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Planning Commission Minutes — April 8, 2004 <br />POA Scherer -Crain, LLC - Victor Gardens 4th Addition <br />POAC-Crain, LLC, 3500 Willow Lake Boulevard, Vadnais Heights, had submitted an <br />application for a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, PUD amendment, and <br />preliminary plat approval for a development to be known as Victor Gardens 4th Addition. <br />The property is located south of Frenchmen Road (CR 8), east of Victor Gardens 2nd <br />Addition and consists of approximately 23 acres. At its meeting on April 5, 2004, the <br />City Council approved vacation of the 146th Street North roadway easement located on <br />this parcel. <br />Since the City Council approved the PUD for Victor Gardens in November of 2000, the <br />applicant had acquired this property from Jim Crain for development as part of Victor <br />Gardens. The property was sited for commercial in the Comprehensive Plan. The <br />applicant was requesting an amendment to the plan for 20.37 acres to be developed as <br />residential. The remainder of the parcel along County Road 8 would be for two future <br />commercial lots. The applicant had indicated to staff that a portion of the property would <br />be more suited to residential development because the wetlands located on the property <br />did not provide for the contiguous buildable area preferred for commercial development. <br />The applicant also requested approval of a rezoning from General Business to Planned <br />Unit Development, approval of an amendment to the Victor Gardens PUD to include this <br />property, and preliminary plat approval of 10 townhome lots and two commercial lots to <br />be platted as Victor Gardens 4th Addition. <br />The City Planner explained to the Commission that by amending the Victor Gardens <br />PUD to include this property, the total number of housing units would decrease from 670 <br />to 602 units with the amount of commercial acreage remaining the same as the original <br />plan. The original plan had previously been amended to permit residential where <br />commercial had been planned when Victor Gardens 3rd Addition was platted. Addition <br />of the former Crain property provides acreage to replace the commercial area approved <br />with the original PUD. The construction of apartments and some of the two-family units <br />had been eliminated, reducing the total number of residential units. <br />The Commission reviewed the application and provided comments on the spacing of the <br />roads connecting to CSAH 8, and on the landscaping proposed for the property. The <br />Planner explained that Washington County had approved both road connections to CSAH <br />8. Commissioner Malaski was concerned about the landscaping of the wet areas and <br />recommend plants other than conifers, which do not like "wet feet". She suggested plants <br />such as River Birch, Corkscrew Willow, Chokecherry, and Hawthorns. <br />Chairman Schumann opened the public hearing. <br />Developer Len Pratt was present with his partners John Peterson, David Hempel, and <br />Shelly Tompkins, whom he introduced. He said Gene Arndt was also a partner but was <br />not able to attend the meeting. <br />Pratt provided an overview of Victor Gardens and showed how the 4' Addition tied into <br />-2- <br />