2023.02.21 PC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ordinances to Rezone Land to Mixed Use Per the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Planning Commission; 2-21-23 Page 2 While new zoning could not be penned during the COVID shutdowns, the City was still actively planning its next comprehensive plan implementation steps. A grant was secured through Ramsey County to conduct public outreach to inform the creation of new mixed use zoning districts once the pandemic had passed. Known as the Vision Silver Lake Road 2040 project, the outreach effort was officially launched in the spring of 2022, and the three-phased planning effort was completed later that fall. Feedback from citizens over the course of the project allowed the City’s consultant to identify specific zoning standards to govern mixed use lands. Those recommendations were subsequently adopted into code by Ordinance 893 which established the Mixed Use Neighborhood, the Mixed Use Regional, and the Mixed Use Exchange zoning districts. QUESTION AND ANSWERS Ordinance 896, currently before the Planning Commission, is the final implementation step to complete the transition of lands to mixed use within the community as approved in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Because this ordinance is the culmination of efforts, outreach, and decisions over multiple years, staff was not surprised to receive numerous questions leading up to the scheduled public hearing on February 21st. A summary of the most common questions and answers from both landowners and neighbors is as follows: Typical questions from ALL residents:  What is Zoning? Zoning is the primary tool that Cities use to establish what can and cannot happen on every property within the City. Whereas a Comprehensive Plan identifies generally allowed uses throughout a community (i.e commercial, residential, industrial, mixed-use, etc), zoning regulations establish the specific standards development must follow in these areas. Examples of zoning standards include but are not limited to how large a building can be, where structures can be located, and how much parking is required.  Where did the decision to rezone these properties come from? From early 2017 through mid-2019 (2.5 years), the City of New Brighton held meetings and conducted public outreach sessions with its residents to establish a new vision for the community. This new vision, encapsulated in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, was officially approved and adopted by the City in late 2019.  If the decision to rezone these properties to mixed use was made in 2019, why is the rezoning only occurring now? The creation of new mixed use zoning districts to govern these areas required additional public outreach and input. The onset of COVID in 2020 made that kind of engagement impossible for a period of time. Following a semi-return to normal in 2021, the City secured a grant through Ramsey County to fund the Vision Silver Lake Road 2040 public outreach effort to inform the authoring of new zoning standards for mixed use areas. That effort did not begin until late 2021 and subsequently wrapped up in the latter half of 2022. The public feedback gathered during that effort allowed the City’s consultant to identify specific zoning standards to incorporate into