10-24-07 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL OCTOBER 24, 2007 noted that the Planning Commission does a great job in bringing out issues during their review of various proposals. The Planner agreed that neighborhood informational meetings serve a purpose. There was additional discussion on whether or not City staff should attend informational meetings, and the consensus was that staff should not attend. The Planner felt that staff s attendance could be viewed by the neighbors as an endorsement of a project. The Council discussed whether informational meetings should be optional or required. The Planner preferred the optional approach. He noted that neighborhood information meetings as well as concept reviews could be optional steps prior to the preliminary and final platting process. The Planner also noted that in some cities the public hearing is held by the planning commission. In these cases, the planning commission still is advisory making recommendations to the council. In Little Canada the Planning Commission conducts a public review, but the actual public hearing is held by the City Council. Allan indicated that she has had people express concern that the notice for Planning Commission meetings is received only a few days before the meeting. After discussion of the timing for submittals and publication and mailing of hearing notices, the City Clerk indicated that she would mail notices so that properrty owners have a week's notice of the Planning Commission meeting. It was the Council's consensus to continue holding the actual public hearing with the Planning Commission conducting a public review and submitting recommendations to the Council. The Council then focused its discussion on the neighborhood meeting process, and it was the consensus of the Council that neighborhood meetings held by the developer, without City staff attendance, are to become a required part of both the Concept Review process and the Preliminary Plat process. The developer will be required to submit meeting notes from the neighborhood information meeting along with an application for Concept Review and/or Preliminary Plat Review. ZONING The City Planner noted that the Council has both the Zoning Code and CODE REVIEW Subdivision Code with all proposed changes highlighted. He noted that amendments to the Sign Ordinance are on the Council agenda at the SIGN regular meeting this evening for consideration. However, he will be ORDINANCE recommending tabling action on that Ordinance given he just received the League of Minnesota Cities' comments on the proposed changes. He will review those changes and bring the proposed amendment back to the Council in November.