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04-02-2025 Work SessionApril 2, 2025 A work session meeting of the Scandia City Council was held on the above date. The meeting was conducted in the Council Chambers at the Scandia Community Center and over an electronic platform. All participants who joined the meeting remotely could hear each other and contribute to discussions. Mayor Steve Kronmiller called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The following were present: Council members Jerry Cusick, Jim Gribble, Kirsten Libby, Mike Lubke, and Mayor Steve Kronmiller. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Morell and City Clerk Brenda Eklund. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Libby, seconded by Lubke, moved to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 5-0. CARNELIAN -MARINE ST. CROIX WATERSHED BOARD OF MANAGERS EXPIRING TERM City Clerk Eklund reported that Washington County is accepting applications for an open term on the Carnelian -Marine St. Croix Watershed District Board of Managers. Scandia resident Nick Bancks is seeking appointment as a Watershed Manager. Lubke, seconded by Gribble, moved to approve endorsement of Nick Bancks to the CMSCWD Board of Managers. Motion carried 5-0. Staff will send an endorsement letter to Washington County by the April 22 deadline. EXTERIOR STORAGE IN RURAL RESIDENTIAL -NEIGHBORHOOD ZONING DISTRICT DISCUSSION Administrator Morell reported that a letter was sent to approximately 300 property owners within the Rural Residential — Neighborhood zoning district on February 28th explaining exterior storage rules around lakeshore properties. Stricter enforcement of the rules is being asked for by some residents. Morell said he has heard from residents that the limits on number of vehicles and water -oriented items is unrealistic for lake properties. Staff advised that residents be invited to a Council meeting to provide input on whether or not changes are needed to the rules. Morell said if there are enough suggestions for a change, staff would draft a new ordinance for a public hearing with the Planning Commission. Administrator Morell summarized the ordinance and some of the perceived problems. Current rules limit properties under 0.5 acre to one recreational vehicle stored outside on the parcel. Parcels over 0.5 acre are allowed 2 recreational vehicles stored outside. Morell said he is told that is not enough when living on a lake, and thought it important to ask what is appropriate. Council member Libby said it sounds like there is an issue to address that violations are not being enforced; if not being enforced the ordinance should be changed. Cathy Koutek, 12300 228t' Street: Stated that the ordinance limits are not sufficient. Year -around lake properties have boats, personal watercraft, ATVs, snowmobiles, and more. If the vehicles Scandia City Council Work Session April 2, 2025 Page 2 of 5 are registered or licensed, a resident has a right to keep them on their property. Putting a limit on what residents can and can't have on their property puts a burden on them. Paid storage does not make sense when there is room on the property. Koutek advised language changes to consider for the exterior storage ordinance, to allow up to 2 LRVs be stored, to add trailers to allowed storage and remove placement on the lake side of the parcel, and to strike dates that limit storage from September 15 to May 30. Koutek said the dates are too restrictive; allow residents to decide when they can launch and store boats and docks. Koutek recommended the ordinance for parking allow an exception to park LRVs in the front yard on a paved or gravel surface, saying lightweight trailers should be allowed on grass. Administrator Morell said he has not issued a citation for parking boats on the street side of lake properties, nor approved an administrative permit to do so, even though language is in the code. Janice Wisen-Finnerty, 12260 228th Street: Stated that lake properties are multi -generational use, having lots of age groups doing lake activities that use various equipment such as snowmobiles, campers, pontoons, jet skis, fish boats and fish houses. This is the reason they have more than they should to cater to each age group's activities. Wisen-Finnerty said they want to do family activities together and to take advantage of outdoor activities; Scandia is outdoor oriented for all ages. She said she cares about the lake quality, has no suggestions for changes, but asked the Council to take this into consideration. Jeff Peterson, 12628 182"d Street: Said he is here to listen and to get the Council's concerns about what is driving this. Said a city cannot easily make an ordinance to suit unique lake properties in the same way as rural properties; rather an individual decision for each lot due to different ways the stuff has to be stored. Some lots are steep, some close to the road, some further away. Peterson estimated a majority of properties are violating the storage ordinances, but the neighbors don't mind and understand. Asked if a boat on a trailer is counted as two vehicles; staff answered that boats on a trailer are counted as one. Peterson said people are tolerant when they live on lake properties, but he has heard that some of the ordinances are being used in disputes to go after a neighbor they don't like and that is a problem beyond the ordinance; there are other problems that need to be solved. Peterson said there definitely needs to be a change in the number of recreational vehicles allowed to be stored outside; 4 to 6 would make sense. Peterson offered to tour the Council members around to view lake property storage examples, and to be enlightened to what is driving this. Administrator Morell said this discussion is driven by neighborhood complaints. Morell said there would be no way to consider an ordinance specific to certain neighborhoods, but rather using a zoning district focus. A combination of factors has led to asking for ideas for lake property storage. Morell said most complaints are from the Bliss neighborhood on Big Marine Lake, the most densely populated lake properties. Council member Gribble said they are looking for fair enforcement of the ordinances, and that the ordinance must be enforceable. Steve Koutek, 12300 228th Street, said he completely agrees with Mr. Peterson — storage needs vary on lake lots and needs to be safe for the wintertime season. Scandia City Council Work Session April 2, 2025 Page 3 of 5 Council member Morell stated that storage violations are not all exclusive to lake properties. Carol Varhalla, 18819 Layton Avenue: Said she pays for storage for a boat and camper, something people should think about. Things are not being stored properly, instead on the road blocking traffic. The ordinance should define and clarify front yard for lakes which is the lakeside. The language for nuisance parking for inoperable vehicles should extend to other neighboring properties, not just adjacent. Varhalla said there should be an increase to the number of allowed recreational items. Administrator Morell explained that if the items are out of view from the road, it doesn't count; only what is visible from the road right-of-way is applied towards the limits in the ordinance. For lake properties, the front yard faces the lake; the area between the road and the house is the backyard. Morell said the city does understand the uniqueness of the lots and the difficulties of storage for lake dwellers, but the city has an ordinance to enforce and is looking to see if changes are needed. Sadie Wittner, 12120 238th Street: Said she stores a pontoon trailer year-round for use by multiple users. Stated new neighbors moving into lake life don't understand the storage issues faced by generational residents. James Krummi, 19169 Layton Avenue: Said it's not just lake toys stored in people's yards; there's lots of stuff that doesn't belong, like construction debris. Regarding parking on grass, there should be a give and take. There is a difference of town life and lake life. Administrator Morell said the city has laws against nuisance storage. It's technically illegal, but enforcement is complaint driven. Tony Degonda, 13100182"d Street: Said he will reiterate what other speakers have stated. There are different types of lake properties and different types of toys being stored. Sue Dickens, 13350 182nd Street, Zoom speaker: Said she takes issue with the neighbor disputes comment. When a neighbor is addressed and refuses to do anything with their stuff and things are not being stored properly, it ends up looking like a garbage place with inoperable vehicles blocking the road. They take an attitude of "not my problem". They should be thinking "Is this causing a problem for my neighbors?" That's when you have to go to the city and ask for ordinance enforcement to resolve the issue. Property owners may need to store items offsite as we do. Unknown Zoom speaker: Said she bought her house on Layton Avenue last year and removed an abandoned boat from the property. Her concern is about too much stuff on lots that is garbage. Accumulated debris breeds mosquitoes. Administrator Morell said the city does have ordinances to address inoperable items and debris. Depending on where it is and if able to be viewed from the road, the rules can be enforced. Morell described the violation process. The first step is a notice of violation allowing 28 days to correct the violation. If there is no compliance from the property owner, a second letter is sent Scandia City Council Work Session April 2, 2025 Page 4 of 5 with a fine of $100, continuing up to the maximum of $300 a month. If one year goes by without correction of the violation and is remedied by the city, the remedial costs are assessed to property taxes. If paying the fines is ongoing rather than fixing the problem, the Council should discuss the next steps for stronger enforcement language in the ordinance. Karina Hipp, 19077 Layton Avenue: Said they have been in violation of number of cars allowed, but with 5 kids each having a car it's difficult to park all vehicles on the driveway. An inoperable vehicle that was parked on the street last year has been removed, and all vehicles for the household are currently functioning. Administrator Morell explained that as long as the drivers in the household match the number of cars, he doesn't regard this as a violation. The intent for a limit of vehicles aims to discourage car collections to overtake properties. TJ Smith, Olinda Lane: Asked when creating ordinances, do you look at examples from other communities? Asked for clarification of road blocking rules for EMS vehicles. Administrator Morell answered that Scandia is a unique community with unique lots; not many cities mirror Scandia. He did look at Forest Lake's ordinances, and their limits are in line with Scandia's. Morell explained it is illegal for parked cars to block traffic and the city has the ability to have vehicles towed for emergencies and snow plowing. Council member Gribble surveyed the audience if toys or debris is more visible. The majority responded with toys. Administrator Morell proposed that language in Exterior Storage Section (C) III.c be amended to remove the requirement that storage must be setback 200 feet from the road right-of-way, and replace with "behind principal structure, or in backyard for lake lot". In Section V., storage trailer is not defined, nor is utility trailer defined. Grant Erickson, 13090 182nd Street: Said they park vehicles on a pad, but this is not 200 feet back and not blocking the road. This language needs to be looked at, for pads to be referenced that are 10-15 feet from the road. Council member Libby said it's clear that the number of allowed items needs to go up and the definitions tighter. The issue being heard is the junked items, not the number of lake toys. Does the larger community care on the character of a lake neighborhood? Administrator Morell said storage in the rear yard is not possible on some properties, resulting in the place for storage to be on the street side. Does this need a setback for storage area on a lot? The Council was in consensus to modify the ordinance for the RR-N zoning district. Council member Libby asked if there are other districts that might need attention for storage. Morell answered no, this is the most pressing issue in RR-N. Scandia City Council Work Session April 2, 2025 Page 5 of 5 Administrator Morell suggested removing Recreational Vehicle, Camping section and move to Recreational Vehicle, Large section. Mayor Kronmiller said vehicles should not be stored in the right-of-way; parking is okay but not storing. Administrator Morell summarized the proposed ordinance changes: simplify definitions between camping and large recreational vehicles, remove the seasonal date requirement for storage on lakeside properties and allow at any time during the year; add provisions to not store vehicles in the right-of-way; increase the storage limit up to 1 camper and 5 recreational vehicles on a lot; limit storage to specific locations on the lot rather than by number; remove storage of recreational vehicles on impervious surface and allow on yards. Council member Gribble said watercraft 36" or less should not be counted. Administrator Morell said there is already no limit for this type of watercraft but does need to be stored in the correct location on the property. Carol Varhalla: Said removing dates for storage is saying storage can be forever. Administrator Morell said this violation would be handled through the nuisance code. Allowing storage on the lake side is the intent. Staff will draft an amended ordinance and present to the City Council at their meeting on April 15th. The Council can direct the Planning Commission to hold a public hearing on May 6th. The City Council can propose final adoption at their meeting on May 20th, and can determine the effective date when the ordinance will go into effect. ADJOURNMENT Lubke, seconded by Libby, moved to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Eklund City Clerk