2008 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

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Land Use Development Constraints With the many natural resources in Gem Lake, there are also associated development constraints. The City of Gem Lake is a significant natural resource area, including a lake, wetlands and hardwood forests. Care needs to be exercised in the design and construction of any new development in the City. Sensitive areas should be protected as open space. Master planning, cluster development and similar land use concepts should be utilized to minimize impacts on natural resources and maximize efficiency of services. Aggregate Resources Demand for aggregate resources continues to grow in the metropolitan area. As local resources become depleted, aggregate needed for urban development will have to be imported from outside the seven -county metropolitan area. The City will permit gravel mining operations where appropriate and consistent with the City's zoning ordinance. It is important to note that the City of Gem Lake doesn't have any aggregate resources and doesn't anticipate any in the future. Solar Access Protection Since 1978, the Metropolitan Land Planning Act has required communities to include verbiage in their plans to protect access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems. The purpose of this provision is to protect solar collectors from shading by adjacent structures and/or landscaping. The City of Gem Lake recognizes the value of solar access protection and energy conservation in general; however, the community is experiencing limited new construction in its urbanized area. In addition, while a considerable amount of new development will occur throughout the City in the future, the application of this provision will be difficult within the context of an established land use patterns and natural topography. For this reason, the City will look beyond solar accessibility alone and will address the conservation of energy in general, through its comprehensive planning efforts. City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan I page 5-12