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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/20/1998 MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, April 20, 1998 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers, 1830 County Road B East 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Minutes April 6, 1998 4. Approval of Agenda New Business A. Hill-Murray High School Athletic Facilities (2625 Larpenteur Avenue East) 1. Wetland Buffer Setback Variance 2. Conditional Use Permit Revision Park Edge Apartments (Skillman Avenue and Clarence Street) 1. Conditional Use Permit 2. Alley Vacation C. US West Monopole Conditional Use Permit (Trinity Baptist Church - 2220 Edgerton Street) Visitor Presentations Commission Presentations A. April 13 Council Meeting: Mr. Ledvina B. April 27 Council Meeting: Mr. Thompson C. May 11 Council Meeting: Mr. Rossbach Staff Presentations Adjournment MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA APRIL 20, 1998 I1. I. CALLTO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. ROLL CALL Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commtss~oner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Brueggeman Lorraine Fischer Jack Frost Milton Knoll Matt Ledvina Gary Pearson William Rossbach Milo Thompson Absent Present Present Present (arrived at 7:26 p.m.) Present Present Present Present III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES April 6, 1998 Commissioner Ledvina moved approval of the minutes of April 6, 1998, amended as follows: Paragraph 3, Line 7, should read".., because it meets all our requirements and by state law we could not deny it," and Paragraph 3, Line 9, should read".., the commission is only approving the first proposal and not the alternate proposal." Commissioner Rossbach seconded. The motion passed. Ayes--Fischer, Ledvina, Pearson, Rossbach, Thompson Abstain--Frost IV. APPROVAL OFAGENDA Commissioner Pearson moved approval of the agenda as submitted. Commissioner Thompson seconded. Ayes--all The motion passed. V. NEW BUSINESS Hill-Murray High School Athletic Facilities (2625 Larpenteur Avenue East): Wetland Buffer Setback Variance and Conditional Use Permit Revision Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. Mr. Roberts answered questions from the commissioners. He said it is planned that stormwater will pass through an enlarged area in the swale and then out into the wetland area. Mr. Roberts also said that, if this new plan is approved, the buffer line will change. It will now follow the chain link fence so that all of the trail should be outside the buffer area. In response to a question about 30 trees to screen between the playing fields and homes on Knoll Circle, Mr. Roberts answered that staff is not recommending this because existing vegetation adequately screens these homes. Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -2- Commissioners Frost and Fischer agreed that a condition for timing of the improvements should be included in the recommendations. Joseph Peschges, the president of Hill-Murray School, introduced Larry Morgan (Hill-Murray Father's Club) and Rich Gray of TKDA (the designer of the project), who were in attendance. Mr. Morgan said they would prefer to construct the fence in phases. An initial portion of fence would be installed with the swale between the wetlands and the project area, and then additional segments would be added subsequently as construction proceeded to the west. Rich Gray described the flow of the swale as being split behind the backstop of the proposed baseball field and then going in two directions. He said they will work with the watershed board on the specific species of vegetation to be used in the swale. He also said that silt fences will be installed at the edge of the existing mow line and a new swale will be built back from that part into the existing moon grass. Mr. Gray thought there should not be too much sedimentation, once the fields are established with turf, with the exception of a storm drain that drains from the parking lot. The watershed board encouraged that this storm sewer be brought back as far as possible so that it would pass through the vegetative swale and absorb some of the nutrients before it entered the wetland. Mr. Gray said the delineated wetland, as shown, is both the original and the recreated wetland. It is original except for where it has been expanded to include the replacement wetlands. He agreed that it might be possible to increase the wetland buffer in certain areas where no use is being planned. According to Mr. Morgan, if a paved trail was requested and approved, an aggregate or lime-surfaced walkway could be substituted. Asphalt is preferred because it is an all-weather surface that can be used by all those participating in retreats at the nearby Priory. Commissioner Frost encouraged the use of wood chips or some other soft material. Mr. Gray felt the bituminous would be accessible to more people. Commissioner Thompson was concerned about continuity of the drainage. He favored making development of the swale a higher priority. Mr. Morgan described the phases of the construction. He said there would be two phases--the first would take the drainage to the east and with the second phase the swale goes to the west. Mr. Morgan said the fence will seal off the east side and discourage snowmobilers from using the wetland. The plan is to fence off more of the fields in the future. Commissioner Frost moved the Planning Commission recommend: A. Adoption of the resolution which approves a wetland buffer variance for the Hill-Murray athletic fields at 2625 Larpenteur Avenue. The city bases approval on the following findings: Strict enforcement of the code would cause undue hardship because of circumstances unique to the property. The 50-foot-wide wetland buffer requirement would make redevelopment of this site difficult. The difficulty was created by the new ordinance. 2. The variance would be in keeping with the spirit and intent of the ordinance, since the applicant would improve the quality of the wetland buffer over its present state. 3. The proposal offers protection to the wetland and buffer for wildlife habitat and storm water treatment, which also are functions of a wetland buffer. Approval is subject to the applicant doing the following: 1. Follow the site, grading and edge treatment plans date-stamped March 6, 1998, subject to any changes required by city staff or the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -3- District. The school shall have the contractor install the fence and swale while doing the adjacent field construction. Fencing and grading will occur concurrently with the field construction. Dedicating a wetland-buffer easement. This easement shall describe the boundary of the buffer and prohibit any building, mowing, cutting, filling or dumping within the buffer. The applicant shall record the deed for this easement before the city will issue a grading permit for the next phase of field reconstruction. 3. Accepting responsibility for any necessary maintenance and upkeep of the fence, swales and ponding areas. Adoption of the resolution which approves revisions for the conditional use permit for Hill- Murray school and athletic fields at 2625 Larpenteur Avenue East. The city bases this approval on the findings required by ordinance. This approval is subject to conditions of approval adopted by the city council on April 8, 1996, subject to the following revisions (I have crossed out the deletions and underlined the additions): 1. All construction shall follow the site plan and grading plan approved by the city date- stamped March 6, 1998 ~A,. ....... ~ I, I .... The director of community development may approve minor changes. The school shall move the proposed temporary storage buildings as far away from the wetland buffer as possible to minimize the variance they will need. Reposition the temporary storage structure, consider redesigning the approximately 17 feet area at the northwest corner of the baseball field located at the southwest corner of the site and/or along Sterling and Larpenteur Avenue so that it is not such a square corner, consider making the area north of the "only soccer" field more parallel with the edge of the soccer field, and modify the setback west of the football practice area to be closer to the required 50-foot buffer in order to minimize the variance that is necessary in order to have less invasion into the buffer zone. 2. The city council shall review this permit annually ~ to monitor the traffic and parking situations related to the use of the athletic fields. Any new lights shall be installed to meet the city code. This requires that they be screened or aimed so they do not cause any light-glare problems on streets or residential properties. Dedicate and record a ~9-feot-wide wetland-protection buffer easement. This easement shall describe the boundary of the buffer and prohibit any building, mowing, cutting, filling or dumping within the buffer. The buffer shall follow the proposed chain-link fence line on the plans date stamped March 6 1998 '"" ...... "' .......... ,-A,, ...~._:, ..... ;~A-, .:,^ part of this wetland buffer area that is already mowed lawn may remain as such. The school shall have the contractor install the fence and swale while doing the adjacent field constrvction. Post signs on the edge of the wetland-protection buffer prohibiting any building, mowing, cutting, filling or dumping within the buffer. Wetland buffer signs in the mowed area shall be placed at the edge of the lawn. The proposed walking/running path that is within 50 feet of the wetland '":'":-,,,, ,,,, '",, ,,. ..... vw,,,,,"--'~,,, buffe~ shall be built with pervious material, or the --"- -'--" buffe~. The path along Larpenteur Avenue may be of impervious material. Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -4- 7~ Ensure that all bleachers and dugouts are at least 30 feet from the Sterlina Street and Larpenteur Avenue right-of-ways. The city may require the applicant,-,~,~,,,,.~,"-~'"~-',, m~,y ~,~'- ......, ,.,~,,,,:---'~,, to plant 30 native species of trees for screening between the playing fields and the homes on Knoll Circle, as may be determined at a future hearing on the Conditional Use Permit. The school shall prepare for city approval a turf management plan for the athletic fields. This plan shall include the mowing, watering and fertilizing practices that the school will follow in the care of their athletic fields and grounds. The school shall prepare and follow the plan so the practices will minimize the impact of the storm water runoff on the nearby wetlands to minimize impacts on the adjacent wetlands. 10. Submit a ~ grading and drainage plan for watershed district ei~ approval to provide sedimentation control at the stormwater discharge point before it dumps into the south wetland area. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes--all The motion passed. B. Park Edge Apartments (Skillman Avenue and Clarence Street) Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. Mr. Roberts answered questions from the commissioners. Commissioner Thompson mentioned a complaint about excessive speed by some of the people and asked about the possibility of speed bumps. Ken Haider, city engineer, said because the city would not recommend speed bumps on a public street, it likewise would not want to be responsible for requiring them in a private setting. He cited loss of vehicle control as one of the major reasons for this. Commissioner Thompson asked if apartment tenants were treated differently than homeowners in regard to storage of personal items in their garages. Mr. Roberts said there have been problems in other developments where tenants have used garages to storage personal belongs other than vehicles. The tenants then park elsewhere on the site which results in inadequate parking facilities. Mr. Thompson felt that the privacy the garages afford, stresses a need for more than the minimum parking spaces. Commissioner Pearson thought garage storage was a landlord/tenant issue and should not be addressed by the planning commission. He also said that allowing any amount of storage in the garages negates any improvement of allowing the garages. Scott Fricker, of Dominium Acquisitions, Inc., said they have not budgeted for additional parking facilities, specifically in the vacated Ide Street area. Commissioner Frost pointed out that this was a non-issue since the apartments will have the minimum amount of parking required by the city. Mr. Fricker said their intention, after they purchase the property, is to clean up and do site improvements. He also said that rents are set at 50 percent of the area median income level. One bedroom apartments will rent for $500 and $525 and two bedrooms will rent for $625. Garages will rent for $35 per stall. Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -5- Commissioner Frost moved the Planning Commission recommend: Adoption of the resolution which approves a conditional use permit for the Park Edge Apartments at Clarence Street and Skillman Avenue. The permit allows the owner to build three garage buildings, with a total of 40 garages, at the Park Edge Apartments. The permit is based on the findings required by the Code and subject to the following conditions: 1. All construction shall follow the site plan approved by the city. The director of community development may approve minor changes. 2. The proposed construction must be substantially started within one year of council approval or the permit shall end. The council may extend this deadline for one year. 3. The owners and management of the apartments shall ensure that the tenants use the garages for parking vehicles and not for storing personal property. 4. The city council shall review this permit again in one year. C. Adopt the resolution which vacates the unused alley south of Skillman Avenue, east of Clarence Street and west of Ide Street. The city should vacate this alley because: 1. It is in the public interest. 2. The city and the adjacent property owners have no plans to build an alley in this location. 3. The adjacent properties have street access. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Discussion continued about whether the condition pertaining to storage of personal property should be included. Commissioner Frost favored leaving the condition. Commissioner Thompson felt this was impractical and unenforceable. Commissioner Rossbach thought it might be a "tool" for the future owner. Commissioner Ledvina said it was important to have this condition in order to have the parking situation work. Commissioner Thompson also sought a remedy to the drainage that runs westerly from a portion of the site to Clarence Street. He noted that there are no curbs and gutters or storm sewer to direct this drainage. City Engineer Haider said that materially the only place they could affect the drainage, where the complaints were, was on the west line on the south one-half of the project along the alley. It was Mr. Roberts' understanding that the garage construction and regrading of the site would not change in any material way the existing drainage patterns. Commissioner Rossbach questioned if the problem was with the storm water drainage system and not the parking lot. Ayes--all The motion passed. C. U.S. West Monopole Conditional Use Permit (Trinity Baptist Church, 2220 Edgerton Street) Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. Commissioner Rossbach suggested using a high-grade plastic fence instead of the standard chain-link or cedar material. Mr. Roberts answered questions from the commission. Steve Mangold, real-estate manager for U.S. West, was present at the meeting. Mr. Mangold commented that U.S. West had a neighborhood meeting on April 8, 1998, to address the Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -6- concerns of the neighbors. Commissioner Rossbach thought the area inside the fence might be too small to be used for future collocation. Mr. Mangold agreed that there might not be room for another company's ground equipment in this 16- by 21-foot area. He said it may be necessary for a potential co-locator to negotiate a ground lease with the church and ask for a site review with the city before collocation would be possible. Mr. Mangold said they were the last entrant into the wireless field and felt it was better to "plan for the present rather than create a larger fenced in area that wouldn't be needed." Melinda Coleman, director of community development, reminded the commission that the Maplewood tower ordinance requires collocation. She didn't think it was fair to ask the applicant to pay for additional lease space for a potential tenant when U.S. West is the last one in the market. Commissioner Pearson moved the Planning Commission recommend: Adoption of the resolution which approves a conditional use permit to allow an 85-foot-tall telecommunications monopole and related ground equipment at 2220 Edgerton Street. The city bases this approval on the findings required by the ordinance and is subject to the following conditions: 1. All construction shall follow the site plan approved by the city. The director of community development may approve minor changes. The proposed construction must be substantially started within one year of council approval or the permit shall become null and void. The council may extend this deadline for one year. 3. The city council shall review this permit in one year. This conditional use permit is conditioned upon U.S. West: 1. Substituting the proposed six-foot-tall chain link fence with a 100 percent opaque fence and gate. 2. Allowing the co-location of other providers' telecommunications equipment on the proposed tower with reasonable lease conditions. Commissioner Frost seconded. Commissioner Rossbach offered a friendly amendment to eliminate the word "cedar" from the requirement for a 100 percent opaque fence and gate. This was agreeable to Commissioners Pearson and Frost. VI. The motion passed. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS Ayes--Fischer, Frost, Ledvina, Pearson, Rossbach, Thompson Nay--Knoll There were no visitor presentations. Planning Commission Minutes of 04-20-98 -7- VII. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS Ao April 13 Council Meeting: Mr. Ledvina reported on this meeting. April 27 Council Meeting: Mr. Thompson will attend this meeting. May 11 Council Meeting: Mr. Rossbach will attend this meeting. Chairperson Fischer asked if all the commissioners received a notice of the meetings that are being held by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners on the proposed residential family service center. VIII. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Melinda Coleman notified the commission that Bunny Brueggeman is resigning from the planning commission because of family medical reasons. Ms. Coleman also reported on the service center at the Maplewood Mall as part of the city community- oriented service program. She said the are looking for volunteers to staff this center from 4 to 6 p.m. Ms. Coleman mentioned that orders were being taken at city hall for shirts with a Maplewood logo. IX. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m.