08-23-2006 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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NORTHWEST ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS, INC. 4800 Olson Memorial Highway, Suite 202, Golden Valley, MN 55422 Telephone: 763.231 .2555 Facsimile: 763.221 .2561 planners @nacplanning.com PLANNING REPORT TO: Little Canada Planning Commission FROM: Charles Carlson /Stephen Grittman DATE: August 4, 2006 SUBJECT: Little Canada - Driveway Ordinance- Paving Thresholds CASE NO: 758.10 - 06.03 BACKGROUND The City of Little Canada is in the process of revising the Zoning Ordinance as it relates to driveways in the City. As part of this process, the City is considering requiring single - family residences to pave driveways. This memo describes various "thresholds" which may be considered to define when a non - conforming driveway must be brought into conformance with city regulations. DRIVEWAY REGULATION CHANGES Proposed changes in the City Code require homeowners and contractors to obtain a driveway permit prior to any work on driveways in the City. The code is also being revised to require paving with concrete, asphalt, brick, approved pavers, or other hard surface material. The City may require existing non - conforming driveways to comply with the new regulation when a property owner asks for a permit to other work. The purpose of this analysis is to consider the circumstances under which replacement of a non - conforming driveway will be brought into compliance. A performance standard is included in the existing ordinance, requiring that driveways control dust and drainage. All properties will continue to be required to maintain this standard. It has been the practice of the City to permit single and two family homes to gain access via a gravel driveway, rather than require some sort of paving. The code currently requires that all parking areas designed for five or more vehicles and associated driveways shall be paved with asphalt, bituminous, or concrete. There are no specific provisions in the zoning code relating to single - family, two - family, townhouse, and quadraminium driveways, but the "five vehicle" provision listed above appears to apply to any building type. As a result, most housing developments of more than a few units are required to be paved under this standard.