12-08-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Land Uses in the LR-IB The LR-IB zoning district allows single family houses on 1 acre zoning lots. The conditional uses allowed in the LR-IB district refer to uses also allowed in the Rl-A district. The conditional uses allowed include duplexes if the zoning lot is adjacent to commercial or industrial zoning districts and the duplex is constructed within 200' of the commercial and industrial districts. Historically, adjacent has been interpreted to mean abutting either a commercial or industrial district. The subject lot is not adjacent to a commercial or industrial district and the proposed duplex would be constructed farther than 200 feet from a commercial district. Distance Requirements for Duplex Credit The 200 ’ distance requirement is based on the land use theory that commercial or industrial districts should be buffered from single family residential by medium to high density residential uses such as an apartment building. This theme is apparent throughout the Twin Cities area w here apartments and townhomes are built around commercial development with single family homes behind the higher density residfr'dal uses. An example of this is the new development at Hopkins Crossroads and Hwy. 394 in Minnetonka. Buffering Single Family Uses from Commercial or Industrial While a buffering scheme between commercial or industrial and single family residences is common, it is unusual to use a distance requirement to achieve it. Typically, a community will use a development pattern that has a zoning classification that allows higher density residential zoning that is mapped adjacent to commercial or industrial. The 200' requirement has the effect of being a "moving target" overlay zoning district. That is, every time a commercial or industrial rezoning occurs, the eligibility area for the duplex credit moves. Therefore, a property owner in a single family residential district could become eligible or their neighbor's property could become eligible based on the actions of others without notice. Most property owners are probably not aware that although their property is zoned single-family, it could become a duplex if it is located within 200 ’ of commercial or industrial zoned areas. A map showing the current areas that are eligible is included in the exhibits. Staff would prefer that areas where higher density should occur, specifically duplexes and townhouses, be mapped rather than be floating zones tied to commercial or industrial zoning. In the Navarre area, both the LR-IB and LR-IC areas are currently eligible for duplexes. This means that a 1 acre lot in the LR-IB district and a 1/2 acre lot in the LR-IC district could have duplexes. In the area along Hwy. 12 that is zoned industrial and commercial, 2 acre zoning lots in the RR-IB zoning district would also be eligible for the duplex credit. The Hwy. 12 area may be an area where the City may want to encourage densities higher than 2 units per acre. The duplex credit has the effect of being a te.xtual rezoning by changing the allowed density, without a map amendment. i