06.07 Planning and Zoning 2003 Annual Report

Home Browse Search

. a CITY OF PEQUOT LAKES PLANNING AND ZONING 2003 REPORT PREPARED BY COMMUNITYGROWTH I N S T I T U T E Highlights: • Pequot Lakes processed 130 applications in 2003. • Successfully resolved 26 violations of the land use ordinance, quite a number of which involved removal of junk cars and unsightly debris from high visibility areas. • Processed three plats creating 21 new properties within the City limits. • Modified the ordinance to increase structure standards to ensure that homes in Pequot Lakes are built to last. • Conducted ten meetings with the Long Range Planning Committee and other interested individuals to update the City's Comprehensive Plan. The draft plan is completed and ready for the public comment period. • Trained Dawn Bittner so that she is ready to assume the duties of Zoning Administrator in 2004. L' Summary: Despite a sluggish economy at its outset, 2003 was a year of growth and change for the City of Pequot Lakes. Factors contributing to this growth include the consolidation of Pequot Lakes with Sibley Township in 2002 and subsequent availability of large tracts of undeveloped land, low interest rates for homeowners, and a strengthening economy toward the end of the year. Cities across the Central Lakes Region experienced marked increases in the number of building permit applications processed. For the year, Pequot Lakes processed a total of 130 land use permit applications, the majority of which were for new construction. Fee revenue totaled approximately $31,000, with nearly 75%of fee revenues coming from building permits. Revenue from fees in 2003 was considerably more than expenses incurred by the Planning and Zoning department, which totaled only $20,733. This amount includes work that had been budgeted for the year, as well as nearly $1,000 for extra work requested by the Mayor and City Council for identifying, mapping and compiling information on properties proposed for Minnesota JOBZ designation. Even with the extra work,total expenses for the year was below the budgeted amount of $21,110 for the year. With the recent pick-up in the national economy and low interest rates guaranteed through the first part of the year, we anticipate that the number of permit applications in the upcoming year will increase in 2004, with perhaps more building permits processed in the beginning half of the year as compared to last year. Expenses are projected to decline due to reorganization of the Planning and Zoning Department.