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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 03-21-2018Meeting of March 21, 2018 Approved Minutes 1 of 7 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting March 21, 2018 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Marc Anderson, Commissioners Bryan Oakley, Donovan Saba, Julie Witt, David Witte, Kira Vanderlan and Justin Markell MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Senior Planners Shawn Drill and Lori Sommers, Senior Engineering Technician Trevor Quast OTHERS PRESENT: Councilmember Ned Carroll 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Vanderlan, to approve the March 21, 2018 Planning Commission Agenda. Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION approved. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 7, 2018 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Vanderlan, to approve the consent agenda. Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION approved. (Chair Anderson abstained.) 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. WAYNE A. JESKE ASSOCIATES, INC. (2018008) Chair Anderson introduced the request by Wayne A. Jeske Associates, Inc. for a site plan amendment and conditional use permit amendment for a building addition and parking lot expansion at Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 15870 46th Avenue. Senior Planner Sommers gave an overview of the staff report. 5A Meeting of March 21, 2018 Approved Minutes 2 of 7 Chair Anderson introduced Dennis Simpson, representing the applicant, who stated staff proposed a sidewalk and after reviewing the site, he does have a concern based on the location of large trees that could be impacted by a sidewalk. He stated that due to the lay of the land, the root structure of the trees would be damage by the installation of a sidewalk. He noted there is another concern that the sidewalk would disturb additional soil that could trigger additional watershed requirements. Commissioner Oakley asked if there is an alternate location for a sidewalk that the applicant would prefer. Mr. Simpson stated they are not finding that a sidewalk connection would provide a good connection to their property and therefore he would prefer not to include a sidewalk connection. He asked the commission to reconsider that recommendation from staff. Chair Anderson asked if staff is aware of the watershed requirements that could be triggered if the additional soil is disturbed. Senior Engineering Technician Quast stated that the impacts would depend on the amount of additional impervious surface. He said he did not think the disturbed soil would trigger additional requirements. He stated that the applicant is already going to trigger an erosion control permit and noted that he would need to follow up to determine if t he additional impervious surface would cause any additional thresholds to be met. Chair Anderson stated that he does not see any stormwater elements and confirmed that is because the project is currently under the threshold. He received confirmation that the additional impervious surface could possibly trigger additional stormwater elements for the project, but the determination would be made by the watershed. Comrhissioner Markell asked if there was consideration from staff to possibly meander the sidewalk in a way that would preserve the existing trees. Senior Planner Sommers replied that traditionally a sidewalk is placed along the roadway, but noted that if the commission desires, staff could look into that. Chair Anderson asked if the sidewalk would go anywhere other than to the building. Mr. Simpson stated that to his knowledge this proposed sidewalk would be the only sidewalk along 46111 Avenue and therefore would not connect to anything. Chair Anderson asked for the reasoning on providing a sidewalk in that location. Senior Planner Sommers replied that the sidewalk would provide connectivity to the trail and path on Vicksburg Lane. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing. Meeting of March 21, 2018 Approved Minutes 3 of 7 Chair Anderson introduced Kristin Schaeffer, 15735 47th Avenue, who stated that this site is at a higher elevation than her property and slopes toward her lot and that she has a concern with drainage. She asked where the runoff from the additional impervious surface would be directed and asked if the existing drainage ditch would be able to handle additional runoff. Chair Anderson closed the public hearing. Senior Engineering Technician Quast provided additional details on the grading of the property and the direction in which runoff travels. Chair Anderson stated it appears that there will be very little impact to the north. compared to the existing conditions. Commissioner Witte asked if the drainage ditch is properly functioning to keep the water away from the residential properties. Senior Engineering Technician Quast replied that he is unaware and would have to check on the status. Chair Anderson noted that the drainage ditch is located within a drainage and utility easement and therefore would fall under City jurisdiction. He asked for input on the proposed sidewalk connection. Commissioner Oakley stated that he would like to see a sidewalk connection and would also like to preserve the trees. He said he was unsure that a location behind the curb was the only location that would be successful. Chair Anderson noted that there are elements required by other agencies that the commission does not have input on and the job of the commission is simply to determine if the request is suitable, based on the City's ordinances. Commissioner Oakley stated that he would be willing to allow the applicant to work with staff to find a more acceptable location for the sidewalk. Commissioner Witte stated that he does not see the need for a sidewalk as it would seem to be an orphan that would not connect to anything else. MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Markell, to approve the request by Wayne A. Jeske Associates, Inc. for a site plan amendment and conditional use permit amendment for a building addition and parking lot expansion at Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 15870 46th Avenue, including Condition #3 f. relating to required installation of a sidewalk out to Vicksburg Lane. Vote. 3 Ayes. MOTION failed. (Commissioners Vanderlan, Witte, Witt, and Anderson voted nay.) MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Vanderlan, to approve the request by Wayne A. Jeske Associates, Inc. for a site plan amendment and conditional use permit amendment for a building addition and parking lot expansion at Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 15870 46th Avenue, removing Condition #3 f. relating to required installation of a sidewalk out to Vicksburg Lane. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. (Commissioners Saba and Markell voted nay.) B. WESLEY HEROLD AND MIKE KORF (2018009) Chair Anderson introduced the request by Wesley Herold and Mike Korf for approval of a conditional use permit to allow an indoor commercial recreation use in the I-1 (light industrial) zoning district, within the existing building located at 3580 Holly Lane. Senior Planner Drill gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Witt asked how staff would determine if there are significant traffic issues. Senior Planner Drill replied ifthere is a significant increase in crashes due to people making U- turns, that problem would then be solved by closing the right -out exit. Chair Anderson introduced Jeff Minea, representing the applicant, who stated that he is present to answer any questions from the commission. Chair Anderson referenced the added condition #5 addressing U-turns mentioned by staff and asked if the applicant is accepting of that condition. Mr. Minea replied that they would be amenable to adding that condition. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing and closed the public hearing as there was no one present requesting to speak on this item. MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Vanderlan to approve the request by Wesley Herold and Mike Korf for approval of a condi tional use permit to allow an indoor commercial recreation use in the I-1 (light industrial) zoning district, within the existing building located at 3850 Holly Lane. Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION approved. 7. NEW BUSINESS A. WOLD ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS (2018004) Chair Anderson introduced the request by Wold Architects and Engineers for a site plan for a new elementary school in the Wayzata School District on property located on County Road 101 north of Creekside Hills 2nd Addition. Senior Planner Sommers gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Witte stated that there is adequate parking for 99 percent of the time, but acknowledged the additional parking that occurs during conference times. He asked if the applicant has calculated sufficient parking for those types of events. Approved Minutes 4 of 7 Meeting of March 21, 2018 Chair Anderson referenced the proposed access and asked why only one access is proposed. Senior Planner Sommers stated that the school district and their engineers have reviewed the plans and other existing schools and find that there are fewer conflicts with only one access point, therefore having only one access point into the school seems to be beneficial. Chair Anderson asked if there were plans with a dditional access points presented. Senior Planner Sommers replied that this was the only plan submitted by the applicant. Chair Anderson introduced Scott McQueen representing the applicant, who stated that overflow parking is always an interesting situation. He noted that the proposal exceeds the ordinance requirements, and they have provided as much parking as possible. He acknowledged that it is a balancing act to plan for the large events and still manage for the daily activity and parking needs. He said he appreciated the questions related to access and noted that the number one concern when designing an elementary school is access. He stated that the number one challenge is sorting buses and parents accessing the site. He stated that the more in tuitive they can make it for parents, the safer it can be for everyone. He noted that the sites with the least amount of problems are the elementary sites with only one access. He stated they have attempted to provide the ability for parent pick -up and drop-off to occur on-site. Commissioner Witt stated that she has a concern with the parking lot over the wetlands and asked for more details on the condition of the wetland area. Mr. McQueen acknowledged the challenges of developing a school site and attempting to fit in the necessary elements. He stated they have worked around some of the wetlands on the site, however he was not able to work around all the wetlands and therefore some filling is proposed. Commissioner Witte asked if the large wetland would be fenced for safety reasons. Mr. McQueen stated that the school district does not have a policy of fencing wetland areas. Dave Ray, Anderson Johnson Associates, replied that the "wetland" in discussion is a stormwater pond, not a wetland and essentially it will remain the same. He stated that the district policy is not to enclose the ponds because it can be a prohibiting barrier for EMS response. He stated there is a chain link fence proposed between the play area and pond to discourage balls and children from going toward the pond. Mr. McQueen provided additional details on the ongoing study of traffic safety issues/concerns at various Wayzata schools. Chair Anderson asked if any discussions occurred with the bus company staff to ensure that their concerns were addressed in the study. Jon Deutsch, Transportation Manager for Wayzata Schools, stated that the bus staff meet on an annual basis. He noted that there are breakout sessions each fall where drivers are allowed to bring their concerns to the table. He advised of the two schools that continually come up in Approved Minutes 5 of 7 Meeting of March 21, 2018 6 of 7 Meeting of March 21, 2018 Approved Minutes discussion and noted the new school that this school is modeled after does not come up. He stated that on the Meadow Ridge proposal, it was actually staff that narrowed the access to one point and that has worked out well because they can then regulate the traffic and speed within the site. He stated because of the success with that model, they chose to go with one access on this site as well. He provided additional details on the flow of traffic within the site for both buses and parents. Chair Anderson stated he agrees with the comments that the parents are the variable with traffic inside the school sites. He asked for details on the turn that buses will be required to take. Mr. Ray stated that the space allowed for the turn is more favorable than a traditional city street and is generous enough for buses to make the turn with ease. Chair Anderson stated that he has spoken with bus drivers about Meadow Ridge and the comment that he continues to hear is that they would prefer two access points. He said he hopes there will be more conversation as this moves forward. He asked if Mr. Deutsch re ceived any calls today about the issue. Mr. Deutsch replied that he did not receive any calls and stated that he has not heard one concern from anyone on Meadow Ridge. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing. Chair Anderson introduced Charles Frye, 5455 Vagabond Lane, who asked for details on the grass playfield. He identified the location of a paddock and barn where he and his wife keep horses on their property and was concerned with the proximity of the playfield to the large animals on his property. He said he was concerned with the safety of unsupervised children wandering to see the animals and then becoming injured. Chair Anderson closed the public hearing. Senior Planner Drill replied there is nothing in the ordinance that addresses th e proximity of a school playfield to a barn with livestock. Chair Anderson asked if Mr. Frye's property is fenced. Mr. Frye replied that his property is fenced with a three -rail cedar fence. Chair Anderson stated there have been applications in the area for redevelopment and asked if that included this property that abuts the Frye property. Senior Planner Drill replied there currently is not an application to develop that area. Commissioner Saba asked the timing of the completion of 54th Avenue and Yellowstone Lane in relation to this project. 7 of 7 Meeting of March 21, 2018 Approved Minutes Senior Planner Drill replied that those projects have been completed. He noted the remaining portions of the roads that would provide connection to other roadways would be development driven. Mr. McQueen stated that the school -based activities occur during the day and use of the outdoor areas would be supervised by staff. He stated there is some fencing proposed along the boundary to help in preventing balls from going into roads. He stated the district does not provide fencing for paddocks and animals in nearby private properties. He stated he is unsure of the supervision that is provided by rented users on weekends and e venings as the property becomes a public amenity. Chair Anderson stated it is great that the school district is anticipating additional growth but is disappointed with the access. He stated he would be opposing the project with the hope that there would be more discussion on whether another access should be provided. He stated it is great that there will be another school for the community. Commissioner Witte asked if an advisory condition could be added asking staff to explore that additional discussion. Senior Planner Drill confirmed that a condition could be added to ensure that the access would function properly. Commissioner Vanderlan stated that she would agree with the comments regarding access, especially for access of emergency vehicles. Senior Planner Sommers identified a fire access drive location on the property. Commissioner Oakley noted that the applicant has stated they are comfortable with one access, and staff is comfortable with one access. He stated he would feel bett er if the individuals that Chair Anderson received input from would have attended the public hearing to provide the input rather than receiving secondhand information. Chair Anderson noted that he is a bus driver and has daily experience with this type of activity. MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Oakley, to approve the request by Wold Architects and Engineers for a site plan for a new elementary school in the Wayzata School District on property located on County Road 101 north of Creekside Hills 2nd Addition, with the added condition that city staff meet with school district representatives to review whether a second access should be provided. Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION approved. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Chair Anderson, with no objection, to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 P.M.