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02-27-17 PC Agenda AGENDA Planning Commission Regular Meeting Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road Council Chambers Monday, February 27, 2017 7 pm 1. Approval of Minutes February 13, 2017, Regular Planning Commission Meeting 2. Informal Public Hearing —Zoning Code Text Amendment—Adding a Youth Member to the Board of Zoning Appeals—ZO00-110 Applicant: City of Golden Valley Purpose: To consider language regarding the appointment of a youth member to the Board of Zoning Appeals --Short Recess-- 3. Discussion — Height and Average Grade 4. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings 5. Other Business • Review Planning Commission Annual Report • Council Liaison Report 6. Adjournment " This document is auailal�le in alternate formats upon a 72-hc�ur request. Please call 7b3-593-8006(TN: 763-593-3968)ta n�ake a rec�uest. Exan}ples af alter��ate fariaiats may include large print,eleckronic, Braille,audiocass�tte,�tc. Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 13, 2017 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Chambers, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, February 13, 2017. Chair Segelbaum called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm. Those present were Planning Commissioners Baker, Blenker, Johnson, Segelbaum, and Waldhauser. Also present were Planning Manager Jason Zimmerrnan, Asso�iate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner, and Administrative Assistar�t'Lisa Wittman. Commissioners Blum and Kluchka were absent. 1. Approval of Minutes January 23, 2017, Regular Planning Commission Meeting MOVED by Waldhauser, seconded by Johnson and motion carried unanimously to approve the January 23, 2017, minutes as submitted. 2. Comp Plan Discussion — Demographics Zimmerman referred to the Community �ata Report included in the agenda packet and explained that it will be used in the Cornmunity P'rofile Chapter of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update. He noted that it will also be used to support the themes that have emerged after the Open House, anline survey results, and through conversations with Commissions and the City,Council. He showed the Commissioners two word clouds. One demonstrated the words people have used to describe Golden Valley today and the other demonstrated Golden Valley's future. He stated that "Suburban Evolution" has emerged as the averarching th�me for the Comprehensive Plan update. Some of the other themes include: supporting the emergence of a dynamic town center, showcasing Golden Valley as a "green" community, emphasizing all aspects of a multi-modal transpartation system, striving to be more inclusive, and making important investments in infrastructu.re. Zimmerman st�ted that the data in the report is showing that the population is growing, aging, and becoming more diverse; the number of households is increasing, but they are smaller in size; there are more multi-family buildings and more renters; the household cost burden has increased, especially for renters; employment continues to grow; and a large majority of workers drive to work alone. Goellner discussed some national trends including: an aging population, a widening gap in incomes, housing costs rising faster than incomes, higher educational attainment, the demand for housing in central cities and inner-ring suburbs, the demand for multiple transportation options, more unpredictable and severe weather events, changes in technology, and the rise of shared economy. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 13, 2017 Page 2 Zimmerman referred to a chart showing population and stated that Golden Valley's population reached a low point in 2000 and has since rebounded. He stated that the City is already surpassing the Met Council 2015 estimates for where they thought Golden Valley would be in 2020 and that the demographic trends in the Twin Cities metro area anticipate a 27% population growth in the next three decades, from 2.85 million in 2010 to 3.63 million in 2040. Waldhauser asked about pending apartment projects coming on-line. Baker noted that there is a 5% increase between 2010 and 2015 and yet the size of the households has dropped so there has to be more units somewhere. Zimmerman stated that there is a rise in the number of apartment units coming and that the household size is starting to trend upward. He explained that the 2015 numbers are a Met Council estimate compared to 2010 census data so the actual numbers might have been different fram the estirnated numbers. Johnson asked when the Met Council estimates ar� creat�d. Zimmerman stated that the 2015 estimates are their current estimates that wer� released in 2016. Johnson asked how the City gauges the accuracy of th� Met Council estimates. Zimmerman stated the Met Council has forecasters that have the data and systems to provide these estimates. Johnson said it would be helpful to knvw:how the Met Council comes up with their estimates. Baker agreed and stated that a lot of decisions are based on these Met Council estimates. Zimmerman referred to a graph showing population by age and stated that Golden Valley still has an older population but it is starting to see a spurt of people in their early thirties so over the next several years the City will h�ve to figure out where the aging population will live. Baker asked about the rational� for wanting older people to stay in Golden Valley. Zimmerman stated that he has heard from many people that they want to stay in Golden Valley with their social circle and families, but they don't necessarily want to maintain a house and yard. Zimmerman discussed a graph regarding population by race and ethnicity and noted that there has been an increas� in diversity in Golden Valley. He stated that in 1990, 94% of Golden Valley residents were white and over the last 30 years that has steadily dropped to approxirnately 82Q10 of residents who are white. Johnson asked if the Met Council has targets on where cities are`supposed to be in terms of diversity. Zimmerman stated that the Met Cc�uncil doesn't have targets, but they have numbers on how they think the metro area will chan;ge. Rs a region, the share of persons of color is expected to rise from 9% in 1990 to 41% by 2040. Baker asked if Golden Valley is tracking with the Met Council estimates. Zimmerman stated that Golden Valley was at 6% people of color in 1990 compared to 9'% metro wide so Golden Valley isn't moving as quickly as some other areas, but is following that same trend line. Goellner referred to a graph regarding educational attainment and stated that more people who live in Golden Valley are gaining bachelor or graduate/professional degrees and that there have been less people over time who are not gaining their high school diploma. She stated that the level of educational attainment is higher in Golden Valley when compared to attainment in the seven county metro area which indicates higher incomes as well. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 13, 2017 Page 3 Zimmerman referred to a graph regarding poverty levels and noted that the percentage of Golden Valley's population living below the poverty level has been increasing, roughly doubling from 4.3% in 1990 to 8.2% in 2015. Baker asked how that compares to the metropolitan area. Goellner said Golden Valley's numbers are lower than other communities in the metro area. Waldhauser asked if there is a breakdown of age and/or ethnicity for the numbers on the poverty level graph. Goellner said she doesn't have data for Golden Valley specifically, but that she would look for more information. Zimmerman discussed the number of households and household types in GQlden Valley. He noted that there hasn't been much change in this data since the 199U census, but that the number of households has been rising and is forecast to continue to rise which is consistent with the recent approval of large multi-family buildings. The d�ta regarding household types shows that a smaller percentage of households have children, and a greater percentage of residents live alone which is consistent with an aging population. Zimmerman next discussed the housing types in Golden Valley and said there has not been a lot of change since 1990. He stated that although single family homes dominate the housing landscape, almost all types of housing have been increasing, most notably the multi-family housing stock. Blenker asked if th:e housing types`graph refers to the number of units. Zimmerman said yes. Blenker noted that approximately two-thirds of the units are single family homes and the oth�r�ne-third are townhomes or apartments. Baker said it would be interesting to learn about the long term implications of continued apartment growth. Zimmerman referred to a graph showing housing tenure and vacancy and noted that fewer residents are living in c�wner occupied housing; more are renters. Waldhauser asked if the City knows how many rental units are single family home versus multi-family buildings. Goellner stated that there are approximately 400 single family homes that have a rental license and that rentals are predominantly in multi-family buildings. Zimmerman discussed median,home values, median household income, and the percentage of hauseholds with cost burden and noted that the median home value in Golden Valley dipped in the early 2010s, but appear to have stabilized. The median household incorne also dipped after 2010 while median rents increased. Waldhauser asked what is included �n the percentage of household costs. Goellner stated the costs include utilities and rent, not maintenance. Waldhauser said she thinks the graphs understate the cost of owning a house. Zimmerman referred to a graph illustrating employment in Golden Valley and said employment in Golden Valley has been steadily rising throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He added that in the Twin Cities metro area, employment figures are forecast to increase 30% from 1.55 million in 2010 to 2.02 million by 2040. Blenker asked about the top employers in Golden Valley. Goellner said the top employers include: General Mills, Allianz, Courage Kenny, Honeywell, Tennant, and Mortenson. Zimmerman added that Golden Valley will see an increase in employment. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 13, 2017 Page 4 Goellner discussed two graphs that showed means of transportation to work and travel time to work and stated that most Golden Valley residents drive alone to work which has not changed much in the past 25 years. She noted that this is typical for communities with robust roadway networks, but has the likelihood of decreasing between today and 2040. She stated that most residents drive to work and arrive within 30 minutes and that the majority of residents work in communities outside of Golden Valley. Waldhauser stated that it is interesting that the means of transportation to work doesn't change, but people have said multi-modal transportation is important to them. Goellner stated that multi- modal transportation can't be more convenient until more people use it because expansion of the system is based on existing ridership levels. She alsa stated that the data hasn't changed much over time because the highway access in Golden Val(ey hasn't changed. Johnson referred to the graph about employment and asked why the information is split between Met Council forecasts and DEED estimates. Zimmerman explained'that DEED doesn't do forecasts and that the Met Council relies on DEEDs numbers for their forecasts. Johnson said there seems to be quite a difference in expertise for the Met Council to go from housing and population to employm�nt. Zimmerman reiterated that this is the type of data that staff thinks is important to include in the first chapter of the Comprehensive Plan: He said he would like to hear from the Commissioners if there is more information they would like to see added in order to address some of the goals in the Comprehensive Rlan, Segelbaum asked about the next steps in the Comprehensive Plan Update process. Zimmerman stated that there will b� "Gamp Plan Conversations" throughout the summer. These conversations/mini c�pen hc�uses will occur prior to the first Planning Commission meetings of the month at 6 pm wi#h an additional meeting scheduled on August 7. Then staff will recap the "conversatic�ns" at the Council/Manager meeting each month. In late 2017, a final draft of the Plan will be reviewed by the Commissions and will be sent to the City Council for review and camment. In early 2018, there will be a comment period for the public and neighbarin� communities. The plan will then go to the Planning Commission and City Council in mid-2018 for approval and will be submitted to the Metrop4litan Council. The Commissioners talked about the process and how they will review the Plan and provide feedback. Johnson aske� for more data on climate change and storm data change. Goellner said she would send the Commissioners additional information. Waldhauser suggested reviewing information on the built environment as well as the natural environment. Zimmerman said he will also be working with the staff liaison to the Environmental Commission in regard to the Sustainability and Resilience Chapter. 3. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 13, 2017 Page 5 No reports were given. 4. Other Business • Review Planning Commission Bylaws Zimmerman explained that the Planning Commission bylaws need to be amended because the City Council is going to appoint a youth member to each Board and Commission as a way to involve teens. Baker asked if the youth member w4uld contribute to a quorum. Zimmerman said no, they would be a non-voting member. Blenker asked if any youth have expressed interest in being appointed to a board or commission. Segelbaum stated that there used to be a teen committee but there really wasn't enough for them to do on their own so he thinks this is a good way to include them. Johnson and Waldhauser agreed that this is a good idea. • Council Liaison Report No report was given. 5. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 pm. John Kluchka, Secretary Lisa Wittman, Administrative Assistant %W 4v�y� �� .�1 Qv i�f � Physica�: I7�evelc��rnent Dep►a,�trnen�t �s�-���-sc���r���-s��-�,+��t���� Date: February 27, 2017 To: Golden Valley Planning Commission From: Emily Goellner, Associate Planner/Grant Writer Subject: Zoning Code Text Amendment—Adding a Youth Member to the Board of Zoning Appeals Summary In March 2017, the City Council will be considering City Code language to add a youth member to each Board and Commission to coincide with the dissolution of the Teen Committee. The proposed amended bylaws and the sections of City Code regarding the Board of Zoning Appeals are attached. Recommendation Staff recommends approval of the amendments to Section 11.90 of the Zoning Code adding language regarding the appointment of a youth member to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Attachments Underlined/Overstruck Version of Section 11.90:Administration (1 page) Draft Bylaws of the Board of Zoning Appeals (3 pages) Underlined/Overstruck Version of Section 2.50: Boards and Commissions Generally (1 page) 11.90 Section 11.90: Administration Subdivision 4. Board of Zoning Appeals There is hereby created a Board of Zoning Appeals which shall be organized, operated and have certain powers, as follows: A. Organization. 1. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall consist of�e six members which includes one �) youth member. All members of the Board of Zoning Appeals shall serve a one-(1) year term. During the month of April the City Council shall appoint €e�a�-E�} five 5 of the members. �"'����`� m�-„"�-� A Planning Commissioner, , shall be the �-§�'3 sixth � member of the Board of Zoning Appeals. All of the members of the Planning Commission are alternates to the Board of Zoning Appeals. In the absence of any member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, any member of the Planning Commission may serve as an alternate. At least one (1) member of the Planning Commission shall be present at each meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall meet at least once a month if there are any petitions pending for action. 2. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall keep a written record of all of its proceedings, including minutes of its meetings, its findings and the action taken on each matter heard by it including its Final Order. The Board of Appeals shall adopt such further rules for the conduct of its proceedings as it shall deem necessary, including rules governing the exact date of its meetings, the date by which petitions must be filed to appear on the agenda of any particular meeting, provisions for the conduct of the meeting including the matter of giving of oaths to witnesses at the hearings, the manner in which evidence might be presented at the hearings and provisions for the filing of written briefs by the petitioner or other interested parties. Golden Valley City Code Page 1 of 1 Bylaws of the Board of Zoning Appeals City of Golden Valley Article I. These Bylaws of the City of Golden Valley, Board of Zoning Appeals and adopted by same, shall govern the conduct of its proceedings as provided for in Section 11.90, Subd. 4. "Board of Zoning Appeals" of the City Code, attached hereto as Appendix I. Article II. Officers and Staffing 1. The Chairperson shall be elected by April of each year from and by the members of the Board of Zoning Appeals. 2. No person may serve as chairperson for more than 2 consecutive years, in a 3 year period. 3. The member of the Board of Zoning Appeals appointed by the Planning Commission cannot service as chairperson. 4. The �es�er�Planning Manager a�-��e�of the City of Golden Valley or his/her designee shall serve as staff liaison to the Board. 5. The staff liaison shall conduct and maintain all official correspondence, subject to these rules, at the direction of the Board, including all notices required by these rules of procedure and Section 11.90 of the City Code; minutes of the Board's proceedings; and files on petitions for each case which comes before the Board. Article III. Membership 1. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall consist of 5 reqular members and 1 non-votinq_ youth member, who shall live or attend school within Golden Valley and be enrolled in qrades 9 throuqh 12. All members shall serve a 1 year term. A Planning Commissioner shall be the 6th reqular member. All of the members of the Planning Commission are alternates to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Article-N�IV. Meetings 1. A monthly agenda shall be prepared and mailed to each of the members of the Board. Completed petitions must be received at least 15 working days prior to the day of the meeting for which a hearing is scheduled. 2. A regular monthly meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the hearing of cases shall be held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7 pm unless no cases are pending. 3. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson whenever he/she deems the same expedient, and shall be so called whenever three members request the same in writing. Each member and affected petitioner or property owner shall be notified at Bylaws of the Golden Valley Board of Zoning Appeals Page 2 least 5 days previous to any Special Meeting, of the time, place, and purpose of the same. 4. A majority of the membership of the Board shall constitute a quorum. In case there shall be no quorum present on the day fixed for a regular or special meeting, the members must adjourn the meeting. In order to obtain a quorum, the member appointed by the Planning Commission must be present. Article �V. Conduct of Business 1. The meetings shatl be called to order by the Chairperson or in his/her absence, the immediate past Chairperson. In the event that both are absent, the staff liaison shall call the meeting to order for the business of electing a Chairperson Pro Tem. 2. Record shall be made of those Board members present and those absent. 3. The minutes of the previous meeting shall be submitted for approval and any errors noted or corrections made shall be recorded, after which, the regular order of business shall be taken up, provided that the reading of the minutes may be dispensed with and the same approved if there are no objections. 4. The further order of business, unless otherwise ordered by the Board, shall be as follows, and shall be shown on the agenda of each regular meeting. a. Hearing of petitions or business carried from a previous meeting b. Hearing of new petitions c. Communications d. Other business e. Adjournment 5. The staff liaison shall prepare a written report and recommendation on each petition submitted to the Board, which shall become a part of the official record. 6. In conducting official business the Board shall: a. Hear and decide appeals only on matters provided for in Section 11.90 Subd. 4.B of the City Code and M.S.A. 462.359 (4). b. Hear and decide appeats only where the petition meets the specific requirements of Section 11.90 Subd. 4.C, "Procedure" of the City Code and only where notices as required by the Section have been provided by the City. 7. All petitions and evidence received by the Board shall be reviewed and considered, and within a reasonable time the board shall make its written orders deciding the particular matter. 8. Where there is a question of procedure not specifically covered by these Bylaws or City Ordinances, the Chairperson shall be guided by RoberYs Rules of Order. Bylaws of the Golden Valley Board of Zoning Appeals Page 3 Article VI. Records 1. All records of the Board shall be a public record. 2. The petition form referred to in the Bylaws and Section 11.90 of the City Code shall be that officially adopted by the board of Zoning Appeals. 3. Each petition shall be given a number corresponding to the year, month and sequence in which it is accepted by the City staff. 4. A map showing the location and number of each case shall be maintained by the secretary. 5. A file of all materials (including surveys and petitions) and decisions relating to each case shall be filed in the Inspections Department, in the address files. Article VI1. Amendment Procedure 1. Suspension of the Rules. The rules of procedure may be suspended by a majority of the members of the Board at any regular meeting. 2. Repeal or Amendment of the Rules. These rules may be amended or repealed at any regular or special meeting subsequent to the meeting when the same is proposed, by a 2/3 vote of the entire Board. Updated — February 2017 §2.50 Section 2.50: Boards and Commissions Generally Except as otherwise provided in a specific Section, all Boards and Commissions created by the City Code shall be for the limited purpose of advising the Council with respect to a City function or activity or to research and evaluate issues identified by the Council. As such, Boards and Commissions shall function in an advisory capacity only. Subdivision 1. Appointments The terms of all Board and Commission members shall be fixed and determined at the time of appointment. The Council shall appoint the members of all Boards and Commissions and may fill vacancies for unexpired terms. Members of Boards and Commissions shall serve until their successors are appointed. Appointments shall be made by the Council at its last meeting in April, effective May 1, except for appointments to the Absentee Ballot Counting Board, which will be appointed as needed from the roster of election judges approved by the City Council. Subdivision 2. Staff Support The City Manager shall appoint a staff liaison to attend all meetings of Boards and Commissions and record the meetings. Subdivision 3. Attendance and Rules Each Board and Commission shall establish by-laws, which must be reviewed and approved by the Council every three years. The Council has final authority regarding all by-laws. Boards and Commissions shall follow Roberts Rules of Order unless alternative procedures are established in the approved by-laws or in the City Code. A quorum shall be a simple majority of the votina membership and all recommendations shall require a quorum. No member shall serve as chair more than two years in a three-year period, except that service for less than a full year shall not be applied to this limit. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, that member should contact the staff liaison, who will inform the chair if a quorum cannot be attained and the meeting will be cancelled. The Council may establish an attendance policy for members to remain in good standing. Subdivision 4. Annual Report Each Board and Commission shall present a written annual report outlining its activities over the past year and proposed activities for the upcoming year. Sou�ce: Ordinance No. 333, 2nd Series Effective Date: 9-30-05 Golden Valley City Code Page 1 of 1 ���� �� . Phy�ical I��v+elc�pme�t I)e�artrr�enfi 7+�3-r93-s�19'S!7b3-593-s1439'(fax} Date: February 27, 2017 To: Golden Valley Planning Commission From: Jason Zimmerman, Planning Manager Emily Goellner, Associate Planner/Grant Writer Subject: Discussion of Zoning Code Text Amendments– Height and Average Grade Summary Over the last 12-18 months, staff has been collecting and researching issues related to height— specifically in R-1 and R-2 Zoning Districts—that deserve some attention and potential modifications to allow for clearer interpretation and better implementation. As background, the height of a home is determined by calculating the average grade of a structure at the front building line and measuring to the average height of the highest pitched roof or to the highest point of a flat roof structure. When a new home is proposed, the City must establish the grade (or average grade) prior to construction so that the height can be checked. For a teardown, the new grade is limited to no more than one foot above than the average grade of the previous home. The City adopted these methods of calculating average grade and building height as a part of the 2008 Infill Study. Within a year of adoption, staff and Planning Commission recommended amending the one foot increase in average grade to accommodate unique circumstances regarding site drainage. However, those changes were tabled by the City Council and never adopted. The recent increase in the number of permits for new home construction through subdivision or teardown have brought back many of the concerns that first precipitated the proposed amendment to the one foot limit. Staff would like to revisit this issue and search for creative solutions. Additionally, the adoption of the tent-shaped building envelope in 2015 has revealed a potential conflict with the way in which the height of flat roof homes is regulated. Staff would also like to discuss modifying this section of City Code. Average Grade Calculating the average grade of a new home can be challenging. Architects typically provide building elevations absent the context of the finished grading of the lot, which disconnects the height of the structure from the reality of the topography. A survey can provide information through contours, but not all properties have this type of information on file. Staff has considered using some version of elevation information provided on a survey (Finished Floor Elevation, Lowest Floor Elevation, Garage Floor Elevation, or Top of Foundation (Block) Elevation). However, this has not been consistently recorded on old surveys and is not currently a requirement to be recorded when a house is being demolished. Proposed surveys, however, typically have this data for the new home. With this type of detailed information, direct comparisons of old to new average grade would be much simpler and a better predictor of how high a new home would rise in contrast to the home it would replace. Regardless of how average grade is calculated, the limits on how much this can increase (currently no more than one foot) has proven overly restrictive in some circumstances. Regulations regarding the grade of driveways, yards, and sanitary sewer are occasionally in conflict with the one foot limit. In addition, surface drainage may not work effectively (by moving water away from the home) without allowing for a greater increase in the average grade. Some cities have resolved these conflicts by allowing for a greater increase in the average grade if it is necessary to meet the other regulations. Edina, for example, has included specific drainage and building code standards that must be achieved in order to grant a variance and allow a home to be built more than one foot higher in average grade than a previous home. The previous attempt to modify the Zoning Code incorporated similar standards and proposed allowing the City Engineer to adjust the one foot limit when necessary. For reasons not clear at this point, the City Council was not comfortable with this flexibility in 2009. Another approach could be to create a list of factors that are considered when the new grade is being set, with no increase in grade allowed over the minimum necessary to meet those standards without obtaining a variance. Height Current limits on the height of homes differentiate between flat and pitched roofs. Flat roofs are limited to 25 feet from the average grade to the highest point of the structure. Pitched roofs are limited to 28 feet from the average grade to the midpoint of the highest pitched roof(with no absolute limit on the highest point of the structure). Changes to the building envelope in 2015 also ensures that buildings "step back" at a 2:1 ratio from the side lot lines so as to maintain light and air to neighboring properties. Due to these changes, the 25 foot limit on flat roofs may no longer be as relevant since any portion of the structure over 15 feet in height would need to be set back toward the center of the lot. A recent variance request from the height limit to allow for rooftop access to a flat roofed home suggests that the tent-shaped building envelope may be sufficient to protect neighboring properties and that the 25 foot limit could be increased. This would allow for rooftop access in most circumstances without the need for a variance. Finally, the Definition of Building Height in the Zoning Code currently includes the one foot limit on an increase in the average grade. Regardless of if and how this requirement is modified, staff is recommending the regulation be moved from the Definition section of Code to the R-1 and R-2 sections themselves. Under the current arrangement, any variance request for relief from the one foot limit is technically a request to vary from the definition of Building Height itself, rather than from the appropriate Height Limitation section of Code. Next Steps Staff will provide additional information at the Planning Commission meeting, including sample building elevations, photos, and diagrams that further illustrate the points above. In order to move forward, staff would like the Commissioners to be able to answer the following questions at the conclusion of the discussion: 1. Is the current method of calculating average grade the best option, or is there another measurement that seems promising and should be pursued? 2. Is there support for moving forward with creating the flexibility to allow an additional increase in average grade in order to meet other drainage and Building Code requirements? 3. Should the height limitations for homes with flat roofs be re-examined in light of the new building envelope requirements? 4. Should the one foot increase in average grade be moved out of the Definition section of the Zoning Code and into the appropriate zoning district sections? Feedback on these issues will allow staff to move forward with preparing specific text amendments for consideration.