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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-12-07 PZM81. ORM LAKE City of Lake Elmo AEL 0 3800 Laverne Avenue North Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042 1 (651) 777-5510 Fax: (651) 777-9615 Www.LakeElmo.Orq NOTICE OF MEETING The City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission will conduct a meeting on Monday, March 12, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. AGENDA 1. Pledge of Allegiance 2. Approve Agenda 3. Approve Minutes a. February 12, 2007 4. Presentation of the Final Draft of the Village Master Plan 5. Comprehensive Plan Timeline Update 6. City Council Updates a. February 27 - Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) Selection — DSUBonestroo b. March 6 — City Council presentation of Old Village Master Plan c. March 6 — Review of Commercial Outdoor Social Events Ordinance d. March 6 — 3200 Lake Elmo Avenue Variance and Minor Subdivision tabled 7. Adjourn APPROVED _ _,i AMENDED; 4-9-07 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 Commissioner Helwig called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Helwig, Fliflet, Van Zandt, Lyzenga, Armstrong, Deziel, McGinnis, Schneider. STAFF: Project Director Susan Hoyt, Interim Administrator T. Bouthilet and Planner Matzek. Also Present: Village Area Master Plan Consultants Bruce Jacobson and Bob Engstrom. Agenda M/S/P Armstrong/Lyzenga as presented. 8:0 Minutes M/S/P Lyzenga/Deziel as presented 4:0; Abstain — Van Zandt, Helwig, Armstrong, Schneider - Absence Presentation of the Village Master Plan Mr. Jacobson introduced the Village Area Master Plan. He stated this was the first time this document had been in print, though it had been talked about for a number of years. The map that has been available is an interpretation of the master plan ideas. The intent of the meeting is to focus on the vision of the plan. There are a number of steps to the Master Plan, such as infrastructure, financing, and the policy and process component. This plan is a part of identifying when, where, and how the city should grow. Mr. Jacobson identified a property ownership map included in the plan. There have been shared discussions along the way with property owners. He then described the twelve guiding principles as outlined in the Master Plan. He considered the principles to be benchmarks against which to measure future proposals. The village area vision suggests that protection and enhancement of the village center is essential. He emphasized enhancement and not displacement. The plan came out of the existing context with thought given to the existing streets in the core area. Mr. Jacobson stated he would be meeting with the Park Commission to receive feedback. He said that in the creation of the master plan document, multiple layers were considered — green and blue system, streets and blocks pattern, and land use mix. He then elaborated on the proposed housing types — single family, twin home, townhouse, apartment/condos, and housing above retail. The parcel plan in the document begins describing where the housing types could be located along with a range of unit numbers. This was done in preparation for the AUAR to provide a reasonable picture of what could happen. He suggested placing a cap on a popular housing type, such as senior housing. Mr. Jacobson identified that chapter three covered the master plan components. The components include Route 5 Main Street Stillwater Boulevard; Lake Elmo Avenue Extension and Old Main Street; Community Campus; New City Hall; and City Parks, Trails and Greenbelt Buffer. Town destinations are very active and identifiable areas. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes — March 12, 2007 APPROVEL _ .S AMENDED 4-9-07 Mr. Jacobson stated that the existing Lake Elmo Avenue crossing of Highway 5 is confusing and unsafe. The extension of the road would create a safe village crossroad. He said that he is holding out hope for a new City Hall to be located on main street at the current car dealership location. He has been directed by the City Council to look at other alternate locations. Mr. Jacobson said that chapter four in the master plan identifies case studies of other cities with a population of around 5,000. Chapter five covers the topic of infrastructure. Though this chapter is currently empty, in the future it will address sanitary sewer and water system, storm water management, MPCA clean-up project, and streets. The last chapter will eventually include information on the Planning Process and Planning Tools. Mr. Jacobson stated that a public open house will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 St Project Director Hoyt explained that the master plan is moving forward and will ultimately be accepted by the City Council. An Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) will soon begin to provide an indepth environmental review to the area. This study will look at two examples — the version as outlined in the existing Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan and the village area master plan as accepted by the Council. An advisory committee will be formed for the AUAR, which will include a representative of the Planning Commission. After the AUAR process is complete, a Comprehensive Plan amendment may be necessary. Commissioner Helwig opened the floor for commissioner input. Commissioner Schneider stated that the land adjacent to the airport has a lot of homes designated in the plan. He asked if there was any acceptance from MAC of this plan. Mr. Jacobson said that an earlier version of the plan had included a larger water body in that area that had been reduced with consideration of the proximity to the airport. Commissioner Schneider asked for clarification on the concerns of MAC. Mr. Jacobson stated that MAC had reacted mostly to the water body and not the proposed housing. Commissioner Schneider asked if the roads 17 and 5 were going to be turned over to the City. Project Director Hoyt stated that there are conversations with Washington County on having the County take over Highway 5. If the City took over the road, it may be difficult on tax payers to maintain, plow, and repave the roadway. Commissioner Lyzenga asked what the thought process was in increasing the unit count from the original 500 in the Comprehensive Plan to the 1,500 units in the village area Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 2 APPROVEL _.S AMENDED 4-9-07 master plan. She also asked if the number of units are planned to be increased in the village area, are they going to be reduced elsewhere. Project Director Hoyt said she was unsure at this time in terms of the range of the unit count. She stated that there was some discussion about moving some of the units up from the area South of 10th Street. Commissioner Lyzenga stated that her concern about policy number one is quality. She said that increasing the number ten times the existing numbers does not speak to quality. She asked if the increase in the number of units was because of feasibility. She would like to see quality of life as the number one issue. Mr. Engstrom said that it was dependent upon what quality of life is being discussed. In this plan, seniors could walk to nearby amenities. Commissioner Lyzenga said that thinking outside the box is important. One example would be 600 units of just senior housing. The conversation should be about framework. Six hundred to 1,500 units is a huge range for the framework. She would like to hear an argument for why the range is so large. Mr. Jacobson stated that the guiding principals are key. Whatever the population, the city should be looking for partners that will help build what would be unaffordable if the city worked on its own. He stated that the costs need to be balanced and he would like to see others help pay for the projects as much as possible. Partners in the projects can be held accountable for high quality. Commissioner Fliflet said she would like to see a viable, walkable downtown. The City needs to have a population there or it will result in vacant buildings and the plan would not work. Additional people do not necessarily make it a bad plan if it is well thought out. Mr. Jacobson said that the plan is not overstretching the bounds of what a commercial street would be like. This area would not be like the area of 50th and France. It would be more comparative to the city of Cannon Falls. They are not trying to paint an unattainable picture. Commissioner Armstrong said that he has a copy of the Comprehensive Plan. On page III-9 of the Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan, it mentions 440 new housing units. The Planning Commission has been out of the loop on the progression of the Village Area Master Plan. He would like to see more background on how the present unit count was reached. He is concerned that the increased number of units was based on requests by developers who would want more units. Mr. Jacobson stated that the existing city staff is different then before. He said there were a number of issues that took up a good part of a year to go through. They were told that six hundred units was a placeholder. Mr. Jacobson and the village area planners have Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 3 APPROVEL .S AMENDED 4-9-07 previously met with the allied owners group, which consists of three or four large property owners. The planning group has also met with city staff, the Mayor, and the City Council. Mr. Jacobson said that it is important to balance the costs, infrastructure, and other important components. The plan does not suggest developers will be allowed to build whatever they want or in any manner they choose. Developers will understand they are expected to perform and meet the regulations such as development standards and the zoning code. Commissioner Armstrong asked what the units per acre average out to over the village area. Mr. Jacobson said that as a net number, it comes close to the three units per acre. Commissioner Armstrong stated that when the village area plan last left the Planning Commission, there was a significant green buffer around the area. He asked what had happened to that buffer zone. Mr. Jacobson stated that if a development comes in, it is understood there will be a fifty percent open space dedication, which the plan reflects. The plan also reflects a ten percent park dedication in land. Mr. Engstrom stated that the Schiltgen farm is approximately 80 acres in size and it is his understanding that this land will remain as open space. Commissioner Fliflet asked Mr. Jacobson to identify locations on the map of different pieces of the plan. She also asked if a swimming area was planned for the village area. Mr. Jacobson identified a community campus, parks, and intentional connections to water bodies. He stated that the buffer area is at least 300 feet wide in any location. Commissioner Schneider asked how density occurs within the city currently without the city paying for the infrastructure. Mr. Jacobson identified the village area plan as a highly amenitized village with an active main street, surface water management, streetscaping, and a number of other amenities. The plan is above and beyond what was previously required. Commissioner Schneider asked if the park dedication fee would cover the proposed parks. He requested clarification on why the city needs to incent developers to do what they are already doing today. Commissioner Deziel stated that there are some numbers involved in the plan. Commissioner Schneider expressed concern that the commission will not see those numbers. His questions were not answered to his satisfaction. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 4 APPROVEL _ .S AMENDED 4-9-07 Project Director Hoyt stated that this is a vision plan and not based on that kind of data, but it is currently being worked on. More information will be available when the AUAR process is complete. The scenario described in the current Comprehensive Plan will be reviewed in the AUAR process. Mr. Engstrom said that scale and character have come up in the process of creating the master plan. He said there was discussion on the possibility of having two senior housing complexes. Most senior housing complexes require about 80 units to supply services. The plan also includes retail with units above them. It is important to provide some degree of affordability in housing. There is no intention of giving away anything to developers. The design guidelines and site development guidelines are in the process. Commissioner Lyzenga asked what impact the population increase from the village area would have on the schools. Commissioner Lyzenga suggested moving City Hall into the existing school and building a larger school building if one is needed. Project Director Hoyt stated that she will be talking with the principal of the Lake Elmo Elementary School about the school district's plan. Commissioner Fliflet said that the planning commission had embraced the housing types suggested. She said that it was not intended for 600 units to be a place to work up from. It is difficult for the commission to leave the unit count out of the discussion because that is a big concern from the community. The unit counts will need to be a part of discussions about the Village Plan in future discussions. Mr. Jacobson said he is not trying to push aside the numbers associated with this project. Instead, he wants to tie it to the financial components of the project. In this plan, they tried to put out a reasonable mix of units. Commissioner Fliflet said that the way the Comprehensive Plan reads currently, the required number of REC units is met. Project Director Hoyt said that one reason to do the AUAR is to see what impact the units will have on roads, streets, and other factors. The AUAR will review the population of 600, 1100, and 1500 additional units. Along with the financial analysis, this may result in a Comprehensive Plan amendment and rezoning that the Planning Commission would be involved with in the future. Commissioner Deziel stated he believed former City Planner Dillerud did not want an exact number on the units in the Village Plan or the inclusion of senior housing. Commissioner Deziel said that viability for businesses is an important component to this plan. He has read it takes a population of 5,000 to support neighborhood businesses. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 5 APPROVEL _ ,S AMENDED 4-9-07 Mr. Engstrom stated that using three people per unit is ambitious, especially when considering senior housing. Senior housing would have a count closer to 1.2 people per unit. Those moving to the village might be moving from elsewhere within the city. Commissioner Schneider asked if the major property owners were to develop as OP developments, how many units would result. Commissioner Deziel suggested that was how the 600 unit count was originally identified. Commissioner Schneider asked what the thought was behind moving the townhomes so far north and north of Highway 5. Mr. Jacobson said that the intent behind the placing of the townhomes, was to put them near an amenity. Commissioner Schneider asked why the village scale parcels identified as a, b, c, d, e, and f were so far from the village. Mr. Jacobson said that the entire area is the village area. The blocks identified were still within walking distance to the main street. Commissioner Armstrong stated he would understand if more units were allowed to help avoid using Tax Increment Financing. He expressed concern of allowing cookie cutter homes and would like to see development standards created. Mr. Engstrom said one of next stages is the creation of design guidelines and the implementation. Commissioner Fliflet said the school is a component that needs to be considered. Traffic, capacity, and the rerouting of Lake Elmo Avenue are also important. Project Director Hoyt said the rerouting of the road would only occur if a change occurred with the school. Mr. Jacobson asked if the illustration represented a concept that the commission was comfortable with. Commission Lyzenga said she likes the layout, but she does not like the implementation. She would rather see many small builders than a few large corporate builders. Commissioner Schneider said he is uncomfortable with the migration of everything to the north. Commissioner Fliflet said there is no distinction between existing developments adjacent to the Village. Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 6 APPROVEL ,S AMENDED 4-9-07 Mr. Jacobson pointed out that there are no road connections from the existing developments to the planned village area. Commissioner Schneider asked if it was possible to have a second open house as a number of people will be out of town the week of the currently planned open house. Commissioner Helwig stated he believes there is a need for a variety of buildings and different designs. No two homes are the same in the Old Village currently. The street widths is a safety concern. Comprehensive Plan Timeline Update Senior Planner Gozola stated that he had expressed his hopes on how to approach the rezoning at the joint February meeting with the City Council. He met with a representative of the Metropolitan Council and there was an agreement to allow interim zoning districts. This interim zoning district will allow the city additional time to prepare for the future sewered areas. Commissioner Armstrong said that the commission had been looking at zoning districts back in December. Senior Planner Gozola assured the commission their work would not be thrown out. Commissioner Lyzenga asked if a public hearing would be needed. Senior Planner Gozola replied that a public hearing would be needed. Commissioner Helwig asked if there would be a space issue with number of people being noticed. Senior Planner Gozola stated that the city has time to decide when and where. Commissioner Armstrong suggested noticing a public hearing for April 9th and use the text that was previously created for the interim zoning districts. City Council Updates Planner Matzek stated that on February 27 the City Council approved the selection of DSUBonestroo to proceed with the AUAR. On March 6th, the City Council received a presentation of the Village Area Master Plan, reviewed the ordinance for Commercial Social Outdoor Events, and tabled the variance and minor subdivision application at 3200 Lake Elmo Avenue. Adjourned 9:00 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 12, 2007 7