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Mounds View City Council October 23, 2006 <br />Regular Meeting Page 5 <br />purpose is to allow the City to ensure that there will be no further impacts to the wetlands but <br />should not prevent residents from improving their property. <br />Director Ericson indicated that impacts usually come into play when there is a grading situation <br />or impervious surface added. <br />Council Member Thomas indicated that buffers are not being redefined and they are not being <br />changed because things are being taken away this is simply an improvement to the maps. <br />Mayor Marty explained that any developer developing a site with wetlands is required to create <br />additional wetlands in another location. <br />Mike Read of 2208 Lois Drive said that he lives next to a drainage ditch and Rice Creek <br />Watershed District has a 50 foot buffer zone and he would suggest that the City reduce its buffer <br />zone to 50 feet to match the Rice Creek Watershed requirements. <br />Director Ericson indicated that Staff has not proposed any text change to the Ordinance so Staff <br />does not have the ability to do that but, Council could choose not to buffer the drainage ditch at <br />all. <br />Mayor Marty said that he went out there for other issues and he does not see how this would <br />impact the homes in the area unless there is a need to regrade or rebuild. <br />Mr. Read said that with wetlands FEMA gets involved and it brings into play flood zones and he <br />does not want to find himself in a flood zone. <br />Director Ericson indicated that the City maps do not show flood zones as that is handled by <br />FEMA and buffering this and labeling it as a wetland should not change how FEMA categorizes <br />flood zones. <br />Mayor Marty said that he would be interested in seeing the flood zone map as an overlay on the <br />wetland maps. He then said that he understands the concerns. <br />Mayor Many asked Staff to look into flood zone information prior to the second reading of this <br />Ordinance. <br />Council Member Thomas said that she has spent a lot of time on this and she does not see the <br />benefit of putting the buffers around the judicial ditches. She then said that she would like to <br />have the natural areas but not "shoot ourselves in the foot" by creating more regulations all the <br />while making sure there is good drainage. She further said that buffering does not seem <br />necessary for a man made ditch. <br />Council Member Stigney said that he feels a ditch is a ditch and needs no buffer. <br />• Council Member Gunn and Mayor Marty agreed. <br />