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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-17-2013PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting April 17, 2013 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chair Stevenson at 7:00 p.m. for April 17, 2013. 2. Roll Call Members Present: Commissioners Carvelli-Yu, Elofson, Miller, Rundle, Schiltgen, and Stevenson. Absent and Excused: Commissioner Smith (excused). Also Present: Planning Associate Heidi Heller. Index to Minutes Page Approval of Minutes I City Code Amendment for Cargo Containers 2 Review City Code to Promote Development & Sustainability 2 3. Approval of Minutes February 6, 2013. MOTION/SECOND: Commissioner Schiltgen/Commissioner Carvelli-Yu. To approve the Minutes of the February 6, 2013 regular Planning Commission meeting as slightly amended. Ayes — 6 Nays — 0 Motion carried. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting a. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda None. 5. Planning Cases None. 6. Other Planning Activity A. City Code Amendment for Cargo Containers April 17, 2013 Page 2 Planning Associate Heller informed the Commission that Commissioner Carvelli-Yu provided language suggestions, and she suggested additional language be added to the City Code Amendment per the discussion received at the last Planning Commission meeting. She stated the Code now read that cargo containers were not allowed permanently within the City, no matter what changes, structural or cosmetic, had been done to the container to make it appear more like a typical accessory building. These language amendments were discussed with the Commission in detail. She questioned how this addition should be added to the Code. The Commission recommended the language be added as an extension to part A of the Code Amendment for Cargo Containers. Associate Heller commented she would make the revisions and bring this back to the Commission on May 1st for approval. B. Review City Code to Promote Development & Sustainability Planning Associate Heller informed the Commission that the Council has requested the Planning Commission review the City Code in order to discuss ways the City can promote development and sustainability, particularly along the County Road 10 corridor. She stated the City Council has been working for over a year on various ways to improve the corridor, and wants to make changes to the City Code that would promote development. Associate Heller asked if the Commission had any comments on the April 1, 2013 Council Worksession. Chair Stevenson was pleased that local developers and real estate agents were able to attend the Worksession. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu requested further information on the PUD process and how this would affect redevelopment. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting April 17, 2013 Page 3 Chair Stevenson indicated PUD's were a great tool for larger parcel developments. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu then presented the Commission with a handout on the definition of a PUD and questioned if the City had any PUD's currently in place. Associate Heller reviewed the location of several PUDs within the City, noting the Walgreens, Realife and movie theater developments were each within a PUD. She commented the PUD process allows for some give and take between the developer and the City, and noted that the PUD process typically streamlined the development process. She then discussed PUD agreements noting each PUD had a document on file with the City describing what is and is not allowed on site. Discussion ensued regarding past PUD developments in the City of Mounds View. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu questioned why the parcels along County Road 10 had not been rezoned to PUD to spur development. Chairperson Stevenson stated that there were not many available parcels large enough along the corridor to rezone to PUD, and most are privately owned. Associate Heller indicated the rezoning of property was typically completed in conjunction with a development project, and not prior to. Developers know that rezoning is typically part of the development process. She reviewed different ways that cities can help guide development in certain areas without changing the zoning code. The City of North St. Paul has created a Master Plan for one of their commercial corridors, and designated various district areas to assist with the redevelopment process. She noted the City of Arden Hills has written "guiding plans" for certain zoning districts. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu questioned the minimum size a parcel had to be for a. PUD zoning designation. Associate Heller stated a residential PUD was three acres, a senior housing PUD was two acres, and a commercial PUD was five acres. She commented there were very few single parcels along the County Road 10 corridor that fit these requirements. However, there is potential for development along the corridor since there are some willing sellers. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu was in favor of reducing these restrictions to spur redevelopment along the corridor given the fact the parcels were currently fully developed. Chair Stevenson stated he wanted the corridor to have a sense of continuity and with a large number of smaller developments, this may be difficult. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu discussed the potential of combining the Robert's and sandwich shop parcels for a future redevelopment. She commented that this would make the properties more attractive for potential developers. Mounds View Planning Commission April 17, 2013 Regular Meeting Page 4 Associate Heller stated those two parcels combined along with the Premium Stop parcel, would be about a 3 -acre site, however; someone would need to purchase two of the properties. She noted the City owns the Premium Stop parcel, and tore down the buildings in order to make the site more attractive for redevelopment. Commissioner Schiltgen recommended the City continue pursuing opportunities to encourage redevelopment and beautification of the corridor. Commissioner Elofson anticipated that the economy would boom in the next several years and he predicted the blighted areas along the corridor would take care of themselves. Chair Stevenson stated the downturn in the economy has partially created the current situation along the corridor. He was in favor of the Commission reconsidering the PUD acreage requirements along with the right-of-way setbacks. Associate Heller commented Staff does speak with potential developers and explained all vacant properties that Staff is aware of are listed on the City's website. She suggested that the City could begin encouraging property owners along the corridor to improve their buildings and property, and signage as this may help draw future development to the area. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu was in favor of allowing only monument signs along the County Road 10 corridor for future developments. The Commission agreed. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu suggested that the amount of electronic signs along the corridor be limited. Associate Heller indicated the amount per business is already restricted within the City's current sign code. Commissioner Carvelli-Yu questioned how the Commission should proceed. Associate Heller noted she would forward to the Commissioners a PUD agreement for each member to review. She encouraged the Commissioners to review this information along with the updated Zoning Code. Chair Stevenson recommended the Commission review the PUD size requirements at a future meeting. In addition, he wanted to see monument -style signs required along the corridor for all future signs. He noted building setbacks and parking lots requirements should also be discussed. The Commission was in agreement with these recommendations. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting April 17, 2013 Page 5 Associate Heller thanked the Commission for their discussion and input this evening. She explained the Commission would be meeting quite regularly in the coming months to continue discussions on this topic. Associate Heller indicated the second item up for discussion from the Council was sustainability. She reviewed the current language within the City Code regarding this topic, noting it was extremely brief and hindered property owners who wanted to install solar energy systems. She commented many cities were encouraging the installations of wind, solar or geothermal systems. It was noted that free assistance was available through the end of May to assist the City with rewriting the Zoning Code. She explained that by amending the Code, the City would encourage residents and business owners to be more "green." Associate Heller encouraged the Commissioners to review the City of Maplewood's sustainability code as it has been recently updated and would be a good starting point for Mounds View. Staff will bring this portion of the code back to review at a future meeting. Next Planning Commission Meeting: A. May 1, 2013 B. May 15, 2013 8. Adjournment to Agenda Session There being no further business before the Planning Commission, Chair Stevenson adjourned the meeting at 8:41 p.m. (The meeting immediately adjourned to the Agenda Session) Respectfully submitted, czmu(C �- Heidi Heller Planning Associate Transcribed by: Heidi Guenther TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.