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• If the City institutes certificates of occupancy or registration of rentals, in what part of the code would those provisions be placed? Commissioner Maher said she would like to be able to know which houses are rented; Ms. Jones said Staff would like to know as well. She said this subject is presented for Commissioners to think about, and she will look for models in other cities to study. Commissioner Heideman asked if there are any limits related to family size, as far as what is required in the housing code. Ms. Jones cited Chapter 10-2.04, Subdivision l .a., which requires a minimum of 150 square feet for the first occupant and at least 100 square feet for every additional occupant (excluding bathrooms, halls, closets and other ancillary spaces). However, there is no way to know how many people are occupying a single family home, and no enforcement cases have come up related to the number of occupants when the occupants are of one family. (Falcon Heights code does limit the number of unrelated adults in a dwelling to no more than 4.) An influx of large, extended immigrant families is prompting Cities to take another look at these housing requirements in the light of diverse cultural norms. Ms. Maher mentioned that this family size issue has come up in Woodbury and wondered how they handled it; this will be marked as an area for further research. Commissioner Lageson suggested that family size might be deduced from water usage, but Ms. Maher pointed out that could be other reasons for high water usage, such as a hot tub. She suggested that some rentals might be detected by examining the ownership of single family homes to find one owner with multiple properties. Ms. Jones agreed that that might not be impractical in a town of this size; out-of--town owners could also indicate rentals, unless the occupant is a family member of the owner. • Additional requests for information or research • What is the background for specifying occupants over 2 years of age? • Clarification of definitions, including "basement" and "cellar" Future discussion Ms. Heideman asked if there is a capability for the group to do some of the Internet research and study "live" as a group during workshops, using the computer projection equipment. This would cut down on the printed copies needed and give Commissioners the opportunity to discuss the material in a more immediate way. Ms. Jones said she will look into it. She also asked the Commissioners for their suggestions on what parts of the code could be placed on the website in the "frequently asked questions" format that has been so successful for the zoning information. The Staff has some reluctance to put the code itself on the web in entirety before the upcoming revision because inaccuracies and outdated information could be perpetuated. Certainly, putting the whole code on the web -eventually - is one of the goals of the revision. What's left for the Commission to review in the "first pass": • Parking • Driveways • Other provisions in Section 14 • Falcon Heights Planning Commission Workshop, February 24, 2004 Page 3 of 3