09-28-2005 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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ce 9alZ cea MAYOR Bill Blesener COUNCIL Jim LaValle Rick Montour Barbara Allan John Keis 515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117-1600 ADMINISTRATOR (651) 766 -4029 / FAX: (651) 766 -4048 Joel R. Hanson www. ci.little- canada. mn. us MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Blesener and Members of the City Council FROM: Joel Hanson, City Administrator DATE: September 23, 2005 RE: Final Plat for The Preserve Pursuant to court order, the City Council will consider on September 28, 2005 the new final plat application by Dayspring Development, Inc. regarding The Preserve. The developer, on September 15, 2005, submitted a revised final plat with corresponding documentation. (Attachments Al through A5) Staff has completed its review of the developer's materials with comments and recommendations to follow in this report. Given the time that has elapsed since the preliminary plat was approved on October 23, 2002, staff has also included the reports and actions associated with the preliminary plat to serve as a reference point (Attachments B1 and B2). The most significant difference in this plat versus earlier submittals is the grading of this development is more in line with the natural topography. As you will recall, the final plat we denied in August of 2003 had 10 foot high retaining walls supporting Preserve Court in the vicinity of its intersection with Preserve Trail. There were also significant walls supporting the building pads of a number of lots. The need for these substantial retaining walls resulted from the developer's need to maintain four feet of cover of the Magellan Pipeline. Given that actual cover was less than four feet, the increase in elevation over the pipeline created significant difficulties matching in with the existing topography. This issue is exacerbated by the site constraints consisting of the pipeline on the south side, the wetlands on the north side, and the dramatic changes in elevation both to the north and east within the developer's property. Staff, at a meeting of September 1, 2005, proposed various options to the developer in an attempt to remedy the need for the extensive (and unacceptable) retaining walls. The options included finding a new connection point for Preserve Trail that made for an easier grade transition, lowering the pipeline, and shortening the length of Preserve Court to avoid the need for a connecting road.