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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.30.00 Work Session Minutes City of Farmington City CounciVPlanning Commission Workshop Proposed MUSA Expansion - Zoning Ordinance Update Farmington City Hall - August 30, 2000 A joint City Council/Planning Commission workshop was called to order by the Farmington City Council and Planning Commission to discuss issues associated with a possible expansion of the City's MUSA boundary and to discuss the implications of this issue on the need to update the City Zoning Ordinance, in support ofthe 2020 Comprehensive Plan. Present: Mayor Ristow, Council Member Strachan, Planning Chair Rotty, Commissioners Barker, Johnson, Larson Council Members Cordes, Verch Absent: Others in attendance: City Administrator Erar, Community Development Director Olson, City Attorney Poehler, Planning Coordinator Smick, Associate Planner Schultz The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Mayor Ristow and Planning Chair Rotty. Mayor Ristow began the meeting by introducing Community Development Director Olson. Olson began by giving a brief presentation and overview of the issues within the staff report. Olson indicated that the Metropolitan Council recently distributed a letter to the City indicating that the City was authorized to develop areas within the MUSA Staging Plan through 2005. Olson further stated that the City of Farmington has an additional 610 acres of MUS A available to allocate. At 7: I 0 PM, Council Member Soderberg arrived at the meeting. Olson reported that property owners have begun to request MUSA for their properties totaling to 492.2 acres within the City and another 189.9 acres outside of the City calculating to 682 acres or 72 more acres than is currently available in the 2005 allotment. Olson reported that of the proposed acres within the City 276.35 is low density, 22.8 acres is low/medium density, 146.16 acres is medium density and 0 acres are proposed for high density residential. He indicated that the City Council and Planning Commission would need to determine whether a shifting of acreages within the various land uses would be desirable relative to the land use acreages provided in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan. Council Member Soderberg: Will the Empire Treatment Plant be stressed if we shift some of the proposed low density acreages to medium density? Planning Chair Rotty: Should we follow the 2020 Comprehensive Plan that was recently approved by all bodies or follow the desires of the Developers? If there is a shift to allow more medium density, we will be in the medium density market for years to come. Commissioner Johnson: How does medium density residential affect the schools? ISD # 192 Representative Mark Beltz: The school district has determined that medium density residential doesn't affect the school district as much as low density residential. Most of the medium density areas are for empty nesters with fewer students projected in this land use. Commissioner Johnson: If we're not concerned about the school district, are we still changing the landscape ofthe City with more medium density residential? Council Member Strachan: Do we want a concentration of medium density in the City like Apple Valley or Burnsville allowed years ago? Don't we want the medium density mixed in with other residential land uses throughout the City? Olson continued his presentation to the next issue concerning the proposed MUSA Expansion Criteria. He reviewed the ten criteria proposed by staff and asked for comments or revisions from the City Council and Planning Commission. Planning Chair Rotty: Revise Criteria #3 to include "service and employment opportunities" along with promoting the tax base for industriallbusiness park properties. Commissioner Barker: Revise Criteria #4 by expanding the central area of City to include Pilot Knob Road on the west. ISD # 192 Representative Mark Beltz: Requested that schools be included in Criteria #5 to show the significance of this land use. Council Member Strachan: Since the Comprehensive Plan states that we want both small town and new development characteristics, should we include a criteria stating that the proposed property provides a mixed use of low and medium density residential rather than one land use type for the entire property? City Administrator Erar: The criteria list needs to be flexible, therefore the list should not be prioritized. Planning Chair Rotty: Agreed that the list should not be prioritized. Olson continued his presentation dealing with the issue of annexation and requests made by property owners to annex their property, thereby seeking MUSA. Olson stated that the City has received annexation petitions for three properties totaling 320 acres of which 270 are developable acres. Olson discussed the need to update the Zoning and Subdivision Code to conform to the approved 2020 Comprehensive Plan. He explained that the update might take approximately 10 months to accomplish. He further stated that it would be very difficult to review the new proposed developments that are not currently in the MUSA at the same time the update to the City's Zoning and Subdivision Code is occurring. Therefore, City staff recommends that the City Council and Planning Commission consider postponing the approval of a majority of the newly available MUSA until this process has been completed. Commissioner Larson: Is 10 months enough time to complete this process? Shouldn't we consider 12 months? Planning Chair Rotty: We owe our residents a good plan, therefore we should take our time and allow for the entire 12-month period. City Administrator Erar: Homebuilding and platting will continue on properties already approved with MUSA. Olson presented the final issue concerning exceptions to MUSA designation including the approval of MUSA for non-profit and other governmental uses, Industrial Park expansion and the completion of previously approved Planned Unit Developments (PUD). The PUD proposed for consideration is the Middle Creek Estates project that has been approved through the PUD and preliminary platting process. ISD # 192 Representative Mark Beltz: Include schools as a separate use along with non-profit and other governmental uses in determining exceptions for MUSA designation. Peter Gualtieri: His company desires a moratorium on platting and not on MUSA designation due to the need to plan the 795 developable acres in the soon-to-be annexed northeast area of the City. He further explained that his company couldn't begin planning this tract of land without knowing that they have MUSA designated for the property. City Administrator Erar: The City could work on a duel track by updating the Zoning and Subdivision Code while evaluating MUSA requests and comparing them to the list of criteria. Therefore, by the end of the proposed 12-month time frame, property owners and developers would know whether their property is scheduled for MUSA designation. Olson asked for a consensus on the five issues. 1) Revise the criteria as previously stated. 2) All were in favor of requiring properties to be annexed pnor to MUSA designation consideration. City Administrator Erar: Properties that are within the City should be given first priority for MUSA designation. 3) Council Member Soderberg: There should be no shift of MUSA acres from the low density residential to medium density residential since the 2020 Comprehensive Plan was approved and the City was satisfied with the outcome. Mayor Ristow: There needs to be more discussion concerning this topic SInce it is so important to the future look of the City. 4) All were in favor of revising the time frame for completion of the duel track from 10 months to 12 months. 5) Planning Chair Rotty: Concerned about designating MUSA to Middle Creek Estates because other Developers might perceive the process as unfair. Other City Council and Planning Commissioners were mixed on the exception for Middle Creek Estates. Planning Chair Rotty: Do we need a resolution for the postponement of MUSA designation? City Attorney Poehler: The City Council needs to approve a resolution for the postponement of MUSA designation including the approval of the exceptions to MUSA designation. The joint City CounciVPlanning Commission workshop was adjourned at 9:15 PM. R;;;U~ Lee Smick, AICP Planing Coordinator