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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.11.94 Planning Packet ..., ~. . . AGENDA PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR JANUARY 11, 1994 1. Call to order 2. Approve Minutes a. December 14, 1993 3. Public Hearings a.7:00PM - Preliminary Plat of West view Townhomes, a 22 unit high density residential subdivision with access from Hickory Street. b.7:30PM - Condition Use requested by Kwik Trip, Inc. for a motor fuel station and conv,enience store on lots 7,8,9, and 10, block 25, Original Town of Farmington. 4. Discussion a. Concept Plan for Devney Land immediately west of Fair Hills for 212 lot subdivision on approximately 90 acres. b. Concept Plan for PUD of remainder of Nelsen Farm to the north and west of Nelsen Hills Farm requested by Heritage Development. c. Informal request by Dave Olson for a nursery sales area on the north side of County Road 50, opposite Christian Life Church. d. Informal request from Ronald and Diana Valek for consideration of an equipment maintenance and storage use as a conditional use in the Agricultural District on Flagstaff Ave. e. Informal request from Kirk Banner for a variance to the limit on driveway width at street right of way. f. James Pluntz Conditional Use Permit g. Reclassification of duplex on lot 5, Mickelson's Addition h. Requested resolution regarding Economic Development District No.4 i. Rosebrier Conditional Use Permit j. Landscaping Requirements between Public Streets and Loading Areas k. Business Signs Downtown 5. Adjourn >c. AGENDA REPORT PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR JANUARY 11, 1994 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVE MINUTES - December 14, 1993 . 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS a. 7:00 P.M. - Preliminary Plat of Westview Town Homes, a 22 unit high density residential subdivision The two pieces of information which were unknown at the time of concept approval by the Com- mission involve setbacks from the two street rights of way. The County Plat Commission in its review of the plat has said that a fifty (50) foot dedication along County Road 74 will be required to allow future upgrading of the street. And, although the setback requirement for city street rights-of-way is 20 feet, the prevailing setback along Hickory Street is 25 feet. Therefore the property will have been effectively narrowed by 20 feet from north to south if the setback along Ash Street is maintained at 30 feet as proposed in the preliminary site plan. If these street rights- of-way and setbacks are incorporated, there will be no access to the open spare area from the private drive. This suggests that the two units that are situated between the open space and the private drive will need to be removed. To accommodate the space reduction on the east side of the private drive, the four unit building could be moved northward and attached to the two unit building leaving a row of six townhouses. This slight reduction in number of units would move the overall density closer to that allowed in the R-2 district which borders the plat on two sides. Another option would be to request that the City Council investigate the possibility of building this section of Ash Street off center with 34 feet of additional right-of-way to be acquired on the south side of the existing street. The major obstacle to this is that three homes would need to be pur- chased immediately east of the Dakota Electric Building. Otherwise, the land in question involves open land owned by Dakota electric and farm land. The County may not object to such a shift but is not likely to agree unless a right-of-way study is initiated. From casual observation it appears that there are likely to be more damages to property along the north side of this right-of-way if reconstruction is centered on the center line than if it were to be offset to the south. . Two minor problems have been noted by the City Engineer. The first is that the 24 foot wide private drive needs to be extended to the east/west alignment and the curb radii increased to 25 feet in order for the city solid waste vehicle to serve the housing units in the plat. This would also be true for the private drive intersection with Hickory Street. The second point involves the width of driveways as they intersect Hickory Street. The maximum width allowed in the City Code is 24 feet. The three drives proposed appear to be 36 feet. This can be alleviated by extending the center median at least to the public right-of-way line. This would also suggest three additional plants for each median. The City Engineer has additional comments that relate to the direction of storm water runoff flow which will need to be handled as a condition of plat approval The landscape plan is well done and includes varied plant materials to assure an interesting land- scape. To meet the requirement of boulevard trees approximately 40 feet on center, two -'. . . additional street trees will be required on both Hickory and Ash Streets. The Soil and Water Conservation District has recommended a specific seed mixtureswith straw mulch for erosion control on disturbed surfaces. The County will not allow the temporary access to Ash Street and the City Engineer has suggested the installation of a berm at the end of the private drive to elimi- nate the possibility of unauthorized entrance onto this County Road. Recommendation: Explore the developers time constraints. A shift in the right of way for County Road 74 may make sense but could delay the start up time of this project. The recom- mended revision to the site plan would be accomplished more quickly at the expense of loosing two housing units. b. 7:30 PM - Conditional Use Request from Kwik Trip, Inc. to allow construction of a motor fuel station and convenience store on lots 7,8,9, and 10, block 25, Original Town of Farmington. Motor fuel stations are listed conditional uses in the B-2 General Business District. The purpos'e of this is to provide the Planning COmmission control over the development of such sites. The material submitted with the application is not complete in that specific development details are not included. There is no planting plan and the freestanding pylon sign is not located or provided with enough detail to evaluate how it fits within the City Sign Ordinance. A concern of the staff is that the site plan shows access directly on Elm Street or County Road 50. The County has indicated no interest in providing this access and based upon experience in other communities, the need for this access is in doubt. Perhaps the most serious questions that should be considered by the Commission is the architectural style of the building. The mixture of red brick and white vinyl siding appears to relate to no other building within the downtown. The downtown plan developed by the HRA referenced red brick (before it was generally recognized that the Exchange Bank Building is yellow) and white frame construction as an objective. The HRA worked with the developers of Farmington City Center to introduce decorative block into its building cluster. A more pleasing use of the same red brick and white vinyl would be to massthe brick on the sides of the building facing the downtown streets. The site is a prominent downtown comer and the building should reflect more of the downtown character. The site plan, when reviewed by the Commission, should include shade trees 40 feet on center adjoining the street right of way and planting pockets that will help break up the massive area of black asphalt that is indicated on the preliminary site plan. Recommendation: Encourage the applicant to break up the horizontal red and white look of the proposed building and to bring in a landscape plan that someday will provide a more interesting comer. 4. a. Concept Plan for Devney Land immediatley west of FairHills Builders Development, Inc. has submitted a proposal for 212 lots on 90 acres owned primarily by John Devney plus a small portion by the Seed Trust. It conforms with the City Comprehensive Plan by providing lots that meet or exceed the 10,000 square feet required in the R-l Low Density Residential District. It also shows the minor north/south collector streets identified in the City Comprehensive Plan but does not include an 80 foot right of way that will accomodate an 8 foot .'. . . wide bike trail in addition to the paved street. It is also recommended that 193rd Street include an 80 foot right of way for the same reason. Currently the only portion of 193rd Street that is not 80 feet in width is within the Fair Hills Subdivision. Other design suggestions include the need for a publicly dedicated stormwater management pond adjoining Fair Hills in the north half of the subdivision and lots that are at least 150 feet deep where they adjoin County Road 64 and 190th Street West. Another suggestion would be to replace the "eyebrow" at the north end of the plat with a through street connection to property west of this plat. The City Comprehensive Water Plan has recommended two portential well sites which will need to be identified prior to the development of a preliminary plat. The County Plat Commission will find the proposed access to the plat unacceptable because it does not meet county spacing guidelines. One or two compelling reasons suggest that this location is preferable to one that meets the guidelines. The first is that once County Road 64 in upgraded the hilltop on the west side of the plat, where spacing would be acceptable, is likely to be cut significantly to improve its hoizontal alignment. In addition, a move to the west will make it impossible to access the property between this plat and the flood plain of the Vermillion River Tributary. This is of concern since the comprehensive park plan shows a relatively large city park in this valley. There is a question weather or not such a variance can be achieved, but it is worth considering as the entrance to this plat will be greatly enhanced by the stormwater pond and existing tree cover on the east side. The road will only be 850 feet from the north /south road in Fair Hills. Recommendation: Approve the concept subject to comments included and an approved variance by the County Plat Commission. b. Concept Plan for PUD of Remainder of Nelsen Hills Farm. The plan for the extension of the Nelsen Hills Farm development includes slightly less than 120 acares and 259 lots. It identifies the Third and Fourth Additions with a total of 78 lots as confmed between gas line easement and Pilot Knob Road south of the City water tower. A relatively large area adjoining the water tower is proposed for park use largely because of the need to provide enough separation between water storage and the housing it serves for adequate water pressure. In addition, the gas line easement north of the Second Addition will become a dedicated trail easement which will connect with another trail adjoining the stormwater management pond on the west side of the first two phases of this development. The staff has recommended an access to Pilot Knob Road which is identified as an extension of Euclid Path. The developer has also proposed a second connection which loops to the west and south of the City stormwater manage- ment pond. Because of the topography, it is suggested that 14 lots might better be shifted to a pod of townhouses that would require less street construction and far less grading of the hillside. Before a decision is made, the developer needs to identify the tree cover in the development and how grading will affect it. The area directly east of the water tower, for example, is a steep slope area with dense tree cover. it is suggested that the developer would not lose any value in the sale of lots if the three to four hundred foot deep hillside lots were reduced in depth with the remaindeer added to the water tower park site. The staff has also suggested that a second pedes- trian and/or utility truck link should be provided from 186th Street ot the park. While this area of the development is being discussed, it is recommended that Euclid Pathe shall be extended to the north property line so as to provide a continuous link betwen this development and the Terra/Hill Dee neighborhood. '. 'c. . . Except for the noted comments, the areas identified as its 3rd and 4th Additions appear to be reasonably well designed. The west side of the PUD also recognizes the thinking of the City Staff with repect to the north/south collector street, the trail and two potential well sites. The topogra- phy on the west side of the development appears to suggest a number of short blocks. However, it may be possible to transform the long cul-de-sac and the 189th Street loop into a long block. Irrespective of the outcome of this evaluation, the developer needs to be advised that corner lots should be at least 90 feet wide throughout their length and pie shaped lots must be 75 feet wide at the setback line. In addition more study of access to the property west of the PUD may be appropriate as the 186th Street will be required to traverse a 10% slope immediately after laving this plat. The City Engineer will be asked to evaluate the stormwater management ponds west of the north/south collector street before work on the preliminary plat begins. One subject that the developer will need to consider is the possible need for preparation of our Environmental Assessment worksheet. As proposed, the PUD has crossed the 250 housing unit threshold which makes the worksheet necessary. Based upon the experience of Prairie Creek, a worksheet should not be very difficult to complete. Comments generated by that PUD were minimal. Recommendation: The Developer and City Staff should continue to work on a mutually beneficial layout for the Third Addition before a schematic PUD is presented at a public hearing. c. Informal Request From Dave Olson for a Nursery Sales Area on the North Side of County Road 50. Both nurseries and seasonal produce stands are permitted uses in the A-I Agricultural District. Planning Commission review was suggested because of the sensitive nature of commercial expan- sion along County Road 50. The applicant was asked to clarify access questions with the County Department of Transportation. Since a farmstead driveway is in place, there appear to be no questions from the County. The use will be placed on leased land and therefore could be a tempo- rary use. The only changes contemplated are a fenced display area, a portable 20 x 30 foot sales building plus a relatively large tree storage yard. The anticipation period of sales will occur between April and July of each year. The applicant has in mind a 32 square foot back to back sign which happens to fit within the guidelines suggested by the sign ordinance. However, signs in the agricultural district are not specifically identified and possibly should be. Currently there are two seasonal produce stands in agricultural areas of Farmington without sign permits. Recommendation: Encourage the development of the nursery and sales area and direct staff to address agricultural produce signs in the sign ordinance. d. Informational Request From Ronald & Diane Valek for Construction Mr. and Mrs. Valek have purchased land from John Tschohl under the contingency that they will be granted a conditional use to build an equipment and maintenance storage building for his masonry construction business. Equipment maintenance and storage is a conditional use in the agricultural district that has caused the City some problems over the years. If the Commission is inclined to grant a conditional use to Mr. & Mrs. Valek, members should carefully identify the ... .'. conditions under which such a facility may be built. One issue that has never been resolved for the Bongard structure is an acceptable landscape plan. It should be clear from that experience that a professionally drawn plan is absolutely necessary. In addition, the applicant should be advised as to the type of building that will be acceptable and that if outside storage is anticipated, fencing and/or landscaping will also be a factor. Recommendation: Be absolutely clear about the expectations of the Planning Commission if a conditional use is likely to be granted. e. Informational Request From Kirk Banner for a Variance to the Limit on Driveway Widths on Residential Lots Mr. Banner has indicated that a 28 foot wide driveway will be adequate to serve his three car garage. However, the current limit on driveway width is 24 feet. The ordinance currently is difficult to enforce because the plats now being developed install surmountable curbs. Often a driveway will be added without notification to anyone and to date driveway width has been largely ignored. The increasing interest in and construction of three car garages has produced many driveways wider than 24 feet. Unfortunately the people who suffer are those who ask. At some point, the Commission needs to address the issue of how wide is wide enough and weather or not the excessive widths will need to be removed. There is some time to consider this issue as few driveways will be installed until the beginning of normal construction season. . f. James Pluntz Conditional Use Permit The City Attorney has prepared an analysis of the PluntZ conditional use permit. It is contrast with the opinion developed by Mr. Pluntz attorney. Both analyses are included for your use. g. RE Classification of Duplex on Lot 5, Mickelsons Addition The City Attorney has prepared an opinion of the status of the structure on Lot 5 which is in- cluded for your review. h. Requested Resolution Regarding Economic Development District No. 4 The attached resolution has been drafted by the HRA Director to include with a request to estab- lish a new Economic Development district in Farmington to assist in the relocation of Austin Products to the Industrial Park. The only relevant issue is that Austin Products is being relocated out of the General Business District and into the Industrial Park. This move will allow expansion of the downtown business district by removal of a legal non-conforming use. i. Rosebriar Conditional Use Permit Both the HRA Director and the City Administrator will initiate a memorandum for discussion by the Commission. In essence the HRA has granted an extension to the developer until late spring in order to assure financing of the project. The object of follow up action by the Commission is eliminate projects that are no longer pending. . j. Landscaping Requirements Between Public Streets and Loading Areas Chairman Hanson suggested that since the Chamber of Commerce is investigating the option of installing a pylon sign which would be available to Chamber members on a rotating for fee sched- ule, it might be advisable to wait for a definite proposal on pylon signs. If it works, there may be no need to create a multi-level amendment to the ordinance. tY~ tf! 7),L.