Adopt Resolution #24-186 approving a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment Pertaining to Low Density Residential. 

The Comprehensive Plan is a vision document containing land use policies on where the city should be in 2040.  It includes a map that lays out different broad land use categories across the community.  These categories include commercial, business park, public/institutional, and residential, among others.  The residential uses are split into six categories--Rural Developing, Urban Low Density, Low Density, Medium Density, High Density, and Mixed Use (of which there are subcategories).  The density ranges of the residential land use categories are:

Land Use Category                                         Density Range (units/acre)
Rural Developing (RD)                                    0.1 - 0.4
Urban Low Density Residential (ULDR)          Under 3.0 (in certain circumstances)
Low Density Residential (LDR)                       3.0 - 4.0
Medium Density Residential (MDR)                4.0 - 8.0
High Density Residential (HDR)                      8.0 - 15.0
Mixed Use
   -Mixed Use Low                                           5.0 - 15.0
   -Mixed Use Medium                                     8.0 - 25.0
   -Mixed Use High                                          15.0 - 75.0

The Zoning Code is the toolbox that is used to implement the Comprehensive Plans.  It lays out regulations for the various districts that can be applied to each of the Comprehensive Plan's land use categories.  Zoning regulations give the ability to nuance the broader land use categories such as lighter commercial uses (B-1 district) being allowed adjacent to residential uses with more intense commercial uses (B-2 and B-3 districts) separated from residential uses. Similarly with residential zones, the different districts allow for a variety of lot sizes and home types.

A city's Zoning regulations must be in conformance with its Comprehensive Plan policies.    The previous Zoning Code's R-1 MUSA-80 district had a quarter-acre lot area with an 80-foot width as its minimum size and is the predominate zoning district for single-family homes within the Metropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA).  This lot area, at the absolute minimum, would theoretically achieve four units per acre, however, density calculations must include local roadways and storm water management.  These typical necessities of residential subdivisions eat up enough land that density becomes under three units per acre as required by Low Density Residential (LDR).  This problem came to light with the Trott Brook Crossings and North Brook Meadows subdivision proposals.  In 2022, a new land use category was created to justify dipping below 3.0 units per acre named Urban Low Density Residential (ULDR) for those subdivisions.  

With the Zoning Code re-write in 2023, staff attempted to create residential zoning districts that would meet the density ranges of the Comprehensive Plan and not the have challenges that the two 2022 plats experienced.  The R-1A district was proposed to be slightly smaller at 75 feet in width with a 10,000 square foot lot area with hopes of being able to meet the LDR requirements.  The City Council stated that they would like to keep an 80-foot lot in the northern part of Ramsey with the allowance for smaller lots in the southern part.  Staff received guidance from the Metropolitan Council that they review the proposed subdivisions and use an average density with the land use category.  A plat, Harmony Farms, was going through the subdivision process at that time with a 65-foot lot minimum that met the 3.0-4.0 u/ac range, but then needed to be changed to an 80-foot wide lot with the Council's direction on the R-1A district.  This change dropped the subdivision below the 3.0 u/ac density to 2.5 u/ac.  But with that Metropolitan Council guidance, staff was comfortable going forward with the 80-foot lots.  

This guidance, turns out, was not completely correctly understood.  Each subdivision, on its own, must meet the density requirements in the Comprehensive Plan for the district that it is in.  Harmony Farms' sanitary sewer permit was denied because the density was below 3.0 units per acre that LDR required.  Staff worked with the applicant and the Metropolitan Council on ways to make this plat work.  One option was to carve out the storm water management basin into a City-owned outlot.  Staff does not want the expense to maintain these parcels, nor did it actually achieve the required density (it was still three units short).  A Comprehensive Plan map amendment to the ULDR land use did not meet the qualifications of that land use category.  Changing the zoning to allow a narrower lot did not meet Council's previous direction.  

The Local Assistance Planner for the Metropolitan Council reviewed Ramsey's plats that have been developed over the past several years and noted that our community's overall density was above the minimum that was needed.    Much of this had to do with development in the COR.  Communities are required to account for a certain allotment of housing units spread out over the various land use densities the cities create.  Ramsey is doing well enough that we can offset LDR development with the Mixed Use development in the COR.  We have the ability to redefine LDR from 3.0-4.0 units per acre to 2.25-4.0 units per acre and keep our overall numbers in line.  This redefinition would allow the Harmony Farms plat to move forward with its sanitary sewer permit.  It should prevent most similar problems in the future.  

Notification was provided in the July 12 Anoka Union Herald Newspaper.  

This work is being done as a part of staff's normal duties.  

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the amendment at its meeting on August 25.

Motion to adopt Resolution #24-186, a Comprehensive Plan text amendment pertaining to Low Density Residential land use.