07-14-2022 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION JULY 14, 2022 2 eliminated the opportunity to build on that portion. She stated that the homes then had to shift to the south and the road still had to be fit in as well. She noted that there are only a few of these properties left to develop and the applicant did their best to work with the conditions of the site. Commissioner Quarles asked if the applicant has completed a wetland delineation. The Community Development Director confirmed that the applicant is working with the Watershed District on that. Commissioner Quarles stated that she was unsure whether that area would be a wetland or floodplain. The Community Development Director confirmed that they will continue to work with the watershed and recognized that the acreage of the site may change based on the delineation. Commissioner Quarles asked what would happen if the wetland were the full area of the floodplain and it changes the density above four units per acre. The Community Development Director stated that if that were the case, they would come back to review as they would need to reduce the number of lots to meet four units per acre or less. Chair Kwapick asked if the variance would still be required if one lot were eliminated. The Community Development Director replied that if there were a reduction in the number of lots, that may shift the parcels and the lot area perhaps could increase but was unsure that would impact the rear yard setbacks. Chair Kwapick stated that he was not concerned with the lot size, but more the setback especially for those that will go against the homes on Schletty Drive. Commissioner Quarles stated that she understands that lot depth may not be something they can avoid if the desire is to have a standard cul-de-sac with homes on both sides of the street. She stated that the issue of lot size, however, seems to be one that could be fixed as she did not see a practical difficulty that would result in needing eight homes. Commissioner Buesing stated that the City went through an almost two-year process to review and update the City Code. He stated that while he understands there are hardships, they have required other developers to meet the standards. He did not believe lot depth would be achieved because a street is needed and therefore supports that request. He stated that he does believe the side yard setback should be met, unless flexibility was provided to the other recent development request the City approved.