Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.28.96 Special Planning Packet .' , . . . . . . AGENDA PLANNING COMMISSION SPECIAL MAY 28, 1996 7:00 P.M. l. CALL TO ORDER 2. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) 7:00 P.M. - Nelsen Hills Farm 5th Addition Preliminary Plat b) 7:30 P.M. - TroyHil1 3rd Addition Preliminary Plat c) 7:45 P.M. - Driveway Variance - 19446 Ellington Trail d) 7:45 P.M. - Front Yard Fence Variance - 19414 Euclid Path e) 8:00 P.M. - Mineral Extraction Permit - N 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Section 35 3. DISCUSSION a) Concept Plan for Pine Ridge Forest b) Recycling: Does it belong in Farmington? c) Comprehensive Plan Amendment - Multiple Family Housing South of Walnut Street d) Request for Addition to Existing Garage - 612 2nd Street 4 . ADJOURN . . . AGENDA REPORT PLANNING COMMISSION SPECIAL MAY 28, 1996 1. Call to Order 2. Public Hearings . 7:00 P.M. - Nelsen Hills Farm 5th Addition Preliminary Plat Nelsen Hills Farm 5th Addition is comprised of 79 residential lots on 32 acres of land in the northwest corner of Nelsen Hills Farm PUD. City staff has reviewed the plan and presents twelve recommendations for Commission consideration: 1. The required sanitary sewer to serve the plat needs to be extended from 190th street. The plan shows that it will be very deep and, as such, will require an approximately 54' wide easement as it passes between lots in a later phase. This will render these lots unbuildable. An alternative alignment is suggested following an access to the open space/ponding area to the east. 2. Because 190th Street is being built as part of Troy Hill 2nd Addition, the entire right of way must be dedicated as part of this plat. The connection will need to be made by means of an outlot which includes later phases of development. 3. The Water Board anticipates the dedication of two well sites as a part of the plat. If this occurs, all well sites included in the City Comprehensive Water Plan will have been acquired. 4. A temporary cuI de sac will be required at the end of Excalibur Trail. 5. Recognition by Heritage Development of their participation in the construction of 190th Street is expected in the Developer's Agreement. 6. A lateral benefit charge will be included in the Developer's Agreement for a watermain being built within TroyHil1 2nd Addition. 7. Access to Outlots Band C needs to be identified by wood corner posts to ensure minimum encroachment from adjoining property owners. An additional outlot (F) will be required for the trail connection south to 190th Street; all outlots shall be dedicated to the City as part of the development. 8. The Parks and Recreation Department has asked that the Developer build the north/south bike trail at the same time streets are improved to avoid any later resistance from property owners. 9. The City Engineer and Developer need to explore the reasoning behind the lack of paving and utilities in Everest Path (Explorer Avenue) at the north end of the property. 10.The drainage swale included on the former Cameron land will need dedicated easements connecting it with the Vermillion River Tributary. In addition, . . . there is a need for an outlet easement across the property to the west of Outlot B. 11.The Soil and Water Conservation District has requested identification of buffer zones of twenty feet on Lots 1-5 and 7-14 in Block 5 to separate traditional rear yard activity from the natural growth recommended adjoining stormwater ponds on Outlots Band C. 12.The City Engineer will address specific engineering detail directly to the Developer. Recommendation Approve the preliminary plat and forward it to the City Council subject to the incorporation of the recommendations outlined. . 7:30 P.M. - TroyHil1 3rd Addition Preliminary Plat The preliminary plat of TroyHill 3rd Addition is comprised of 32 single family lots on approximately 12 acres. The extensive work done in the review of TroyHill 2nd Addition has already responded to engineering questions which might have been raised at this time. It is important to notice that the plat is proposed in two sections which are separated by a large outlot. The lots to the north have been created to take advantage of two streets (Everest Path and 191st Street) that were created to serve TroyHill 2nd Addition. The Developer has added the lots in the 3rd Addition to assure a continuing supply during the next building season. Recommendation Forward the preliminary plat of TroyHill 3rd Addition to the City Council with a recommendation for its approval. . 7:45 P.M. - Driveway Variance Request - 19446 Ellington Trail The lot in question (Lot 35) is on a cul de sac which limits visitor parking on street. Mr. Mehrkins, therefore, designed the property layout to include off street parking in front of his garage to accommodate four vehicles. In addition, he wished to provide for pedestrian traffic from the street to the front door without using the lawn. City Code limits driveway paving at the street curb line to 26 feet. This driveway/sidewalk measures 29.6 feet. The question for the Commission to decide is whether or not the cul de sac visitor parking problem provides enough justification to warrant granting a variance. The applicant has pointed out that there appear to be other driveways in the plat which are also wider than the ordinance allows. Recommendation If possible, view the property (Ellington Trail is the easternmost cul de sac in Limerock Ridge) and evaluate the potential for setting a precedent. . . . · 7:45 P.M. - Front Yard Fence Variance - 19414 Euclid Path Steven and Sharolyn Kepler are involved in a serious neighborhood argument in which the neighbors to the west were successful in seeking an injunction which prevents Mr. Kepler from speaking with the neighbor's children. They determined that a fence 6' in height would minimize further contact but they misunderstood instructions that they received at City Hall which say that a fence may not be more than four feet high in front of the front setback line of the house. The purpose of this requirement is to prevent cutting off anyone from a view of the street while standing at their front door or looking from front windows. If there is anything at all unique about this lot it is its location on an "eyebrow" (half cuI de sac) at a street corner, which means that the house is setback somewhat further from the street than would otherwise be the situation. This suggests that the only people who are negatively affected by the fence height in the front yard are the Keplers. On the otherhand, if the Commission believes that this analysis does not constitute hardship with respect to the property, a variance cannot be granted. Staff does believe the circumstance of the lot is unique enough to justify a variance, and also is aware that there have been a few situations where the Commission has granted front yard height variances for fences in the past. Recommendation view the site (Euclid Path is the easternmost road within Fair Hills) and be prepared to respond to the request. . 8:00 P.M. - Mineral Extraction Permit in N 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Section 35 Dakota County improvements to County Road 50 west of downtown require 90,000 yards of sand. The contractor has found an excavation site immediately east of God's Country Nursery on the north side of the highway. Concerns expressed by staff regarding the future potential for construction on the excavation site have been addressed by the consulting engineer. The City Engineer is satisfied that the site will be buildable following replacement of the sand by "lean" clay. He has recommended approval subject to the submittal of required fees and bond, plus the placement of "Trucks Hauling" signs on driving lanes of County Road 50. Recommendation Approve the conditional use permit as requested. 3. Discussion . Concept Plan for pine Ridge Forest, a residential subdivision on land formerly owned by Gary Cameron and Family Tim Giles has been discussing the purchase of the west 24 acres of the Cameron land since the beginning of the year. He has discussed it with PARAC and was ready to close on the property when staff suggested that he discuss the concept with the Planning Commission. . . . , J The property is unique in that it contains a substantial land area that extends above 1005 feet in elevation. The City Engineer has stated in the past that no more housing in Farmington should have second floor elevations exceeding 1005 feet. The Nelsen Hills Farm PUD has, therefore, dedicated a substantial area adjoining the water tower as public open space. Hillview Subdivision was built before the elevation problem was apparent; one house frequently has been without water on the upper level. The land between the water tower in Nelsen Hills Farm and Lot 2, Block 3 in Hillview Third Addition, which is above the 1005 contour, contains approximately one-third of the entire site proposed for development. The Developer shows a typical suburban residential street layout which will need to cut up to 30 feet from the top of the hill in order to be buildable. The question that should be discussed is the impact such an excavation would have on this neighborhood. The Parks and Recreation Commission has made it clear that it does not have money enough to purchase the land, even though it is designated as park land in the City's Comprehensive Plan. The Water Board has not discussed it and the City Council is not aware of the elevation problem regarding housing. This is probably the first time that a concept plan has been discussed by the Commission in which there are no easy answers. Recommendation The Developer needs a response to his concept in order to proceed. . Recycling - Does it belong in Farmington and, if so, in which Zoning District? The neighborhood reaction to recycling was negative. The current trash hauling contract that the City now has is likely to be impacted by a convenient drop off location for recyclables. The service that was located on Second Street has now moved to the edge of town, only somewhat less convenient for public use. The only district that appears to be suitable for this service is 1-1 Light Industrial but, currently, there appear to be no affordable sites available. Recommendation Based upon earlier discussions of this service and the factors presented in the current request, the Zoning Ordinance should not be amended by adding recycling at this time. . Comprehensive Plan Amendment Regarding Multiple Family Housing South of Walnut Street The request for recycling has focused attention on the partial block of R-3 High Density Residential land that is situated south of Walnut Street on the east side of the railroad right of way. It is currently developed with single family housing and one lot that is currently vacant has been proposed as the location of a duplex unit. The Zoning Ordinance was designed to discourage single and two family dwellings in the high density district. It is, therefore, much more difficult to build a duplex or single family dwelling in this block. Existing development makes an R-2 designation more sensible. There does appear to be a , " . . . , . negative response in the neighborhood to anything other than single family dwellings. Recommendation A drive by this site does suggest that R-2 Medium Density would be more appropriate than the current R-3 District. · Request to Build a Garage Addition Paul Henry, 612 2nd Street, has requested to build a 936 square foot addition to an existing 360 square foot garage. This request has been brought to the Commission with the full knowledge that existing requirements were developed over time and that large garage buildings in residential neighborhoods have been looked on with disfavor. The City has been in litigation over an accessory structure that exceeds 1000 square feet. There must be a maximum size for accessory structures that can be reasonably enforced. The question being raised at this time is what that maximum should be. A variance request has not been filed but may be forthcoming. Mr. Henry is likely to attend the meeting. (l/~ . . rf!1),~ Charles Tooker City Planner