02/09/1998 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MICHAEL CRONIN & ASSOCIATES September 16, 1997 Mr. Michael Constant Minnesota Department of Transportation 1500 West County B2 Roseville, MN 55113 Dear Mr. Constant, On behalf of Universal Outdoor, Inc. I respectfully request the opportunity to meet with you and your staff to encourage the Department to reconsider its finding the "R -BR' Rural- Business Reserve zoning district in the City of Lino Lakes is not a an area "zoned for business, industrial, or commercial activities" by the City. We request your reconsideration of this finding on two technical points, and one strategic point. 1. Structure of the Lino Lakes zoning code The Lino Lakes zoning code, table of contents, page ii attached, has nineteen distinct zoning districts. Nine of the districts are residential, six, including the R -BR, are business, two are industrial, one permits a planned custom overlay above the underlying district, and one is for public and semi public uses. If the City did not intend for business use to occur in R -BR area, it could have chosen one of its nine residential districts to be applied to this area. This was the choice made along a large part of 35W, and we have no contention this area of the City was ever intended as business area. The City did however make a very different choice for some of the property adjacent to 35E, placing it in the Rural Business Reserve district. We believe the City has carefully and consciously chosen to designate the selected area along 35E as a business, not a residential area, and request MNDOT respect their authority to make this designation. 2. Comprehensive Plan designation Underlying every zoning designation is a Comprehensive Plan designation. The Land Use Plan for the City of Lino Lakes, copy enclosed, designates the area zoned R -BR along 35E as "Business Reserve ". I believe this reinforces the City's intent to have the