2025.03.17 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Meeting Minutes for March 17, 2025 Page 7 of 8 two-story homes on 50-foot-wide lots. Community Development Director Rachel Juba presented the plan, which showed the location of the lots, ponding areas, and road connections. Streets were shown to connect to the south, and two streets would connect north to 165th Street. There were two approximately one-acre intersecting properties on 165th Street that were under separate ownership. There was no homeowner’s association proposed as part of this development. Juba explained that the parcels were designated as Medium Density (MD) Residential in the 2040 Land Use Plan. The developer proposed a net density of three units per acre, which met the MD requirement. The current zoning on the properties was Future Urban Service, and it would need to be rezoned to Planned Unit Development because the applicant was requesting flexibility on lot widths, lot sizes, and setbacks. The proposal included 50-foot lots where 80 feet was required, 6,500-square-foot lot sizes where 10,400 square feet was required, and reduced setbacks, including a 7.5-foot side yard setback where ten feet was required. Juba stated it was likely they would need flexibility on the impervious surface requirements. The development was expected to have higher standards in exchange for this flexibility. The developer intended to provide scenic views by preserving natural features as much as possible, providing high-quality architectural homes, and creating outlots to reduce impacts on natural resources. Juba discussed the proposed streets in the development and the improvements needed for 165th Street. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan identified 165th Street as an urban-section minor collector road with a future trail connecting to Hardwood Creek. As a collector street, six lots shown on the plan had driveways on 165th Street that would need to be eliminated. Additionally, a long, straight road running north and south would need to be analyzed to determine what traffic- calming measures were needed. Juba reviewed several options for improvements on 165th Street, saying there would be a study beginning this spring to help determine how to move forward. Staff recommendations included submitting a phasing plan, reconfiguring the long north/south road, removing or relocating the six lots with access to 165th Street, reconsidering lots in the Met Council interceptor, incorporating an off-road trail system, enhancing the landscape plan, and evaluating stormwater reuse. Juba reviewed comments made by the Planning Commission at their meeting on February 27, 2025, and the Parks Commission at their meeting on February 19, 2025. In addition to staff’s recommendations, comments were made that the development would be served by other parks, so there would be no required land dedication, but a park dedication fee would be required. There was also a desire to see staggered building setbacks, a one-story product, and more creativity in the layout. Petryk asked about the ownership of the outlot since there would be no HOA. Juba replied that the City would typically take over ownership, but it had not yet been discussed. Land Project Manager Tom Bakritges, representing Capstone Homes, introduced himself and property owner Mary Munger. He said he had been working on this project since last August, and his aim was to balance affordability with environmental stewardship. He reiterated much of what Juba presented and was agreeable to the suggestions made. He discussed projects he had completed in other cities and said the key to this project was that there would be no HOA. He explained that the high water table would not allow for basements and that he did not believe a water reuse project would work on this site. He said water reuse and 165th Street were two of the remaining issues.