Agenda - Council - 08/12/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6. 7. CC Regular Session New Meeting Date: 08/12/2024 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: Promote economic growth and development. Title: Adopt Resolution #24-186 approving a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment Pertaining to Low Density Residential. Purpose/Background: The Comprehensive Plan is a vision document containing land use policies on where the city should be in 2040. It includes a map that lays out different broad land use categories across the community. These categories include corn mercial, business park, public/institutional, and residential, among others. The residential uses are split into six categories --Rural Developing, Urban Low Density, Low Density, Medium Density, High Density, and Mixed Use (of which there are subcategories). The density ranges of the residential land use categories are: Land Use Category Rural Developing (RD) Urban Low Density Residential (ULDR) Low Density Residential (LDR) Medium Density Residential (MDR) High Density Residential (HDR) Mixed Use - Mixed Use Low - Mixed Use Medium - Mixed Use High Density Range (units/acre) 0.1 - 0.4 Under 3.0 (in certain circumstances) 3.0 - 4.0 4.0 - 8.0 8.0 - 15.0 5.0 - 15.0 8.0 - 25.0 15.0 - 75.0 The Zoning Code is the toolbox that is used to implement the Comprehensive Plans. It lays out regulations for the various districts that can be applied to each of the Comprehensive Plan's land use categories. Zoning regulations give the ability to nuance the broader land use categories such as lighter commercial uses (B-1 district) being allowed adjacent to residential uses with more intense commercial uses (B-2 and B-3 districts) separated from residential uses. Similarly with residential zones, the different districts allow for a variety of lot sizes and home types. A city's Zoning regulations must be in conformance with its Comprehensive Plan policies. The previous Zoning Code's R-1 MUSA-80 district had a quarter -acre lot area with an 80-foot width as its minimum size and is the predominate zoning district for single-family homes within the Metropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA). This lot area, at the absolute minimum, would theoretically achieve four units per acre, however, density calculations must include local roadways and storm water management. These typical necessities of residential subdivisions eat up enough land that density becomes under three units per acre as required by Low Density Residential (LDR). This problem came to light with the Trott Brook Crossings and North Brook Meadows subdivision proposals. In 2022, a new land use category was created to justify dipping below 3.0 units per acre named Urban Low Density Residential (ULDR) for those subdivisions. With the Zoning Code re -write in 2023, staff attempted to create residential zoning districts that would meet the density ranges of the Comprehensive Plan and not the have challenges that the two 2022 plats experienced. The R-1A district was proposed to be slightly smaller at 75 feet in width with a 10,000 square foot lot area with hopes of being able to meet the LDR requirements. The City Council stated that they would like to keep an 80-foot lot in the northern part of Ramsey with the allowance for smaller lots in the southern part. Staff received guidance from the Metropolitan Council that they review the proposed subdivisions and use an average density with the