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or subdivision plan showing exactly how the property is proposed to be developed. If the <br />property is not developed in accordance with the plans submitted at the time of the rezoning <br />request, the City may initiate action to revert back to the previous zoning designation. As the <br />discussion of contract rezoning proceeded, it evolved into the fact that sometimes an amendment <br />to the land use plan in the Comprehensive Plan is necessary in order to approve a request for <br />rezoning. Consequently, staff made some attempts to study whether or not the City could <br />establish provisions for conditional comprehensive plan amendments. This would go a step <br />fi~rther and allow the City to revert the land use plan back to what it previously stated if a <br />rezoning and related development did not proceed within a certain timeframe. The last report to <br />the City Council on September 24, 2002, there was discussion of both conditional rezoning and <br />conditional comprehensive plan amendments. The City Attorney recommended that the two <br />issues be separated because of the uncertainty of the feasibility or legality of conditional <br />comprehensive plan amendments. Council agreed and directed City staff to draft an ordinance to <br />establish conditional rezoning in the City of Ramsey. Some of the concerns raised with <br />conditional comprehensive plan amendments were that the City does not have total control of the <br />process. The Met Council would have to agree to change the land use back if the applicant for <br />the comprehensive plan amendment did not follow through with his/her development plan. <br />Typically the follow through on a rezoning and related project development has not been a <br />problem. Applicants generally don't apply for a rezoning unless they have a very specific project <br />in mind and are ready to develop once the zoning is in place. As it stands now, there is nothing <br />to prevent the City Council from reverting the zoning back to what it previously was if a <br />development does not occur as presented at the time of rezoning. However, the draft ordinance <br />would formalize the process and give the developer notice of the City's options if the <br />development does not occur as presented. The draft ordinance states that any rezoning to <br />anything but single family residential will require the applicant to enter into a conditional <br />rezoning agreement (CRA). The CRA would require the applicant to develop the property as <br />presented to the City, would allow the City to revert to the previous zoning district for non- <br />compliance with the preliminary plat or site plan. Further the CRA states that the applicant shall <br />not contest the rezoning of the subject property back to the original designation. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig inquired if the City is really stuck with a comprehensive plan amendment <br />if the Met Council won't revert the land use back or does the City have their own limits. <br /> <br />Principal Planner Trudgeon replied that the City has to be consistent with the Comprehensive <br />Plan, and in theory, the Metropolitan Council could say that they are not in compliance and pull <br />fimding. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec noted that the 90-day timetable with the Met Council would generally be the <br />problem. <br /> <br />Councilmember Cook stated that one of the advantages to conditional rezoning is that they are <br />able to set higher architectural standards to make the rezoned area fit into the community better. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session/March 4, 2003 <br /> Page 15 of 16 <br /> <br /> <br />