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1 <br />STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: 01-17-2022 <br />Regular <br />Motion <br />TO: City Council <br />FROM: Sophia Jensen, City Planner <br />AGENDA ITEM: Impervious Surface Text Amendments <br />REVIEWD BY: Ben Hetzel, Prior City Planner <br />BACKGROUND: <br />At their July 12, 2022 workshop, the City Council discussed the City’s definition of impervious <br />surface. In preparation for the workshop, staff researched and compared the City’s definition of <br />impervious surface and impervious surface allocations with other communities. The findings of <br />the research prompted the City Council to direct staff to draft the proposed amendment to the <br />City’s definition for impervious surface and increase the maximum allowed impervious surface in <br />unsewered shoreland areas. <br />At the August 22, 2022 Planning Commission meeting a public hearing was held on the updates. <br />Since that time, staff worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) to <br />come up with an acceptable compromise for allowing increased impervious surface in unsewered <br />shoreland areas. Staff and the MN DNR could not reach a solution that would be reasonable for <br />the City to implement. Therefore, staff is only recommending approval of the proposed <br />amendment to the definition of impervious surface. <br />ISSUE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL: <br />Should City Council approve the proposed text amendment to the impervious surface definition? <br />PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: IMPERVIOUS DEFINITION <br />Section 1.08.010 defines impervious surface as any structure or surface which interferes to any <br />degree with the direct absorption of water into the ground, including, but not limited to, building <br />footprints, sidewalks, paved or gravel driveways and parking areas, patios, sports courts, or any <br />other similar surface. Decks, pervious landscape fabric, and retaining walls shall not be included <br />as impervious surface. <br />The current definition aligns with the MN DNR shoreland model ordinance definition and a <br />majority of other local governments.