(A) Title. This article shall be known, cited and referred to as the Columbia Heights Zoning and Development Ordinance, except as referred to herein, where it shall be known as “this article.”
(B) Purpose. The City Council of the City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, adopts this article to accomplish the following:
(1) Protect the public health, safety, morals, aesthetics, comfort, convenience and general welfare of the community and its people;
(2) Implement the goals and policies included in the city's comprehensive plan;
(3) Divide the city into districts restricting and regulating therein the location, construction, reconstruction, alteration and use of structures and land;
(4) Protect the stability and character of residential, commercial, industrial and public areas of the city and promote the orderly development of those areas;
(5) Provide and protect adequate light, air, privacy and convenience of access to property;
(6) Provide a safe and efficient traffic circulation system for all modes of transportation and limit congestion in the public rights-of-way;
(7) Prevent overcrowding of land and undue concentration of structures by regulating the use of land and buildings and the bulk of buildings in relation to the land and buildings surrounding them;
(8) Provide for the compatibility of different land uses and the most appropriate use of land throughout the city;
(9) Provide for the effective administration of this article, including powers and duties of officers and bodies, procedures and standards for land use approvals, and procedures for enforcement;
(10) Establish a continuing system of review of this article to ensure it will be amended to meet the changing needs of the city;
(C) Authority. This article is enacted under the authority granted to the City of Columbia Heights by the Municipal Planning Act, M.S. §§ 462.351 to 462.365, as they may be amended from time to time. If those statutes are amended to restrict or enlarge the authority delegated to the city, those amendments shall be incorporated into this article.
(D) Jurisdiction. This article governs the use of all land and structures within the corporate limits of the City of Columbia Heights, unless such regulation is specifically pre-empted by state or federal law or regulation.
(E) Violations. Any violation of any provision of this article shall be considered a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine and/or a jail term under state law plus the cost of prosecution. Each day a violation exists shall constitute a separate violation for the purposes of this section.
(Ord. 1428, passed 5-29-01)