North Mankato cracks down on ‘eyesores’

Mark Fischenich
Free Press Staff Writer

NORTH MANKATO January 14, 2008 12:14 am

— Owners of junker cars, people with plans for glitzy new billboards and folks with excessively ornate street-side landscaping had best beware: North Mankato has tweaked its ordinances.
The city has long prohibited extended outdoor storage of inoperable vehicles but never really had a way of proving that the junker won’t go. An ordinance change passed last week will potentially force vehicle owners to prove it runs if the alleged junker hasn’t been moved in the past 30 days.
“... the Zoning Administrator may, by written letter to the property owner, request that the vehicle owner demonstrate the vehicle is operable by starting and driving the vehicle a distance of not less than 500 feet,” the proposed ordinance states.
The law of the city has also changed to address the growing use of digital signs and other “dynamic signs.” The television-like signs are now restricted to 125 square feet in size.
But at the request of Councilwoman Diane Norland, the ordinance also clarifies the signs must be on the premises of the business being advertised. That will further reinforce the city’s standing effort to keep new billboards from being erected in the city.
“I hate them with a passion,” Norland said of billboards. “... I think they are ugly. I think they pollute the view.”
Nicollet County has had a similar attitude, so any billboards in the North Mankato area will continue to be the older ones that were grandfathered in before the ordinances were put in place.
In another ordinance change, ambitious landscapers — including people putting in elaborate fountains, ponds and paver stones — will now need to get city approval. Any landscaping project valued at $300 or more will require a building permit, including a detailed site plan that will be reviewed by the city.
City staff also wanted to tweak the ordinance to keep people from getting carried away with landscaping on city-owned boulevards. The proposed ordinance would have required grass — and only grass — to be planted on boulevards (trees are allowed only if planted by the city or planted with the city’s permission).
Norland and Mayor Gary Zellmer objected to that change at a meeting last week.
“I want mulch around my tree,” said Zellmer, suggesting the mulch border is necessary to protect trees from string trimmers.
“I’ve got flowers around my mailbox,” Norland added. “... At least save the flower gardens.”
City staff were mainly attempting to keep people from paving their boulevard to create a wider driveway or laying crushed rock in the area. The final ordinance includes the flower and mulch exemptions.

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