11-05-2014 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES NOVEMBER 05, 2014 Page 2 of 3 Council Member Smith noted the Oak-Land JPA was $64K, not $80K. Mayor Pearson asked about the Lake Elmo baseball improvements. Mr. Weis said that the organization is expected to make their annual request for additional improvements soon. Council Member Bloyer asked about the dog park and the Sunfish Lake Task force. Mr. Weis responded that they are still on the radar. Council Member Reeves thanked Mr. Weis and the commission for all their hard work. Mr. Weis in turn thanked Mr. Reeves for his service help with the commission. No Action Requested ITEM 3: RURAL AREA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION Community Development Director Klatt presented the Rural Area Analysis conducted by staff. For specifics, please see the analysis document. The analysis showed that lower density developments have an increased cost to maintain. Council Member Bloyer left the room at 7:28 pm. Council Member Smith questioned the data because of its age. She asked that future data be more current when actual decisions would have to be made. Mayor Pearson noted that the data could be extrapolated to provide a better estimate of current costs/revenue. Mr. Klatt noted that all future developed properties in rural areas must front a public road. Council Member Bloyer asked why this rule exists. Klatt explained that shared accesses can create practical issues for the city and property owners. Mr. Klatt gave an overview of the options for future development of the rural areas. Mr. Bloyer asked that the future proposals provide the net fiscal impact for the various options. It was further explained that open space developments that include clustering of homes would probably have a lower maintenance cost. Ms. Smith gave the reasons past councils did the open space preservation developments. She asked if the cluster communities could do individual septics and wells. They can if they meet the space requirements. The Council discussed the difference between providing the various public services (i.e., roads, water and sewer). The minimum square footage required for individual septic was explained. The County requires 10,000, but the city requires 20,000. Mr. Klatt noted that there are issues unique to Lake Elmo, such as the groundwater, that justify the larger requirement. It was explained that there have only been a few proposals that staff is aware of for OP developments on parcels less than 40 acres. Mayor Pearson said he initially does not see the benefit of the larger lots in regards to the resulting increased costs to the City. He thinks that the OP developments may make more sense financially. He also noted that the large lots may actually create a higher number of lots being developed. Ms. Smith again asked that more current data be provided before making any decisions. Mr. Klatt noted that Lake Elmo is not subject to the same rules as many of the other urban communities. The City has a bit more autonomy because not all areas are planned for urban services, which allows some more flexibility in determining how to develop. Council Member Reeves thought that the neighborhood summaries was very helpful.