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prepared by:
presented: January, 1994
adopted: February 15, 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. ABSTRACT
D. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS/IMPLEMENTATION
1. Authority The Princeton Town Board selected FRANK CARDARELLE ASSOC/THE BRAUER GROUP at the regular meeting of November 17, 1992, and authorized preparation of a comprehensive land use plan update for Princeton Township. 2. Participants The Township Board, Planning Commission, Clerk Florence I. Botzek, and Zoning Administrator/Building Inspector Gregory McBroom were the primary participants in the planning process. Public participation was generated through interaction with the primary participants, and public hearings. 3. Acknowledgments The planning consultants wish to recognize the significant contributions of Florence Botzek, Greg McBroom, Plan Commission Chair Thomas Braun, and members David Kornell, Randall Miskowic, Karen Hanson, Barbara Lundberg, and John Roxbury, Jr., Town Board Chair (and Plan Commission liaison) Roger Neske, members Muriel Walker, Mark Wilhelm, Wayne McMinn, and Merl Abney. 4. Process The planning process began with a presentation of a work plan and schedule in January, 1993, data collection and interviews during February, discussion of key questions with Planning Commission and staff in March, additional research and interviews of key sources in April through July, review goals and objectives in July and August, preparation of first draft of the plan in September, presentation and initial response in October, and presentation at information sessions in November/December, 1993. 5. Purpose The purpose of the 1993 Guide Plan is to update the first plan, adopted in the early 1970's, in order to provide a more effective basis for land use, zoning, annexation, and other current and future development decisions in the Township, together with better integration of State and County planning regulations. 6. Scope The 1993 Guide Plan includes recommendations on Land Use, Transportation, Open Space/Parks, Rural Water System, and Special Areas. Recommendations are based upon the original Comprehensive Plan, data collection from Town, County, State, and other records and sources, interviews with key staff and elected/ appointed officials, discussion sessions with the Town Board and Planning Commission, and analysis by the planning consultants. 7. Format a. The 1993 Guide Plan is presented in text/graphic formats, with basic supporting documentation included as addenda. b. The Plan document is presented in a 3-ring, loose-leaf binder, to demonstrate the flexibility intended, and to facilitate continuous changes and updating that should take place as the document is used to assist in the planning and development decision-process for the Township. c. All of the maps and plan graphics, have been prepared by using computer graphics. Basic computer data has been provided to the Township so that maps and plan documents can be easily, quickly, and inexpensively updated and printed at any scale desired. An investment of a few hundred dollars each year will keep the documents current and much more useful for identification, analysis, and reference as development proposals are reviewed, and plan changes are considered. B. COMMUNITY CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS 1. Background/History a. History. Princeton Town government was established by the Benton County Commission on June 23, 1858, and the first Town Board was organized in 1859. The City of Princeton, incorporated in 1855, and Brickton in the early 1920's are the only incorporated cities in the Township. Brickton grew to about 400 people in 1929 as a result of the activities of five brick yards. Only the clay pits and a marker remain today. The first annexation of the City of Princeton was for airport development in 1970. Subsequent annexations in 1972 and 1992 bring the total annexed area to 170.39 acres. b. Planning. The Town established a planning commission and adopted a hand-written zoning ordinance in the early 1960's. A formal zoning ordinance was adopted in May of 1970 and recorded with the County of Mille Lacs. The first Comprehensive Land Use Plan was completed and adopted in 1977, and incorporated by reference the data and maps from the 1927 U.S.D.A. Soils. Survey. In 1978 the Township adopted the provisions of the WILD AND SCENIC RIVER ORDINANCE to apply to the designated area along the Main Stem of the Rum River, and used these provisions to review development plans since that time. All planning and regulatory provisions were codified into Comprehensive Development Regulations, adopted in September of 1988, and recorded in Mille Lacs County that same month. The Development Code includes: Chapter 100 Subdivision regulations Chapter 200 Financial Arrangements Chapter 300 Zoning Regulations Chapter 400 Township Administration Chapter 500 Streets, Roads, Sidewalks, Public Lands Chapter 600 Licenses, Permits, Business Regulations Chapter 700 Public Health, Safety and Welfare The code is complete, consistent with Rum River, and Mille Lacs County regulations, but does not include floodplain, wetland or shoreland regulations enacted since that time. 2. Basic Data/Assumptions/Trends a. Economics. The ten-year history of Town expenditures shows a steady, but slow growth, consistent with the growth of services and tax base. (Amounts shown are in Dollars)
Census data shows a median dwelling value of $61,800, a median income of $31,347 per dwelling, and an average monthly housing cost of $630 for 585 dwelling units. The 50 rented units ranged from $250 to $417 per month, and the median was $330 per month. Building permits indicate both economic and demographic characteristics in a community. The record shows number of permits (No.) and value in thousands of dollars ($):
Building permits, more than any other indicator, define trends, a "future focus", and the purpose of the planning task for the community. The answer is clearly "residential" on all counts. Maintaining the attractive "rural residential character" of Princeton Township is the primary purpose for the Comprehensive Plan. Economics is an important aspect of planning and development in Princeton Township, but it is not the primary planning force. Economics shape and direct development activity, but demographics shape and direct community development. b. Demographics. The 1980 Township population total was 1,625, while the 1990 census found a total of 1,601. In 1990 there were 823 males and 778 females with 565 females and 588 males employed. There were 515 single family units, 5 single family attached units, 9 multiple family units, and 46 mobile homes or trailers in 1990. There were 2.92 persons per dwelling unit and 3.10 persons per family unit. The 49.1 persons per square mile density puts Princeton Township near the high end of the scale for rural townships. Of 457 family households, only 56 were other than married couples. The 1990 median characteristics age was 32.7 years with age group characteristics below:
Demographics indicate a very monolithic, stable, middle class, typical Minnesota, family oriented, mature, rural residential community all subject to change without notice. If all of the new residents in the last decade were to organize and vote as a block, they could elect a majority of the next Town Board. c. Natural Characteristics. The Rum River, both main stem and west branch, is the primary natural feature of the Township. The main stem divides the community into two, nearly equal parts, while the west branch provides a kind of natural western border for much of the Township. The river valleys are the "primary" natural feature, but they are not "dominant". The "dominant" natural feature is the rural character, a feeling, not a "fact", that is created by a combination of topographic, geographic, vegetative, and hydrologic characteristics, intermixed with working farms and rural residences. Silver Lake is an important physical resource that has attracted almost one-fourth of the rural residential development in the Township. Fill-in and further expansion to the East will continue. The light, sandy soils in most of the upland portion of the Township are easy to work with, require very little grading, are well drained, and provide sound foundation conditions for building. These soils also provide a good soil base for attractive upland woods and turf grasses. Septic drain fields work well in these soils, and domestic water wells provide good water at shallow depths in the glacial till. The rolling topography, with few very steep slopes, is attractive and easily adapted for construction of all kinds. These conditions will continue to attract and support further rural residential development in the Township. d. Developed Characteristics, shows roads, buildings, and uses (such as mining) on each developed or improved site in the Township. Most important are: * US HWY 169 is the dominant developed, or "man-made" characteristic in the Township. This four-lane, divided, limited access, highway with one diamond interchange, runs parallel with the abandoned rail line right-of-way, from North to South borders, and carries very large (almost urban) volumes of vehicles year round. Previous plans and supporting zoning defined this corridor as the commercial "spine" of the Township. Those plans were done before the road was upgraded to limited access, expressway, configuration. Scattered, non-residential uses have evolved along the corridor, but there is no clear-cut, defined, commercial or industrial character to the development. As long as large areas of zoned land remain vacant, land will be cheap, and continue to attract small-scale, marginal, lower capitalized, non-residential uses in the same scattered pattern. * MN HWY 95 is an important East- West link for this region of the state, and carries major traffic volumes, but it has much less impact or effect on the Township than US HWY 169. Current development reflects MN 95 as a lessor, or secondary, non-residential use corridor for the Township, and true to form, only one commercial use has developed beyond one mile from the City limits. Here, again, a surplus of available, zoned land results in low prices and lower valued development in an unpredictable pattern. * The CITY OF PRINCETON is the dominant, socio-cultural, developed, characteristic that effects the Township, even though it is not actually "in" the Township. The City is the focus of all school and health care activities, and most business and social activities for Township residents and businesses. This dominance is not likely to diminish or substantially change in the future, so the Township Plan should recognize and accommodate this fact. C. GUIDE PLAN ELEMENTS 1. Policies are the foundations for plan proposals. Four subject areas are presented for special policy consideration; Special Areas, Annexation, Development Policies, and Water System. a. Special Areas, include the Rum River Management Area, Shoreland and Wetland Protection Areas, and Roadside Vista Areas. Protection and enhancement of these areas is vital to maintaining the attractive, rural residential character of Princeton Township. A fourth special area, the Airport Approach Zone Area, while not important to community identity and character, deserves special consideration for the affected residents. (1). Rum River Management Area (River Conservation Area Zone) is the most important natural asset in the Township and should be expanded as follows:
(4). The Airport Approach Zone should be delineated as a zoning district with Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) rules and requirements. This process provides for informing property owners within the zone, of restrictions and procedures to be followed. b. Annexation policies should include strategies and Comprehensive Plan designations intended to discourage selective, random, site specific, annexation activities, and encourage planned, orderly, annexations that both Township and City can support. By taking the initiative, completing an "orderly annexation planning study", and presenting the proposal for consideration by the MN Municipal Commission (MAC), the Township should be in the best (not necessarily "sure") position to avoid, or at least effectively resist, unwanted or unwise annexations in the future. The Township should: (1) Not delineate the "preferred option" for orderly annexation areas on the Guide Plan Graphic (2) Authorize preparation of a planning study that will identify areas suitable for Orderly Annexation using population growth projections, urban services capacities, on-site waste disposal systems, land uses, parcel sizes, continuity, and other factors that can best identify a logical urbanizing area and define conditions, rules, and procedures for actual annexation activities. (3) Amend the Comprehensive Plan after completion of the study and approval by the MMC to show the orderly annexation areas and state the conditions and procedures required for annexations. c. Development/Regulation Policies for the Township are found in the Development Code, sections 100 through 704_ .The Subdivision_ Regulations and Zoning .Ordinance are the primary mechanisms for implementation of Comprehensive Plan proposals. Some policy revisions or additions should be made in order to be consistent with the recommendations of this Plan including: (1) The entire code should be reviewed and updated. (2) Simplify the Subdivision Improvements code and eliminate curb and gutter and related urban design characteristics in favor of rural standards. (3) Prepare and adopt a Zoning Map as a reference for zoning districts rather than the Comprehensive Plan, so that the Plan can serve as a guide, and not a regulatory document. Guide Plan designations should NOT be zoned until a specific project is approved. (4) Subdivisions should not be permitted in the RIVER CONSERVATION District. (5) Single family dwellings should not be a permitted use in the COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL District. (6) Combine the Commercial and Light Commercial Districts into COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL. (7) "Light" Industrial should be permitted by conditional use procedures in the COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL District. (8) Multi-family dwellings (except duplexes) should not be permitted in any district. (9) Minimum lot size should be 2.5 acres in the RESIDENTIAL, and RURAL RESIDENTIAL districts. (10) Add Mille Lacs County regulations for on-site sewage facilities and for regulation of gravel extraction. 2. Plan Proposals are illustrated by the Plan graphic (SEE EXHIBIT III) and are intended to be conceptual rather than site specific. Shorelands and wetlands, for instance, are illustrative only since they were computer generated based on 1929 U.S.G.S. quadrangle maps. Development applications or permit requests should include current topographic information so that specific shoreland or wetland areas can be defined for each site using Mille Lacs County rules and procedures adopted by reference. a. Special Areas are most difficult and yet most important to the overall character and quality of like in the Township. (1) Rum River Management Area (Main Stem) (River Conservation Area) on the main stem will remain essentially as it has been. There are six or seven small areas where the valley rim (bluff line) extends outside of the area delineation based on section lines. The graphic should be revised to be consistent with the policy described previously. Rum River Management Area (West Branch) (River Conservation Area) has been added to the Plan. The main stem boundary definitions have been used to describe the new area along the West Branch. (2) Shoreland and Wetland Protection Areas are shown on the basis of the computer generated topographic data. New Plan and Zoning classifications must be created, and new regulations adopted to meet State requirements for these areas. (3) Roadside Vista (view) Areas are not delineated on the Plan graphic because they are not actual land use designations. (4) The Airport Approach Zone is delineated according to U.S. Federal Aviation Agency (USFAA) rules and regulations. (5) Long-Term Non-Conforming Uses (gravel extraction, junk or salvage yards) do not occupy enough area to show up on plan graphic, but are regulated under the zoning ordinance. b. Land Use Designations include RIVER CONSERVATION, RURAL RESIDENTIAL, ORDERLY ANNEXATION, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL, and AGRICULTURAL-CONSERVATION. (1) The RESIDENTIAL Plan classification should be limited strictly to the existing subdivisions and the logical completion (fill-in) between subdivision areas. The one-acre lot size creates urban conditions in what should be a rural residential situation, and should be permitted only in the ORDERLY ANNEXATION area. (2) The COMMERCIAL Plan classification should be expanded to include light industrial uses so that it would now be titled COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL. The existing linear area along Hwy 169 was appropriate when it was adopted, but is inconsistent with the limited access highway situation today. Development should be encouraged in expanded areas at each of the two highway access points only. Existing zoning should be removed by exchange or voluntary acceptance where possible, and through termination at a future specific date not over ten years from the date of adoption of this Plan. (3) The RURAL RESIDENTIAL Plan Classification applies to all of the undesignated areas of the Township. (4) The ORDERLY ANNEXATION Plan classification area is delineated on the Plan graphic, but should be revised based on completion of the plan study and approval by the MMC. (5) The RIVER CONSERVATION Plan Classification area has been previously described under Special Areas. (6) The AGRICULTURE-CONSERVATION Plan Classification area retains the same definition as in the current plan. c. Open Space is more than adequately provided by the Rum River Conservation and Wetland Protection areas, but Active Parks should also be included as long-range Plan objectives. (1) A Conservation Park Reserve should be established on 150 to 200 acres of the Rum River Conservation Area. The most undeveloped area is very near the center of the Township, and would be a logical selection. The County should be asked to include this park reserve in the County Plan and budget for the acquisition and maintenance of a park reserve site in the Township. (2) A Town Commons Park should be designated on 30 to 50 acres of land around the current Town Hall. The park plan should include sites for historic structures, a community center, active recreation facilities (play area, court and field games areas), picnic areas, and park landscapes. The park could be the site for all Town "functions", such as holiday observances, community activities, and the focus of historical preservation and interpretation. Such a facility would be an important step toward building a sense of identity and "community" in the Township. d. Utility Systems include sewer, water, energy, and drainage. Only a rural water system should be considered in the Township. An engineering feasibility study should be authorized to evaluate the condition of rural wells in order to determine the areas that may need or benefit, estimated construction and operating costs. Technical and financial assistance may be available to the Township through the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), the Economic Development Administration, and the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the federal level. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MnPCA) may also provide funding, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will coordinate and approve the system design and operation. D. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 1. Complete, accurate Base Maps are necessary and helpful each time the Town is asked to approve land use changes, land divisions, or variances, and are particularly vital as the foundation for planning and design of public facilities such as parks and a rural water distribution system. The Town should authorize preparation of computer-generated, current, land use and property divisions base maps. 2. Plan/Zoning Coordination is an important plan implementation step after adoption of the Plan. The Township is in the best position to defend consistent rezoning immediately after adoption of the Plan, but supporting arguments diminish with time. The Town should: a. authorize revision and updating of the Zoning Ordinance to be consistent with the Plan proposals and concepts, to comply with State and County requirements enacted since the current ordinance was adopted, and to incorporate the interpretations and policies that have been applied through variances during the interim. b. authorize preparation of an updated ZONING MAP by computer graphics so as to make future revisions and updating inexpensive and quick, be consistent with the updated ordinance provisions, and be incorporate into the updated ordinance by reference. c. rezone all inconsistent areas (non-controversial) in a single action so as to tie all of the changes directly to the Plan documentation. d. designate all controversial inconsistent zoned areas as "intermim" or "plan study" districts, to be reviewed annually for up to ten years for possible rezoning. 3. Authorize an Engineering Feasibility Study for a rural water system, that will examine the need, alternatives, costs and benefits, and available financial aids. 4. Plan review and updating should be an annual activity. The Planning Commission should schedule a special meeting once each year to review the Plan, the Community Development Process, and prepare written recommendations to the Township Board for changes. Staff and consultants should prepare and present an annual report that updates all basic Plan data, describes Plan changes approved during that year, and recommends revisions or additions needed. The annual Plan review meeting should take place in the Spring so that there would be time for the Board to consider implications for budget setting in the Fall. 5. Annexation is an emotional subject in the Township after a series of bad experiences. Non-urban Towns like Princeton, are nearly helpless against incorporated municipalities in annexation procedures. The only hope, and it is a slim one indeed without the full participation of the City, is to prepare a logical plan for orderly annexation and try to "sell" the City and the Minnesota Municipal Board (MMB) on the merits of the plan. Adoption of this Comprehensive Plan Update will reinforce an orderly annexation proposal. If a logical plan for annexation can ever be adopted, this is the most likely, perhaps even the only, time to try it. E. ADDENDA 1. Community Base Data used in this Plan Update were derived from 1990 Census Data, Mille Lacs County records, USGS maps, MN DNR maps and documents, MN Aeronautics Department airport approach clear zone rules, MNDOT highway plans, policies, and access records, Princeton Township planning, zoning, budgets, and other records, several "windshield surveys" and specific site walkovers to confirm documentation and to record existing conditions. 2. Interviews/Interaction sessions with Town staff and Plan Commission were organized by the Plan document headings. Notes were made by the consultants and results incorporated into each succeeding draft of the document. 3. Other Supporting Data obtained and utilized in the Plan Update efforts includes, Minnesota Municipal Board (MMB) rules, procedures, and reports, recently adopted comprehensive plan documents from non-urban townships from the League of Minnesota Cities and the Association of Minnesota Counties, information on rural water systems from the American Water Works Association, Midwest Assistance Program (MAP), the MN Pollution Control Agency, MN Department of Health, and the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
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