Agenda - Council - 10/24/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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guidance to municipalities as to how to proceed with updating local Zoning Codes. Until that guidance is received, municipalities are `stuck' with outdated MRCCA standards. Staff has had discussions with the MN DNR and they have indicated that a Planned Unit Development (PUD) would be an acceptable zoning tool to utilize to address deviations from the current MRCCA standards as they appear to actually comply with the new MRRCA standards. The project proposes to subdivide the land into fourteen residential lots and three (3) outlots; however, only twelve (12) of the residential lots are new, buildable lots (the other two have existing homes on them). Comprehensive Plan The development site is guided as Low Density Residential in the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan defines Low Density Residential as areas that are within the MUSA and would average three (3) units per acre. The development site is within the MUSA and the proposed average density will be 1.3 units per acre [Zoning Code allows for up to 3 units per acre]. The Low Density Residential designation requires that urban services be available for development. However, the entire Bower's Drive neighborhood, while also guided as Low Density Residential, is served by private septic systems and individual wells. The Sketch Plan and now the Preliminary Plat proposes that the twelve (12) new lots also be served by private services. The proposal also includes a request for a Zoning Amendment to process this development as a Planned Unit Development. That designation, if approved by City Council, would allow for certain deviations from the underlying Zoning District standards, including the use of private utilities, with a defined public benefit. The submittal again includes a fifty (50) foot wide outlot behind the existing lots on the north side of Bowers Drive that would serve as a buffer from future development of the agricultural land. This was a result of comments received from the neighborhood during multiple workshops last year and is being proposed as that public benefit. However, it is not clear is who will ultimately own Outlot A. Please provide clarification as to the ultimate owner of this outlot. Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area Overlay District The development site is located within the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area (MRCCA) Overlay District. This statutory designation applies to the entire stretch of the Mississippi River through the City of Ramsey. The MN DNR has recently completed a rulemaking process in which revisions to the existing standards have been completed and approved by an Administrative Law Judge. Regarding lot size and other bulk standards, the updated MRCCA rules for non -riparian lots no longer contain more restrictive standards. In fact, they simply defer to the underlying zoning district standards per the local zoning code. While the rulemaking process is complete, the MN DNR has not yet provided municipalities with the required guidance on how to update our local zoning code. Until guidance is received, the City cannot move forward with updating our zoning code. Furthermore, it is our desire, if feasible, to address those updates as part of the City' s broader Comprehensive Plan Update process and implementation, which will not be completed until sometime in 2018. it is our mission to work together to responsibly grow our community, and to provide quality, cost-effective and efficient government services. Page 3 of 6