02-14-08 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 14, 2008 The City Planner reviewed the definition of storage, noting differences in equipment versus materials. He asked the City's position for the maximum size of trailers that could be stored. Kies indicated that he did not have an issue with length or width. The issue was related to height and the ability to screen. The general consensus was that a maximum height of less than 13 feet was reasonable as this is the maximum height needed in order to pass under a bridge. There was discussion about outdoor storage and junk stored on a property for years. It was noted that equipment outdoor storage should be capable of being moved under its own power. The City wants to avoid the use of trailers that sit on a property for extended periods of time that are merely used for the continual storage of stuff. There was not as much concern with a business that stores things in a trailer on a seasonal basis, such as a lawn care business. The Council requested that the City Planner develop some language to address this concern. The City Planner indicated that he would make the modifications discussed this evening a present a revised draft to the Council for review. COMPRE- The City Planner reviewed his report dated February 8, 2008 outlining the HENSIVE work program for the Comprehensive Plan Update. He noted that the PLAN Metropolitan Council has a December 31, 2008 deadline for submission of UPDATE Comprehensive Plan updates which include asix-month review period for adjacent communities. The Planner stated that it is not uncommon for adjacent communities to have a much shorter review time. The Planner anticipated that the City could adopt its Comp Plan in October and allow a two-month review period for neighboring communities. The Planner indicated that, if acceptable to the City, the Comp Plan Update could be a simple process if there are not too many land use changes and depending on the amount of time that is spend in community- wide review. Most of the policy statements would remain the same in that case. Knudsen felt that the biggest addition to the City's Comp Plan will relate to environmental issues. The City Administrator indicated that the City has already done a great deal of the preparation work relative to Code reviews and updates. The Planner indicated that he would build in some policies relating to the Code changes. There will also need to be some work done on redevelopment land uses in the redevelopment areas of the City. Given the streamlined process, the $32,000 budget may be a little high. Blesener noted the Met Council's projections for community populations and new job generation, and asked if the expectation is that the Comp Plan 8