2025 08-12 Planning Commission Minutes

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City of Gem Lake Planning Commission Meeting Minutes August 12, 2025 2 Ordinance No. 131 – Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 16 Amendments and Appendix A Definitions City Planner CJ Sycks summarized the amendments. 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 the July meeting, the Commissioners discussed the following items specifically: • Creating a table of uses for ease of use, like the Gateway District building uses (figures 16 and 17) • Ensuring agricultural animals are permitted in all zoning districts on lots greater than one acre • Ensuring consistency in swimming pool setbacks • Updating the agricultural and accessory structure setbacks • Ensuring townhomes and twin homes are properly permitted in certain districts 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. 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. 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. 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 agricultural structure setbacks. Commission Chair Cummings informed those in attendance that the Commission would begin with the public hearing, and that the public would have a chance to provide input on the topic. Commissioner Wippich introduced a motion to open the public hearing at 7:49 p.m., seconded by Commissioner Pratt. Motion carried 4-0. The public had no comment. Commissioner Wippich introduced a motion to close the public hearing at 7:50 p.m., seconded by Commissioner Pratt. Motion carried 4-0. City planner CJ Sycks recommends that additional desired Ordinance 131 updates be done concurrently with the upcoming Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Planning update process. Updating the Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance 131 at the same time will ensure consistency between the two legal 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, the Commission and staff should begin to make note of what those sections may be. The Metropolitan Council is releasing resources and requirements for this comprehensive planning cycle this fall. Comprehensive Planning updates can look different for every community and can be tailored to exactly what the community needs. Beginning in September, the Planning Commission should start discussing what types of updates are needed, what is desired, and how they’d like the Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan to shape the community.