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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – MAY 16, 2016 8 City Planner Streff explained there were no grants available to the City of Arden Hills. He indicated staff would continue to monitor the grants available. Councilmember Holmes understood the Comprehensive Plan Update was a requirement. However, she believed the Comp Plan was a huge waste of staff time and resources. She supported only the minimum amount of staff time and consultants being used for the update. Councilmember McClung and Councilmember Holden agreed especially given the level of changes that would be coming to the City as TCAAP develops. City Planner Streff commented that because the City has made many adjustments to the Comp Plan for TCAAP, less work would be required in the end. Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed the budgeting process for the Comp Plan. She explained that staff would do as much of the text changes in house as possible, but understood that parts of the Comp Plan would require assistance. She indicated staff would begin a scope of work and would request proposals. Staff would report back to the Council at a future work session meeting. D. Exterior Lighting Design Standards Senior Planner Bachler stated the 2016 Planning Commission Work Plan was adopted at the City Council Work Session on January 19, 2016. One of the items on the Work Plan was to research and amend the exterior lighting design standards included in the Zoning Code. The Planning Commission and staff previously completed work on this item in 2014, which included researching exterior lighting ordinances adopted by other cities in the metro and identifying best practices, and discussing possible updates to the Zoning Code. Staff has gone back and reviewed this work and drafted an Amendment to Section 1325.05, Subd. 3 of the Zoning Code. Senior Planner Bachler explained Sections 1320 and 1325 of the Zoning Code include additional requirements on exterior lighting for specific districts. For example, the Special Requirements for the Neighborhood Business District in Section 1320.08 restricts security and parking lot lights to no more than 14 feet in height. Properties would be required to meet the general design standards for exterior lighting in Section 1325.05, Subd. 3 as well as any additional standards included elsewhere in the Zoning Code. Senior Planner Bachler indicated the Planning Commission’s discussion on exterior lighting in 2014 focused on requirements that would limit light trespass across property lines, reduce glare, and restrict high-luminosity light fixtures. The draft amendment would achieve these goals through prescriptive standards on lighting design and mounting height. A lighting plan would be required for any new development, redevelopment, or addition for a commercial, industrial, or multi-family use, which would allow the City to evaluate conformance with the design standards. Senior Planner Bachler stated based on direction previously provided by the City Council, staff has included language in the amendment that prohibits architectural accent lighting used to advertise buildings or properties. This would include LED illuminated accent lighting increasingly seen on gas station canopies and fast food restaurant buildings. Lighting of architectural features