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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Packet 05-17-2006PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2006 WHERE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Plymouth City Hall 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 CONSENT AGENDA All items listed on the consent agenda* are considered to be routine by the Planning Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner, citizen or petitioner so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 5. CONSENT AGENDA* A. Approve the May 3, 2006 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Corey Scherber. Interim use permit for filling operations at 15 Evergreen Road. 2005130) B. Frankie’s Towing. Zoning ordinance text amendment to add “towing business with outdoor tow yard” as a conditional use in the I-2 and I-3 zoning districts, site plan amendment for a towing facility, and conditional use permits for the towing use and an 8-foot fence for property located at 5615 State Highway 169 North. (2006015) C. City of Plymouth. Zoning ordinance text amendment to allow electronic reader boards in the P-I (Public Institutional) District. (2006021) D. CBR Development LLC. Rezoning from FRD (Future Restricted Development) to RSF-2 (Single Family 2) and a preliminary plat to be called “Four Points of Plymouth” to create four lots for single-family dwellings on property located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Old Rockford Road and Vicksburg Lane. 2006022) 7. NEW BUSINESS A. City of Plymouth. Comprehensive Plan Update. (2005050) Comments. Map. Schedule. 8. ADJOURNMENT 1 Agenda Number CITY OF PLYMOUTH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PLANNING AND ZONING STAFF REPORT TO: Plymouth Planning Commission FROM: Anne Hurlburt, Community Development Director (763 509-5401) Barbara Senness, Planning Manager (763 509-5452) SUBJECT: Plymouth Comprehensive Plan Update-- Preliminary Land Use Plan for Northwest Plymouth. (2005050) DATE: May 12, 2006 for the Planning Commission Meeting of May 17, 2006 1. INTRODUCTION At the May 17, 2006 meeting, the Planning Commission will be discussing the three sample land use plans for northwest Plymouth that were presented at neighborhood information meetings on May 1 and 2, and to the Commission at its May 3 meeting. This report summarizes this information and the comments received on the sample plans, and provides discussion questions that the Commission may use to formulate recommendations to the City Council. The City Council is expecting to receive the Planning Commission’s recommendations on the preliminary land use plan at its meeting on May 31, 2006. 2. BACKGROUND Planning Process to Date The City began the process of preparing a land use plan for northwest Plymouth roughly eight months ago. In addition to workshops, open houses and meetings, the City has communicated to residents, property owners and other stakeholders about the planning process through mailed notices, the City website, the City newsletter and news releases to the local press. The City initiated the work on the land use plan in Fall 2005 with two open houses followed by two meetings where residents and landowners identified neighborhood issues and provided input for the sample land use plans now under review. These meetings were followed by two joint Planning Commission/City Council workshops to review the input from the previous public meetings and provide direction to staff on land use alternatives. Following these workshops, the City Council hosted a listening session to offer participants an open forum to present their concerns about and ideas for the future of northwest Plymouth. 2 With all of the Council, Commission and stakeholder input, staff spent the next three months developing alternative land use concepts, which the Planning Commission and Council discussed at two meetings in March. Following these meetings, staff went on to more fully develop a rural to urban transition development concept and three sample land use plans. In mid-April, the Commission and Council took a bus tour of northwest Plymouth. The concept and sample land use plans were the subject of two neighborhood information meetings on May 1 and 2. On May 3, the Planning Commission had their initial discussion on the concept and sample plans and entertained comments from residents and stakeholders. Why is the plan for Northwest Plymouth “preliminary”? A comprehensive plan is a long-range vision and guide for the entire community. The Comprehensive Plan Update the City is now preparing will provide guidance for City decision makers to the year 2030. The land use plan for northwest Plymouth is only one piece of this plan update. The overall plan will not only include a land use plan for northwest Plymouth, but the rest of the City as well. In addition, once the City has approved a preliminary land use plan, work will start on updating other parts of the Comprehensive Plan—plans for sewer, water supply, surface water, transportation, parks, housing, pubic facilities. Since each one of these individual plans must work together, we can expect some course corrections in one or more parts of the overall plan as we move toward final plan completion. 3. RURAL-TO-URBAN TRANSITION DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT At the March 9 and 21 workshop meetings, the Planning Commission and City Council discussed the overall approach to land use planning and extending services to the northwest planning area. Four basic strategies (referred to as “Marginal Urban Expansion”, “Sequential Urbanization”, “Rural Islands” and “Rural-to-Urban Transition”) were considered. The direction received was to base the plan on the “Rural-to-Urban Transition” approach, which is described as follows: The Plan would allow for the entire area to make a gradual transition to urban uses. The City would plan for the logical and efficient expansion of public utilities (sewer and water) to the entire area, but allow for non-sequential construction of infrastructure if developers pay for down-stream improvements (off-site work) and obtain easements. There would be no assessments until landowners are ready to subdivide. The land use plan would designate a “Northwest Plymouth Overlay” area, with special development standards to recognize and help preserve the unique characteristics of the area. The special standards would include: o Increased setbacks along major roadways (County Road 47, Vicksburg and Peony)—for example, 100 feet instead of the current 50 feet o Site design to protect natural features and vistas, and clustering to minimize grading o Additional tree preservation and landscaping—increase required replacement/restitution, increased plantings in transition areas o Architectural standards to encourage variety in building design and enhanced architectural features 3 o Assessment policies to require payment for over sizing and non-sequential infrastructure extensions Within the overlay area, a “Transition Area” would help preserve rural character for residents in existing large (5-10 acre) lot areas. Land use designations in the Transition Area would permit lower densities, larger setbacks and wider lots than in the rest of the Overlay area and in the rest of Plymouth. The current “Living Area- Rural” (LAR) guiding (20-acre minimum lot size) would be replaced with “Living Area-Rural Transition” (LA-RT), to allow re-subdivision of lots to as small as 1 acre, with public utilities. The density of all urban land use designations in the Transition Area would be lower than the comparable designations for the rest of the city. For example: LA-R1 is 1 to 2 units per acre, LA-R2 is 2 to 4 units per acre and LA-R3 is 4 to 6 units per acre. The existing land use designations would be used in the areas where a transition is not required (for example, larger undeveloped parcels without significant natural areas), and/or in locations where more intense development would be appropriate. On the sample plans that were prepared for public review, this included: o The area previously planned for urban development by the 2000 Comprehensive Plan o The area south of Highway 55, which does not have the same rural character as the rest of the northwest area o Some areas immediately abutting more intense development or at major intersections o Future institutional uses planned along County Road 101. 4. LAND USE GUIDE PLAN CLASSIFICATIONS The following chart illustrates the Land Use Guide Plan classifications that would be used for the Comprehensive Plan update, based on the concept described above. Within the Northwest Plymouth Overlay, there would be two sets of land use guide plan designations—the rural-to- urban transition categories, with reduced densities, and the current set. The current set of land use guide plan designations would be used in the rest of the City and retain their current standards. Increasing the number of sets of land use plan designations from the current one to three distinct sets could be complicated to implement and may be confusing to the public. This number could be reduced to two, if the increased development standards proposed for the overlay area were applied to the entire community. With the possible exception of the increased setbacks from the major roads (which were introduced to help maintain the existing rural character of CR 47 and other arterial roads in the northwest area), it may be desirable to apply the new standards to the relatively few remaining undeveloped properties in the existing urban area. The Planning Commission and Council should discuss this issue when giving direction for the preliminary land use plan. 4 Land Use Guide Plan Designations Residential Uses Only) Northwest Plymouth Overlay Current Land Use Designations Throughout City Current Land Use Designations Within NW Overlay New Rural-to-Urban Transition Land Use Designations LA-RT 1/20 no sewer or up to 1/acre with sewerLAR 1/20 to be deleted) LA-R1 1 to 2/acre LA-1 2 to 3/acre LA-1 2 to 3/acre LA-R2 2 to 4/acre LA-2 3 to 6/acre LA-2 3 to 6/ acre LA-R3 4 to 6/acre LA-3 6 to 12/acre LA-3 6 to 12/acre D e n s i t y LA-4 12 to 20/acre LA-4 12 to 20/acre Overlay Development Standards Apply to current and rural-to-urban designations within NW overlay) Increased setbacks along major roadways (CR47, Vicksburg & Peony) Site design to protect natural features and vistas, clustering to minimize grading Additional tree preservation & landscaping-- increase required replacement/restitution, increased plantings in transition areas Architectural standards to encourage variety in building design and enhanced architectural features Assessment policies to require payment for over sizing & non-sequential infrastructure extensions 5. SAMPLE LAND USE PLANS Staff prepared three sample land use plans for public review and comment at the May 1 and 2 neighborhood information meetings. They are attached to this report. The plans illustrate three levels of development intensity, using the same Northwest Plymouth Overlay” and “Transition Area” boundaries, as shown on the map to the right, and the land use guide plan designations shown on the chart. The following table summarizes the land uses and development intensity represented by the three sample plans. Land Area by Land Use Guide Plan Designation Sample Land Use Plans, Northwest Plymouth Overlay Area May 1, 2006 Land Use Guide Plan Designation Acres Percent Acres Percent Acres Percent C (Commercial) 27.71 1.65% 27.71 1.65% 9.93 0.59% P-I (Public/Institutional) 205.21 12.19% 205.21 12.19% 205.21 12.19% IP (Planned Industrial) 25.42 1.51% 0.00 0.00% 0.00 0.00% Subtotal, Non-Residential 258.34 15.35% 232.92 13.84% 215.14 12.78% LA-1 (2 to 3 Units/Acre) 101.84 6.05% 0.00 0.00% 0.00 0.00% LA-2 (3 to 6 Units/Acre) 148.92 8.85% 250.76 14.90% 110.66 6.58% LA-3 (6 to 12 Units/Acre) 118.49 7.04% 118.49 7.04% 276.37 16.42% LA-4 (12 to 20 Units/Acre) 0.00 0.00% 25.42 1.51% 25.42 1.51% Subtotal, Urban Residential 369.25 21.94% 394.67 23.45% 412.45 24.51% LA-RT (20 Acres/ 1/Acre with Sewer) 349.30 20.76% 258.54 15.36% 214.41 12.74% LA-R1 (1 to 2 Units/Acre) 435.40 25.87% 390.12 23.18% 202.56 12.04% LA-R2 (2 to 4 Units/Acre) 270.63 16.08% 406.67 24.16% 471.22 28.00% LA-R3 (4 to 6 Units/Acre) 0.00 0.00% 0.00 0.00% 167.15 9.93% Subtotal, Residential Transition Area 1,055.33 62.71% 1,055.33 62.71% 1,055.33 62.71% Total, Developable Land Area (less wetlands and floodplain) 1,682.92 100.00% 1,682.92 100.00% 1,682.92 100.00% Potential New Dwellings, All Residential Designations Except LA-RT Number Units/Acre Number Units/Acre Number Units/Acre Minimum of Density Range 2,338 2.17 2,972 2.49 4,109 3.28 Maximum of Density Range 4,574 4.25 5,842 4.90 7,782 6.21 Sample Plan 1 Sample Plan 2 Sample Plan 3 Sample Plan 1 Sample Plan 2 Sample Plan 3 6 Key differences among the three samples are as follows: With the exception of the parcels along County Road 47, the LA-RT areas east of Troy and east of Dunkirk remain the same through each of the sample plans. The area north of Pomerleau Lake is the only LA-RT area that significantly reduces in size from the first to the third sample plan. Elm Creek Golf Course increases in density from LA-1 to LA-2 to LA-3. The parcels south of Hamel Road are shown as industrial in sample plan 1 and LA-4 in samples 2 and 3. This area has good access and is close to a variety of services and therefore provides an opportunity for higher density housing that could also complement new and planned development in Hamel. The area north of County Road 47 increases from a combination of LA-R1 and LA-R2 in sample plan 1 to LA-R3 in sample 3. This area abuts Maple Grove where urban densities already exist. The lots immediately south of County Road 47 increase in intensity from the first to the third sample plan, based on their proximity to a higher-order roadway. Hampton Hills moves from LA-R1 in the first two samples to LA-R2 in the third. The properties on the east side of Vicksburg north of the railroad tracks change from LA-RT in sample plan 1 to LA-R3 in sample 3. 6. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CONCEPT AND SAMPLE LAND USE PLANS As of May 12, 29 comment forms and letters have been received from 28 individuals who attended the May neighborhood information meetings. Approximately 125 people attended the meetings. Any additional written comments received prior to the Planning Commission meeting will be shared at the meeting, and any later comments received prior to the Council meeting on May 31 will be shared at that time. A tabulation of the comments, and the responses sent to those requesting them, is attached to this report. The comments can be categorized as follows: Comment Number Preferred Sample Plan 15 Preference for sample plan 1 5 Preference for sample plan 2 1 Preference for sample plan 3 9 Suggestion for specific land use plan designations 12 Comments on need for road improvements 8 County Road 47 5 Cheshire Lane 2 Vicksburg Lane 1 Opposition to increased setbacks from major roadways 6 Concerns about assessments 4 Timing of development 4 Need for higher densities 3 Concern about preserving golf courses 2 Need for greenways/ trails connections 2 7 The specific changes requested to land use designations are listed in the discussion questions appearing later in this report. 7. INFORMATION REQUESTED BY PLANNING COMMISSION At the May 3 meeting, the Planning Commission requested information on the land use plans for the other cities that border northwest Plymouth. This information is presented in a map in the attachments. The Commission also asked for information on how the Metropolitan Council allocated affordable housing needs to Plymouth. What is Plymouth’s allocation of the region’s affordable housing needs? How did the Metropolitan Council arrive at this figure? The Metropolitan Council has developed a forecast of the affordable housing need in the Metropolitan Area for the period from 2011 - 2020. This forecast addresses only the need for new construction, not that portion of need that can be accommodated through the existing housing stock. The Metropolitan Council has indicated that the City of Plymouth’s affordable housing need allocation between 2011 and 2020 is 1,045 units. This figure represents just under 42% of the 2,500 housing units the Metropolitan Council is forecasting for Plymouth during this period. They arrived at this figure by first determining an overall regional need for 51,000 units nearly one-third of the forecasted growth in sewer-serviced households) and then allocating that need to individual communities. To determine individual community allocations, the Metropolitan Council: a. Multiplied the forecasted household growth in a community by a uniform factor of 30.6%--the assumed need for new affordable units in the region as a whole. b. Proportionally increased a community’s share if the community is a net importer of low wage jobs and decreased it if the community is a net exporter. c. For communities where more than 30% of existing housing is affordable, the Metropolitan Council reduced the community need proportionally. For communities such as Plymouth, where the current percentage is less than 30%, the Metropolitan Council proportionally increased the need share number. d. For communities with regular, frequent transit service, the Metropolitan Council increased the communities’ housing share. For communities such as Plymouth with little service, there was no adjustment. For communities without regular transit service, the Metropolitan Council decreased their share. 8. REGIONAL PLANNING ISSUES The State Legislature has determined that it is critical to the functioning of the region that each city’s long-range plan is in conformity with regional plans. Therefore, although the City is developing its own long-range vision and guide for the future, as Plymouth considers its land use plan for the northwest area the City must also consider: 8 Growth forecasts Density of development in the area to be served by the Elm Creek interceptor Opportunities for affordable housing. Staff has already calculated that there is enough land in the existing urban service area to accommodate regionally forecasted growth to 2010. The issue is whether the plan adopted for the northwest area can accommodate the additional 4,500 units forecast between 2010 and 2030. The range of potential new dwellings permitted by sample plans 2 and 3 would accommodate the 4,500 units forecast within that time period. However, sample plan 1 would not allow that number of units unless the entire area developed at the maximum of the density range, which is unlikely. The “Systems Statement” issued by the Metropolitan Council to the City of Plymouth indicates that the City must plan for overall minimum standard of three to five units per acre in the area served by the Elm Creek interceptor in order to conform with the regional sewer system plan. The Metropolitan Council has the authority to require a city to modify its plan if it substantially departs from the regional systems plan. Their authority to do so was confirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court when the Metropolitan Council successfully challenged the City of Lake Elmo for not accommodating their share of regional growth. Only sample plan 3 would provide for an minimum overall residential density exceeding 3 units per acre within the area served by the Elm Creek interceptor. (This assumes that the proposed LA-RT land areas are considered to be already developed at their minimum density range and not included in the calculation.) If Plymouth would propose to substantially depart from regional expectations at this stage in the planning process, the City should bring its case to the Metropolitan Council before spending significant time or money on updating infrastructure plans. The Metropolitan Council will also review a community’s land use plan to determine whether or not there are sufficient opportunities to develop at a density at which affordable housing may be feasible. It is not clear from the Metropolitan Council’s adopted policies and other guidance given to the cities on preparation of plans what that minimum density would be. We do have preliminary indications from staff that the planned density would need to be at least 6 units per acre to be considered potentially affordable. Therefore, on the sample plans only areas guided LA-3 and higher might be counted as potentially “affordable.” To further complicate the issue, the regional “need allocation”, described above, is for a 10-year period, while the overall plan must deal with a 20-year period. Consequently, until there is a development staging plan to accompany the land use plan, it is difficult to determine whether the sample plans would meet the regional goal for affordable housing opportunities. Because very little land on sample plan 1 is shown in the higher density classifications, it is unlikely to meet the goal. The other sample plans might meet the goal depending upon the staging plan and how the Metropolitan Council views the density ranges permitted by the plan. It is important to note that the regional policy concerning affordable housing opportunities is not a “regional system” issue. The Metropolitan Council does not have the authority to require a 9 plan modification if the policy goal is not met. Furthermore, the affordable housing need allocation and the relationship to the land use plan is only one of the issues surrounding affordable housing that the City will need to address in the Comprehensive Plan. The Housing chapter of the plan, which will be updated over the next year, will address the full range of housing needs in Plymouth. 9. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Staff has prepared the following discussion questions, which the Commission may wish to use to help formulate your recommendation to the City Council for the preliminary land use plan for the northwest area: a. Are there any general concerns or comments about the “rural-to-urban transition” approach to development? b. Are there concerns or comments on the “Northwest Plymouth Overlay” concept, such as the proposal for increased development standards? Should these standards also be increased for the rest of the City? (This could allow the number of sets of land use guide plan designations to be reduced from three to two.) c. Should there be any changes in the land use guide plan designations proposed for the Overlay and/or Transition areas? d. Should the boundaries of the “Transition” area within the Overlay be reduced or expanded? e. Which one of the three “sample” plans most closely represents your preference for a future land use plan for the northwest area? f. How should this sample plan be modified so that it represents a consensus of the Planning Commission? g. Should any of the specific requests for changes to land use designations be incorporated into the Commission’s recommended plan? Those requests were: Location: Requested Land Use Designation: 1; 23 Elm Creek Golf Course LA-1; LA-1 or LA-2 6 County Road 47 & 101 Sample plan 3-- suggested boundary between C and LA-3 (sample plan 3) should be moved to creek 7, 24 Southwest corner of Troy and County Road 47 Sample plan 3-- suggest moving boundary of LA-R2 area abutting County Road 47 to include two parcels to the south on Troy Lane 12 Planning area 1 (all area east of Vicksburg Lane) Sample plan 3-- all should be LA-R3 14 5620 Ranier Lane (PID 06-42-0004) All sample plans-- change from LA-R1 to LA-R2 15 79 acres at Peony Lane & Schmidt Lake Road, across from Wayzata HS All sample plans—change to LA-4 10 Location: Requested Land Use Designation: 21 Lots on both sides of the road at the south end of Dunkirk Lane All sample plans-- LA-RT should be changed to LA-R1, and possibly LA-R2 or LA-R3 as a transition to existing townhome development 22 5739 Juneau (PID 04-31-0006) Sample plan 2—change LA-RT to LA- R1 27, 28 North County Road 47/ west of Lawndale Lane (Luedke property) Sample plan 3—change LA-R3 to LA- 3 (remove from Transition area) 10. CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATION Staff will present the information in this report and answer questions at the May 17 meeting. We recommend that the Commission use the discussion questions listed above as a guide, to assist with making your recommendation to the City Council. If there is any additional information that we can provide, please contact us in advance of the meeting. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Sample Land Use Plan Maps 2. Public Comments—May 1 & 2 Neighborhood Meetings 3. Existing Land Use Guide Plan, with Surrounding Communities Land Use Plans 4. Planning Process Milestones and Tentative Dates for 2006 Sample Plan 1 Sample Plan 2 12 Sample Plan 2SamplePlan3 VICKSBURG LA INTERSTATE HWY NO 494 INTERSTATE HWY NO. 494 CORDNO24 CORDNO47 STATE HIGH W AY NO 55 STATE HIGH W AY NO 55 CORDNO47 CO RD NO 47 CORD47 CO RD NO 101 CITY OF MAPLEGROVECITYOFCORCORAN C ITY OF M E D I N A 4-10 4-10 4-10 4-10 4-10 4-10 4-10 0-3.5 0-3.5 0-3.5 0-3.5 0-3.5 0-3.5 0-3.5 OVER 10 LOW-MEDIUM DENSITY MAY GO UP TO 5.5 WITH BONUSESMEDIUM-DENSITY MAY GO UP TO 11 WITH BONUSES PUD1 UP TO 2 URUPTO 4.5 MRUPTO18 PUD2 UPTO2 PARK PS PS UC UC URUPTO 4.5 UC1 RR1 RR -URUPTO3 RR-URUPTO3 UH8TO45 RR1UNITPER10ACRES UP TO 3 UP TO 3 .5 DENSITY RANGE BASEDUPONMINIMUMLOTSIZEPERDISTRICT DE NSI TY R A N G E B A SED UP ON MINIMUM LO T S IZ E PE R D I S TR ICT PomerleauLake LakeCamelot Turtle Lake PLY MOUTHLANDUSE Comercial (C ) Living Area 1 (LA 1) Living Area 2 (LA 2) Living Area 3 (LA 3) Living Area 4 (LA 4) Living Area R ural (LAR ) Public/Semi-Public/Institutional (P-I) Commercial Office (CO ) City Center (CC ) Planned Industiral (IP) MED LK MAPLE GROVELANDUSE LOW-MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM-DENSIT Y RESIDENTIA L PARK, GOLF CO URS E OR PRO TECTE D O PEN SPACE PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC MEDINALANDUSE MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (MR) PARK PLANNED UNI T DEVELOPME NT 1 (PU D1) PLANNED UNI T DEVELOPME NT 2 (PU D2) PUBLIC /SEMI-PUBLIC (PS) RURAL RESIDENTIAL (RR ) RURAL RESIDENTIAL - URBAN R ESERVE (RR -UR) RURAL RESIDENTIAL 1 (RR1) UPTOWN HAME L (UH) URB AN COMMERCIAL (UC ) URB AN COMMERCIAL 1 (UC1) URB AN RESIDENTIAL (UR ) CORCORANLANDUSE EXISTING RESIDENTIAL URBAN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORING CITY LAND USE DESIGNATIO NS& ASSOCIATED DENSITY RANGES 0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5