What are the communities you work in doing regarding regulating portable pools? I am referring to the large blue pools that can be purchased at home improvements stores. Our City has concerns regarding these in terms of fencing, potential building permit and land use permit requirements. There have been more and more of these popping up and recent years.

Any responses on this topic would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Have any cities eliminated the requirement for a Conditional Use Permit to allow on-sale liquor for a full service restaurant?

Thank you

I am wondering if there are cities out there who have set up such special service districts under Minn.Stat. 428A, and what there experience with them is; e.g. how many have they set up, how easy/difficult they have been to administer.

A methadone clinic has opened in our community. We allow clinics as a permitted use where it has opened. There is concern that this type of clinic should have been regulated differently than other clinics. We are interested in knowing how this use is regulated in other communities and if one has opened in your community has it created any problems.

The City of Medina has received complaints related to LED “light bands” installed around signs. Staff has also noted these appearing more commonly along building facades in other communities. The illumination of the colored bands is impacting neighboring property owners. Current city ordinances regulate light in two ways: 1) the overall footcandles of light at the property line; and 2) requiring light sources over 2000 lumens to be shielded.

These new LED lights apparently are not measured in lumens, so it is difficult to judge if they are brighter than the allowed unshielded light. It appears that watts are another common tool used by cities to regulate light, but I don’t believe this would work well for LED and older lighting styles.

Communities also appear to have adopted a 500 NITS limitation. The property owner claims to have dimmed the light to this amount, but we are still receiving complaints.

Does anyone have good regulations for this type of light, and/or experience with a 500 NIT limitation?

I am interested in how and what Minnesota communities regulate in terms of items stored outside of a building in their jurisdictions. Here in Minneapolis, we have an enclosed building requirement that states “all production, processing, sales and storage must occur within an enclosed building”.

Traditionally this was aimed at industrial uses, however more recently the city has used this to address concerns with gas stations and other land uses that have outdoor storage of retail goods or provide outdoor retail sales transactions. There are many examples, ranging from Redbox DVD dispensers to ATMs and other forms of vending devices. Additionally, City staff have concerns with other outdoor storage items we see popping up with more frequency – firewood, windshield washer fluid, and mulch during garden season, to name a few.

Thank you

We have had a few landowners of large parcels clear cut the trees to prepare the site for future development. The city has a tree preservation ordinance specifically for new subdivisions. Is there a city that has regulations that protect existing trees on large lots from being clear cut that are not going to be subdivided anytime soon?

Stephanie Hanson

Planner/Economic Development Specialist

City of East Bethel

I have a question about the legality and right for a city to restrict rental units within certain districts. What are they, and what aren’t cities allowed to do in regards to regulation of rental units and how can it be addressed within city ordinances?

Do any communities allow sandwich boards on sidewalks in downtown areas that are located within the street right-of-way? If so, are any of the sidewalks within MnDOT right-of-way? Any information on this topic would be appreciated. Thank you.

The City of New Prague is wondering if any cities have specific material or appearance standards for residential roofs (such as restrictions on using corrugated metal on a residential home). Thanks,