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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/27/2005 P&Z Minutes CITY OF LINO LAKES PLANNING & ZONING BOARD MINUTES DATE : September 27, 2005 TIME STARTED : 6:30 P.M. TIME ENDED : 7:45 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT : Hyden, Nelson, Pogalz, Rafferty, Root, and Tralle. MEMBERS ABSENT : Laden. STAFF PRESENT : City Planner Jeff Smyser; Community Development Director Grochala; City Planner Paul Bengtson I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Rafferty called the Lino Lakes Planning and Zoning Board meeting to order at 6:36 p.m., September 27, 2005. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Rafferty requested additions or deletions to this evening’s agenda. Hearing none, the agenda was approved as submitted III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. September 14, 2005 Approval of the September 14, 2005 minutes was postponed to the October 12, 2005 meeting. IV. OPEN MIKE Chair Rafferty declared Open Mike open at 6:37 p.m. Corrine Mitsch, 737 Deer Pass Drive, stated she has been to several meetings and has seen pictures of the Village homes, but no one is addressing the streets. She indicated she wants to know what is happening on 20 th Avenue. Chair Rafferty indicated that is part of the Hardwood Creek development, and will be addressed during that presentation. No one else was present for Open Mike. APPROVED MINUTES Planning & Zoning Board September 27, 2005 Page 2 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Root made a MOTION to close Open Mike at 6:39 p.m., and was supported by Mr. Hyden. Motion carried 6-0. V. ACTION ITEMS A. CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING, (Comp rehensive Plan Amendment for Village of Hardwood Creek) Chair Rafferty declared the public hearing opened at 6:40 p.m. Staff presented the application by Village of Hardwood Creek, LLC, noting that a comprehensive plan amendment requires a formal vote, however the application also includes a general concept plan for a planned unit development, which is informal and does not require a vote. Staff noted that three parts of the plan amendment relate directly to the application: changing the land use, adding MUSA, and addressing the growth management issues. Because the comprehensive plan is a city-wid e document, the City needs to ensure that amendments to the document support future planning needs. Staff reviewed the changes that would be needed to the Comprehensive Plan, presented their analysis, and recommended approval. Chair Rafferty, referring to the 35E interchange, asked if there was only one clover being planned, which is to go south on 35E. Mr. Smyser indicated that is correct, noting the clover would accommodate new development in Hugo. He stated the left turn at the interchange to go south is really the problem movement. Chair Rafferty questioned why a clover would not be installed going north. Mr. Smyser stated that most traffic is to and from the south, however Staff can look at this in more detail. He noted that Anoka County is also working on this intersection. Mr. Smyser advised that last night the City Council approved sending the AUAR out for the required comment period. Mr. Nelson asked what the next steps would be, wondering if the Metropolitan Council has to approve the comprehensive plan amendment after the City Council approves it. Mr. Smyser stated that the Metropolitan Council would have to approve the comprehensive plan amendment if the Planning Commission was to recommend approval and the City Council was to approve it. Mr. Hyden asked if his understanding was correct and they would need 370 more acres of MUSA for this project, and questioned the likelihood that the Metropolitan Council would grant that amount to Lino Lakes. Mr. Smyser stated he does not anticipate a problem. He noted it is actually the City that has held back on growth in Lino Lakes, not the Metropolitan Council. Planning & Zoning Board September 27, 2005 Page 3 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Hyden asked if the 90 acres of MUSA that is currently available be part of the 370, or will they be requesting 370 additional acres. Mr. Smyser stated Staff debated how to handle this, but because of the growth management plan and how they allocate MUSA, they decided they would require 370 acres and not use the reserve. Mr. Tralle asked how far north the sewer line will extend up 20 th Avenue, wondering if it would get to Eaglebrook. Mr. Smyser indi cated the plan for sewer would bring it up through the site, not up 20 th Avenue. He showed the proposed path of the trunk through the property. He noted that because of capacity constraints, some of eastern Lino Lakes would be serviced from a second line that goes under the freeway. He stated that is a number of years off, but they have to plan the area that way. Mr. Tralle asked if south of the site, where the trunk line exists now, if that is Centerville. Mr. Smyser stated it is. Chair Rafferty asked if the trunk line comes short of Jason’s Bobby and Steve’s Auto World. Mr. Smyser indicated they are on the existing trunk line. Mr. Root indicated that planning such a large area is the right way to approach this, and they will end up with a better project. He stated that the concept plan, with a variety of housing options and a commercial area is in his opinion the right way to go. He indicated that currently the area is light industrial and industrial uses, and asked if they are jeopardizing industrial coming into the city by doing this project. Mr. Smyser stated that 290 acres are currently guided industrial in this parcel, and overall there are 1072 acres of open industrial land in the City. He indicated that at the current rates of development it would take over 100 years for all that land to develop. He stated that taking out this chunk of land is not hurting Lino Lake’s chances of developing industrial property. Mr. Root stated that even if they looked at the east side of 35E as they are now looking at the west side, it appears they would have enough industrial areas to last quite awhile. He indicated that it is good that this is an immediate use, providing a combination of commercial and residential that will add to the tax base. Mr. Smyser stated that is correct. Chair Rafferty opened the public hearing at 7:17 p.m. Rod Ensland, 1967 73 rd Street, resident of Centerville, stated his road connects east/west into Lino Lakes’ main road. He indicated his difficulties involve mostly Mn/Dot, and inter-connecting roadways into Hugo and Centerville. He stated the major problem right now is concrete dividing units that are supposed to extend from 20 th Avenue east to 21 st Avenue. He indicated these dividers are a major headache for traffic and businesses on 20 th Avenue. Mr. Ensland stated a major concern he sees in developing is that there is subservient drainage problems. He indicated you can hit water 4 ½ feet below grade. He noted he Planning & Zoning Board September 27, 2005 Page 4 APPROVED MINUTES mentions this for the Planning Commission’s general information. He commented on problems with the storm sewer versus gradient sewer, noting they may have to rise to Metropolitan Council levels, and it should be part of the review. He stated there is a limit to the amount of final sewer that St. Paul will take, and asked if he could have a copy of the growth management plan for the city. Chair Rafferty advised Mr. Ensland to cont act Staff to obtain a copy of the growth management plan. Mr. Ensland stated he looked at the preliminary drawings, noting he is a retired architect and has master planned medical facilities. He indicated his concern on the present site would be having high-density housing fronting on 20 th Avenue. He stated the adjoining properties are single-family, and the rear of the high-density area would be a barrier to the current homes. Chair Rafferty indicated that this is only a concept plan, and they have a way to go on planning. Mr. Ensland stated that as things progress he thinks the main concerns will be environmental, and maybe noise. Mr. Nelson made a MOTION to close the public hearing at 7:25 p.m., and was supported by Mr. Pogalz. Motion carried 6-0. Mr. Smyser noted that the developer is here and would like to address the Board, but to address Mr. Ensland’s concerns, the connections with Hugo, Centerville and 20 th Avenue, and all roadways, are extremely important issues and was one of the main concerns Staff had in doing the AUAR. He indicated the interchange is intricately connected with CR14 improvements, and all of the roads need to be looked at together. He stated that once they get a development plan, how much of the development is built at a time will depend on the road plan. He indicated traffic issues are also part of that study. Mr. Smyser advised that the ground water levels and sanitary sewer depth needs are also something they are aware of, and Staff and the developer will be reviewing the plans. He stated that as to sewer capacity, Lino Lakes’ flow goes to the Pig’s Eye plant in St. Paul. He indicated they have conferred with the Metropolitan Council on capacity, and if they were not comfortable with the amount of sewer they would not have agreed to put in the second interceptor to service the eastern part of the city. Mr. Smyser stated that to address multi-family homes on 20 th Avenue, there is a multi- family development on 20 th Avenue in Centerville. He indicated the developer is aware that they do not want a bland wall for the neighboring homes to look at. He commented that he thinks they will be quite impressed with the structures. He stated that noise and air quality are always issues, but they did study them as part of the AUAR. He indicated that air quality is not a problem, but noise is something they will have to be aware of as they move forward. Planning & Zoning Board September 27, 2005 Page 5 APPROVED MINUTES Greg Hayes, Vice President of Shingobee Builders, complimented the City on the overall AUAR. He stated it creates a guide plan for them to follow, and takes in a lot of conditions on air quality, noise, and traffic that they can use as a tool for planning as they move forward. He indicated that in the AUAR they had submitted a much higher density, and the concept plan has come down from that. He stated the number of housing units was at 1500 in the AUAR, and they are now at 1250, and the commercial square footage was at 650,000 and is now at 550,000. Chair Rafferty noted there are still several steps that need to be gone through with different agencies, but asked if based on what those agencies have been given, there is general agreement with the general idea at this point. Mr. Hayes stated there is, but concurred there are many steps to still go through. Mr. Tralle stated that at the last meeting they approved a hotel, and there is possibly a second hotel on the horizon, and asked if there is a hotel component in this plan. Mr. Hayes indicated they do not have that concept in their mix, but the zoning would allow one. He stated he does not foresee a hotel in the plan right now. Barb Bor, 7707 20 th Avenue North, asked how many acres are dedicated to park, trail and open space in the conceptual plan. She also wondered about designs, in terms of affordable housing, and what the mix of housing will be. She stated she believes there is more detail to the plan, but she has not seen that detail. Chair Rafferty indicated that the applicant can probably answer the park question, but as to design and affordable housing, he does not believe they are far enough through the process for that, and does not want there to be any misconceptions formed. Mr. Hayes stated there are approximately 85 acres in green space, open space, and park. He noted there is one large park on the west side that is five acres, and are several neighborhood parks. He indicated the green space does not include backyards, boulevards, etc. He stated about 27% of the site is open space and that percentage would increase if you included all the backyards and the like. Chair Rafferty reiterated that the importance of the design process is there, but he does not think the detail is there yet, and he does not want the discussion to go too far that way at this time. He noted the case before the Planning Commission is a Comprehensive Plan Amendment recommendation for the City Council, not the concept plan. Mr. Smyser stated Staff did calculate the site, and it works out to 4.5 units per acre. He indicated in the single-family home areas it will be less than that, and in the higher- density areas it would be more, but overall it is 4.5 units per acre. Mr. Hayes stated this has been a good process, but they have a long way to go. Mr. Pogalz asked in a perfect world, when the applicant sees the project starting. Mr. Hayes indicated they hope sometime in 2006. He stated there will be a lot of work on grading, utilities and roadwork, but they are hoping that some housing can be constructed late in 2006. Planning & Zoning Board September 27, 2005 Page 6 APPROVED MINUTES Mr. Smyser suggested that the Planning Commission make a motion on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment, and then if there are additional comments on the concept plan those can be expressed. Mr. Pogalz made a MOTION to approve the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Village of Hardwood Creek, LLC, and was supported by Mr. Tralle. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Rafferty asked if there is anything the Board sees that they believe is important to address in a positive or negative way in development as currently shown. There were no additional comments. Chair Rafferty thanked everyone for their input on this case. Community Development Director Michael Grochala noted that for the audience, what this means as it stands tonight is that if the City Council approves the Comprehensive Plan Amendment as the Planning Commission has recommended, it would then go to the Metropolitan Council for review. He stated they have a timeline of 60 days, so it would come back sometime in December. He advised that at that point a request for rezoning of the site would come before the Planning Commission, and with that they would look at a detailed traffic analysis, street plan, size, widt h, etc. He stated when they do a site plan they will look at housing styles, overall placement and the open space plan, as well as where the trails are going. He indicated they get deep into the detail through that process, and there is another round of public hearings at that time, and a lot more opportunity for input as they work through the process. Mr. Grochala stated that most importantly, the entire area would be reviewed against the AUAR. He indicated stormwater management , air quality, noise levels, etc. will be looked at through that process. He encouraged those interested to keep their eyes and ears open for the notices because there will be more opportunities for input along the way. VI. DISCUSSION ITEMS There were none. VII. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Nelson made a MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m., and was supported by Mr. Hyden. Motion carried 6-0. Respectfully submitted, Karen Bucklen, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc .