HomeMy WebLinkAbout[05a] Ord. 502 Amendment Rural Residential District
Planning Commission Agenda Item 5a
MEETING DATE: June 8, 2020
AGENDA ITEM: Public Hearing, Ord 502 Amendment, Rural Residential District
SUBMITTED BY: Community Development
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approve Zoning Ordinance Amendment
PREVIOUS PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: In 2018, the Planning Commission approved a
new Rural Residential District in response to annexing large portions of St. Joseph Township.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The intent of the Rural Residential District Ordinance is to
establish and preserve areas within the City for the continuation of agricultural operations, open space and
provide for very low-density residential development and a rural life-style. During the initial drafting of
the Ordinance, there was consensus to be consistent with Stearns County regulations. Staff has identified
inconsistencies with Stearns County Land Use and Zoning Ordinance and therefore, has drafted
recommended amendments for your consideration.
ATTACHMENTS: Draft Amendment Ordinance 502, Section 502.27 RR District
REQUESTED PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Motion to Approve Section 502.27: RR of
Ordinance 502 – Zoning Ordinance.
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-1
Section 502.27: RR - RURAL RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
Subd. 1: Intent. To establish and preserve areas within the City for the continuation of
agricultural operations; to provide for very low density residential development for those persons
desiring a rural life-style, to preserve and protect areas where soil conditions, bedrock
conditions, steep slopes, significant vegetation, wetlands or other unique natural features which,
are best suited for open space and limited development, and are necessary to maintain the
character of the area or the community, and which would be irreparably harmed by denser
development, and to allow for use of areas not suitable for urban development, to prevent rapid
urbanization and provide economy in public expenditures, and to govern and implement the long
range urban service plan of the City as identified in the Comprehensive Plan.
Subd. 2: Purpose. The Rural Residential district is included in the zoning provisions to
achieve the following purposes:
a) Minimize land use conflict between agricultural and other land uses.
1. Maintain suitable boundaries for urban, rural residential and agricultural areas.
2. Prevent premature urban development in rural areas which eventually may be
appropriate for urban uses, until the installation of streets, utilities, and until the
demand exists for such development.
b) Manage the impacts of growth and development on the City’s rural character.
1. Discourage incompatible land uses through effective land use controls.
2. Identify appropriate areas for commercial, industrial and non-farm rural
residential developments.
3. Coordinate infrastructure expansion with development; and encourage
development where the infrastructure is adequate to serve that growth.
Subd. 3: Definitions. The following words and terms, in addition to the words and terms
identified in Section 502.04 in this Ordinance, shall have the following meanings, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
a) Agricultural Building: A structure used for the storage and maintenance of
agricultural equipment, or the storage of livestock, feed, crops, or other agricultural
products.
b) Agricultural Operation: Real or personal property used for production of crops
including, but not limited to, fruit and vegetative production, tree farming, livestock,
poultry, dairy products or poultry products, but not a facility primarily engaged in
processing agricultural products. An agricultural operation shall also include certain
farm activities and uses as follows:
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-2
a. Chemical and fertilizer spraying
b. Farm machinery noise
c. Extended hours of operation
d. Storage and spreading of manure and biosolids under state permit
e. Open storage of machinery
f. Odors produced from normal farm activities
g. On farm marketing of farm products
h. Yard waste and leaf composting site
i. Contaminated soils disposal
c) Animal Feedlot: a lot or building or combination of lots and buildings intended for
the confined feeding, breeding, raising or holding of animals and specifically
designed as a confinement area in which manure may accumulate or where the
concentration of animals is such that a vegetative cover cannot be maintained within
the enclosure. For purposes of this Section, petting zoos, horse stalls, riding arenas,
open lots and mink farms shall be considered to be animal feedlots. Pastures shall not
be considered animal feedlots. Animal feedlots shall include any manure storage
structure.
d) Home Extended Business: An occupation or profession engaged in by the occupant of
a dwelling unit within said unit or accessory structure which involves the storage of a
limited amountnumber of vehicles and equipment; repair; service or assembly
requiring equipment other than customarily found in a home; or the storage of stock
in trade incidental to the performance of a service. A home extended business shall be
clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use of the premises, and shall only
include the sale of merchandise incidental to the home extended business.
e) Hobby Farm: An area on which crops are grown and or livestock (excluding fur-
bearing livestock) are raised.
f) Residential Subdivision: A described tract of land which has been divided into single
family residential lots establishing a residential neighborhood. Areas include 1st
Avenue NE at First Street East to CO RD 2, CO RD 2 at First Street East to Jasmine
Lane, Forest Manor Addition, River Ridge Estates, and Sunset Ridge.
Subd. 4: Permitted Uses.
a) Agricultural Operation
b) Single family detached dwelling unit
c) Hobby Farms
d) Roadside stand for the sale of agricultural products produced on the premises
(providing that such stands conform to the requirements of this Title relative to
construction, setback and use).
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-3
e) Public parks, recreational areas, environmental study areas and game refuges.
f) Forestry, nurseries, green houses and tree farms excluding retail sales.
g) Residential care facilities serving 6 or fewer residents
g) Residences for principal farm operators
Subd. 5: Conditional Uses. The following uses require a Conditional Use Permit as
regulated in this Ordinance.
a) Antennas - TV/Radio Receiving, Short Waive/Private Transmitting.
ba) Essential Services, Transmission Services and Utility Substations
cb) Animal Feedlot expansions
c) Bed and Breakfast Inns
d) Government administrative and service buildings
e) Home extended businesses
f) Commercial outdoor recreation facilities, including golf courses, club houses,
swimming pools and similar uses.
g) Kennels with over two dogs.– private
h) Solar Systems
i)h) Cemeteries
j)i) Facilities for retail or wholesale trade connected with nursery or tree farms
k)j) Places of Worship
l)k) Public and private schools
nl) Residential care facilities serving 7-16 residents.
Subd. 6: Interim Uses. The following uses require an Interim Use Permit as regulated in
this ordinance as:
a) Mining, and extraction of minerals, sand, gravel and other granular materials and
the like subject to other applicable sections of this Ordinance. dirt, per this Section 502.17.
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-4
b) Portable asphalt and concrete mixing plants within extractive uses. The interim
use permit issues shall include, but is not limited to, the following conditions:
provisions for adherence to pollution control standards, hours of operation,
setbacks, haul roads, areas where the plant is to be located and slopes. The
interim use permit required for portable asphalt and concrete mixing plants is in
addition to the interim use permit required for the operation of the
mining/extractive use.
Subd. 7: Permitted Accessory Uses.
a) Detached Accessory Buildings on residential properties shall be exempt from
Section 502.12 Subd. 1 of this Ordinance and shall meet the following:
i. The accessory building is located in the rear yard
i.ii. The size of the detached accessory building shall not exceed the square
footage footprint of the principal structure and five (5) percent of the total
lot area in a residential subdivision. Properties that are less than 27,000
square feet in size shall comply with R-1 district accessory building size
requirements.
ii.iii. The same or similar exterior building material, (such as siding, and
shingles, etc) shall be used on the accessory building and as the principal
building in residential subdivisions.
iv. Pole barns and/or post frame construction and hoop tubular frame
buildings are prohibited in residential subdivisions.
iii.v. No detached accessory building nor structure shall be constructed on any
lot prior to the time of construction of the principal building to which it is
accessory.
v. Detached accessory buildings, excluding Agriculture Buildings shall not
exceed twenty (20) feet in height in residential subdivisions.
b) Agricultural Buildings
c) Operation and storage of vehicles, machinery and equipment which is incidental
to permitted or special uses allowed in this district.
c) Home occupations per Section 502.16.
d) Private swimming pools in compliance with Section 502.12 Subd. 4. For an in-
ground pool, an automatic pool cover can be used in lieu of fencing requirements
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-5
provided it is certified and complies with ASTM (American Society of Testing
and Materials) F1346-91 standard, or successor standard.
e) Private sports courts i.e. tennis, basketball, etc.
f) Personal amateur radio and television antennas and satellite dish antennas.
g) Dog kennels with two or fewer dogs, must be in the side or rear yard.
Subd. 8: Lot Area Requirements.
a) Minimum area 10 acres - 435,600 square feet.
b) Minimum lot width 300 feet at the building setback line., except that if a lot or
tract has less area or width than herein provided and was legally platted and was
of record at the time of the passage of this Ordinance, that lot may be used for any
of the uses permitted by this section.
Subd. 9: Setback Requirements.
a) Front yYard sSetbacks: The front yard setback shall of not be less than 30 feet
from all other public right-of-ways, unless:
i) 30 percent or more of the frontage on the same side of the street between
two intersecting streets is improved with buildings that have observed a
greater or less depth of front yard in which instance no buildings shall
project beyond a straight line drawn between the point closest to the street
of the residence upon either side of the proposed structure or,
ii) If there be are residences upon only one side, then it shall be on the
straight line projected from the front of the two nearest residences.
iii) This regulation shall not be interpreted to require a front yard of more than
100 feet.
b) Side yYard sSetback: The side yard setback shall not be less than fifteen (15) feet,
except corner lots on which the side yard on the intersecting street shall be not
less than thirty (30) feet. Wherever a lot of record existing at the time of the
passage of this Ordinance has a width of 75 feet or less, the side yard on each side
of a building may be reduced to a width of the lot, but in no instance shall it be
less than 5 feet.
c) Rear yYard sSetback:s The rear yard setback shall not be not less than thirty (30)
feet. 40 feet in width from each building.
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-6
d) Detached accessory structures shall not be less than ten (10) feet from the side and
rear lot lines, except corner lots on which the side yard on the intersecting street
shall not be less than twenty (20) feet.
Subd. 10: Height Requirements.
a) Buildings, other than agriculture buildings, shall not exceed thirty five (35) forty
(40) feet in height, except as hereinafter provided. Berming the building does not
allow a building to be constructed higher than 35 feet. Elevation for the building
shall be determined by the average grade of the land.
b) Public or semi-public or public service buildings, hospitals, institutions or schools
may be erected to a height not exceeding 60 feet, and churches may be erected to
a height not exceeding 75 feet if the building is set back from each yard
requirement at least one foot for each foot of additional building height above the
height limit otherwise provided in the district in which the building is located.
Subd. 11. Site Coverage. No structure or combination of structures shall occupy more
than 30% of the lot area.
Subd. 12: Rural Quality of Life Provisions. The Rural Residential zone applies to
properties annexed to the City of St. Joseph that were governed by the 1997 Orderly Annexation
Agreement. Properties in this area are rural in nature and have not been impacted by urban
development and shall be exempted from certain requirements applicable in other zones that
have been developed to an urban density. The exemptions for the properties annexed to the City
of St. Joseph that were governed by the 1997 Orderly Annexation Agreement expire when the
annexed properties are taxed at the full City tax rates. These properties are defined in Appendix
B of this Ordinance, which consists of the 1997 Orderly Annexation Agreement. The exemptions
are as follows:
a) Allowed Animals. Property owners whose property is zoned Rural Residential
shall have the following flexibility in relation to the regulations of Ordinance
1004, Licensing and Regulations of Animals:
i. Up to four (4) domestic dogs over three months old shall be allowed per
household.
ii. Farms animals including but not limited cattle, horses, hogs, chickens,
geese, sheep, goats, pigs, ducks and turkeys shall be allowed. Animal
density allowance shall follow the Urban Expansion zoning district in the
Stearns County Land Use and Zoning Ordinance.
iii. Licenses shall not be required for domestic dogs.
iv. Animals shall be allowed to run at large unless this issue becomes a
nuisance generating complaints from neighbors.
ORDINANCE 502 – ZONING ORDINANCE
502.27-7
b) Hunting/Firearms. Recreational firearm and bow arrow usage will be permitted
without a city permit with the following conditions:
i. Property owners must adhere to all State and Federal laws regarding
hunting and the use and discharge of firearms, and bows and arrows.
ii. The Police Chief will monitor development of properties located within
this zoning district and as urbanization occurs, Firearms and Hunting may
be restricted.
c) Burning. Properties zoned Rural Residential shall be exempt from Ordinance
1003, Fire and Burning regulations provided:
i. Any open burning must be approved and permitted by the MN DNR.
d) Rental Regulations: Properties located in the Rural Residential zoning district
shall not be restricted from renting their dwelling or portion thereof. The property
owner shall be required to secure a rental license annually.
e)d) Wood Burning Stoves: Properties located in the Rural Residential zoning district
may utilize wood burning stoves as a form of alternative heat provided:
a. The wood burning stove meets the minimum setback requirements based
on the manufacturer’s guidelines.
b. Building Permits are secured for the installation
c. All stoves must meet the MPCA Guidelines
e) Noise. Rural Residential areas shall be exempt from the Noise Ordinance (1002)
provided that noise as defined in the Noise Ordinance does not become a public
nuisance or an endangerment to others.
f) Fences. Properties shall be exempt from Fence Ordinance 506, except for those in
a residential subdivision.
Subd. 13: Additional Requirements. Uses may be subject to additional requirements
contained in this Ordinance including, but not limited to the sections governing parking, home
occupation, floodplain, signs, etc.