Agenda - Council - 02/08/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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commercial areas adjacent to trunk highways more vibrant by allowing outdoor dining, landscaping, decorative lighting or other aesthetic improvements that do not serve a highway purpose. Under current law, the city cannot approve amenities that encroach on the ROW. Response: The League of Minnesota Cities supports authorizing cities, by ordinance, to allow amenities that do not serve highway purposes on trunk highway ROW within their jurisdictions. The League also supports a requirement that MnDOT develop and approve rules related to local ordinances. LE-41. Complete Streets Issue: There is increasing public support for the reform of local street design policies to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and neighborhood residents. Response: The League of Minnesota Cities supports reforms in state design guidelines for local streets that would give cities greater flexibility to safely accommodate all modes of travel, including walking and biking. The state should also provide incentives such as grants to local units of government working to advance complete street projects. Crosswalks and Safe Routes to School projects should be eligible for incentives. The League opposes state imposed unfunded mandates that would increase the costs of building streets in contexts where facilities for cyclists and pedestrians are unnecessary or inappropriate. 100 LE-42. Infrastructure Fees Issue: New development and the resulting growth create an increased demand for public infrastructure and other public facilities. Severe constraints on local fiscal resources and dramatic forecasts for population growth have prompted cities to reconsider ways to pay for the inevitable costs associated with new development. Traditional financing methods tend to subsidize new development at the expense of the existing community, discourage sound land -use planning, place inefficient pressures on public facilities, and allow under -utilization of existing infrastructure. Consequently, local communities are exploring methods to ensure new development pays its fair share of the true costs of growth. In Harstad v. City of Woodbury, 916 N.W.2d 540 (Minn. 2018), the Minnesota Supreme Court recently clarified that state statute does not provide the authority for cities to impose infrastructure fees to fund future road improvements when approving subdivision applications under Minn. Stat. § 462.358, subd. 2a. Given the existing authorization to impose fees on new development of other infrastructure, such as water, sanitary and storm sewer, and for park purposes, it is reasonable to extend the concept to additional public infrastructure and facilities improvement also necessitated by new development. Response: The Legislature should authorize local units of government to impose infrastructure fees so new development pays its fair share of the off - site, as well as the on -site, costs of public infrastructure and other public facilities needed to adequately serve new development.