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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/05/20021. Call to Order MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 5, 2002, 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1830 County Road B East 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. July 15, 2002 5. Public Hearing None 6. New Business a. Keller Golf Course Maintenance Building Conditional Use Permit (2166 Maplewood Drive) 7. Unfinished Business a. Manufactured Home Park Closing Ordinance Amendment 8. Visitor Presentations 9. Commission Presentations a. July 22 Council Meeting: Mr. Trippler b. August 12 Council Meeting: Mr. Mueller c. August 26 Council Meeting: Mr. Ledvina 10. Staff Presentations 11. Adjournment MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2002 I. CALLTO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Mary Dierich Lorraine Fischer Matt Ledvina Jackie Monahan-Junek Paul Mueller Gary Pearson William Rossbach Dale Trippler Tushar Desai Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Staff Present: Tom Ekstrand, Assistant Community Development Director Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer Ken Roberts, Associate Planner Sarah Sonsalla, Legal Council Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OFAGENDA Mr. Roberts added six items under staff presentations to be discussed. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Board appreciation event Rescheduling of September PC meeting Training session September 30 City of Richfield Tour Follow up on city tour State Planning Conference Commissioner Trippler moved to approve the agenda as amended. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes -All The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the planning commission minutes for July 15, 2002. Commissioner Rossbach moved to approve the planning commission minutes for July 15, 2002. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 Commissioner Pearson seconded. The motion is passed. PUBLIC HEARING -2- Ayes - Dierich, Fischer, Monahan-Junek, Mueller, Pearson, Rossbach, Trippler Abstention- Desai, Ledvina None. VI. NEW BUSINESS a. Keller Golf Course Maintenance Building Conditional Use Permit (2166 Maplewood Drive). Mr. Roberts gave a review for a 10,560 square foot maintenance building at Keller Golf Course. The proposed building would replace the older of the two existing maintenance buildings on the site. The exterior of the proposed maintenance building would have metal panel siding and a standing seam metal roof. The building would have a metal panel exterior with dormers facing Highway 61. The plans also show a wainscot base panel for a contrasting color or for rock-faced block. The roof would be green, the sides would be white and the trim and doors would be beige. Staff recommends approval of the conditional use permit for the proposed Keller Golf Course maintenance building. Commissioner Ledvina asked if there are any underground storage tanks and will they be affected by the improvement to this site? Mr. Roberts said the applicant could address that. Kevin Finley, Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, 2015 N. Van Dyke Street, addressed the commission. He said regarding the underground storage tanks, there is an abandoned gasoline tank buried near the existing hut where there will be pavement in the new construction and they will go over it. He said the storage tank has been sealed and approved by the MPCA. Commissioner Trippler asked Mr. Finley about the wash bay on the east side. He asked what kinds of things will be washed in the wash bays and how the wash water is captured and treated? Mr. Finley said they are installing a state-of-the-art recycling system. He said there is a series of three recycling tanks in the building adjacent to the wash pad. They wash the equipment down, it goes into the three tanks, and is biologically treated. The affluent is discharged into the sanitary sewer and the sludge is scooped out and recycled as compost. Currently, they are washing down the equipment and letting the water run into the sewer and along the ditch. He said the new system will be used primarily for cleaning the lawn mowing equipment. Commissioner Rossbach asked Mr. Finley what the cages are going to be used for in the storage area? Mr. Finley said the cyclone fence cages would hold chain saws, weed whips, and other power equipment that they want to keep under lock and key. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 -3- Commissioner Ledvina moved to approve a conditional use permit for Keller Golf Course, including a new maintenance building, at 2166 Maplewood Drive. The council bases the permit on the findings required by code and it 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. 2. The applicant must begin construction within one year after the council approves this permit 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. Commissioner Trippler seconded. Ayes - All The motion passed. Mr. Roberts said this will go to the CDRB meeting August 13, 2002, and then to the city council meeting on August 26, 2002, for approval. VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Manufactured Home Park Closing Ordinance Amendment Mr. Ekstrand reported the answers to the questions that were asked by planning commission members at their July 15, 2002 meeting. He said staff has not taken a stance on this at the present time. Staff wanted to get input from the planning commission members to forward a recommendation to the city council. Commissioner Pearson said on page 3 of the staff report the taxes paid for Beaver Lake Estates are shown as $69,112. The homeowners that live in Beaver Lake Estates pay that dollar amount. Mr. Pearson said the park owner pays for the land and that dollar amount is just under $150,000. Mr. Ekstrand introduced Sarah Sonsalla, legal council with the city attorney's office. She was present to answer any questions that planning commission members may have. Commissioner Pearson stated that he has been a resident of Beaver Lake Estate Manufactured Home Park for over twenty years and is also the director for the park. Because of this he said would abstain from voting for any action the planning commission members decide to take. Chairperson Fischer said because Mr. Pearson gave an advanced abstention from voting, should Mr. Pearson sit in the audience or should he remain sitting with the planning commission members. Ms. Sonsalla stated it was okay for Mr. Pearson to remain seated with the planning commission members as long as he abstains from speaking as a planning commissioner and abstains from voting. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 -4- Commissioner Monahan-Junek asked the city attorney if there were a manufactured park closing announced tomorrow and there was not an ordinance in place, would the city have the opportunity to create an ordinance which would apply to the park closing at that time. Ms. Sonsalla said the city could adopt an ordinance after the announcement of the manufactured home park closing. This would however, create a problem of not properly notifying the park owner well in advance of this ordinance adoption. This could open the city up to a possible legal challenge. Procedurally and ethically, the city may want to give all involved parties ample time to respond to any potential ordinance change before the city council would adopt an amendment. Commissioner Desai said he would like a clarification about the last point. Ms. Sonsalla said the city would open themself up to possible legal action. Doesn't the state law already tell you if there is going to be a park closing you have to inform the residents in the park of that closing. Ms. Sonsalla said Minnesota State Statute 327C.095 does require that the park owner must give notice to the residents and to the city, nine months prior to a closing. She said because of the relocation benefits involved, it might be advisable to add the wording "to notify the park owners in advance of this additional expense." Mr. Ekstrand said the first question is does the city need a manufactured home park closinq ordinance? The second question is if an ordinance is needed what content should be included in the park closing? APAC is looking for they shall pay relocation costs. Some ordinances say they "may" pay relocation costs and some state they "shall" pay relocation costs. Commissioner Mueller asked staff if the planning commission does recommend to have an ordinance, does the planning commission get involved in writing the ordinance and the content of the ordinance or does the city council do that? Mr. Ekstrand said yes, if the city council decides to discuss this at a city council meeting and they decide the city should pursue this ordinance further and develop a code, it would come back to the planning commission with more details and the planning commission would discuss this again. Commission Mueller said regarding the state statute that says the statute does not mandate that homeowners in manufactured homes should be reimbursed in some form but the owner of the park "may" compensate homeowners. He asked if an ordinance was written, the city would change the wording to "shall" compensate, instead of may compensate. Chairperson Fischer asked planning commission members if they felt they had enough information and testimony from residents or should the commission open the discussion up to the public. Planning commission members felt they had enough information and felt no public testimony was necessary. Chairperson Fischer asked staff if there have been any inquiries about purchasing or acquiring any of Maplewood's manufactured home parks? Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 -5- Mr. Ekstrand said he has not heard of any inquiries regarding purchasing any manufactured home parks in Maplewood. Commissioner Rossbach said he recently visited the manufactured home parks and thought about all the information he had read and heard. He does believe it will be hard to put a value or dollar amount on each unit when there are double wide homes that are worth as much as $80,000 and older units that are worth $500. He believes the City of Maplewood should have a manufactured home park closing ordinance. Commissioner Trippler said he has struggled with this item for some time now. He believes living in a manufactured home park is a choice. People choosing to live in a manufactured home park are taking a chance that a park could close. He would not vote in favor of a closing ordinance. Commissioner Dierich said as a citizen of Maplewood she believes the city owes it to the residents who live in manufactured home parks to protect and help the residents in the parks by passing an ordinance. The city should write an ordinance before a park closing while people are calm and people can think about what they would like to have in the ordinance. Commissioner Ledvina said from previous meetings, several of the planning commission members have talked about the parallels between renters and manufactured home park owners. Renters do not pay taxes on their property, as a manufactured homeowner does. Manufactured homeowners have the ability to move their home to another location and renters do not. He said if the City of Maplewood wants to write an ordinance for this, then they should do it now instead of waiting for the possibility of a park closing. Mr. Ledvina is in favor of passing a manufactured home park closing ordinance. Commissioner Mueller said he is in favor of passing a closing ordinance. He said maybe the park owners might have to raise the lot rent to be ready for a possible park closing to help with relocation costs. Commissioner Monahan-Junek said she supports affordable housing. She is willing to go through writing a closing ordinance for a possible manufactured home park closing. She is in favor of passing an ordinance for relocation costs only. She would need more information before making a decision to give a park resident money for the value of ones home. Commissioner Desai asked how it helps the manufactured home park homeowner by giving them $3,000 to $5,000 for their home. You are not helping them find a new place to live, you are basically giving them the money and they are on their own. in his opinion, it is not really getting to the root of the problem. He wonders where the people are supposed to go if there are no lots to move their home within 25 miles. Planning commission members have said the right thing to do is to help the homeowners, but how is giving them a small amount of money helping them relocate and start over. It's going to be very difficult to determine a fair dollar amount with newer units worth much more and very old units worth very little. He is not in favor of passing a closing ordinance. Chairperson Fischer asked staff if the distance to relocate was farther than 25 miles, would there be more opportunities for relocation. Ms. Fischer asked if the cost of the extra mileage would not make it economically feasible. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 -6- Mr. Ekstrand said the distance of a 25-mile radius comes from the state statute and that distance is locked in. Ms. Sonsalla said that is correct. The 25-mile radius is statutory. The city may be able to make the radius shorter than 25 miles but not farther. If the city council chooses to adopt this ordinance they would require the park owner to pay relocation costs. Or if they cannot relocate the manufactured home to a manufactured home park within 25 miles of the manufactured home park that is being closed, they would be entitled to relocation costs based on average relocation costs awarded to other residents. Chairperson Fischer asked planning commission members if the consensus was that members would prefer an ordinance written before the possibility of a park closing or after the fact. Members agreed to pursue writing an ordinance before to a park closing instead of after the fact. Commissioner Rossbach moved to recommend to the city council that they pursue adopting an ordinance for the closing of a manufactured home park. Commissioner Ledvina seconded. Ayes-Dierich, Fischer, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Mueller, Rossbach Abstention-Pearson Nay-Desai, Trippler This item will go to the city council the first meeting in September. VIII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None. IX. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS a. Mr. Trippler was the planning commission representative at the July 22, 2002, city council meeting. Mr. Trippler said the two items discussed were the home occupation photography business on Montana Avenue that passed ayes all. The city council selected Tushar Desai as the newest planning commission member. b. There is no planning commission representation needed for the August 12, 2002, city council meeting. c. Mr. Ledvina will be the planning commission representative at the August 26, 2002, city council meeting. The only item as of now will be the Keller Golf Course Maintenance Building. Planning Commission Minutes of 08-05-02 -7- X. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Mr. Roberts discussed the following staff presentations: a= Board appreciation event will be Thursday, September 5, at 5:00 p.m. at Battle Creek Park. Invitations will come in the mail and members should mark the date on their calendar. b= The planning commission meeting on Monday, September 2, needs to be rescheduled. Members will clarify the date at the next planning commission meeting. The planning commission meeting will be rescheduled for either Tuesday, September 3, or Wednesday, September 4. at 7:00 p.m. Group training session on September 30, in Maple Grove. Mr. Roberts asked commission members if they had an interest in visiting the Arbor Lakes site in Maple Grove as part of the new urban area to see as a group. The CDRB may be invited as well and members could either drive themselves or a small bus could be arranged to leave the city hall between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. The commission will make a final decision that will be made at the next planning commission meeting. City of Richfield will be holding the MnAPA Conference on Monday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. This will be discussed as an agenda item at the next planning commission meeting. e= Follow up on the city tour. Mr. Roberts asked planning commission members if they enjoyed the city tour and if they had any suggestions. Planning commission members said they enjoyed this year's city tour. They would like to spend more time discussing things in the city of Maplewood while driving. Speakers said they would like to have a list of the sites they would be stopping before the tour so they can put their thoughts together to speak to the group. They enjoyed Beaver Lake Estates manufactured home park tour and the dinner provided by Panera Bread. The bus was very nice and they enjoyed having a smaller group of people. They would also like to be told in advance what site they would be coming up to so they could be ready before getting to the site. f= The State Planning Conference will be held in Minneapolis in mid-September. Mr. Roberts said everyone is welcome to attend the conference. The City of Maplewood will cover registration costs. Mr. Roberts said this will be an agenda item for the next meeting as well. Xl. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.