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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-09-2008PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting July 9, 2008 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 7:02 p.m. July 9, 2008. 2. Roll Call Members Present: Chair Stevenson; Commissioners, Cramblit, Gunn, Lang, Meehlhause, Miller, and Walsh-Kaczmarek Absent and Excused: None. Also Present: Community Development Director Roberts and Planning Associate Heller Index to Minutes Page Discussion about Potential Code Amendments for Senior Housing Developments 2 3. Approval of Minutes A. May 21, 2008. MOTION/SECOND: Commissioner Gunn/Commissioner Miller. To approve the Minutes of the. May 21, 2008 regular Planning Commission meeting as slightly amended. Ayes — 7 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 b. Other Planning Activity July 9, 2008 Page 2 A. Discussion about Potential Code Amendments for Senior Housing Developments Planning Associate Heller reported that staff has been meeting with a developer about a new senior housing development which includes assisted living and memory care units for three parcels on the northwest comer of Groveland Road and County Highway 10. Currently, the city code doesn't address this type of housing development. She stated the current PUD zoning requires a minimum of a three acre parcel, and this particular project is not large enough to use a PUD zoning which would be the preference for this type of development. Planning Associate Heller stated on July 7, 2008 city staff presented options to the City Council and they were supportive of amending the city code. She indicated she would like feed back from the Planning Commission regarding the amendments. Chair Stevenson stated staff did a great job with the staff report and outlining all of the options. He stated with each floor of the building being a different use, it would require different parking requirements. He stated he felt the best option was using a PUD zoning for this particular type of development. Commissioner Walsh-Kaczmarek asked about creating a separate zoning code. Chair Stevenson stated PUD is used for a mixed use development with separate requirements for parking. He stated the developer would come in with a plan that involves all the different units. He stated the issue is the current code doesn't address higher density due to smaller square footages per unit such as proposed with the new development. He agreed possibly creating a subsection of the PUD code chapter for senior housing. Planning Associate Heller indicated there were two options: 1) change the PUD requirements to allow this type of development with the different parking requirements, higher density and smaller acreage or 2) change several sections of the city code to address all the different areas of a project. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting July 9, 2008 Page 3 Planning Associate Heller stated there are guidelines within the PUD zoning that the developer needs to abide by. These guidelines allow the city some give and take when negotiating a new development. She suggested creating new PUD guidelines for senior housing. Commissioner Walsh-Kaczmarek stated she would like guidance from staff regarding what would be the best solution and also what makes the best use of the property. Planning Associate Heller confirmed that within the PUD zoning there should be some guidance. Commissioner Meehlhause suggested changing the PUD to a two acre minimum instead of the current three acres. Planning Associate Heller stated she noted the acreage modification. Commissioner Walsh-Kaczmarek asked if this new PUD zoning would apply to group homes. Planning Associate Heller stated group homes are typically single family residences and there are very few regulations for these types of homes. Chair Stevenson stated the main issue with the proposed development is it is currently zoned RO and R-1. This makes the area very unique. He suggested redefining the acreage requirement from the current PUD code. Commissioner Lang asked why the three acre limit exists and if staff foresees any drawbacks in using the PUD zoning for the proposed development. Planning Associate Heller stated the PUD zoning is typically used for large development projects. She stated that the uniqueness of the proposed project is the high density, small units and the reduced need for parking making it difficult to fit into the current city code. Commissioner Cramblit asked what happens if the developer sells the building and it's no longer senior housing. Planning Associate Heller stated the new owner would need to apply for a conditional use permit to allow for multi -family housing. Planning Associate Heller stated that with a PUD, what is on the property is very site specific and if the use would change, the property owner would need to apply for a PUD amendment to allow for a different use. She asked if the commission wanted to specify the new PUD section to allow just senior housing. Chair Stevenson suggested the PUD be specific to senior housing with less than three acres. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting July 9, 2008 Page 4 Commissioner Gunn stated the parking requirements that were defined in the packet from the City of Fridley are good because assisted living and memory care residents are less likely to own cars. Chair Stevenson stated the parking requirements don't necessarily need to be in the PUD subsection. He stated to allow a 2-3 acre parcel for senior housing should be limited to senior housing only with assisted living. Community Development Director Roberts recommended including parking guidelines as benchmarks for staff and potential developers. Chair Stevenson stated the subsection could be Senior Housing PUD with Assisted Living. Community Development Director Roberts suggested adding the requirement of at least 60% of the units must be some type of assisted living to qualify for the smaller acreage site size PUD. Chair Stevenson recommended a subsection PUD with a minimum of two acres with 60% assisted living and memory care units. Commissioner Gunn questioned if nursing homes would fit into the new zoning. Planning Associate Heller stated that nursing homes are addressed in the R-4 zoning district and it's doubtful that a new nursing home would be built as there is currently a moratorium from the State on new nursing homes construction. Commissioner Gunn stated the community needs this development to keep current residents in the city. Community Development Director Roberts reminded the commission with city code amendments it best to think long term. Commissioner Walsh-Kaczmarek stated she would like to see more pervious than impervious surfaces with this development and to make sure it's suitable within the neighborhood. Planning Associate Heller stated by reducing the required parking surface we will be able to see more green space. She stated the developer is very conscious of the neighborhood and wants the building to be suitable for the neighborhood. She also suggested possibly limiting the number of stories within the new zoning district. Commissioner Miller suggested limiting the height to three stories. Planning Associate Heller confirmed that the PUD would be limited to three stories and include the parking requirements from Fridley. Mounds View Planning Commission Regular Meeting July 9, 2008 Page 5 Planning Associate Heller asked about setbacks for the new PUD zoning. She stated what the current setback requirements are: 30, 30 and 20 feet. Chair Stevenson stated current setbacks should be fine and not include the double side yard setback as required in the R-4 zoning district requirements for senior housing. Chair Stevenson summarized the new senior housing PUD subsection with a two acre minimum, must include 60% assisted living and/or memory care units with a three story maximum, follow current setbacks and implement the parking limitations as presented in the Fridley city code. He suggested to staff to get started with the anticipation of the first reading at the July 23, 2008 meeting. 7. Next Planning Commission Meeting: A. July 23, 2008 B. August 6, 2008 8. Adjournment to Agenda Session There being no further business before the Planning Commission, Chair Stevenson adjourned the meeting at 8:17 p.m. (The meeting immediately adjourned to the Agenda Session) ;KeAnneRob'e<r lyubs Community Development Director Transcribed by: Barbara Suciu TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.