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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20250924 Environmental Board Minutes Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING DATE: September 24, 2025 TIME STARTED: 6:30 p.m. TIME ENDED: 7:17 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Alex Schwartz, Julia Nelson, Lindsay Buchmeier, Jonathan Parsons, Elizabeth Larkin, Mary Jo Stevenson, Shawn Holmes MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Thomas Hoffman, Jennifer Alderink 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Schwartz called the Environmental meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. on September 24, 2025. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Schwartz declared open mike at 6:31 p.m. There was no one present for public comment. Chair Schwartz closed public comments at 6:31 p.m. 4. SETTING THE AGENDA: Addition or Deletion of Agenda Items Chair Schwartz took a motion to set the agenda. Ms. Buchmeier motioned to approve the agenda as is. Ms. Stevenson seconded. Motion carried 7 0. Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 2 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Schwartz took a motion to set the minutes. Mr. Parsons motioned to approve the July 30, 2025 meeting minutes. Motion was seconded by Ms. Buchmeier. Motion carried 7 0. 6. ACTION ITEMS A. 7920 Lake Drive CUP (Lake Drive Dealership & Office Space) Tyler Huebsch plans to operate a professional office space for independent dealership and office space for general business. The zoning would give the capability to utilize the office space for individual dealers who have their own LLC through the state. Each dealership can have as many employees as they wish but will need the office space required for it. With each exterior office there will be 5 additional parking spaces which fits the legal requirements to operate a dealership in Minnesota. Tom Hoffman, City of Lino Lakes Environmental Coordinator, presented the Lake Drive site plan and was available for questions. Chair Schwartz noted that it seems like the proposal is to really cut down on trees, seeing that the plans show that trees are going down from six to two. Chair Schwartz also noted that he sees a recommendation for trees to be removed from infiltration basin one, so the site appears to be pretty constrained. He asked if there is a recommendation for an alternative place to re-locate these trees. Mr. Hoffman explained that the Dealership and Office Space will still need to meet their basin will get moved elsewhere on the site. He pointed out that the trees will most likely be moved to the end caps in the parking lot that he mentioned in his earlier presentation. Currently, the ones on the infiltration basin are given 50% canopy cover credit because they are within 7 feet of hard cover. All of the trees within the hard surface itself will get 100% coverage, so the City is hoping to get more coverage to break up the inside of the parking lot and move some of these trees to additional locations on site. Mr. Hoffman also explained that the design engineer is currently proposing that the infiltration basin should be completely surrounded by retaining walls in the front and back to prevent maintenance and access issues. If the infiltration basin does get moved or goes away, the plantings would likely stay where they are currently at, along with additional planting inside the site as well. Mr. Hoffman said the only thing he envisions the proposed owner not providing is the foundation landscape planting for the trees. Otherwise, the APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 3 proposed owners are going above and beyond for number of tree open space and vehicle cover. Ms. Nelson noted that it looks like 3 pine trees and 1 oak tree are being removed. She inquired as to what is considered a high-value tree. Mr. Hoffman explained that a high-value tree falls into the ESA (Endangered Species Act) category pines and oak trees would be considered high value trees. He goes on to explain that hardwoods fall more under the definition of significant trees, so even though some popples and cotton woods can be considered one of The trees that have been planted and maintained are more high-value trees than your Siberian elms or willows. Ms. Nelson inquired as to whether the oak tree was on the smaller side. Mr. Hoffman stated that the oak tree which was a decent-sized oak tree. Ms. Nelson asked if there is a way we could keep the oak trees because they are a slower growing tree. She mentioned that we also must think about the absorption of noise for people in the neighborhood. parking lot. He also said that the only trees that are being removed are for basic commercial use such as the hardscape and building foundation. He mentioned that four of the trees being removed are conifers and an oak tree. The remaining trees are primarily the ones growing within the drainage and utility easement on the city easement for that b not feasible to save those trees. To meet the parking requirements of the development, the end cap. Mr. Hoffman concluded, saying that the four trees mentioned are within that basic use and there is no mitigation required because it falls within the vehicle hardscape for the development. Ms. Nelson inquired as to whether Mr. Hoffman remembers at the Starbucks on Apollo Drive where they put the asphalt that allows water to run through, and if we could do something like that in this development. Mr. Hoffman said that the dealership/office space developers are meeting their water quality now with the infiltration basins, which is preferred. Mr. Hoffman also stated that the City is going to be requesting a trail easement through the development. The City is currently requesting a trail easement through here, and the developers are currently APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 4 proposing one of the infiltration basins within the city right of way or within a drain utility and drainage easement. The basin mentioned in the report is most likely going to go away. There is also a basin near the retaining wall that may go away as well. If those basins go away, the City will look into other options for their water quality treatment, such as underground storage, filtration, permeable pavers, treat trenches, etc. Per requirements, the City will start with the highest level, which is infiltration. If that on this site, they will look at alternatives. Ms. Nelson inquired about the idea of a used car lot/office building combination. licensed dealer can have up to five cars that they can have on the lot at a time. The City is looking at capping the number of dealers and having the rest for office space. Additionally, the dealer could have anything from vintage cars to brand new cars on the lot. The only restrictions we currently have in place are the number of vehicles each licensed dealer can have. With that said, each dealer could have multiple offices with multiple dealers working out of the development to get more vehicles. Based on the parking plan, it looks like there are about 15 to 20 of the offices will be occupied by dealers. Ms. Larkin asked about mitigation of lighting in the development. She observed that the development is adjacent to residential communities, and for protection and security, she thinks the site may have a lot of light. She would like to know if there is any mitigation in place for nearby residents and the environment. Mr. Hoffman stated that the development still needs to meet all lighting. He also notes that there is not a lot of residential housing adjacent to the development, with the exception of one house on the corner of Kelly street. In that case, there will be some proposed lighting there which includes having glare shields on the back with all downward lighting. The City does allow continuous lighting over parking lots for security reasons. Mr. Hoffman also stated that as a part of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP), the City is working with the developer to have dimming hours of operation throughout the night. Mr. Larking inquired as to whether strategically planting trees to help block light is being proposed. Mr. Hoffman said that there are already some trees along the edge that will be put in. They will be smaller at first, but once matured, they will be large trees with large canopies. He noted that there is already some existing tree coverage on our basin to provide additional APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 5 screening along with shrubs on the backside. He also said that when the developer revises their landscape plan, he will most likely suggest that they plant a few large trees along the fence with some smaller shrubs to break it up. Chairman Schwartz asked if dark sky certified lighting holds the same certification and specifications as downcast lighting. Mr. Hoffman said that the two are essentially the same thing. Downcast lighting is more of the terminology used for the lighting itself, while dark sky certified is more of the initiative to prevent illumination upwards. Chairman Schwartz inquired about the plans not showing an efficient number of parking spaces for how many offices there are. Mr. Hoffman stated that there are currently 120 spaces proposed. That number could change again with the number of licenses that the City would cap. This recommendation will go to the Planning and Zoning committee and then to the City Council. He agreed that they need to make sure there is sufficient parking for all purposes. Chairman Schwartz expressed concern about how the City plans to enforce the parking spots. Mr. Hoffman explained that if they start running into an issue with the parking lot being full, the City will be able to do a count of the licenses they have and the vehicles for sale on the lot. That way they can track each vehicle back to that specific dealer and take action if there is a violation. Ms. Larkin inquired whether the fencing will be the same all the way around the property. Mr. Hoffman explained that fencing is only required on the residential side and will run the Ms. Larkin asked if additional fencing is put in, can it be the same all the way around. Mr. Hoffman said that the developers are not proposing any additional fencing, but if they height where it goes around because there are different height requirements. The developer is planning on it being an open lot. Mr. Parsons asked if we would have up to 80 cars potentially for dealerships. APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 6 licenses that the developers propose, so roughly 75 to 80 spots potentially 100. Mr. Parsons asked about snow and rain removal on site. Mr. Hoffman said that the developers are proposing snow storage in the infiltration basin, which the City does not allow because they do not want to push the chlorides, sediments, and other pollutants in there. Mr. Hoffman stated that the developers still have some maintenance things to work out. He also noted that ideally, the infiltration basin will go away if they can move the garbage enclosure out of the center to the back where it will be flat, making more room for storage. Mr. Parsons inquired about the use of soaps and runoff from vehicle washing and wanted to know about restrictions for that runoff. Mr. Hoffman stated that if the owners wanted to wash cars on their lot, they would be pre- treating their private basins, which are not restricted. The City recommends that they do ntenance issues with the more materials they flush through there. He thinks they will most likely wash their vehicles off site. He will add a comment for the business that any vehicle maintenance or washing is either done on site or in a designated area to reduce any potential pollutants. Ms. Larkin inquired as to whether the business owners were anticipating any maintenance on the vehicles. Mr. Hoffman confirmed that there will not be a garage service on site for maintenance work. The cars being sold will be primarily new vehicles or vehicles being sold as is. As a part have registration, they will need to be removed from the lot. Ms. Nelson asked if the building would be two stories. Mr. Hoffman confirmed it will be a one-story building. Ms. Nelson noted that it seems like an odd spot for a car lot. Mr. Hoffman explained that the proposed owner has two mixed commercial and private auto sale businesses similar to the one they would like to bring to Lino Lakes. One is APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 7 location. The owner has had this model in various other cities, and it seems to be working Chairman Schwartz asked Mr. Hoffman if he has looked at the examples of these businesses in other communities, and if they are decent lots. and drives by it. He has had nothing but good things to say about it. The building official has said that the business seems like it is well-maintained. Chairman Schwartz brought up the stubbing of a sidewalk. He believes it was a recommendation but did not see that in their recommendation slide. Mr. Hoffman explained that it was a different recommendation slide from the last one that did not get deleted. He confirmed that the pedestrian facilities will be graded so it will be ready for the county project when it comes through. Once the county project comes in with the Marketplace Drive redo that was recently done. Ms. Nelson asked Mr. Hoffman if we could get a path all the way along Lake Drive. Mr. Hoffman stated that it was a goal to get a pedestrian facility along Lake Drive. Ms. Buchmeier asked about the parking spots close to the building entrance and exits. She wanted to know if they are going to stay parking spots or will they be end caps. Mr. Hoffman said that there will still be parking spots adjacent to those, but we require at the entrances that it be a landscaped hard end, so as you come in. He noted that that same will be true for on the drive through the parking lot. Mr. Hoffman noted they just received resubmittal today on the plans and had the -7 additions that they Additionally, Mr. Hoffman noted that the recommendations that are not in the current plan will be covered under the engineering memo as well, which includes the storm water, parking, and some utilities. Ms. Buchmeier inquired whether the board will see these additions and need to approve them moving forward. She wanted to confirm that they would be taken care of. APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 8 Mr. Hoffman confirmed that they will be taken care of. Ms. Nelson asked if the board will see this site plan again. Mr. Hoffman confirmed they will not see the site plan again at future board meetings. The CUP comes once to the board, then it will just be staff recommendations. He goes on to explain that with all developments that come in after the initial review, the site plan will s to ensure that it meets the general provisions that were laid out. The landscape requirements might change slightly, but it will still meet city code. Mr. Hoffman said that he will also take all other recommendations on additional screening and buffering and provide those to the developer. Chairman Schwartz wanted to confirm that the proper number of trees will be planted back on the site to replaces ones that are going to be removed. Mr. Hoffman said that the developers are proposing to go above and beyond planting the number of trees that are required. He believes there are an additional 11 trees being planted above what is required for hardscape in the open space that they have. Ms. Larkin asked if any ornamental or decorative grass or shrubbery would be planted as a part of the landscape plan. Mr. Hoffman said that the developer is providing quite a few decorative grass and/or shrubbery for along the foundation and edge of the parking lots. Ms. Larkin inquired as to what qualifies as a CUP for this property. Mr. Hoffman explained that it is zoned as commercial, but auto sales land under a CUP, so it needs get approved as part of commercial. The auto sales portion requires the CUP. Chairman Schwartz asked if the board want to include those additional 5-7 add-ons as a part of the motion. Mr. Hoffman said that the board can make a motion to approve staff review memorandum as updated after the environmental board meeting. Chairman Schwartz makes a motion to approve based on the recommendations in the staff memorandum, including the eight memorandums that are currently in the plan and the unspoken ones. APPROVED MINUTES Environmental Board September 24, 2025 Page 9 Ms. Holmes seconds the motion. Motion Approves 7 0. Ms. Holmes asked if there has been city engagement with the fiber optic lines going in and Mr. Hoffman said that they have a full-time inspector working on the project. For the most part, the City is trying to get them outside of the boulevard into the utility easement, which is a 10-foot utility easement in most of the neighborhoods. Overall, the fiber optic company is looking at trying to go around trees and avoiding trees where possible. going to have on the tree in the long term. The concern is more for if there are any cracks in the cable and the roots get in there, so the company tries to push them around. 7. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Recycling Update Mr. Hoffman presented the report on the first Building Material Collection Event, along with the monthly Recycling Saturday Event and was available for questions. B. Heron Rookery Event Mr. Hoffman talked about the tree planting event being held on Peltier Island th Rookery on October 10 and was available for questions. 8. ADJOURN Chair Schwartz took a motion to set the agenda. Ms. Buchmeier motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:17 p.m. Ms. Nelson seconded the motion. Motion carried 7-0. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Alderink Office Specialist APPROVED MINUTES