04-14-25-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – MARCH 10, 2025 6 City Administrator Jagoe said the intent of the proposed naming of the districts was to take away, for example on the residential side, the housing type that is there. So, calling it Suburban Residential 1 vs. Single Family. Because the B-2 District currently allows multi-family dwelling as a conditional use they chose the mixed-use language. She can have them look at a different name. That commercial B-2 district currently allows residential as a conditional use, but we can request an alternative to that name. Mayor Grant said it seems in some places they are trying to change the district by using language like permitted and permitted with standards. They are opening up a lot of things and redefining our code rather than correcting and simplifying our code. He believed that was their primary purpose. City Administrator Jagoe said the mixed use term wasn’t intended to introduce new uses within a district. Council can have that discussion. She believes the intent of the naming is that today, we do allow residential as a conditional use in this Commercial District. There is a portion of the report that discusses Expanding Access to Housing. One of their models for a proposed use table would include permitted use, conditional use and permitted with standards. If the Planning Commission, with City Council direction, wanted to look at there being a number of uses that are either conditional use, or require a PUD for approval. The permitted with standards is an opportunity to have a pathway where certain applications can be approved administratively, subject to the standards outlined in the code, without requiring a public hearing. For those applications there is a layer of review before you get to the building permit. It is a pathway to help reduce the barriers of cost and/or time by eliminating the public hearing, Planning Commission and full City Council review. Mayor Grant said he is looking at R-1. He said R-1 is single family residential. According to the information provided someone could create a duplex or twin home. He asked if that is allowed today. City Administrator Jagoe said the R-1 district allows a single family attached, which is a town home or twin home and a two-family home is allowed by conditional use permit in R-1. This is saying the conditional use permit would require the public hearing process to play out. Mayor Grant said we don’t allow townhomes. City Administrator Jagoe said we do allow single family attached, where there is a common wall, by conditional use. Yes, it is allowed today with approval of a conditional use permit. Mayor Grant asked if a townhome can be a four-plex. City Administrator Jagoe said no. A duplex and a four-plex would be different than a single family. Councilmember Monson said it seems like the changes reflect what we’re already doing but with clarifying names. We already allow the uses they are recommending in R-1. The question is whether to leave it as a conditional use or change it to be permitted with standards. She asked if that was a fair characterization of the changes.