01-12-10 Council and Planning Commission Special
January 12, 2010
A special joint meeting of the Scandia City Council and Planning Commission was held on the
above date, for the purpose of discussing the update to the Development Code.
Mayor Dennis Seefeldt called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. The following were present:
Council members Pete Crum, Connie Amos and Mayor Dennis Seefeldt; Planning Commission
Chairman Chris Ness, Commissioners Tom Krinke, Christine Maefsky, Susan Rodsjo and Peter
Schwarz. Staff present: Administrator Anne Hurlburt, City Attorney David Hebert and City
Planner Sherri Buss.
Administrator Hurlburt gave an overview of the types of administrative procedures to be in
included in Chapter 1 of the updated Development Code. Land uses will be classified as
permitted, accessory, conditional uses, interim uses, or uses by administrative permit. The new
code will not include the current “certificate of compliance” category or process; uses currently
requiring a “cc” will be classified in the appropriate category depending upon the level of review
needed. The function of “zoning administrator” will be assigned to staff and delegation of
authority will be clarified.
The procedures for considering conditional and interim use permits, code and plan amendments
and variances were discussed. New procedures will be added for appeals, site plan reviews, local
coordination of environmental reviews and official maps. The notification requirements for
public hearings were discussed. The draft code will continue the current distance and
publication requirements for most types of hearings, with minor changes.
City Planner Buss reviewed the list of potential zoning districts and overlay districts, and
explained how the district regulations would be structured. She explained two options for
interpreting the list of uses that would be provided in each district. In option 1, if not specifically
allowed, the use is prohibited. The City or property owner would need to initiate amendments.
In option 2: if not specifically allowed, the Zoning Administrator may find a use to be
substantially similar to an allowed use, or refer the issue to the City Council for determination.
After considerable discussion, the direction was to continue the current approach (option 1) for
the purpose of drafting the code, and to develop lists of uses in the draft code that are as inclusive
as possible.
The group discussed whether the code should include a separate zoning district for the areas
designated by the Comprehensive Plan as “Lakeshore- Traditional.” The pros and cons of
developing new standards to reduce the need for variances in these established neighborhoods
were discussed. The conclusion was that the draft would not include such a district.
The preliminary draft of the Agriculture District was reviewed. How the ordinance should
address the various types of agricultural activities was discussed; staff will develop some
definitions to help determine what uses should be permitted or conditional. The district name
will be changed to the “Agriculture District – Core (AG-C)” to mirror the Comprehensive Plan.
January 12, 2010
Scandia City Council and Planning Commission
Special Joint Meeting
Page 2 of 2
The next work session on the Development Code update will be held at the scheduled February
3, 2010 Council/ Planning Commission meeting, focusing on a draft of Chapter 1
(Administration.). A special meeting was also set for Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Anne Hurlburt
Administrator/ Clerk