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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 04-07-20211 Approved Minutes April 7, 2021 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting April 7, 2021 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 April 7, 2021. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Marc Anderson, Commissioners Michael Boo, Julie Pointner, Bryan Oakley, and David Witte. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Justin Markell and Commissioner Donovan Saba. STAFF PRESENT: Community Development Director Steve Juetten, Senior Planner Shawn Drill, Senior Planner Kip Berglund, Community Development Coordinator Matt Lupini, Graduate Engineer Griffin Dempsey, and IT Technician Mike Gable. OTHERS PRESENT: Councilmember Ned Carroll Chair Anderson led the Pledge of Allegiance. Plymouth Forum Approval of Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Oakley and seconded by Commissioner Boo to approve the agenda as amended. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Consent Agenda (4.1) Planning Commission minutes from meeting held on March 17, 2021. (4.2) Removed from consent and moved to 6.1 under New Business Motion was made by Commissioner Witte and seconded by Commissioner Oakley approve the Consent Agenda as amended, removing item 4.2 from the consent agenda, and moving it to 6.1 in New Business. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Public Hearings 2 Approved Minutes April 7, 2021 (5.1) Amendment to Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan to allow expansion of the Great Start Montessori daycare center located at 2000 Merrimax Lane for F & A Partners, LLC (2021015). Senior Planner Drill provided a review the staff report. Chair Anderson commented that it appears the walkway will be enclosed to protect from weather and allow children to pass through without safety issues. Senior Planner Drill replied that the walkway will be a fully enclosed addition with walls and a roof over the top. Chair Anderson asked if that changes anything in terms of fire/building code and whether the building would be considered one rather than two. Senior Planner Drill replied that the building department will review the plans to ensure all the codes are met. Chair Anderson commented that even though this will provide additional room to add more children, more parking will not be required which is a positive. Chair Anderson introduced Azadeh Moatamedi from Great Start Montessori who commented that they are excited about the expansion as they will be able to provide service to more families in the community. Commissioner Oakley asked whether the walkway will be heated and air conditioned. Ms. Moatamedi replied that the walkway will be heated and air conditioned. She explained that it is a requirements to comply with the state requirements to continue as one school. Commissioner Witte stated that this is a well put together application and he supports the request. Ms. Moatamedi provided additional information on the operations and how long she has been operating the building. Commissioner Pointner asked the estimated length of construction. Ms. Moatamedi responded that the construction should be completed by the end of July. She commented that they do have families on a waiting list. Chair Anderson introduced Mr. Flip Carlson, property owner representing Great Start Montessori, who stated that he was in support of the application. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing. There were no comments. Chair Anderson closed the public hearing. 3 Approved Minutes April 7, 2021 Motion was made by Commissioner Witte and seconded by Commissioner Pointner to recommend approval of the amendment to the Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan to allow expansion of the Great Start Montessori daycare center located at 2000 Merrimax Lane for F & A Partners, LLC (2021015). With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. New Business (6.1) Variance to side-yard setback for a garage and shop addition at 11420 50th Avenue North (2021010). Commissioner Boo stated he has no specific issue with the request. He stated that it seems like this type of request could come up often and could raise additional issues. He stated that in this instance he could see why this variance would be acceptable but commented that additional requests that may come forward in the future would perhaps not meet the criteria for a variance. He asked why staff recommends approval of a variance. Community Development Director Juetten commented that when staff reviewed the application, they reviewed the surrounding area and all of the lots in this area are substandard. He stated that there are a number of properties that have a similar setback in the surrounding area. He stated that this happened to be an area that was originally approved as an RPUD and in 1996 the city rezoned all the RPUD’s to standard zoning. He commented that perhaps this would be an area that the city may want to review to determine if there is a more appropriate zoning. He stated that staff is of the opinion that variance requests are based on the uniqueness of the property and the conditions of the surrounding area. Chair Anderson commented that he reviews variance requests on a case-by-case basis. He stated that in this instance the applicant is expanding but staying out of the drainage and utility easement. He stated that the side yard setback would be similar to what would be expected if platted today. He stated that there were also no objections from the neighborhood. Senior Planner Berglund stated that in any variance request there are zoning ordinance variance standards that are followed and addressed. He commented that the applicant did a good job explaining how his case met those variance standards. He echoed the comment that variances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet the variance criteria. Motion was made by Commissioner Boo and seconded by Commissioner Oakley approve the request for a variance to side-yard setback for a garage and shop addition at 11420 50th Avenue North based on the following criteria 1) consistent with neighborhood characteristics, 2) no objections from neighbors, 3) no impact on the physical characteristics in the neighborhood, and 4) the approving resolution. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Community Development Director Juetten provided an overview of the wetland delineation process and how wetland boundaries can change over time. 4 Approved Minutes April 7, 2021 Commissioner Boo asked if a wetland does change and how a property owner could protect their property. Community Development Director Juetten stated that a property owner cannot alter the buffer, however they have the right to change upland conditions if necessary. Chair Anderson Adjourned the meeting at 7:48 pm