2008 04-15 CC MINUTES - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF GEM LAKE, MN 4200 Otter Lake Road Gem Lake, MN 55110-3227 Telephone 651-747-2790 Planning Commission Minutes, 4-1-2008 Planning Commission. Chair Jim Lindner opened the April meeting at 7:00PM in the Gem Lake City Hall. Conunissioners Lindner, Derek Wippich, and Craig Rafferty were present. Also present were Beth and Steve Herzog, Paul Emeott, Justin Gese, Dan Jochim, and Rob Hansen. Comprehensive Plan Jim Lindner introduced the draft comprehensive plan then turned the floor over to Dan Jochim. Dan discussed the process to date and encourages us to discuss the effort and continue to review it after the meeting. He then proceeded to discuss the plan in each of its sections. Also note that plan section 6, Transportation was not complete for this meeting. Dan had informed us this section would not be ready for this meeting ahead of time. Dan's first focus was on section 3. There are some population numbers projected by the Met Council that have' been taken into account for this plan. if we project too low or too high we could encounter challenges from Met Council. Dan believes 652 is an accurate depiction for Gem Lake population by 2030. This number provides us flexibility with how we approach housing and land use. We discussed how our plan section 4 may not coincide with Vadnais Heights development. We also talked about possible park opportunities that have emerged in recent days with regards to the property adjacent to city hall. We reviewed land use and talked about page 5-8 "Land Available for Development" pertaining to the 71 acres in the mixed use planning area along County E and Highway 61. There is merit to initially planning for a 50-50 ration of residential and commercial use in this area but future plan reviews may see the need to alter this ratio: Rob Hansen raised the question of having clustering incorporated into the plan. In section 9, housing, this concept is contained in the goals for the community. As we move forward with new ideas inthis plan the Planning Commission will need to look at our zoning ordinance to assure it supports ideas presented in the plan. Paul asked that SEH add similar guidelines to the new plan that are in section 12 of the 1997 plan. This will help facilitate our review processes. Justin Gese talked about the sewer and water plans. These are more technical in nature and are required components. Dan and Jim advocated an annual workshop between the Planning Commission and City Council to review and assess the plan, so that any necessary changes can be highlighted. This will keep the plan current and dynamic. In the past such workshops have occurred, but never in a consistent basis. Early in each calendar year would be an ideal time. Look for us on the World Wide Web al gemlakernn,org