Agenda Packets - 2006/11/13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council October 23, 2006 Regular Meeting Page 5 purpose is to allow the City to ensure that there will be no further impacts to the wetlands but 1 should not prevent residents from improving their property. 2 3 Director Ericson indicated that impacts usually come into play when there is a grading situation 4 or impervious surface added. 5 6 Council Member Thomas indicated that buffers are not being redefined and they are not being 7 changed because things are being taken away this is simply an improvement to the maps. 8 9 Mayor Marty explained that any developer developing a site with wetlands is required to create 10 additional wetlands in another location. 11 12 Mike Read of 2208 Lois Drive said that he lives next to a drainage ditch and Rice Creek 13 Watershed District has a 50 foot buffer zone and he would suggest that the City reduce its buffer 14 zone to 50 feet to match the Rice Creek Watershed requirements. 15 16 Director Ericson indicated that Staff has not proposed any text change to the Ordinance so Staff 17 does not have the ability to do that but, Council could choose not to buffer the drainage ditch at 18 all. 19 20 Mayor Marty said that he went out there for other issues and he does not see how this would 21 impact the homes in the area unless there is a need to regrade or rebuild. 22 23 Mr. Read said that with wetlands FEMA gets involved and it brings into play flood zones and he 24 does not want to find himself in a flood zone. 25 26 Director Ericson indicated that the City maps do not show flood zones as that is handled by 27 FEMA and buffering this and labeling it as a wetland should not change how FEMA categorizes 28 flood zones. 29 30 Mayor Marty said that he would be interested in seeing the flood zone map as an overlay on the 31 wetland maps. He then said that he understands the concerns. 32 33 Mayor Marty asked Staff to look into flood zone information prior to the second reading of this 34 Ordinance. 35 36 Council Member Thomas said that she has spent a lot of time on this and she does not see the 37 benefit of putting the buffers around the judicial ditches. She then said that she would like to 38 have the natural areas but not “shoot ourselves in the foot” by creating more regulations all the 39 while making sure there is good drainage. She further said that buffering does not seem 40 necessary for a man made ditch. 41 42 Council Member Stigney said that he feels a ditch is a ditch and needs no buffer. 43 44 Council Member Gunn and Mayor Marty agreed. 45