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Item No. <br /> __cr <br /> Staff Report No. <br /> Meeting Date: 6/7/99 <br /> Type of Business: WK <br /> WK: Work Session;PH:Public Hearing; <br /> CA:Consent Agenda;EDAB:EDA Business <br /> City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> To: Mayor and City Council Members <br /> From: Rick Jopke, Community Development Director <br /> Item Title/Subject: Billboard Variance Options <br /> Date of Report: June 3, 1999 <br /> Background: <br /> The City Council has asked that the Planning Commission to look into and make <br /> recommendations whether billboards should be allowed and what process should be used if it is <br /> determined that the City wants to allow billboards at the golf course or nearby public property. <br /> Originally it was thought that this could be handled by issuing variances. I have serious <br /> misgivings about granting variances to allow billboards because I am not sure how you <br /> demonstrate an hardship. In my mind,this would also constitute a use variance which is <br /> prohibited by state statutes. An alternate method of addressing this, if the City wishes to permit <br /> billboards, would be to do a code amendment. <br /> If the City wishes to proceed to approve billboards, the code could be amended to allow <br /> billboards by conditional use permit and specific standards for billboards could be specified in <br /> the code. The types of standards could include the following: <br /> 1. Maximum sign area <br /> 2. Maximum sign height <br /> 3. Minimum distance between billboards <br /> 4. Pole type <br /> 5. Sign face configuration <br /> 6. Minimum distance and/or screening requirements from residential property <br /> 7. Total number of billboards allowed <br /> 8. Permitted locations <br /> 9. Maximum length of permit <br /> 10. Minimum setback requirements <br /> A second issue that would have to be overcome if billboards are to be constructed is that the <br /> billboard company will have to also obtain a permit from MnDOT. In talking to a representative <br /> from a billboard company, I learned that MnDOT requires that billboards be located in <br /> commercial or industrial zoning districts. He thought that they might treat a golf course as the <br /> same as a commercial use if it was in a zoning district which permitted only public type uses. A <br /> number of the potential billboard sites are in the CRP zoning district. An alternative would be to <br /> rezone the golf course to PF.Golf courses are permitted uses in the PF District. However,the <br />