: 1. Four (4) of more dogs 2. Horses on 1.5 to 2.99 acres 3. Beekeeping 4. Non -Traditional Domestic or Exotic Animals 5. Wild Animals Community Development Director Gladhill commented each of these types of requests currently requires the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Based on a number of recent reviews with the Planning Commission and feedback from potential applicants, the following Ordinance was developed to consider reducing the timeframe and costs to processing the requests above. With the exception of the wild animal category, the Ordinance would either streamline or eliminate the process for approval. Please note that the draft Ordinance would remove the Planning Commission from the review process for the above requests, with the exception of wild animals. Staff discussed the proposed Ordinance in further detail and suggested the Commission recommend approval. Citizen Input Julie Chutes, 7652 158th Avenue NW, requested the Commission consider the proposed Ordinance to eliminate the Conditional Use Permit process for residents requesting horses on 1.5 to 2.99 acres. Julia Randall, 7960 171St Lane NW, explained that the conditional use permitting process was quite expensive. She stated that her family could not continue to pay $400 a month to board her horses. She discussed the numerous health benefits that horses have offered her. She encouraged the Commission to allow homeowners to have two horses on 1.5 to 2.99 acre lots. Anna , 158th Avenue NW, commented that the $1,000 conditional use permit fee would be much better spent going towards hay and feed for horses. She discussed the benefits of being able to tend to her horse on her own land, versus the expense of boarding. She expressed frustration that some homeowners in Ramsey already had horses on lots less than 2 acres.