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Townhome Report April 1, 2002 Page 2 The effect of the zoning requirements is that an apartment complex is a permitted use within the R-3 and R-4 zoning districts. Owner-occupied townhome units are an underrepresented housing option in Mounds View and are arguably a preferable housing alternative from the City’s standpoint of wanting to provide more life-cycle housing opportunities. Owner-occupied townhomes however require a conditional use permit. If the City’s desire is to encourage one type of housing over another, it would seem counteractive to subject townhomes to additional requirements and a more extensive review. Given that, staff has begun drafting changes to the Zoning Code to reflect the City’s preference of owner-occupied housing over rental housing. The Planning Commission has reviewed these proposed changes and is in support of them. The changes will result in multi-family construction, rather than townhomes, being required to go through the conditional use permit (CUP) process. A question, however, can be raised at this point: Should condominiums (which are essentially owner-occupied apartments) be treated as townhomes or multi-family apartments? (They are currently defined as multi-family use, not subject to CUP review.) One could argue that an apartment building has the same impact upon a neighborhood regardless of the ownership status of the individual units, in which case it should be subject to the CUP requirements. Does the Council agree with that assessment? In addition to these changes, staff will work on adding a new definition to the zoning code to address a more recent example of higher density housing—detached townhomes. Other changes will add design requirements and other conditions to multi-family projects to ensure (or better ensure!) that multi-family projects are of a high quality and will be an asset to the neighborhood in which they are located. Last, it should be noted that the Planning Commission and City Council would review ANY townhome or multi-family development, regardless of it being rental or owner- occupied, according to the rules in Section 1006.06, pertaining to Development Controls. Recommendation: Discuss the proposed changes regarding townhomes and multiple-family developments and provide some feedback regarding the issue of condominium projects. Staff will continue to work on these changes and will report back to the Council with a draft ordinance for your consideration. _____________________________________ James Ericson Community Development Director 763-717-4021