Minutes - Council - 04/08/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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and if the 10 or seven acres are in the MUSA. We find out where the MUSA falls and we also have to consider the rights and needs of the citizens. We fought to keep our life the same and it put wedges between neighbors on our block. The MUSA boundary should tell us the truth and what we should do. If the 10 acres is not in the MUSA, it has to go before the citizens. Councilmember Haas Steffen commented that the idea of a moratorium is to look at more than just the environment, buffers, etc. She does not want the City of Ramsey to look like North Minneapolis and she wished it was as simple as Mr. Olson made it sound. It was her hope that Council could have a development moratorium and begin to have neighborhood meetings. She stated there has been talk about buffers, environmental issues, etc. It was her hope that the City could look at the area and decide what could be left as rustic. Some will be developed as a high density. We have ordinances and as long as the clock keeps running and we get more developments into the pipeline, the harder it is. There are property rights issues. By suggesting the moratorium, she was trying to allow things to proceed in an orderly way, not expecting to get hit with four or five different maps. We have a zoning problem, however, there are not as many parcels incorrectly zoned as we thought because Attorney Goodrich researched them. She felt the City owes an apology to the man who believed his property was in the MUSA. Councilmember Haas Steffen stated she still believes that we should get this moratorium going now as anything more into the pipeline complicates things. She would like to protect the City from having to pay damages. If Attorney Goodrich tells her there's still time to take people in or out of the moratorium because of what we find out, she indicated she would make a motion that still exempts Alpine Estates because she did not believe there were any MUSA questions relative to that proposed subdivision and it is in the process of being rezoned. Nothing can proceed without this Council taking a zoning vote. There is no case law to fall back on and she would like to force this issue. If City Council passes a moratorium and exempts Alpine and Apple Ridge, except for the contested acreage, and directs staff to get a decision on the MUSA, there still is no way a preliminary plat can be approved because the City has not rezoned that property. Attorney Goodrich agreed that's true. The property included - you would have a hard time denying that. It would be perceived as acting arbitrarily capricious. You need to find out where this MUSA is in relationship to the Barthold property. With regard to the moratorium - he suggested excluding Alpine, all of Apple Ridge and Sunfish Pond until the decision is made with regard to where the MUSA is in that plat. If it is done before the six months, you could remove that parcel from the moratorium or you could amend this ordinance. Motion by Councilmember Haas Steffen and seconded by Councilmember Beahen to adopt Ordinance #97-03 supporting a 30-day moratorium on all development in the City of Ramsey with the exception of commercial, industrial and Sunfish Pond and that the City Attorney is directed to determine where the MUSA line is in the City of Ramsey. Further discussion: Attorney Goodrich suggested an additional Whereas in the ordinance: Whereas an issue has arisen concerning the exact boundary of the MUSA line in certain areas of the City lying east of Nowthen Boulevard. Amendment by Councilmember Haas Steffen and seconded by Councilmember Beahen to exempt Alpine Estates and to include the wording presented by Attorney Goodrich. City Council/April 8, 1997 Page 11 of 19