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City Council Staff Report 1/26/2026 – Height Requirements Page 2 The Mounds View Vision A Thriving Desirable Community Current Requirements Below is an excerpt of current requirements in the city’s zoning code regarding building/structure height: 160.056(C) – Height Limitations (1) R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-5 Districts: no building or structure shall have a height greater than two and one-half stories or 45 feet. (2) R-4 District: no building or structure shall have a height greater than three stories. (3) B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, I-1 Districts: no building or structure shall have a height greater than three stories. *Note there are exceptions to height restrictions for chimneys, flagpoles, church spires, TV/radio antennas, etc. Wireless Telecommunication Towers/antennas adhere to special requirements based on State and Federal regulations. 160.316 – PUD General Requirements and Standards (L) Building Height. Height limitations shall be the same as imposed in the respective districts, unless the City Council determines additional height or stories would serve a better purpose consistent with the stated intent of this chapter. As shown above, the PUD process allows an applicant to establish a taller height requirement than typically allowed, though the city should be selective in how and when the PUD process is used for new developments given that the PUD process can be a lengthy and expensive process for an applicant to pursue. It is common for height to be set based on the base zone, as done currently in the city. For commercial zones and the R-4 zone, height is limited to the number of stories, which is defined in Section 160.012 as: (1) The portion of a building included beneath the upper surface of a floor and the upper surface of the floor next above; except that, the topmost STORY shall be that portion of a building included between the upper surface of the topmost floor and the ceiling of the roof above. (2) If the finished floor level directly above a basement or cellar or unused underfloor space is more than six feet above grade, as defined herein, for more than 50% of the total perimeter or is more than 12 feet above grade, as defined herein, at any point, the basement, cellar or unused underfloor space shall be considered as a STORY. The city’s definition above is similar to the definition used in the State Building Code. Typically, a story equates to 9-12 feet in height, depending on the use/occupancy of the story. This would result in a three story building being ~30-40 feet in height, a four story building being ~40-50 feet in height, and a five story building being ~50-60 feet in height. Considerations One option that communities may use for allowing increases in height, in addition to PUDs, includes using a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow an increase of a certain amount. For example, a city could allow an increase in the height limit by one story or ten feet through a CUP. CUPs would go through the Planning Commission for review, and would be approved or denied by the City Council. Some cities encourage applicants to request exceptions to height requirements through a variance. Given the threshold needed to meet the criteria for granting a