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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPZ Minutes 2-24-14Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 2-24-14 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of February 24, 2014 Chairman Williams called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Williams, Yocum, Dodson, Haggard, Kreimer, Lundgren, Dorschner COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Morreale and Larson STAFF PRESENT: Community Development Director Klatt Approve Agenda: M/S/P: Williams/Dodson, move to approve the agenda as amended, Vote: 7-0, motion carried unanimously. Approve Minutes: February 10, 2014 M/S/P: Dodson/Lundgren, move to approve minutes as amended, Vote: 6-0, motion carried unanimously with Williams not voting. Public Hearing: None Business Item: Zoning Text Amendment – Accessory Building Ordinance Klatt started his presentation by giving an overview of the presentation from the last meeting and talking about the recommended changes. The key for this discussion is the size and permitted number of buildings in the rural districts. A public hearing has been set for March 10, 2014. Williams asked for clarification of an attached garage and what uses constitute garage vs home. Klatt suggested changing the definition for detached structures to make it more clear. Kreimer asked how the size of a principal structure is determined, and whether footprint or total square footage would be used? Klatt stated that it should be the building footprint. 2 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 2-24-14 Haggard asked about agricultural buildings. Klatt explained that agricultural buildings have to be on 20 acres or more. The commission indicated that there should be more flexibility in the number of buildings and stated that on 5 acres or more, 2 buildings would be appropriate. The Commission did not feel that the maximum square footage needed to be changed. Williams expressed that the exemption pertaining to chicken coops and animal buildings should be limited to a 200 square foot total. Williams asked about the setbacks for LDR. Klatt reviewed the required structure setbacks in a LDR district. Haggard stated that if setbacks were a problem than larger lots should be required. The Commission discussed the placement garages within LDR and VMX zoning districts. Williams suggested that the Commission’s concerns be brought to the Council before a lot of discussion time is put in on this item. Haggard asked if there was any limitation on materials people can use. Kyle stated that there are materials requirements and that pole type buildings are only allowed in the rural districts. Business Item: Outdoor Social Event Discussion Carol Palmquist requested to speak on this topic. Klatt discussed the history regarding outdoor social events. Klatt is looking for some feedback and to establish whether nor not there is any interest by the Planning Commission to pursue this topic further. Ms. Palmquist, 12202 55th Street, currently operates a vineyard that has been in business for about 17 years. The winery that she works with approached her and inquired if she would be interested in allowing wedding ceremonies at the vineyard. At this time Ms. Palmquist is interested in holding ceremonies at the vineyard, but no receptions. Ms. Palmquist gave the Planning Commission an overview of what she is interested in doing. Dorschner asked for additional information concerning the proposed receptions. Ms. Palmquist clarified that she would like to partner with others to have receptions at another site. Williams asked how to avoid people parking on the street and asked what the music would entail. Palmquist stated that the music might include a vocalist, violin, keyboard and traditional music as bride walks down the aisle. Some of this music might be amplified. 3 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 2-24-14 Dodson asked how this property is zoned. Klatt stated that it is zoned A. Dodson wanted to know how this request differed from agricultural entertainment businesses. Klatt explained that the agricultural entertainment use has an agricultural component while the proposed wedding venue ordinance would not. Dorschner stated this is a large piece of property and that noise shouldn’t be a problem. Palmquist stated that she did have a wedding on the property in the past. Dodson asked if there was ever a complaint in the past. Palmquist stated that there were previous complaints about a violin and cello. Haggard stated that noise does carry and expressed her concern regarding outdoor events on other portions of the community. Klatt stated that Afton recently adopted a wedding venue ordinance which might be a good guide for this request. Dorschner stated that this type of venue is desirable in Lake Elmo, but it might not work for other properties. He questioned if there is a minimum acreage that would be required? Klatt stated that if they choose to move forward, staff would recommend that the use be regulated as an IUP vs. a CUP so it is for a limited time frame and does not run with the property. If the Planning Commission chooses to go ahead with the proposal, the City would need to work on what districts it would be allowed in and what standards would apply. Haggard stated that her only concern would be the noise. Williams suggested putting this back on the agenda for the next meeting. Klatt suggested taking the Afton ordinance and looking at what Ms. Palmquist is interested in doing and coming up with a draft ordinance for the next meeting. Dodso n would like to see the agricultural entertainment ordinance reviewed to see if that should be broadened as well. Business Item: Cul-De-Sac Discussion Williams would like the Planning Commission to discuss if there should be more connecting streets, especially in the Old Village. Dodson’s concern with Easton Village is that there are so many long dead end streets and does not like it aesthetically. Haggard expressed concerns about fire, police, snowplows and buses being able to navigate all the cul-de-sacs. 4 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 2-24-14 Williams stated his concern about the feel of new neighborhoods, and specifically that the recently considered Village sketch plan does not include much connectivity and walkability. Kreimer agreed with other comments, but noted that there is also a sense of safety and privacy on these streets. Williams indicated that something should be added to the City Code that addresses Cul- de-sacs. He suggested language that would require a trail within 500 feet of every home. Klatt stated that he can do more research on this type of provision. Yocum stated her preference for cul-de-sacs because traffic speeds are lower and it is safer for children and families. Haggard would like to see a healthy balance between Cul-de-sacs and pedestrian connectivity. Kreimer asked for a requirement in the code specifying that if a Cul-de-sac is over a certain number of feet, that there then has to be pedestrian connectivity. He questioned the efficiency of snow removal within a cul-de-sac. Klatt stated that Public Works prefers streets without Cul-de-sacs as they are easier and much quicker to plow. Lundgren stated that she would like to see a healthy balance between Cul-de-sacs and regular roads in addition to sidewalks on both sides of street in the heavy traffic areas. Planning Commission in general agreement concerning the concept of trail access, especially in the Village planning area. Klatt stated that he would conduct some research for a potential code amendment. Klatt said that he would not recommend a ban on Cul-de-sacs entirely, but that the Commission could look into requiring access to trails in future subdivisions. Haggard questioned what distinguishes a sidewalk versus a trail. Klatt stated that a sidewalk is typically 4-6 feet wide, while a trail is over 6 feet wide and generally not in the boulevard area. Klatt stated that definitions might be useful for these terms in the code. Council Updates Klatt reported that at the Feb 18, 2014 City Council Meeting: 1. The City Council approved the Final Plat of the first phase of the Savona residential subdivision with 16 conditions of approval adding a requirement for an affidavit from the 3 affected properties for the street alignment. 5 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 2-24-14 2. The City Council approved the Zoning Map Amendment to rezone the parcels associated with the Savona Subdivision from RT to LDR and MDR. 3. The City Council approved the updates to the City’s animal ordinance with a few minor amendments including reducing the minimum lot size to .75 acres and increasing the number of chickens allowed. 4. The City Council adopted an ordinance to reimburse the City for the costs of the Village AUAR study. Any property that develops in the Village will be required to pay $230 per REC unit and will be exempt from further environmental studies. Staff Updates 1. Upcoming Meetings a. March 10, 2014 b. March 24, 2014 2. Update on met council regional forecasts. The City has received an updated 2040 population and household forecast from the Met Council, which will be used to guide the City’s next comprehensive plan update. The City’s forecast for population was reduced from 24,000 to 20,200. This is a little bit higher than the City Council’s preference for a 2040 population of 18,000. Klatt noted that this is a draft number and that the City will be able to formally comment on the final draft amount. Commission Concerns - None Meeting adjourned at 9:15pm Respectfully submitted, Joan Ziertman Planning Program Assistant