Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout4. c. Comp Plan Amend.1 STAFF REPORT DATE: 05/11/2020 REGULAR ITEM #: TO: Planning Commission FROM: Ken Roberts, Planning Director AGENDA ITEM: Comprehensive Plan Amendments – MUSA Boundary Change, Update to City’s Wastewater Facilities and Land Use Plans – City-Owned Property (County Road 14 and Ideal Avenue) Sanitary Sewer Service Area Extension and Re-guidance to BP (Business Park) REVIEWED BY: Ben Prchal, City Planner Jack Griffin, City Engineer BACKGROUND: On February 11, 2020, the City Council reviewed and discussed three concept plans and potential land uses for the 180 acres of city-owned property located at County Road 14 and Ideal Avenue. This is land the City received from 3M in 2019 as part of the legal settlement. From this review and discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council that: o The area south of County Road 14 (old Highway 5) be planned for Business Park/Warehouse land uses. o The area north of County Road 14 should have a variety of land uses and that Concept A was the plan that came closest at this point in the planning process to accurately reflect those potential land uses. While reviewing Concept Plan A, the Council discussed the proposed location of the ball fields, the potential City Hall site, the access road from Ideal Avenue, the inclusion of low-density housing and the need for storm water ponding in that area. o The City should reach-out to nearby property owners to give them the opportunity to provide their comments and input about the land uses for the area north of County Road 14. In response to that directive, staff sent public meeting notices to 70 nearby property owners (those to the north and east) about the land use planning for the area and inviting them to the March 9, 2020 Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission reviewed these items during their meeting on March 9, 2020. The Commission took comments from nearby property owners about Concept A and discussed the land uses they thought would best fit in this part of Lake Elmo. The direction of the City Council to City staff is for the City to amend the Comprehensive Plan for the area south of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue (approximately 65 acres) from RAD (Rural Area Development) to BP (business park) to accommodate a possible office warehouse development similar to what is shown on Concept Plan A. (Please see the attached maps showing this area). The goal of the City Council is to get as much of this property on the tax rolls with development in a style or form similar to the office-warehouse plan shown on Concept A. 2 These properties in Lake Elmo do not currently have access to municipal sanitary sewer and all existing developed parcels in the area are now served by on-site sanitary sewer (septic) systems. The Concept Plans being considered by the City are likely only achievable if the land areas are served by municipal sanitary sewer that will allow for the intended development use and densities. To serve this area with municipal sanitary sewer to support this type of development, the City will need to develop a plan for extending sanitary sewer service to the property. Once the sewer plan is known, the City will need to amend the MUSA (Metropolitan Urban Service Area) boundary and associated maps and tables in the Wastewater Services Chapter (Chapter 9) of the Comprehensive Plan. These land use and sewer plan changes, however, require City Council and Metropolitan Council approval of several changes to the recently adopted 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The changes are required because this part of Lake Elmo is not included in the MUSA nor had the City included this area in the Wastewater calculations in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The proposed comprehensive plan amendments require a 4/5th affirmative vote by the City Council and approval by the Metropolitan Council. (Please see the attached maps and tables for more information about the proposed changes). ISSUE BEFORE PLANNING COMMISSION: Should the City amend the land use plan to BP and change the MUSA Boundary and other relevant sections and elements of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the 65 acres of City-owned property located south of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: Comprehensive Plan Amendments Amendment to Land Use Plan. The direction of the City Council was for the City to re-guide (change the land use designation) of the aforementioned City-owned property south of County Road 14 from RAD (rural area development) to BP (business park). This is because the RAD land use designation is for areas not in the MUSA while the 2040 Comprehensive Plan identifies BP as “providing for a wide variety of professional businesses such as medical and research facilities, offices and corporate headquarters. Retail sales of goods and services are allowable uses by conditional use permit provided such uses are goods and services for employees of the permitted business use. This land use designation excludes any residential use.” Such a land use plan change is necessary to accommodate an office warehouse development as shown on the concept plans for the area south of County Road 14. The area to west of the site across Ideal Avenue in Oakdale includes a Target Store and residential properties south of the existing railroad tracks. Amendment to the MUSA Boundary. The MUSA Boundaries for the sanitary sewer service areas in the City of Lake Elmo are depicted on the maps on Pages 3-11 (Map 3-2), 3-17 (Map 3-3), 3-24 (Map 3-7) and 9-5 (Map 9-1) of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. (Please see the attached maps.) The City-owned property known as the former 3M property located at the intersection of County Road 14 and Ideal Avenue is not now included in the MUSA in the City. As noted above, the City needs to change the MUSA boundary on all relevant maps in the Comprehensive Plan to include the City-owned property as part of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment in order for it to be eligible to have municipal the sanitary sewer to serve it when it develops. Amendment to Wastewater Services and Facilities Plan. The City also will need to amend the Wastewater Services and Facilities Plan in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to accommodate sewered-development on this site. The City has not studied in any detail the feasibility or methods to serve this property with sanitary sewer. As part of a sanitary sewer feasibility study, staff would need to review the sewering options that may be available to extend sanitary sewer service for the 65 acres (and possibly other properties). Such a study would need to determine how to serve the area with sanitary sewer and if the sanitary system can accommodate these additional properties on the system. 3 As part of the amendment process, the City will need to amend several tables in the existing Comprehensive Plan to show the additional properties connected to the sanitary sewer system. They include Table 3-2 (Page 3-16), Table 3-5 (page 3-22), Table 3-6 (Page 3-25), Table 9-2 (page 9-8), Tables 9-3 and 9-4 (on page 9-9) and Table 9-5 (on page 9-10). The City cannot finalize any of the necessary amendments to these tables until more study and analysis of the sanitary sewer system and of the potential development and land uses is completed. The purpose for including these maps and tables with this report is to show the Planning Commission and City Council all the pages and elements of the Comprehensive Plan that need changing if the requested land use plan change for the 65 acres of City-owned land is to go forward. All these changes and updates will need to be finalized and approved by the City Council before the City may submit the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment to the Metropolitan Council. The decision to change or amend the Comprehensive Plan is a policy matter for the Planning Commission to make a recommendation on to the City Council. The City should base any change to the Comprehensive Plan on findings and criteria to show that the change would be consistent with the goals and policies of the City. Such criteria may include that proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment would be consistent with the spirit and intent of the Comprehensive Plan and it would be beneficial to existing and future residents by providing another location for commercial or business park development on a site with access on an arterial roadway. Zoning Map Amendment. If the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment is approved, the City will need to rezone property during Preliminary Plat/PUD approval. The area to the south of the subject parcel includes parcels that are guided RR (rural residential) and RE (residential estate). The parcels to the east are guided LB (limited business) which includes Animal Inn and their associated properties. The LB designation is for areas that are developed with commercial uses that are not served by urban services. Staff would recommend that the City rezone the City-owned property to BP at the time of development review to be consistent with the proposed (and approved) BP land use designation. Recommended Findings – Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Staff recommends the following findings: 1. That the City Council has submitted a request to the City of Lake Elmo to amend the Comprehensive Plan in accordance with the procedures as established by the Lake Elmo Planning Department and the Lake Elmo City Code; and 2. That the request is to amend the Land Use Plan Map for the 65 acres of City-owned land located on the south side of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue from RAD (rural area development) to BP (business park); and 3. That the proposed amendment is consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan by providing an additional site for commercial and business park development; and 4. That the City believes the proposed BP land use designation is the highest and best use of the property; and 5. That the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment would be beneficial by providing another location for a business park on an arterial street not currently available in Lake Elmo. Staff recommends the following condition of approval: 1. Submission of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment to the Metropolitan Council and the receipt of formal notification from the Metropolitan Council that they have reviewed and approved the proposed amendment. 4 FISCAL IMPACT: The City has not yet determined how to provide sanitary sewer service to this area of Lake Elmo. As part of any feasibility study for the sewer, the City would review design and funding options and determine how to pay for the sewer project. This might include assessing the full cost (100%) of the sanitary sewer extension project to all the benefitting properties. Any additional properties that would be added to the City sanitary sewer system also will generate additional Sewer Access Charge (SAC) fees to the Sanitary Sewer Enterprise Fund. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend approval of an amendment to the Land Use Plan of the Comprehensive Plan, re-guiding the aforementioned City-owned property from RAD (Rural Area Development) to BP (business park), based on the recommended findings and condition of approval. “Motion to recommend approval of the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment re-guiding on the City’s Land Use Plan the 65 acres of City-owned land located south of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue from RAD (Rural Area Development) to BP (business park), based on the recommended findings and condition of approval.” Additionally, Staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend approval of any necessary amendments to the Land Use Plan and to the Wastewater Services and Facilities Plan of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan by adding the 65 acres of City-owned property on the south side of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue to the City’s sanitary sewer area. “Motion to recommend approval of all necessary amendments to the 2040 Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan (including those to the Land Use Plan, MUSA boundaries and to Wastewater Services Plan) to add the 65 acres of City owned land located south of County Road 14 and east of Ideal Avenue to the City’s sanitary sewer area.” City staff is recommending these changes based on the findings listed in the staff report and is subject to the condition listed in the staff report. ATTACHMENTS: Location Map Property Line Map City Land Use Concept Plan A Comprehensive Plan Pages (Maps and Tables): Page 3-11 (Map 3-2) Page 3-17 (Map 3-3) Page 3-24 (Map 3-7) Page 3-16 (Table 3-2) Page 3-22 (Table 3-5) Page 3-25 (Table 3-6) Page 9-5 (Map 9-1) Page 9-8 (Table 9-2) Page 9-9 (Tables 9-3 and 9-4) Page 9-10 (Table 9-5) Page 3-17 (Map 3-3) Proposed Land Use Map Amendment from RAD to BP