Minutes - Council - 03/30/1999 - Special

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Councilmember Hendriksen - page V-35, this map shows existing MUSA and then how it will move out over the next 15 to 16 years. We have talked about how development in the rural area has been constrained for a number of years by the four in forty zoning. He did not believe we could accommodate opening up 2/3 of the City in one shot. We need to come up with a pattern of staging this rural development across the City. Councilmember Zimmerman stated that the statement of rural growth - 960 units on private septic, we certainly do not want 960 building permits in this year. Councilmember Hendriksen stated we have to see rural and residential growth go hand in hand. Councilmember Haas Steffen stated there was discussion at the Planning Commission because Councilmember Zimmerman wanted something about how many building permits we wanted in one year. Ms. Sherman stated the last few lines on V-34 say that in order to best manage, the City should limit. You tie urban to MUSA expansion but rural - it is hard to do that. Market really dictates that. In case it becomes a problem, we would be prepared to limit that. Councihnember Hendriksen stated we all know the City is growing from the southeast to the northwest and it's acceptable that we migrate the MUSA expansion in an orderly fashion and he does not see why we cannot do that in the rural expansion. He does not know why a planner cannot do something with the rural area too. Mayor Gamec stated he would be hesitant - he feels it will be taken care of automatically. Councilmember Haas Steffen asked if there is a legal way to do this. Mr. Goodrich stated you could put constraints on or increase lot sizes. Ms. Sherman stated you could limit the number of lots in a given year. Councilmember Haas Steffen asked what about looking up someone who has done it and come back with a recommendation. That way you will know how it worked. Ms. Sherman stated that 20 units per acre were the average numbers over the last 10 years in that part of the City. Councihnember Hendriksen stated that he is not willing to look at options but he feels we need to stage this similar to what we have done to the MUSA. Chris Dempsey remembered discussing the inventory and it was 960 potential lots and looking over a period of 20 years or so. Consensus of the Planning Commission was that we wanted restrictions but did not say that we had to define it to a certain level at this Special City Council/March 30, 1999 Page 13 of 15