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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 08-21-2019Approved Minutes 1 of 5 Meeting of August 21, 2019 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting August 21, 2019 Chair Anderson called a Meeting of the Plymouth Planning Commission to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, on August 21, 2019. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Marc Anderson, Commissioners Bryan Oakley, Donovan Saba, Julie Witt, David Witte, Justin Markell and Jaspreet (Jesse) Narr. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager Barbara Thomson, Senior Planner Kip Berglund, Senior Planner Shawn Drill, and City Engineer Chris LaBounty. OTHERS PRESENT: Councilmember Ned Carroll. Chair Anderson led the Pledge of Allegiance. Plymouth Forum No one requested to speak at the Forum. Approval of Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Markell, and seconded by Commissioner Witte, to approve the agenda. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Consent Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Witte, and seconded by Commissioner Narr, to adopt the Consent Agenda that included the following items: (4.01) Planning Commission minutes from meeting held on August 7, 2019. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Public Hearings Approved Minutes 2 of 5 Meeting of August 21, 2019 (5.01) Public Hearing on preliminary plat and variances for I-Site Development LLC for Parker’s Lakeside Third Addition to allow the division of a 0.68-acre parcel at 645 Orchid Lane (2019064) Senior Planner Berglund provided a summary of the project. Commissioner Witte referenced the certificate of survey, specifically the legal description, and asked why the city is entertaining a request to re-plat if only the PID numbers are being combined at the county level. Senior Planner Berglund confirmed that the lots currently have separate PIDs. He stated that there is no lot line denoting the two PIDs, and therefore a subdivision is needed to create the two legally described lots. Commissioner Witte stated that if the lots existed, there would then be two legally nonconforming lots and only the variance requests would be before the commission. He asked for clarification on why this action is necessary. Chair Anderson explained that once a property is consolidated, two lots no longer exist, rather the property exists as one. Commissioner Narr referenced the site plan and asked for clarification on the red stars on the graphic displayed. Senior Planner Berglund stated that the numbers shown are the lot areas according to Hennepin County, and the red stars identify lots that meet or exceed the minimum lot width requirements. Chair Anderson stated that the zoning rules were changed in 1996, and therefore all the lots within the neighborhood without red stars are nonconforming lots. He asked for information on what could be done in the case of damage or fire. Senior Planner Berglund provided additional details on how the ordinance addresses redevelopment of nonconforming lots. Chair Anderson asked for additional details on the utility connection available on the property and whose responsibility it would be if the connection is no longer sufficient. City Engineer LaBounty replied that would be the responsibility of the property owner, should a new connection be required. Commissioner Oakley asked when the property was consolidated. Senior Planner Berglund stated that staff was unable to find the date of consolidation. He noted that the subdivision was created in 1914, and the home was constructed in 1949. Planning Manager Thomson stated that recordkeeping from times past was not as thorough as it is today, and therefore there is not always adequate history available. Approved Minutes 3 of 5 Meeting of August 21, 2019 Robbie Hyland, the applicant, stated he was available to answer any questions. Commissioner Markell asked for details on the homes the applicant intends to build. Mr. Hyland provided rough sketches of the homes and highlighted some of the elements of the homes he intends to construct. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing. Chair Anderson introduced Meghan Harrington, 635 Orchid Lane, who stated that she has never had issues with drainage on her property and wanted to ensure that the subject properties would be graded correctly to handle the drainage and not push that water onto adjacent properties. She referenced the change in lot size requirements and asked why the minimum lot size would be allowed to be decreased in this request. Chair Anderson introduced Tom Uhde, 710 Quantico Lane, who stated that he is concerned with tax values and the height of the proposed homes. He stated that the taxes in the area increased substantially the previous year, and he was concerned that these larger homes would again cause an increase in taxes for the neighboring properties. He also expressed concern with drainage. He stated that the previous property owner at the subject property had the lots consolidated about ten years ago when the street project was completed in order to avoid paying two assessments for the lots. Chair Anderson closed the public hearing. Senior Planner Berglund stated that the resolution contains conditions related to drainage and grading. City Engineer LaBounty explained that the applicant is proposing to have all the drainage contained entirely within the site and drain to the street. He noted that a yard drain would be required between the two homes to provide additional capacity. Planning Manager Thomson stated that the applicant came forward with a request for the plat, which is why this has come forward. Chair Anderson stated that it appears the consolidation occurred to avoid paying two assessments for street reconstruction and asked if the second assessment would be charged at this time. City Engineer LaBounty explained how assessments are charged. He noted that if the property was one lot at the time of the project, it would only be charged one assessment, and the city would not go back to reassess the property if it is now subdivided. Commissioner Oakley stated that in future assessments, the property would be considered as two lots and assessed as such. Approved Minutes 4 of 5 Meeting of August 21, 2019 Senior Planner Berglund stated that the tax base and tax amounts are set by Hennepin County Assessing. He noted that typically changes to one property does not impact another property, but staff could ask additional questions of the county. Mr. Hyland stated that he does not have an exact height for the proposed homes, but would estimate 23 to 26 feet for the two-story homes, dependent on the roof pitch. Commissioner Witte assumed that the height is measured from grade and asked if the elevation of the homes would be raised to address drainage issues. Mr. Hyland stated that the lot is pretty flat to begin with, and therefore he did not see that there would be much change to the elevation. Chair Anderson introduced Chad Krupa, 8744 Rosewood Lane, Maple Grove, who asked if the assessment value for adjacent properties would decrease on future projects or whether another assessment would simply be added. City Engineer LaBounty explained that in theory if there were more units on a street, the assessment would then be decreased for the homes as the total assessment cost is split between the number of units on the street. Motion was made by Commissioner Markell, and seconded by Commissioner Narr, to recommend approval of the request by I-Site Development LLC for a preliminary plat and variance for Parker’s Lakeside Third Addition to allow the division of a 0.68-acre parcel at 645 Orchid Lane. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. (5.02) Public Hearing on City of Plymouth zoning ordinance amendments related to implementation of 2040 Comprehensive Plan (2019067) Senior Planner Drill provided a summary of the amendments. Planning Manager Thomson noted that the changes to the Surface Water Management Plan are in response to a requirement of the watersheds. Commissioner Witte referenced where bike trails cross a creek and asked the provisions that would be provided for those crossings. Senior Planner Drill replied that the changes would not have any impact on the trails. Commissioner Witte asked for additional input on the stream buffer signs. Senior Planner Drill provided details on the signs, noting that there would be a physical post with a sign attached indicating the boundary of a stream buffer. Commissioner Narr asked for additional information on high quality wetlands and whether this would be applicable to seasonal wetlands. Approved Minutes 5 of 5 Meeting of August 21, 2019 City Engineer LaBounty explained that the current code identifies the values of wetlands, whereas the new language will align with the language used by the watersheds. He confirmed seasonal wetlands would be taken into account. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing. Chair Anderson closed the public hearing. Motion was made by Commissioner Oakley, and seconded by Commissioner Witte, to recommend approval of the request by the City of Plymouth for zoning ordinance amendments related to implementation of 2040 Comprehensive Plan. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Adjournment Chair Anderson adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.