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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 07-21-2010Approved Minutes City of Plymouth Planning Commission Meeting July 21, 2010 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair James Davis, Commissioners Dick Kobussen, Nathan Robinson, Gordon Petrash, Erik Aamoth and Marc Anderson MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioner Nelson STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager Barbara Senness, Senior Planner Shawn Drill, Senior Planner Marie Darling, Senior Planner Joshua Doty, City Engineer Bob Moberg and Office Support Specialist Laurie Lokken 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Commissioner Robinson, seconded by Commissioner Kobussen, to approve the July 21, 2010 Planning Commission Agenda. Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION approved. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 7, 2010 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MOTION by Commissioner Kobussen, seconded by Commissioner Robinson, to approve the July 7, 2010 Planning Commission Minutes. Vote. 5 Ayes (Commissioner Anderson abstained). MOTION approved. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. ALLIANT ENGINEERING (2010047) Chair Davis introduced the request by Alliant Engineering for a PUD amendment and preliminary plat for `Elm Creek Highlands Third Addition" for 17 single-family lots to be located north of Schmidt Lake Road at Merrimac Lane North. Senior Planner Darling gave an overview of the staff report. Chair Davis stated that this is the third addition to the development that is already under construction there now. Senior Planner Darling said that is correct. She said that City Council Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 2 has already approved the first and second additions through the final platting process and the Planning Commission is reviewing the changes that would be required to do the third addition. Commissioner Kobussen said that the staff report indicated that a trail to the north was going to be constructed and all the drawings state that it would be developed at a later date. Senior Planner Darling said that early on in the process, the Park Department did suggest that this leg of the northwest greenway trail corridor wasn't to be constructed until the adjacent property subdivided and we were able to get a mirroring easement on the other side of the property line. She said that now we would be able to construct this before the homes go in. She said that in this case, that would be a benefit to the city as well as to the future homeowners so that they understand where that trail would be placed. Chair Davis asked if the northern part of the property could be developed. Senior Planner Darling replied that this portion of the property is primarily wetland and that the applicant dedicated that property to the city as park dedication with the first addition. Chair Davis introduced the applicant, Ian Peterson, representing Pulte Homes. Mr. Peterson said that he agreed with the staff report and was available for any questions. Commissioner Kobussen asked if they planned on putting two trees in each yard. Mr. Peterson replied that they would be. He said that the trees were part of the resolution and they are not changing any parts of the original PUD, with the exception of the realignment of these 17 lots, the loss of one lot and putting the road and utilities through. He said that everything else stays the same. Chair Davis opened and closed the public hearing as there was no one present to speak on the item. Commissioner Petrash said that it is fantastic that Plymouth is building so many developments but he hopes that somewhere down the line we don't end up with ghost towns. He said that it seems as though we have approved a lot of developments over the last year. He said that he hopes that all of the marketing projections are correct and that we don't end up with empty streets and empty houses. Chair Davis noted that he was amazed at how many houses have gone up so quickly in that development and that their confidence in the market is pushing them to push the third addition. MOTION by Commissioner Kobussen, seconded by Commissioner Petrash, to approve the request by Alliant Engineering for a PUD amendment and preliminary plat for "Elm Creek Highlands Third Addition" for 17 single-family lots to be located north of Schmidt Lake Road at Merrimac Lane North. Roll Call Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 3 B. ESTATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND ALLIANT ENGINEERING 2010044/2010048) Chair Davis introduced the request by Estate Development Corporation and Alliant Engineering for a comprehensive plan amendment to adjust the boundary between the areas guided P -I public/semi-public/institutional) and LA -2 (living area 2), for rezoning to RSF-3 (single family detached 3) and for a preliminary plat for "Elm Creek Highlands East" for 77 single-family lots and two outlots to be located north of Schmidt Lake Road and Jewel Lane North (east of Elm Creek Highlands). Senior Planner Doty gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Anderson asked for the phasing of this project. Senior Planner Doty said that the applicant would remove existing houses in the fall with grading to start in the spring of 2011 and development to follow based on how Elm Creek Highlands goes, so it is somewhat market driven. Commissioner Anderson asked if the shooting range to the east would still be in existence and operation. Senior Planner Doty replied affirmatively. Commissioner Petrash asked how street names are picked as he lives on a street that has three locations in Plymouth. Senior Planner Doty replied that street names are picked so they match up on the city's grid system. Commissioner Kobussen asked if there was any objection to not taking 51St Avenue through to the development and leaving it stubbed there the way it is right now. He asked about all the different retaining walls that would be required for this area, especially at 51 st Avenue and how far down they would have to dig. Senior Planner Doty replied that city staff supports having no connection to 51 st Avenue. He deferred the question about the retaining walls to the applicant. Chair Davis asked for the definition of a regional pond. Senior Planner Doty replied that it simply means that it is a pond that provides water treatment storage and quality for more than one site. He said that in this case, this is a separate plat from Elk Creek Highlands and since it is serving both properties, we call it regional. Chair Davis asked if there were any issues with city regulations on the length of a dead end as the cul-de-sac on the northern side of the plat is fairly long. Senior Planner Doty replied that the city does have regulations on the length of streets ending in a cul-de-sac. He said that this street is in the category where the City Council has to approve the plat and allow for no connection between those two streets. He said that this has been done in the past and it is not unusual to get approval for this. Chair Davis asked what reforestation of the site means. Senior Planner Doty replied that the tree preservation section of the city code has a formula which is used to calculate the number of Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 4 caliper inches based on the caliper inches of trees removed. He said that applicants have to submit a plan that mitigates that removal over 50 percent of the caliper inches of tree loss. Chair Davis asked if that included the two trees that would go in each front yard. Senior Planner Doty replied that the required front yard trees are credited towards reforestation. Chair Davis stated that they do not have enough trees in the current proposal. Senior Planner Doty confirmed that they do not have enough trees at this point and staff has talked to the applicant and they are agreeable to adding to the number of trees on the site. He added that this is also a condition in the resolution. Chair Davis introduced the applicant, Ian Peterson, representing Pulte Homes. Mr. Peterson said that they would like to remove the existing five structures this fall and begin to prepare for grading in the spring, roughly April 1, 2011. He said that the intent would be for Phase 1 of the development, depending on sales in Elm Creek Highlands and barring any economic upheaval, for August/September delivery of lots for home construction in the southern area of the site. He said that Phase 2 would be construction of the northeastern cul-de-sac area of the site in 2012 and that Phase 3 would be the final construction of the northwestern area of the site in 2013. Mr. Peterson said that the retaining walls along the eastern property line would vary between five and eight feet in height. He said that the retaining walls would not be located on the property line but that they would be located roughly 10 to 15 feet west of the property line, depending on the kind of vegetation used on the top of the walls. He said that the walls would create grade and visibility separation. Mr. Peterson stated that they would work with staff on reforestation as well. Chair Kobussen asked if there would be a fence located on top of the retaining wall. Mr. Peterson replied that absolutely there would be a fence. Planning Manager Senness added that the city requires a fence when retaining walls are over four feet in height. Chair Kobussen asked about other retaining walls proposed on the site. Mr. Peterson replied that they work diligently with staff to get all of the engineered drawings approved and stamped by the licensed engineer. Chair Davis asked if this development would all be homogenous with Elm Creek Highlands when completed. Mr. Peterson replied that it would be. He said that there would be one homeowners association. He said that the one difference would be that the lots in Elm Creek Highlands are 60 feet in width with five-foot side yard setbacks and these lots would be 65 feet in width with six -and eight -foot setbacks. He said that there would be one monument sign at the entrance for Elm Creek Highlands. Chair Davis asked if there would be a recreation lot with a pool or basketball court. Mr. Peterson replied that there would not be. He said that they felt that with the northwest greenway trails going in and with the high school playfields, there would be enough recreational areas. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 5 Mr. Peterson added that the trails are depicted conceptually in the staff report and that they are currently working further with staff on the trails. Chair Davis opened and closed the public hearing as there was no one present to speak on the item. Commissioner Kobussen said that it is quite a challenge to develop this property with such a drop in the land and he understands the need for a retaining wall on the east side to help mitigate the amount of fill needed. He said there are a number of retaining walls proposed that would go across the utility easements but that does not appear to be an issue. He said that he was glad to see there would be one homeowners association to maintain the joint pond. MOTION by Commissioner Petrash, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, to approve the request by Estate Development Corporation and Alliant Engineering for a comprehensive plan amendment to adjust the boundary between the areas guided P -I (public/semi- public/institutional) and LA -2 (living area 2), for rezoning to RSF-3 (single family detached 3) and for a preliminary plat for "Elm Creek Highlands East" for 77 single-family lots and two outlots to be located north of Schmidt Lake Road and Jewel Lane North (east of Elm Creek Highlands). Chair Davis said that this looked like a good extension of an approved plan and that he liked the fact that it would be one congruent neighborhood rather than two separate ones. He said that he liked that they would be taking advantage of the topography and that he would vote in support of this request. Roll Call Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. C. D. R. HORTON, INC. AND PLYMOUTH HOUSING GROUP, LLC. (2010052) Chair Davis introduced the request by D. R. Horton Inc. and Plymouth Housing Group, LLC. for rezoning from FRD (future restricted development) to PUD (planned unit development), for a preliminary plat and PUD general plan for "Steeple Hill" for 37 single-family lots and for "West View Estates" for a 67 -unit apartment building to be located at the northwest corner of Vicksburg Lane North and County Road 47. Senior Planner Darling gave an overview of the staff report. Senior Planner Darling stated that Commissioners had received a revised resolution for the preliminary plat for Steeple Hill. She said that the revision removes the proposed item 5. d. (22) that required a sanitary sewer stub. She said that this was removed because the adjacent property is in another sewer district and would be served by sanitary sewer that flows west instead of north. She said that staff also added a condition in the revised resolution that requires the applicant to remove the fenced riding arena that straddles the property line prior to recording the final plat. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 6 Commissioner Petrash asked how the requirement not to allow parking of recreational vehicles would be dealt with. Senior Planner Darling said that staff has included a condition as part of the PUD general plan that there could be no recreational vehicles stored on the property and the property owner would be required to put that prohibition in their rental agreements. Commissioner Anderson said that in the staff report, the applicant indicated that in the West View Estates development the fire lane would not go around the entire apartment building and that they would provide additional fire protection items instead. He asked if those items were listed as conditions for approval. Senior Planner Darling replied that the approval of the fire lane is administrative and those conditions would be included in the administrative approval. Commissioner Kobussen asked who would ultimately be responsible for maintaining the retaining wall that would be located along County Road 47. Senior Planner Darling replied that the developer has proposed not to have a homeowners association so the encroachment agreement would have to be crafted to place responsibility for maintenance on the adjacent homeowners. She said that would then be shared between the apartments and homeowners on the affected lots. Commissioner Kobussen asked if they would be required to put two trees in front yards of all the lots or if they have asked for an exemption. Senior Planner Darling replied that the applicant did ask for PUD flexibility to allow one tree in front and one tree in back. She said that because the applicant is proposing a traditional 25 feet setback on a 65 -foot lot, which is a customary sized lot, staff did not support PUD flexibility for this item and the applicant would have to plant the two trees in the front yards. Commissioner Kobussen asked what the side yard setbacks would be. Senior Planner Darling replied that the setbacks that are proposed are six feet on the garage side and 8 feet on the opposite side of the home. Senior Planner Darling confirmed for Commissioner Kobussen that those setbacks apply even if there may be living area above or behind the garage. Commissioner Robinson asked if there are any other apartment buildings in Plymouth that have less than 2.5 parking spaces per unit. Senior Planner Darling replied that there are a number of apartment complexes in Plymouth that have less than 2.5 parking spaces per unit. She said that it was the city's requirement for many years to have only two spaces per unit until a complaint was received that there were shortages at certain properties. She said the city then adopted a new ordinance requiring the 2.5 spaces per unit. She said that since then, there have been a number of apartment buildings that have been constructed when the developer requested to reduce the number of parking spaces per unit. She said this would include Jefferson at Plymouth located on County Road 47 and Bass Lake Road, Shadow Hills at Nathan Lane and 45th and the apartment buildings as part of The Reserve. Planning Manager Senness added that once this issue had been communicated to owners and the standard condition prohibiting recreational vehicles put in place, no problems have occurred. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 7 Senior Planner Darling confirmed for Commissioner Robinson that this plan represents two spaces per unit. Commissioner Kobussen asked if there would be any problems for the flow of water for the watermain that would run along the proposed 61St Avenue. Senior Planner Darling replied that they would have to submit fire flow calculations showing that they would have no problem providing adequate flow and pressure. Chair Davis said that he was concerned about approving the plan because on the west side of the site, the road lacks a cul-de-sac and just stops. Senior Planner Darling said that the applicant would be required to provide local street access to adjacent properties. She said that they do have to show a road extended to that property. She said that this would likely be school district property and they may use it to provide secondary access for both properties when the school develops. Chair Davis said that he could not see the school district wanting the people who live in this neighborhood driving through their school. Senior Planner Darling said that was correct, that she did not see them wanting that either. She said that it may develop only as an emergency access in the future. Chair Davis said that the plan shows the developer is counting on the school district to give up all of that section of their property for this turnaround. He asked why the turnaround would not be on the developer's property. Senior Planner Darling replied that if the applicant cannot secure easements from the school district, they would have to move it over to their property. She added that the school district is currently beginning the process of looking at potential layouts for a future school on that site. Commissioner Petrash asked that if the easements are not secured, would the plan still be viable or would they have to come back to the Planning Commission to amend it. Senior Planner Darling replied that what they may need to do is put that cul-de-sac along the west edge of the property and then delay construction of the home on the westernmost lot until after the road is stubbed through. City Engineer Moberg said that the city has dealt with this type of situation a couple different ways recently. He said that Woodcrest stubbed in a street on the east side into their development and in that case, the developer proposed to put in a temporary cul-de-sac within their property and the city permitted that with the caveat that the last lot in that development could not be built upon until such time as either the street was extended or a full cul-de-sac was built. He said that the Spring Meadows subdivision was handled in a similar fashion. He said that the developer proposed and tried to secure an easement from the adjacent property owner to allow a turnaround to be built. Chair Davis asked if there is sufficient room to exit the property to the south at the apartment side. Senior Planning Darling replied that the access would be barricaded because it is an emergency access only. She said that residents would have to enter and exit the site from Vicksburg Lane. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 8 Chair Davis introduced the applicant, Ron Mullenbach, representing D. R. Horton. Mr. Mullenbach said that they did ask their project engineer about the water stub in the cul-de-sac to the east and were told that there is adequate pressure there. Mr. Mullenbach said that from a neighborhood meeting, they have addressed access on County Road 47 with the westbound right turn lane, the eastbound bypass and the combination left turn thru lane. He said that additional safety on Vicksburg Lane was another concern and they have lined up the access with 61St Avenue on the east side that goes into a commercial neighborhood. He said that there would be two lanes going out and one lane going in for the apartment project. Mr. Mullenbach said that screening on the south end of their property was also brought up at the neighborhood meeting. He said that they tried to maximize the height of the berms with the amount of topography on the site so as not to affect drainage coming off the property. He said that they are proposing a significant number of trees along that stretch. He said that they are also going to explore the possibility of utilizing larger trees. He said that they have talked to the property owner to the north about moving some of the trees to his property as opposed to the apartment site to help offset some of his concerns. He added that if it was the staff's recommendation to have two trees in the front yards, they would be happy to follow that as well. Chair Davis introduced the other applicant, Mr. Fortier, representing Sand Companies. Mr. Fortier said that they were the developer of Shadow Hills as well. He said that property had the same stipulations where no recreational vehicles were allowed in the parking lot and they had more than adequate parking at that facility. Mr. Fortier said that green space was an issue raised at the neighborhood meeting. He said that they were able to increase the amount of green space substantially by reducing the parking spaces to two units and by eliminating the fire lane. Commission Anderson asked if the bedroom mix and parking was similar between the Shadow Hills development and this development project. Mr. Fortier replied that the Shadow Hills facility is a class A luxury facility so the amount of vehicles would be higher than in a workforce facility such as this. He said that the bedroom mix for Shadow Hills was higher on the one bedroom end and lower on the three bedroom end. He added that they have completed 22 workforce projects since 1996 and they have seen that anything higher than two parking spaces per unit was space that could be left green versus impervious. Commissioner Kobussen asked for the status on fundiu for this project. Mr. Fortier replied that they submitted the tax credit application on June 15t and will not hear anything back until October 28 when they announce the award of tax credits. Planning Manager Senness added that the city's Housing and Redevelopment Authority has pledged money to the project. Chair Davis opened the public hearing. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 9 Chair Davis introduced Harlan Peterson, 6205 Comstock Lane in Maple Grove. Mr. Peterson said that he would like to have D. R. Horton bring sanitary sewer down one of the property lines to a two -acre parcel that he still owns to the southwest. He said that the school district is talking about building in the northwest area of the 20 acres and it would be foolish to come across that property to service his little lot. Chair Davis introduced Paul Wardell, 16395 County Road 47. Mr. Wardell said that he felt that the neighborhood would prefer to have no recreational vehicles parked there and to have more green space. He said that his only concern would be that the city has money supporting this now because inside this apartment complex would be some Section 8 housing. He said that his concern is that there is Section 8 housing on the east side of Vicksburg Lane and the police activity reports have not been positive. He said that he understands that by having the Section 8 housing increases the possibilities of having more police calls to the apartment complex. He said that if given a choice, this neighborhood would be opposed to that. He said that it has nothing to do with the applicant, it has to do with the city's trying to push ahead with this apartment complex. He said that the people who run the complex have very strict codes but nonetheless, the neighborhood is just not interested in a lot of police activity. Chair Davis closed the public hearing. Commissioner Petrash asked if there is some obligation to extend the sanitary sewer line to Mr. Peterson's property or what circumstance would require the need from the school to tie in. City Engineer Moberg identified the location of Mr. Peterson's property and the school district property in relation to this site and outlined the sanitary sewer district boundaries. He said that if we were to consider extending sanitary sewer through this proposed development to serve Mr. Peterson's property, this entire length of sanitary sewer would have to be lowered to an even deeper elevation. He said that from an elevation standpoint, Mr. Peterson's property is quite a bit lower from what the depth of the sanitary sewer would be for the school district property. Commissioner Petrash asked if Mr. Peterson would have an opportunity to tie into the sanitary sewer when the school district property is developed. City Engineer Moberg replied that the school property is programmed to go to the west as well as Mr. Peterson's property. He said that because the developer would have to install the sanitary sewer to service the westernmost lots, the idea was to extend the sanitary sewer to the property line so that there may be some potential to serve a portion of the school property. He said that in summary, it's not to say that something couldn't be worked out so that sewer could be extended to serve Mr. Peterson's property, but the comprehensive plan directs his property to flow to the west and this plan reflects that. Commissioner Anderson asked how much deeper the pipe would have to be to serve this property. City Engineer Moberg replied that the line closest would have to be lowered 10 to 15 feet to provide enough depth to get to Mr. Peterson's property. Commissioner Anderson said that he would assume that the house is served by a septic system now and that the property would have development potential if it had access to sewer, so he Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 10 doesn't know if we are trying to solve a one house problem or a future development issue. Planning Manager Senness asked if there is additional depth to the sewer, who would be responsible for paying for the additional depth. City Engineer Moberg responded that it has been city policy that the city would participate in the cost for running sanitary sewer through a property that would ultimately serve others if there is added depth or a larger size pipe that needs to be extended to handle that additional flow. He confirmed for Commissioner Anderson that it would not be the benefitting property owner. He said that on the other side of the equation, it's the area charges for trunk sewer and trunk water that get assessed to the property that help the city recoup the cost. Commissioner Anderson asked if this is in a different sewer district, if the city is not willing to pay for increased depth charges at this point to serve that property. City Engineer Moberg replied that because it is in a different sewer district, the staff recommendation would be to follow the comprehensive plan as much as we can and if we need to deviate from that, it introduces some other components as well. Commissioner Anderson said that his position is that he would not be inclined to ask the city to participate in a deeper pipe at this point to serve that property and to let things happen at a normal timing based on the comprehensive plan. Commissioner Kobussen said that his concern is that the apartment building may not be built and then there would be an issue with density. Chair Davis said that he was concerned that the cul-de-sac was not resolved in this plan and that he would not vote in support of this proposal. Commissioner Anderson said that he hears from staff that there is a condition that says if they do not have the cul-de-sac easements by the time of the final plat, then they must put it on their property. He said that the developer must provide an easement or redesign the tip of that cul-de- sac and perhaps take a lot off the market until such time as it is resolved one way or another. Senior Planner Darling confirmed for Commissioner Anderson that the requirement is found in the preliminary plat resolution on page 2, number 5. Mr. Mullenbach said that it is something that has been done in other areas in Plymouth. He said that they showed the cul-de-sac on school property because they have contacted representatives of the school district about acquiring an easement and that contact spurred the school district's discussions about a feasibility study for this site. He said that their request alerted the school district that the sanitary sewer comes from another direction, where they were going to get street access, etc. He added that they are prepared to move the emergency turnaround onto their own site if necessary. MOTION by Commissioner Petrash, seconded by Commissioner Robinson, to approve the request by D. R. Horton Inc. and Plymouth Housing Group, LLC. for rezoning FRD (future Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 11 restricted development) to PUD (planned unit development), for a preliminary plat and PUD general plan for "Steeple Hill" for 37 single-family lots and for "West View Estates" for a 67 - unit apartment building to be located at the northwest corner of Vicksburg Lane North and County Road 47. Roll Call Vote. 5 Ayes (Nay by Chair Davis). MOTION approved. D. SPEAK THE WORD CHURCH INTERNATIONAL (2010055) Chair Davis introduced the request by Speak the Word Church International for a conditional use permit and interim use permit to allow temporary soccer fields and grading/excavation operations at the Speak the Word Church site located roughly one-half mile north of State Highway 55 and east of County Road 101. Senior Planner Drill gave an overview of the staff report. Senior Planner Drill noted that one letter had been received and added to the public record. Commissioner Petrash asked what the parking requirements are for soccer fields. Planning Manager Senness replied that there is not a specific requirement in the code for that. She said that what the city uses as a rule of thumb is 40 per field. She said that there would be more than sufficient parking should all the fields be in use. Commissioner Petrash stated that in his personal experience, he has not been at a soccer field where there has been enough parking. Chair Davis stated that there would be room for 160 cars on the site. Senior Planner Drill said that is correct if the overflow parking is included. Commissioner Petrash said that the staff report included a picture of a light and asked if there would be lighting in some places. Senior Planner Drill replied that there would be security lighting for the parking lot only and they would not be field lighting. Chair Davis introduced the applicant's consultant, Tina Goodroad, from Bonestroo. Ms. Goodroad said that the intent of Speak the Word is to provide soccer fields for the church's use as well as some limited use amongst the city or other folks. She said that the soccer fields would not be promoted for tournament play. Ms. Goodroad said that the church is looking toward getting the site ready for future development of the church building and that they need to deal with soil correction issues. Ms. Goodroad said that the lighting would be provided for the parking area and that the soccer fields would not be promoted for the extensive play that might occur in the fall where you need the fields lit in the evening. She said that the site is fully screened as the applicant previously provided berming and is irrigating the berms to anticipate the different changes as development occurs to this site. Chair Davis opened the public hearing. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 12 Chair Davis introduced Mike Smith, 100 Sunrise Court, Medina. Mr. Smith said that as Plymouth, Maple Grove and Medina have expanded, the traffic volume has increased along County Road 101. He said that he thinks the soccer fields would be used quite often, which would increase traffic volume significantly. He said that the main entrance could be an issue for many residents living in the Wild Meadows subdivision. He said that this is a dangerous intersection and that in the last twelve months there has been three accidents with one fatality last November. He asked that an alternative be considered for that entrance as vehicles travel 50 mph through the curve. Mr. Smith asked if there would only be two lights for security purposes and asked what time they would be shut off. Mr. Smith said that he finds the proposed restrooms to be unacceptable. He said that was not what he wants to look at. Chair Davis introduced Chris Servais, 115 Sunrise Court, Medina. Mr. Servais said that while this may not be a tournament field set up, Plymouth and Wayzata soccer clubs would be asking for as much access to these fields as they could have. He said that the 80 planned parking spaces plus overflow would be short from what should be planned. He said that maybe 120 parking spaces plus overflow would give enough planned or easily accessible parking. Mr. Servais said that he concurred with Mr. Smith's contention that the entrances to the property and to Wild Meadows would be directly across from each other. He said that he did not know if the long term plan would be to have a stop light there. He said that there is another access onto the church property approximately three blocks north. Mr. Servais said that a gate controlling access to the property is proposed and asked what time of day that access would be granted. Chair Davis introduced Kirby Johnson, 320 Cazamus Circle, Medina and President of the Wild Meadows Homeowners Association. Mr. Johnson said that the Minnesota Land Trust set aside 200 of the acres for wild prairies within their development. He said there was a rigorous planning and approval process and he imagines that the church will have to go through the same process. He said that would include downcast lighting and taking care of the property. Mr. Johnson said that the church has not been taking care of the property very well in that since they put the berm in, they have let things go. Mr. Johnson said that there is a lot of traffic in the area. He said that in their purchase agreements, there was a disclosure of the church's intent, which was to have more services with increased traffic on Wednesdays and on Sundays. He said that they promised to have downcast lighting in their parking lot and there were other restrictions filed with the city. He said that if this is approved, next year they will want more lighting. He said that the 50 mph speed limit on Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 13 County Road 101 is somewhat dangerous now and that with the ingress and egress onto this property, it is going to get pretty congested. Chair Davis closed the public hearing. City Engineer Moberg said that as part of the review process and because this property abuts County Road 101, Hennepin County was asked to comment. He said the specific comment that they came back with regarding traffic was a recommendation that for southbound traffic, some of the center lane striping be eliminated so a left turn lane could be provided into the site. He said the county did not require a northbound right turn lane into the site. City Engineer Moberg said that given the posted speed limits that the residents have referenced, we would actually expect to see that entrances on the roadway would line up across from each other rather than be staggered throughout the roadway corridor. He said we generally find that would be the safest approach. City Engineer Moberg said that neither the city nor Hennepin County has the ability to set what those speed limits could be, as that is something that is done by the state. He said a request could be made to look at having those speeds lowered. He said that since the county has jurisdiction over that road, they would have to make that request to the state to have a speed study done to determine whether the speeds are appropriate. Ms. Goodroad said that they would propose a timer so that the two parking lot security lights automatically shut off by 10 or 11 p.m. Ms. Goodroad introduced Dr. Heather Huseby, Speak the Word Church. Dr. Huseby said that their intent is to begin to level the land and at the same time to offer the opportunity to use the land for community purposes. She said the intent is not to have it on a seven day basis but it's to be managed. She said the intent is not to have evening use where lights are needed and not to make it a tournament field. She said that they want to be a good neighbor and to continue to follow city practices and policies in doing that to use the land for benefit of the community and young people. Commissioner Aamoth asked for an elaboration on limited use. Dr. Huseby replied that they understand the limitation on parking and if a request came forward that did not fit the city or their requirements for use of the land, they would not let that happen. She said that their first priority would be for the young people from their church to have an activity there. She said that it would be very managed and that it would not be used all the time. Commissioner Anderson asked about the locations and number of restrooms. Ms. Goodroad replied that there was a suggestion for one location to be adjacent to the lights and adjacent to the parking area. She said that the suggestion for a satellite facility versus something more permanent again speaks to the temporary and limited nature of the use. Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 14 Planning Manager Senness noted that there are no restrictions from the city recorded against this property as part of the sale. Ms. Goodroad said that to control the use of the property and to ensure that there isn't any use going on at periods of time that the church did not approve, a gate would be utilized. She said that when used by groups or persons that aren't associated with the church, there would have to be coordination with the church for that gate access is opened and then closed. She said that the intent is to add security and understanding that this is private property and not open like a park. She said that there would be signage as well at that location explaining the facility, its ownership and who to contact with additional understanding that it is not a city facility. Planning Manager Senness added that the fields and restrooms would be difficult to see due to the berms. Ms. Goodroad said the church desires to build on this location in the future. She said that particular date is not known at this time but there are some needs to correcting the soil and this is a reasonable and aesthetically pleasing fix for that. She said that they very much desire to maintain this property and will do so even more intensely with this project. Both Ms. Goodroad and Dr. Huseby confirmed for Chair Davis that the plan is that in a couple years, a church would be built to replace the soccer fields. Ms. Goodroad said that the church also understands that there would be discussions with city and neighbors when the church site planning moves forward. Commissioner Aamoth asked how they arrived at the number of parking spaces and how they can accommodate that. Ms. Goodroad replied that in working through the site plan and understanding the extent of the soil that needs to be relocated, they determined the remaining space to be left for soccer fields and parking. Commissioner Anderson said that County Road 101 was rebuilt at the time of Wild Meadows. He said that the developer purchased the land from Hennepin County and sold the Plymouth portion to the church. He said that the easement or right-of-way for the location of the realignment of 101 was part of that sale so the county knew exactly where they wanted that road and built it. He said that they also were party to driveway locations and knew what was needed. He said that when the sale was made to the church, the developer required the church to show designs and architectural approval of that and that was not anything to do with the city but with the developer to ensure that there would be no impact on Wild Meadows. He said that was disclosed to homebuyers in Wild Meadows. He said that it is not often seen where property owners build berms and landscape to plan for screening in the future. He said that was a good idea and a smart plan. He said that he would vote in support of this request. Commissioner Petrash said that he sees a significant problem with traffic. He said that with four fields, the traffic at the end of games could be very hectic. He said that it is a great idea to have Approved Planning Commission Minutes July 21, 2010 Page 15 soccer fields but with the circumstances the way they are now with County Road 101, he would not vote in support of this request. Commissioner Aamoth asked if there are non -Plymouth organizations that own and run fields in the city. Planning Manager Senness replied that schools are an example of non -Plymouth entities. Commissioner Aamoth asked if it was the responsibility of the property owner to maintain the field. Planning Manager Senness replied that it would be the responsibility of the property owner and that if there were complaints, the city would follow up on them. Chair Davis said that the fields would not be seen, as the berms are high and set back from the road. He said that he didn't feel that the berms would obstruct traffic. He said that with the way soccer has grown, the more fields that are available is a good idea and he would vote in support of this request. Commissioner Petrash stated that he could see the four full-sized soccer fields turning into eight fields for small children. MOTION by Commissioner Robinson, seconded by Commissioner Kobussen, to approve the request by Speak the Word Church International for a conditional use permit and interim use permit to allow temporary soccer fields and grading/excavation operations at the Speak the Word Church site located roughly one-half mile north of State Highway 55 and east of County Road 101. Roll Call Vote. 5 Ayes (Nay by Commissioner Petrash). MOTION approved. 7. NEW BUSINESS 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Chair Davis, without objection, to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m.