Posted: 10/6/04
By Clark Natalie
On Sept. 30, the Harris City Council had a joint working session with the Harris Planning Commission to review the Proposed Zoning Ordinance. As it was a working session, no public input was accepted and no council action was taken. One of the prime reasons for the Proposed Zoning Ordinance is to control the growth for the benefit of the city residents, present and future. The zoning ordinance is an important document as it will be a guide to what will be allowed in the city.
One of the primary concerns is what to do with the sanitary sewer system. The present system cannot handle the estimated increases in population. Because of the topography of the city, it appears that to begin with, a portion of the future system, in the south end, might have to be tied into the North Branch system. Two lift stations would be required: the one the present system uses, which will be upgraded, and the other to connect to the North Branch system.
At a future date, the present system may also have to be tied into North Branch as well. This depends on a number of factors, including the estimated growth, the Met Council, and the cost and feasibility of upgrading the present system, all of which is presently being studied.A report will come later.
But the zoning ordinance has to be developed along with a zoning map, to forecast where the city wants the development to go.
The southerly portion alone could grow to 200 houses over the next 20 years. If the zoning is done properly, as the developments are planned and approved, the sanitary sewer systems will be built and paid for by the developers as the work is done. This will alleviate passing the cost on to present residents.
It was estimated that whether they upgrade the present system or convert to a regionalized system, the cost will be approximately $2 to $3 million.
It was noted that the city is unable to get grants. The funding for rural developments has been cut in half. There have been good, low interest programs, but the federal government has slashed funding for those. And Harris does not qualify for these programs as it is considered the fringe of the metro. The cost will be paid by the developments creating their own systems, plus access charges for new hook ups.
The group also reviewed the definition of a farmers market and planned unit development, whether agricultural uses should be in residential areas, how many residential units should be allowed in a multifamily dwelling, such as apartments and townhouses, an Open Space District, and whether to allow shared sewer/septic systems.
It was agreed that the Board of Appeals would be eliminated. The proposed process would be to have an applicant appear before a public meeting in front of the planning commission. The planning commission would then recommend action to the city council. Any appeal would be made at that time, directly to the council, as it has the final approval.
The city council and planning commission will meet twice a month as they work on the proposed zoning ordinance.
©ECM Post Review
6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com