Coon Rapids, MN Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

City Code Section 11-902.4(4), part of the Planned Unit Development standards in Chapter 11-900, ties density directly to the underlying zoning designation in residential districts and to the standards of the most functionally similar district elsewhere. Within that framework, the section allows a residential PUD to add up to a 25 percent increase in the number of dwelling units per acre when the development provides substantially more site amenities than a conventional residential subdivision would include. The Planning Commission and City Council do not grant the bonus automatically: the amount of any increase actually approved depends on the development's character, how it uses existing landscape, its design variation, environmental sensitivity, the significance of the amenities offered, and the degree to which building materials and landscaping exceed the Code's minimum standards.

The same standards cut both ways, since the Code also lets the City approve a density decrease using this analysis. Any density bonus granted must also satisfy Section 11-902.6(6), which makes it a required finding for final PUD approval that the bonus is consistent with subsection 11-902.4(4). The Planning Commission holds a public hearing and forwards a recommendation, and the City Council makes the final call on the plan, subject to the general PUD process in Section 11-902.5 through .13, including a minimum three-acre PUD site (with narrow exceptions) and a one-year approval window that the Council can extend.