08-25-2020
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, August 25, 2020 – Page 1
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES
August 25, 2020
A regular meeting of the Hopkins Planning & Zoning Commission was held on August 25, 2020, at
6:30 p.m. by video conference call through Zoom in response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Present were Commission Members Gerard Balan, Sam Stiele, Nathan White, Douglas Dyrland,
Maggie Sedoff and Jason Miller. Also present were City Planner Jason Lindahl and Mary Tietjen,
City Attorney with the firm Kennedy & Graven. Commissioner Emily Fiamova was absent.
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Balan called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
ADOPT AGENDA
Commissioner Miller moved, Commissioner Sedoff seconded, to adopt the agenda. The motion was
approved unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA – PUBLIC COMMENTS/CONCERNS –
CONSENT AGENDA
Commissioner Dyrland moved, Commissioner Stiele seconded, to approve the minutes of the July
28, 2020 regular meeting with the correction on page three that the vote to approve Planning
Application 2020-08 should be written as 5-0 with two Commissioners abstaining. The motion was
approved unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING
1. Planning Application 2020-04 Electronic Signs Text Amendment
Mr. Lindahl gave an overview of this item stating that the zoning code text amendment was initiated
by staff to revise and enhance the City’s zoning regulation for dynamic (electronic) signs. The
process began in late 2019 when two churches in the community asked the City for dynamic signs
that did not meet the current regulations. Since that time, staff has researched this topic, reviewed
standards in other communities, discussed it on two occasions with the Planning & Zoning
Commission and polled the City Council on the proposed changes. Based on this process, staff has
drafted the following changes to the regulations and recommend approval of the draft text.
• Allow electronic signs on public and institutional uses in residential zones subject to
approval of conditional use permit.
• Decrease the minimum display time from 24 hours to 20 minutes.
• Add text size, mode, brightness and operation standards.
Commissioner Miller questioned a discrepancy between staff’s research of minimum display times in
surrounding communities and the minimum display times noted in a comment received from a sign
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, August 25, 2020 – Page 2
manufacturer working with one of the churches in Hopkins. Mr. Lindahl stated that the information
staff has complied from surrounding communities came directly from their websites and could not
speak to the information in the comment from the sign manufacturer but noted that it could be
related to electronic billboards.
In response to a question from Chairperson Balan, Mr. Lindahl commented that the framework for
the changes to the standards were provided through a study that was conducted by the League of
Minnesota Cities.
Commissioner Dyrland asked if there were any statistics on dynamic signs causing traffic concerns
due to the display changes. Mr. Lindahl referred to the study from LMC that noted the faster the
signs change, the more potential there is for distraction of the person viewing the sign.
Commissioner Miller commented on the brightness condition that the sign applications require
certification from the sign’s manufacturer and the settings are password protected, wondering if it
had the potential to be exclusionary to some sign manufacturers. Mr. Lindahl stated that the
standard for brightness is common for the industry and from past experience had not found it to be
an issue.
Chairperson Balan opened the public hearing. With no one from the public who wished to be heard
during the meeting, Commissioner Dyrland moved and Commissioner Stiele seconded to close the
public hearing. The motion was approved unanimously.
With no further discussion, Commissioner White moved and Commissioner Miller seconded, to
adopt Planning & Zoning Resolution 2020-07 recommending the City Council approve an
ordinance amending the city code related to dynamic sign standards. The motion was approved
unanimously. Mr. Lindahl stated that this item will move on to the City Council on September 1
with the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval.
2. Planning Application 2020-20 Residential Fence Standards Text Amendment
Mr. Lindahl gave an overview of this item stating that this text amendment was initiated by staff to
address challenges with administering one of the most comment residential permit requests –
residential fences. Staff has found the current regulations are unnecessarily complex and result in
struggles and frustrations for many permit applicants. The issues most commonly result from fence
height and opacity (openness) standards. Staff has drafted the following changes to the regulations
and recommends approval of the draft text.
• Allow fences up to 6’ in height along side-yard property lines up to the front of the principal
building (house).
• Allow fences 4’ or less in height to be 100 percent opaque.
• Make other minor “housekeeping” revisions.
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, August 25, 2020 – Page 3
Mr. Lindahl provided clarification on the newly added language for easements in response to a
question from Commissioner White. Mr. Lindahl also stated that the city does not regulate
landscaping and that home owners who wish for more privacy or a taller fence than is allowed, may
supplement with trees, hedges or other landscaping.
After general discussion from the Commission, Chairperson Balan opened the public hearing. With
no one from the public who wished to be heard during the meeting, Commissioner Sedoff moved
and Commissioner Stiele seconded to close the public hearing. The motion was approved
unanimously.
With no further discussion, Commissioner Miller moved and Commissioner White seconded to
adopt Planning & Zoning Commission Resolution 2020-06 recommending the City Council approve
an ordinance amending the city code related to residential fence standards. The motion was
approved unanimously. Mr. Lindahl stated that this item will move on to the City Council on
September 1 with the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval.
OLD BUSINESS – None.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Legal Training
Mary Tietjen, Attorney with Kennedy & Graven, gave a legal training presentation covering the
duties of the Planning Commission.
ANNOUNCEMENTS –
City Planner Lindahl updated the Commission on the following items.
• Planning Application 2020-19 Backyard Chicken Ordinance was approved by the City
Council with a minor change to the size of the chicken run.
• Planning Application 2020-08 Experience-Based Businesses Text Amendment was approved
by the City Council.
• Planning Application 2020-18 7th Avenue North Variance was denied by the City Council.
• Planning Application 2020-16 425 Madison Avenue Concept Plan was reviewed by the City
Council and recommended the applicant present a formal application which has not yet been
submitted.
• Planning Commission special meeting on Wednesday, October 14 to review the
Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the Blake Road Station development.
ADJOURN
Commissioner White moved, Commissioner Miller seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion
was approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, August 25, 2020 – Page 4
Respectfully submitted,
Courtney Pearsall
Administrative Assistant