06.02 - Design Review Team Policy

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March 23, 2009 FA Mayor and City Council City of Pequot Lakes 4638 County Road ii Pequot Lakes, MN 56472 Re: Planning Commission Report Dear Mayor and City Council, COMMUNITYGROWTH N S T I T U T E Experts in Small Town Planning The Planning Commission met for their March meeting at which there were not any public hearings. The Commission is forwarding you two recommendations for your consideration. i. Ordinance Amendment: Shoreland Conservation Design (Alt. Standards), City of Pequot Lakes. In 2008, the City of Pequot Lakes adopted conservation design standards for non - riparian properties. Since that time, the Planning Commission has been examining methods to incorporate aspects conservation design from the DNR's Alternative Shoreland Management standards into the Ordinance. The amendments proposed for this hearing are designed to do that, making conservation design the default method of subdivision for shoreline properties within the City. While there are a number of language changes proposed, there are two major shifts that are brought about by this amendment. The first is that the density for all developments now will default to the residential base density, doing away with both the density bonus system and the Floor Area Ratio' approach allowed in the current Code. For reference, this is exactly what the City approved for the Wilderness Point development. Second, the way open space is defined and coded will serve to make it more functional. This is brought about by encouraging units to be grouped more closely, thus consolidating open space into larger, contiguous areas. The Ordinance will preserve 80% of the shoreline for development that would fall under these provisions. The Planning Commission recommends that the amendment be approved. The amendment is attached for your review. 2. olicy on Design Review Team (DRT). The City has discussed establishing a policy on a Design Review Team to assist applicants for developments with the approval process in an informal role. The DRT is designed to provide a bridge between the staff and the elected /appointed officials, hastening the review process and reducing overall costs for everyone. The Planning Commission recommends that the Policy be approved. The Policy is attached for your review. ' The Floor Area Ratio approach provides for more dwellings the smaller each dwelling is. As the dwelling size increases, the Floor Area Ratio approach would decrease the number of dwelling units that are allowed. 14084 Baxter Drive, Suite 7 1 Baxter, Minnesota 56425 1 866.900.3064 1 www.communitygrowth.com