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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/02/2000MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA MONDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2000 II. III. IV. Vo CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Commissioner Lorraine Fischer Commissioner Jack Frost Commissioner Matt Ledvina Commissioner Paul Mueller Commissioner Gary Pearson Commissioner William Rossbach Commissioner Milo Thompson Commissioner Dale Trippler Staff Present: Present Present Absent Present Present Present Present Present Melinda Coleman, Director of Community Development Ken Roberts, Associate Planner Recording Secretary: APPROVAL OF AGENDA Lori Hansen Commissioner Trippler moved approval of the agenda, as submitted. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes--All The motion carries. APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 18th: The roll call minutes read Commissioner Frost was present, but he was not in attendance on the 18th. Commissioner Mueller was present (he arrived at 7:05), but was recorded as absent. The ayes, in the approval of the minutes, should be changed to five to reflect the adjustments. Chairperson Fischer questioned the inclusion of the trail in the Pineview motion. Verbiage was included in the minutes, on page 5, about this issue. Commission Pearson moved approval of the minutes of September 18th, 2000 as amended. Commissioner Rossbach seconded the motion. Ayes - 6 (Fischer,Mueller, Pearson, Rossbach, Thompson, Trippler) The motion passed. Abstention-1 (Frost) UNFINISHED BUSINESS None Planning Commission Minutes of 10-02-2000 -2- NEW BUSINESS E~3~EJaC~-(Northwest corner of County Road B and Van D~/ke Street) Ken Roberts presented the staff report for the city. The proposal is for a thirteen unit town home development intended for Iow income families with children. There is a mix of two, three and four bedroom units in the development. The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit and design approval of the project. The comments from the neighbors near the site included concerns about compatibility with the adjacent single family homes, the potential for nuisances, traffic, possible effects on property values, the loss of open space and site management. Staff cited other examples in the city that have a mix of single family homes and town homes that have proven compatibility is not an issue. This property will not go off the tax rules since it is rental property and will be paying property taxes. The city has recently purchased the property to the north of the development, and will be putting together a proposal for that site. Commissioner Frost questioned the rational of the split of the property with the zoning lines. Staff explained it was due to a previous proposal that was never built, and no one has asked to have it changed since. Commissioner Trippler confirmed the town homes were not for sale, but for rent, and had no impact on the zoning being proposed. The area in the middle of the project is an open grassy space for a courtyard, play yard, and commons area for the homes. Staff informed Mr. Mueller and the commission that the city is prohibited from making zoning and development actions based on the potential income of the future renters or owners. Design and compatibility elements are the only elements that can be considered. Nelda Rhodes Clarke, the executive director at the Emma Norton residence, was present to answer questions. The courtyard section is planned to have age specific play areas for children as well as picnic tables for the families to use. After school programming will be offered in the commons building as well as volunteers to provide tutoring. Staff will be available twenty four hours to manage the site. The landscaping design plan suggests the planting of sixty-four trees as well as adding numerous smaller bushes. Each family will have a small area in the courtyard where they may plant as well. The letters included in the agenda packet were to help give the community an idea of who Emma's Place is. Emma's Place is a national mission of the United Methodist Church. They have been in the business, and have built a reputation for managing properties, for the past eighty years. Mr. Frost questioned if Emma's is specifically a women's facility, or if a single father with children could be a candidate for occupancy. He also inquired about the minimum number of children required for application. Ms. Clarke explained the renters could indeed be a single father, and the greatest need, they felt, were families with two or three children. This housing is not considered transitional, but permanent housing with support service. The taxes assessed for the property would be approximately the same as that for homestead. Other questions raised by the commission were clarified by Ms. Rhoades. The typical age range of the children in the development is between infant to nine or ten. The current site owned by Emma's Place in St. Paul is intended specifically for transitional housing where the tenants may rent a unit for up to a two year period. Clear guidelines will be established for the occupants of Emma's Place about proper maintenance. Each unit will have a full basement. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-02-2000 -3- Numerous visitors were present with comments on the proposed development. Florence Sprage, 1890 Furness Street, spoke in support of the proposal. She felt there is a strong need for "larger size rental housing" in the community. Ms. Sprage is employed at a Maplewood school. She has experienced families leaving the school due to not being able to find affordable housing in Maplewood that is suitable for a larger family. Rod Johnson, 1935 Larpenteur Ave. E., was also in support of the project. One of the reasons he moved to Maplewood was he liked to think of Maplewood as "a place of hope and opportunity" as it has been for him and his family. He hoped that it could be that for other families. He also spoke to the credibility of the organization applying for the project. He has worked with the Emma Norton organization on several projects over the last eight years. He feels they are very creditable, and really work with families to help them be successful. He stressed the importance of the combination of affordable housing and good services. Maggie Chalkline, 1863 County Road B, lives three houses away from the proposed site. She spoke in support of the project. She has previously lived in subsidized housing, and over the last 10 years has worked her way out of poverty and now owns her own home in Maplewood. Her family chose Maplewood for the economic and racial diversity. She is looking forward to this project, and has confidence "this community will be an addition to Maplewood and something you can be proud of." David Elton 2685 E. Minnehaha Ave., has been a resident of Maplewood for 35 years. He also voiced his support for the project. As a teacher he has noticed more and more broken homes and less direction for parents to be able to cope with their children. He felt this project provided a unique situation where there are support services, tutors, after school programs, and property guidance. Chery Dobervich, 2523 Stillwater Road, has been involved directly and indirectly with Emma Norton for over 18 years. As a previous landlord, she fully supports the 24 hour site supervision and reiterated how key this on-site supervision would be. Lon Sweeney, 934 Evar Street North, stated both him and his wife are in support of this development and have previously been landlords for transitional housing properties. They have found much satisfaction being a landlord to this type of project, and felt everyone living close to this development will be extremely pleased. Mary Schoenborn, 2649 Midvale Place, was really pleased with what she has heard, and would like to add a note of thanks to the city for considering this proposal. She is in agreement that there is a dire need for affordable housing for families with more than two children. Ms. Clark submitted additional letters to the commission from other Maplewood residents she wanted to share. Mr. Thompson appreciated the fact that this applicant does appear to care about young children. Mr. Rossbach made motion to move the council to adopt the resolution that approves a conditional use permit for a 13-unit townhouse development at the northwest corner of County Road B and Van Dyke Street. Approval is based on the findings required by the code and subject to the following conditions: 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. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-02-2000 -4- VII. 3. The city council shall review this permit in one year. The property owner shall see that the site is well maintained and properly managed. Commissioner Pearson seconded. He also requested a friendly amendment to number four; that the property would be properly managed on a 24 hour basis. Commissioner Rossbach did not feel he could add that amendment to his motion due to it not being apart of the application. Commissioner Person still chose to second the motion. Motion carries. Ayes--All This proposal goes to the City Council on October 23rd. Chairperson Fischer clarified that the commission can only make the recommendation, the City Council makes the final decision. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None VIII. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS A. September 25th Council Meeting: Notes on the meeting were presented by Commissioner Rossbach. It was decided there would indeed be a referendum on the 911 Dispatching System, and it will be in the upcoming election. A separate sheet will be included in the ballot indicating approval, or not, of a city bond to get funding to buy equipment for the system. Mr. Trippler brought up the article in Maplewood in Motion about the August meeting highlights. The article makes reference to the proposed salary ranges for three dispatch employees. Melinda Coleman explained their is a 30 day lead time for articles, and the City Council did not pass that proposal in their budget for next year. They decided to pursue the referendum for capital expenditures only before moving forward with dispatch. Commissioner Frost questioned the change in the on street parking ordinance. Ms. Coleman clarified the code. In August, the city council changed the overnight parking code. It used to read you could not park overnight on any city street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. for more than a two hour period. The ordinance now states no parking between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. There will be an article in the new Maplewood in Motion about this ordinance. Commissioner Trippler asked for clarification on the adopted ordinance amending concrete curbing requirements. Ms. Coleman explained it was a recommendation from the Design Review Board to have allowances to the curbing ordinance instead of people continually asking for variances. This amendment was a result of the fire station application. B, October 9th Council Meeting: Mr. Thompson will be attending this meeting. The items to be addressed will be the Birch Glen apartment project, Pineview Estates Preliminary Plat, and the White Bear Avenue corridor study. The city staff will be asking for an approval on two resolutions about grant monies (Hillcrest Shopping Center, and the surrounding area) and the Hajicek property by Maplewood Mall. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-02-2000 -5- IX. C. October 23rd Council Meeting: Commissioner Ledvina will be attending this meeting. Mr. Ledvina was in attendance at the Design Review Board for the Emma project and Countryside Volkswagen, therefore, the commission would be comfortable with Mr, Ledvina attending. The new city manager will be starting on October 16th. Richard Fursman is coming to Maplewood from the city of Andover. He has a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Studies from Mankato State University and undergraduate degree in Economics from the College of St. Thomas. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Information was sent out to all Planning Commission members regarding the cell tower and the Federal Telecommunications Act. Ms. Coleman has been working with the city attorney and the local providers to research what their service needs are. One provider has approached the city on building a cell tower on the fire station site on Century Avenue. The city council was in support of the proposal, and felt the towers should be on all city properties, and nowhere else in the city. Mr. Thompson presented an article regarding the use of cell phones and driving, and how it impacts the risk of motor vehicle collisions. Ms. Coleman read an article where Verizon Wireless is voluntarily working with states to agree to legislation that cell users not be allowed to make calls from car phones unless they have the non-hand held devices. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.