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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPZ Minutes 3-23-15Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-23-15 City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 23, 2015 Chairman Dodson called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Williams, Dodson, Kreimer, Griffin, Larson, Haggard and Dorschner COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Fields STAFF PRESENT: Community Development Director Klatt and Planner Casey Riley Approve Agenda: Commissioner Dorschner moved to table all agenda items except those that may pose a liability. He also stated that he had read that there was a hostile work environment and he would like to postpone the agenda. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Larson. Planning Director Klatt commented that the City Administrator asked that the Commission to conduct their business as usual. Motion withdrawn by Commissioner Dorschner due to the respect he has to the city administrator. Commissioner Larson commented that the Parks Commission did table their agenda and asked that the Planning Commission also table their agenda. Haggard wanted to clarify that it wasn’t a statement by the Planning Commission as it was not voted or agreed on, but a statement by Commissioner Dorschner. The agenda was then accepted as presented. Approve Minutes: March 9, 2015 There was a discussion by the Planning Commission regarding changes to the minutes. M/S/P: Williams/Dodson move to approve minutes as amended, Vote: 6-0, with Haggard not voting. Public Hearing: Zoning Map Amendment – General Amendments Community Development Director Klatt presented the zoning map with minor changes and asked the Commission to update the map. Klatt reviewed changes in the Village Area. The properties to be rezoned are the following: 2 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-23-15  Village Preserve, Village Park Preserve and Easton Village sites. Both areas were zoned Rural Transitional (RT) and are to be rezoned LDR.  The water tower site in the Village is to be rezoned from RS to Public Facility (PF).  3520 Laverne Ave North, the parcel north of the fire station was left as Rural Single Family, but is a commercial building and needs to rezoned as such (C).  Several parcels on Stillwater Blvd were left as Rural Estates and shall be rezoned Rural Single Family. Commissioner Haggard inquired about the northern parts of Easton Village and aske d if they were originally zoned as open space. Klatt clarified that the two northern parcels will be shown as parkland once the plats are approved and the parkland dedicated to the city. Dodson inquired as to whether there were areas of the Easton Village plat that were part of the no build area due to the airport adjacent to the parcels. Klatt clarified that there are areas that will not be built upon due to the airport, but the maps have not been updated and these areas will be updated accordingly. Commissioner Larson commented that the airport may be shifting the airport runway location and this will change the flight path of the airport. Klatt mentioned the capital improvement plan and that the airport is in the process of shifting the runway and shifting the safety zones north. Public Hearing opened at 7:29 pm. No one spoke and no written comment was received. Public Hearing closed at 7:30 pm. Haggard commented that the parcel guided for commercial be rezoned as mixed use. Klatt commented that the surrounding buildings are commercial and not mixed use. The building is currently used as office space. Williams commented that the commercial buildings in the village are zoned as General Business. Klatt apologized and clarified that the parcel be zoned General Business and not Commercial. M/S/P: Williams/Kreimer, move to recommend approval of the updated Zoning Map, with the addition of 3520 Laverne Ave. N from RS to GB. Vote: 7-0, motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Williams noted his appreciation for Commissioner Haggard and her attention to detail. M/S/P: Williams/Kreimer, move to recommend approval of the updated Zoning Map, as amended, Vote: 7-0, motion carried unanimously. Business Item: Rural Area Development Update. 3 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-23-15 Klatt began his presentation and explained the Met Council Clarification Memo and the new 2040 forecast. He explained how this forecast is not an MOU and that these numbers are a best guess as to what the population numbers may be, and is not a cap or limit. Chair Dodson inquired if the Met Council takes into account Lake Elmo’s unique geography and the large park at the center of the city. Klatt mentioned that negotiations continue with Met Council as to the number of households guided for Lake Elmo. Klatt gave a brief overview of the 2015 Systems Statement and the Rural Area Growth Projections. Commissioner Williams clarified that Cimarron and the Village Area are not included in the RAD Household numbers. RAD households are all areas within the city outside of the sewered areas. Klatt presented the situation now and compared to the 2030 forecast numbers to the 2040 forecast numbers. He noted that there are options to rethinking how development is laid out in the future and different scenarios that could take place within the parameters of growth and expansion. Commissioner Williams asked what other services need to be provided in addition to roads. Klatt commented that the services would primarily be roads. Easements are a concern as well as utilities. Klatt noted that residents sharing roads leads to the private roads being turned back to the city in the future. Wells and aquifers are also part of the equation. Chair Dodson commented that in some situations subdividing would make sense, and in others it would not. Dorschner commented that subdividing should be evaluated on an individual level. Haggard questioned the conditions of subdivision, such as wetlands or buildable acres and asked what variables should be considered. Klatt mentioned that this the City had moved away from RE zoning and towards OP developments, as there is greater value in having common open space. Williams said that Comprehensive Planning is a popularity contest and that the Commission needs to think of all the possibilities and consider what the community should look like. Chair Dodson mentioned that there are not many parcels left to create OP areas. Cost of residential services in rural areas was discussed. Klatt asks if the Commission would like a more up to date report. 4 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-23-15 Transit-focused update: Should the Commission consider a transit focused update in conjunction with or parallel to transit planning updates? Commissioner Williams directed attention to the League of MN Cities and the Effective Tax Rate chart and notes that he would like to state that the he disagrees with the statement that rural areas do not pay for themselves. Chair Dodson said that he is not yet convinced the tax rate has to do with land density. A brief discussion was held. A situational study was suggested to study a certain parcel and the cost of service s that will be needed. Sewer service was discussed in relation to rural developments. Kreimer commented that he believes there will be some lots more suited to OP and some more suited to RE. He wonders how we account for that in the Comp plan. Do we allow either one and let the market dictate. Klatt stated we could combine the 2 zoning designations to allow more flexibility. Dodson mentioned that he was opposed to private roads and the neighbor disputes that would ensue. Klatt said that a larger discussion was needed. Business Item: Gateway Corridor Transit Planning Update. Riley presented an overview of the Gateway Corridor development project, which is a 12 mile transit way for bus rapid transit. This is in addition to express buses that will not use this corridor. The impacts to land use of this corridor will have to Lake Elmo was also discussed. Riley noted that there has been community engagement opportunities specifically in response to the Environmental Impact Study. Chair Dodson commented that he wanted more information about Affordable Housing. Williams noted that traditionally Cimarron was the affordable housing option in Lake Elmo. Klatt stated that the Met Council standard is utilized to determine affordable housing, which is 60% of area median income. The Lake Elmo plan incorporates the guided numbers provided by Met Council. The Lake Elmo affordable housing requirement is 661 housing units. He noted that these are not mandated requirements, but would make the City eligible for the Livable Communities Grant. 5 Lake Elmo Planning Commission Minutes; 3-23-15 There is a health impact study that is headed by Washington County and the Minnesota Department of Health is advising on and one thing they are looking at is crime. Larson noted that Savona has townhomes from $225,000 to $275,000. Haggard asked how many rec units the transit station would count for, and stated that the station areas would take land away from residential land. Kreimer mentioned that the school district was looking at sites to create a new school. Business Item: Open Meeting Law Discussion. Chair Dodson asked that the process for discussions to be clarified, specifically for the process of a Planning Commissioner adding an item to the agenda. Klatt explained the process and the general policy. Disallowed communication is a situation where three of four commissioners discuss an agenda item and create a quorum. This is relevant to email as well. Williams explained the MN Open Meeting Law and said he would investigate the matter as it may be more than two individuals discussing commission matters. Commissioner Dorschner asked if the Commission should receive training about what is acceptable and what is not. Updates and Concerns Council Updates – March 17, 2015 Meeting 1. Accessory Building Variance – 3033 Inwood Ave was approved. Staff Updates 1. Upcoming Meetings a. April 13, 2015 b. April 27,2015 Commission Concerns The Commission briefly commented on the Administrators parting. Meeting adjourned at 9:51 pm Respectfully submitted, Joan Ziertman Planning Program Assistant