Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 1979Published by the Arden Hills Newsletter Publication Committee No. 132 December 1979 T ZONING - PUBLIC HEARING ON DECEMBER 13 The Arden Hills City Council will hold a O Public Hearing on the proposed new zoning ordin- ance on Thursday, December 13, at 8:00 PM in 1Wthe Village Hall. This ordinance affects each resident of AH, often very directly, and every - Cone is encouraged to attend this hearing. NSo far, just one resident of AH has been R interested enough about this ordinance to write to the Council and express his concerns. His = feeling is that the one time when a citizen is sure to have direct contact with the Planning Fa Commission and Council is when that citizen applies for a Building Permit for a project for his/her home (a fence, garage, room addition, • • • etc.) And, very often, this citizen will dis- cover that in order to complete the projectthe way he wants to, a Variance is required. (Most generally, a Variance is required because the new room or garage will be closer to the property line than allowed by ordinance.) Since a person's home is usually his biggest financial investment, this Variance request becomes quite important. The letter -writer thinks that the system for asking for a Variance should be laid out more clearly and that getting the Variance should be made easier. He argues that "the people requesting variances are our neighbors..." and that "if the neighbors don't object, and there is no detrimental community impact, and the variance does not alter the essential character of the neighborhood..." then it should be granted. He concludes by suggesting that the Planning Com- mission and Council "approach each variance as a personal problem, not an ab- stract principle, recognizing its individual character. Avoid categorical rigidity." Currently, the only time a Variance is granted is if "practical diffi- culties or unnecessary hardships" would be imposed upon the applicant by not granting it. The financial cost of any project has never been considered to be a "practical difficulty", even though it sometimes might cost more to build according to ordinance than it would with a Variance. At any rate, the new ordinance concerning variances plus a myriad of other items will be up for public discussion on the 13th. Copies of the ordinance may be borrowed from the Village Hall if you want to see exactly what will be voted upon. EDITOR'S COMMENT: I must agree with our concerned letter -writer that the rules for applying for a Building Permit and/or Variance should be set out simply and clearly. To the personnel at the Village Hall, the Planning Commission, and the Council, the procedure is routine. But for someone asking for a Var- iance for the first time, it can be an intimidating and frustrating experience. On the other hand, I don't think a Variance should be granted just because somebody asks for one. Perhaps a clear understanding of why the rules were (' set would help; for instance, why must a residential house have a 40' setback from the road? Come to the Hearing on Dec. 13, and find the answers. I I FENCES Along with that last article comes the note that if you want to put a fence on your property, please be sure and check with the Village Hall first! Even if the fence meets all codes and ordinances, a Building Permit is still required. It is rather disconcerting, as ore new home owner discovered, to have your fence half -completed and then be told that you need a prmit, that Arden Hills does not allow completely solid -type fencing, and that it's facing the wrong way (posts are supposed to be to the inside.) Remember about being safe rather than sorry, DOG LICENSES It's that time of year again, and all dogs in Arden Hills must have,a 1980 license by January 1. Renewal forms have been sent to all known dog owners in the Village; new owners or new residents with dogs should contact the Village Hall (633-5676) for a license form. The licenses are issued for two years for $10.00 and you must provide proof of rabies vaccination. The cost is the same for both males and females and there is a $4.00 penalty fee if you apply late. If you receive a license form in the mail and no longer own a dog, please call the Village Hall and tell thew; it would help out greatly. CABLE TELEVISION By the time you receive this newsletter, the Arden Hills Cable TV Com- mittee should have already met and begun to investigate the desire for Cable TV in AH. Since last month, the Council has appointed three more members to this committees Mary Ann Lindberg, Joseph North, and William Bauer. It has also been suggested that Arden Hills merge with New Brighton for the purposes of establishing a Cable TV territory. 911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM PLAN The 911 Emergency Telephone System Plan is a plan designed to "provide the public with direct ialephone access to a dispatching center which will notify the appropriate police, fire, or emergency medical services agency" in case of an emergency. In other words, if you need help fast, dial 911. The State has mandated that the seven county metro area go ahead and make plans for the installation bf this network; a 1977 survey showed that 60% of the residents in the Twin Cities did not know the correct number to call for an emergency. There will be no direct cost to Arden Hills, because the system will be funded by the county, state, and federal governments. (However, we all under- stand from whence these governments obtain their money!) The system is pro- jected to be in by the end of 1982. DECEMBER MEETINGS Because of the holiday in December, many of the regular meetings of the Village committees will be rescheduled or held in places other than the City Hall. Therefore, please check with the Village first if youplanto attend ' any of the meetings. The number is, as always, 633-5676. The regular Council meeting should be on the last Monday of the month which, this year, is December 31. Although that is not a legal holiday, it was thought that New Year's Eve might not be the best time to conduct business.' As of this writing, the new date has not been established. MINNESOTA BAPTIST CONFERENCE DONATION Again this year, the Minnesota Baptist Conference has made tion to the City of Arden Hills "for services rendered." It is to thank them publicly; the amount is $200. a free dona- a real pleasure ii 1J LEXINGTON AVENUE The Ramsey County Highway Department is going to use the abandoned house at 1105 W. County Road D as a temporary field office next summer while they work on Lexington Ave. The house is located on the northwest corner of the D and Lexington intersection, and the plan is to straighten out the curve of Lexington at that points which means the house will eventually be removed. For this reason, the house was condemned and the owners have already moved. The use of the home as a field office will save the County from bring- ing in one of their mobile units. POTPOURRI Volunteers are needed for all of Arden Hills' various committees for 1980. Call the Village Hall with }our name and area of interest if you can help out. Most of the committees meet only once a month..... Approval has been given for Mutual Service to go ahead with their second building at the corner of Pine Tree Drive and County Road E. It will be a small office and claims center with not much traffic..... Did you realize the title of our new sauna ordinance? It's LN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE OPERATION OF MASSAGE, RAP AND SAUNA PARLORS AND INDIVIDUALS PROVIDING SERVICES AT THEM; REQUIRING LICENSES TO OPERATE SUCH ESTABLISHMENTS AND TO PERFORM SERVICES THERE; PROVIDING STANDARDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, OP- ERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ESTABLISHMENTS; AND ESTABLISHING PENALTIES rOR THE VIOLATION THEREOF..... Arden Hills has approved the application for a home occupation permit for one of our residents to buy and sell antique dolls and doll house furniture from her home. This is such a low -profile business that nobody will even be much aware of its existence; the applicant just wanted to make sure it was completely legal. However, the Planning Commission did suggest the following headline for the Town Crier: ARDEN HILLS REJECTS SAUNAS BUT PERMITS DOLLHOUSES.I Twin City Federal wants to rent space in the Arden Plaza complex for a few years to see if there is enough business in the area to warrant building their own building. However, one of the things upon which they insist is that they be allowed to have their own individual sign "flashing the time and temp- erature", and AH ordinance says that multiple occupants of one building must be listed on one sign only. The Planning Commission is considering the problem, aware that a time -and -temperature sign is a public service..... Bethel College has a new Director of Community Relations by the name of Cleon Engel. His main responsibilities will "include liason relationships with off -campus publics at the business and community levels." Off -campus publics? .....Requests are now being taken for the months of January through June for the use of school facilities in the MoundsView Schools after the regular school day schedule. For more information, call 636-3650, ext. 144 ..... Some owners of mobile homes in Arden Manor have discovered that, according to AH ordinance, the only addition allowed onto a mobile home (an entryway, another bedroom, etc.) is an addition that was made by the same manufacturer that built the mobile home originally. However, many manufacturers do not make additions, and some have gone out of business. Therefore, the Council voted to change the ordinance so that any addition is OK if it meets all building codes and vari- ance limits..... There will be meeting of the County Road E Planning Task Force on Dec- ember 11 at the MSI cafeteria. The time is in question, so call the Village Hall if you're really curious.....Have you noticed the three flags that fly over the Mutual Service north entrance? They appear to be the U.S. flag, the flag of the State of Minnesota, and one with Two Pine Trees..... Z961 *ON 1<NUM •UUIW 'InId IS QIdd m1soa ,s •n 2XVIE xzns to-.Oki1111,1 �, 11 P VISITORS AT COUNCIL MEETING Thirteen members of the Webelos Den, Pack 419, attended the November 13 Council meeting, and each group was quite impressed with the other. The boys behaved beautifully, even though the discussion of landscaping of the East Side Beverage Company was not too exciting. The kids did enjoy the aerial survey maps of the city though. ("There's my housel There's my schools") Congratualtions to Den Leader Mary Lorenz and Assistant Mary Foster. TENATIVE CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER Dec. 3 Public Safety Dec. 12 Rice Creek Watershed 5 Planning Commission 13 PUBLIC HEARING on new zoning 6 Human Rights 7:00 AM at the ordinance 8:00 PM Steak Inn 19 Public Works 10 Council 26 Rice Creek Watershed 11 Parks and Recreation ?? Council 12 Newsletter Committee 6:45 AM at the Steak Inn For Heaven's Sake, check these dates and times before you comel The Town Crier newsletter is designed to inform Arden Hills residents of Village activities and business. Feel free to comment on anything. The dead- line for the next issue will be December 14. Secretary -Editors Diane McAllister, 1200.Ingerson Road, 55112. 484-0773 Village Halle: 1450 W. Highway 96, 55112. 633-5676