Council: Noise Ordinance Changes Considered, Cobblestone Plan Approved

In addition to approving the construction of a new clubhouse at Apple Valley's , the Apple Valley City Council on Thursday approved and heard several other items.

Cobblestone Lake Development

The council approved the final plat and subdivision for the fifth addition of the Cobblestone Lake residential area, located between 160th Street West and Cobblestone Lake Parkway and Elmhurst and Elm Creek lanes.

Earlier in July they to move forward the development of 53 new single-family homes on the 11.4 acres of land. Developers and builders will first proceed with 24 homes, City Planner Tom Lovelace said, and the rest will be built later.

Lodging Tax

The council approved an amendment to the ordinance that regulates the lodging tax, allowing the hotels in Apple Valley 45 days to pay the city what they collect in lodging tax, rather than 25 days. Because the hotels' bookkeeping is now done off-site, it takes longer to get things processed and checks mailed, Assistant City Administrator Charles Grawe said.

Noise Ordinance

The council decided to delay a vote on proposed amendments to the city's noise ordinances until its Aug. 11 meeting.

The amendments address exceptions for commercial establishments open to the public that have music and entertainment on their outdoor patios, to be able to use amplifiers prior to 10:30 p.m.; exceptions already are listed for entities like schools, churches and the Minnesota Zoo that get permits to hold events. Some establishments had thought that because they had city approval for their patios, that the noise distance limits should not apply to them, Lovelace said.

Councilman John Bergman asked whether these changes, as written in the ordinance, technically would apply to residences as well, prompting the council to delay its vote to ask further questions about the matter.

Community Gardening Day

The council voted to call Aug. 6, 2011 Community Gardening Day in Apple Valley, which it already is in the Twin Cities as a whole. The resolution says 40 gardens in the Twin Cities are registered for Community Gardening Day, and cites the Partnership Garden at the School of Environmental Studies is an important garden project housed within Apple Valley.

Abandoned and Impounded Vehicles

The council at its Aug. 11 meeting will revisit the ordinance that regulates how the city deals with abandoned or impounded vehicles; changes were proposed that are meant to reduce costs and make processes more efficient, City Clerk Pam Gackstetter said.

The changes proposed were: to send first notice of impoundment by mail; to allow vehicles to be auctioned or sold after towing charges equal the vehicle's value (currently, the sale must happen before this point); to require towing contractors to comply with all city policies.