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WAYZATA SHORELAND <br />FLEXIBILITY REQUEST <br />INTRODUCTION <br />The City of Wayzata has developed adjacent to two major bodies of <br />water. Lake Minnetonka and Gleason Lake. These natural amenities <br />add significant aesthetic, recreational and economic value to the <br />community. Shoreland in Wayzata and Lake Minnetonka has <br />historically developed with a productive commercial and residential <br />base in its downtown area and very low density single family <br />development in the remaining area. Gleason La^e shoreland has <br />developed with a variety of single and multiple faimily uses. The <br />potential for additional new residential development exists on <br />Gleason Lake, while Lake Minnetonka has potential sites for <br />commercial and residential development/redevelopment. Therefore, <br />flexibility in shoreland standards which protect the shoreland <br />areas and quality of the water, while allowing controlled <br />development and redevelopment is of highest importance to Wayzata. <br />Based on the historical development of the City, the direct <br />application of the shoreland standards would result in <br />nonconforming status for uses primarily in the commercial areas, <br />but also in residential areas throughout the 3noreland area. The <br />potential for a large area of the City to become nonconforming <br />complicates landowners' rights, inhibits development, and affects <br />the City's tax base. <br />In this regard, the City of Wayzata, as part of its implementation <br />of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' State-Wide <br />Standards for "Management of Shoreland Areas" is requesting <br />flexibility from portions of the shoreland standards in order to <br />carry out the intent of the shoreland standards while recognizing <br />and accommodating the urban development ch<. racter of the City and <br />its continued development/redevelopment. <br />The issues and analysis are based on background technical data that <br />has been physically inventoried and included within a Shoreland <br />Management Plan for the Wayzata Shoreland District. The Shoreland <br />Plan has been adopted as an amendment to the 1980 Wayzata <br />Comprehensive Plan. The plan is the basis for and functions with <br />the Shoreland Ordinance in providing the necessary regulation for <br />the shoreland areas. The plan specifies areas in the shoreland <br />which require flexibility and how Wayzata will address each <br />flexibility request item. The background technical information on <br />density, lot coverage and lot width have been compared to the DNR <br />shoreland management standards where applicable, and the City <br />Zoning Ordinance to determine the level of development capacity of <br />the City. <br />{