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Falcon Heights Planning Commission 2004-2005 Review of the City Zoning Code (Chapter 9) • First Phase Summary To Date: February 22, 2005 Major areas of discussion to date • Does our code realistically and appropriately balance today's desire for larger homes and garages with the community esthetic of green space? What effects do the limits we have set - on setback, lot coverage, height, legal uses -have on the value of properties and on quality of life? • Are our height restrictions in all zones reasonable and realistic, given the movement toward increased population density in the inner suburbs of the metro? We have already made exceptions in the SE Corner P.U.D.; what additional pressures and changes will come to bear in the next 15 to 20 years? What would be the impact on our infrastructure (streets, sewers, etc.)? This is related to the preceding item. • Does our sign code adequately reflect the needs and standards of the community now? Are there gaps we need to address -such as businesses that have a "front" in the back, or churches in residential zones? Are our size restrictions appropriate? • Is the B-3 designation appropriate for the property at the southwest corner of Snelling and • Larpenteur, now occuped by TIES? • We have very little in our Code that addresses rental of single-family housing. Do we need to institute some controls in the form of permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy? Are there other restrictions that should be considered for single-family rentals? • None of us take public safety for granted in the way we did before September 11, 2001. Are there any public safety issues that need to be addressed in our zoning code? • Do we need to change the language for variances, appeals or other parts of Section 15 of Chapter 9? Are our standards in line with other Cities in Minnesota? Do we need to place a time limit on variances? • Design review - is this a concept whose time has come in Falcon Heights? Or we better off with the minimum regulation on "esthetics" that we now have? • Are there sections of the zoning code that are outdated and may need to be eliminated or recast? (Example: public telephone booths, basement storage in B3) • Have new technology and changing life styles introduced issues related to our zoning code that are covered inadequately or not at all? (Example: satellite TV dishes, wireless Internet, cell phone towers, housing of non-traditional and extended families) • • To what extent are the provisions of our code for the B-1 zone (neighborhood business) based on what was already in existence at the time the code was written? How many of these Falcon Heights Planning Commission -February 22, 2005