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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPZ Minutes; 11-13-13Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 11-13-13 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of November 13, 2013 Chairman Williams called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Williams, Haggard, Lundgren, Dorschner, Dodson and Larson; COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Kreimer and Morreale; and STAFF PRESENT: Planning Director Klatt. Approve Agenda: The Planning Commission added a Public Comment item to allow a resident to speak on a zoning topic after the minutes are approved. Approve Minutes: October 28, 2013 M/S/P: Dodson/Lundgren, move to accept the minutes of October 28, 2013 as presented, Vote: 5-0, Motion Carried, with Williams not voting. Public Hearings - None Public Comment: Mr. Robert Cusick, 5470 Highlands Trail, addressed the Planning Commission. He would like to see a change to the exterior storage provision of the Zoning Code to protect the property values and views of properties. Chairman Williams and Klatt informed Mr. Cusick that Outdoor Storage is on the Planning Commission work plan for 2014. Business Item: Rural Area Development Discussion Cont. Klatt stated that the Commission is specifically being asked to further revie w the RAD- ALT land use category and to conduct an analysis of the potential to expand the use of Residential Estates zoning in the future. Klatt stated that how we deal with development in these rural areas can have a profound effect on how the City ultim ately looks. Dorschner would like to address the RAD-Alt category sooner rather than later. He thinks the City should wait to discuss the other rural area considerations until there is more information. 2 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 11-13-13 Dodson would also like to see more data regarding development and sewer options for higher development. He is concerned about smaller OP developments regarding the shared septic systems and the cost associated with them. There needs to be enough people to draw interest to be involved with the HOA to ensure that the system is operating properly. Dodson stated that he would like to see no OP have less than 40 units. Williams does not believe we need RAD-ALT because the Met Council forecasts will be reduced. He does feel that Rural Estates fills a niche in the rural areas. Dodson would like to see some information or analysis regarding the cost of City services per lot based upon lot size or zoning. Williams is wondering what the problem would be with putting a moratorium on the RAD-ALT properties. Klatt stated that staff is not in favor of a moratorium. While we are still in negotiations with the Met Council, Klatt does not think it shows good faith and might be taken the wrong way while we still have an MOU. Klatt stated that a moratorium and eliminating RAD-ALT through a comp plan amendment basically accomplishes the same thing. M/S/P: Williams/Dodson, move to recommend a moratorium of the RAD-ALT land use parcels for 9 months, Vote: 6-0, motion carried unanimously. The reasons for the moratorium is that the City anticipates lower growth projections and the permitted density of this category is much denser than other non-sewered areas. Klatt continued his presentation and asked for other feedback from the Planning Commission regarding lot size and possibly expanding rural zoning districts in new sites of the Rural Planning Area. Haggard feels that we should discuss this after we receive the final Met Council forecast. Dodson asked how this would impact staff. Klatt said that this would need to be put on the work plan and depends on the scope of what they want to look at. Williams gave some background about rural character and RAD. He prefers to leave AG & RR until we get a better feel for what rural character means and what we want. Larson stated that the model out there right now is OP with prairie grass as the farming goes away. Dorschner feels that RE is more rural when there is more space between homes vs. OP where the homes are clustered. 3 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 11-13-13 Dodson would like to see some modeling for agricultural activities. He also was wondering about possibly changing 3 parcels along TH-5 and Ideal Ave. Note: Haggard had to leave the meeting. Business Item: Driveway Ordinance Update Klatt began his discussion of the driveway ordinance by stating that staff is proposing to amend the driveway provisions to incorporate best practices and improve the efficiency in processing driveway permits. There was input from the engineering , building, public works and fire department to produce the proposed changes. This ordinance is not in the zoning code, so no formal action is required f rom the Planning Commission. However, driveways are related to land use, so staff is seeking input from the Planning Commission. Williams doesn’t see a problem with having more than one curb cut per lot. He notes that in some cases, multiple curb cuts may actually be safer than having to back out to a busy street. Dodson asked about drainage and impervious surface. Klatt stated that each district has its own impervious standards. Dorschner asked about shared driveways. Klatt stated that staff is not in favor of those as they can create issues related to maintenance and emergency access. Updates and Concerns Council Updates 1. Diedrich-Reider Comprehensive Plan Amendment approved contingent upon Met Council approval at the November 6, 2013 City Council meeting. 2. Village Mixed Use Zoning District – Approved with the removal of the demolition review at the November 6, 2013 City Council meeting. 3. Design Standards Manual and design guidelines ordinance amendments – postponed until workshop review on November 12, 2013. Staff Updates 1. Upcoming Meetings a. November 25, 2013 b. December 9, 2013 c. December 23, 2013 – Cancelled Commission Concerns – None 4 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 11-13-13 Meeting adjourned at 9:12pm Respectfully submitted, Joan Ziertman Planning Program Assistant