Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/14/2020

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CC Work Session 2. 2. Meeting Date: 04/14/2020 Information Title: Discuss Requirements for Review of Land Use Applications and Building Permits Purpose/Background: Staff will provide a background on critical/essential services pertaining to the Community Development Department. • Planning Division • Economic Development Division • Building Inspection Division Minnesota Statutes Chapter 15.99 (60 Day Rule) The 60 Day Rule still applies to written requests related to Zoning and Septic Systems. The City is able to issue 1 administrative 60 Day Extension. Each extension after that requires approval of the Applicant/Developer. Some projects do require multiple applications, each with their own 60 Day Clock. However, a Development continues to receive additional entitlement with each step in the process. As it pertains to Zoning (Land Use Applications), Staff has been tracking advocacy led by the League of Minnesota Cities attempting to get relief to this rule during the current pandemic. Efforts thus far have been opposed by builders' associations and discussions have not produced any discussion with the Minnesota Legislature. The City is reviewing several large projects at the moment where this will potentially become an issue. Staff is doing its best to managed public comment periods and Public Hearings in a remote meeting setting. However, Staff does hear from some Residents that are concerned about holding Public Hearings and taking action on large development projects while City Hall is closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Staff has worked to lengthen public comment periods and provide additional resources to help the public interact with projects during this time. One example was an online webinar to help prepare the public ahead of an official review. This has been a helpful tool, but still is not a substitute for in person interaction. This can also present challenges in terms of technology gaps. While these webinars have telephone call in numbers, it can still be harder to interact without full access to the internet. Attached to this case is a listing of key projects. Staff will provide additional updates at the meeting. Application levels have not slowed down during the pandemic. Minnesota State Building Code All current Executive Orders continue to classify Building Inspections as a Critical Sector. Inspectors are still required to complete inspections. Inspectors have been equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Staff had to modify Inspection Requirements and provide additional education to Contractors, Homeowners and Business Owners to ensure a safe and healthy situation for Inspectors. Staff is now beta testing virtual inspections for 'easy' inspection types. Staff is not opening these up to requests from Applicants. Staff will choose appropriate inspection types and reach out to Applicants individually. Staff will provide additional updates at the meeting. Applications have not slowed down during the pandemic. In fact, there is an anticipated uptick in home improvement projects, that often take more time per inspection than other permit types.