12-12-2019 Planning Commission Packet

Home Browse Search

City of Little Canada 2-24 Land Use Plan Consideration of industrial uses will likely depend again on development quality and traffic generation issues. South of the transmission line, attached housing is planned adjacent to the existing warehousing and townhouse neighborhood. Please refer to Focus Area 4, below, for additional guidance. District 11: Lake Gervais Vicinity This district consists exclusively of detached housing adjacent or near to Gervais Lake, and includes some of the highest value homes of the community. There is very little undeveloped land in this district, although a few parcels have potential for a lot split. Land Use Plan The primary objective here will be to maintain the existing land use pattern while seeking seek opportunities for surface water improvements to protect the lake. Many of these improvements may be private initiatives, such as lake-side buffer strips and better on-site infiltration. The City recently adopted zoning regulations that will complement such efforts. District 12: Northeast The northeastern portion of Little Canada is entirely single-family housing or wetlands. Some of the housing has been built in the last 20 years. Because of the wetlands, the primary remaining development potential may involve dividing large parcels that already have a house. There are also problems with public utilities in some areas. The boundary with the City of Vadnais Heights runs down the middle of County Road D. Land Use Plan Infill and redevelopment here must fit into the context of the existing neighborhood. This means that detached houses are the only likely possibility and that any land divisions must be done with respect for nearby houses. To accomplish this objective, the City adopted standards in 2008 for single-family housing, including tree preservation, impervious surface coverage, building setbacks and lot sizes. It is acknowledged that many of these properties have development constraints . For most, the limitations are at least part of the reason that the area remains partially undeveloped. The City encourages property owners to work creatively with the land toward sensitive design, including streets, grading, open space, landscaping, surface water management, wetland buffers and house orientation. The City expects to cooperate with owners to resolve environmental and utility problems to the extent possible.