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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – February 5, 2025 2 <br /> <br />Councilmember Weber noted he was not in attendance at this meeting. <br /> <br />Commissioner Erler moved, seconded by Commissioner Lindau, to approve the January 8, <br />2025, Planning Commission Regular Meeting as amended. The motion carried <br />unanimously (6-0). <br /> <br />PLANNING CASES <br /> <br />None. <br /> <br />UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS <br /> <br />A. Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Update Discussion <br /> <br />Jason Zimmerman, HKGi, stated HKGi was selected by the City of Arden Hills to complete an <br />update to the existing Zoning and Subdivision ordinances. The Planning Commission, as the <br />body most involved with the application of the code, will help conduct a technical review of the <br />proposed changes and provide recommendations to the City Council. The first work session will <br />cover some of the foundational elements upon which the rest of the ordinances will be built – <br />base zoning districts, residential uses, and the required lot and site standards. <br /> <br />Mr. Zimmerman explained the current zoning and subdivision ordinances were adopted in 1993 <br />but have been amended several times since – occasionally resulting in inconsistencies and poor <br />formatting. In addition, procedures and some content need to be updated to reflect modern <br />administration and new tools and technologies. HKGi has conducted a full evaluation of the <br />current code and will be working throughout 2025 to meet with the Planning Commission and <br />City Council in order to revise the organization and contents of the zoning and subdivision <br />chapters. The project has been broken down into four phases: <br /> <br />Phase 1 – Project Kick Off and Understanding [COMPLETE] <br />Phase 2 – Diagnose the Current Ordinances and Frame Approach [COMPLETE] <br />Phase 3 – Prepare Draft Codes <br />Work Session #1 – Zoning Districts and Uses [WE ARE HERE] <br />Work Session #2 – General Development Standards and Provisions <br />Work Session #3 – Development Procedures and Subdivision Regulations <br />Phase 4 – Final Ordinance Adoption and Implementation <br /> <br />Mr. Zimmerman reported HKGi prepared a document that summarizes the state of the current <br />ordinances and proposes changes to improve the structure and content – the Zoning and <br />Subdivision Code Diagnosis Report. This document was shared by City staff. Each work session <br />with the Planning Commission will be focused on a handful of topics. The City Council will be <br />briefed after each meeting on the discussion and recommendations of the Planning Commission. <br />Targeted stakeholder groups will be involved throughout the year as needed to provide input on <br />various topics. Consideration and adoption of the new code is anticipated for late fall of 2025. <br /> <br />Mr. Zimmerman commented Arden Hills currently has 17 different base zoning districts. This <br />number is high compared to the typical number of districts in peer communities in the Twin <br />Cities. There are four residential districts, which is a typical number. There are six <br />commercial/business districts; three to four is a more common number. Unless there is a good <br />reason to keep each district, and a clear difference between each of them, the code would benefit