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HomeMy Public PortalAbout684 Ordinance Amending City Code Pertaining to Height of Rooftop ElementsOrdinance No. 684 1 March 1, 2022 CITY OF MEDINA ORDINANCE NO. 684 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 8 OF THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO HEIGHT OF ROOFTOP ELEMENTS The City Council of the City of Medina ordains as follows: SECTION I. A new Section 825.22 is hereby added to the code of ordinances of the City of Medina as follows: Section 825.22. Height Limitations for Rooftop Elements. The building height limitation established in each zoning district shall not apply to the objects and features described in this section. The height of such objects and features shall be regulated as described herein. Subd. 1. Rooftop Architectural Elements (a) The following architectural elements and similar elements located on a structure shall be subject to the regulations described in Subd. 1(b): (i) Belfries (ii) Spires or steeples (iii) Weathervanes (iv) Flags and flagpoles, if attached to a structure (v) Cupolas and domes which do not contain useable space (vi) Parapet walls (vii) Other architectural elements (b) No rooftop architectural element, as described in Subd. 1(a), shall extend above the greater of the following: (i) ten feet above the highest point of the roof on which it is located; (ii) a horizontal line five feet greater than the maximum building height allowed in the respective zoning district in which it is located, as measured from the average grade around the building; or (iii) in non-residential districts, a vertical distance of 50 feet as measured from the average grade around the building to the top of the architectural element. Subd. 2. Rooftop Equipment (a) The following rooftop equipment and similar equipment, when located on a structure, shall be subject to the regulations described in Subd. 2(b): (i) Chimneys or flues (ii) Smokestacks (iii) Cooling towers (iv) Elevator penthouses (v) Necessary mechanical and electrical appurtenances and related screening apparatus (vi) Poles, towers, and other structures for essential services Ordinance No. 684 2 March 1, 2022 (vii) Television, radio, or telecommunication antennas, excluding antennae regulated by Section 828.75 et. seq. (b) No rooftop equipment, as described in Subd. 2(a), shall extend greater than twelve feet above the highest point of the roof on which it is located, except by conditional use permit that shall be subject to the following conditions: (i) The applicant shall establish, to the satisfaction of the City Council, that the equipment is necessary for the function of the building and utilizing shorter equipment is impractical or less advantageous. (ii) The equipment shall not limit solar access to adjacent and/or neighboring properties. (iii) The city may require additional landscaping, screening and architectural elements to minimize the impact of the taller mechanical elements. (iv) The provisions of Section 825.39 are satisfied. Subd. 3. Rooftop Solar Equipment shall be subject to the limitations described in Section 828.09. SECTION II. Clause (f) of Section 815.05, Subd. 2 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina is amended by deleting the stricken language and adding the underlined language as follows: (f) Flags. No flag on a flagpole shall exceed 40 square feet in area. No single property shall fly more than three flags at one time. Flagpoles shall not exceed extend more than 40 feet in heightabove grade, except if attached to a structure, in which case they shall be regulated by Section 825.22. If the total area of the flags exceeds 72 square feet, the excess area shall be included in any Sign Area calculations for the property. Wall- mounted flags shall be limited to one flag per property and shall not exceed 20 square feet in area; SECTION III. Section 825.19, Subd. 2 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina is amended by deleting the stricken language as follows: Subd. 2. No accessory building shall exceed 30 feet in height, with the exception of buildings where agricultural use or farming is at the discretion of the City the primary use of the property. Building projections or features, such as chimneys, cupolas, and similar decorations that do not exceed 35 feet in height are permitted in residential districts. Accessory building height shall be measured as set forth in section 825.07, subdivision 12 of the city code. Ordinance No. 684 3 March 1, 2022 SECTION IV. Clauses (f) of Section 834.07, Subd. 1 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina regulating the Architectural Standards of the Uptown Hamel District is amended by deleting the stricken language as follows: (f) Height. New building heights shall not exceed three stories, except as described herein. Along all street frontages and park property lines, building heights exceeding two stories shall have the third story set back at least six feet from the front line of the building, and the fourth story shall be set back 12 feet from the front line of the building. Basement levels shall not be considered a story, so long as more than 50 percent of the basement structure is below grade at the average of all areas around the building. Total building height shall not exceed 50 feet., except structures such as belfries, chimneys, flues, monuments, cupolas and domes which do not contain living space, are permitted, provided they are not higher than 10 feet above the height of the building. In the case that the distance from grade to the eave (or top corner of a flat roof) of a structure exceeds 30 feet, additional fire suppression apparatuses may be required by the city. A fourth story may be allowed if ten percent of residential units are dedicated affordable housing units. SECTION V. Clause (i) of Section 834.07, Subd. 1 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina regulating the Architectural Standards of the Uptown Hamel District is amended by deleting the stricken language and adding the underlined language as follows: (i) Equipment. Equipment shall not be mounted on the roof unless it can be demonstrated that there is no other reasonable alternative. If allowed, rRooftop equipment shall be screened using the architectural elements and material from the building, provided they are consistent with these design standards, and shall otherwise adhere to all requirements contained in Section 825.22. SECTION VI. Subclause (s)(iv) of Section 831.07, Subd. 1 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina regulating the Design and Development Standards for the Urban Commercial district is amended by deleting the stricken language and adding the underlined language as follows: (s) Building Materials and Building Appearance – (iv) Screening of Rooftop Equipment – All rooftop equipment shall be designed to minimize undesirable views and forms when viewing rooftops from higher elevations and abutting property. Equipment shall be screened through the use of architectural elements and materials, which are consistent with the design and architecture of the building. Wooden boards or similar material constructed or assembled in a fence-type method or design shall not be used to screen rooftop equipment. All requirements in Section 825.22 shall also be adhered to. Screening elements should not exceed 8 feet in height. Ordinance No. 684 4 March 1, 2022 SECTION VII. Subclause (u)(v) of Section 833.07, Subd. 1 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina regulating the Design and Development Standards for the Industrial Park District is amended by deleting the stricken language and adding the underlined language as follows: (v) Screening of Rooftop Equipment – All rooftop equipment shall be designed to minimize undesirable views and forms when viewing rooftops from higher elevations or abutting property. Equipment shall be screened through the use of architectural elements and materials, which are consistent with the design and architecture of the building. Wooden boards or similar material constructed or assembled in a fence-type method or design shall not be used to screen rooftop equipment. All requirements in Section 825.22 shall also be adhered to. Rooftop equipment and screening elements shall not exceed 8 feet in height. SECTION VIII. Upon the effective date of this ordinance, Ordinance No. 677, the interim ordinance adopted by the city council on November 3, 2021, establishing a moratorium on certain rooftop elements, as that term is defined therein, shall be repealed and be of no further force or effect. SECTION IX. This ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption and publication. Adopted by the Medina city council this 1st day of March, 2022. ______________________________ Kathleen Martin, Mayor Attest: _________________________________________ Caitlyn Walker, City Clerk Published in the Crow River News on the 10th day of March, 2022.