2025 09-16 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

City of Gem Lake City Council Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 3 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. Ordinance No. 131 was enacted in 2017, replacing Ordinance No. 43K (Zoning Ordinance). There are 30 Sections within Ord. No. 131. The definitions are found in Appendix A. 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 unclearness. Amendments were made to provide clarity on permitting within each zoning district. This includes updated formatting, language, and division of sections, as well as the minor changes of writing conventions. To better understand the progress of these revisions since June 2025, please review the Planning Commission meeting minutes and packets. The restructuring of Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 and clarification on Conditional vs Interim Uses was addressed. The changes can be found in the City Council Packet located on the city’s website or at Heritage Hall upon request. Appendix A included some additions to relevant definitions. This proposed update to Ordinance No. 131 focuses on enhancing clarity surrounding the permitted, accessory, conditional, and interim uses in each residential district. Additional changes proposed go hand- in-hand with this focus, such as structure setbacks. Staff recommends that additional desired Ordinance No. 131 updates be done concurrently with the upcoming Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Planning process. Updating the Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance 131 at the same time will ensure consistency between the two documents and ensure the City’s mission and goals are being accurately and effectively carried out. If additional and substantial changes to Ordinance 131 are desired, Staff will begin making note of those sections. The Metropolitan Council adopted the Imagine 2050 regional development guide. The City of Gem Lake will need to begin their comprehensive planning process at the start of the new year. A comprehensive plan update often requires updating the zoning ordinance to reflect any changes in future land use designations, allowable uses, etc. Councilmember Lindner introduced a motion to approve the amendments to Ordinance No. 131 and Appendix A updates, seconded by Councilmember Cacioppo. Motion carried 5-0. VLAWMO Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) for City Council Consideration A memo from VLAWMO Administrator, Phil Belfiori, summarized how VLAWMO is working to update its Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) in conjunction with its work to develop the 2027-2036 Watershed Management Plan. The current JPA was adopted in 2016 and will expire on December 31, 2026. While the current JPA will not expire until next year, VLAWMO determined the concurrent review and update of the JPA, and the Watershed Management Plan is the most efficient and will help ensure the documents are properly aligned. VLAWMO staff would respectfully request City Council consideration and action on the JPA by Friday, September 26, 2025, if possible. This timing would allow for best “fit” and alignment with the anticipated timing with the upcoming VLAWMO Board consideration of the next version of the VLAWMO Watershed Management Plan later this Fall /Early Winter.