Planning and Zoning Department

City staff has fielded calls from the public about land owned by Inka Village Co. Inka Village’s website proposes to develop a recently purchased site within the City of Nowthen with homes, a state-of-the-art medical facility,  a school system, places of worship, businesses, a cemetery, etc.  The YouTube video on their website is dated 2023.   

At the present time there are no pending or proposed land use applications that have been filed with the City of Nowthen. Any land use applications that might be submitted for project development will need to comply with the City’s Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances.

Splitting Land

Subdividing is the process of splitting up a single parcel of land into multiple parcels.  While simple in concept, in practice, subdividing land can be quite involved as it requires many steps and compliance with a number of rules and regulations.  Subdivisions split correctly demonstrate compliance with the City’s minimum lot sizes, lot widths, lot frontage (access to a public street), and lot buildability (the capability of a parcel to support structures and utilities).

Types of subdivisions vary in their complexity based on the number of lots involved, whether public street access exists or needs to be provided, and the process through which the legal documents are reviewed, approved, and recorded.

Minor Subdivisions

Minor subdivisions are the simplest form of parcel splits involving a total of two (2) lots or less and include:

• Lot Splits (dividing one or two lots from the original parcel)
• Lot Line Adjustments (changing a lot line without creating a new lot)

All minor subdivisions require (at minimum) a Certificate of Survey, prepared by a registered and licensed land surveyor, wetland delineation (for lots containing ditches or wetlands), and deeds containing the new legal descriptions for recording at Anoka County. Surveys for minor subdivisions commonly describe land using metes and bounds to determine property boundaries, with terminal points and angles listing the compass directions and distances.

In Nowthen, some minor subdivisions require City Council approval.  Public hearings are not required for minor subdivisions unless there is an associated request for a variance, conditional use permit, etc.

​Platting

Platting of land is required for divisions involving three (3) or more lots and usually involves a larger land area than minor subdivisions, where land is described as lots and blocks. Platting involves additional certifications by the land surveyor and requires more detailed information to be provided as part of the surveying and recording process, such as grading details, construction plans for public streets and storm water controls, drainage and utility easements, and detailed development agreements. Land set aside for future phases of development are called outlots for which building permits are not issued.