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Memorandum To: Gem Lake City Council Project Reference: Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131 and Appendix A Updates Copies To: Melissa Lawrence, Acting City Clerk TKDA Project No.: 22428.000 From: CJ Sycks, Planner Client No.: Date: August 13, 2025 SUBJECT: Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131 Update MEETING DATE: August 19, 2025 ITEMS REVIEWED: Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131 and Appendix A BACKGROUND The Planning Commission and City Planner reviewed the City’s zoning ordinance, referred to as the Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131. Updating Ordinance No. 131 will increase zoning and permitting clarity among residents of Gem Lake. Amending the existing language and formatting will enhance the ease of use of the ordinance. The Commission began discussing proposed updates and providing staff guidance on further improvements to the Ordinance and its appendix of definitions in June 2025. At a public hearing on August 12, 2025, the Planning Commission discussed the Ordinance updates for a third time and recommend adoption of the proposed Ordinance. CURRENT ORDINANCE Ord. No. 131 was enacted in 2017, replacing Ord. No. 43K (Zoning Ordinance). There are 30 Sections within Ord. No. 131. The definitions are found in Appendix A. To view the entire ordinance you may find a copy on the City’s website here: https://gemlakemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ordinance- No.-131- Consolidated-Land-Use-Ordinance-Updated-November-2023.pdf. The first four sections of Ordinance No. 131 provide a background to the purpose of the document and the related rules. Maps are provided to visualize each zoning district. Each zoning district is described in individual sections (section 5 through section 10), including the district purpose, permitted uses, and lot regulations. Concerns with the current ordinance include inconsistent formatting, combining conditional and interim uses, frequent back referencing, and unclear.