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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/01/2006 MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION Mondav, May 1, 2006, 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1830 County Road BEast 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. April 17, 2006 5. Public Hearings 7:00 Comforts of Home Senior Housing (2300 and 2310 Hazelwood Street) Land Use Plan Change (BC to R-3(H)) Conditional Use Permn for Planned Unn Development 6. New Business None 7. Unfinished Business None 8. Visitor Presentations 9. Commission Presentations April 18 Special Council Meeting: Mr. Trippler and Mr. Grover April 24 Council Meeting: Mr. Roberts May 8 Council Meeting: Mr. Trippler May 22 Council Meeting: Mr. Hess 10. Staff Presentations 11. Adjoumment MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA MONDAY, MAY 1, 2006 I. CALL TO ORDER Both Chairperson Fischer and Vice-Chairperson Desai were absent this evening so the Planning Commission agreed to have Commissioner Trippler serve as Acting Chairperson. Acting Chairperson Trippler called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Vice-Chairperson Tushar Desai Commissioner Mary Dierich Chairperson Lorraine Fischer Commissioner Michael Grover Commissioner Harland Hess Commissioner Jim Kaczrowski Commissioner Gary Pearson Acting Chairperson Dale Trippler Commissioner Jeremy Yarwood Absent Present Absent Absent Present Present Present Present Present Chuck Ahl, Public Works Director Shann Finwall, Planner Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary Staff Present: III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chuck Ahl, Maplewood Public Works Director, said Carver Crossing of Maplewood was going to be reviewed this evening but the proposal has been delayed until the Planning Commission meeting on Monday, May 15, 2006. Commissioner Pearson moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Yarwood seconded. The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ayes - Dierich, Hess, Kaczrowski, Pearson, Trippler, Yarwood Approval of the planning commission minutes for April 17, 2006. Acting Chairperson Trippler had clarifications or corrections to pages 6, 16, 18, and 19. On page 6, fourth paragraph, change the word appro'ioEl to reviewed. On page 16, in the motion it should read with the exception of part C leaving part C as is and not striking the second part, on page 18, last paragraph, third line, change the word man fef6e to man power, on page 19, in the fifth and sixth paragraph, it should read Minnesota Chapter 7030.0030 noise rule. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -2- Commissioner Yarwood had a correction to page 19, fourth paragraph, he meant for it to read Commissioner Yarwood said he would like to have an ordinance specifvinq decibel levels as a fall back if there is a chronic problem. Commissioner Hess moved to approve the planning commission minutes for April 17, 2006, as amended. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes - Dierich, Hess, Kaczrowski, Pearson, Trippler, Yarwood V. PUBLIC HEARING a. Comforts of Home Senior Housing (2300 and 2310 Hazelwood Street) (7:08 - 8:06 p.m.) Ms. Finwall said Mathew Frisbie of Frisbie Architects, Inc., representing Comforts of Home, LLC, is proposing to redevelop two lots located on the southeast corner of Highway 36 and Hazelwood Street (2300 and 2310 Hazelwood Street). The two lots currently contain the vacant Auto Glass Specialists store and an electrical contractor's office. The proposed use will be a 42-unit, two- story, assisted living facility. The facility will also include memory care, respite care, and a hospice facility with 24-hour, on-site homecare staff. On January 3,2006, the planning commission reviewed concept plans for the Comforts of Home development. During the meeting items discussed and areas of concern included: Highway 36 improvements, noise and parking. There are currently two Comforts of Home facilities operating in the Twin City Metropolitan area, Blaine and Hugo. In summary, Comforts of Home is an assisted living and memory care/Alzheimer community designed to assist those needing mild to high levels of personal care. The facility will have 42 private suites, a large kitchen, group dining/living/activity areas, and a beauty shop. Each suite has a private bathroom and a separate bedroom/living area. Some of the units would have kitchenettes. The facility has 24-hour, on-site home care and nursing staff. The facility will provide the residents' meals, housekeeping, and laundry service. Commissioner Hess asked about the condition of Hazelwood Street and when it would be repaired? Chuck Ahl, Maplewood Public Works Director said Hazelwood Street is on the state aid system, it is a city street, however it has a higher designation and the city receives gas tax funds supportive of that program. The state hasn't raised the state gas tax since 1988 so the community is way behind in the construction of streets. Hazelwood Street has been delayed a number of years. Hazelwood Street is now scheduled for reconstruction in 2010. This road is pretty busted up but it will be reconstructed and the benefiting property owners will pay for that based on the city policies because everyone shares in the cost of roadway reconstruction. Commissioner Hess asked if the end of Hazelwood Street is scheduled to be closed off with the expansion of Highway 36? Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -3- Mr. Ahl said there is no direct answer to that question because that is currently being negotiated. Many years ago Hazelwood Street used to extend across the freeway going north and south and it was a full intersection with Highway 36. In the early 1970's MnDOT closed that intersection and made that a right in and right out with a promise to the City of Maplewood to install an interchange at some point in the future. Unfortunately 30 years later MnDOT indicated they don't have the funds to put an interchange in for another 30 years. MnDOT's commitment to build an interchange is over 60 years from their original commitment. The city is in the process to negotiate with MnDOT that this should be put in the program. However, the city and the community have not focused on whether they want an interchange here or not so a final decision has not been made yet from a public safety standpoint. It is nice to connect the north and the south side. It may change the character of the neighborhood with more traffic on Hazelwood Street. It's not currently that kind of roadway where that would happen. The city is in the process of looking at the issues and whether or not there should be an interchange at English Street instead and not have the connection at Hazelwood Street. Based on his understanding of how MnDOT works and the access guidelines, that connection will probably be closed in the next 10 years. Commissioner Pearson said on the blue prints he noticed a 30 foot offset from Highway 36. He asked if that was the current easement or what part of that would be taken if Highway 36 would be expanded and how would that affect the parking for Comforts of Home? Mr. Ahl said the 30 foot offset is from the right of way line. The additional lane on Highway 36, if they reconstruct it, would simply add about 12 to 14 feet to the edge of the roadway. There is probably not a lot of right of way needed on Highway 36 so he would expect the 30 feet is more than adequate. Commissioner Pearson said this is limited parking and staff mentioned Lakewood Commons and the activities they hold. Lakewood Commons has several promotions throughout the year and have a lot of cars that park on Maryland Avenue on both sides. He gets a lot of cars from Lakewood Commons parked in his neighborhood. In previous discussions with the developer for Comforts of Home they stated they don't hold those types of events and would not have a parking shortage. He wondered if that parking space clause should be included in the conditions to protect the residents in the neighborhood. The parking issue could cause a serious parking problem if Comforts of Home were to hold the same type of events as Lakewood Commons. Ms. Finwall said she received a letter from a Maplewood resident regarding this proposal later than when the report was sent out. It was from Mr. Robert Carey, a property owner at 2291 Hazelwood Street. His concern was the parking situation and the wetlands. She assured the property owner that the people that would live at this assisted living home would not have their own vehicles. If there is a concern regarding the parking, that condition could be added to the list of conditions in the staff report. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked if parking would be allowed on Hazelwood Street? Mr. Ahl said he didn't believe Hazelwood Street was restricted parking at this point and time. Under reconstruction Hazelwood Street would likely be restricted. There may be some parking bays installed that would be part of the design conditions. In all cases there would be no overnight parking. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -4- Acting Chairperson Trippler said on a facility of this size, if there were parking bays, how many cars would staff anticipate this area could accommodate? Mr. Ahl said in looking at the site plan it may accommodate a dozen parking bays. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked if staff thought there is enough space to consider proof of parking for this proposal? Mr. Ahl said looking at the site plan, the infiltration basins and some of the wetland characteristics, staff would say it would be difficult. When some of the right of way gets reconstructed on Highway 36, the parking lot could expand into the 30 foot area as proof of parking. However, looking at the site plan, proof of parking does not look too realistic. Commissioner Yarwood said staff indicated the city code does not deal directly with assisted living facilities or have an ordinance and he wondered if the city should consider an ordinance that deals more directly with these types of developments because they are somewhat unique. Ms. Finwall said the CDRB and PC are interested in reviewing the parking regulations which would include parking requirements for assisted living facilities. As far as other areas of an assisted living facility such as unit floor area, the city has only had 3 requests in the last 15 years for assisted living facilities so the city has not felt a real need to have an ordinance in that regard. Commissioner Pearson said he didn't see anything on the plans that represented a storm shelter or basement area or if there will be a basement, will it be serviced by an elevator? Ms. Finwall said she would like the applicant to speak further on this. She said there will be an elevator. Looking at the grading plan the southwest corner will be underground. Commissioner Pearson asked if the basement would be a finished area with seating for the residents or just an open basement area for people. Ms. Finwall said several of the suites are located in the basement area and there is a large hallway with no windows which could be a point of gathering for emergencies. However, the applicant could elaborate more on this subject. Commissioner Hess asked about the security and safety for these high level Alzheimer's patients and what keeps them from wandering out of the building and onto Highway 36? Ms. Finwall said the Maplewood Police Department reviewed this proposal and Lieutenant Michael Shortreed had concerns about that and wrote appropriate staffing should be available to assure that residents with Alzheimer's disease do not walk away from the facility, especially with Highway 36 located just north of the proposed facility. Acting Chairperson Trippler said under the noise section of the staff report it states there shall be a condition for a six to eight foot berm but in the conditions it only shows a four foot to six foot berm. Ms. Finwall said that was a staff error and would correct that in the staff report. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -5- Acting Chairperson Trippler said he had concerns with the comment in the staff report that there would only be 3 staff members for 42 residents living at this proposed facility. Some patients would have Alzheimer's and with the proximity of Highway 36 and the possibility for a patient to wander outside this issue concerns him. He asked about the berm the city is requesting the applicant to build. It seems it may be difficult to construct an 8 foot berm with the location of the retention pond. Mr. Ahl said the city is asking for revised grading plans and site plans because the site needs to be reengineered. Michael Thompson, Maplewood Civil Engineer, discussed this with their site engineer and that doesn't seem to be a problem. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked about the unit floor area. The staff report shows the units would be 221 to 360 square feet in size. A room that is 221 square feet in size has the dimensions of 11 X 20 which seems awfully small. He asked if staff could comment on how common that is for assisted living space. Ms. Finwall said Lakewood Commons was also approved with a floor area reduction. These smaller units are sleeping units with a small bathroom. Acting Chairperson Trippler said the applicant is asking the city to authorize a 359 square foot floor area reduction in the required unit floor area as part of the PUD which is more than a 50% reduction in what the code requires and that seems very small to him. Ms. Finwall said if the city had a code that clearly addressed assisted living facilities, the city would want to look at the overall common area as well which is quite extensive in this proposal. There is a large living room, a lounge, a dining room, and an activity room and that should be taken into account. This would allow for privacy in their room but allows the resident to be active in the larger areas of the facility. Acting Chairperson Tripplerwould like staff to address the comments that came up regarding the people that were opposed to this project. The overriding theme in the staff report related to traffic concerns on Sherren Avenue. Mr. Ahl said the comments from the neighbors that were received were regarding potential traffic concerns on Sherren Avenue. It is staff's opinion that other than a stray vehicle that may be lost most cars would be driving to the assisted living facility to visit someone or it would be an employee driving to work so the traffic would be minimal. If something other than this assisted living facility was built here the traffic would be more of a concern and cause more vehicle trips as was stated in the staff report. Commissioner Dierich asked if there was any possibility this building could be turned into a nursing home at some point since this building would have a nursing home design? Ms. Finwall said a nursing home would be a conditional use permit in any zoning district so this would need some sort of an amendment to convert this building from an assisted living facility to a nursing home. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked the applicant to address the commission. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 Mr. Mathew Frisbie, Frisbie Architects, 215 North 2nd Street, River Falls, Wisconsin, addressed the commission. He said this building would be constructed with window and wall construction built according to the Minnesota building code and the noise standards they would be required to follow. The smaller unit size takes into account that this is governed by the state health department to determine the living size. It takes into account the bathroom, common spaces, dining and living space. The parking reduction is fairly equal to the other facilities they have in the Twin Cities. The memory care units are on the south side of the building in a self-contained wing of the building. The whole building is secure and there is an outdoor space for the memory care patients with a decorative fence around a portion of the exterior to allow the residents to step outside but in a secured enclosure. This assisted living facility gets reviewed by the state for their license to operate. -6- Acting Chairperson Trippler asked staff to put the site plan on the screen that represents where the patio area would be for the memory care patients. Staff pointed out the patio area on the site plan. Mr. Frisbie said this is a smaller outside space to keep the residents fairly close to the building. The memory care patients do not have access to the whole building. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked what the size of the patio would be? Mr. Frisbie said the patio would be about 300 to 350 square feet in size. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked out of the 42 units how many of those units would be housed by Alzheimer patients? Ms. Wendy Fritz, Comforts of Home, 2340 East County Road J, White Bear Township, addressed the commission. She said there would be about 12 Alzheimer patients. Commissioner Yarwood asked if they expected the rest of the residents to be able to go outside for a walk or enjoy the outdoors as well? Ms. Fritz said the site is secured so the residents cannot freely exit the building on their own and the outdoor space is enclosed. The patients that do not have dementia have access to the outdoor space. Commissioner Dierich asked if staff could point out the portion of the building that would house the patients that need memory care? Commissioner Yarwood said sometimes when you go to visit loved ones you like to sit outside or take them for a walk. The outdoor space shown on the plan does not appear very large. Is there enough room for families to sit outdoors and enjoy the space together? It would be a good idea to have a sidewalk for family members to take their loved one for a walk as well. Ms. Fritz said if the family wants to take responsibility for their loved one while they go for a walk then sure, they can do that. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -7- Mr. Frisbee said there are areas for the patients to step outside. He asked Beth to come forward and speak regarding this proposal. Ms. Beth Doce, representing Comforts of Home, 2340 East County Road J, White Bear Township, addressed the commission. She said many of the residents can't go outside and walk because of the higher levels of acuity they require. Some of their other locations make it easier for a family member to take their loved one outside. Comforts of Home in Blaine and Hugo have walking programs where they walk in the building and do things with the activity coordinators. They also offer an exercise program in some of the locations as well so walking is not too much of an issue. Because of the clientele and their special needs it is hard for many patients to go outside and walk. Commissioner Hess said it appeared the outdoor space on the north side would be facing the pond. He asked if there was a concrete apron and what the size of the patio space would be? Mr. Frisbee said that space would face east and be approximately 15 X 40. There is a decorative rail there and the space would overlook Knucklehead Lake. Commissioner Hess said that space seems very small for the number of residents proposed for this location. He asked if that could be enlarged? Mr. Frisbee said it is possible to enlarge the patio, however, that is the size that has been built at the other facilities. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked how many people could be comfortably accommodated in that area? Mr. Frisbee said at the Hudson, Wisconsin facility they can comfortably accommodate four tables with five people at a table. Commissioner Dierich said she had questions regarding the types of residents that would be living here. She is fairly familiar with assisted living and one of the issues she sees is having only six staff members with 42 residents. That seems sparse to her especially with the needs of hospice and Alzheimer's patients. Ms. Doce said Comforts of Home can bring more staff on board as needed. They also have an RN and an LPN on staff. Comforts of Home has more staff than most communities do. The staff members can go back and forth from the memory care area to the assisted living portion of the building. The residents of the assisted living portion of the building have a certain schedule and have a call button if they need assistance and don't require as much one on one care. She said Comforts of Home wants to give quality care to the residents and that is one thing they stand for. Commissioner Pearson asked if Comforts of Home could explain their emergency management plan for the patients? Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -8- Ms. Doce said Comforts of Home has an implemented weather plan and is stored in a book. They work directly with the fire department for emergencies and the caregivers close the blinds or curtains and the residents go to certain areas of their suites for safety. They also run emergency drills with staff and the residents. Some residents are moved to the inside of their bathroom for protection and other residents are assisted to the hallway area for protection. Last summer Comforts of Home in Blaine had to implement the storm plan during the storm that took place. Acting Chairperson Trippler said in attachment 1, paragraph 5, in the staff report it states family is very important at Comforts of Home, we invite and encourage them to participate in activities and support groups. To him that statement is disconnected because on one hand Comforts of Home has stated they don't need as many parking spaces yet they are encouraging visitors and family members to visit where they could need more parking spaces. He asked for clarification. Ms. Fritz said Comforts of Home does not hold large events like some of the other assisted living facilities do so they would not need additional parking space. If that was a concern of the city Comforts of Home could shuttle people in from another location. Comforts of Home is so confident about the parking needs based on their parking history at their buildings that if the city would like to put an amendment in the conditions stating that fact that would be fine with them. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked on a typical day what kinds of social events would you have where you would encourage family members to participate in and how many family members would you anticipate having on a day-to-day basis. Ms. Doce said based on the experience at the Blaine location she would estimate four to five cars a day. During the day many family members are working. There are a few people that visit over lunch but otherwise most of their visitors come in the evening or on the weekend. Visitors are invited and encouraged to come for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The parking lot at the Blaine facility is never full. People are just busy so there isn't a lot of people that come all at once. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked how many residents there are at the Blaine location? Ms. Doce said they have 29 residents at the Blaine location. Acting Chairperson Trippler said the proposed Maplewood location would have 13 more people than the Blaine location so he would guess there wouldn't be a parking problem based on those statements made by representatives of Comforts of Home. Acting Chairperson Trippler asked if anybody in the audience wanted to address the commission regarding this proposal. Nobody in the audience came forward to speak. Acting Chairperson Trippler closed the public hearing. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -9- Commissioner Dierich moved to approve the comprehensive land use plan from business commercial (BC) to high multiple dwelling residential (R-3H) for the properties at 2300 and 2310 Hazelwood Street. The city bases these changes on the following findings: a. This site is proper for and consistent with the city's policies for high-density residential use. This includes: 1) Having a variety of housing types for all types of residents, regardless of age, ethnic, racial, cultural or socioeconomic background. A diversity of housing types should include apartments, town houses, manufactured homes, single-family housing, public-assisted housing and low-to moderate-income housing, and rental and owner-occupied housing. 2) Promote a variety of housing types, costs and ownership options throughout the city. These are to meet the life-cycle needs of all income levels, those with special needs and nontraditional households. 3) The city will continue to provide dispersed locations for a diversity of housing styles, types and price ranges through its land use plan. 4) The city's long-term stability of its tax base depends upon its ability to attract and keep residents of all ages. To do so, the city must insure that a diverse mix of housing styles is available in each stage of the life cycle of housing needs. 5) It is located off an arterial street, on a collector. 6) It is located near a park, open space, and wetlands. Commissioner Dierich moved to approve the conditional use permit for a multiple dwelling planned unit development within the BC zoning district. Approval is subject to several conditions as outlined below: a. Have the engineering department approve final construction and engineering plans. These plans shall comply with all requirements as specified in the city engineering department's April 25, 2006, engineering plan review including, but not limited to, the installation of a six to eight foot high berm with evergreen tree plantings on the north side of the lot (adjacent Highway 36) and the construction of a six-foot wide sidewalk along the entire Hazelwood Street frontage. b. All construction shall follow the plans date-stamped March 27, 2006, with revisions as noted in this approval. The city council may approve major changes to the plans. The Director of Community Development may approve minor changes to the plans. c. The owner shall combine the two properties into one lot for tax identification purposes before the city issues a building permit. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -10- d. The applicant must provide the city with verification that the assisted living facility will meet state noise standards. This can be accomplished through a study, testing or other documentation. If the noise on this site is a factor, then the applicant will have to construct the facility so it meets the standards. This may be done with thicker walls, heavier windows, requiring air conditioning or other sound-deadening construction methods. e. The project is approved with a parking reduction of 59 parking spaces (84 parking spaces are required per city code, 25 parking spaces proposed). f. The project is approved with a 359 square foot area reduction in the required unit floor area (580 square foot units are required per city code, 221 to 360 square foot units are proposed). g. All signs on the property must be approved by the community design review board. h. The proposed construction must be substantially started within one year of city council approval or the permit shall end. The city council may extend this deadline for one year. i. The city council shall review this permit in one year. Commissioner Yarwood seconded. Ayes - Dierich, Hess, Kaczrowski, Pearson, Trippler, Yarwood The motion passed. This item goes to the CDRB on Tuesday, May 9, 2006, and to the city council on Monday, May 22, 2006. VI. NEW BUSINESS None. VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. VIII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None. IX. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS a. Mr. Trippler and Mr. Grover were the planning commission representatives at the April 18,2006, city council meeting regarding the Gladstone Redevelopment Plan. Mr. Grover was absent this evening so the report was given by Mr. Trippler. Mr. Trippler reported that the Gladstone meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Maplewood Community Center theatre. Planning Commission Minutes of 05-01-06 -11- The Maplewood residents spoke first and then the different boards and commissions had the opportunity to speak. The city council decided to attend a special workshop to discuss and review the information they had received regarding the Gladstone Redevelopment Plan. More information will follow. b. Ms. Finwall reported on the April 24, 2006, city council meeting. Ms. Finwall reported that the city council discussed the CUP for the Maple Tree Group Home at length and the city council was proposing to revoke the group home license for 12 individuals but the discussion was tabled for more information. c. Mr. Trippler will be the planning commission representative at the May 8, 2006, city council meeting. Items that will be discussed include the code amendment for an accessory structure and the easement vacation at 2249 Kenwood Court. d. Mr. Hess will be the planning commission representative at the May 22, 2006, city council meeting. The only item to discuss is the Comforts of Home at 2300/231 0 Hazelwood Street for a CUP for a PUD and the Land Use Plan Change. X. STAFF PRESENTATIONS None. XI. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.