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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/07/2005MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. January20, 2005 5. Public Hearings None 6. Monday, February 7, 2005, 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1830 County Road B East New Business Schlomka Property Concept Plan Review (Carver Avenue and Henry Lane) Unfinished Business None 8. Visitor Presentations 9. Commission Presentations January 24 Council Meeting: Ms. Fischer February 14 Council Meeting: Ms. Dierich February 28 Council Meeting: Mr. Lee 10. Staff Presentations Reschedule February 21 Meeting (Presidents Day) - February 23 or February 24 11. Adjournment DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2005 I. CALLTO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Chairperson Lorraine Fischer Commissioner Eric Ahlness Commissioner Jeff Bartol Vice-Chairperson Tushar Desai Commissioner Mary Dierich Commissioner Michael Grover Commissioner Daniel Lee Commissioner Gary Pearson Commissioner Dale Trippler Present Present Absent Present Present Absent Present Present Present Staff Present: Tom Ekstrand., Senior Planner Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Ekstrand removed the second public hearing for the Pondview Apartments Expansion from the agenda. The applicant has postponed the item and will provide changes to city staff. This item will be heard at a later date. Commissioner Ahlness moved to approve the agenda as amended. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes- Ahlness, Desai, Dierich, Fischer, Lee, Pearson, Trippler The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the planning commission minutes for January 3, 2005. Chairperson Fischer had an addition to page 2, under the paragraph Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance. On the fifth line after the word must add the word qenerall¥ so it reads must .qenerally conform to that. Commissioner Pearson moved to approve the planning commission minutes for January 3, 2005, as amended. Planning Commission -2- Minutes of 01-20-05 Commissioner Dierich seconded. Ayes - Ahlness, Dierich, Fischer, Pearson, Trippier Abstentions - Desai, Lee V. PUBLIC HEARING a. Maplewood Public Works Building Expansion (1902 County Road B East) (7:02 p.m.) Mr. Ekstrand said Mr. Jeff Oertel, of Oertel Architects, has submitted plans on behalf of the Director of Public Works/City Engineer for the following additions and changes to the Maplewood Public Works Facility at 1902 County Road B. 1. Construction of a 4,224-square foot (total of both floors), two-story office addition to the northwest corner of the building. 2. Construction of a 20,240-square-foot, one-story garage addition to the south side of the building. 3. Construction of a 9,600-square-foot, 40-foot-tall fabric-doomed sand/salt storage structure in the storage yard. 4. Resurfacing of the building entrance with aluminum facing to match the architectural detailing of the proposed additions. 5. Construction of a holding pond at the south end of the storage yard. 6. Relocation of the security fence and entrance gate at the north side of the storage yard to coincide with the placement of the proposed garage addition. The city has outgrown the public works facility. The existing facility is old and antiquated and does not meet the current needs of the public works department. In addition to the garage being too small for today's needs, it does not provide sufficient office space for the current employees. Currently, some equipment is stored outside of the building or in other city locations like the old Gladstone Fire Station on Clarence Street. The proposed expansion would enable the city to property store equipment, as well as to provide the necessary environmental facilities needed for salt storage and handling. The proposed expansion is not intended to make way for additional city personnel and equipment (a concern of some residents), but to accommodate the existing needs of the city for better functionally and equipment storage. Mr. Ekstrand said staff recommends approval of the conditional use permit review as shown on page 5 of the staff report. Commissioner Trippler said the environmental committee was asked to review the redevelopment of the city hall campus at one of their meetings awhile ago. He looked over the diagrams and plans and said it appears this project fits in. He asked if all the development in this plan is in conjunction with the proposed redevelopment of the campus as staff knows it? Mr. Ekstrand said yes but Chris Cavett may have a better understanding of it. Planning Commission Minutes of 01-20-05 -3- Mr. Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer, addressed the commission. Mr. Cavett said the city took all the information into consideration. The city gave the architect a copy of the comprehensive plan to make sure it fits in with what the city is trying to accomplish. Commissioner Trippler said referring to the resurfacing of the blacktop areas it did not appear any resurracing work would be done. He asked if there would be resurfacing of blacktop areas done he asked if the city looked at changing impervious surfaces to pervious surfaces? Mr. Cavett said at this time the budget won't allow for resurfacing the parking lot. The parking lot is in bad condition and as part of the comprehensive city hall plan the city may look at doing some type of demonstration impervious pavements in conjunction with the Metro Watershed District and with a grant. They probably would not resurface the entire parking lot but may do a section of the parking lot as an example in the near future. Commissioner Pearson asked if the fabric-domed sand and salt storage structure would be an open-ended structure? Mr. Ekstrand said yes it would be an open-ended structure and would face easterly and Mr. Jeff Oertel could probably elaborate more on the structure. Chairperson Fischer asked the applicant to address the commission. Mr. Jeff Oer[el, Oertel Architects, addressed the commission. To answer Commissioner Pearson's question, the sand and salt storage structure would be open ended and face easterly. The ideal situation is to have the open end on the east because the prevailing wind comes from the northwest in the winter time. Commissioner Trippler asked if all the equipment would be stored in this facility when this project is completed? Mr. Oertel said the diesel equipment and the main operable equipment would be stored here and the small storage building to the east would still be used for small storage as well. Commissioner Trippler said it looks like one of the buildings for the new vehicle expansion building has a bay for washing vehicles and he wondered how about the drainage system and how waste would be treated? Mr. Oertel said washing vehicles is an essential part of public works operations. Within the wash bay area there is a 3' X 5' pit which is about 3' feet deep. It's sized that way so the workers can reach lift the grate up and scoop the sediment out. There is a 1 foot and 2 foot area where sand and other material can settle to be scooped up. The water flow enters the pit area, goes off.to a final waste trap and into an oil and water separator and into the sewer system. Commissioner Dierich asked about recommendation A. in the staff report on page 5, bullet number 5. The sentence reads a further study be made regarding another egress and ingress other than Hazel Street. She asked staff if a study had been conducted and why the sentence was stricken. VI. Planning Commission -4- Minutes of 01-20-05 Mr. Ekstrand said in researching old records he believed a studywas done regarding Hazel Street but didn't find anything that addressed it. In checking to make sure compliance was made with the old city council criteria from 1977 he trusted that was handled. Everything else he found evidence the criteria had been accomplished. Commissioner Pearson moved to adopt the resolution on attachment 6 granting a conditional use permit revision for 1902 County Road B East for the expansion of the Maplewood Public Works Facility. Approval is based on the findings required by ordinance and subject to the following conditions (deletions are crossed out and additions are underlined): 1. All construction shall follow the plans date-stamped December 17, 2004. The director of community development may approve minor chanqes. 2. The proposed expansion of the facility outlined in this permit must be started within one year after city council approval or the permit shall end. The city council may extend this deadline for one year. 3. The city council shall review this permit in one year. 4. This permit allows a waiver of the parkinq code to allow 23 fewer parkinq spaces than the code allows since there is adequate parkinq available for the existinq use and the proposed expansion. Commissioner Trippler seconded. Ayes- Ahlness, Desai, Dierich, Fischer, Lee, Pearson, Trippler The motion passed. This item goes to the city council on February 14, 2005. NEW BUSINESS None. Planning Commission -5- Minutes of 01-20-05 VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. VIII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None. IX. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS a. Mr. Grover was the planning commission representative at the January 10, 2005, city council meeting but he was absent from this evenings meeting. Mr. Ekstrand reported the only item to discuss was the CUP for Walking in Faith Church at 2385 Ariel Street, which was approved by the city council. b. Ms. Fischer will be the planning commission representative at the January 24, 2005, city council meeting. The only planning commission item to discuss will be the Maplewood Imports Auto Center at 2450 Maplewood Drive. c. Ms. Dierich will be the planning commission representative at the February 14, 2005, city council meeting. The only planning commission item to discuss is the Public Works Expansion at 1902 County Road B East. Commissioner Trippler reported as a member representing the planning commission on the Gladstone Task Force Meeting of Wednesday, January 19, 2005, which was held at the Gladstone Fire Hall at 1955 Clarence Street from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. He said everyone went around the room and introduced themselves. Then the consultants went through the overall process that would be used as they go through the development process. A sheet was handed out with questions for members to write down five assets they thought were important about the Gladstone Area and five issues that would be important to consider as well. After completing the forms they went around the reom and discussed the ideas. The Gladstone Task Force has been asked to go on a bus tour that leaves city hall at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday January 29, 2005. There are numerous locations they plan to visit but the agenda had not been set at that time. The first public hearing will be held Monday, January 31,2005, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maplewood Community Center. Members were given a packet of information to keep and it appears meetings have been planned out through August 2005. At that time there should be a plan in place for the Gladstone Area. Commissioner Trippler said there was a mistake in the 2004 Planning Commission Annual Report for the dates of service and term expirations and he asked if staff could get commissioners a revised copy of that with the corrections. Chairperson Fischer directed staff to include the corrections in the next packet or would be provided at the next planning commission meeting. Planning Commission -6- Minutes of 01-20-05 X. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Mr. Ekstrand said the next planning commission would be Monday, February 7, 2005. Xl. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:28 p.m. TO: FROM: SUBJECT: LOCATION: DATE: MEMORANDUM City Manager Ken Roberts, Planner Schlomka Property Concept Plan Review Carver Avenue and Henry Lane January 27, 2005 INTRODUCTION Project Description Mr. Bruce Pankonin, representing Rottlund Homes, is asking the planning commission to provide preliminary comments about a proposed senior housing development. He has prepared a preliminary site plan that shows 386 housing units (in four different types of housing) for persons aged 55 and over. This development would be on about 70 acres of land that is south of Carver Avenue and west of Henry Lane known as the Schlomka property. Refer to the applicant's statement on pages six and seven and the maps on pages eight - ten. A homeowners' association would own and maintain the common areas. The design of the buildings is not finalized, but I expect that each townhouse building would have horizontal-lap vinyl siding, aluminum soffits and fascia and bdck or stone veneer on the fronts. In addition, each unit would have a two-car garage. Requests To build this project, Mr. Pankonin will be requesting that the city approve: 1. A change to the comprehensive plan. This would be from R-1 (single dwelling residential) to R-3(M) (medium density residential) for the site. 2. A change to the zoning map. This would be from R-I(R) (rural single dwelling residential) to R- 3 (multiple dwellings) for the site. 3. A conditional use permit (CUP) for a planned unit development (PUD). This PUD would allow the project to have a mix of housing styles, to have a variety of setbacks, to have the detached townhouses to be on smaller lots than code usually allows (in area and in width) and to have many of the units on private driveways. 4. A preliminary plat for the lots for the town houses. (See the concept site plan on page ten.) 5. The project design plans. DISCUSSION Land Use Plan and Zoning Map Changes To build the proposed development, Mr. Pankonin wants the city to change the land use plan and zoning map for the site. These changes would be from R-1 (single dwelling residential) to R-3(M) (medium density residential) for the land use plan and from R-I(R) (rural single dwellings) to R-3 (multiple dwellings) for the zoning map. The city intends R-3(M) areas for up to 6 residential units per gross acre. For R-1 areas, the city plans for single dwellings on lots of at least 10,000 square feet of area while the R-I(R) zoning designation is for single dwellings on 2 acre lots. The R-3 zoning in Maplewood allows for a mix of housing styles including twin homes, town houses, condos and apartments. Preliminary Project Review Compatibility This proposal, if approved by the city, would be a large change for this area of Maplewood. It would transform a semi-rural, very Iow-density area (with no public utilities) into a suburban-style, medium density mixed-use residential development with public sewer and water. This proposal is a significant departure from the existing and expected land uses in the area and has raised several concerns with staff. However, it also is important to note that change is not necessarily a bad thing. The city does make changes to the land use plan and to the zoning map when it determines that such changes are consistent with the goals and policies of the city and when the changes would be, in the opinion of the city council, in the best interests of the city. A development such as this, if carefully planned and constructed, has the potential to be a great addition to the city. The challenge lies in balancing the goals and interests of the city, the residents and the developer to form a plan that works for most, if not all, of the interested parties. In Maplewood, developers will often build townhomes next to single dwellings. An example is with the New Century Addition in south Maplewood. The developer, Robert Engstrom, is developing this neighborhood with a mix of single dwellings and townhomes. There are many other examples in Maplewood, such as Afton Ridge, $outhwinds, Bennington Woods, Olivia Gardens and the Carriage Homes of Maple Hills. In this case, the proposed townhouses and condos would be near Interstate 1-494 and Carver Avenue and next to single dwellings. The developer also told staff that they would expect to build a trail system throughout the development and that it would have a community building/club house with possibly a swimming pool. Density As proposed, the 386 units on the 70-acre site means there would be about 5.5 units per gross acre. This is consistent with the density standards in the comprehensive plan for medium density residential development. PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) Section 44-1093(b) of the city code says that it is the intent of the PUD code "to provide a means to allow flexibility by substantial deviations from the provisions of this chapter, including uses, setbacks, height and other regulations. Deviations may be granted for planned unit developments provided that: Certain regulations contained in this chapter should not apply to the proposed development because of its unique nature. 2. The PUD would be consistent with the purposes of this chapter. 2 3. The planned unit development would produce a development of equal or superior quality to that which would result from strict adherence to the provisions of this chapter. The deviations would not constitute a significant threat to the property values, safety, health or general welfare of the owners or occupants of nearby land. The deviations are required for reasonable and practicable physical development and are not required solely for financial reasons." The applicant would apply to the city for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a planned unit development (PUD) for the 386-unit housing development. They would request a PUD to allow the project to have a mix of housing styles, to have a variety of setbacks, to have the detached townhouses be on smaller lots than code usually allows (in area and in width) and to have many of the units on private driveways. The developer is proposing a small lot around each townhome unit. A homeowners' association would own and maintain the rest of the land, including the private driveways, green areas and the ponding areas. In addition, having a PUD gives the city and developer a chance to be more flexible with site design and development details than the standard city requirements would normally allow. It is the contention of the applicant that the proposed code deviations meet the findings in the city code for approval of a PUD. City staff agrees with the applicant that the development as proposed (shown on page 10), with the proposed code deviations, would produce a development of equal or superior quality, that the proposals do not constitute a threat to the area and that the deviations are required for reasonable and practicable development of the site. Having private driveways with reduced townhouse setbacks will lessen the amount of grading and tree removal on the property. If the applicant followed all the city subdivision and zoning standards and used public streets, such a plan would require more tree removal and grading because of the right-of-way requirements and the larger setbacks. Public Utilities Sanitary sewer and water are in Carver Avenue and at the south end of Dorland Road (Heights Avenue). The developer is proposing to extend the utilities from these locations to serve the proposed development. This will require extensive coordination with city staff and probably a new lift station near Fish Creek for the sanitary sewer. There is, however, no storm sewer in this part of Maplewood. The concept plans show new ponding areas on the site as part of the development. Managing the storm water, as with every project, also will be a critical part of the success of the development. The watershed district usually requires the grading plan to show that there will be at least five feet of free board (bounce) in the ponds from the first 100 year high water level to the lowest floor elevation of the units. Traffic Because of the limited number of streets and access points in the area, traffic is another concern of city staff. Most of the development would use Henry Lane as access to Carver Avenue. Henry Lane south of Fish Creek would become a long dead end that about 305 of the units would have as their only street access. 3 The applicant has not yet done a traffic study for the area and city staff has encouraged the developer to do one. City staff did send a copy of the preliminary proposal to Ramsey County for comments. I have included information from Dan Soler of Ramsey County on page 11. Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) City staff has been researching the need or possibility of having the developer prepare an F_AW for the proposed project. An E. AW is a preliminary environmental review of a proposal to look at how the development could potentially affect the environment. The state has designed the EAW to gather and disclose information about potential environmental effects from a proposed project. The EAW also reviews ways or methods to avoid or minimize any environmental effects. An EAW has a list of standardized questions that cover issues such as land use and habitat, storm water, wetlands, air emissions and pollution and traffic. As proposed, the project does not meet the minimum size thresholds (with the proposed number of units) set by state rules to mandate an F_AW. However, the city can require the developer to prepare an F_AW if the city decides that the project "has a potential for significant environmental effects." City staff has told the developer that it might be prudent for them to do an EAW to review all the potential problems and environmental effects from the proposal. A preliminary list of concerns includes the effects the project would have on the wetlands, slopes, storm water and drainage (including Fish Creek) and traffic in the area. In addition, the noise from 1-494 and its effects on the new residents is another matter that the EAW could analyze. RECOMMENDATION Please review the above-listed requests (land use plan change, PUD and site plan) and be prepared to discuss the proposed preliminary plan with staff and the applicant at the February 7, 2005 meeting. 4 REFERENCEINFORMATION SITE DESCRIPTION Site size: 70 acres Existing land use: Three single dwellings and accessory buildings SURROUNDING LAND USES North: South West: East: Single dwellings and Carver Avenue Ramsey County open space Houses on Dorland Road and Saint Paul Henry Lane and 1-494 PLANNING Existing Land Use Plan designation: R-1 (single dwellings) Existing Zoning: R-I(R) (rural single dwellings) Proposed Land Use: R-3(M) (medium density residential) Proposed Zoning: R-3 (multiple dwellings) and PUD Findings for Rezoning Section 44-1165 of the zoning code requires that the city council make the following findings to rezone property: 1. The proposed change is consistent with the spidt, purpose and intent of the zoning code. 2. The proposed change will not substantially injure or detract from the use of neighboring property or from the character of the neighborhood, and that the use of the property adjacent to the area included in the proposed change or plan is adequately safeguarded. 3. The proposed change will serve the best interests and conveniences of the community, where applicable, and the public welfare. 4. The proposed change would have no negative effect upon the logical, efficient, and economical extension of public services and facilities, such as public water, sewers, police and fire protection and schools. Criteria for Conditional Use Permit Approval Section 44-1097(a) states that the city council may approve a CUP, based on nine standards. p:sec 24-28~Schlomka Concept review - 2005.mem Attachments: 1. Applicant's Statement dated Janua~/25, 2005 2. Location Map 3. Area Map 4. Concept Site Plan dated 2-25-05 5. Memo dated 12-29-04 from Dan Soler 5 Attachment 1 ROTTLUND HOMES' A DIVISION OF THE ROTTLLrND COM p32gY, INC. January 25, 2005 Mr. Kenneth Roberts CITY OF MAPLEWOOD 1820 East County Road B Maplewood, MN 55109 JAI 2 52 5 RECEIYED Re: Schlomka Property City of Maplewood, MN Dear Mr. Roberts: Rottlund Homes and CoPar Companies respectfully requests the opportunity to informally discuss our vision for development of the 70+/- acre Schlomka Property, located on Henry Lane in the southern portion of the community, with the Planning Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting on February 7m. As shown in the attached, Rottlund Homes is proposing to create an active adult, age- restricted (55 years or older), community on the land. In addition to a Club House, the housing types and home characteristics are proposed to include: Housing Type # Units Square Footage Gardens 64 1,460 Garden Townhomes 64 1,492 - 1,572 Detached Townhomes 78 1,270 - 1,765 Senior Condominium 180 1,000 - 1,500 Total Housing Units 386 Gross Density 5.5 du/acre Within an age-restricted active adult community, there will be no school age children permanently living in the area and, according to our traffic engineer, the vehicle trips per day will be less than a typical single family detached neighborhood. Access to the site will be via Carver Avenue and Henry Lane with an "emergency connection" to Heights Avenue. Within the new neighborhood access to the homes will be served by a system of public and private streets. An additional "emergency access" will connect the single family (detached townhomes) to the Garden Townhomes as noted. 3065 CENTRE POINTE DRIVE ROSEVILLE, MN 55113 6 (651) 63841500 lAX (651) 638-0501 The site plan is sensitive to the physical constraints of the land by preserving the ravine and wooded slope as well as protection of the central wetland area. Rottlund Homes, a locally owned and operated homebuilder, is uniquely qualified to undertake the development of the Schlomka Property. Over the life of our company, we have successfully developed thousands of acres of land in the St. Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area and have constructed approximately ten thousand homes for individuals and families. Rottlund fully expects to be successful in undertaking this exciting development opportunity. We have an excellent working track record in undertaking the development of well planned and executed residential communities throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. We are well respected amongst local municipalities in terms of our professionalism and expertise in the land development and housing industry. We would invite members of the Maplewood staff, planning commission, city council and neighbors to visit any of our developments, past and present, to witness for yourselves our capabilities. As Rottlund Homes enters its second 30 years, we are looking forward to maintaining and expanding our position as the No. 1 homebuilder in the Twin Cities housing market. The development of the Schlomka Property is truly an exciting opportunity and we want to be part of your community. If you should have any questions or if you should require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at 651 638-0591. Respectfullyi~37d, Bruce Pankonin Land Acquisition Manager ROTTLUND HOMES Attachments (2) CC Todd Stutz, President Rottlund Homes Tom Hansen, CoPar Companies Attachment 2 ] ..... ~ .... Grandview ~?' ,, SITE NEW POR? LOCATION MAP '~ ~ N OPENSPACE ,cREEK Attachment / SITE / Ii AREA MAP Attachment 4 SITE PLAN ~° Attachment 5 Department of Public Works Kenneth G. Haider, P.E., Director and County Engineer 1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive Arden Hills, MN 55112-3933 ,, (651) 266-7100 * Fax (651) 266-7110 E-mail: Public.Works@co.rarasey.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Ken Roberts City of Maplewood Ramsey G6unty Public SUBJECT: Rottlund Homes DATE: December 29, 2004 Works The Ramsey County Public Works Department has reviewed the concept plan for new residential development in south Maplewood proposed by Rottlund Homes. Ramsey County has the following comments regarding this concept plan. The construction of 386 housing units would be expected to generate about 3000 trips per day. All of these trips will eventually end up using Carver Avenue. The current average daily traffic on Carver Avenue is 2000 vehicles per day between McKnight road and Sterling Street. This development will more than double the traffic volume on Carver Avenue. The intersections of Carver Avenue at Henry Street and at McKnight Road will be critical to the operation of the transportation system as this housing gets constructed. These intersections will need to be evaluated for possible traffic control changes and need for geometries (additional tum lanes) as more specific plans are developed. Thanks for the opportunity to make comments regarding this issue. If you have any questions or need any additional information please give me a call. 11 Minnesota's First Home Rule County -~CEIVED DEC 3 0 2004