HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail Correspondence 1Lisa Peilen
To: Columbia Heights Planning and Zoning Commission
Cc: Jeff Sargent
Subject: Proposed Ordinance Amendment Pertaining to Garbage Enclosures
Dear Commissioners
I am writing on behalf of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association to express our concerns about the proposed
amendment to the zoning code with regard to requirements for multi- family properties to enclose outdoor garbage
areas. We are a non - profit trade association representing rental property owners and managers throughout Minnesota,
including members with property in Columbia Heights. We also represent members who own or operate waste hauling
companies, several of whom provide services in Columbia Heights.
Our members are committed to maintaining the highest standards in their management and operation of rental
properties. We agree that rental properties should be well maintained. Well maintained properties benefit our
residents, the community and our industry. We believe we share a common goal of quality rental housing, and it is our
desire to work with cities to achieve our mutual goal in a manner which meets the needs of the City without being
unduly burdensome to property owners.
We have two primary concerns with the proposed amendment. Our first concern is the requirement that all garbage
enclosures, including those for existing buildings, have enclosures constructed from materials which match the principal
building. This would require property owners to tear down a fully functional enclosure in order to construct a new
enclosure from materials that are much more expensive to install and maintain.
We have looked at the policies of ten other cities in the metropolitan area, and not one of them has this requirement for
existing buildings. Three cities do require the garbage enclosure to match the principal structure, but only for new
construction. The other seven cities either exempt or have lesser requirements for existing buildings. I have attached a
list of the ten cities we checked and a summary of their requirements.
Our second concern is that the requirement of a latched gate will make garbage collection less efficient. Many garbage
trucks are equipped with forks that can be lowered into the garbage area so that the garbage is collected without the
driver having to leave the vehicle. Requiring a latched gate would result in the driver having to stop and leave the truck
in order to collect the garbage, then get back in the truck to go on to the next stop. We believe this would slow down
the entire process.
We are asking the Commission to consider deleting the requirement for garbage enclosures to be constructed of the
same material as the principal structure. We believe that a number of materials can be used to provide an attractive
screen for the garbage area, and that requiring the materials to match the principal structure would add significant cost
to property owners but provide no greater benefit to the City. We also ask the City to consider deleting the requirement
for a latched gate, as it does not allow waste haulers to use existing technology to collect garbage efficiently.
Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. We look forward to working with you on this matter.
LISA PEILEN, DIRECTOR OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS
MN Multi Housing Association (MHA)
1600 W 82nd Street, Suite 110, Bloomington, MN 55431
Direct: (952) 548.2217 or Main: (952) 854.8500
Visit MHA online at www.mmha.com
MHA was named the 2009 Business of the Year by the Minnesota Crime Prevention Association