HomeMy WebLinkAbout[03] Approval of Minutes April 2, 2012
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Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Planning Commission for the City of St. Joseph met in regular
session on Monday, Monday April 2, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall with the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Members Present: Chair S. Kathleen Kalinowski. Members John Meyer, Ross Rieke, Joe Dubel, Gina
Dullinger, Brad Cobb. Council Liaison Rick Schultz. Administrator Judy Weyrens.
Others Present: None
Approval of Agenda: Cobb made a motion to approve the agenda; seconded by Schultz. The
motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Minutes: Meyer made a motion to approve the minutes of February 6, 2012 with minor
corrections; seconded by Rieke and passed unanimously.
Schultz made a motion to approve the minutes of March 5, 2012 as presented; seconded by Dubel
and passed unanimously.
ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS — Weyrens reported that over the past months the Planning Commission
has reviewed a number of Ordinances requesting modifications or additional information. The
Ordinances to follow are ready for final review and scheduling of a Public Hearing. The Commission
agreed to review each Ordinance separately.
Ordinance 52.21 — Transportation Corridor Overlay — Weyrens stated that previously the Commission
recommended and the Council approved an amendment to Ordinance 52.21 Transportation Corridor
Overlay, correcting the corridor descriptions. At the same time the Commission considered amendments
to the setback requirements, sign and fence provisions, and lighting. The commission agreed to consider
each item independently.
CSAH 75 Corridor — East of 1 Ave NW — Meyer made a motion to recommend amending the
provision for 52.21 Subd. 2(a) 1 (A) to 100 feet from 300 feet. The motion was seconded by Rieke
and passed unanimously.
Setback— The current Ordinance requires a minimum building setback of one hundred (100) feet
from the right -of -way. The Ordinance prohibits parking within a fifty (50) foot setback from the nearest
external boundary. Meyer made a motion to recommend amending 52.21 Subd. 5 to reduce the
building setback to forty (40) feet and amend 52.21 Subd. 6(a) to reduce the prohibition of parking
to forty (40) feet. The motion was seconded by Rieke and passed unanimously.
Sign Provisions — Ordinance 52.21 restricts the height of a sign to eight (8) feet while the B2
Zoning Districts allows a fifteen foot fence. Staff is recommending that the two Ordinances should be
consistent, using fifteen feet as the standard. Meyer made a motion recommend amending Ordinance
52.21 Subd. 7(c) limiting signs to fifteen (15) feet in height. The motion was seconded by Dubel
and passed unanimously.
Fence Standards — Weyrens stated that the fencing and mechanical equipment screening
provisions are a duplicate provision that is contained in the General Standards of the Zoning Ordinance.
The Commission concurred that the provision only needs to be included once and it would be best to
have the information in the General Performance section. Rieke made a motion to recommend
amending Ordinance 52.21 deleting subd. 6(d) and 6(e). The motion was seconded by Dullinger
and passed unanimously.
Lighting Standards — Similar to the fence provisions, the lighting standards are a duplication and
can be eliminated in Ordinance 52.21. Dubel made a motion to recommend amending Ordinance
52.21 deleting subd. 9 (f) 1; seconded by Rieke and passed unanimously.
April 2, 2012
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52.10 7(d): Under no circumstance shall the maximum impervious surface shall not exceed
the maximum for each specific zoning district. For R1 Single Family Zoning
District the impervious service shall not exceed the limits defined in section 52.27
Subdivision 7 of this code.
Dubel made the motion authorizing a public hearing for the proposed amendment to Ordinance
52.10 Subd 7: Parking pads for residential units in All Zoning Districts. The motion was seconded
by Meyer.
Ayes: Kalinowski, Meyer, Rieke, Dubel, Dullinger, Cobb.
Nays: None Abstain: Schultz Motion Carried 6:0:1
Council Liaison Report— R1 Rental Ordinance. Rieke reported that he is part of the Mayor's ad hoc
committee reviewing the current R1, Single Family rental provisions. The current R1 Ordinance only
allows rental licenses for property that is owner occupied and the Committee is reviewing this provision to
determine if a modification is needed. Part of the request is to consider the current economic conditions
and if the Ordinance is applying undue hardship to residents that cannot sell their home, but could find
someone to rent the property. In some cases, if rental were permitted, the property owner could avoid
foreclosure. Rieke stated the question is should we be looking to modify the Ordinance to meet the
current economic times and are there enough situations where this becomes an issue or does the current
Ordinance meet the needs of the City.
Cobb questioned if the concern is that the City has a surplus of rental homes and it would not be
beneficial to increase the numbers or is the issue that realtors are realizing a new market. Schultz stated
that the when the ad hoc committee has completed their task, the information will be forwarded to the
Planning Commission for consideration.
Adiourn: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Judy Weyrens
Administrator