PL MINUTES 03191985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-5- 1 the Comprehensive Nan for the area and he stated that he perceived the developers • 2 had been very open and receptive to the concerns of both the neighborhood and 3 City .by providing double garages for all units and realigning- the six units on 4 the corner so the garages would face Old Highway 8 and the back yards would 5 be away from that .busy street. He added that to make these changes, Brighton 6 Development had decreased the project from 32 to 29 townhome units with a 7 corresponding raise in unit price to make the tax increment work. 8 9 Mr. Childs reported there had been 15 or 16 neighbors present for the informational 10 meeting conducted by Brighton' Development, March 2nd., and three of the nine 11 abutting neighbors were included in those present. The Manager also indicated 12 the developer had assured the homeowners on 33rd Avenue N.E. that the construction 13 access would only be temporary and the neighbors to the west that the existing 14 chain link fence to the rear would be taken down. The concerns of the neighbors 15 directly west of the- project- on 33rd Avenue N.E. had also been resolved satis- 16 factorily, he said. The Manager concluded his report by reporting the only 17 calls he had received about the project had been purchase inquiries. 18 19 Margaret Bracken, of Brighton Development, presented the revised drawings for the 20 project which were compared to the original project plans. She did not have the 21 models of the units which had been selected by the neighbors, but promised to have 22 them available for display in the City offices. Mr. Childs brought the elevation 23 drawings of the various units, which had been approved when the property was 24 rezoned, to the meeting and indicated only about a story and a half of the structures 25 would be visible from the abutting neighbors' homes. 26 • 27 Commissioner Madden told Ms. Bracken he owns a townhome on 37th Avenue N.E. , 28 another heavily traveled City roadway, where even with the -required setbacks, he 29 is unable to open his windows in the summer because of the street noises, and asked 30 her what steps the developers were willing to take to alleviate the noise levels 31 for the two units for which 10 foot setbacks are being sought. The corporation 32 representative indicated the units would be constructed with 2 X 6 walls, triple 33 glazed windows and central air condition.i ng.__woul d:-be-_opti onal . 34 35 The project time schedule was reiterated by the Manager and Ms. Bracken said the 36 final landscaping plans would be available April 15th and would call for as many 37 plantings as City easements would permit. Mr. Childs was confident the existing 38 pine trees would remain in the neighbors' back yards and indicated he anticipated 39 the County might want to correct some of the drainage on Old Highway 8. 40 41 In reference to the signage for the project, the developer said the project name 42 had not been announced yet but a temporary sign would be necessary until the middle 43 units are completed: ' She said there would be a trailer on the property until 44 the first units are constructed, when one of those units could be used for a model 45 and sales office. Ms. Bracken reported there had already been three seriously 46 interested purchasers for the first units. 47 48 When Commissioner Jones commented that he hoped the architecture would be uniform 49 since he had considered the mix of styles in a St. Louis Park project, with green- 50 houses, etc. on some units, was "terrible", the developer responded by saying, 51 "interestingly enough, some of the interested purchasers of the townhomes had been • 52 interested in having a greenhouse fitted into the deck". 53 54 There was no expression of opposition to the variances or the project demonstrated 55 during the hearing, which was closed at 9: 10 P.M. for a Commission recommendation 56 to the Council .