Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 05/16/2016

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Environmental Policy Board(EPB) 5. 1. Meeting Date: 05/16/2016 Submitted For: Chris Anderson,Community Development By: Lucinda Meyers, Community Development Information Title: Consider a Request for a Variance from the Ordinary High Water(OHW)Line Setback at the Property Located at 14301 Neon St NW(Project 416-88); Case of Greg Binfet Purpose/Background: The City has received an application for a Variance to the Shorcland Overlay District regulations,which require structures to maintain a fifty(50) foot setback from the Ordinary High Water(OHW)line. The applicant is proposing to construct a twenty-four foot by thirty foot(24'x 30')or 720 square foot, detached accessory building on the property located at 14301 Neon St.NW(the "Subject Property"). The proposed location, as noted previously,would be within the OHW setback as well as within the Shore Impact Zone. The Subject Property is located in the southeastern quadrant of Ramsey. It is zoned R-1 Residential(MUSA)and is within the Shorcland Overlay District.Neon Street NW, a private street, services a total of five residences ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 acres in size, all of which are also zoned R-1 Residential(MUSA). See Image 1. The Subject Property is just over an acre in size (45,572 square feet). Two(2)of the six(6)property lines abut Ramsey Terrace Pond(cast and south),two(2)more abut Neon Street NW(west), and the remaining two abut residential properties(north and southwest). The topography of the parcel ranges from an elevation of 859 at the shoreline to 870 at the home. The unimproved area south of the residence is densely wooded and decreases in slope from Neon St.NW to the shore. Environmental Protection Districts The Department of Natural Resources and the City have designated certain areas within the city to be critical to the ecological health of the community,region,and beyond. To ensure that these areas are protected,the City has incorporated three(3)Environmental Protection Districts into the Zoning Code and the Zoning Map. The Shorcland Overlay District,of which the Subject Property is a part,is one such area. Ramsey Terrace Pond See Image 2.Ramsey Terrace Pond, DNR I.D. 42-114, is one of four General Development Lakes within Ramsey. According to the DNR Shorcland Management Classification System, General Development Lakes usually have more than 225 acres of water per mile of shoreline and 25 dwellings per mile of shoreline, and are more than fifteen (15) feet deep. Shoreland Standards Minnesota DNR statewide minimum shorcland standards apply to all lakes greater than 25 acres(10 acres in municipalities)and rivers with a drainage area two square miles or greater. The Shorcland Management Act regulates all land within 1,000 feet of a lake and 300 feet of a river and its designated floodplain. Upon notification by DNR Waters, local governmental units having shorclands are required to adopt these or stricter standards into their zoning ordinances. The City has adopted the statewide minimum shorcland standards(see Image 3)in the form of a Shorcland Overlay Zoning District. The DNR identifies the area within 25 feet of the OHW,or Shore Impact Zone, to be the area immediately adjacent to lake or river that is critical to preserving water quality,wildlife habitat and visual screening of the developed area farther back from the shore. Within it,restrictions apply to the placement and size of structures,