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Home My WebLink AboutPZ Minutes; 03-07-11APPROVED AS PRESENTED; 3-28-11 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-7-11 1 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 7, 2011 Chairman Van Zandt called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Bidon, Fliflet, Hall, Obermueller, Van Erem, Van Zandt, Williams (7:02), and Ziertman. Absent: Britz, Haggard and Pelletier. STAFF PRESENT: Planning Director Klatt and Planner Matzek Agenda M/S/P, Ziertman/Hall, approve the agenda as presented. Vote: 8:0. Minutes – February 9, 2011 M/S/P, Hall/Bidon, approve the minutes as presented. Vote: 6:0. Abstained: Van Erem and Williams. Public Hearing - Zoning Map Amendment VR-GB and Zoning Text Amendment to allow ECFC on 39th Street Planning Director Klatt asked the commission to consider rezoning a property guided VR-GB to GB and to amend the zoning text to allow an ECFC facility at properties on 39th Street in Lake Elmo. He said the school district is seeking five acres to build a 45,000 square foot facility. Chairman Van Zandt asked how the city would benefit from having this facility. Planning Director Klatt said the city would have an immediate user for the future sewer line, it would bring activity to the village area, and this use is included as a component of the Village Area Plan. He said the use would not generate property taxes, but would stimulate additional activity and uses in the area. Commissioner Williams asked what the REC count would be for this use. Planning Director Klatt said in the early discussions, it was estimated between forty and fifty Residential Equivalency Connections. Commissioner Fliflet said this building would be a major addition to the Village Area and asked what it would look like and how it would fit in. Planning Director Klatt said a site plan review process is required. Commissioner Obermueller asked why the ECFC is not proposed for the location identified for Civic uses in the Comprehensive Plan. Planning Director Klatt said the Village Master Plan identifies this civic area broken up into two parts. Although the site proposed is not in this location, it is close. APPROVED AS PRESENTED; 3-28-11 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-7-11 2 THE CHAIRMAN OPENED THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 7:46 P.M. Deb Krueger, 4452 Lake Elmo Ave N Mrs. Krueger said she grew up the street from the proposed site in Stillwater, which is not a good site for this facility. She said the use was considered in the Old Village Comprehensive Plan, but in the area South of Hwy 5. She asked Planning Director Klatt why it is proposed in a different area. She said she is concerned with traffic entering and existing off of County Road 17. Planning Director Klatt said the Village Master Plan splits the civic area into two separate areas. The vision included a civic square right off Hwy 5. He said the School District would prepare a traffic impact study further along in the process. Mrs. Krueger said there is a hill on County Road 17 that may make it difficult to see. She said she hopes to see the small piece of woods protected. THE CHAIRMAN CLOSED THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 7:59 P.M. Commissioner Fliflet asked how that site was chosen as it is not included in the current plans. Planning Director Klatt said the school had some environmental concerns in those areas and although the site wasn’t shovel ready, the proposed site has accessibility. Commissioner Williams said although he has no objection to an ECFC at the proposed site, he would not like the city to consider that the start of the civic plaza as it is too far away from the existing and future population envisioned in the Village Area Master Plan. He said he does not think it is a good idea to have this use in all GB zoned properties. Planner Matzek read Commissioner Pelletier’s submitted comments in favor of the proposal. Commissioner Ziertman asked why the property would not be rezoned to Public Facilities. Planning Director Klatt said the PF zoning district is narrow in scope. He said staff’s perspective is to allow more flexible uses in the GB district while Public Facilities should be more limited and specific. M/S, Fliflet/Van Zandt, move to recommend approval of zoning map amendments for lots one, two and three from VR-GB to GB. M/S/F, Williams/Obermueller, to amend the previous motion to include that the ECFC should not be considered the start of the village center until discussed by the Village Area Work Group and secondly, that the City Council should not waive the SAC/WAC connection fees. APPROVED AS PRESENTED; 3-28-11 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-7-11 3 Commissioner Williams withdrew his amendment for the waiving of SAC and WAC connection fees which Commissioner Obermueller agreed to. Vote: 3:5. (Fliflet, Bidon, Ziertman, Van Erem and Obermueller against.) M/S/F, Williams/Obermueller, move to recommend the City Council not waive the SAC and WAC fees. Vote: 3:5. (Fliflet, Bidon, Van Zandt, Van Erem and Hall against.) M/S/P, Fliflet/Van Zandt, move to recommend approval of zoning map amendments for lots one, two and three from VR-GB to GB. Vote: 6:2. (Williams and Ziertman against.) THE CHAIRMAN OPENED THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 8:43 P.M. No one spoke regarding the Zoning Text Amendment. THE CHAIRMAN CLOSED THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 8:43 P.M. M/S, Fliflet/Bidon, recommended approval of the zoning text amendments. Commissioner Ziertman said she voted against the first part because she thinks the commission does not have enough information. She would like to further discuss the Public Facilities zoning district as an option instead of the General Business district. Commissioner Williams said he thinks the Village Work Group should discuss this before it comes to the commission. He said the code identifies a twenty-five percent impervious coverage requirement which is more restrictive then the original language. M/S/F, Williams/Obermueller, move to withdraw the motion to amend the GB district requirements. Vote: 2:6 (Fliflet, Bidon, Van Zandt, Van Erem, Ziertman and Hall against.) Commissioner Fliflet amended her motion to include an increase to the impervious surface requirement from twenty-five percent to seventy-five percent. Commissioner Bidon agreed. Vote: 7:1. (Commissioner Ziertman against.) The commission took a three minute break. Business Item – Discuss Zoning Text Amendments for Park-and-Ride Facility Planner Matzek said the City Council had added this item to the commission’s 2011 work plan as a high priority and is looking for a recommendation on how the City could accommodate a park and ride facility along the I-94 corridor. She mentioned that Metro Transit is in the process of an alternatives analysis study for the I-94E corridor. She APPROVED AS PRESENTED; 3-28-11 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-7-11 4 recommended the zoning district HD-RR-LB be considered for allowing park and ride facilities as a conditional use. Chairman Van Zandt pointed out the proposed sites are good in that they are where located is more convenient for those riders looking to head into St. Paul or Minneapolis. Commissioner Obermueller said she is concerned about removing these properties from the tax roll. Planner Matzek said each site is approximately six acres that are currently vacant. She said it may spur additional business development. Planning Director Klatt said the Council is looking for a recommendation on how the zoning should be structured to allow a park and ride facilities in the city. He also pointed out that the HD-RR-LB zoning district only applies to the proposed four properties. Commissioner Fliflet said she agrees this should be discussed in the I-94 work group. Planning Director Klatt said staff will move this item forward and the commission, at that time, can make that a formal recommendation to the City Council. Business Item – Planning Commissioner Terms – Informational Item Planner Matzek said this was an updated sheet identifying expiration of terms for each commissioner. If there were questions, she asked commissioners to contact her. Council Updates Planning Director Klatt said the properties off of 27th and 28th Street were approved with the condition of moving the driveways to 27th Street. He said the City Council received additional comments from a neighbor off of 28th Street who was subjected to the flooding previously discussed. Staff Updates Planning Director Klatt said that the March 14th meeting will be cancelled given the rescheduling of the night’s meeting. Planner Matzek said the city is in the process of creating a list of businesses in Lake Elmo for the city’s website. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned 9:46 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kelli Matzek Planner