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City of Falcon Heights MEMORANDUM To: Members of the Planning Commission CC: Heather Worthington, City Administrator; Peter Lindstrom, Council Liaison From: Deb Jones, Staff Liaison Subject: Zoning Code Review Date: September 19, 2003 The City Administrator has directed me to ask the help of the Planning Commission in reviewing the zoning portions of the Code in preparation for revision. The City Code was last wholly revised in 1989 and has been amended many times since. Inconsistencies have crept in, and the community has evolved in the last fourteen years - as you all realized when we worked through the lot coverage issue last year. Also, the text files that are the official record of the Code were generated by very old word processing software and have never been satisfactorily converted to present-day form. Formatting is inconsistent, bits and pieces tend to fall off pages, and we are unable to take advantage of modern indexing, tracking and access technologies. The Code is overdue for a thorough going-over, and, with the approaching upgrade of the City computer network, this is an opportune time. At Heather's suggestion we will use a workshop process for this, outside of the official agenda and off camera. We'll begin Tuesday evening by going over the first few sections of Chapter 9 (the zoning chapter). Sections 1 through 7 are enclosed, along with several new ordinances that have not yet been incorporated into the official text file (awaiting the network upgrade). You may already have a printed copy of this material, but I am giving you a new one for workshop use in this packet for workshop use. Feel free to mark it up, place sticky notes, etc. Please read at least Sections 1 and 2 over carefully, and make note of any of the following: • Inconsistencies from one section to another • Questions about background, intent, etc. • Areas that are vague or unenforceable • Any other areas of concern • Missing lines or words, typographical errors -but don't worry too much about formatting problems; your priorities are the content and language. In the workshop we will collate everybody's comments and begin to formalist of points that need some work. I see this as an informal process. I don't know how far we'll get in one meeting, but our progress Tuesday will give Heather and me an idea of how long it will take the Commission to review all of Chapter 9. As always, do not hesitate to call me at City Hall, 651-644-5050, if you have any questions or if you need any additional materials or information.