04-21-99 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP APRIL 21, 1999 Mayor Hunt opened up the workshop on the Open Space Preservation Ordinance at 5:00 p.m. in the Council chambers. PRESENT: CITY COUNCIL: Siedow, Dunn, Hunt, Armstrong, DeLapp, and City Planner Dillerud. PLANNING COMMISSION: Helwig, Sedro. DEVELOPERS WITH ACTIVE DEVELOPMENTS: Terry Emerson, Bob Engstrom, Tim Freeman, Will Zintl The Council received memos on amendments to the OP Ordinance from Robert Engstrom Companies and Folz, Freeman, Dupay & Asssoc. GOALS FOR OP AMENDMENTS: Open Space vs. open space (preserved open space) Density — Are we getting too much? Preservation of Park Dedication Policy vs. Open Space Consistency with changes from zoning to CUP Process Resolving streetscape/street section issues Buffer what from what? Viable Open Space Density Bonuses — What really works for the City? (OP easement to qualified land trust) Village Greens Alternative Housing styles The Council made the following comments: Council member Dunn voiced her concern on being sensitive to the people's rights already living next to the proposed open space developments. She has a problem with some of the streets being too narrow and concerned with safety issues. She is not in favor of 30' street width as in Foxfire. The houses are too close together. The definitions need to be changed for duplexes, townhouses and house and make it clear and easy to understand by the Council and developers. Council member DeLapp does not want OP more intense of an impact for neighbors than RE. Areas kept open are not necessarily contiguous in ways that add to their viability for enhancement. He liked the concept of a townhouse as a single family attached dwelling. In regard to the Village Commission's Plan, he illustrated how townhouses could be put in the core area as a lifestyle choice. For example the Shiltgen property, assume 8 per 20 density inside the greenbelt would be 218 units. Planner Dillerud drew on the board an illustration of a 200' buffer. If a 40-acre piece is unplatted, no buffer is required. What are you buffering from? A guy that is one -quarter of a mile away? Council member Siedow stated I could buy a 40-acre parcel and put a house on the lot line. If you want that 200 acres next to you to remain a cornfield, then you should buy it. This is what we saw with the Zintl project. He is in favor of OP zoning. If we don't do something with the land now, Oak Park Heights will. Mayor Hunt liked the idea of preserving Open Space permanently. Need better standards on how OP lines up between developments. He is a proponent of the wetland treatment system. Council member Armstrong understood the goal of open space is to preserve green areas. She continued that one-third acre, one -quarter acre lots that cannot sustain a septic system is a big mistake for the City; the school districts are not prepared for this; that OP is too much, too fast; that streets are too narrow that results in delivery trucks getting stuck, and she would like to go slower with this. Wetland treatment systems are experimental, and we should wait about five years to see how the systems work. She also stated that two single-family homes with an attached wall are absurd because we are ending tip with lots that are too small. Lake Elmo is an unsewered community and should be able to sustain itself. Townhouses are inappropriate in a rural area. The Old Village is very condensed now, and some houses have septic problems.