Title
Amending Chapters 60, 61, 64, and 66 of the Legislative Code pertaining to establish Ford zoning districts, site plan review for Ford zoning districts, sign regulations for Ford zoning districts, references to the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, and minor and major amendments to the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, Zoning Code § 61.801(b), based on Minnesota Statutes § 462.357, Subd. 4, provides that amendments to the Zoning Code may be initiated by the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan was adopted by City Council Resolution PH 17-261, and associated amendments to the Zoning Code were adopted by Ordinance 17-40; and
WHEREAS, Zoning Code § 66.951 provides that the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan can be amended by City Council resolution after a public hearing and Planning Commission review and recommendation; and
WHEREAS, engagement efforts that informed the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan revealed significant interest in how the buildings and public spaces of the site would look and function; and
WHEREAS, the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan states that design standards for buildings and public spaces on the Ford site will be prepared and added to the document; and
WHEREAS, amendments to the Zoning Code are necessary for consistency with the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City Council, in Ordinance 17-40, directed that design standards for the Ford site redevelopment area would be reviewed by the Planning Commission and considered for adoption by the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee, on May 29, 2019, forwarded its recommendation to the Planning Commission for initiation of a zoning study for Zoning Code amendments corresponding to proposed design standards amendments to the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan;
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Planning Commission, on May 31, 2019, initiated a zoning study to consider Zoning Code amendments corresponding to proposed design standard amendments to the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan; released the draft design standards and zoning text amendments for public review; and set a public hearing for June 28, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Planning Commission, on June 28, 2019, held a public hearing on the proposed design standard amendments to the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan and zoning text amendments, notice of which was published in the St. Paul Legal Ledger on June 13, 2019 and held the public record open for written comments until July 1, 2019; and
WHEREAS, on July 26, 2019, the Planning Commission, based on the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee’s report and all the public testimony received from the June 28, 2019 public hearing, duly submitted its recommendation to amend the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan with design standards and amend the Zoning Code with related text amendments to the Mayor and City Council; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing before the City Council, having been conducted September 4, 2019, at which all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard, the Council having considered all the facts and recommendations concerning the proposed zoning amendments, pursuant to the authority granted by and in accordance with the procedures set forth in Minnesota Statutes § 462.357;
NOW, THEREFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL DOES ORDAIN:
Section 1.
That Saint Paul Code of Ordinances Article III, §60.300 Zoning Districts and Maps Generally; Article IV, §61.400 Site Plan Review; Article V, §64.500 Specific Regulations by Zoning Districts; and Article IX, §66.900 Ford Districts are hereby amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE III. 60.300. ZONING DISTRICTS AND MAPS GENERALLY
Sec 60.301. - Zoning districts established.
For the purposes of this code, the city is hereby divided into the following zoning districts:
(a) Residential districts.
...
(f) Special districts.
VP vehicular parking district
PD planned development district
(g) Ford districts.
F1 river residential district
F2 residential mixed low district
F3 residential mixed mid district
F4 residential mixed high district
F5 business mixed district
F6 gateway district
(g) (h) Overlay districts...
(h) (i) River corridor overlay districts…
(i) (j) Floodplain management overlay districts…
ARTICLE IV. 61.400. SITE PLAN REVIEW
Sec. 61.402. - Site plan review by the planning commission.
(a) Plan to be submitted. A site plan shall be submitted to and approved by the planning commission before a permit is issued for grading or the erection or enlargement of any building except one- and two-family dwellings, and including the following:
…
(4) Any development in a T or F district.
…
ARTICLE V. 64.500. SPECIFIC REGULATIONS BY ZONING DISTRICTS
Sec. 64.503. - T1-T4 traditional neighborhood, F1-F6 Ford and OS-BC business districts.
(a) Business and identification signs...
ARTICLE IX. 66.900. FORD DISTRICTS
…
Division 3. 66.930. Ford District Dimensional Standards
Sec. 66.931. Ford district dimensional standards table.
Table 66.931, Ford district dimensional standards, sets forth density and dimensional standards that are specific to Ford districts. These standards are in addition to the provisions of chapter 63, regulations of general applicability. Where an existing building does not conform to the following requirements, the building may be expanded without fully meeting the requirements as long as the expansion does not increase the nonconformity.
Table 66.931. Ford District Dimensional Standards
[see attached table]
Notes to table 66.3931, Ford district dimensional standards:
(a) Building types are described and defined in Chapter 56 of the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan.
(b) A maximum building height of seventy-five (75) feet may be permitted with a minimum ten (10) foot stepback from all minimum setback lines for all portions of the building above a height of twenty-five (25) feet.
(c) All portions of a building above a height of twenty-five (25) feet shall be stepped back a minimum of ten (10) feet from all minimum setback lines. The maximum building height may exceed seventy-five (75) feet, to a maximum of one hundred ten (110) feet, subject to the following conditions:
(1) A minimum of one (1) acre of buildable land in the F1, F2, F3, and/or F4 districts shall have been dedicated or conveyed to the city for public use for parks, playgrounds, recreation facilities, trails, or open space, in excess of the amount of land required to be dedicated for parkland at the time of platting. Such dedication of the additional parkland must be consistent with the criteria for parkland dedication in section 69.511, and is subject to city council approval.
(2) Maximum developable gross floor area of dedicated land from (c)(1), based on its underlying zoning, may be transferred and added to development allowed in an F4-zoned area, in compliance with other applicable requirements for the district or building, such as FAR, setbacks and open space coverage.
(d) Building height may exceed sixty-five (65) feet, to a maximum of seventy-five (75) feet, with a minimum ten (10) foot stepback from all minimum setback lines for all portions of the building above a height of thirty (30) feet, except for corner elements and portions of the building facing the civic square identified in the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, Chapter 78.
(e) Building setback is the horizontal distance between a lot line and the nearest above-grade point of a building. An interior setback is measured from an interior lot line, which is a lot line separating a lot from another lot or lots. A public right-of-way (ROW) setback is measured from a lot line that is not an interior lot line: a lot line separating a lot from a street, alley, or public way.
(f) Maximum building setback shall apply to at least sixty (60) percent of the building facade along the right-of-way.
(g) Buildings shall be setback a minimum of thirty (30) feet, with no maximum setback, from a lot line separating a lot from Mississippi River Boulevard.
(h) No setback is required for building walls containing no windows or other openings when the wall meets the fire resistance standards of the Minnesota State Building Code and there is a Common Interest Community (CIC) or recorded maintenance easement that covers the affected properties.
Division 4. 66.940. Ford District Development Standards
Sec. 66.941. Ford district accessory building standards.
In addition to the standards for accessory buildings in Section 63.501, accessory buildings in Ford districts shall be subject to the following regulations:
(a) Accessory buildings shall meet required public right-of-way setback requirements for a carriage house in F1-F2 districts, and for the principal building on the lot in F3-F6 districts.
(b) The Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, Chapter 56, regulates the number of accessory buildings permitted on a lot by building type.
Sec. 66.942. Ford district vehicle parking standards.
Off-street parking…
…The Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, Chapters 4.7 4 and 5, sets vehicle parking facility standards that are in addition to the parking facility standards in chapter 63…
Sec. 66.945. Ford district general development standards.
(a) The design standards in section 66.343 for the T3 traditional neighborhood district apply in all Ford districts. The Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, Chapter 5, sets standards for building and public realm design.
(b) The Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, Chapter 4.7, sets standards for vegetation and landscaping, lighting, solar energy, and roofing that are in addition to chapter 63 standards.
(c) Site plans and other development proposals within the Ford zoning districts shall be consistent with the standards and requirements described in the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan unless the applicant can demonstrate that there are circumstances unique to the property that make compliance impractical or unreasonable.
Division 5. 66.950. Ford District Planning Requirements
Sec. 66.951. Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan.
A Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, for use with this article to guide redevelopment of the Ford site, shall be adopted and can be amended by city council resolution after a public hearing and planning commission review and recommendation. Once approved, the Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan may be amended as follows:
(a) Minor amendment. Minor amendments to an approved master plan may be requested by the property owner or developer. The planning administrator shall cause the proposed request to be reviewed by the public works and parks and recreation departments and other affected city departments and may approve minor amendments, including changes of less than ten (10) percent in land area designated for public rights-of-way or park purposes, provided such changes are consistent with the intent of the master plan and, regarding land designated for park purposes, shall not constitute a diversion to other uses or a disposal of that land.
(b) Major amendment. Major amendments to an approved master plan may be initiated by the city council, the planning commission, or any person having an ownership or leasehold interest (contingent included) in property that is the subject of the proposed modification. Major amendments include changes of ten (10) percent or more in land area designated for public rights-of-way or for park purposes; creation of a new public street or removal of a public street segment; rezoning; diversion or disposal of land designated for park purposes; or addition or removal of an entire block. Major amendments may be approved by city council resolution following planning commission review, public hearing and recommendation. Major amendments affecting land designated for park purposes must follow the procedures in section 13.01.1 of the City Charter prior to adoption of the proposed amendment.
Section 2.
This ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty (30) days from and after its passage, approval and publication.