Minutes of the
Meeting 8/20/99
Meeting convened
at 7:10pm at Bethel Lutheran.
Dennis Darnold,
Zoning Administrator and City Planner for the City of
Hudson, was the
featured guest speaker. Mr. Darnold
addressed a number of subjects and answered questions from Alliance members.
Mr. Darnold
traced the beginnings of zoning practices in Hudson, from the first citywide
ordinances in 1959 to the adoption in 1993 of a
Comprehensive
zoning plan that provided for rezoning, map amendments and text amendments in
zoning ordinances. He explained that
the comprehensive plan gave specific definitions to the wording of ordinances
(e.g., the number of persons that define a "family" dwelling).
He stated that
the current zoning issues to come before him most often include sign
allowances, fencing permits, and applications for conditional use permits. Future issues include the annexation of
areas to the city.
Mr. Darnold's
remarks were followed by a question and answer period:
Q: Is there a
"master plan" for neighborhoods that different from the city zoning
map?
A:No, although
there are zoning classifications that do not appear on the city map. Also, there is no set agreement within the
city council about the use of houses in certain areas (e.g., along Vine
Street).
Q:Are R/T
(residential/transitional) areas going from commercial to residential?
A:Yes. An example is the former courthouse on Third
Street now being a private residence.
To comment further, density issues (the number of families on a block)
are of concern for multifamily permits.
Q:What is the
requirement for notification of application for a conditional use permit?
A:People living
within 200 feet of the proposed use change must, by state law, be notified of
the application. We may notify more
people than that, especially if we feel there would be more widespread concern.
(Mr. Darnold went
on the explain that his department will accept self-addressed stamped envelopes
to mail out notifications for all conditional use permit applications, no
matter the location.)
Q:What is going
to be done with the former jail/police station building on Fourth Street?
A:A parking lot
or park-like situation there is the right answer.
The city council,
though, isn't really ready to consider this question. To date, no study of the use of this property has been done. This issue may be dealt with six months from
now or some years from now. I expect
that this building will not be used for is that it will not be re-set for
private use.
Q:Should we be
approaching city boards (park board, etc.) with our plans for the use of the
neighborhood?
A:Don't
know. Some boards may have trouble with
groups trying to set the board's agenda.
These boards do have regular meetings, and contact can be made with them
prior to these meetings. Police Chief
Trenda, for example, is the contact on the Public Safety Committee.
Q:When does the
City of Hudson begin budget planning?
A:This process
began on Thursday, August 19th. The
various city agencies are now going over each budget item. There has been movement recently to give
each board or committee more leeway on budget items and less scrutiny by the
city council. This budget will be
reviewed by the council sometime between October 1 and November 1. The budget should be set by November 1.
(Mr. Darnold
stressed that any letters to city agencies regarding budget items should
address legitimate public issues and not just special interests.)
Q:Would re-use of
the Fourth Street jail trigger a public notice and hearing?
A:Not
necessarily. A hearing may not be
required, depending on the planned use.
Q:Does Sixth
Street have a preservation plan?
A:No. It's been brought up twice, but no action
has been taken. The state says that not
having a preservation plan probably has no consequences. The city feels it should stay out of this
process.
Mr. Darnold
concluded his remarks and answers shortly after 8pm, and the meeting turned to
other matters.
Lee Wyland
distributed a form that could be used as a contractor resource listing, to be
included in the planned resource center.
He encouraged all members to photocopy this form and submit completed
forms with information on contractors that have been employed by members.
Rebecca Heidtke
and Lee will work on compiling a list of neighborhood names/addresses into a
database.
Jacque Cloninger
reported that Mary and Jerry Washburn are exploring working with the library
with an eye to organizing the history room at the county library.
Karen Neset
reported on the outcome of the last city council meeting regarding the St.
Paul's church property and building on Fourth Street.
This issue is now
considered settled, and the home will be sold as a residence instead of an
office building.
Jacque reported
on the idea for a "Hidden Hudson" column in the Hudson Star
Observer. The newspaper is receptive to
the idea. Jacque thought Willis Miller
might be of help in putting together such a column.
Karen mentioned a
possible letter-writing campaign about the parking situation on Fourth Street.
Lee discussed
possibilities for future presentations at our meetings.
Karen suggested
having guest speakers on alternating months instead of every month. Sam Nooger mentioned the importance of
working with the St. Croix County Historical Society.
A suggestion was
made that the list of block captains for Neighborhood
Watch information
from some time ago might be useful to have today.
A suggestion was
made to collect the e-mail addresses of our members for use in contacting
everyone. There was general assent to
this, and members were encouraged to submit their e-mail addresses.
There was some
discussion about holding a block party for the neighborhood, but no action was
taken. This may take place next spring.
A suggestion was
made to get meeting notices published in the Star
Observer, along
with a phone number for contact.
The meeting
adjourned at 8:45pm.