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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 5 <br />UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS <br />A. Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Update Discussion - HKGi <br />Jason Zimmerman, HKGi, commented HKGi was selected by the City of Arden Hills to <br />complete an update to the existing Zoning and Subdivision ordinances. The Planning <br />Commission, as the body most involved with the application of the code, will help conduct a <br />technical review of the proposed changes and provide recommendations to the City Council. The <br />first two work sessions covered base zoning districts, use tables, required lot and site standards, <br />and general development standards. <br />Mr. Zimmerman explained at the second work session, the Planning Commission provided <br />feedback on the lot and site standards for non-residential and mixed use districts, as well as <br />thoughts on comments on a number of general development standards (parking and EV charging, <br />signage, landscaping, exterior storage, and outdoor lighting). The City Council reviewed the <br />recommendations for updates to lot and site standards and was generally in agreement. The <br />Council has taken additional time to work through the use tables, as well as the general <br />development standards, so these sections are still being revised. Draft zoning text for these topics <br />will be forwarded to the Planning Commission once they are available. Following the second <br />work session, HKGi received a few comments from Commissioners and worked to incorporate <br />this feedback into the revisions. Commissioner comments mostly confirmed the direction of the <br />recommendations that were provided, though asked a few additional clarifying questions or <br />made minor suggestions for consideration. There are three topics that will be discussed at the <br />third work session: <br />•Use Specific Standards <br />•Subdivision Regulations <br />•Procedures <br />Mr. Zimmerman stated Use Specific Standards are requirements associated with uses listed in <br />zoning use tables. These standards are typically applied when uses are approved as Permitted <br />with Standards or as Conditional Uses. The common theme is that the City has identified certain <br />standards that should apply regardless of the circumstances surrounding a given application, and <br />these are included in the text of the zoning chapter. If a use is Permitted with Standards, the <br />requirements are evaluated by staff to determine if they are being met before issuing a permit. If <br />a use requires a Conditional Use Permit, these same standards must be followed but there may be <br />other requirements that would be determined as part of the public process. <br />Mr. Zimmerman commented the Subdivision Chapter (Chapter 11) deals with how land is <br />divided and platted, and includes minimum standards that dictate the design of streets, blocks, <br />lots, easements, and other elements of land development. It also contains requirements related to <br />public improvements that must be installed by the developer, such as streets, street trees, street <br />lighting, utilities, sidewalks, etc. For the most part, the existing code is typical for a suburban <br />community and does not need extensive modification. HKGi is proposing to reorganize some <br />parts of the chapter and to simplify some of the language.