8. SR 12-11-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

C 3B FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1995 SUBURBS Lake Elmo says cluster housing will i p reserve area JIM BROEDE STAFF WRITER A year ago, Ma IF YOU GO rine on St. Croix Lake Elmo sent developers a residents will get message: Like it or to voice views on not, cluster the clustering and homes in yoyr new subdivisions on half tanning Issues the land and keep Issues at a public the remainder as meeting at 8:30: permanent open a.m. Saturday at space. . City Hall,.3800 It was the first Laverne Ave. N. time a community in Minnesota had ever imposed such a requirement. Now, Lake Elmo is expected to be- . come , the second to make clustering the rule. "There seems to be a consensus on our city council to head in the direction of mandatory cluster housing," Lake Elmo city administrator Mary Kueffner said. But the details, such as the minimum allowable size of a lot, must still be worked out." Officials in the city of 6,000 residents want to determine once and for all if cluster housing has widespread public support. "We think it does," Kueffner said, "be- cause people keep telling us that they- want Lake Elmo's rural character pre- served, and cluster housing will help us I! do that." Lake Elmo residents will have an op- portunity to voice views on clustering and other planning issues at a public • SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS meeting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at City Hall, 3800 Laverne Ave. N. Washington County — where the cities of Lake Elmo and Marine on St. Croix are located — has promoted the cluster- ing on an optional basis in the county's nine, mostly rural townships. But county planners say incentives are - needed to make clustering more palat- able to developers. "I could see Lake Elmo offering incen- tives," Kueffner said. "Now we allow for six homes per 20 acres in.our residential estates zone. But we might tell develop- ers, `We'll allow eight or nine homes if you cluster and set aside half of your. land as permanent open` space. " The open space might take several dif- ferent forms. "It could be put in a land trust," Kueff- ner said. "But another option is to turn it over to a homeowners association for a shared -use purpose. For instance, owners ; of the homes on the developed half might_ . choose to pasture horses on the open: space half, and even build a stable." Kueffner also envisions imaginative_ developers - proposing clusters of varied sized lots in a single development. "We might have a mix, of lots of 3/4 - acre to 5 acres tucked around a wetland or other natural amenity," she said. "You might call it a `way to listen to the land.' " City Council Member Rita Conlin says she's committed to cluster housing. "Now we have to find a way to make it work," she said. "The major issue to re- solve is one of density. How many homes do we allow on the developed half of the property'" . Council Member Steve DeLapp wants assurances that the open space will re- main open forever. "I want the development rights surren- dered," he said, "and the property placed in a land trust." Mayor Wyn John added, "Clustering makes sense. The big question is whether we can make it work and persuade devel- opers to get behind ' it." Lake Elmo's planning commission rec- ommended that the city impose a resi- dential development moratorium of up to six months while the city drafts new rules pertaining to cluster housing. Without a moratorium, commissioners said, some developers may rush in and try to get approval for new subdivisions. under the old rules. The city council is expected to vote on the moratorium proposal at a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. "We think it does (have public - support) because people keep telling us that they want Lake Elmo's rural character preserved, and cluster housing will help us do that." MARY KUEFFNER CITY ADMINISTRATOR