4.2 PCSR 02-14-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REQUEST FOR ACTION TO ITEM NUMBER Plannin Commission 4.2 AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY Februa 14, 2012 erem Barnhart, Plannin Mana er ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED B~/ Request by City of Elk River for Ordinance Amendment to Section 30-934 Relating to Landscaping Requirements, Public REVIEWED BY Hearing -Case No. OA 12-02 /ACTION REQUESTED Staff recommends approval of the ordinance as drafted. OVERVIEW During the Visioning process undertaken in 2011, a key goal was to `beautify' the City of Elk River, in particular the `front yard'; the streets, medians, intersections, commercial and industrial areas of the city. It was felt that improvement of these areas would improve the perception of the city, and visitors' and residents' experience. Several action steps were identified under this goal, including "Complete review, provide recommendations to incentivize improvements/ beautification" Further, a secondary goal has been to encourage the use of native plants and grasses, both as a beautification asset and a reduction of areas required watering and maintenance. It is important that these areas be incorporated appropriately, however. City staff has reviewed city ordinances, in particular the City's landscaping ordinance as it applies to commercial and industrial districts, and feels that some modification to the requirements would be beneficial to the City. Staff reviewed a number of adjacent cities and their landscaping process. Staff's findings are summarized in the attached spreadsheet. To better understand the application of these requirements, staff applied them to three recent projects, including Sportech (industrial), Pizza Ranch (restaurant/ retail), and Greater Minnesota Credit Union (office).