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Zoning Ordinance Updates

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The City of Bloomington regularly updates its Zoning Code to address items in the Planning Commission's yearly work plan, direction provided by the City Council, other applications for Zoning Code amendments, and miscellaneous issues that staff has identified. Sometimes this also includes City Code updates to Chapters outside of the Zoning Code.

Additionally, the City is engaged in a multi-year effort to update its Zoning Ordinance and related City Code provisions. The current Zoning Ordinance was primarily written in the 1950s and updated in the 1970s and has, until recently, never been comprehensively updated. The overall project is divided into many smaller subprojects. Each year, the City completes several subprojects. As the update occurs, the text is transitioned from Chapter 19 to Chapter 21 of the City Code.

The following projects are underway at this time:

Single- and Two-Family Home Standards Update

The proposed City Code update will amend zoning and platting standards related to single- and two-family homes. The objectives of the proposed amendment are to streamline the approval process for single-family residential lots, encourage infill development, and allow for a wider range of single and two-family homes in order to add opportunities for affordable home ownership. Text amendments to the Comprehensive Plan’s Land Use Element are also proposed to ensure consistency with the proposed City Code changes and other stated redevelopment goals.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on December 8, 2022 and recommended approval of the ordinance. The meeting packet with staff report and draft ordinance can be found here:

https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/blmmn/964f03a0-6f24-4a13-82d4-79daa38344bf-63aee93b-cd05-4e58-81bc-12417eb15813-1670011170.pdf#page=23

The City Council will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting at 6 PM in Council Chambers at Civic Plaza (1800 West Old Shakopee Road) on January 9, 2023.

Transitional Industrial Zoning District

The City is developing a new zoning district to replace lots zoned I-3 along east side of Lyndale between 86th and 92nd Streets. This new district would expand opportunities for building reuse in the area by allowing retail and limited residential uses. It would also include new building form and site design standards reflective of the urban design envisioned for Lyndale Ave.

City staff will be engaging property owners and tenants of the lots within and around the proposed project area to better understand existing conditions and future plans for businesses included in the new district. The City will also host an informational open house for the general public to ask questions, offer their comments, and learn more about the proposed district.

Do you own or work at a business in or near the project area? If so...

How would you describe your business or place of work?
What activities occur indoors? Outdoors?
Do customers visit your business or place of work on a regular basis?

Share your comments with us! https://letstalk.bloomingtonmn.gov/transitional-industrial-zoning-district

Sign Ordinance Update

The City of Bloomington Planning Division is seeking to update the City’s sign ordinance for the following reasons:

Ensure compliance with current legal precedents and requirements pertaining to commercial signage.
Improve the structure, clarity, and predictability of the ordinance.
Reduce the complexity and redundancy of the ordinance.

Promise to the public: The public is invited to review the existing sign ordinance and share feedback with staff from the Planning Division. All feedback will be considered in the final revisions to the sign ordinance and staff will inform the public about how input influenced the final decisions. For more information click here: https://letstalk.bloomingtonmn.gov/sign-ordinance-update