Special Edition - January, 1992 The
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ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD
Newsletter of the City of Otsego Special Edition—January 1992
City strives to avoid
development problems,
y,
by Norman F. Freske, mayor J rJ j
Three major reasons for Otsego changing from a township r 1
form of government to a city were. 1)the need for the commu-
nityto gain direct control of decisions within its boundaries 2)
the need �eed to address reble�is and issues not being attended to,
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and 3)to upgrade standards and regulations so as to prevent
future problems from developing. Substantial progress has
been made in all three areas. With its incorporation, Otsego
now has local control and the adoption of the Comprehensive
Plan has established a community-based direction for the city's
future. A new, modern subdivision ordinance, as well as a
pending new zoning ordinance,map and text,will go a long way
in preventing major new problems from being created.
Likewise,work on anew septic system ordinance is intended ''
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to help assure avoidance of groundwater pollution problems
and the premature requirement of public sewer which would be 1
pity,gn' p property ers as well as the
a significant scant pro
blem for bothown
While the city has begun to address existing communit %
problems and issues the job is however, far from complete,
Review of recent development proposals have, in fact, uncov- I'
ered more extensive problems than anticipated.Due to lack of
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attention to grading and drainage matters as part of past
subdivision approvals, previously known as well as newly f ��
identified storm drainage problems are requiring substantial � ' y
time and investment on the part of the city.Many unexpected
zoning and code enforcement issues have also emerged. Situ-
ations have been encountered with expansion of home ex-
tended businesses in areas where they are not allowed and On November 15,1990,Otsego was incorporated as a city.
without proper land use approvals. Site development and O e o'e first mayor and city council members have used this
division problems have also resulted in major city time and special edition of The Otsego View to reflect on some of the
issues and accomplishments of the City's first year.
work..being required.. to address specific propertiesand work
toward their resolution.The previous lack ofproper procedures
and attention to such matters now places the burden of correc-
tion on the city, as well as property owners who were not
initially involved.Attention to getting these types of problems by Ron Black,council member
corrected is a necessary action,although sometimes painful for
all concerned. The city of Otsego,like all ofus,requires cash to function.
These problems have prompted a need for development Snowplowing costs money. Police and fire protection cost
requests to be subject to thorough review which covers all money.Issuing building permits and.burningpermits costs
pertinent aspects of the request.Air.a city,one of the privileges noney• All of the services that the,residents of Otsego
offered Otsego is the ability to focus its development review demand costs money,
efforts in a manner which it sees as necessary to avoid future One of the major tasks of the City Council is to allocate a.
conflicts. It must be realized that, although time consuming, limited resource(money)to pay for the services which you,
the resolution of a potential problem at an initial planning as residents,want.The city obtains most money from for e
stage is considered less expensive than having to physically different sources.The sources are: real estate taxes, user
and legally rectify a problem at a future point. fees and the state of Minnesota through the Department of
1_1�In the past year,the city has considered a variety of devel- Transportation..
ment proposals including: 10 subdivision requests,five con- heal estate taxes are the primary source of money to pay
ditional use permit requests, and two variance requests. It is for the operation ofyour city..This money is used to payfor
the intent of the city to learn from past problems and take salaries, repair on vehicles, paper, Pencils, and .all of the
measures necessary so that they are not repeated. Subse- other items used by the city.User fees are charges to people
quently, in its review of various development proposals, the
city is striving to prevent future problems.— FINANCES to page 2
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f
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FINANCES from page 1 Council plans to spend it The city is n-
CMty of Otsego who use specific city services,for example, different than you and I when it comes;
wants. There is not enough money avail-
13474 N.E. 95th St. building permits.The charge for a building able to pay for all the things that the resi-
Otsego, MN 55330 permit helps to pay the cost of the inspec- dents of Otsego want.As a result,your city
(612)441-4414 tions performed by the building inspector to councilhas to allocate available moneybased
assure that the builder is building a safe on the information supplied to the council
FILE HOURS building. Money received from the Minne- by you,the residents of Otsego.
Monday through Friday sota Department ofTransportation must be Anyone who has questions,comments or
8:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. spent on the maintenance or improvement concerns about city finances please contact
of our streets. any ofyour city council persons.By working
CITY COUNCIL Your City Council has prepared a budget together, we can make Otsego a pleasant
Mayor— for the coming year which describes where place to live at a reasonable cost.—
Norman Freske the money is coming from and where the
Council members—
Douglas Lindenfelser
Floyd Roden PlanningCommissionconsiders
Larry Fournier
Ron Black 0 i issues variety of s s 1
CITY STAFF 1
Jerome Perrault,Clerk by Larry Fournier,council member date certain development proposals within
Elaine Beatty, Deputy Clerk/ In the past year, the Otsego Planning the city, the Planning Commission may
Zoning Administrator Commission has considered a wide variety have to consider a zoning amendment. A
Jim Barthel,Treasurer of issues. zoning amendment is a change,authorized
Judy Hudson,Secretary The Otsego Planning Commission is a by the city either in the allowed activity
Dave Chase, Maintenance seven member body which is appointed by within a district or in the boundaries of the
Supervisor and serves as an advisory body to the City district. Since the first of this year, the
Duane Fiedler, Maintenance Council in its consideration of development Planning Commission has considered three
PLANNING applications andvarious cityplanningdocu- rezoning requests.
COMMISSION ments. Specific items before the Planning 5. Comprehensive Plan. A significant
Commission during 1991 include the fol- portion of the Planning Commission's tiff
I.G. Roskaft, lowing: this past year was spent considering th,,
Chairman 1.Requests for Subdivision.A subdivi- city's Comprehensive Plan (now formally
Larry Fournier, sion entails the division of a lot, tract, or adopted). The preparation of the plan fol-
Council Representative parcel of land into two or more lots,tracts, lows a state mandate of Otsego's recent
Jim Kolles parcels, or other divisions of land for sale, incorporation.
Kathy Lewis development, or lease. A Comprehensive Plan is an all encom-
Bruce Rask
ens Since 1 January 1991 the Otsego Plan- passing document prepared b the city,
Carl Swenson r3' � g g p P Y Y,
Mark Wallace ning Commission has considered 10 subdi- including a compilation of policy statement
vision requests within the city. goals, standards, and maps indicating the
PAII ICE IDEATION 2. Conditional Use Permit Requests. general locations recommendedfor the vari-
ISS,ION In the past year,the Planning Commission ous functional classes of land use, places,
Carl Swenson,Chairman has considered a number of conditional use and structures,and for the general physical i
Andy Beecher permit requests.A conditional use permit is development of the city. In general terms,
Tom Constant a permit issued by the City Council which the plan is to serve as a guide for future
Floyd Roden, allows the City to review all details of the development within the city.
Council Representative proposed use, which by law is deemed to 6. Subdivision Ordinance.Also in re-
Jacquie Rognli require special consideration and control.A sponse to a state mandate, the city has
Richard Savitski proposed use may impose upon adjacent drafted its own subdivision ordinance(now
Darlene Solberg uses. In the past year, the Planning Com- formally adopted).Like the Comprehensive
Mark Wallace missionhas advisedthe CityCouncil onfive Plan, the Subdivision Ordinance was sub-
conditional use permit requests. ject to highly detailed review by the Plan-
3. Variance Requests. Another func- ning Commission..
tion of the Planning Commission is to con- A subdivision ordinance is basically a set
sider variance requests. As defined by the of city adopted regulatiop.s governing the
The Otsego View is coramu- City Zoning Ordinance, a variance consti- subdivision of land within the community.
nity newsletter fort e City of tutes a modification of the strict terms of 7. Zoning Ordinance. An item of cur-
Otsego. the Ordinance,as applied to a specific piece rent focus by the Planning Commission is
Correspondemo and news items are of property,in order to provide relief from that ofthe pending zoning ordinance.While
welcome and should be sent to Jac- undue physical hardship. Variances are the city has adopted the Wright Count
qume Rognli,Editor,Otsego City Hall, normally limited to height, bulk, density, Zoning Ordinance as an interim documen,
13474 N.E. 95th St., Otsego, MN and yard requirements, Since 1 January the state has mandated(as part ofOtsego's
55330(612)441-4414. 1991,the Otsego Planning Commission has incorporation) that the city adopt its own
Printed on deliberated two variance requests. zoning ordinance specifically tailored to the
Recycled 4. Zoning Amendments To accommo- COMMISSION to page 4
Paper
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AS AL
""arks and RecreationCommittee "'first year
cases on Otsego's recreational needs accomplishments
by Floyd Roden,council member equitable and efficient means of devel- the Cat
With the city expressing an intense oping the system. y
desire to promote its community iden- The basic premise of the plan shall be
tity,it must be recognized that Otsego's to provide Otsego with a varied and City Government
park and recreational facilities may high quality recreational environment, •Election of mayor and four city
serve as a major tool in realizing this The bark System Plan shall be pre- council members
goal, pared in conjunction with county and
Currently the Otsego County Park state governments and identify future *Took over own planning and
and recreationalfacility istheonlypark park system components. Once oppor- zoning
within the city,In large part,the 30 acre tunities do arrive, these components •Created Parks and Recreation
park has been adequate duo to the large may be programed for development. Commission
lot single family development which In initial Commission discussions,the *Added two new planning and
characterizes the city's urban neighbor- following items have been raised as is- zoning commissioners
hoods. sues of community focus: *Completed Comprehensive
While the existing Otsego County Park •Otsego Park-parking expansion Plan
does provide a wide range of passive *Nature park with trails -Adopted Universal Building
recreational opportunities (i.e., trails, *Bike trails Code
picnic areas,tot lots),it is fairly limited *Tree protection policy *Hired building inspector
in its accessibility and active recre •Collaboration with schools
ational choices (i.e., tennis courts, Neighborhood parks/playgrounds •Adopted 22 ordinances
ballfields, skating rinks,etc.). *Boat launches *Hired auditing firm
As an initial step in addressing the •Purchase of land for future parks •Minnesota State Aid roadplan-
city'spark and recreation needs,aParks While the precedinglist identifies per- ning and funding
and Recreation Commission has been tinent recreational issues within the •Packard Avenue project
formed.A major priority of the commis- community,it is not to be considered an •Nashua Avenue project ready
,on is the identification of the city's exclusive representation of all items to for 1992
Jecific recreational needs (immediate be addressed by the commission. +New mapping done
and long term)and the preparation of a As the city of Otsego continues to *Established urban/rural dis-
long range park system plan. grow, so the need for adequate recre- tricts
Following the committee's identifica- ational choices.It is the intention of the
tion of community wants and needs re- city's Parks and Recreation Committee *Established zoning ordnance
Eating to recreation('via survey or other to address not only the community's •Established first Planned Ur-
means), a detailed base of information immediate recreational needs, but to ban Development district
shall be available to develop a Park identify and hopefully implement the •Curbside recycling started
System Plan and determine the most community's long term needs as well. -Purchased first voting machine
•Started city newsletter
Drainage e S not uncommon *Established city logo
sed Otsego city flags
by Doug Lindenfelser,council Addition and Island View Estates sub- *"City•Purcha a Otsego" signs put up
member divisions.Within the Halls Addition,an council have given
A common result of an area evolving insufficient storm water storage area support*Mayor and to new community
from rural to urban in nature are storm was provided.Because the storage area
water drainage problems. As natural did not provide a storm water drainage groups
drainage flows are disturbed or altered, outlet(to the Mississippi River),it was
unanticipated problems typically occur. not uncommon for the subdivision to Community Volunteers
Subsequently, the city of Otsego has experience periodic flooding.To resolve •Community groups organized:
experienced major problems with storm this problem,an outlet was installed in Otsego Vision, Otsego Histori-
water runoff. the subdivision's storm drainage pond cal Committee, Otsego
Currently, storm water drainage to control water volume. Homeowners Association,
within the community is handled by In the Island View Estates subdivi- Otsego Jaycees, Otsego Great
naturally existing drainage swales, sion, natural storm water drainage River Road Fest Task Force
ponding areas, and by ditches con- courses have been found to traverse •City logo contest
structed along Otsego's roadways. several existing vacant lots within the
Major storm drainage problems within development. •1992 Otsego Historical Calen-
` e community have been commonly Consequently,the buildability ofthese dars
perienced during seasonal thaws and lots has been questioned.Efforts aimed •First festival,the Otsego
rainfalls, Within the city's urbanized/ at resolving these concerns are pend- Great River Road Fest,Aug.
platted areas,storm drainage problems ing. 1991
are largely a result offailure to plan and It should be noted that neither the
manage storm drainage. Typical prob- Halls or Island View Estates subdivi-
lems have been experienced in the Halls DRAINAGE to page 4
3
Duties added for office staff COMMISSION from page 2
city of Otsego.
by Jae uie Ro nli attends professional staff meetings, In general terms, a zoning ordinance
Jerome Perrault served Otsego as takes minutesforthe Planningand Zon- is a set of city adopted laws which regu-
township clerk for 43 years from 1947 to ing Commission,coordinates materials late the use, placement, spacing, and -
1990. He now has completed his first for their meetings, and writes up and size of land and buildings.The intent of
year as Otsego's city clerk. records necessary documents. the ordinance is to protect public health,
Elaine Beatty serves as Otsego's Hudson says she has assumed more safety, and general welfare of the com-
deputy clerk and zoning administrator responsibilities, coordinating informa- munity and its people.
and,along with secretary Judy Hudson, tion with City Building Inspector Jerry Like the Comprehensive Plan and
staffs the city office. Olson,working on zoning maps,licens- Subdivision Ordinance,the Zoning Or-
When asked what the biggest change ing people and learning the new ordi- dinance review process is justly time
in their duties has been since Otsego nances. consuming.It is expected that the Zon-
became a city in 1990, the overwhelm- Beatty calls Hudson "invaluable." ing Ordinance will be finalized late this
ing answer from the three of them was Both work together daily in the close year or early in 1992.
"More paperwork!" quarters ofCity Hall and routinely share As evidenced in the preceding list,the
Perrault estimates that the work for information. Otsego Planning Commission has en-
him as city clerk is double what it was as Hudson, in the midst of sorting countered a wide variety of topics in the
township clerk. through a mountain offiles from Wright past year. As a member of both the
His job as city clerk includes taking County,said that since becoming a city, Otsego City Council and Planning Com-
council meeting minutes, keeping "I see a greater interest from our resi- mission, I am able to fully appreciate
records, filing required reports to the dents that has generated more phone the commission's efforts and the impor-
state, preparing invoices, and paying calls." tant role it plays in assuring a safe and
bills. Perrault also said he feels there is well-planned community. We look for-
Meetings are longer,so there are more more interest in Otsego now.In the past ward to another interesting and chal-
minutes.According to Perrault,being a as a township, roads were a main con- lenging year as the city continues to
city requires more frequent reports and cern and now it is planning and zoning. take on responsibilities and establishes
more bills, too. "We've gone through so many things its self direction.�.
For Beatty,a big change for her is the (since gaining city status),"said Beatty.
expansion ofher position to include zon- "It's mind boggling that it has gone as
ing administrator as well as deputy smooth as it has."
clerk. The staff attributes this to good sup- DRAINAGE from page 3
Planning and zoning work for the city port and all being able to work well sions were required to submit grading
is now being handled by Otsego staff together. and drainage plans as a platting re-
rather than Wright County. Beatty `We can depend on each other, said quirement.
works with people on zoning requests, Hudson. . As a means of avoiding future storm
drainage problems,the city has taken a
number of steps toward responsible
....m .. .. ." _---- -----_..._.. ........... ... storm water management.First as part
OtS@ O Clll"bSide ReC C�IfI 100°I° of the city's recently adopted Subdivi-
g y g sion Ordinance, the submission of a
1600 Participating Households grading and drainage plan is now re-
# quired as part of the platting process.
1400 - 11/90-11/91 80% �° Secondly, the city is considering the
0 o development of a comprehensive storm
f 1200 F... f water management plan. It is antici-
pated that such a plan would devise a
H 10 0 0 ~ 6 0% H program for developing drainage ba-
0 0 sins and address considerations needed
U U to make the successful transition from
S 800 S
E 4 0% S a largely rural community to one with a
signficant amount of urban develop-
H 600 H ment.
0 0 While storm drainage problems have
DL 400 ` 20% D not been uncommon,inthepast,thecity
S S of Otsego is taking steps toward the
200
successful m management t o ana em f this i t s mp or-
tant communityissue.-
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� cl nl C4 m a vn vi to W n n ao rn . 6 a
Date
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