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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/16/2002CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OCTOBER 16, 2002 CALL TO ORDER The City of Apple Valley Planning Commission meeting was called to Order by Chair Karen Edgeton at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Karen Edgeton, John Bergman, David Schindler, James Hadley, Jeannine Churchill, and Tim Burke Members Absent: Tom Melander Staff Present: Community Development Director Rick Kelley, City Planner Tom Lovelace, City Attorney Sharon Hills, Assistant Planner Margaret Milton Dykes, and Assistant City Engineer Jacob Fick 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Edgeton asked if there were any changes to the Agenda. City Planner Lovelace stated that he would like to add "Site Plan Revision for Pickled Parrot", under Land Use/Action Items, 6B. Chair Edgeton called for approval of the Agenda as amended. MOTION: Hadley moved, seconded by Bergman, to approve the Agenda as amended. The motion carried 5-0. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 2, 2002 Edgeton asked if there were any changes to the minutes. There being none, she called for their approval. MOTION: Hadley moved, seconded by Bergman, to approve the minutes. The motion carried 4-0, with Commissioner Churchill abstaining. 4. CONSENT ITEMS None. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 6. LAND USE/ACTION ITEMS A. Front Yard Setback Variance for Porch Addition Assistant Planner Margaret Dykes presented the request from Allan Voight for a variance to reduce the front yard setback from the required 30 feet to approximately 23 feet for a front porch. The property is located at 5649 Upper 136a' Street Court, and is zoned "R-3" (single family/minimum lot size of 11,000 sq. ft.). Dykes reported that the existing front plane of the house is approximately 32 feet from the front property line. The applicant is requesting a variance for an approximately 9'x20' front porch. The encroachment into the front yard including the roof overhang of the front porch would be seven feet. Dykes reported that the site is relatively flat and there does not appear to be a physical hardship justifying a variance. The porch addition would not affect any trees or vegetation. The applicant simply wishes to improve the appearance of the house with the front porch addition. The house has a 60-foot long uninterrupted front face. Orrin Thompson Construction built the subject house in 1975 as part of the Greenleaf Addition area and the City's Comprehensive Plan encourages homeowners to make improvements to houses built before 1980. Dykes pointed out there have been three other houses in the Greenleaf area that were granted variances. Dykes reported that though there is no hardship related to the land to justify the variance, staff recommended the variance request because the request is consistent with the goals of the 2020 Comprehensive Plan, the variance will not adversely impact adjacent property, and the request meets the spirit and intent of the zoning ordinance. Commissioner Hadley asked Dykes if the deck on the front porch required a variance when it was built. Dykes responded that it isn't a deck but a platform and would not have required a variance. Chair Edgeton stated that in essence the applicant wants to now expand one foot further than the existing step and put a structure over it, not a totally enclosed roof. Chair Edgeton stated that she agreed with staff that this project meets the intent of the ordinance and she was in favor of it. MOTION: Commissioner Churchill moved, seconded by Bergman, to recommend approval of a variance to reduce the front yard setback from the required 30 feet to 23 feet for a front porch as shown on the submitted plan dated October 4, 2002. The motion passed 5-0. B. Pickled Parrot -Site Plan Revision City Planner Tom Lovelace presented the request from Pickled Parrot to revise the approved site plan to eliminate a sidewalk located on the south side of the building. Lovelace stated that normally a revision of this kind could be done administratively but because one of the conditions of approval was the inclusion of the sidewalk, the revision must be reviewed by the Planning Cornxnission and City Council for approval. John White, owner of the Pickled Parrot, addressed the Commission. He indicated that the location of the sidewalk is along the south side of the building and that the patio is right in front of the trash enclosure. The sidewalk was originally intended to eliminate the need for patrons parking in the east lot to walk around the north side of the building to get into the main entrance. White explained that as plans developed, it became apparent that the sidewalk is not desirable due to its proximity to the trash enclosure and that the parking lot located in that area will be used primarily for employee parking. White distributed a copy of the proposed changes to the Commission. Bergman questioned if the sidewalk provided better access to the outdoor patio area/Tiki Bar. White responded that the sidewalk does not provide better access to the outdoor patio/Tiki bar area. White also indicated that a landscaping plan with more greenery will replace the eliminated sidewalk. The revised landscape plan will be reviewed and approved by Planning staff. Commissioner Burke arrived at the meeting at 7:10 p.m. Chair Edgeton asked if there have been any more changes to the original plan other than the proposed elimination of the sidewalk along the south side of the building. Lovelace indicated that the size of the Tiki Bar was enlarged but no other significant changes were made. Chair Edgeton asked if there would be any signs indicating that the parking in the rear of the building is employee parking. She is concerned that if customers park there they might have a difficult time navigating to the front entrance of the restaurant. Lovelace responded there could be signs if needed indicating employee parking. White stated that due to the hours of the employees, the lot would already be full before the restaurant opens for business to the public each day. Commissioner Hadley had concerns about the trash area and the wood shed area being enclosed and properly screened. White stated that the areas would be enclosed and properly screened. MOTION: Commissioner Hadley moved, seconded by Churchill to approve the revised site plan eliminating the sidewalk along the south side of the building and patio. The motion passed 6-0. 7. OTHER BUSINESS A. Sketch Plan for Phase HI Cobblestone Lake Mixed-Use Development City Planner Lovelace presented an overview of the sketch plan for the third phase of Cobblestone Lake, a 320-acre mixed-use development located in the extreme southeast corner of the city. The third phase will encompass 50-70 acres of the site located in the northeast corner of the development. The sketch plan proposes a mix of residential units including 50 single-family units, 22 twinhome units, 40 four-plex townhouse units and amulti-story condominium development. Lovelace indicated that the applicant, Tradition Development, is seeking input from the Commission regarding the future proposal and that no action from the Commission is required at this time. Lovelace stated that 30 single family lots that were part of the original preliminary plat will be included in the Phase III development. The third phase proposes to plat 21 single family lots as originally proposed, with the remaining single family lots identified in the preliminary plat being further subdivided to create 32 single family and two twinhome lots. The new single family lots will be. 40-50 feet wide, which on average is about 10-20 feet less than the existing single family lots in Cobblestone Lake. Lovelace explained the impact Phase III would have on road construction, in particular on Dodd Boulevard, Pilot Knob Road, and Dunbar Avenue. Rob Wachholz of Tradition Development spoke to the Commission. Wacholz highlighted some of the initial key components of the project such as securing the lakeshore as a public park area, providing a diverse array of housing, and higher density. He then tamed the presentation over to Scott McMahon, project manager, to further comment on the development of this project. McMahon reviewed the sketch plans and elevations that were included in the Commission packet. One of the goals of Phase III is to move from single family to higher density neighborhoods. The architectural details of the multi-family developments will resemble the same details that aze in the single-family phase of the development. McMahon spoke of the unique road features such as private alleys that will service detached townhome azeas and the unique streetscape throughout the entire development. There will also be several green areas/park ways scattered throughout this phase to encourage neighboring Commissioner Hadley asked what the square footage is of the townhouses being proposed. McMahon responded that the townhouses will vary in size and affordability, with lot sizes 45-46 feet wide and 130-135 feet deep. Commissioner Hadley asked if this was comparable to the Rottlund project on County Road 42. Lovelace stated that it is comparable. 4 Commissioner Bergman informed McMahon that the project is fabulous and he likes that the road is closer to the Lake. However, he was concerned that there are not amenities such as tennis courts and baseball diamonds. McMahon pointed out that the trails in the development will eventually lead to a City park, alleviating the need for such areas in the development. Commissioner Churchill compared the proposed density to the density presented in the original concept plan. She feels the density is getting much higher than originally planned. McMahon explained that when reviewing the entire density in this phase, it is less than the maximum approved density on the land use plan. For the specific area Commissioner Churchill questioned, there are six more lots than allowed. Commissioner Churchill stated that she has visited the existing single family area and she believes the area feels crowded with the homes being closer together. She stated she was concerned that the multi-family will feel even more crowded. In addition, she felt that the reduced street widths raised safety concerns and that the Commission may want to examine policies such as pazking only on one side of the street to alleviate some of the pazking, traffic and safety concerns. With the two-sided parking on the reduced streets, two cars cannot pass at the same time. McMahon felt that during the Parade of Homes, there was more traffic than what would normally be in the development. He doesn't see it as a problem once people have moved into the development. Chair Edgeton stated that overall she is very pleased with the progress to date in the development. Commissioner Churchill informed McMahon that she would like to see more thought put into the pazking. The multi-family areas don't seem to have adequate guest parking. Commissioner Hadley had concerns that the multi-family area will start to look like row houses and not have the individual uniqueness that was intended for this project. McMahon stated that he will keep this in mind but pointed out that in order to meet the density requirements this can be somewhat difficult. However, they will address this with the quality of the external architecture. B. Set Hearing for Master Water Plan Community Development Director Rick Kelley presented the request to set a public hearing date for the master water plan. Kelly stated that the City's current master Water Supply and Distribution Plan was last reviewed and updated in 1991. The goal of the Public Works Department is to update the plan on aten- year cycle. The master Plan is officially part of the Comprehensive Plan and, therefore, a public hearing is required as part of the adoption process. 5 MOTION: Commissioner Burke moved, seconded by Bergman, to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, November 20, 2002, to receive comments on the proposed update of the master Water Supply and Distribution Plan. Motion passed 6-0. C. Metro Council Proposed 2030 Blueprint Update Community Development Director Rick Kelly presented an overview of the 2030 Blueprint. Kelly reported that the Metropolitan Council is responsible for the policies of the Blueprint guide and the various metropolitan system plans (transportation, airports, wastewater treatment, regional parks and open space). In addition, the Blueprint addresses affordable housing and environmental issues. Kelly stated that a public hearing on the 2030 Blueprint is scheduled for October 16, 2002, and written comments will be taken until October 28, 2002. Kelly provided the Commission with a brief presentation concerning the proposed 2030 Blueprint and its implications for Apple Valley. He informed the Commission that formal comments are expected to be considered at the Apple Valley City Council meeting of October 24, 2002, for forwarding to the Met Council. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Commissioner Churchill moved, seconded by Hadley, to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 p.m.