Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves zoning, subdivision changes to ease ‘missing-middle’ housing and update code
Summary
Lakeville City Council approved amendments to Title 10 (subdivision) and Title 11 (zoning) to remove some local hurdles to smaller lots and diversify allowed exterior materials, among other changes aimed at expanding housing options.
The Lakeville City Council voted on Aug. 4 to approve an ordinance amending Title 10 (subdivision regulations) and Title 11 (zoning) of the Lakeville City Code to loosen several local development requirements and increase flexibility for smaller-lot and multifamily housing.
Community Development Director Goodroad told the council the changes stem from the city’s comprehensive plan, an annual development-regulation review and more than a year of outreach with local builders and the planning commission. The ordinance package was prepared with input from planning consultant Dan Licht.
Key changes approved in the ordinance include: - Eliminating the city’s unique “extra-size garage” requirement for dwellings without basements and returning the standard to 440 square feet for such garages. - Allowing 7,500-square-foot lots (or 55-foot wide lots) by right in the RS-2 district rather than only by conditional-use permit, while retaining a conditional-use pathway in RS-4. - Allowing engineered wood or cement-fiber siding (commonly known as Hardy Board) and variation in texture to satisfy primary exterior-material requirements instead of requiring brick or stone on fronts of homes. - Simplifying base-lot provisions to reduce contradictory requirements and to improve land use efficiency. - Applying RM-3 standards to townhomes in RH districts and clarifying that multifamily is a permitted use in the RHCBD (downtown) district. - Removing the minimum-area requirement for PUDs to allow smaller or infill developments to request planned-unit developments, subject to review. - Technical updates to small-cell/antenna provisions to align with state law and to other administrative and commercial finish rules.
Goodroad said the intent is to broaden housing choices, reduce regulatory hurdles developers reported at a roundtable, and maintain design quality through standards (for example, curvilinear streets and elevation variety to avoid “row” effects).
Council members praised the collaborative process with builders and staff. A motion to approve the ordinance — "I move to approve an ordinance amending title 10 and title 11 of the city code and a summary ordinance for publication" — was made during the meeting and the council completed a roll-call vote to adopt the ordinance and authorize a summary for publication.
The ordinance will be published in summary form as provided in state law and the council directed staff to implement the code changes.
