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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes January 17,2006 Page 5 1 recreational vehicles. 2 3 Commissioner Jenson noted the reference to the location of vehicles on a lot and asked if this 4 implies requirements for a driveway. Chair Stromgren clarified that the code already states that a 5 hard surface is required and reviewed with the Commission. 6 7 b. Prairie Grass 8 9 Ms.Moore-Sykes stated that she was able to locate three different ordinances from the City of 10 Cedar Falls, Iowa; the City of Sandwich, Illinois; and the City of Big Lake, Minnesota. She 11 stated that all of the ordinances specifically discuss prairie grass and native shrubs. She provided 12 the Commission with copies of the discussions held by each of the Cities and reviewed the 13 respective guidelines with the Commission. 14 15 Commissioner Jenson asked if the City has adequate staff that could recognize what is acceptable 16 or not or would this require additional training for the current staff. 17 18 Ms. Moore-Sykes stated that the City could do it either way; hire an individual specifically for 19 this purpose or the Parks Department could handle this issue and provide additional training for 20 the current staff. 21 22 Commissioner Galyon suggested researching the enforcement and training issues further and 23 provide the Commission with further options to consider. 24 25 Commissioner Young suggested clarifying the type of buffer zones that would be required for 26 the property in order to separate the prairie grasses and shrubs from neighboring properties. 27 28 Chair Stromgren suggested a low cost or nominal fee to register prairie grass restoration projects. 29 30 C. Accessory Dwelling Units 31 32 Ms. Moore-Sykes stated that these kinds of units are quite prevalent in California noting that 33 some have used this type of unit for relatives living onsite and others have used them for 34 additional home office space. She stated that she included ordinances and permit processes from 35 the cities of Santa Cruz, California; Seattle, Washington; and Plymouth, Minnesota for their 36 review. She noted that the City of Plymouth refers to the units as specialized housing units and 37 provided example of the unit types for the Commission's review. She stated that basically the 38 most important issue to address with this type of unit is the decision regarding the plumbing. 39 She stated that it should be specific for the unit, based on lot sizes and lot coverage. 40 41 Commissioner Jenson noted that the packet of information deals specifically with separate units 42 located on the same lot. Ms. Moore-Sykes confirmed stating that sometimes the units are 43 actually incorporated as a part of the main unit. She stated that some have even utilized the units 44 as rental income. 45 46 Chair Stromgren clarified that the rationale should include demographics, lot coverage and need.