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• Ch. 60 - Introductory Provisions
• Ch. 61 - Lot and Site Development Approval Procedures
• Ch. 62 - Zoning District Regulations
• Ch. 63 - Lot Development Standards
• Ch. 64 - Site Design Policies
• Ch. 65 - Nonconformities
• Informational Supplement
  • Appendix A
  • Appendix B
  • Appendix C
  • Appendix D
  • Appendix E
  • Appendix F
  • Appendix G
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  • Appendix I
• Annexation Process
• LUP Amendment Process

CHAPTER 64 - SITE DESIGN POLICIES

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64.110 LOT DESIGN STANDARDS:

This section sets forth the general regulations which provide the basis for the design of lots within a subdivision.

64.111

Minimum Lot Standards: Lots shall meet or exceed zoning district standards and shall be designed for their potential uses, so that adequate buildable area is provided, adequate room for yards and bufferyards will exist on the lot and access management standards can be met. Lots shall be laid out to provide for consistency between abutting rear and side yards.   Except when the City Council determines that compatibility has been adequately addressed, lots shall be considered consistent if they are more than 70% of the width or depth of abutting lots, provided that no lot shall be required to be more than 1.5 times the minimum width or depth required for the zoning district.  Where a minimum lot size is specified for a particular type of use, new lots shall meet this requirement and existing lots shall not be reduced below the minimum except as provided for in the ordinance. Except when approved for infill development, rear lot lines shall not abut side lot lines.

64.112

Corner Lots: Side lot lines of lots abutting a public or private right-of-way should, to the extent practical, run at right angles to the right-of-way line, or in the case of cul-de-sacs or curvilinear street right-of-ways radial to the curve.

64.113

Adequate Frontage Required:  Subdivision 1.  Lots shall be designed with adequate frontage for the purpose of providing direct physical access to the property for vehicles and utilities and for public safety equipment.  Frontage requirements for access purposes need to satisfy the requirements of Section 64.140 and may, at the discretion of the City, be met through provision of direct access or the use of joint access agreements.  A limited number of flag lots and lots with no frontage may be authorized to enable the more efficient use of irregularly shaped parcels of land, or where the integrated nature of multiple buildings on a site dictates the need for such lots.  In the case of lots with no frontage, access for vehicles, utilities and emergency vehicles shall be insured through the use of common area agreements or private easements.        

       Subd. 2.  Individual requirements for each type of lot include:

1. For full frontage lots, continuous frontage shall be provided equal to or greater than the required minimum width at building line (if one is specified in the ordinance) or the actual width at the building line.  In zoning districts where the required lot width is greater than 50 feet, continuous frontage of 50 feet may be permitted as long as the lot meets the minimum lot width at the front building line, the minimum lot area is provided, and the off-street parking and spillover parking provisions are met.  Full frontage lots shall provide adequate spacing of access points for the type of street they have frontage on.  
2. A lot located on a cul-de-sac shall provide:         
   1. a lot frontage of at least 50 percent of the minimum required width or the actual width at the building line, but in no case less than 25 feet;   
   2. a lot area equal to or greater than the minimum lot size (if one is specified); and  
   3. the minimum required lot width at the building line is provided (if one is specified).
3. Flag lots may be developed on a limited basis in subdivisions where individual development of each lot is contemplated and the Road Authority determines that no future street access through the property will be needed.  The greater of one lot or five percent of the lots in a development, may be flag lots.  However, there is no limitation on the number or percentage of lots in a development in the case of redevelopment or infill development of lots developed initially in reliance upon individual sewage treatment and having a lot size of 0.75 acres or greater.  In the case of flag lots developed by subdivision of lots developed initially in reliance upon individual sewage treatment, all lots must be covered by a utility connection agreement providing for municipal services. Flag lots may be used to better use irregularly shaped properties or sites with physical limitations, or to eliminate or reduce access to collector, arterial or expressway streets.  Flag lots shall not be permitted where they will increase the number of lots that take direct access from collector or arterial streets.  
4. On flag lots the minimum frontage at the right-of-way line shall be 24 feet.  
5. In a flag lot configuration, the portion of the lot with a width less than 80% of the required width at the building line is not considered in determining the area of the lot.
6. Lots with no frontage may be used on the same basis and subject to the same restrictions as flag lots as identified in subsection (2) above.  In addition, lots with no public street frontage may be created where they are the result of the integrated development of a site for which a development plan has been approved which uses common areas or shared driveways to provide access, parking and utility connections.  In such instances there is no limitation on the number of lots that may be created which have no frontage on a public road.  
7. On lots with no frontage the minimum easement width shall be 24 feet.  Requests for the creation of a lot with no frontage shall be accompanied by proposed or existing documents which provide proof of easement for access and utilities.  
   
   
   
   
   
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