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CITY COUNCIL <br />REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT <br />AGENDA ITEM 6A <br />STAFF ORIGINATOR: Katie Larsen, City Planner <br />MEETING DATE: May 13, 2024 <br />TOPIC: Consider 1st Reading of Ordinance No. 04-24 Zoning Ordinance <br />Text Amendment-Sacred Communities and Micro-Unit Dwellings <br />VOTE REQUIRED: Simple Majority <br />______________________________________________________________________________ <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Beginning January 1, 2024, Minnesota Statue 327.30 requires that cities must allow religious <br />institutions to site micro units on religious property. This is not related to the recently <br />submitted land use application for Madinah Lakes PUD Concept Plan and their proposed <br />Robinson Sod Farm development. This is a requirement of State law. <br />BACKGROUND <br />See attached League of Minnesota Cities summary. During the 2023 legislative session, the <br />Legislature passed a bill authorizing religious institutions beginning January 1, 2024 to site <br />micro-unit dwellings on religious institution property. The State statute also requires cities to <br />permit sacred settlements of micro units either via a permitted use or conditional use. <br />See attached Minnesota Statute 327.30 for detailed requirements. State statute defines the <br />following: <br />(e) "Micro unit" means a mobile residential dwelling providing permanent housing within a <br />sacredcommunity that meets the requirements of subdivision 4. <br />(f) "Religious institution" means a church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious organization <br />organizedunder chapter 315. <br />(g) "Sacred community" means a residential settlement established on or contiguous to the <br />grounds ofa religious institution's primary worship location primarily for the purpose of <br />providing permanent housingfor chronically homeless persons, extremely low-income persons, <br />and designated volunteers that meets therequirements of subdivision 3. <br />Staff recommends a conditional use permit be required for sacred community and micro units <br />as an accessory to public, educational, and religious uses. Public, educational, and religious uses <br />Attachment 1: May 13, 2024 Council Staff Report <br />3