HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.10.02 Planning Packet
City of Farmington
325 Oak Street
Farmington, MN 55024
. .
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e3.
AGENDA
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
REGULAR
December 10, 2002
7:00 P.M.
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
1.
CALL TO ORDER
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a)
October 8, 2002
b)
November 26, 2002
PUBLIC HEARINGS
a)
Ordinance Repealing Title 4 Chapter 3, Amending Section 10-6-3: Signs, Billboards and Amending
Section 10-2-1: Definitions (continued)
b)
Variance Request - Minimum Lot Size Requirement
Applicant: Bob Donnelly
c)
Consider Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Zoning Map Amendment - Knutsen Property
4.
ADJOURN
Dirk Rotty, Todd Larson, Chaz Johnson, Ben Barker, Bob Heman
. Planning Commissioners:
City Staff:
Kevin Carroll, Community Development Director
Lee Smick, City Planner
Jim Atkinson, Assistant City Planner
.
.
.
City of Farmington
325 Oak Street, Farmington, MN 55024
(651) 463-7111 Fax (651) 463-2591
www.ci.farmington.mn.us
TO:
City Planning Commission
FROM:
nG
Lee Smick, AICP \( \
Planning Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Ordinance Repealing Title 4 Chapter 3, Amending Section 10-6-3: Signs,
Billboards and Amending Section 10-2-1: Definitions
DATE:
December 10, 2002
INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION
The Planning staff is continuing to make revisions to the sign ordinance as suggested by the City
Attorney's Office. Therefore, the Planning staff suggests that the Planning Commission continue the
public hearing for the sign ordinance to the January 14, 2003 meeting.
ACTION REQUESTED
Recommend continuance of the sign ordinance to the January 14,2003 Planning Commission meeting.
Respectfully Sublllitted,
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K1t.k~
Lee Smick, AICP
Planning Coordinator
.
City of Farmington
325 Oak Street, Farmington, MN 55024
(651)463-7111 Fax (651) 463-2591
www.ci.farmington.mn.us
FROM:
City Planning Commission
Jim Atkinson ~t"
Assistant City Planner
TO:
SUBJECT:
Variance Request - Minimum Lot Size Requirement
Applicant: Bob Donnelly
DATE:
December 10, 2002
INTRODUCTION
.
The applicant, Bob Donnelly, is seeking variance approval from the minimum lot size
requirement in the Agriculture Zoning District (A-1) to create a 30-acre parcel. Mr. Donnelly is
proposing to purchase ten (10) acres of land from Independent School District 192 and combine
it with 20 acres of land that he currently owns to the south. The newly created parcel would be
ten (10) acres less than required for a property in the A-1 District (Section 10-5-5 of the
Farmington City Code).
According to Mr. Donnelly, the purpose of the subdivision and lot combination is to expand an
existing feed lot that he currently operates. Restrictions would be placed on seven (7) of the ten
(10) acres acquired from the school district that would limit the area in which the feed lot could
expand.
PLANNING DIVISION REVIEW
Applicant: Bob Donnelly
20080 Flagstaff Avenue
Farmington, MN 55024
Attachments: 1. Location Map
2. Proposed Lot configuration
Property Location: 20080 Flagstaff Avenue
Proposed Lot Size: 30 acres
Existing Zoning: A-1 (Agriculture District)
. 2020 Comprehensive Plan: Agriculture/Conservation
Existing land Use: Vacant / Feed Lot
Surrounding Land Uses:
Meadow View Elementary to the north, Agricultural areas
to the south, east, and west.
.
DISCUSSION
Waiver of Plat
According to Section 11-1-5 of the City Code. "a subdivider of a single parcel of land into no
more than two (2) parcels may request a waiver of the formal plat review process." A waiver of
plat is administratively granted and does not require formal approval by the Planning
Commission or City Council. In this case, staff is unable to approve the waiver of plat at this
time since the proposed lot would not comply with the minimum lot size requirement provided in
the Zoning Code. If a variance from this requirement is granted by the Planning Commission,
staff may proceed with the review of the waiver of plat application.
Nonconforming Parcel
The minimum lot size requirement for properties within the A-1 District was amended in May of
2002. The previous minimum requirement was one (1) acre and was changed to 40 acres. Mr.
Donnelly's property is currently 20 acres, which is 20 acres less than required by the current
Code. Therefore, Mr. Donnelly's existing property is considered a legal nonconforming parcel
since it existed in its current state prior to the Code amendment.
Nonconforming parcels are allowed to remain in their current state or can be modified as long
as the amount of nonconformity is not increased. In this case, Mr. Donnelly's request would
actually decrease the amount of nonconformity and therefore would not be in violation of the .
nonconforming use provisions in the City Code.
The Board of Adjustment may vary the regulations of this Title if anv of the following
requirements are met:
1. Because the particular physical surroundings. or the shape, configuration,
topography, or other conditions of the specific parcel of land involved, strict
adherence to the regulations of this Title would cause undue hardship. Economic
consideration alone shall not constitute an undue hardship if reasonable use for the
property exists under the terms of this Title.
The City Code was amended in May of 2002 to increase the minimum lot area
required for properties in the A-1 District from one (1) acre to 40 acres. This
amendment changed Mr. Donnelly's 20 acre property to a nonconforming parcel,
thus eliminating his ability to subdivide or otherwise alter his property in a way that
would increase the nonconforming status. If the Code amendment had not occurred,
Mr. Donnelly could proceed with the waiver of plat and be in complete compliance
with the Zoning Code. The amendment, therefore, may have caused undue hardship
to Mr. Donnelly. Additionally, Mr. Donnelly's request will bring the parcel closer to
compliance than it currently exists.
2. The conditions upon which a variance is based are unique to the parcel of land for
which the variance is sought and are not applicable. generally, to other properties
within the same zoning classification. .
2
.
.
.
When the City Code was amended to increase the minimum lot size in the A-1
District, several properties became nonconforming. The majority of properties in the
A-1 District, however, do comply with the minimum lot size requirement thus creating
a similar situation to Mr. Donnelly's for only a minority of property owners in the A-1
District.
3. The alleged difficulty or hardship is caused by this Title and has not been created by
any persons presently having an interest in the parcel of land.
The hardship present in this situation was not created by Mr. Donnelly or any other
person having an interest in the property.
4. The granting of the variance will not alter the essential character of the locality or be
injurious to other property in the vicinity in which the parcel of land is located or
substantially diminish property values.
Granting the variance to create a larger lot would not alter the character of the area
or have a negative impact on other property in the vicinity. The proposed use of the
property as a feed lot is consistent with the allowable accessory uses provided in the
A-1 District. Additionally, Mr. Donnelly has agreed to place restrictions on seven (7)
acres of the property that would create a buffer between the feed lot operation and
the school.
5. The proposed variance will not substantially increase the congestion of the public
streets, or increase the danger of fire, or be detrimental to the public welfare or public
safety .
The proposed variance would not result in any of the above mentioned adverse
effects.
ACTION REQUESTED
Approve the variance from the minimum lot size requirement in the A-1 District (Section 10-5-5
of the Farmington Code) to allow a waiver of plat to proceed to create a 30 acre parcel.
Respectfully submitted,
(1 ~ aj;:~
Jim Atkinson
Assistant City Planner
cc: Bob Donnelly
Matt Storm
3
Location Map
Bob Donnelly Variance Request
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Proposed Lot Configuration
Bob Donnelly Variance Request
To be purchased 10 Acres
from ISO 192..... ..................... .. .
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Existing Donnelly
Property...... .........................
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.
City of Farmington
325 Oak Street, Farmington, MN 55024
(651) 463-7111 Fax (651) 463-2591
www.d.farmington.mn.us
TO:
City Planning Commission
FROM:
Lee Smick, AICP
Planning Coordinator
\tRv
SUBJECT: Consider Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Zoning Map Amendment - Knutsen
Property
DATE: December 10,2002
INTRODUCTION
The City of Farmington proposes to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map for the Knutsen
property located at the southwest intersection of CSAH 50 and Denmark Avenue.
. DISCUSSION
City staff is proposing Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map amendments for the Knutsen property in
order to prepare the property for future commercial development. The Knutsen property consists of
approximately 60 acres at the southwest comer of the intersection of CSAH 50 and Denmark Avenue.
Staff proposes that the 2020 Comprehensive Plan be amended from Business Park (40 acres) to
Commercial (37 acres) and Environmentally Sensitive (3 acres), with the remaining 20 acres maintaining
its current designation of Environmentally Sensitive. Staff also proposes to rezone the property from BP
(Business Park; 60 acres) to SSC (Spruce Street Commercial; 37 acres) and P/OS (Parks/Open Space; 23
acres).
The Knutsen property was not included in the moratorium that was approved on October 7, 2002 for the
Opportunity Grant study area. In light of the City Council's decision to exclude the Knutsen property,
staff is of the opinion that the Knutsen property should be redesignated to allow for future commercial
and retail uses. A Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Rezoning are required to prepare the property for
the commercial/retail uses that are desired or anticipated.
The City proposes to designate 37 acres as the Spruce Street Commercial zone, which would allow for a
variety of commercial uses such as retail sales and services, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and
theaters. The remaining 23 acres, which include wetlands, the Vermillion River floodplain, and four
underground gas lines, are proposed to be designated as Parks/Open Space.
.
The Business Park designation in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan was approved on May 6, 2002 along with
the zoning designation ofBP. (The original Comprehensive Plan and zoning designation for the property
was Industrial.) The 2020 Comprehensive Guide indicated that the northern portion of the business park
"could be utilized for commercial spaces" and recommended that hotels, restaurants, and open space with
trails be developed. Therefore, staff proposes to amend the 2020 Comprehensive Plan from Business
Park to Commercial (for 37 of the 40 acres that are currently designated as Business Park). The
remaining 3 acres would be changed from Business Park to Environmentally Sensitive.
.
Currently, the 2020 Comprehensive Plan identifies the eastern portion of the Knutson property as
Environmentally Sensitive. This land area encompasses approximately 20 acres. Wetlands and
floodplains exist in this location. Additionally, there are four gas pipelines that are located on the
westerly side of the Environmentally Sensitive area. Development may not occur within the gas
easement. Staff proposes to maintain the Environmentally Sensitive designation on these 20 acres and
add an additional 3 acres that have also been determined to be undevelopable for environmental reasons.
Issues to be Addressed Before Development
The City and the Developer are currently dealing with two issues that may affect the development of the
property. The first issue concerns the flood fringe that exists on the west side of the pipeline easement.
The flood fringe is the portion of the floodplain that has a flow depth of less than 1 foot. In contrast to the
flood fringe, the floodplain contains the channel or beds adjoining a wetland, lake, or watercourse. The
Developer has expressed interest in developing adjacent to the pipeline, meaning that development within
the existing flood fringe would occur. By developing in this area, the Developer would either be required
to compensate floodplain volume elsewhere in the flood fringe, or prepare a floodplain study disputing the
existing floodplain location and requesting a Letter of Map Revision from FEMA to relocate the
floodplain.
.
The second issue concerns the possible need for an EA W or AUAR to determine the environmental
impacts associated with the Knutsen property and the remaining acreage within the Opportunity Grant
study area. Thresholds for an EA W include (but are not limited to) any development over 200,000 square
feet. At this time, the Developer has not made a determination of commercial square footage proposed
for the property. If the square footage exceeds 200,000, an EA W would be mandated by the
Environmental Quality Review Board standards.
An AUAR for the entire Opportunity Grant study area (450 acres) may also be required due to potential
environmental impacts to the designated trout stream that flows through the Knutsen property and the
remainder of the Opportunity Grant study area. The natural resources agencies have high standards for
storm water and ground water management in areas that impact trout streams, and often require
alternative strategies for storm water management in these drainage areas. The City, as the Responsible
Governmental Unit (RGU) determines whether an EA W or AUAR is required upon review of the
Environmental Quality Review Board standards. At this time, the City is researching these standards in
order to make a determination regarding the required level of environmental review.
ACTION REQUESTED
1. Amend the 2020 Comprehensive Plan from Business Park ( 40 acres) to Commercial (37 acres)
and Environmentally Sensitive (3 acres), with the remainder of the Knutson property (20 acres)
maintaining the current designation of Environmentally Sensitive.
2. Amend the Zoning Map from BP (Business Park; 60 acres) to SSC (Spruce Street Commercial; 37
acres) and P/OS (Parks/Open Space; 23 acres).
3. If the Planning Commission feels that the above-issues need to be resolved before amendments to
the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map can be recommended to the City Council, continue the
public hearing to a future date.
.
Respectfully SubIIlit~d,
~:~l J;u<<{C'
Lee Smick, AICP
Planning Coordinator
cc: Bob & Stan Knutson
Matt Alexander, New Century Development
.
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