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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 09-06-20231 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting September 6, 2023 Chair Boo 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 September 6, 2023. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Michael Boo, Bill Wixon, Marc Anderson, Neha Markanda, and Josh Fowler COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Jennifer Jerulle and Julie Olson STAFF PRESENT: Planning and Development Manager Chloe McGuire, Senior Planner Shawn Drill, and City Council Liaison Julie Pointner Chair Boo led the Pledge of Allegiance. Call to Order Approval of Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Fowler and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to approve the agenda. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Consent Agenda (4.1) Planning Commission minutes from meeting held on August 16, 2023. Motion was made by Commissioner Fowler and seconded by Commissioner Wixon to approve the consent agenda. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Public Hearings (5.1) Request for comprehensive plan amendment by Scannell Properties LLC to reguide roughly 75 acres to MXD (mixed use) for property located at 13001 County Road 10 (2023- 052). Senior Planner Drill presented the staff report. 2 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Commissioner Anderson referenced the statement that there would not be an impact on traffic, utilities, etc. He asked if that was determined by the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) which was presented to and approved by the city council. Senior Planner Drill confirmed that the AUAR was approved by the council in July and included the traffic and utility studies. He commented that typically a large-scale development such as this would include an environmental assessment worksheet, but the alternative was to complete the AUAR. He explained that the AUAR would need to be revisited and updated every five years. Commissioner Wixon asked the number of multi-family housing units. Senior Planner Drill replied that the applicant is still determining the number of units that they would propose but noted that could range from roughly 700 to 1,000 units or more. Commissioner Wixon commented that the schools would be considerably impacted by that number of people and asked if that has been considered. Senior Planner Drill replied that the school district is aware of the potential development and noted that as a part of the AUAR process the schools commented that they do not have concerns. Commissioner Markanda asked if the primary component would be housing compared to commercial/retail. Senior Planner Drill replied that in terms of building square footage, the apartments would be the largest, but noted that in terms of land area housing would be less than 50 percent of the total land area. Commissioner Anderson asked if it would be possible that the applicant could come back with just one use, or whether it would be a requirement to have multiple uses. Senior Planner Drill replied that the requested MXD guiding requires a mix of uses. Chair Boo asked for input on whether there would be any concerns removing this land from CO (commercial office) and placing it under MXD (mixed use). Senior Planner Drill replied that the property is currently guided for office uses. He provided details on the amount of land that would remain in the CO guiding category after this change. He stated that there would not be a negative impact in making this reguiding change. Chair Boo invited the applicant to address the commission. Chair Boo introduced Andy Bollig, Roers Companies, and Dan Salzer, Scannell Properties, who represent the applicants for this proposal. Mr. Bollig thanked staff for their work on this matter, noting that they have been doing a lot of work to identify tenants for the property as they have many interested parties. He commented that they are excited to bring a mix of users to the site with preservation of natural space as well. 3 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Commissioner Anderson asked how optimistic the applicant is about being able to secure the desired tenants and buyers. Mr. Bollig replied that they are very optimistic, recognizing that this is a long-term partnership that will not happen overnight. He stated that Roers will be doing the multi-family development and will begin to bring in requests for next year. He commented that they want to find the highest and best use for the property. Commissioner Anderson referenced the area along I-494, noting that previous plans identified warehouse or office/warehouse. He stated that is now identified as med tech and asked if that is simply a change in terminology or whether that is a different use. Mr. Salzer replied that a variety of users could fall under that use. He commented that it would be more of a corporate campus type user, and they are excited about the interest that has been expressed. Chair Boo asked for details on the timeline of development. Mr. Bollig replied that it would be completed in phases, with changes beginning on the site next year, but recognized that it would be a year-long process as the right users come forward. Commissioner Wixon asked if the Prudential office building would be removed and whether that would be done early in the process. Mr. Bollig confirmed both of those statements to be correct. Commissioner Markanda commented that in a post-COVID world, many corporations have scaled back on the need for a large corporate office. She asked the mitigation plan in the case that type of clientele is not there for the med tech space. Mr. Salzer commented that space would not necessarily be just office and would be a combination of office, lab, and R & D space. He agreed that the need for only office space has gone away. Commissioner Fowler asked for the order of the phasing, recognizing that would be somewhat market dependent. He asked for details on the process for review by staff in terms of mixed-use development if the residential development were to come first. Mr. Salzer stated that the next step would be preliminary plat and a zoning application which would identify certain areas for the different uses. He commented that if everything goes well, he would anticipate breaking ground on a few projects in the spring. Senior Planner Drill noted that the PUD general plan would identify the allowed uses and if the applicant desired to change something after that point, it would require an amendment with another public hearing. Chair Boo opened the public hearing. 4 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Chair Boo introduced Rob Hastings, 5830 Oakview Lane N, who stated that he has recently noticed a lot more traffic because of the work being done on Bass Lake Road. He was concerned with additional traffic from this development and suggested that perhaps there could be a dead end in his neighborhood to prevent cut through traffic. He noted that perhaps there could still be a pedestrian connection through. Chair Boo introduced Jim and Lisa Pavich, 5805 Rosewood Ln N, who had questions about the increased traffic that would result from that number of residential units. He raised concerns with health and safety as well as noise. Chair Boo introduced Amy Marie Lemanski, 5955 Wedgewood Lane N, who stated that she is excited about this project. She commented that although a grocery store would be a lovely idea, there are already many different grocery options within a five-mile radius. She asked for details on the housing and whether it would be apartments and/or affordable. Chair Boo introduced Elaine Anderson, 16905 49th Place N, who implored the city and planners to consider walkability and human friendliness seriously. She commented that the layout seems friendly for parking and vehicles. She commented on the lack of walkability between the movie theater and nearby restaurant and did not want to see that pattern repeated. She encouraged parking on the outside with the buildings and walkability on the inside. Chair Boo introduced Deb Peterson, 13445 60th Place N, who expressed concern with the traffic. She noted that people often do not stop for the pedestrian crossings and requested a pedestrian stoplight which would ensure vehicles stop to allow crossing. Chair Boo introduced Andy Snope, 200 Nathan Lane, who stated that he represents the electrical worker’s union. He commented that several people are present from the construction industry. He supported the proposal and believed it to be a good use for the site with mixed use. He recognized that the final plans are not yet before the commission but believed that this would be a good use of a tired property. He noted that this would be a great place for future and current residents to live, shop, work and recreate. He noted that this development would increase the tax base while also creating jobs. He stated that the developer would also request tax dollars to help with the improvement. He commented that he believes that this would be a good use of tax dollars to create the end result. He stated that with larger projects sometimes come issues with wages and craftsmanship and therefore asked that there is assurance that workers are paid fairly for the construction portion of the project and that the craftsmanship would be at the required level as well. He asked what the PUD would be used for if this were to be rezoned mixed use. Chair Boo closed the public hearing. Senior Planner Drill commented that a traffic study has been completed based on this plan and the highest use of the site and it was determined that this site could accommodate the traffic with some improvements. He stated that he could provide a copy of the study to anyone that is interested. He stated that the development contract would address access routes for construction traffic. He commented that there are certain warrants for traffic lights and other traffic measures and, therefore, they would need to investigate further about the pedestrian crossing concerns raised by the resident tonight. 5 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Chair Boo asked the applicant about thoughts on a grocery store after the comments made tonight. Mr. Bollig replied that the likelihood of a grocer is strong as they have multiple companies interested. He noted that grocers go through an extensive market study to identify locations and there is demand for another grocer in this area. He stated that they would include affordable housing in line with the city’s affordable housing policy. Chair Boo asked how the city addresses the concern with walkability. Senior Planner Drill commented that the thought is to create a development where people can live, work, play and shop without getting into a vehicle. He commented that there would be an extensive trail system with sidewalks along public streets and a city trail and potentially boardwalk through the central portion of the pond and patterned crosswalks. He noted that the multi-family housing would have underground parking. Planning and Development Manager McGuire commented that when more specific site design comes forward, the commission would have the opportunity to review that and provide input. She noted that the goal is for people to park and then walk throughout the site, but recognized that people would most likely want to drive to a grocery store. Chair Boo asked how the city would address the concerns with wages for contractors. Senior Planner Drill stated that he would have to look into that. He noted that money would not be taken out of the city’s tax coffers, but rather, any financial aid would be provided through tax increment financing (TIF). He stated that perhaps they could address the concerns in the TIF development agreement. Mr. Bollig commented that they would be happy to update the industry numbers used in their narrative. He stated that many of the tenants would be building their own projects and they would be happy to have those conversations. Chair Boo recognized that a PUD provides flexibility but also ensures that the city able to gain the desired amenities and type of development as well. Commissioner Anderson recognized the concern with traffic raised tonight. He stated that Prudential existed on the site with 450,000 square feet of office space and a huge parking lot. He asked if there would be a comparison to that use versus the proposed use. Senior Planner Drill commented that the AUAR and traffic study are posted on the city website for those interested. He confirmed that the traffic study compared the previous development to the development proposed and also looked at it from the perspective of full site development. He stated that a traffic study would be included with the PUD review. He stated that the mitigation measures identified in the AUAR have been adopted by the council and would need to be implemented in future plans submitted by the developer. Chair Boo recognized that this is very early in the development process, noting that this change would be for reguiding the site from CO (commercial office) to MXD (mixed use). 6 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Commissioner Anderson commented that it is refreshing to see just the comprehensive plan amendment at this time, as that breaks down the review process and allows them to focus on the individual steps as they move forward. He noted that this would also refresh the site. He agreed that changing the use of the site would make sense and mixed use would provide the city with a lot of control. He stated that a grocery use would be market dependent and if there are 1,000 housing units, that would provide demand for a grocer. Commissioner Markanda commented that this is a great layout and change is inevitable. She requested that the developers keep safety and traffic in the forefront, as those will dictate whether the site will be successful. Commissioner Fowler commented that this is an extremely appropriate site for mixed use development, and a more appropriate use of the site than office development. He appreciated the concerns related to traffic as he commutes near this site daily. He hoped that the metro link bus extension would help and noted that the phased development plan would also assist in traffic management. He commented that walkability is a big concern as this moves forward, noting that this has the opportunity to be a well-connected community rather than a field of parking lots. Motion was made by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Markanda to recommend approval of a resolution approving a comprehensive plan amendment for Scannell Properties LLC to reguide roughly 75 acres located at 13001 County Road 10 from CO (commercial office) to MXD (mixed use). With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. (5.2) Approve conditional use permit amendment for outdoor storage of trucks and trailers for U-Haul at 1225 Highway 169 (2023043) Planning and Development Manager McGuire presented the staff report. Chair Boo asked how the limitation of ten came about. Planning and Development Manager McGuire stated that in reviewing the minutes it seemed the business only had ten trucks and that is why the condition was included in that manner. Chair Boo introduced the applicant, Christopher Bowman, who stated that he was available for questions. Commissioner Wixon commented that he lives near this property and noticed a buffer of grass about 25 to 30 feet in width. He asked if some trees could be placed in that area. Planning and Development Manager McGuire commented that there are some trees, but additional trees could be requested. Commissioner Wixon noted an area that does not have trees and believed trees would be a good addition in that location. 7 Approved Minutes September 6, 2023 Commissioner Fowler asked if anything would be changing operationally. Mr. Bowman replied that as the business grew, this has been a successful location, and they would like to bring the site into compliance. Chair Boo opened the public hearing. No comments. Chair Boo closed the public hearing. Commissioner Wixon commented that he has noticed the growth of the business and congratulated the business as the site was previously vacant. Commissioner Anderson agreed with the suggestion for additional trees. Motion was made by Commissioner Wixon and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to recommend approval of the resolution as presented with additional screening, providing discretion for the developer to work with city staff on that item. With all Commissioners voting in favor, the motion carried. Adjournment Chair Boo adjourned the meeting at 8:19 p.m.