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Memo to Planning Commission Page 2 Case No. ZC 96-8 February 27, 1996 • The surrounding land use are diverse. To the north is mixed highway commercial uses along Highway 10 and single family residential along Yale Street. To the south is the Oliver Kelley Farm and historic site. To the east is undeveloped land and Highway 10 and to the west is the Mississippi River. The land under consideration for rezoning is part of the Specht farm. Most of the land is undeveloped and is used as farm land. The residence on the property is the homestead for the farm. The Specht's operate a bus company from the property and they use part of the property near the homestead for storing their buses. The operation of a bus company is a non-conforming use in the existing Rla zone and will remain a non-conforming use in the proposed Rle zone. The property is level except along the river where it drops down to the water. The vegetation is a mix of mature evergreens planted to form windbreaks with scattered areas of hardwood trees. Most of the area is farmland. Background The City is proposing an amendment ordinance relating to dimensional regulations for the Rle zoning district. The amendment will change the • minimum lot size from 20,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet. The 12,000 square foot minimum lot size will be applied when sewer and water become available. Until municipal sewer and water are available, the minimum lot size will be 10 The City recently expanded the boundaries of the urban service area to include this area that is being considered for rezoning. The lot sizes allowed under the proposed R1e zoning district reflect the urban density residential development made possible in areas that have municipal sewer and water. The City initiated this rezoning request so that the zoning would be consistent with the land use designation of MR (Medium Density Residential). The land use designation of this area was recently changed from LR (Low Density Residential) as part of the recent update of the Comprehensive Plan. This rezoning request is part of a larger process that the City is undertaking to rezone certain properties so that they are consistent with the land use map. Evaluation of Request In order to approve a rezoning request there must be a finding that a) the plan was in error when it was adopted and therefore should be changed, or b) the • times and circumstances have changed since the plan was adopted, and a change is warranted. s:\planning\scott\zc96-8.doc