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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/02/19991. Call to Order 2. Roll Call Approval of Minutes a. July 19, 1999 MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 2, 1999, 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1830 County Road B East 4. Approval of Agenda Public Hearings a. Waldorf School (70 County Road B) (1) Land Use Plan Change (BC to S) (2) Conditional Use Permit Land Use Plan Changes - Highway 61 and County Road C (1) Corbey Open Space (R-1 to OS) (2) Park and Ride Lot (M-1 to G) c. Land Use Plan Change - Bradley Oaks Open Space Site (Idaho Avenue, east of Sterling Street) 6. Visitor Presentations 7. Commission Presentations a. July 12 Council Meeting: Mr. Ledvina b. July 26 Council Meeting: Mr. Seeber c. August 9 Council Meeting: Mr. Trippler d. August 23 Council Meeting: Mr. Mueller 8. Staff Presentations 9. Adjournment MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA AUGUST 2, 1999 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Lorraine Fischer Present Jack Frost Present Matt Ledvina Absent Paul Mueller Present Gary Pearson Present William Rossbach Present Michael Seeber Present Milo Thompson Present Dale Trippler Present III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES July 19, 1999 Commissioner Frost moved approval of the minutes of July 19, 1999, as submitted. Commissioner Trippler seconded. Ayes--Fischer, Frost, Rossbach, Thompson, Trippler Abstain--Mueller, Pearson, Seeber The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OFAGENDA Commissioner Frost moved approval of the agenda as submitted. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes--all The motion passed. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Waldorf School (70 County Road B) Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. He said it is staff's opinion that the school can meet the city's goals and the policies of the comprehensive plan. Mr. Roberts said the conditional use permit request does meet the city's criteria for approving a conditional use permit. He said that the Community Design Review Board reviewed design requests and recommended approval of the design elements of the plan. Mr. Roberts answered questions from the commissioners. Commissioner Frost said that the report indicates that the applicant has to dedicate the buffered easement around the wetland to the city and asked if they dedicate the wetland also. Staff said it was intended for both. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -2- Commissioner Trippler said staff indicated in their report that the building design proposal lacks specifics on the building materials being used in construction. He asked staff if something should be put in the recommendations to ensure that the building materials are in compliance with what the city is looking at. Staff said the design review board addressed this issue and made a recommendation which will be put in the update that will be sent to the City Council. Commissioner Thompson asked staff if there was a stipulation for hard surface around the building as there was for Edgerton School. Staff said the applicant has been discussing this with our fire staff. Commissioner Rossbach asked if the pond in the northeast corner would be used for drainage. Ken Haider, city engineer, said it was his understanding that the applicant intended to use the northeast corner as the recipient of the drainage. He said that, because the applicant reduced the total impervious area, staff considered the proposal appropriate. He said the applicant can either keep all the water on site or get an easement or control the property that is adjacent to that wetland. Paul May, with Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson Architects, was present, along with Stuart Nielsen, Don Peacock, and Marjorie Meyer from the Minnesota Waldorf School, and Bruce Chamberlain, landscape architect with Hoisington Koegler Group. Commissioner Rossbach asked the applicant about the drainage for the site. Bruce Chamberlain said it was their understanding from city staff that as long as they either maintain or reduce the overall flow rates from the site onto the wetland that they can allow drainage to enter the wetland without any requirement for drainage easement. He said their intent is to construct a NURP pond outside of the 25 foot buffer of the wetland edge and use that as an additional rate control for all the storm water that is coming off the site which would treat not only quality but rate. Their actual flow rates would be below what the calculations are showing them now so they'll be reducing the rate of runoff from the site even more. Mr. Haider said that calculations have to be based on total volume as opposed to rate. Mr. Stuart Nielsen told the commission about the school, its history, type of curriculum, etc. Chairperson Fischer opened the public hearing for comment from the audience. There was no one present who wished to speak so the hearing was closed. Commissioner Frost moved the Planning Commission recommend: Ao Adoption of the resolution approving a comprehensive land use plan change from BC (business commercial) to S (school) for the proposed Minnesota Waldorf School campus at 70 E. County Road B. The city approves this change because: 1. It would be consistent with the goals and policies of the Maplewood Comprehensive Plan. 2. The site is next to a major collector street and is near two arterial streets. 3. The proposed plans would preserve many significant natural features on the site including a wetland and large trees. 4. There would be no traffic from this development on existing residential streets. B° Adoption of the resolution approving a conditional use permit for a school at 70 E. County Road B. The city bases this permit on the findings required by the code and is subject to the following conditions: Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -3- 1. All construction shall follow the site plan approved by the city. 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. 4. If a parking shortage develops, the property owner shall provide more spaces, subject to approval by staff of a revised parking layout. 5. Dedicate a 25-foot-wide wetland buffer easement around the wetland to the City of Maplewood. Install permanent signs around the edge of the wetland buffer easements. These signs shall mark the edge of the easements and shall state there shall be no mowing, vegetation cutting, filling, grading or dumping beyond this point. City staff shall approve the sign design and location before the contractor installs them. The developer or contractor shall install these signs before the city issues a certificate of occupancy for the first phase of this development. The applicant shall obtain an off-site drainage easement for storm drainage onto the abutting neighbor's property adjacent to the northeast corner of the site or retain their storm water on their own property. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes--all The motion passed. Land Use Plan Changes - Highway 61 and County Road C: Corbey Open Space (R-1 to OS) and Park and Ride Lot (M-1 to G) Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. The land use designation for the 17.5-acre Corbey property west of Highway 61, north of County Road C would be changed from R-1 (single dwelling) to OS (open space). The park and ride lot on the southwest corner of Highway 61 and County Road C would be changed from M-1 (light manufacturing) to G (government). Mike Ericson, assistant to the city manager, was present. Commissioner Frost had some questions about the lots to the west of the Corbey property. He also asked staff about the status of the other properties considered for open space that were ranked higher. Staff said negotiations with the owners of the higher-ranked properties have been ongoing but nothing has been finalized. Commissioner Thompson noted that there was a word processing error on both resolutions in the staff report where it says not approve the plan amendment. Staff said the errors would be corrected. Commissioner Thompson asked if we would be disregarding the committee recommendation if we were to proceed in the manner that is recommended. Mike Ericson, assistant to city manager, said the committee did rank those five at the top and, based upon approximate appraisals of the properties, there would be enough money in the current fund to purchase those five properties. Commissioner Thompson asked if the five properties were the only ones available for consideration at this time. Mr. Ericson said the five parcels of property that are recommended for Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -4- purchase are the top five out of a number of properties that the Open Space Acquisition Committee looked at. He said the three priorities in purchasing property for the open space committee are: 1) you need to have a willing seller; 2) you need to have a willing buyer; and 3) you need to have an agreed upon price. Commissioner Rossbach asked if the city would be pursuing the grant from the state to help with the purchase of the one property which was laid out by the watershed committee. Mr. Ericson said that the city has secured a grant for $100,000 through the Metro Greenways DNR Program and that will be applied towards the Schreier property. Commissioner Pearson asked if there had been any movement on the Schreier property corridor and would that property be available through the Greenways grant. Mr. Ericson said that they have had discussions both directly and indirectly with the property owner and, in addition, have had an opportunity to work with the watershed district on ways to try to leverage the amount of monies that we may or may not have to use. Mr. Ericson said the property owner is not willing to sell at this time. Commissioner Rossbach questioned why the right-of-way lines, shown on the property line/zoning map in the report, look like so much is taken back from Highway 61 and County Road C. Ken Haider, city engineer, said there previously was a plan to have an interchange-type intersection at County Road C and Highway 61. Mn/DOT has decided not to build this type of interchange and so this intersection will stay as it currently is. Commissioner Rossbach wondered, if this was not open space and someone wished to purchase the property, how the extra wide right-of-way off County Road C would affect access to the property. Mr. Haider said he hasn't researched this corner of the intersection but Mn/DOT did purchase the access rights to some of the properties near this. He mentioned a corner property across the street that is not allowed any access to Highway 61 or County Road C because MN/DOT purchased the access from that property. It can only be accessed by combination with some other property and through that other property. Mr. Haider was not certain if these same conditions also applied to the subject property. Mr. Rossbach's concern was that, if access was not available, there was some type of wetland buffer restriction and a limited amount of high ground, the city might be taking $148,000 and "essentially throw it out the window." Ken Haider assumed that this situation was taken into account when the property was appraised. Mr. Ericson confirmed this and said, according to the land us plan, the appraisal showed one single-family dwelling. Other attempts at development have not progressed because of the cost of wetland mitigation, etc. Mr. Ericson said two appraisals were done on the property, these figures were added together and divided by two to determine this price. Mr. Rossbach questioned what impact, if this was developed residentially this property would have on the Greenway corridor. Mr. Ericson stated that the difference was one was a private use and the other public. Commissioner Trippler wondered if basically the city was spending $148,000 for the lower one quarter of this large parcel because the remainder is already classified open space. Ken Roberts agreed with Mr. Trippler's summary. Chairperson Fischer opened the public hearing for comment from the audience. Don Christianson, 1111 County Road C East, said that someone proposed a duplex for this property a few years ago. He said the driveway would have to be placed in the last 100 feet of the west end of this property. Therefore, the trees and a portion of the hill would need to be removed. Mr. Christianson said the price of the property also bothered him, but he would like to see the property preserved as it is. Pete Boulay, 1100 County Road C East, agreed with many of the comments made by Mr. Christianson. One of his concerns was that Mn/DOT might look for more parking space since Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -5- the park and ride lot south of this site is already full. Mr. Boulay felt more open space was needed in this area to accommodate runoff. There were no further comments from the audience so the public hearing portion was closed. Commissioner Frost moved the Planning Commission recommend: Adoption of the resolution which changes the land use plan for the undeveloped area west of Highway 61, north of County Road C. The change is from R-1 (single dwellings) to OS (open space). The city should make this change because: 1. Maplewood plans to buy this site for open space. 2. The purchase would help preserve a variety of natural features on and near this site, including slopes, wetlands and trees. 3. The property is a good economic value. 4. There is easy access to the area. 5. The site is next to an existing wetland and near Kohlman Lake thus expanding the open space corridor in the area. The city shall not make the land use plan change for the city-owned property until after the city closes on the property. Adoption of the resolution which changes the land use plan for the park and ride lot on the southwest corner of Highway 61 and County Road C. This change is from M-1 (light manufacturing) to G (government). The city should make this change because: 1. The site is public property owned by the State of Minnesota. 2. The State of Minnesota uses this site for a public park and ride lot. 3. There are no plans to develop the property for commercial or manufacturing uses. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Commissioner Rossbach wondered if this site were zoned for government would a conditional use permit be need for the state to use this parcel. Staff confirmed that it basically did not matter what the parcel was designated, the state could use it. If the city purchased this as open space, the state would need to purchase it from the city. Chairperson Fischer noted that the motion included the deletion of the word not in the resolutions that applied to this request. Commissioner Pearson wanted to make a point that all the parcels purchased for open space are "not necessarily locked in to open space for perpetuity and forever." He said it takes a four-fifths vote of the city council to change the use. Ayes--all The motion passed. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -6- C. Land Use Plan Change--Bradley Oaks Open Space Site (Idaho Avenue, East of Sterling Street) Ken Roberts, associate planner, presented the staff report. He also answered a question from a commissioner about the location of the property. Chairperson Fischer opened the public hearing. Rob Gorke, 2554 Idaho Avenue, spoke for the purchase of this property. He noted the mature oak trees, wildlife, and hills on the site. Mr. Gorke said he was concerned about where any potential paths would be located. He hoped that they would not go along the borders of the property lines. John Haglund, the recent purchaser of a lot at 2518 Montana Avenue East, agreed that the lot was an excellent value. He asked that the city keep it open space but was agreeable to a path through the property. Anne Fosburgh, 2516 Idaho Avenue East, said she would like to see it left as open space. She felt that if paths were placed on the site, children would shoot the animals that are there with BB guns. Commissioner Thompson thought the site will undoubtedly be utilized and have trails. He said to "spend this amount of money and not use the site for educational purposes would be wasteful." Mike Ericson, assistant to the city manager, said there are no plans for trails in the open space but the potential is there. Mr. Roberts emphasized that the city was concentrating on purchasing open space property. He felt that the "use of the property" and "how much development will occur" will be coming in the next few years now that the city has a part-time naturalist to oversee the open space. Ms. Fosburgh was concerned about being notified of any plans for developing the open space. Ken Haider, city engineer, said there was no legal requirement to notify residents for some of the things that the city could do, but it has been "recent past practice to involve the community as much as possible and notify the community." He felt that, under the current city council, the neighbors would be notified and included. There was no additional comment from the audience so the public hearing portion was closed. Commissioner Frost moved the Planning Commission recommend adoption of the resolution which changes the land use plan for the undeveloped area east and south of Idaho Avenue, east of Sterling Street. The change is from R-1 (single dwellings) to OS (open space). The city should make this change because: 1. Maplewood plans to buy this site for open space. 2. The purchase would help preserve a variety of natural features on and near this site. 3. There is easy access to the area. 4. The site could provide year-round recreational opportunities. 5. There has been neighborhood interest in preserving the site. 6. The site would expand the open space corridor that the city has planned in this area. 7. The site is near schools so it could be used for educational purposes The city shall not make the land use plan change for the city-owned property until after the city closes on the property. Commissioner Rossbach seconded. For clarification, Commissioner Thompson affirmed that the word not was removed from the resolution. Ayes--all Planning Commission Minutes of 08-02-99 -7- The motion passed. VI. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS There were no visitor presentations. VII. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS A. July 12 Council Meeting: Mr. Roberts reported on this meeting. B. July 26 Council Meeting: Ms. Coleman reported on this meeting. C. August 9 Council Meeting: Mr. Trippler is scheduled to attend this meeting. D. August 23 Council Meeting: Mr. Mueller is scheduled to attend this meeting. Ken Roberts, associate planner, mentioned that Commissioner Ledvina was not present because his wife recently had a baby. Chairperson Fischer mentioned that Tuesday, August 3, 1999, was National Night Out. Melinda Coleman, director of community development, said there will be a small display with the comprehensive plan, land use plan, etc. VII. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Melinda Coleman, director of community development, reminded the commission of the annual tour on August 30, 1999. VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.