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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/13/1991 P&Z Minutes1 1 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 Chairperson Fred Chase called the regular meeting of the design review board to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Lino Lakes City Hall. Members present were: Monika Slatten, Robert King, Fred Chase, and John Bergeson. Absent was Al Robinson. Also present was: Mayor, Harold Bisel; City Planner, John Miller; City Engineer, Dan Boxrud, Building Official, Peter Kluegel; and Planning Secretary, Laura Elken. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES Monika Slatten moved to approve the January 9th minutes, Robert King seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. REVIEW OF A SITE AND BUILDING PLAN FOR INSIDE SPORTS, APPLICATION #91 -01. Ted Mattke, Engineer presented the proposal to the board for an indoor sports facility. The facility will contain four outdoor softball fields, horseshoe pits, and volley ball courts. The 90 foot high inflatable soft ball dome will include a restaurant, community rooms, offices, and batting cages. Most of these uses will be included in a masonry structure contiguous to the actual dome. Space will also be reserved for the future construction of the Minnesota Sports Federation Hall of Fame, general office, and gymnasium. Mr. Mattke discussed drainage within the site. The developer will leave as many existing trees and brush around the wetland as possible. The land is presently zoned Light Industrial and a sports dome would be appropriate for this zone. John Bergeson asked about the entrances to the site. Mr. Mattke stated that Jon Street will be extended somewhat to reach the parking lots. Robert King stated that he lives within 100 feet of this proposed structure. The developer met with the neighbors and there are no complaints. The only request the neighborhood has is that 74th Street be blocked off so that thru traffic is impossible. John Miller suggested this be completed before construction begins to deter construction traffic. Fred Chase stated that as a part of the site and building plan 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 approval architectural drawings should be provided. No plans were submitted for the building attached to the dome. Ted Mattke stated the dome consists of a concrete shell. The concrete will be a textured finished, not a flat smooth finish. The developer would be open to suggestions. He explained that the developers wanted to get through this stage before they invested in the expense of building plans. Mr. Mattke stated that the restaurant will be a bar and grill and will face the ballfields. The restaurant will be the centerpiece of the facility. MOTION: John Bergeson moved to recommend to the city council approval of a site plan, application #91 -01 by Inside Sports contingent upon the following: 1. Incorporation of comments by the city engineer. 2. A revised landscape plan should be submitted prior to city council action showing the following: A. Placement of foundation plantings on the south side of the dome /restaurant structure. B. Reduction of the asphalt area between the dome and the outside fields, more trails /sidewalks should be used and more landscaping added. C. Sidewalks and trails should lead to the horseshoe pits. D. Additional trees should be planted on the berm (city code requires 50 per cent opacity). E. Nineteen parking spaces can be eliminated at the west side of the parking lot. F. Islands should be located in the parking lot at least every 140 feet of parking aisle. The islands should be two parking spaces side. G. The berm should be 48 feet wide not 40. With a 4:1 slope the required six foot high berm will need the extra eight feet. 3. Detail should be submitted on lighting fixtures and location of standards should be shown in the parking lot. 2 1 1 1 1 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 4. A 100 per cent opaque screen (fence) should be placed around the dumpster. 5. Detail should be submitted on the monument sign. 6. Existing trees and brush in the northwest corner of the site should be saved. 7. Submittal of building plans for approval by the design review board and the city council. 8. Vacation of a portion of 74th Street and the extension of a berm to eliminate through traffic. 9. Invest in the paving of 74th Street and 27 feet of the right -of -way on Jon Avenue. Robert King seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. CONSIDERATION OF THE PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR WENZEL FARMS TOWNHOMES, APPLICATION #90 -68 AND A REZONE OF THE PROPERTY. John Bergeson explained that in October of 1990 the design review board reviewed the concept plan for Wenzel Farms. Tonight the board is reviewing the preliminary plat. John Miller stated that the board is reviewing the part of the Wenzel Farms Subdivision that includes townhomes. The single - family portion of the subdivision has been approved previously. The board then requested that the townhome portion of the plat would be shown as one large lot, and the townhomes would be reviewed and approved separately. The plan shows 75 townhouses to be located on 12 -15 acres of land, this amount of land would vary once park land and utility easements were included. The board received copies of the plat, articles of a home owners association, and received floor plans and elevations, and what the townhomes would look like from the outside. Mr. Miller explained that two rezonings would actually have to be completed. First the area would have to be rezoned from R -1 single - family to an R3 or and R4 multiple- family. Then from multiple- family housing zoning it would have to be rezoned to a PUD. This is necessary because the developer wishes to install private roads. Also with a PUD the city and developer will be able 3 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 to agree on a very detailed plan. Requiring a PUD would have similar requirements as a R -4. The real main issue with the board was the amount of detail they received from the plat that was presented to the board. The board compared this site plan with the D. Erickson's Willow Ponds Townhomes in the past. John Miller stated that Kirk Corson, Planner for this project was attending the Rice Creek Watershed District meeting and could not attend the DRB meeting. Mr. Corson is in the process of reviewing the plan with all the required review agencies. Correspondence from the MN Department of Transportation was given to the board members stating that only two entrances would be granted instead of the proposed three. The original concept plan only showed two entrances. John Bergeson pointed out that in the city engineers memo dated February 7th it suggests that Lino Lakes does not have a specified zone that complies with townhomes. A PUD may be the only viable option the city has. Mr. Chase stated that he was a board member when the Dennis Erickson Townhome project was before the board along with board member Robert King. He said that there was a considerable more amount of detail with that project. The project shows no screening. Ms. Slatten added that some of the townhomes were located on the drainage easements, some of the homes would have to be eliminated. Mr. Chase stated that the next step the board has to make is to rezone the property. The developer has to submit an adequate plan first so that the board members are able to see what will go into the property once it is rezoned. Until this is completed he doesn't feel a rezone can be granted. He felt this should be tabled. If it were denied the applicant would have to wait for a year before applying again, and added that rezoning simply to an R- 4 would be impossible. John Bergeson stated that the detail provided does not comply with an R -3 or R -4 entirely because of private streets and other items, so what is requested does not fit that proposed zoning. Mr. King stated that the exterior of the building should be discussed. Roger Hokanson, Developer and owner of Hokanson Plumbing stated that time is of the essence. He said that he wants the rezone 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 because 10 days after approval they want to close on the property. He stated that single- family homes would be constructed first. Once that phase is near completion then the townhomes will be constructed. Mr. Chase stated that he wants to see the location of all the site improvements, decks, lighting, fences, landscaping, etc. The developer will meet with staff to discuss this in more detail. MOTION: Mr. King moved to table this item until further information is provided for the board's review. Included in the revised site plan will be landscaping, and screening. John Bergeson seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. REVIEW OF A CONCEPT PLAN FROM RON BIRCH FOR TOWNHOMES LOCATED NEAR LAKE AMELIA CALLED LAKE AMELIA ESTATES. Ron Birch approached the board. He is the developer and builder for this site. The concept plan is for executive townhomes near Lake Amelia. The board is looking at the first of two phases. Mr. Birch is hoping the city will put this item into a PUD. The land is not within the MUSA boundary at this time. The city would have to initiate a comprehensive plan amendment and trade some land that is now within the MUSA. John Bergeson informed Mr. Birch that he is a step or two behind the applicant for the Wenzel Townhomes. He stated that the board will be asking for the same amount of detail for his townhomes. The plan shows a one way street on the plat. He said he designed the project for good traffic flow and off street parking. Monika Slatten asked about how the neighbors felt about the townhomes. John Miller had a chance to visit with the property owners adjacent to this area. The property owners are interested in keeping the land as undisturbed as possible. They have done a lot to maintain the rural setting, have lived their a long time. Through Mr. Miller's visit with them they reached the realization that on three sides of their property it is eminent that urban development will occur. The owners on the west is owned by North Oaks people and they realized that they are in essence on a rural peninsula. They starting looking at different things to do to the area to protect the wildlife as much as possible. The lake would be restricted not to allow motorized boats. Mr. Birch said that the 5 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 DNR questioned him about this issue. He said that he wants the wildlife to stay in this area and will not allow boating or did not want the construction of gazebos etc. Mr. Chase stated that Birch is proposing two units per acre, this is a different type of townhome development. MOTION: John Bergeson moved to recommend to the city council approval of the concept plan for Ron Birch for Lake Amelia Estates with the following conditions: 1. Comprehensive plan amendment to place the land in the MUSA boundary. 2. Land use plan amendment and rezoning to permit townhouses. 3. Completion of a utility agreement with White Bear Township. 4. Submittal of detailed landscaping and site and building plans, and a two way street be included in the plat to allow more flexibility. 5. Plan approval by all other permitting agencies. Robert King seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. MOTION: Robert King moved to recommend to the city council approval of a comprehensive plan amendment as presented to the board. John Miller asked that Brian Bourassa work with Dan Boxrud on this item. Monika Slatten seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. The area to be taken out of the MUSA boundary will require a public hearing. Mr. Miller will hold a special neighborhood meeting involve them in the decision making process. 8:21 p.m. a five minute recess was called. 8:21 p.m. the meeting was reconvened. MINOR SUBDIVISION FOR MARLIN HANSEN, APPLICATION #90 -15. John Miller reviewed some of the history regarding this property. He stated that in 1985 Mr. Hansen was interested in constructing an accessory building. His lot was one acre in size. Mr. Hansen 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 brought in an application and the building of a boat house was approved with the contingency that parcels would be combined to create a two and a half acre parcel. Then the boat house would be in compliance with city code. The code read that the applicant had to have between 2 1/2 to ten acres of land to have a structure of 1,000 feet. In 1985 the building official was given two verification numbers from the county stating that Mr. Hansen's land had been combined. Contrary to what the building official was told the land was never combined. Presently Mr. Hansen wishes to sell part of his land to Mr. Bob Adamson so that he can have access to his proposed plat Oak Brook Peninsula. Frank Kern addressed the board. He stated that Mr. McClain was on the P &Z board in 1985 and is related to Mr. Hansen. Mr. McClain did step down and abstain from voting on this issue. Mr. Kern stated that at one point many relatives had bought land from Mr. Hansen and covenants were written up. Now Mr. Hansen is saying that the covenants are no good. Mr. Kern also stated that his property is in violation of the ordinance because an apartment has been constructed. There are two meters and he has falsified documents showing that he is in compliance with the ordinance and the city council's wishes. Mr. Kern added that the reason for installing the boat house was to keep his boats inside. He said that there are at least 10 cars parked outside his lot. Mr. Kern recommended the following: 1. The board force Hansen to remove his boat house because it does comply with city code or... 2. Let him keep his boat house once he complies with the provisions set in 1985, and pay back taxes that would be due to him. Mr. Chase stated that the issue before the board is can the applicant take one large parcel and subdivide it as asked of them. If the board says no it is up to the city to pursue forcing Hansen to combine his parcels. John Bergeson stated that he needs to know if a subdivision of these parcels were approved the board is still unsure about how the road will be designed leading to Oak Brook. Bob Adamson stated 7 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 that the roadway leading to his development will not disturb Mr. Hansens lot. Also Mr. Adamson stated that the elevations of the road will not cause any problems. The board discussed the possibility of Mr. Hansen purchasing land from Adamson south of his current lot to create a parcel of 2 1/2 acre minimum. Mr. Adamson stated that a condition put on him from the DNR was that some land be reserved for a walk way for the residents to get to their docks on the lake. After further discussion a motion was made. MOTION: John Bergeson moved to recommend to the city council approval of a minor subdivision for Marlin Hansen as requested in Application #90 -15 with the following modifications: 1. The applicant create an antiguous 2 1/2 acres to include his residence and boat house. 2. A sixty foot wide parcel be created and used for road access to Oak Brook Peninsula. 3. A third parcel include the land north of the cul -de -sac on Otter Lake Drive and a portion adjacent to that east of the channel and be contiguous with the land north of the road and east of the channel. John Bergeson stated that the motion passed by the city council in 1985 to combine the land went beyond what was required at that time. If Mr. Hansen does not end up with an adequate amount of land he may purchase some from Bob Adamson to create a 2 1/2 acre parcel Mr. Bergeson added that the testimony given at the meeting points to other violations by Mr. Hansen. That is not the board's concern. The fact that Mr. Hansen is renting out a portion of his home is an issue that will have to be dealt with by city officials. Mr. King seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. CONSIDERATION OF A VARIANCE FOR DARLA LOWELL REGARDING ROAD WIDTH, APPLICATION #91 -02. Darla Lowell, 6559 24th Avenue South approached the board. She 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 owns 10 acres of land that was recently subdivided into four - 2 1/2 acre lots. They are planning on extending a street giving access to these lots, and are seeking a variance for the street width. The street is 1300' long and they do not feel that a wide street with concrete curb and gutter is necessary. She stated that Elmcrest, (which is the cross road) is going to upgraded in the near future and that street is only going to be 24 feet wide, with no concrete curb and gutter. She petitioned for the road in 1988 before the new street standards took into effect. This road is not going to be highly traveled. Dan Boxrud stated that the street standards were amended in the spring of 1990 to require concrete curb and gutter in all locations. Dan Boxrud stated that he sees six possibilities for the Lowell. They are as follows: 1. Allow rural streets (ditches) for areas not planned to receive sanitary sewer by the year 2000. 2. Allow rural streets for those areas which do not yet have sanitary sewer available but are within the MUSA line and conceivably could receive sewer by the year 2000. 3. Allow rural streets for all areas not currently receiving sanitary sewer service. 4. Allow a bituminous curb (urban section, no ditches) for areas not planned to receive sanitary sewer by the year 2000. 5. Allow bituminous curb for areas within the MUSA line. 6. Allow bituminous curb for all areas not currently receiving sanitary sewer service. Dan Boxrud stated that if the reason the improvement is not ordered is due solely to cost, deleting the concrete curb and gutter alone would not save the money the property owners indicate they would want to save. The cost savings for deleting concrete curb and gutter is only about $5.00 per linear foot, or in this case about 8% of the front footage assessment rate. If the project is changed to be a 24 foot rural roadway with 3 foot gravel shoulders, the assessment rate would drop about 19 %, or about $12.00 per front foot. 9 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD February 13, 1991 Dan Boxrud stated that he does not believe that this financial issue would lead one to believe that the six findings of fact necessary to grant a variance would be met. MOTION: John Bergeson moved to recommend to the city council to deny a variance for Darla Lowell, Application #91 -02 for a street width of 32 feet. The six findings of fact cannot be met on this issue. Robert King seconded the motion. John Bergeson stated that the design review board is the keeper of the rules and we have to pay attention to that. This item can still go before the city council for another chance to plead your case. The motion was approved unanimously. REVIEW OF THE DRAFT INTERCHANGE STUDY Randy Thoreson of SEH discussed the interchange study. The two study areas were areas surrounding 35W and 35E. Michael Mulrooney analyzed the growth potential within the areas. To touch on this briefly the area surrounding 35W and Lake Drive would largely be commercial and small businesses. Whereas the area surrounding 35E would consist of industrial growth with some commercial business close to the interchange. Mr. Thoreson suggested that this be followed up with an action plan to implement some of what the study brought up. The action plan could result in a comprehensive plan amendment. OLD BUSINESS John Bergeson asked about any progress regarding Henry Laska. John Miller stated that a report will be given to the board members next month. Mr. King moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Slatten seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 10:23 p.m. 10 1 1 1