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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 21, 2023 8 <br />Councilmember Monson said she was the one that requested this to be on the agenda. She felt <br />they should make it easier for people to improve the value of their homes. She would like to see a <br />public hearing or survey to hear what their concerns are. Some businesses are concerned about <br />things like lighting, which would be a separate list. If there is support she'd like to see a plan <br />made about the scope and cost. <br />Councilmember Rousseau said they didn't request a variance when remodeling the exterior of <br />their home but she had interest in comparing our ordinances to other cities. <br />Mayor Grant said he brought up the corner lot issue. Code was changed in the 1980s and <br />potentially not a good thing. Property owners have rights but it needs to be balanced with <br />infringing on neighbors' rights. He felt they could look at areas of concern, businesses are <br />different but that could be looked at as well, specifically lighting requirements. <br />Councilmember Monson noted that she'd like to have the Planning Commission be involved in <br />this. <br />Councilmember Holden would like to see past projects, like infill, come before this. <br />Mayor Grant suggested they start with potential changes to residential code, look for issues of <br />frequent variances. <br />City Administrator Perrault felt they could use a multi -phase approach, with setbacks <br />potentially discussed next month, and floor area ratios. He proposed looking at some of the easy <br />setbacks first and possibly plan for some kind of survey. <br />Mayor Grant requested the infill project be included. <br />Councilmember Fabel wondered if people who work with codes such as realtors, builders and <br />home improvement contractors could be involved. <br />Community Development Director Jagoe said some of the other ordinances on her list are infill <br />development, short term rentals, signage, amendments to the fence ordinance, accessory structures <br />and evcharging stations. <br />Councilmember Holden asked if sight lines would be included. <br />Community Development Director Jagoe said that would be part of infill, which would also <br />include land disturbance, inconsistency between ordinance language, height of buildings, tree <br />clearing and character of the neighborhood. <br />Council directed staff to bring back what other cities have for setbacks as a starting point and also <br />discuss priorities for future code revisions. <br />H. Climate Action Roadmap Discussion <br />Councilmember Monson stated she was looking for enough consent for staff to look at what the <br />City is doing on a sustainable nature and climate resiliency. The end goal would be a climate <br />