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Home My WebLink About10/21/2002BOOk 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, October 21, 2002, 7:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1830 County Road B East 4. Approval of Minutes a. October 7, 2002 5. Public Headng None 6. New Business a. Presentation about Rainwater Gardens - Chds Cavett b. Discussion on Commission Study Area (South of Linwood Avenue) 10. 7. Unfinished Business None 8. Visitor Presentations 9. Commission Presentations a. October 14 Council Meeting: Ms. Fischer b. October 28 Council Meeting: Mr. Pearson c. November 13 (Wednesday) Council Meeting: Ms. Junek Staff Presentations a. Reschedule December 2, 2002 Meeting 11. Adjoumment WELCOME TO THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION This outline has been prepared to help you understand the public meeting process. The review of an item usually takes the following form: The chairperson of the meeting will announce the item to be reviewed and ask for the staff report on the subject. Staff presents their report on the matter. The Commission will then ask City staff questions about the proposal. The chairperson will then ask the audience if there is anyone present who wishes to comment on the proposal. This is the time for the public to make comments or ask questions about the proposal. Please step up to the podium, speak clearly, first giving your name and address and then your comments. After everyone in the audience wishing to speak has given his or her comments, the chairperson will close the public discussion portion of the meeting. The Commission will then discuss the proposal. No further public comments are allowed. The Commission will then make its recommendation or decision. All decisions by the Planning Commission are recommendations to the City Council. The City Council makes the final decision. jw/pc\pcagd Revised: 01/95 DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION 1830 COUNTY ROAD B EAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2002 I. CALLTO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. I1. ROLL CALL III. IV. Commissioner Mary Dierich Commissioner Lorraine Fischer Commissioner Matt Ledvina Commissioner Jackie Monahan-Junek Commissioner Paul Mueller Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Gary Pearson William Rossbach Dale Trippler Tushar Desai Present Present Absent Present Absent Present Present Absent Present Staff Present: Ken Roberts, Associate Planner Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Rossbach moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes- Dierich, Fischer, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Pearson, Rossbach, Desai The motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the planning commission minutes for September 4, 2002. Chairperson Fischer said she thought the address for Budget Towing was incorrect. Staff checked further and found the address should be 846 Earl Street instead of 905 East Seventh Street. Commissioner Dierich had a correction on page 9 in the sixth paragraph, the last line should say affect rather than effect. Commissioner Pearson moved to approve the planning commission minutes for September 4, 2002 as amended. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -2- Commissioner Dierich seconded. Ayes- Dierich, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Pearson, Rossbach, Desai V. PUBLIC HEARING Abstention - Fischer None. VI. NEW BUSINESS a. Conditional Use Permit Revision - Quality Restoration Services (1160 Frost Avenue) Mr. Roberts said Roger McGuire of Quality Restoration Services is requesting a conditional use permit (CUP) revision for an existing outside storage yard. This site is on the south side of Frost Avenue across from Flicek Park. Quality Restoration uses this storage facility for storing their ground restoration equipment such as trucks, trailers and earth-moving machinery. They also keep signs, sandbags and barricades on the site. In addition, there are dirt piles and miscellaneous materials, like cable spools, brought back from a site that Quality Restoration keeps on the property for disposal at a later date. The site is neater than it was when Maplewood Auto Clinic was in operation. There is a need for more cleanup, restoration and landscaping here. Mr. Roberts said he and Ginny Gaynor, the Maplewood open space coordinator, visited the site. It is staff's opinion that Quality Restoration needs to improve the appearance and condition of the property, especially when the site is viewed from Frost Avenue. Those improvements were listed as items 1-5 in the staff report. Mr. Doug Yetzer, 3225 Neal Armstrong Boulevard, Eagan, addressed the commission. He is a partner with Roger McGuire of Quality Restoration representing the applicant. Mr. Yetzer said he has no problems with any of the items outlined in the staff report. He said they are trying to keep the trees down along the fence and they will fix that this fall. Mr. Yetzer said they have had smaller dumpsters on the site from time to time. Mr. Yetzer said Quality Restoration does bring things onto the site quite often and realizes it needs to be cleaned up. He said they could fix up the driveway better. He said the fence was replaced and put where the old fence was. At one time Quality Restoration had talked about screening the fence, but the police department said because of security reasons they want the property to be visible. When he was asked if they thought a building would ever be built by Quality Restoration he said he was not sure, it may just be sold as is down the road. Commissioner Pearson moved to approve the resolution on pages 13 and 14 of the staff report. This resolution approves a conditional use permit revision to allow an outdoor storage yard south of Frost Avenue, east of Edward Street (formerly 1160 Frost Avenue). The city is approving this permit revision based on the findings required by code, subject to the following conditions (I have underlined the additions and struck-out the deletions, changes are in bold): All construction shall follow the site plan date-stamped June 11, 1997. The director of community development may approve minor changes. Planning Commission -3- Minutes of 10-7-02 The city council shall review this permit revision in one year. -r~,,-.,, ,.......,"'""'~ m,-,,,,, ,,.., .,.., ,.~, o The property owner shall submit a plan for staff approval showing the following site improvements: a, Restore the ground area north of the north fence with a qround cover. Plant screeninq trees to help hide the storage yard from Frost Avenue. The screening should include 8-foot-tall Black Hills spruce and white cedar in staggered rows. These plantings should cover the area from the east edge of the gate to a point about 60 feet to the east. Quality Restoration may place the screening rows near their fence or on top of the hill closer to Frost Avenue. Restore the areas of qrave.I and bare ground near Frost Avenue. This restoration will involve removinq the qravel and weeds within about 50 feet of Frost Avenue and restorinq the areas with turf, qr°und cover and landscaping. d. Remove all the Siberian elm trees from the property. When the city restores the open space site to the east, Quality Restoration shall remove and eradicate the knapweed and sweet clover from their property and then restore the hillside with ground cover, landscaping and trees. The applicant or owner shall complete these improvements by June 1,2003. The temporary storage of work-related materials, such as dirt piles and cable spools, for example, may be permitted. These materials may be kept on site for no more than one month. No more than 25 percent of the site shall be used for the storage of such materials. Normal hours of operation shall be 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Exceptions will be allowed to provide emergency service to customers. The city council will need to approve a revision to this permit if the owner wants to put a permanent building on the site. 7. a. The applicant shall provide a permanent trash container or dumpster on the site. b. Provide screening along the south side of the site with either slats in the fence or live shrubbery as determined by staff. c. Provide a permanent surface on the entry drive to the gate in the fence. d. The CUP will be renewed for another five years expiring on November 1, 2007. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -4- Commissioner Rossbach seconded. Ayes- Dierich, Fischer, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Pearson, Rossbach, Desai Commissioner Dierich made a friendly amendment to add condition number 7. items a-d. Commissioner Rossbach seconded the friendly amendment. Ayes - Dierich, Fischer, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Pearson, Rossbach, Desai · The motion passed. This goes to the city council on October 28, 2002. b. Conditional Use Permit- Jiffy Lube (Maplewood Mall Ring Road) Mr. Roberts said Mr. Jim Lee, of RJ Marco Construction is proposing to build a 3-stall Jiffy Lube auto service facility on the ring road northeast of Maplewood Mall. There is now a vacant Pizza Hut restaurant on the proposed site. If the city approves this proposal, the applicant would tear down the existing restaurant on the site and construct the new facility. Mr. Roberts said the proposed Jiffy Lube shop meets the criteria for a CUP. There is commercial development on all sides of the site. There were no neighboring property owners that objected to this proposal. Mr. Reg Plowman of RJ Marco, 75 West Viking Drive, Little Canada addressed the commission. He is the developer representing the applicant. Mr. Plowman said the applicant has a problem with two of the staff report conditions including the requirement that the sidewalk be installed and the parking signs in the parking lot. Commissioner Rossbach said he would like the applicant to comment on the issue of the sidewalk. Mr. Plowman deferred to the applicant for Jiffy Lube, Mr. Tom Schuette of Azure Properties. Mr. Tom Schuette of Azure Properties, P.O. Box 17830, St. Paul, addressed the commission. He said they object to the requirement of the sidewalk. He said there are no sidewalks in that vicinity and it would not lead anywhere. Mr. Schuette said they would be dealing with skateboarders and ice and snow with sidewalks installed for little benefit in return. He does not know who would use the sidewalk and in his opinion the negatives outweigh the positives. Commissioner Rossbach said Maplewood would like to have more sidewalks in the city and they have to start somewhere with developing a network of sidewalks. Mr. Rossbach said it would be very difficult for the city council not to require this property to have sidewalks when there are other properties that have been required to put in sidewalks far more difficult to install than in this location. Mr. Schuette said he wonders if it would make a difference if the sidewalk were on a boulevard in a public area verses having a sidewalk on private grounds as it is here. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -5- Commissioner Rossbach said he doesn't see the difference, if people need to get from one area to another they would use sidewalks. The City of Maplewood is trying to encourage more bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Mr. Schuette said there is still a problem with skateboarders and he thinks putting in the sidewalk will only make it worse. Commissioner Rossbach said Mr. Schuette may not think putting the sidewalks in at this time is the greatest idea but ten to fifteen years from now the businesses will benefit from having them. Mr. Schuette said he doesn't see the need for having customer and employee parking signs in the parking lot but it was a requirement by staff. Mr. Roberts said this is to distinguish the parking spots for Jiffy Lube customers' verses their employees. Commissioner Dierich asked Mr. Cavett where the rainwater garden and sidewalk would go. Mr. Roberts showed planning commission members where the rainwater garden would be placed on the small grassy area and where the sidewalk would be located. Commissioner Desai asked staff if Jiffy Lube is responsible for installing the entire sidewalk along the area. Mr. Roberts said because this property is treated as one property the sidewalk should be installed along the property. It is owned by Azure Properties and the space is leased to the Acapulco restaurant and would be leased to Jiffy Lube. Commissioner Rossbach moved to approve the resolution on pages 19 and 20 of the staff report. This resolution is for a conditional use permit for a maintenance garage for the proposed Jiffy Lube along the ring road northeast of Maplewood Mall. The city is basing its approval on the findings required by code. This approval shall be 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. The city council shall review this permit in one year. Commissioner Desai seconded. The motion passed. Ayes- Dierich, Fischer, Ledvina, Monahan-Junek, Pearson, Rossbach, Desai This goes to the city council on October 28, 2002. i I [ I Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -6- c. Conditional Use Permit- Maplewood Imports (Gervais Avenue, west of English Street) Mr. Roberts said Maplewood Imports of 2780 Highway 61 North is proposing to construct a new vehicle storage lot on a 2.36-acre parcel located on the north side of Gervais Avenue, east of S.P. Richards and west of English Street. Maplewood Imports will use the parking lot for temporary storage of new vehicles in order to alleviate the frequent excess of vehicles at their Highway 61 dealership. There is no building proposed for the site and the storage lot will be able to store 278 vehicles. On February 11,2002, the city approved a minor subdivision to create three parcels from an 8.3- acre lot located on the north side of Gervais Avenue, west of English Street. S.P. Richards at 2416 Highway 61 purchased Parcel C for an addition to their building. Maplewood Imports will purchase Parcel B for their proposed motor vehicle storage lot. Parcel A has a Class 1 wetland located within its boundaries. A condition of the minor subdivision was delineation of this wetland. Maplewood Imports has depicted the wetland and the 100-foot-wetland buffer on their plans, which shows that the wetland does not affect their parcel (Parcel B). Maplewood Import's motor vehicle dealership is located on a 6-acre site at 2780 Highway 61 North, approximately 1 ~ miles to the north of the proposed storage lot. The applicants state that they have reached their maximum capacity on their existing lot. They propose the overflow storage lot on the parcel on Gervais Avenue in order to alleviate the frequent excess of vehicles at their Highway 61 dealership that results in overflow parking onto the green space and adjacent roads. The applicants state they will use the storage lot for temporary storage of motor vehicles, will relocation to their Highway 61 dealership for the sale of the vehicles. No motor vehicle sales will take place on the storage lot. The property is zoned light manufacturing (M-l). City code allows the storage of motor vehicles within this zoning district with a CUP, if the property is located at least 350 feet from residential property. In this case, the property is 1,800 feet from the closest residential property to the north. Therefore, the proposed use meets the city code and CUP standards. City code allows for the storage of motor vehicles to ensure that dealers have adequate parking for their new inventory before display. Staff believes that the intent of the code is allow for storage lots on contiguous sites to a dealership, not on a freestanding lot located miles from the dealership. An example of this is the Maplewood Toyota storage lot approved by the city council last year. The storage lot is located directly across Beam Avenue from the Toyota dealership at 2873 Highway 61. Mr. Roberts said Maplewood Imports submitted a revised grading and drainage plan on September 26, 2002. Because of the insufficient time in which to review the new data, as well as Maplewood Import's request to expedite .the proposal, Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer, states in his preliminary review of the revised plans that a complete grading and drainage review will be conducted prior to the planning commission and community design review board meetings. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -7- Mr. Roberts said Mr. Cavett will briefly outline some areas of concern in his report including the drainage and pond design, 10-foot high retaining wall, and grading off-site. The applicants are proposing to grade both their parcel (Parcel B) and the parcel to the east (Parcel A) due to an excess of soil. A temporary grading easement will be required to grade onto Parcel A. The applicants should be required to sod or hydroseed Parcel A within 14 days of completion of the grading. Mr. Roberts asked Chris Cavett to comment on some of the engineering details. Mr. Chris Cavett, Assistant City Engineer, said the engineering department did not have much time for review to comment on this report due to receiving the revised set of plans so late. The engineering department does have some significant concerns regarding the pond design. Some of the details of the pond design have not been received by the city from the engineer in terms of treatment calculations. Mr. Cavett said his biggest concern is the design of the retaining wall at the edge of the parking lot. The design detail is shown on the plan will not be recommended for approval by the city. The wall will require a building permit but there is significant design details that would be required because of the way the retaining wall would act as a barrier. Mr. Cavett said there are no barriers provided between the parking lot and the drop off of the wall and there needs to be significant thought and detail put into what kind of barriers there would be. A visual barrier shoUld be required such as a structural wall, fencing or boulevard with landscaping. Mr. Cavett said there are a number of issues that need to be worked out before issuance of a grading permit. Commissioner Dierich asked staff if they knew what was going to be put in on Parcel A. Mr. Roberts said no. Commissioner Desai asked staff if there was design consideration given for the trucks delivering vehicles. He asked if the trucks would have enough room to maneuver around in the parking lot. Mr. Roberts said the plans for the parking lot have arrows showing the turning radius for the trucks. He said whether that's how it will happen or not he's not sure but it appears that there will be enough room. Commissioner Dierich asked staff if there was some idea of where the parking islands would be placed. Mr. Roberts said no. Mr. Jim Kellison of Kellison Company, 7300 Hudson Boulevard, Suite 200, Oakdale, addressed the commission. Mr. Kellison is the developer and is representing Maplewood Imports. He said with respect to the engineering report and the comments from Mr. Cavett, Kellison Company waited for a considerable period of time to get the wetland report and watershed district report back, that is why their engineering report changed midstream. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -8- Kellison Company had submitted plans based on what they thought would be the proper calculations to meet the requirements. The requirements were changed and they had to modify their drawings and submitted them at somewhat of a late date. They appreciate the work the staff has done to review the plans in an timely way. They realize the wall will have to be engineered and the work that will have to be done for the retaining wall. They are intending to fence the top of the lot so nobody would fall into the detention pond. Even if they proposed not to put a fence around the lot they would still be required by code to have a 42-inch-high fence of some kind. They do agree with staff to put more landscaping in along the front of the property. Commissioner Rossbach said the police commented that they think a fence should be used with a barbwire fence on the top. Does the city allow barbwire fences to be used? Mr. Roberts said yes it is allowed. Mr. Kellison said having the barbwire on the top of the fence will not detour people from climbing the fence to steal cars. Many dealerships have no fencing and he feels like the applicants are being made an example of having the request to install fencing. Mr. Doug Molder, 2780 Highway 61, Maplewood, addressed the commission. He is the general manager of Maplewood Imports. Commissioner Dierich asked how much traffic does the applicant anticipate having on this site? Mr. Molder said there would be no client traffic. He said the cars would be moved back and forth but no customers would be on the site. He said it would not even be as many as 10 cars a day. Commissioner Rossbach moved to approve the resolution on pages 19 and 20 of the staff report. This resolution approves a conditional use permit for a motor vehicle storage lot on a lot located on the north side of Gervais Avenue, west of English Street (Legal Description: Lot B, W.H. Howards Garden Lots). 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. bo 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. c. Motor vehicle sales or displays are not permitted on the site. d. Loading or unloading of motor vehicles on the public right-of-way is prohibited. e. Motor vehicles can only be parked on designated paved surfaces. f. The city council shall review this permit in one year. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes- All Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -9- VII. VIII. The motion passed. This goes to the city council on October 28, 2002. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None. IX. Xn COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS Commissioner Dierich was the planning commission representative at the September 9, 2002, city council meeting. Ms. Dierich said items that were discussed were the house moving for Shelley Schlomka that passed ayes all, Bart Crockett house moving that passed ayes all, and the Anderson Hill Oaks zoning change and plat was approved. Maplewood Manufactured Home Park Closing Ordinance was discussed and the city council agreed with the HRA not to take any action until a park closing took place in the City of Maplewood. Commissioner RoSsbach was the planning commission representative at the September 23, 2002, city council meeting. Commissioner Rossbach said items that were discussed were the CUP for Budget Towing that passed ayes all, and the Highwood Farm preliminary plat that was tabled for more discussion to take place in one month. Commissioner Fischer Was to be the planning commission representative at the October 14, 2002, city council meeting. Mr. Roberts said there was no planning commission representation needed. Commissioner Pearson will be the planning commission representative at the October 28, 2002, city council meeting. Mr. Roberts said items to be discussed are Jiffy Lube, Quality Restoration, and Maplewood Imports. STAFF PRESENTATIONS Mr. Roberts had a number of items to discuss with planning commission members for staff presentations. Planning Commission Minutes of 10-7-02 -10- Mr. Roberts said if planning commission members needed a new zoning code to let him know. Mr. Roberts said the city keeps a list of all planning commission member's names, addresses and telephone numbers. Please let him know if anything should be put on the city use only list, as oppased to the public list. Mr. Roberts asked for a point of clarification regarding the meeting last year with Barbara Strandell and the discussion of refreshments. Mr. Roberts asked for feedback regarding ideas for in-services for planning commission members. Some ideas included visiting Maple Grove's new commercial development, discussion of group homes in the City of Maplewood, Rainwater Garden discussion with Chris Cavett as the speaker, trails and sidewalks in the City of Maplewood, and having neighborhood meetings with Maplewood residents. Mr. Roberts said as of October 7, 2002, there were no new applications to discuss for the next planning commission meeting. There may be an in-service for members at the next planning commission meeting October 21,2002. Xl. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m. Rainwater Gardens Page 1 of 4 emllll us -dens Rainwater Gardens.. mode//nE / lother Nature Maplewood's Program · Design Details -ent& :sota is fortunate ~ have an abundance of lakes, rivers and These water ;sources are our source of drinking run off including excess lawn and garden and herbicides, yard wastes, sediment, and animal daily into our storm sewers and endangers these water As these substances find their way into the state=s and groundwater, they produce a wide range of problems that negatively affect water quality. Despite the efforts and progress to clean up pollution and control flooding, this runoff continues degrade our lakes and streams and presents a long-term threat to groundwater. Ultimately, it is our health and economic well being :is affected. ,? the general practice of storm water management, rainwater to flow out into the street and storm sewers. Eventually it into our regional lakes and streams. These storm waters .llutants such as chemicals and fertilizers from our lawns By keeping as much rainwater as possible close to where falls, we can reduce the impact on our lakes and streams, as well as local wildlife. runoff from rooftops, lawns, and driveways causes excessive turbid water, and sediment buildup. It can result in stream ~bitat loss, reduced base flows and negatively-impacted wetlands. hat? A rainwater garden is a relatively small area of plantings near drain spout of a building or paved area. Rain water (or snowfall) is to the garden and filtered naturally by the plants and soils http://www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/PubhcW°rks/RalnWater%20Garden/R'MNWATER%20G 10/15/2002 Rainwater Gardens Page 2 of 4 the garden. This filtration. process removes nutrients and pollutants. By acting as a micro- detention pond, the plants and provide an easy, reducing the amount of water that flows from lawns, and clriveways. Then, using the concept of bioretention, these gardens pollutants from storm water and help restore natural Where? gardens can work virtually everywhere. Their location, size, and effectiveness depend on such things as the amount of rain moves from a house/building, the number and location downspouts, soil types and the plants used. The gardens are practical in landscaped areas along drives or walks, comer pieces to the yard, and receiving areas for roof downspouts or sump pump hoses. How ? Rainwater gardens are very easy to establish on new residential construction. On existing lots, the most difficult work might be in removing the existing grass and plants. Most gardens are created digging a shallow depression in the landscape. Sand and/or gravel, soil and organic mulch are then layered into the garden plot if on-site infiltration is poor. A property might need more than one garden to capture and filter as much runoff as possible. plants are selected and placed in the garden. Hardy native species (with deep root systems) are preferred. Trees and shrubs can also be utilized. I'he choice of using seeds, seedlings or transplanting mature plants in your raingarden depends on how much money you want to spend, the of year in which the work is undertaken and the current weather conditions. (U of MN, Dept of Landscape Architecture) http://www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/PublicWorks/RainWater%20Garden/RAiNWATER%20... 10/15/2002 Rainwater Gardens Page 3 of 4 iLong-term benefits? Maintenance is minimal once the rainwater garden is established. You may need to do some weeding, as with any garden or lawn, or replace plants that have died. ;ome benefits to having a rainwater garden: Requires only occasional weeding and little maintenance, less yard work and more time for leisure Efficiently and effectively filters a substantial amount of polluted runoff Attracts birds and butterflies Aesthetic landscaping for your property Helps recharge and renew neighborhood groundwater Slows flow of water from house/building, possible deterrent to flash flooding nature to protect nature is a way to guarantee clean water in :sota now and in the future. http://www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/PublicWorks/RainWater%20T ~n~qWATER%20..~ Garde 10/15/2002 On-Lot Infiltration General Description On-lot infiltration systems promote infiltration at the individual lot level, controlling nmoff at its source. These systems are off-line and generally receive sheet flow runoff. The main feature that distin- guishes these systems from other infiltration systems (such as infiltration basins and trenches) is scale. These small systems accept runoff from a single residential lot. Although infiltration basins and trenches have many design features in common with on-lot infiltra- tion systems, the Infiltration Basins and Infiltration Trenches BMP Sections refer to larger lot, end-of-pipe facilities. On-lot infiltration systems' primary function is to mitigate the normal impacts of urbanization on the natural water balance. This is done by turning water that would normally become surface runoff (a waste product) into a resource that waters trees, recharges groundwa- ter and provides stream baseflows. On-lot infiltration systems also function to improve water quality by removing some pollutants from the runoff as it infiltrates. Also, because these systems serve to reduce the volume of runoff, they contribute to both erosion protec- tion and flood control. Lastly, the use of these systems reduces the size and cost of downstream water control facilities. On-lot infiltration systems include: · Reduced lot grading (Figure 1) · Directing roof leaders to soakaway pits (Figures 2 through 4') · Directing roof leaders to rain barrels (Figure 6) · Directing roof leaders or other surface runoff to other vegetated areas, such as rainwater gardens (Figures 7 through 10) These source controls address measures that can be applied by the developer or the homeowner. Public education programs within municipalities can help to educate citizens on the role they can play in the application of these systems. On-lot infiltration systems are not to be used for infiltrating any Purpose Flow attenuation Water Quantity Runoff volume reduction Pollution Prevention Soil erosion Sediment control Nutrient loading Water Quality N/A N/A N/A Pollutant Removal (Soakaway Pits and Rainwater Gardens) Total suspended sediment (TSS) Total phosphorus (P) Nitrogen (Iq) Heavy metals Floatables Oil and grease Other Fecal coliform Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) Primary design benefit Secondary design benefit Little or no design benefit Metropolitan Council/Barr Engineering Co. 3-141 On,Lot .on runoff that could be significantly contaminated with sediment and other pollutants, such as runoff from high- potential pollutant loading areas like garages and gas stations. In general, on-lot infiltration systems can be implemented for soil types of loam and coarser. Some authorities discourage infiltration systems at sites where soils have 30 pement or greater clay content, or 40 percent or greater silt content. A soils analysis is helpful in assessing the viability of infiltration systems. More detailed information on procedures for testing infiltration rates can be found in the Infiltration Basins and Infiltration Trenches BMP Sections. If native soils are considered to have a low infiltration capacity, filtration systems should be considered as an alternative to infiltration (see the Filtration Systems BMP Sections). Advantages · Can reduce the volume of runoff from a site, thereby reducing the size and cost of downstream stormwater control facilities. · Can be utilized in retrofit areas where space is limited and where additional runoff control is necessary. · Rainwater gardens can provide an aesthetically pleasing amenity when designed to support perennial flowers in the summer and display vividly colored or patterned shrubs in the winter. · The potential for clogging of rainwater gardens is reduced compared to end-of-pipe infiltration techniques (infiltration basins and trenches) because these systems generally accept runoff only from roofs (roof drain- age contains fewer suspended solids than road runoff) or driveways, lawns and sidewalks. · Can be used at sites where storm sewers are not available. · Can provide groundwater recharge. · Flowering plants and ornamental grasses incorporated into the design of rainwater gardens are attractive to birds and butterflies. Limitations · Only applicable in small drainage areas of a half-acre or less. · Water ponded on lots may take 24 to 48 hours to drain, which may restrict some of the use of the land. · Some maintenance (unclogging soakaway pits, periodically removing sediment from rain barrels and rainwa- ter gardens) is required to ensure the proper functioning of these systems. However, sediment accumulation is an indication that the infiltration techniques are working. This sediment would otherwise have washed downstream to a larger water body. · Not recommended for lots with high sediment loadings or contaminated runoff. · If the infiltration rate of the native soils is low, these systems may not function as desired. · The bottom of these structures (with the exception of rain barrels) should be a minimum of 3 feet above the seasonally high groundwater table to prevent the possibility of groundwater contamination. 3-142 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual On-Lot Infiltration Reduced Lot Grading Description Development standards often require minimum lot grades of 2 percent for adequate drainage of stormwater away from a building. Some authorities, however, have proposed reducing minimum lot grades from 2 to 0.5 percent to promote infiltration. This option is mainly intended to promote infiltration by slowing stormwater nmoff from the roofs and yards and allowing it to soak into the lawn. A reduction in the lot grading is generally a viable option if the land is naturally flat. In hilly areas, alterations to the natural topography should be minimized. Developers and homeowners should check the acceptability of this practice with the local municipality, because some municipalities may not permit its use. Similarly, shallow depressions can be graded into lawns. Depressions need not be very deep to make a significant contribution to overall surface storage capacity and stormwater quality. For example, a square lawn area 50 feet on a side, sloping 2 percent toward the center, will create a low point 6 inches below the outside rim. This 6-inch slope over 25 feet of distance is barely noticeable, and is similar to standard grading practice for lawn areas. This 50-foot by 50-foot by 6-inch-deep lawn area creates a storage capacity of 413 cubic feet. If adjacent impervious surfaces, such as sidewalks, rooftops, and roads are designed to sheet flow into this concave lawn, their runoff can gradually infiltrate into the soil as well. Catch basins located at the upper edge of the concave vegetated surfaces can collect runoff from larger storms. Figure 1 illustrates these lot grading changes on a residential lot. Design Guidelines · In order to ensure that foundation drainage problems do not occur, the grading within 6 to 12 feet of a build- ing should be maintained at 2 percent or higher (local municipal standards should be reviewed to ensure that the grading around a building is in compliance). Areas outside of this boundary may be graded at less than 2 percent to create greater depression storage and promote natural infiltration. Figure 1: Examples of Lot Grading Changes Source: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 1999 Metropolitan Council / Barr Engineering Co. 3-143 On-Lot InfiltraOon Reduced Lot Grading · Infiltration can be improved by tilling (scarification) of the lots with flatter grading to a depth of approximately 12 to 24 inches before sod is laid. This would also be of general benefit in all residential areas to address the problems associated with soil compaction (loss of recharge potential) which occurs during construction. The incorporation of compost or manure into the soil also increases infiltration. It should be noted that tilling this deep may require special equipment. · In areas where flatter lot grading is implemented, roof leaders that discharge to the surface should extend 6 feet away from the building. Construction · Soil compaction must be avoided wherever possible. For example, vehicles should never be parked on the future lawn during construction. · Mass grading should be avoided to keep native soil profiles intact and to minimize the area of soil compac- tion. · If soils become compacted through construction activities, the soil should be tilled to 18 inches and 6 to 12 inches of organic compost should be incorporated into the soil. Soakaway Pits Description Soakaway pits, also known as downspout infiltration systems, roof leader infiltration systems and dry wells, can be distinguished from infiltration trenches in terms of scale and sophistication of design. Soakaway pits are designed to receive runoff from individual roof leaders, whereas infiltration trenches are used for large-lot appli- cations (see the Infiltration Trenches BMP section for more detail). Soakaway pits are small, excavated pits, backfilled with aggregate, used to infiltrate "good quality" stormwater runoff, such as uncontaminated roof runoff. Rooftop runoff is discharged to the soakaway pit through the roof leader, which extends directly into a stone-filled reservoir. Figures 2 through 4 show examples of soakaway pit designs. The use of soakaway pits is limited by a number of site constraints, including soil type, contributing drainage area, depth to bedrock, and depth to groundwater. Rooftop gutter screens are needed to trap particles, leaves and other debris, and must be cleaned regularly. Soakaway pits for roof leader drainage have been implemented in Toronto, Maryland and Europe. A monitoring study indicated that 60 percent of 25 soakaway pits studied were operating as designed (Lindsey et al., 1992). Design Guidelines If a formal, detailed design is required by local permitting authorities, the design requirements presented in the Infiltration Trench BMP section can be followed for the design of soakaway pits (although no pretreatment other than gutter screens is required of a soakaway pit that receives only roof runof0. Other design considerations include: 3-144 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual i I II On-LotInfiltration' Roof Leader Figure 2: Roof Leader Discharge to Soakaway Pit Source: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 1999 ISoil Cover Dependent on Pit Depth 1 and Native Soil Characteristics I' 75- 150 m ::.'.'.'.'.'.'::! I Depth o, pit dependent on soil characteristicsI I 100 mm perforated' pipe, I Non-woven Filter cloth I Figure 3: Soakaway Pit Details Source: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 1999 Metropolitan Council Barr Engineering Co. 3-145 On- LO t Infiltrati on ROOF LEADER REMOVABLE SECTION SURCHARGE PIPE - BPI.ASH BLOCK fC~P WITH SCREVV TOP LID BUILDING FOUNDATION FILTER IO' FOOT RUN OBSERVATION Figure 4: Soakaway Pit Profile Source: Adapted from Maryland Department of the Environment, 1998. · The soakaway pit should be located at least 10 feet away from the foundation of the nearest building to prevent foundation damage. · The extension of a roof leader into a pit may span the full length of the pit (Figures 2 and 3). This extension consists of a perforated pipe, allowing water to fill the pit along the length of the pipe. The perforated pipe should be located near the surface of the trench (3 to 6 inches from the top of the pit). · An overflow pipe should be installed from the roof leader to discharge to a splash pad. A removable filter should be incorporated into the roof leader below the overflow pipe. · Typically the pit should be located close to the ground surface; however, this will depend on the depth of storage in the pit, the potential for frost heave, and the stratification of the surrounding soil media. The potential for frost heave is dependent on the surrounding native soils and the potential volume of water in the trench that can freeze. Figure 5 provides guidance on the recommended minimum soil cover for various subsurface trench depths and native soil media. This curve has been produced based on professional opinion, the expansion of water due to freezing, and the potential availability of water to freeze (Ontario, 1999). · Barring other site considerations, the maximum depth of the pit can be determined from the infiltration rate, the allowable storage time, and the void space. Since the soakaway pit is filled with stone, only the space between the stones is available for runoff storage. Soakaway pits are to be filled with 1.5- to 3-inch-diameter clean-washed stone. This size stone will yield a void space of approximately 30 to 40 percent. 3-146 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual On-Lot Infiltration Soil Cover (m 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Soil Cover for Trenches (based on frost heave potential) Sand Sandy Silt Silty Sand SiLt Cia>, 0 O.5 1.5 2 2.5 Depth of Storage Trench (in) Figure 5: Recommended Soil Cover for Soakaway Pits Source: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 1999 · Storage depths greater than 5 feet are generally not recommended for soakaway pits from both a cost and a compaction perspective. The weight of the water in a deep soakaway pit will compact the surrounding native soil and decrease the infiltration capacity. There are exceptions, however, to this maximum depth recommen- dation. In areas with deep sand lenses or significant horizontal soil stratification, deep soakaway pits may be preferred. Soils investigations should be undertaken to determine whether these situations exist. · A maximum storage time of 72 hours is recommended. It is recommended that a conservative drawdown time (such as 24 hour) be chosen for design in recognition of the fact that the percolation rates into the surrounding soil will decrease over time and that there will likely be a lack of maintenance in some cases. · The length of trench (in the direction of inflow) should be maximized compared to the width to ensure the proper distribution of water into the entire trench and to minimize the potential for groundwater mounding (groundwater mounding is a local increase in the water table due to the infiltration of water and is more prevalent if a greater volume of water infiltrates in a localized area; square trenches will have greater ground- water mounding). · A minimum storage volume of 0.2 inches over the rooftop area should be accommodated in the soakaway pit without overflowing. The maximum target storage volume should be approximately 0.8 in over the rooftop area since a vast majority of all daily rainfall depths are less than this amount. Maintenance · Since these structures are often installed at single-family dwellings, it is important that developers outline the maintenance requirements to property purchasers clearly. · A removable filter should be incorporated into the roof leader below the overflow pipe. The filter should have a screened bottom to prevent leaves and debris from entering the soakaway pit. It should be easy to remove so Metropolitan Council/Barr Engineering Co. 3-147 On-Lot Infiltration that a homeowner can clean the filter. Frequent use of the overflow pipe will indicate the need for filter screen maintenance. See the Infiltration Trench BMP Section for more detailed information on construction and maintenance criteria. Rain Barrels Description Rain barrels, also known as cisterns, are aboveground storage vessels that receive roof runoff from roof leaders. Rain barrels have either a manually operated valve or a Permanently open outlet that allows storage and slow release of roof runoff. If the rain barrel has an operable valve, the valve can be closed to store stormwater for irrigation use or infiltration between storms. This is particularly useful in areas with tight soils, where infiltration is slow, resulting in wet areas for an extended period of time. If water is stored inside for long periods, the rain barrel must be frequently monitored and should be covered to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. If the rain barrel's valve is kept open, and if the barrel's outlet is significantly smaller than the size of the downspout inlet (for example, a quarter- or half-inch diameter outlet), runoffwill build up inside the rain barrel during storms, and will empty out slowly after peak intensities subside. This is a feasible way to mitigate the peak flow increases caused by rooftop impervious land coverage, especially for frequent, small storms. Figure 6 shows a typical rain barrel. Design Guidelines · Rain barrels can be incorporated into the aesthetics of buildings 0 n/off thumb valve Storage Netoh 4' Supptv H~se Grid Overflow Outlet Optional Linking Kit Figure 6: Typical Rain Barrel Source: Gardener's Supply Company, 2001 and gardens. Japanese, Mediterranean and American southwest architecture provide many examples of attractive rain barrels made of a variety of materials. · If a rain barrel holds more than a 6-inches depth of water, it should be covered securely or have a top opening of 4 inches or less to prevent small children from gaining access to the standing water. · The rain barrel should be designed and maintained to minimize clogging by leaves and other debris. · Small rain barrels and rain barrel disinfection systems are available commercially. Maintenance · In cold winter climates, the barrel and outlet hose should be completely drained and the barrel placed upside- down to avoid freezing and cracking during the winter. · The rain barrel should be cleaned out once per year. 3-148 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual On-Lot Infiltration Rainwater Gardens Description Rainwater gardens are small, vegetated depressions used to promote infiltration of stormwater runoff. Runoff enters the gardens via sheet flow. Rainwater gardens can be planned and integrated into both new and existing developments. A rainwater garden combines shrubs, grasses, and flowering perennials in depressions (about 6 to 18 inches deep) that allow water to pool for only a few days after a rain. Vegetation is vital to the proper function of a rainwater garden. Water is detained in the ponding area until it either infiltrates or evaporates. The plants in the rainwater garden help to infiltrate the water and trap pollutants for a very low cost. Rainwater gardens placed along the front-yard public easement can capture runoff from city streets and lawns and filter it before it enters local lakes, wetlands, streams or groundwater. Rainwater gardens can be incorporated into many different areas, such as: · Front and back yards of residential areas · Parkway planting strips · Road shoUlder rights-of-way · Parking lot planter islands · Under roof downspouts Figures 7 through 10 show some examples of rainwater garden designs. Design Guidelines Design of rainwater gardens can be simple or complex, depending on the level of effort one is willing to put into it. Some general design guidelines include: · The area for ponding should be a shallow depression of 6 to 18 inches. · The area of ponding should be greater than 10 feet away from any building foundations to ensure that the ponded water does not drain to foundations. · There are several alternative combinations of parts for constructing front-yard easement gardens that make them more attractive to people. The essential elements include perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, shrubs and neat edges created by attractive walls, pavers or a band of turf. Many combinations of these elements are shown in Bringing Garden Amenitt'es Into Your Neighborhood (Nassauer et al., 1997)i a few examples are shown in Figures 8 through 10. · Plants in the easement gardens can be selected to reduce maintenance and to tolerate snow storage and winter salt and sand. The suggested plant list on the last page of this BMP section provides recommendations for appropriate plants based on different site conditions (Rozumalski, 2001). · Rainwater gardens should be designed with the tallest flowers and shrubs in the deepest part of the swale. However, these plants should stay short enough that they will not obstruct the view to houses. Shrubs should be pruned annually to keep a low profile, set within the swale. Metropolitan Council/Barr Engineering Co. 3-149 On- LOt Infiltration Rainwater Gardens · In order to maintain treatment effectiveness and storage volume, runoff from roads and other impervious surfaces must be pretreated before entering the basin. The simplest pretreatment scheme is to move water via sheet flow over at least 4 feet of turfgrass that slopes no more than 10 percent. · Compaction of the soil in a rainwater garden should be avoided during construction in order to maintain basins' infiltration capacity. If compaction does occur, soils should be ripped to a depth of 18 inches, with 6 to 12 inches of organic compost incorporated into the till prior to planting. Maintenance · If gardens are properly planned and designed (protected from sediment and compaction and incorporating a sufficient turf pretreatment area), a rainwater basin is likely to retain its effectiveness for well over 20 years. After that time, inspection will reveal whether sedimentation warrants scraping out the basin and replanting it (possibly with salvaged plants). · In the first year, rainwater gardens require vigilant weeding (monthly during the growing season). The need for weeding will decrease as plants become established. · In the spring, standing dead plant debris will need to be removed. · The rainwater garden should be inspected annually for sediment trapped in the pretreatment area and in the garden itself. · Shrubs should be pruned as necessary to keep a neat appearance. ROADWAY WITH EXTENDED SUBGRADE .])IATIVE PLANTS TURF ! '.,.: .:,? ] ~.~. ,,~.k~,. ~~~~t'~ '] 1.5' MAX. DEPTH "':':' 'i" - .'"" PREI'RE~ 4.5' BASIN 2.3' INFI AREA FREE- SIDE SLOPE TRATIO ASIN BOARD Figure 7: Profile of a Typical Rainwater Garden Source: Valley Branch Watershed District, 2000 3-150 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual On-Lot InfiltratiOn Figure 8: Typical Rainwater Garden Layout Source: Adapted from Nassauer et al., 1997. Front Yard Stone Wall Shrubs Flowers Tud Street Figure 9: High-Volume, Asymmetrical Rainwater Garden with Masonry Wall Source: Adapted from Nassauer et al., 1997. Front Yard Flowers Shrubs in Swale Flowers J~- 2'. 4'4 Turf Street Figure 10: High-Volume, Symmetrical Rainwater Garden Source: Adapted from Nassauer et al., 1997. Metropolitan Council/Barr Engineering Co. 3-151 .on Rainwater Gardens Plant List Source:Fred Rozumalski Mesic-Dry Soils (Sunny) Native Butterfly Flower Purple Prairie Clover Purple Coneflower Bee balm Little Bluestem Spiderwort Asclepias tuberosa Dalea purpureum Echinacea purpurea Monarda fistulosa Schizachyrium scoparium Tradescantia bracteata Non-Native Yarrow "Coronation Gold" Feather Reed Grass "Karl Foerster" Daylily Blazingstar "Kobold" Silverfeather Grass Garden Phlox Black-Eyed Susan "Goldsturrn" Mesic-Dry Soils (Shady) Native Wild Columbine Wild Geranium Obedient Plant Jacob's Ladder Solomon's Seal Zigzag Goldenrod Canada Violet Culver's Root Aquilegia canadensis Geranium maculatum Physostegia virginiana Polemonium reptans Polygonatum biflorum Solidago flexicaulis Viola canadensis Veronicastrum virginium Non-Native White Comfrey Tufted Hair Grass Bigroot Geranium Daylily Hosta "Royal Standard" Tigerlily Wet Soil (Sunny) Native Giant Hyssop Agastache foeniculum Non-Native Joe-Pye "Gateway" Canada Anemone Marsh Milkweed New England Aster Turtlehead Joe-Pye Weed Obedient Plant Boneset Queen of the Prairie Blueflag Iris Great Blue Lobelia Switchgrass Mountain Mint Tall Meadow Rue Culvers Root Golden Alexander Anemone canadensis Asclepias incarnata Aster novae-angliae Chelone glabra Eupatorium maculatum Physostegia virginianum Eupatorium perfoliatum Filpendula rubra Iris versicolor Lobelia siphilitica Panicum virgatum Pycnanthemum virginianum Thalictrum dasycarpum Veronicastrum virginicum Zizia aurea Daylily Siberian Iris Tigerlily Switchgrass "Heavy Metal" Achillea "Coronation Gold" Calamogrostis "Karl Foerster" Hemerocallis spp. Liatris "Kobold" Miscanthus sinensis Phlox paniculata Rudbeckia fulgida "Goldsturm" Symphytum grandiflorum Deschamsia caespitosa Geranium macrorrhizum Hemerocallis spp. Hosta "Royal Standard" Lilium tigrinum Eupatorium purpurescens "Gateway" Hemerocallis spp. Iris sibirica Lilium tigrinum Panicum virgatum "Heavy MetaF' 3-152 Minnesota Urban Small Sites BMP Manual On-Lot Infiltration Wet Soils (Shady) Native Cardinal Flower Ostrich Fern Virginia Bluebells Sensitive Fern Shrubs (Sunny) Black Chokeberry Red-Osier Dogwood Low Bush Honeysuckle Annabelle Hydrangea Pussy Willow High Bush Cranberry Shrubs (Shady) Black Chokeberry Red-Osier Dogwood Low Bush Honeysuckle Annabelle Hydrangea Lobelia cardinalis Matteuccia struthiopteris Mertensia virginica Onoclea sensibilis Aronia meIanocarpa Cornus serecia Diervilla lonicera Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle" Salix discolor Viburnum trilobum Aronia melanocarpa "alata" Cornus sericia Diervilla Ionicera Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle" Non-Native Pink Turtlehead Daylily Obedient Plant Chelone layonii Hemerocallis spp. Physostegia virginiana Metropolitan Council / Barr Engineering Co. 3-153 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: City Manager Ken Roberts, Associate Planner Study Area - South of Linwood Avenue October 14, 2002 INTRODUCTION The planning commission recently expressed concems about the land uses and development for the remaining underdeveloped or undeveloped property in south Maplewood. As such, city staff has prepared the following information for the area south of Linwood Avenue. BACKGROUND On September 8, 1997, the council adopted a moratorium for the city to do a planning and zoning study for the area south and east of 1-494. This moratorium was in effect until March 8, 1998. The first phase of this study was to include an analysis of land availability, topography, tree inventory and physical constraints about providing public water and sewer service to the area. On November 24, 1997, the council considered a staff report about the first phase of the moratorium study area (south and east of 1-494). The council moved the following: 1. When Maplewood updates the comprehensive plan in 1998, the city shall: a. Delete the east-west street south of Carver Avenue. b. Show the planned park as a park search area, rather than a specific site. Directed staff to prepare a zoning code amendment to add a rural residential zoning district to the code. This new district should include a minimum lot size, a minimum lot width, and the permitted and conditional uses. On January 20, 1998, the planning commission considered a staff report about the moratorium study area and the proposed R-1R (rural residential) zoning district. After much public testimony and discussion, the planning commission tabled action on the proposed ordinance to get more information and revisions to the ordinance. On February 23, 1998, the city council held a public hearing about the moratorium area south and east of 1-494 and about a proposed R-I(R) rural residential zoning district. After much testimony, the council decided to take no action on the proposed new zoning district. On April 27, 1998, the city council made several approvals for Haller's Woods. These included: A subdivision code variation for long dead-end streets. The proposed development would have one street about 1,200 feet long and another that would be 1,350 feet long. The city code allows developers to plat cul-de-sacs up to 1,000 feet in length, unless no alternative for the streets is possible. 2. A preliminary plat for 21 house lots. This approval was subject to seven conditions. Using permanent relaxed urban street design for the streets in the development. The relaxed urban streets will be 24 feet wide with gravel shoulders and drainage ditches on both sides of the street. These streets would not have concrete curb and gutter. ] I I I 4. A code variation to have 60-foot-wide right-of-ways with the relaxed urban street design. 5. Changing the zoning map from F (farm residence) to RE-40 (residential estate 40,000) for the house lots in the proposed plat. 6. A resolution for no parking for both sides of the streets. 7. Approval of a vadety of front and rear-yard setbacks for the development. DISCUSSION Topography, property ownership and utilities will affect how and when development will occur in the area south of Linwood Avenue. Property Ownership There are 11 vacant or underdeveloped privately-owned sites in the study area (see the maps on pages 10 and 11). I have numbered these I through 11. They have a total of about 146 acres and range in size from 2.5 acres (No. 4) to 38.6 acres (No. 10). Of the eleven sites, seven are south of Carver Avenue. Bailey Nursery owns 77 acres (sites 10 and 11). They also own about 200 acres in Woodbury and another 40 acres in Newport. In fact, they own all the property between Maplewood and the existing houses and New Life Academy in Woodbury. Both Maplewood and Woodbury have planned this area for Iow-density residential development. (See the land use plan maps on pages 12 - 14.) Topography Much of the area along Sterling Street, south of Carver Avenue, has steep, rolling hills. Fish Creek at Sterling Street has an elevation of about 880 feet, and the east part of the property at 1530 Sterling Street has an elevation of 1045 feet. The difference between these is 165 feet. The hills along Sterling Street severely limit the chance of street and utility construction from Sterling Street. Thus, much of the land along Sterling Street will probably not have streets and utilities. The Bailey Nursery properties east of Sterling Street is gently rolling. This area would be easier to develop (because of topography) than the property near Sterling Street. West of 1-494, there are class 4 and 5 wetlands south of Carver Avenue (in the area of sites 6 and 7) that will effect and limit what grading and development could occur on these sites. Utilities The area south of Fish Creek and the area south and east of 1-494 does not have any public utilities. The Metropolitan Waste Control Commission has a sanita~/sewer interceptor line in Century Avenue near Carver Lake. This sewer line runs to the west to 1-494 and then to the south to Carver Avenue near Steding street. (See the map on page 15.) Ken Haider, the previous city engineer, studied the possibility of the city providing sanitary sewer to the area south of 1-494. Mr. Haider's study found that providing sanitary sewer to this area would be difficult and expensive. The nearest public water is at the intersection of Carver Avenue and sterling Street on the east side of 1-494. (See the map on page 16.) Any typical residential development would require extensions of the sanitary sewer and water to serve the development. The water pressure for the 2 study area is only enough to serve property below an elevation of 1010 feet. About 13 acres, near 1480 and 1486 Sterling Street, are above the elevation of 1010. In addition, about four acres of the property south of 1670 Sterling Street are above the elevation 1010 feet. All utility extensions to this area would be difficult and expensive. Open Space The county has purchased a total of about 130 acres of land along Fish Creek and south of 1501 Henry Lane for open space. Maplewood has purchased two areas south of Linwood Avenue for open space. The first is south of Linwood and east of Sterling Street (Kayser property) and the second is north of Carver Avenue and west of Sterling Street. On February 3, 1997, the city council decided not to buy the 38-acre site at 1530 Sterling Street for open space. This is the property on which Tollefson Development built Haller's Woods. Street Access Century Avenue is an undeveloped, 66-foot-wide public right-of-way between Carver Avenue and Maplewood's southern border. Century Avenue is on the border of Maplewood, Woodbury and Newport. The Maplewood Comprehensive Plan shows this part of Century Avenue as a major collector street. Because of the topography in the area and the existing right-of-way, an extension of Century Avenue south of Carver Avenue is the most likely future street for this area. Century Avenue would probably connect to Bailey Road in Newport. Century Avenue would probably have several east/west streets intersecting it. However, since Bailey Nursery owns most of the property on either side of the Century Avenue right-of-way, the timing of any development will depend on the nursery. John Bailey at the nursery told me in 1998 that they have no plans to develop their property and plan to stay in the plant and nursery business for many years. Lot Sizes An issue that came out of the city council's review of the Haller's Woods plat is that of minimum lot sizes. Several neighbors near the proposed development thought the city had a 5-acre minimum lot size for non-sewered lots. However, both the zoning code and the comprehensive plan do not have a 5-acre minimum. In fact, the 19 residential lots along Sterling Street near Haller's Woods range in size from 0.84 acres to 9.7 acres, with an average lot size of 4.05 acres. For lots that do not have public sanitary sewer, the code requires a minimum lot size large enough to fit the house and two on-site sewer treatment systems. This usually means a minimum lot size of at least one acre (43,560 square feet) to fit everything on the property. The zoning code also requires a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet for single dwellings in the R-1 (single dwelling) and F (farm residence) zoning districts. In the RE-40 (residential estate) zoning district, the minimum lot size is 40,000 square feet. Staff contacted several cities in 1998 to see what they use for a minimum lot size for non- sewered areas. The survey showed a range of 22,000 square feet in White Bear Township to a 5-acre minimum for new developments in Grant. The minimum lot sizes for non-sewered lots in other cities are 30,000 square feet in Oakdale, 1.5 acres in Cottage Grove, 2.5 acres in Inver Grove Heights and 3 acres in Woodbury and in Newport. 3 Rural Residential Zoning District In 1997, the council directed staff to prepare a rural residential zoning distdct to add to the city code with minimum lot size, a minimum lot area, and the permitted and conditional uses. Such a district would be for non-sewered single dwelling development. However, the council, on February 23, 1998, decided to take no action on the proposed rural residential zoning district. (The proposed ordinance had a 3-acre minimum lot size and a minimum lot width of 160 feet. I intended this zoning district for areas of Maplewood without sewer and water and with a semi- rural, very Iow-density residential life style.) The existing lots south and east of 1-494 range in size from 0.6 acres to 39 acres. Many of the residential lots are less than 3 acres in size. Because of topography and existing house locations, these lots are probably not large enough for the owners to subdivide them into additional building locations. Future Development Based on the above findings and information, we make the following projections for the area south and east of 1-494: 1. The area will develop with single dwellings. 2. Lot sizes on the west side of the study area will be larger than normal because of the steep contours that limit buildable land and street access. There will be more homes on Sterling Street with long pdvate ddves. Some homes will share drives. There will probably be additional requests for homes on lots that do not front on a public street. The Bailey Nursery property is the most feasible place for future streets and normal development patterns. Extending Century Avenue south of Carver Avenue is necessary to develop the Bailey property. There is no need to extend Century Avenue until Bailey Nursery is ready to develop. 5. Local streets to serve this area will probably come from Century Avenue. 6. Because of steep contours along Steding Street, connecting Sterling Street and Century Avenue (south of Carver Avenue) with a new street will probably not be feasible. Until further development happens, the city will probably not choose a location for the planned park in this neighborhood. 8. Two high areas (above the elevation 1010 feet) will not have normal water pressure. Any houses in these areas will need a well or will need an individual private booster pump. Because of below-normal density and vaded topography, it is not feasible for Maplewood to extend sanitary sewers to the area south of Interstate 494. Homes in this part of Maplewood will use individual treatment systems for sewage disposal. Traditional sanitary sewer service, extended from Woodbury might be feasible for the east half of the study area that Bailey Nursery owns. However, there is no need for Maplewood or Woodbury to provide such service if Bailey Nursery is not going to develop their property for residential use. 4 RECOMMENDATION Review the enclosed information and maps and direct staff as to what, if any, further issues or concems the city wants staff to study. p:sec 24-28/study area 2002.mem Attachments: 1. Mapquest Area Map 2. Adal Photo 3. Location Map 4. Zoning Map 5. Zoning Map 6. Zoning Map 7. Land Use Plan Map 8. Land Use Plan Map 9. Land Use Plan Map 10. Existing Sanitary Sewer Map 11. Existing Public Water System Map 12. Property Line/Zoning Map (Site 1) 13. Property Une/Zoning Map (Site 2) 14. Property Une/Zoning Map (Sites 3 and 4) 15. Property Line/Zoning Map (Site 4) 16. Property Une/Zoning Map (Site 5) 17, Property Une/Zoning Map (Sites 6 and 7) 18. Property Line/Zoning Map (Site 7) 19. Property Une/Zoning Map (Site 8) 20. Property Line/zoning Map (Site 9) 21. Property Line/zoning Map (Sites 10 and 11) 22. Property Line/Zoning Map (Sites 10 and 11) 5 Attachment 3 G-5 15 480S 16 1. HUNTINOTON CT. 2. OAKRIDGE IN. 720S -- o 0 480S 720S ] 10, 1,3, 1. CURRIE CT. 2. VALLEY VIEW CT. 5. LAKE'WOOD CT. 960S 2. . HIGHWOOD (~ 17 ~ c~rrut~- PL NEW CENTURY TER 18 960S 1200S 1440S 19 CARVER 20 RAMSE 68°sWASHiNGTON LOCATION 8 I.eke I...,,.---- ~Z 1200S 19 t 440S 2O MAP 1680S R-I R-I R-1 R-I F F ZONING MAP Attachment 4 F R-I F R-1 ZONING MAP 10 R-1 R-I R-1 F uJ ZONING MAP 11 ] I [I i Attachment 7 R-1 R-1 R-1 R-1 LAND USE PLAN MAP 12 R-1 / o OPEN SPACE R-I OPEN SPACE R-I R-1 OPEN SPACE LAND USE PLAN MAP 13 ~ttachment 8 ;tachment 9 R-i R-1 R-1 SCHOOL OPEN SPACE oPEN sPACE R-1 OPEN SPACE R-1 LAND USE PLAN MAP Attachment l0 N I/,~$E'0.24. Z'. 2_.8 · ~ 7 Nl12 24-2~-22 LAST REV. 4/96 SANITARY SEWER MAP 15 N I/~. SEC. 24 7'. 2.8 R 22 Attachment ll LAST RE 16 2488 ~chment 1; M47 7O5 682 707 708 ,___-/ 712 · ' E ....... 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