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Single-Family Residential Lot Split Study Report May 14, 2007 residents to understand and apply. Two members suggested that the Council consider the issue of neighborhood character in the broader context of the Zoning Ordinances when the Council next undertakes a review. Members acknowledged the importance of the neighborhood context issue and supported revising the preamble or purpose statement of the Zoning Code to include language related to neighborhood character. Currently, Section 1001.01 of the Zoning Code identifies the purpose of this code. Subparagraph B states: "Said restrictions and regulations are for the purpose of protecting the character and stability of the residential, business and manufacturing areas and to promote the orderly development of such areas." The CAG recommends the following amendment to the preamble: "Said restrictions and regulations are for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the character, stability, and vitality of residential neighborhoods as well as commercial areas." Public Streets As part of the interim ordinance, the City Council stipulated that the Single-Family Residential Lot Split Study should investigate the public street requirement within Subdivision Code. The existing Subdivision Code requires that single-family residential lots must be served by a publicly dedicated street (1103.06(E)). If a developer would like to create a private street, they must go through a variance or planned-unit development process. Those Roseville residents that participated in the lot design activity at the Open House did not indicate a preference for public streets. In fact, when asked the question as to how many houses a new public street should serve the majority of respondents selected eleven to fifteen houses, which was the greatest number of houses offered an answer to the question. Using this information as a basis of discussion, the CAG members agreed that private streets could be acceptable if their approval was conditioned on a requirement that the streets being built to city standards, a funding mechanism being in place to pay for maintenance, and the streets can not have gates or impede the flow of traffic. The CAG recommends that the City Council should amend the Subdivision Ordinance to allow single-family lots to be served by private streets if approval of the private street is conditioned on a legal mechanism (e.g. neighborhood associations) being in place to fund seasonal and ongoing maintenance and that the streets cannot be gated or restrict traffic. In addition to the public versus private street issue, the CAG also discussed how new houses in new subdivisions that include new streets access the public road network. The CAG recommends that the City Council should amend the Subdivision Code to require that new houses being placed on new streets within a new subdivision should access the new street in that subdivision. Decreasing Density,/Increasing Density The CAG decided that this was an issue for which time was not available; the CAG, therefore, did not make any recommendations to the City Council. Housing Affordability and Housing Stock The CAG did discuss the impact of subdivision regulation on housing affordability as well as housing stock diversity throughout the course of the study. The CAG did not make any specific recommendations to the City Council on this issue, though the creation of the new small-lot zoning district would support the goal of increasing affordable housing within the City. 14