2022-05-16 City Council - PC Worksession Agenda
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
CITY COUNCIL and PLANNING COMMISSION
WORK SESSION AGENDA
May 16, 2022 5:00pm
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights
1. Call to Order
2. Zoning Code Review Discussion
3. Adjourn
DATE: May 16, 2022
TO: Mayor, City Council and Planning Commission
FROM: Tim Benetti, Community Development Director
Cheryl Jacobson, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Joint City Council – Planning Commission Work Session
Zoning Ordinance Update
INTRODUCTION
The City Council and Planning Commission are being asked to jointly meet and begin discussions with city
staff and the city’s planning consultant on the planned Zoning Ordinance Update Project for 2022.
BACKGROUND
As part of the City Council’s priority to Create a Vision for City Development and Redevelopment Areas,
the Council has identified the following strategy and resulting action to complete in 2022:
Strategy: Create a clear and understandable Zoning Code in order to meet projected growth and
market demands.
Action: Conduct a comprehensive review and revise, as needed, Zoning Code Ordinances to
reflect changes made in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan (e.g. MRCCA, Institutional
Zoning, general text revisions).
The adoption of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan serves as a starting point for the updating of the City’s
Zoning Code Ordinances. The City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan received Metropolitan Council approval
in July, 2021 and the City Council formally adopted the Mendota Heights 2040 Comprehensive Plan under
Resolution 2021-64.
Once a city adopts a comprehensive plan, it must strive to attain certain development goals provided in the
plan. The City’s Zoning Code translates the land use goals of the Comprehensive Plan into an ordinance
or law which regulates the way lands may be used or developed. Updating these ordinances is key to
providing consistency with the new comprehensive plan.
On March 9, 2022, the City Council authorized a planning services agreement with Swanson-Haskamp
Consulting (SHC) to provide assistance with updating and revising certain sections of the Mendota Heights
Title 12 - Zoning Ordinance, and other ordinances as needed.
Project Manager Jennifer Haskamp with SHC and staff will provide an introduction and facilitate the
evening’s discussion with the following objectives to be achieved:
A) Understanding how zoning works in the community and the “tools” that come with zoning;
B) Understanding and prioritizing zoning code concerns and issues identified through the
questionnaire responses;
C) Setting the process and roadmap to completing a successful update