Laserfiche WebLink
COMMUNITYGROWTH <br /> I N S T I T U T E <br /> February ig, 2009 Experts in Small Town Planning <br /> Mayor and City Council <br /> City of Pequot Lakes <br /> 4638 County Road 11 <br /> Pequot Lakes, MN 56472 <br /> Re: Planning Commission Report <br /> Dear Mayor and City Council, <br /> The Planning Commission met for their February meeting at which there was ome <br /> public hearing. The Commission is forwarding you one recommendation for your <br /> consideration. <br /> 1. Ordinance Amendment: Shoreland Conservation Design (Alt. <br /> Standards), City of Pequot Lakes. In 2oo8, the City of Pequot Lakes adopted <br /> conservation design standards for non-riparian properties. Since that time, the <br /> Planning Commission has been examining methods to incorporate aspects <br /> conservation design from the DNR's Alternative Shoreland Management standards <br /> into the Ordinance. The amendments proposed for this hearing are designed to do <br /> that, making conservation design the default method of subdivision for shoreline <br /> properties within the City. <br /> While there are a number of language changes proposed, there are two major shifts <br /> that are brought about by this amendment. The first is that the density for all <br /> developments now will default to the residential base density, doing away with both <br /> the density bonus system and the Floor Area Ratio' approach allowed in the current <br /> Code. For reference, this is exactly what the City approved for the Wilderness Point <br /> development. <br /> Second, the way open space is defined and coded will serve to make it more <br /> functional. This is brought about by encouraging units to be grouped more closely, <br /> thus consolidating open space into larger, contiguous areas. The Ordinance will <br /> preserve 80% of the shoreline for development that would fall under these <br /> provisions. <br /> The Planning Commission recommends that the amendment be approved. The <br /> amendment is attached for your review. <br /> 1 The Floor Area Ratio approach provides for more dwellings the smaller each dwelling is. As the dwelling size <br /> increases,the Floor Area Ratio approach would decrease the number of dwelling units that are allowed. <br /> 14084 Baxter Drive, Suite 7 1 Baxter, Minnesota 56425 1 866.900.3064 1 www.communitygrowth.com <br />