PC Packet 10.12.17 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Floodplain A portion of the property is located within the floodplain district. The FEMA floodplain map designates the area around the ditch on the site as a "Zone AE" area with a regulatory floodplain elevation of 930. It is likely that the proposed grading will impact the floodplain and the applicant will need to work with City Engineer during the permit process to mitigate any proposed impacts. Housing Types The plans indicate that all of the villa homes and townhomes will consist of slab on grade units with no basements. The single family homes are proposed to be constructed with walkout and lookout basements. The applicant has provided preliminary elevations, but no material details or samples. These items would need to be reviewed as part of the preliminary plat. The applicant will be required to comply with the Multi -Family Design Guidelines for those portions of the development. Streets & Access The applicant is proposing one access onto Highway 61 at 159th Street. Per the City's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MnDOT and Washington County, this intersection is planned to be a full intersection, with no median, when Highway 61 is expanded. The applicant has completed a traffic study for the proposed development. The traffic study concluded that traffic control improvements may be necessary at Highway 61 and 159th Street, as the project reaches full build out. As the development project proceeds, improvements to Highway 61 may be required based on the anticipated traffic. Potential improvements may include turn lanes on Highway 61 or improvements to existing intersections, and would be based on the traffic study and input from MnDOT. Staff has been working with the applicant and MnDOT on what improvements would be needed for the intersection. The sketch plan shows a roundabout as the intersection improvement. Staff agrees that this improvement is the best option for the intersection. The following primary issues have been identified for further discussion if the project moves forward: • An Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) shall be completed for the intersection. MnDOT has stated that if traffic control improvements are needed at the Highway 61 and 159th Street intersection by 2023, they may support the installation of a roundabout. If not, the improvement would be the installation of turn lanes, which would be setting the intersection up for a traffic signal (not a roundabout) in the future. If turn lanes are required to be installed as the traffic control improvement, it will be a requirement that access into the development has direct alignment across from 159th Street. The roundabout option allows for some flexibility with this alignment. • The applicant must receive a permit from MnDOT and Washington County for the intersection improvement. This means, these entities will need to review and approve the improvement, alignment, and design.