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crtY°` RE VEST FOR ACTION ~ ~ ~ <br />Q p <br />Elk -~-~ <br />River <br />TO ITEM NUMBER <br />Plamun Commission 4:2 <br />AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY <br /> Februa 14, 2012 erem Barnhart, Plannin Mana er <br />ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By <br />Request by City of Elk River for Ordinance Amendment to <br />Section 30-934 Relating to Landscaping Requirements, Public REVIEWED BY <br />Hearing -Case No. OA 12-02 <br />ACTION REQUESTED <br />Staff recommends approval of the ordinance as drafted. <br />OVERVIEW <br />During the Visioning process undertaken in 2011, a key goal was to `beautify' the City of Elk River, in <br />particular the `front yard'; the streets, medians, intersections, commercial and industrial areas of the city. <br />It was felt that improvement of these areas would improve the perception of the city, and visitors' and <br />residents' experience. Several action steps were identified under. this goal, including "Complete review, <br />provide recommendations to incentivize improvements/ beautification" <br />Further, a secondary goal has been. to encourage the use of native plants and grasses, both as a <br />beautification asset and a reduction of areas required watering and maintenance. It is important that <br />these areas be incorporated appropriately, however. <br />City staff has reviewed city ordinances, in particular the City's landscaping ordinance as it applies to <br />commercial and industrial districts, and feels that some modification to the requirements would be <br />beneficial to the City. <br />Staff reviewed a number of adjacent cities and their landscaping process. Staff's findings are summarized <br />in the attached. spreadsheet. To better understand the application of these requirements, staff applied <br />them to three recent projects, including Sportech (industrial), Pizza Ranch (restaurant/ retail), and <br />Greater Minnesota Credit Union (office). <br />