11-28-2007 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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As drawn, Lot 1 would be more than 16,000 square feet in area, which Lots 2 -5 just over 10,000 square feet in area. Lots 6 and 7 would be 39,000 and 23,000 square feet in area, with Lot 8 (which contains the remaining existing home and a pond) shown at 31,000 square feet. Planning staff believes that the variance is justified in this case, since there is no other way to access the property that would allow residential use. The City did not require the plat to the north to extend its road through to this area when it was platted in the 1980s. As noted, a shorter cul -de -sac is possible, but would raise concerns about lot layout and consistency with other existing homes along Labore Road. The plat design could benefit from some consideration from a longer cul -de -sac, as discussed in the paragraphs below. Preliminary Plat. The plat shows 8 lots, all of which meet the zoning ordinance requirements. The applicant has provided a tree removal and preservation plan that illustrates the areas where trees will be saved, and where trees will be lost due to grading and construction. As shown on the plan, much of the area in the buildable area of the proposed lots will be graded or built upon, resulting in loss of all trees with the exception of a handful of trees immediately adjacent to Labore Road. The large area of evergreen trees along the north quarter of the property will be retained, however, the existing trees along the west boundary line are planned to be removed to accommodate a drainage swale for the rear yard areas of Lots 2 -5 leading to the infiltration pond in the north. Planning staff would recommend a longer cul -de -sac street that permits wider lots in this area. Even with wider building spacing, the rear yard drainage swale can not be eliminated. The City Engineer has noted that it would not be possible to direct stormwater toward the street. As a result, the primary benefit of this suggestion would be spaciousness, still an issue given the shallow rear yards in both this and the adjoining subdivision. The trade -off with this design would be that the building sites for Lots 6 and 7 would extend farther into the evergreen woods in the north area of the site. However, there would still remain a significant buffer in that area even with this encroachment. As noted in the introductory remarks, the proposed plat has changed from the previous version in removing a previously shown outlot that separated Lot 7 from the neighboring property to the east. It was determined that the neighboring property does not have development potential even if combined with this outlot, and as such, there is no reason to reserve this land. It has been absorbed into Lot 7. The applicant has provided a landscape plan for the plat which shows how the open space areas (primarily around the pond) would be landscaped upon construction. The plan shows a line of deciduous, evergreen, and ornamental trees along the east boundary line. The Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) identifies seeding and seed mix for the disturbed property, but is not specific as to area. Planning staff would recommend the following additions: 2