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2 <br /> <br /> <br />Key Changes <br />1. Water-Oriented Accessory Structures <br />The ordinance establishes standards allowing one water-oriented accessory structure or facility per <br />residential shoreland lot. In general, such structures are limited to a maximum height of ten (10) <br />feet, exclusive of safety rails, and a maximum area of 250 square feet, inclusive of any attached or <br />detached deck or at-grade patio. <br /> <br />As an alternative, water-oriented accessory structures used solely for the storage of watercraft and <br />boating-related equipment may occupy an area of up to four hundred (400) square feet, provided <br />the maximum width of the structure does not exceed twenty (20) feet as measured parallel to the <br />shoreline. <br /> <br />All water-oriented accessory structures must be set back a minimum of ten (10) feet from the <br />ordinary high-water level and five (5) feet from all private property lines, may not be located <br />within a bluff impact zone, and must comply with applicable corner sight triangle standards. These <br />structures may not be designed or used for human habitation and may not contain water supply or <br />sewage treatment facilities. <br /> <br />Structures must be visually screened from public waters and adjacent shorelands through <br />vegetation, topography, setbacks, or color treatments. Roofs may be used as open-air decks with <br />safety rails but may not be enclosed or used for storage. <br /> <br />Boathouses and boat storage structures, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, Section 103G.245, <br />remain prohibited. <br /> <br />2. Impervious Surfaces <br />The ordinance corrects the maximum impervious surface allowance for residential shoreland lots <br />from 30 percent to 25 percent, consistent with Minnesota shoreland regulations. The Little Canada <br />City Code made this change sometime after the mid-1990s when the DNR last reviewed and <br />approved the City’s shoreland ordinance. <br /> <br />3. Front Setbacks <br />The amendment clarifies that front, side, and rear yard setbacks continue to follow the underlying <br />zoning district standards rather than defaulting to county highway setbacks that are not <br />contextually appropriate in Little Canada. Specifically, the model ordinance otherwise requires 50’ <br />from county road right-of-way lines when our front setback standard is only 30’. This change <br />aligns with existing residential patterns, particularly on Edgerton. <br /> <br />4. Addition of Tributary Segments <br />The ordinance incorporates tributary river and stream segments into the Shoreland Overlay <br />District, as required by the DNR. These additions include applicable lot area, setback, and <br />impervious surface standards consistent with state shoreland classifications. <br /> <br />Below is an excerpt from the State’s Public Waters Inventory. The DNR and Watershed have <br />identified this as “Gervais Creek”, an intermittent stream that was previously managed as a county <br />ditch. While language referring to tributaries exists in the current shoreland ordinance, the segment <br />shown and a small offshoot were not stated in the City’s ordinance.