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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-23-2005 PCMCITY OF LAKE ELMO 3800 LAVERNE AVE LAKE ELMO, MN 55042 Phone: (651) 777-5510 Fax: 777-9615 Www.LakeEtmv.Orq Lake Elmo Planning Commission MEETING NOTICE Wednesday, February 23, 2005, 7:00 p.m. *4344 1,4441.64 .4.*444?,fr§44$ *..41-4”N?Sk '46 *v4* + 4444440*4 #4+$ In Council Chambers Lake Elmo City Hall 3800 Laverne Ave. N. Lake Elmo, MN 55042 44444144'4,044 **a:}4pd,,-uga4#fi%=00*04-# -4.444+4& 441i$' r{sueG AGEN.DA 1. Pledge of Allegiance 2. Agenda 3. Comprehensive Plan Modifications: Policy 4. Adjourn APPROVED: 03/14/05 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 Chairman Helwig called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Sessing, Sedro, Schneider, Armstrong, Roth, Ptacek (and Deziel 7:17 p.m.) STAFF PRESENT: Planner Dillerud, Administrator Rafferty, and Recording Secretary Schaffel. Pledge of Allegiance Agenda M/S/P, Sessing/Armstrong, To accept the Agenda as presented. VOTE: 7:0. Comprehensive Plan Modifications: Policy The Planner eliminated the two -page City -Wide Planning Policy and replaced it with a five -page document. He distributed two more handouts. He said the Policy section is not extensive, and the Old Village Policy was shortened from nine pages to two. As the Planner constructed modifications to the Planning Policy, he said he used the directives from the City Council and the Metropolitan Council as resources. He reviewed the documents with the commission. The Planner said a staging plan will be necessary in order for infrastructure to keep up with development and to keep costs manageable. The Planner said the NCR land use classification will need to be created to define areas that are currently non -conforming as to area. The Planner explained that the land use classification named URD converts from the classification named FUD to become developable once sewer is available. Those lands go from not more than to not less than three units per acre. The time limit of 180 days means development cannot get ahead of sewer. Commissioner Armstrong said URD should say an average density of 3 dwelling units per gross acre. Commissioner Sedro suggested using a range for maximum densities. She said we should return to that area of policy after we do a land use plan. Chairman Helwig said to change disabilities to challenged. Commissioner Roth said he would like to come back to the policy after the land use plan is developed in order to tweak it. Commissioner Ptacek suggested moving the word rejects from the non-residential second paragraph. He suggested saying, "Does not agree with the concept that the traffic counts..." Commissioner Schneider asked if the portion about businesses specific for our community Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 1 APPROVED: 03/14/05 should be changed somewhat. The Planner said he specifically did not specify retail, because chasing tax base is not that attractive. We might want to see something more aesthetically appealing that does not promote more off -the -freeway traffic. Every retail facility on the freeway is one less in the Old Village. Why detract from the centerpiece of our community? He said that with the heavy concentration of population down by the freeway, we may be creating excessive trips to get to the necessities of life. Commissioner Roth said he lives south of 10th Street, and he finds plenty of retail. Commissioner Ptacek said that part of his thought process is big box development south of 10th Street will not satisfy the number of REC units as well as a good quality office building will. Commissioner Deziel asked about the NCR district and if we are we looking at some of those neighborhoods. The Planner said we are addressing several 'old plat' neighborhoods with densities greater than one unit per acre in the Land Use Plan. Commissioner Deziel asked if we should leave the definition of NCR so we don't have to amend it. Commissioner Ptacek suggested the commission look at numbers, then land use, then come back to look at how to fit it into the language. The Planner said it could be worded such, "In NCR classification, density in these areas shall be limited to a maximum of what exists in those neighborhoods today." The Planner said that Page 4 addresses specific policy areas. The new statement is most different in terms of housing. Commissioner Ptacek suggested using language like in PUDs- clearly responsive to those residents in age -limited areas. Commissioner Armstrong said number four should change from Adoption to Support. The Planner said the commission should be concerned with the preservation of our existing housing supply. He said it might be worth considering systematically adopting and enforcing codes preserving character of neighborhoods. The Planner said that age -restricted housing south of 10th Street addresses a population component and concentration in an area that currently has no retail services. Chairman Helwig pointed out that transport companies accommodate people that cannot get around alone. Commissioner Deziel said he would expect a coffee shop and other neighborhood businesses should be allowed in that area. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 2 APPROVED: 03/14/05 The Planner said 500 residents could support that sort of business. He said the city could demand it be built within the project. Commissioner Ptacek said if we allow some businesses, the code should have qualifiers that we cannot have a surf and skateboard shop, only goods and services directly related to the needs of those age -restricted and/or senior residents. Commissioner Schneider said we need to clarify the text and say the city is not putting money into senior or age -restricted housing. It is not subsidized housing. Commissioner Armstrong said he had looked at Woodbury's Land Use Plan, and he said they address those affordable/senior housing issues through a density bonus program. The commission could take out land use and zoning and replace it with support for expanded opportunities, enhanced dwelling unit densities, or density bonuses. The Planner said the city can just support the opportunities without saying how we will do it. Commissioner Armstrong said the less specific we create the text, the better we will be in the long run.. Commissioner Deziel said he would prefer a little bit more of a commitment on the housing policy south of 10th Street. Commissioner Armstrong said that what is different is this is only concentrated within the regional wastewater treatment area. Commissioner Ptacek said the statement regarding "State Highway 5 through the Old Village" seems diluted. In the issue of safety we could be more specific, and we can eliminate, "Safety and other issues presented by Highway 5," on the last sentence. Commissioner Deziel said that statement puts too much focus on the presence of the highway and not enough focus on the solutions. The Planner suggested that instead of "Presence" say "Issues caused by Highway 5." The Planner said the Old Village and south of 10th Street will be addressed differently than ever before. He advised that he has created a new policy section called the "I-94 Freeway Corridor Planning Policy." He said there is nothing like this in the previous Comp Plan. Commissioner Ptacek noted a problem in an adjoining city where an assessment of $20K on an $80K home assessed the homeowner out of existence. The Planner said the bottom line must be that if the city has to charge intervening homeowners to make the project feasible, the city is not going to do the extension. Chairman Armstrong said we should make a statement that those benefited by the sewer will pay for it. Administrator Rafferty said that statement is in the Assessment Policy the city has now. He said Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 3 APPROVED: 03/14/05 staff will review that policy now that the city will be dealing with sewer. Commissioner Armstrong said the language must state that properties that request or demand sewer will pay for it, and the city is not going to assess those intervening homeowners. The Planner said he will add another paragraph to cover that. Commissioner Roth suggested changing, the utility request policy from, "Majority of neighborhoods should not result in," to, "Two-thirds majority." Commissioner Deziel noted that if only one-half of neighbors in a development wanted (and needed) sewer the city could have a problem. Commissioner Sessing said safety issues and necessity could drive the need for sewer in existing neighborhoods in most cases. Commissioner Armstrong reminded the commission that a statute of the Met Council says any homeowner can be forced to hook up to sewer. Administrator Rafferty said Lake Elmo's MOU specifically deals with densities greater than three per acre are eligible for sewer. The Planner said the Staging Plan will have to become part of the Comprehensive Plan. He said the Planning Commission will deal with the exact formula two meetings from tonight. Commissioner Deziel said we should always say, "An AVERAGE gross density." Commissioner Armstrong said the city is restricted from setting prices on houses. The Planner said that age limited or senior housing south of 10th Street has to be freestanding and self-sustaining because it will not have a big group of goods and services around it. Commissioner Sessing suggested the word, "Complimentary." In Number 3, it should say "40 employees per acre," not 10. Chairman Helwig said No. 2 should change to read , "One unit per 20 acres," not ten. Commissioner Sedro asked how we arrived at 3,700 RECS in No. 4. The Planner said if we begin with 6,600, subtract 1,300 non-residential, subtract 500 for Cimarron, subtract 100 in Eagle Point, and subtract 1,000 for the Old Village, we arrive at 3,700 RECs. Commissioner Roth said we do not want to build ourselves into a corner south of 10th Street in later years if new development fails to achieve enough RECs. He said we might want to remove the number of RECs planned for south of 10th Street from the Policy. The Planner said that is part of the Planning Policy that must be done now. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 4 APPROVE: 03/14/05 Commissioner Roth said there is no reason we cannot take RECs north of 10th Street. He said we should build what makes sense, and not force 3,700 RECs below 10`h Street if they won't fit sensibly. Administrator Rafferty said that is what we have to plan for now based upon our agreement with the Metropolitan Council. Chairman Helwig asked the Planner to review if the Vision Statement to determine if it needs to be changed. The Planner distributed two handouts for the Old Village. He said Old Village Planning Policy would be another heading like Transportation, I-94, etc. The language already exists. The commission suggested removing capitalization from Rural Center in the opening paragraph. Commissioner Deziel said we may wish to address dropping wastewater treatment for the Old Village Plan because we now have regional sewer planned. The Planner said that after the regular meeting on Monday, the commission will review the changes made tonight. He would like to see this document ready to be submitted to the City Council after Monday's meeting. Adjourned at 8:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kimberly Schaffel Recording Secretary Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2005 5