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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 08.08.24Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of Thursday, August 8, 2024 Chair Kleissler called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. PRESENT: Andress, Arcand, Granger, Kelly, Kleissler, Lessard, Petty ABSENT: Derr STAFF: Rachel Juba, Community Development Director Max Gort, Associate Planner Pledge of Allegiance. Approval of Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of July 25, 2024 Commissioner Petty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Arcand, to approve the minutes for the Planning Commission meeting of July 25, 2024. AYE: Andress, Arcand, Kelly, Petty NAY: ABSTAIN: Granger, Lessard, Kleissler Motion carried. Public Hearing: HW1, LLC c/o Summit Management, LLC. – Site Plan, Zoning Amendment, Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, and Preliminary Plat applications to construct an 89-unit apartment building to be known as Frenchman Place 5th Addition Community Development Director Juba presented background on the requests from Summit Management to construct an 89-unit apartment building on a parcel located north of Frenchman Road, south of Rosemary Way, and east of the Victor Marketplace shopping center anchored by Festival Foods. The property is 12.96 acres in size, and has several easements running through it, including a sanitary sewer easement running north to south and an easement for an Xcel Energy gas line that bisects the property diagonally. The property to the north is zoned R-5 and is occupied by an apartment building, the properties to the east and south are zoned C -2 and are occupied by medical and commercial offices, and the property to the west is zoned PUD and is occupied by a shopping center. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment request is to change the land use designation from Commercial (COM) to High Density Residential (HD), the rezoning request is to change the property from being zoned C-2 to R-5, the site plan and conditional use permit (CUP) requests are for the apartment project and proposed public park, the preliminary plat request is to subdivide the parcel allowing the apartment and park to be on separate parcels, and the variance request is for the building height to be 39 feet, where a 35 foot height limit is required by ord inance. August 8, 2024 PC Minutes Page 2 The property is part of an approved preliminary plat called Frenchman Place, which had previously planned for the site to be occupied by two relatively large commercial office buildings. The applicant presented a sketch plan for an apartment concept on the site in 2022, which was reviewed by the EDA, Planning Commission, and City Council. The sketch plan showed access on both Rosemary Way and the private drive to the south, with long linear drive aisles and covered parking consisting entirely of detached garage stalls. Since the gas line easement bisects the property, the apartment had been shown entirely on the west side of the easement, with the development potential of the east side remaining unknown with limited upland. The commissioners and councilmembers who reviewed the sketch plan were generally concerned with site design, building design, and traffic circulation through the parking lot. The new site plan was designed to address these comments. The building is oriented facing Rosemary Way with a large attached garage building, fewer detached garage stalls, and the proposal of using the eastern portion of the property as a public park. The plan shows an outdoor gathering area as an onsite amenity for apartment residents. The applicant is proposing to dedicate 1.8 acres of buildable land for a public park to meet their park dedication requirements. In order to provide parking access for the park, staff is recommending that the city remove the no parking designation on the south side of Rosemary Way. The park design was presented to the Parks Commission at their June 26, 2024 meeting, and included a loop of 8-foot-wide asphalt trails. The site’s new layout was intended to address concerns that commissioners had with traffic circulation and speeding. The plan includes some wetland impact, which have been reviewed and approved by the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP). The landscape plan shows landscaping on the apartment property and the public park, and generally meets ordinance standards, but the applicant will need to revise plans to meet the required number of tree type s. The architecture plan includes steel siding with accents of cast stone along the bottom at the main entrance and building corners. The applicant has attempted to meet the city’s multifamily design guidelines, but staff will continue to work with them and recommend revisions to the building elevations to further comply. Revisions are expected to include having the garage roof match the roof of the building, including architectural features to break up the façade, and have the colors of the garage doors blend in with the building colors. In general, staff is of the opinion that the applicant has put together a plan that will meet ordinance standards, but staff will continue to work with the applicant on revisions to the plans. Staff recommended approval of all applications for Summit Management. Commissioner Arcand asked about the difference between the Planning Commission approving all of the applications together versus separately. Juba responded that the Planning Commission could add conditions to specific resolutions if they were separated. Commissioner Arcand asked about the Parks Commission’s recommendation, and if the city could construct a parking lot at a later date. Juba responded that the Parks Commission did discuss parking, but until the long-term plan for the park is determined, they were comfortable with allowing street parking. Commissioner Petty asked if there was a sidewalk on Rosemary Way now, Juba said yes. August 8, 2024 PC Minutes Page 3 Commissioner Andress asked about if there was a path from the apartment’s outdoor amenity area to the park, Juba said that there is a sidewalk already there and that the apartment will connect to it. Andress asked if there are any concerns about the proximity of the sidewalk to the Dunn Brothers drive thru lane, Juba said that there is limited traffic now and that the city does not foresee any issues. The applicant, Mark Lambert of Summit Management, introduced himself to the Planning Commission. Lambert stated that the site was particularly challenging to design, and that they’ve received letters of support from surrounding businesses. Lambert mentioned some of the proposed building amenities including a car wash station in the garage. Commissioner Arcand asked if the windows shown on the attached garage building are transparent. Lambert stated that they are, and that he prefers natural light being able to get into a garage. Arcand asked if they’ve had any crime issues with windows looking into a garage, Lambert says that he hasn’t decided whether to use the windows in the garage. Commissioner Andress said that he’s seen a few different numbers for parking stall counts across various pieces of information, and asked which number was accurate. Lambert said that some numbers may have come from letters of support, and that the numbers on the submitted plans should b e accurate. Andress asked about the tuck-under garage stalls. Lambert pointed to the garage stalls on the outside of the garage building with access from the parking lot, and stated that the water table and soils at the site make it difficult to construct underground parking. Juba stated that the current parking count exceeds the required minimum. Commissioner Granger asked about park maintenance and trail surfacing. Juba stated that the developer will pave the 8-foot-wide asphalt trails and that the city will maintain the park and trails after construction. Chair Kleissler asked if the Public Hearing was properly noticed to the public, Juba said yes. Chair Kleissler opened the Public Hearing at 7:36 PM Ann Brasse, 5965 138th St N, said she was concerned with the building’s proximity to the shopping center and traffic that would be generated, describing the parking lot at Festival Foods as being a bottleneck. Brasse stated that with the increased traffic volumes, that a traffic signal at the intersection with Everton Avenue and Frenchman Road should be considered. Brasse asked if the wetlands on the eastern portion of the property would be impacted, and was concerned about the water usage of a car wash inside the garage. Juba responded, stating that the access points for the apartment are only onto Rosemary Way, which is a major collector street and is designed to accommodate higher traffic volumes. Juba stated that the intersection with Everton Avenue and Frenchman Road is eva luated by Washington County every year, and currently does not need a signal. Juba stated that there are no wetland impacts proposed on the eastern portion of the property, and that the wetland impacts that are proposed have been approved August 8, 2024 PC Minutes Page 4 by the TEP. Lambert responded that the location on the property for the building was chosen due to natural constraints, and that the proximity to the shopping center would promote a mix of uses. Chair Kleissler asked if the applicant conducted a traffic study. Lambert stated that they did not conduct a traffic study, but that there may have been one when the original preliminary plat was planned. Kleissler asked if they had an estimate for vehicle trips, Lambert said that they typically average 1.25 cars per unit, therefore with 89 units he estimates approximately 100 vehicle trips in each direction per day. Lambert responded to the car wash concern, stating that the amenity is not comparable to a commercial car wash, and would be a fairly minimal set up with a hose. Commissioner Petty asked about traffic, saying she thinks there should be a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Victor Hugo Boulevard and the private drives accessing businesses to the east and west. Ann Brasse came back up and restated concerns with traffic in the area. No one else spoke. Chair Kleissler closed the Public Hearing at 7:46 PM Chair Kleissler stated that she likes that changes that have been made since the Planning Commission reviewed the sketch plan in 2022. Commissioner Andress said that lighting has been a discussion topic with previous applications, and asked whether this plan meets requirements. Juba stated that the lighting plan meets requirements for brightness control, and that staff is working with the applicant to get cut sh eets of the light fixtures. Commissioners Arcand and Lessard said that the changes since the sketch plan have been positive, and that they think the project will fit well in the area. Commissioner Petty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Arcand, to recommend approval of the Site Plan, Zoning Amendment, Comprehensive Plan Amendment, CUP, Variance, and Preliminary Plat applications. All ayes. Motion carried. The applications will be reviewed by the City Council at their August 19, 2024 meeting. New Business – Highway 61 Visioning Study Open House Juba invited the Planning Commission to attend the open house for the Highway 61 Visioning Study being held on Thursday, August 15, 2024 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM. The project management teem will be August 8, 2024 PC Minutes Page 5 showing final layouts that were developed based on feedback received over the past few years of the study. Commissioner Arcand asked if there’s an estimate on when reconstruction of Highway 61 may occur, Juba said not at this time. Juba said that the tea m has the overall design, and are now working on the jurisdictional transfer study which would eventually turn control of the road from MnDOT to Washington County. The County is requiring the improvements either be constructed or that MnDOT provides financial security for the improvements before the turnback is completed. Juba said that more could come on a timeline after that portion of the study is completed, but that improvements shouldn’t be expected in the near future. Juba said that the residential code review project is currently underway with Landform, and that a workshop is being planned with the Planning Commission and City Council on September 12 th at 6:00 PM. Old Business None. Adjournment Commissioner Petty made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Granger, to adjourn at 7:54 PM. All ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Max Gort, Associate Planner