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Item No: 9C Meeting Date: Dec 8, 2003 Type of Business: PH & CB Administrator Review: _____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, Community Development Director Item Title/Subject: Public Hearing And Consideration of a Preliminary Plat for the Proposed Longview Estates Major Subdivision; Planning Case MA03-001 Introduction: Eichi, Inc., represented by Martin Harstad, has submitted an application for a major subdivision of the land between Silver Lake Road and Longview Drive, north of Woodcrest Park and south of County Road H2. The proposed subdivision would create 15 lots from the wooded, 7.14- acre parcel, of which half is delineated wetland. Eight lots would take access from Longview Drive and seven lots would access Silver Lake Road. All of the proposed lots satisfy the City’s expanded subdivision requirements within a wetland zoning district (Section 1010.07, Subd. 3). In addition to Rice Creek Watershed District approval, the proposed subdivision would necessitate wetland alteration permit approval by the City Council. A public hearing has been advertised for this meeting and notices were delivered to all registered property owners within 350 feet of the Longview Estates parcel. Previous Submittal: The City processed a request for a major subdivision of this land in 2001, ultimately denying a variance and the subdivision as not conforming to the City’s subdivision standards. The original submission contemplated an eleven-lot development with each lot fronting Longview Drive. No lots were platted fronting Silver Lake Road. The issue with the original plat was that in a wetland district, there are minimum lot widths that exceed the standard widths, such that instead of eleven possible lots, only eight were allowable. The applicant applied for a variance which was denied due to lack of perceived hardship. Finally, the plat was revised to show 26 lots, well in excess of what is allowed, and the plat was denied. Discussion: The area known as Longview Estates is zoned R -1, Single Family Residential. The proposed subdivision would be consistent with the existing zoning of the property. All the lots shown on the preliminary plat satisfy the minimum requirements of 125-foot lot width and 20,000 square foot lot area. Of the 15 proposed lots, nine would require filling of wetlands to create a building pad. On lots where no wetland fill is proposed, most of the land available beyond the building pad would be utilized for wetland mitigation purposes. No proposed home would have any significant backyard area except Lots 1 and 2, which would have 30 feet of filled wetland backyard. Many of the homes would be 15 feet or less from the delineated wetlands or mitigated wetlands.