HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12 - AttachmentsPLANNING COMMISSION
DATE: 2/23/15
AGENDA ITEM: 5A – BUSINESS ITEM
CASE # 2015-08
ITEM: Lennar Homes Sketch Plan – Diedrich/Rieder Property
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Klatt, Community Development Director
REVIEWED BY: Nick Johnson, City Planner
Jack Griffin, City Engineer
Stephen Mastey, Landscape Architect
SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED:
The Planning Commission is being asked to review a Sketch Plan for a proposed residential
subdivision within the I-94 Corridor planning area along Lake Elmo Avenue and immediately north
of the Hunters Crossing development. The sketch plan includes 50 single-family residential detached
homes (townhouses) on a total site area of 14.35 acres. Because this is a Sketch Plan review, there is no formal action required by the Planning Commission.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Applicant: Lennar Corporation (Paul Tabone); 16305 36th Avenue North, Suite 600,
Plymouth MN 55446
Property Owners: Tammy Diedrich and Gerhard Rieder, 7401 Wyndham Way, Woodbury, MN 55125
Location: Part of Section 36 in Lake Elmo, north of I-94, east of Lake Elmo Avenue, and
south of the Cimarron Golf Course property. Immediately north of 404 Lake
Elmo Avenue North. PID: 36.029.21.32.0002
Request: Sketch Plan Review
Existing Land Use: Vacant
Existing Zoning: RT – Rural Transitional Zoning
Surrounding Land Use: North – Cimarron Manufactured Home Park and golf course; East –
Trans-City industrial building; West – Rural Residential property and The Forest residential subdivision; South – Hunters Crossing single family residential development; also one existing home site adjacent to
Lake Elmo Avenue.
Surrounding Zoning: MDR – Medium Density Residential, RT – Rural Development Transitional; LDR – Low Density Residential
Comprehensive Plan: Urban Medium Density Residential (2.5 - 4 units per acre)
Proposed Zoning: MDR – Urban Medium Density Residential
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History: No history on file with the City. Site has been vacant or used for agricultural
purposes for a long amount of time.
Deadline for Action: N/A – No action required by City
Applicable Regulations: Article 10 – Urban Residential Districts (MDR)
REQUEST DETAILS
The City of Lake Elmo is in receipt of a Sketch Plan from Lennar Corporation related to a proposed
single-family detached residential subdivision that would be located on property currently owned by
Tammy Diedrich and Gerhard Rieder and located immediately north of the Hunters Crossing subdivision along Lake Elmo Avenue. The applicant is proposing to construct 50 townhouse units as
part of the project, all of which would be accessed via a new connection to the planned 5th Street
minor collector roadway. The site is situated between the Hunters Crossing development and the
Cimarron golf course, and is also bordered the by Trinity Select (Tans-City Investments) industrial building to the east.
The Lake Elmo Subdivision Ordinance specifies that as part of the pre-application process for a new
subdivision, the applicant must first submit a Sketch Plan for review by the Planning Commission.
The Ordinance notes that the purpose of the Sketch Plan review is as follows:
Sketch plan. In order to ensure that all applicants are informed of the procedural requirements and minimum standards of this chapter and the requirements or limitations imposed by other city ordinances or plans, prior to the development of a preliminary plat, the
subdivider shall meet with the Planning Commission and prepare a sketch plan which
explains or illustrates the proposed subdivision and its purpose. The Planning Commission shall accept the information received, but take no formal or informal action which could be construed as approval or denial of the proposed plat.
Based on this wording, the Planning Commission is not being asked to take any formal action as part
of its review other than to accept the information received. Staff has completed an internal review of the Sketch Plan, and general comments from Staff are included in this memorandum and applicable attachment.
BACKGROUND
The proposed Sketch Plan is located within the I-94 Corridor Planning Area and is therefore located
within the one of the City’s sewer service areas. The City’s future land use map guides this site for
Urban Medium Density Residential (MDR) at a density of 4.0 to 7.5 units per acre. This land use designation was changed from the original designation of High Density Residential (HDR) at the request of the property owner a little over a year and a half ago. The City’s amendment to the
Comprehensive Plan also included the Hunters Crossing property to the south, which previously was
designated as MDR. The site is also located adjacent to the planned 5th Street minor collector
roadway, and as such, the developer will need to plat the appropriate right-of-way for 5th Street with the proposed townhouse subdivision. The 5th Street alignment through this area has previously been
decided as part of the development to the south and the proposed concept matches this approved
alignment.
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The proposed subdivision will facilitate the construction 50 single-family attached units, with all of
the planned buildings depicted as side-by-side townhouses. The overall project site includes 14.35
acres, and the resulting gross density calculation of 3.48 units per acre falls slightly below the range
specified in the Comprehensive Plan for the MDR land use designation. The net project density will be calculated once the detailed preliminary plat is submitted, but should bring the site close to the minimum level of 4 units per acre as per the Comprehensive Plan. Using the developer’s site area
calculations after removing the county and 5th Street right-of-way, the net density is estimated at 4.17
units per acre. The project falls under the threshold for a mandatory EAW, and Staff is not aware of
any specific environmental concerns associated with the subject property.
Given the location of the proposed townhouse development, Lennar will need to coordinate with the
developer to the south in order to ensure that 5th Street is designed and built per City specifications.
Ryland Homes (the developer of Hunters Crossing) was allowed to proceed with its final plat under
the condition that it builds at least half of 5th Street with its second addition plans. With Lennar now looking to develop the property on the other side of 5th Street, the road must be completed it its
entirety in order to provide proper access to both developments. Staff is of the understanding that
both parties have discussed 5th Street, and that final plans for the roadway would be completed with
the Lennar project.
Staff has provided comments where appropriate in the following section to identify elements of the plan that will need to be further addressed before a submission of a preliminary plat.
The applicant’s submission to the City includes the following components:
• Sketch Plan. The Sketch Plan includes a proposed configuration of roads, lots, and storm
water facilities on the applicant’s site. All parcels and roads have been designed to confirm
to the City’s standards and ordinances for single-family attached dwellings.
• Townhouse Plans. The developer has provided floor plans and sample photographs of the homes that would be built within this subdivision.
The Staff review comments that follow are all based on conducting a very high level review of the
Sketch Plan since there is not a lot of detailed information that is required at this stage in the
subdivision process. Staff has instead focused on the bigger picture items and those things that would otherwise not allow the development to move forward if they contrasted with elements from
the Comprehensive Plan or the City Code.
STAFF REVIEW COMMENTS:
Staff has reviewed the proposed Sketch Plan and provided comments in the following areas:
• Land Use: The proposed Sketch Plan conforms to the City’s density range specified for the MDR – Medium Density Residential land use category. Townhouses are an expected use within this category, and the proposed site offers a transition from the MDR zoning to the
north and industrual uses to the west. Given the limited size of the parcel, and its location
between other higher intensity land uses, the townhouses are a good use of the property that
will allow the developer to provide an appropriate level of development given the infrastructure necessary to serve this area.
• Lake Elmo Theming Study. As the applicant prepares Preliminary Plans for the proposed
subdivision, staff would recommend that various elements from the Lake Elmo Theming
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Study be included in the proposed plans. As an example, the Hunters Crossing development
to the south is incorporating white fencing along the 5th Street boulevard
• Density: The submitted Sketch Plan includes an estimate of the project area minus County
and 5th Street right-of-way, and the estimated net density calculation of 4.17 units per acre
falls within the allowed range of the Urban Medium Density land use category (4.0 – 7.5 units per acre).
• Zoning. The City has adopted urban development districts, including the Urban Medium
Density Residential (LDR) zoning district. The Sketch Plan has been designed to comply
with the MDR district standards in regards to lot area, setbacks, and other dimensional
standards. The sketch plan does not depict the proposed lot boundaries between individual homes, but in general, the MDR zoning district allows the common areas between units to county towards the minimum lot size and frontage requirements. Staff would recommend
that the City rezone the applicant’s site to MDR at the time of Preliminary Plat approval.
• Buffer Areas. The project is not located in an area that will be subject to required buffering.
Staff is recommending that the applicant provide additional screening and/or buffering from the property to the east, which is planned and used for industrial and business park development.
• Parks and Trails. The City has previously decided to accept a cash payment in lieu of land
dedication for the Hunters Crossing development to the south of sketch plan area. Because
this site is even smaller and more constrained from an access perspective, Staff is
recommending that a payment in lieu of land dedication also be considered on this site. The developer will be required to provide interior sidewalks along the streets, and is also
encouraged to include connections to the planned trail system along 5th Street. Given that the
proposed subdivision is proposed for Urban Medium Density, the parkland dedication
requirement per the City’s Subdivision Ordinance will be 10% of land, fee in lieu of land in the amount of equal market value of 10%, or some combination thereof.
• Streets/Access. As part of the City’s review of Hunters Crossing, the alignment of 5th street
through this area, and its connection point to Lake Elmo Avenue has been reviewed and
approved as part of this development’s construction plans. The proposed access into the
subdivision lines up with the access into Hunters Crossing and meets access spacing requirements from the County road. All portions of the 5th Street right-of-way that are located on the applicant’s property will need to be dedicated with the final plat, and the right-
of-way as depicted on the sketch plan is consistent with the regional plans for the road.
Although the developer of Hunter’s Crossing was allowed to build only the southern half of
5th Street with their project, the entire road will need to be constructed in order to provide proper access into the subject property. Other general review comments from the City
Engineer concerning streets are as follows:
o All residential streets shall be constructed to a 28-foot width from back of curb to
back of curb per the city standard details. Right-of-ways must be a minimum 60 feet.
o Ten (10) foot utility easements are required on both sides of the right-of-way.
o Six (6) foot sidewalks must be provided along all continuous residential streets and
along other streets as may be required for connectivity.
o All street intersections must be at 90 degrees and maintain 100 feet of tangent with maximum slopes of 2% for first 100 feet.
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o Residential maximum longitudinal grade is 8% with no sidewalks, 6% where there
are sidewalks.
o Minimum diameter cul-de-sac is 90 feet with 120-foot right-of-way.
• Utilities. Public water service has been extended to the Site as part of the City’s 2014 Lake Elmo Avenue water main project. Sanitary sewer service is also available within the 5th Street right-of-way as part of an earlier project. The preliminary plans will need to include
detailed utility construction plans that meet City engineering standards.
• Storm Water Management. The proposed development area resides within the Valley
Branch Watershed District (VBWD). City staff recommends early planning/coordination
meetings with VBWD. The design of the storm water management systems must be compliant with the requirements of the VBWD, the City of Lake Elmo Storm Water Management Ordinance, and the City of Lake Elmo design standards manual. The applicant
is advised to fully read and comprehend the City’s storm water and erosion control ordinance
since these standards are different, and in some cases more stringent, than the watershed
district. The storm water facilities must be platted as Outlots and deeded to the City for maintenance purposes. The storm water ponds will not be allowed to encroach on to adjacent
private lots.
• Grading. Based upon the existing conditions of the site, the residential subdivision will
require substantial grading activity. All grading activities shall meet the approval of the City
Engineer.
• Landscaping. The applicant has not provided any details concerning landscaping for the site, which must be submitted at the time of Preliminary Plat submission. The City’s landscape
architecture consultant has conducted an initial review of the sketch plan and has noted that
there are a substantial number of existing trees on the property, and that the project will be
subject to the City’s tree protection and replacement ordinance. He also indicated that that the spacing and layout of the townhouses will not leave a lot of room within the boulevard
for street trees. In place of the City’s standard 50 foot tree spacing, the developer may need
to consider grouping tree planting between townhouse units in order to provide a comparable
number of trees within the boulevard or make modifications to the development plans in order to account for these trees.
• Environmental Review. The proposed development under the Sketch Plan does not trigger a mandatory environmental review.
• City Engineer Review. The City Engineer’s review comments are found as part of the
attachments to this report. The Engineer did note that the storm water management plan
would need to be consistent with City and Valley Branch Watershed District standards.
• Subdivision Review Process. In order to proceed with the subdivision of the land included in the Sketch Plan, the applicant will need to next prepare a Preliminary Plat application. At the
Preliminary Plat stage, there is much more information required as part of the submission
process, which also requires a public hearing. Lennar Corporation has indicated that it would
like to proceed with the submission of a Preliminary Plat application in the spring of 2015.
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RECCOMENDATION:
Staff is recommending that the Planning Commission accept the Sketch Plan provided by Lennar
Corporation for a 50 unit single family attached residential development that would be located within
the I-94 Corridor Planning Area.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Application Forms
2. Location Map
3. Townhouse Plans and Photo Examples
4. City Engineer Review Memorandum 2/17/15 5. Landscape Architect Review Memorandum 2/18/15
6. Lennar Townhouse Sketch Plan
ORDER OF BUSINESS:
- Introduction ....................................................... Community Development Director
- Report by Staff ..................................................................................... City Planner
- Questions from the Commission ............................ Chair & Commission Members
- Discussion by the Commission .............................. Chair & Commission Members
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The Forest
LanducciProperty
CimarronPark
Lake Elmo Ave")17
Hudson Blvd N3rd St Pl N
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping,Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community
Data Scource: Washington County, MN10-22-2013
Location Map: Diedrich Property (PIN: 36.029.21.32.0002)
K05001,000250 Feet
1"=500'
§¨¦94
Diedrich Property
PAGE 1 of 2
MEMORANDUM
Date: February 17, 2015
To: Kyle Klatt, Planning Director Re: Diedrich Property – PUD Concept Plan Review
From: Jack Griffin, P.E., City Engineer
An brief engineering review has been completed for the Diedrich Property PUD Concept Plan. The submittal
consisted of a one page 11 x 17 concept plan prepared by Pioneer Engineering, dated February 6, 2015.
We have the following review comments:
All public improvements constructed to support the development must be designed and constructed in
accordance with the City Engineering Design Standards Manual available on the City website.
MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY
Municipal water service is readily available within the 5th Street R/W located adjacent to the plat.
The applicant is responsible to extend municipal water into the development to serve the proposed
properties. Two connection points to the existing City system will be required and a looped watermain
network must be constructed.
No trunk watermain oversizing is anticipated for this development.
MUNICIPAL SANITARY SEWER
Municipal sanitary sewer service is readily available within the 5th Street R/W located adjacent to the plat.
The applicant is responsible to extend the municipal sanitary sewer to the development to serve the
proposed properties.
No trunk sewer oversizing is anticipated. The area can be served without a lift station.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
The site plan is subject to a storm water management plan meeting State, VBWD and City rules and
regulations.
Storm water facilities proposed as part of the site plan to meet State and VBWD permitting requirements
must be constructed in accordance with the City Engineering Design Standards Manual available on the
City website.
The general drainage system should mimic the natural topography of the site in order to ensure a
drainage system that provides positive storm water drainage across the development. Overland
emergency overflows or outlets will be required as part of the site plan.
The ultimate discharge rate and location will be an important consideration to avoid negative impacts to
downstream properties. The storm water management plan will need to address changes to the
downstream drainage system to the extent alterations are proposed. To the extent adjacent properties
FOCUS ENGINEERING, inc.
Cara Geheren, P.E. 651.300.4261
Jack Griffin, P.E. 651.300.4264
Ryan Stempski, P.E. 651.300.4267
Chad Isakson, P.E. 651.300.4283
PAGE 2 of 2
are impacted, written permission from those properties must be submitted as part of the development
applications.
Per City requirements, all storm water facilities, including infiltration basins, must be placed in Outlots
deeded to the City for maintenance purposes. The Stormwater Facility Outlots must fully incorporate the
100‐year HWL, 10 foot maintenance bench and all maintenance access roads. It is unclear from the
concept plan if the proposed ponding and infiltration is on Outlots that will be dedicated to the City.
The storm sewer system shall be designed to maintain the City standard minimum pipe cover of 3.5 feet.
Drain tile is required as part of the City standard street section at all localized low points in the street.
Drain tile considerations may impact the storm sewer design and depth requirements at low points.
Per City requirements all storm sewer pipe easements must be a minimum 30‐feet in width.
TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS
Access to the development must be from 5th Street as shown, directly across from the Hunters Crossing
access roadway.
The applicant will be responsible to construct the north half of 5th Street from CSAH 17 to the east plat
edge of the Hunters Crossing development. This improvement must be completed at the developer’s cost.
The plat must dedicate the existing 5th Street roadway easement as City R/W. The plan indicates the
minimum 100 foot R/W as required.
The proposed 2‐lane collector parkway street (5th Street) design and geometrics must meet all Municipal
State Aid design standards for urban streets (8820.9936) for ADT > 10,000; 40 mph design speed; and
must be consistent with the detailed parkway cross section installed throughout the remaining corridor
segments and as outlined in the 5th Street Collector Design Guidelines as prepared by City staff.
Right and left turn lanes must be incorporated along 5th Street North per the City design standards to
maintain mobility along the Parkway since there is only one travel lane in each direction.
Additional streetscape amenities are required along 5th Street consistent with the remaining corridor
segments. 5th Street Amenities include a north side off‐road bituminous trail, minimum 10 foot width
with 5 foot clear zone; a south side concrete sidewalk, minimum 6 foot width with 2 foot clear zone;
landscaping elements including a center landscape median; and theming elements including street and
ornamental lighting, banner poles at primary gateway intersections, and white post & rail fencing.
The applicant will also be partially responsible for the improvements required by Washington County at
the intersection of 5th Street and CSAH 17.
RESIDENTIAL STREETS
All streets must be designed to meet the City’s Engineering Design Standards including R/W width, street
width and cul‐de‐sac radii. Surmountable concrete curb and gutter shall be installed in single family
residential areas with future driveways and B618 curb installed along entrance roadways. All street
intersections must be at 90 degrees and maintain 100 feet of tangent with maximum slopes of 2% for first
100 feet. Residential maximum longitudinal grade is 8% with no sidewalks, 6% where there are sidewalks.
Six (6) foot sidewalks must be provided along all residential streets and as may be required for
connectivity.
Ten (10) foot utility easements are required on either side of all right‐of‐ways.
2350 BAYLESS PLACE• ST. PAUL, MN • 55114
PHONE: 651.646.1020 • EMAIL: STEPHEN@LAN D ARCINC.COM
DIEDRICH PROPERTY – DESIGN REVIEW REPORT
LAKE ELMO, MN
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN REVIEW DATED FEBRUARY 18H, 2015 REVIEWED CONCEPT PLAN SET DATED FEBRUARY 6TH, 2015 Required Action Items by DEIDRICH PROPERTY Project Team 1. Correctly label Lake Elmo Avenue North on the western edge of the property. Currently it is labeled Lake Elmo Boulevard. 2. Since this preliminary site plan doesn’t address plantings within this set of plans we are excited to look at the next generation of plan development set which will have that level of specification for our review. 3. We request more information as it relates to the tree preservation plan. 4. Your site layout design should be working with and incorporating natural features of the site especially the existing vegetation. 5. Please provide an analysis of street tree plantings in relationship to proposed residential utility connections and proposed driveways with appropriate setbacks from both utility service connections and driveways. It appears that once this exercise is completed with the current lot widths and proposed home locations there will be little or no room for proposed street trees as currently represented. Therefore, an adjustment of the lot widths and or reducing the number of proposed housing units may need to take place to facilitate the incorporation of the required trees in the streetscape corridor. A minimum of one (1) tree shall be planted for every fifty (50) feet of street frontage. 6. At all property boundaries please provide design sections for all landscape screening suggested representing all typical planting arrangements with species specified and represented to scale at time of installation. When planting berms please consider planting side slopes verses simply planting the top. Plants are much happier when not placed on the highest, driest and windiest part of the berm. 7. Please provide design drawings for development sign, theme & gateway experiences.
SINCERELY,
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, INC.
STEPHEN MASTEY, ASLA, CLARB, LEED AP BD+C
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN