(A) Planning and Zoning Commission.
(1) The Planning and Zoning Commission shall provide assistance to the City Council and Zoning Administrator in the administration of this chapter and the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be advisory in nature. Specifically, the Planning and Zoning Commission shall review, hold public hearings and make recommendations to the Council on all applications for zoning amendments, variances and conditional use permits using the criteria in this chapter.
(2) The Planning and Zoning Commission shall periodically prepare and file with the City Council a report on the operations of this chapter, as amended, including, when necessary, recommendations as to the enactment of amendments or supplements thereto.
(B) City Council. The City Council, the governing body of the city, taking into consideration the recommendations by the Planning and Zoning Commission, has ultimate authority to:
(1) Make changes and amendments in zoning districts, the zoning map and supplementary floodplain zoning map and to amend the text of this chapter.
(2) Make decisions on the approval of conditional use permits.
(3) Serve as the Board of Adjustment and Appeals to make decisions on the approval of variances.
(C) Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
(1) A Board of Adjustments and Appeals is established to provide an appeal procedure for persons who deem themselves aggrieved by decisions of administrative officers in enforcement of this chapter.
(2) The City Council shall serve as a Board of Adjustment and Appeals. The Board shall have the powers and duties as set forth in M.S. § 462.357, Subd. 6, and § 462.359, Subd. 4, as may be amended from time to time.
(3) The Board of Adjustments and Appeals shall have the power to vary or adapt the strict application of any of the requirements of this chapter in exceptional cases where strict application would result in practical difficulty depriving the owner of the reasonable use of his or her land or building involved, but in no other uses except as specifically described.
(Ord. 879, passed 10-28-2020)