2 Staff Report Meeting Date: 12/2/2009
Agenda Item:
Planning Commission/ City Council
Agenda Report
City of Scandia
14727 209th St. North
Scandia, MN 55073 (651) 433-2274
Action Requested: Begin discussion of the Development Code update and give direction
on the following key issues concerning the update:
1. Roles of Commission, Council, staff and consultants
2. Recommended two-phase approach to the update
3. Development options to include in updated code
4. Zoning district options to include in updated code
5. Zoning map
Deadline/ Timeline: State law requires codes to be consistent with the plan within nine
months of adoption of a comprehensive plan.
Background: • The new plan was adopted in March of 2009. The primary
implementation activities completed so far are 1) drafting
architectural design standards, and 2) study of TDR (Transfer of
Development Rights) as a potential tool for implementing the plan.
• The city's resources for this project are very limited. The 2009
budget initially included $50,000 for consulting assistance. The
need to complete the TDR study, the need to reduce spending due
to revenue reductions, and work load from other projects
(particularly the Zavoral project EIS) delayed the project. For
2010, the draft budget includes only $30,000 for professional
services for code updates.
• Limited resources will require that the city prioritize the major
code changes needed to provide basic consistency between the
plan and the code, and accomplish as much with staff resources as
possible. Staff and the city planner have worked together to
recommend a two-phased approach, described in the planner's
memo.
• We have identified key issues on which direction is needed early
in drafting the code update. The first is the development options
to be included in the updated code. The current code already
includes a fairly large number of options: "conventional"
subdivision, lot averaging, transfer of density units, open space
conservation subdivision (OSCS) and planned unit development
(PUD.) Another option, transfer of development rights (TDR) has
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been recommended. Consensus is needed on which of the existing
options to continue and whether or not TDR should be included in
the draft code. The planner has prepared a handout on the options
to assist with this discussion. A copy of the report from the TDR
Committee is also included with your packet.
• The new plan implies some changes to the existing zoning districts
and ultimately the zoning map. Some agreement on how to
translate the land use plan into zoning districts is needed before
drafting begins. The planner has prepared a chart comparing the
existing districts, the plan and a suggested approach to assist with
this discussion.
Recommendation: The Commission and Council should discuss the issues for the
Development Code update. At the conclusion of the meeting, it would
be helpful if another meeting date could be set. Staff suggests
Tuesday, January 26th (the fourth Tuesday of January) as a possible
date.
Attachments/ A. Memo dated November 24, 2009 from Sherri Buss
Materials provided: B. Residential Development Options
C. TDR Committee Report dated October 29, 2009
D. Existing and Proposed Zoning Districts
Contact(s): Sherri Buss, City Planner
TKDA (651 292-4582)
Prepared by: Anne Hurlburt, Administrator
(12_02_09/cover memo for meeting materials)
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