Planning Commission

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes Planning Commission The Planning Commission is an advisory body to the City Council. One of the Commission’s functions is to hold public hearings and make recommendations to the City Council. The City Council makes all final decisions on these matters. Blaine City Ordinances require that certain documents and information be included in applications. The Planning Commission may postpone consideration of an application that is incomplete and may, for other reasons, postpone final action on an application. For each item the Commission will receive reports prepared by the City staff, open the hearing to the public, and discuss and act on the application. This meeting will be a hybrid of Zoom and in-person. The Mayor has signed a declaration allowing members of the commission, staff, and the public to attend meetings remotely via Zoom as has been done during the pandemic. The council chambers will have limited seating, with audience chairs being set up at least six feet apart. There will be an overflow area where the meeting can be watched in the Cloverleaf Farms Room, also with chairs set up at least six feet apart. Public comment options prior to the meeting must be received by 4:30 PM on Monday, February 8. Email comments to: probinson@BlaineMN.gov or phone 763-785-6180. Zoom is for members of the public who want to comment remotely during the meeting on an agenda item. Join Zoom Webinar at https://blainemn.zoom.us/j/96414587758 Ways to watch if not commenting on an agenda item: BlaineMN.gov/Video or North Metro TV on Comcast, Apple TV, or Roku Questions? Email - Communications@BlaineMN.gov Tuesday, January 12, 2021 7:00 PMto the COVID-19 pandemic, city meetings will be held as Due virtual meetings until further notice. 1. Roll Call Staff Present: Shawn Kaye, Associate Planner Elizabeth Showalter, Community Development Specialist Teresa Barnes, Project Engineer Dan Schluender, City Engineer Patricia Robinson, Administrative Assistant Present: 6 - Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Goracke, Commissioner Olson, Commissioner Halpern, Deonauth, and Villella City of Blaine Page 1 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 Absent: 1 - Chair Ouellette 2. Approval of Minutes 2.-1 Approval of December 8, 2020 Planning Commission Minutes Attachments: Unapproved Minutes 120820 Motion by Commissioner Homan to approve the minutes of December 8, 2020, as presented. Motion seconded by Commissioner Deonauth. A roll call vote was taken. The motion passed 6-0. Aye: 6 - Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Goracke, Commissioner Olson, Commissioner Halpern, Deonauth, and Villella 3. Old Business None. 4. New Business 4.-1 Public Hearing Case File No. 20-0040 // Haverhill (Pulte Homes) // 122nd Avenue NE and Fraizer Street NE The applicant is requesting the following: 1. Preliminary Plat to subdivide a 6.7 acre parcel into 44 lots (townhome lots) and four outlots for common area, drive access, and drainage/ponding area to be known as Haverhill. 2. Conditional Use Permit to allow for the construction of 44 townhome units and private streets in a DF (Development Flex) zoning district. Attachments: Attachments Unapproved PC Minutes 011221 The report to the Planning Commission was presented by Shawn Kaye, Associate Planner. The public hearing for Case File 20-0040 was opened at 7:12PM. Ross Taflin, 4595 123rd Court NE, explained he saw the plans for the new development and indicated he was favorably impressed. The public hearing was closed at 7:14PM. Vice Chair Goracke thanked staff for holding a neighborhood meeting for this project. City of Blaine Page 2 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 Commissioner Halpern stated he believed the proposed development would provide a great variety of housing options for this neighborhood. Motion by Commissioner Homan to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0040A a Preliminary Plat to subdivide a 6.7 acre parcel into 44 lots (townhome lots) and four outlots for common area, drive access, and drainage/ponding area to be known as Haverhill based on the following conditions: Case 20-0040A: 1. The applicant will be required to pay park dedication for the 44 new lots within this plat. If paid in 2021 the amount will be $4,449 per lot, for total due of $195,756. This fee must be paid prior to release of the final plat mylars for recording at Anoka County. The applicant should be aware that this fee may be increased in the future if the property is final platted in a different year. 2. Developer will need to obtain a Rice Creek Watershed District permit prior to any site work. The developer shall be responsible for the construction, maintenance, and repair of storm water features. 3. Site plan and grading approval is required prior to any construction activities occurring on site. This will include the submittal of a Site Improvement Performance Agreement and associated financial guarantee. 4. As-built surveys shall be required to verify structure elevations, custom grading requirements, and final lot grading elevations. 5. The developer will be responsible for installation of sanitary sewer, water main, storm drainage improvements, street with concrete curb and gutter, street lights, mailboxes, traffic control signs, street signs, and all appurtenant items. The City shall approve plans and specifications prior to start of construction. The project will be required to connect to an existing water stub. Hydrant locations will need to reviewed by the Fire Department. 6. Standard utility and drainage easements must be dedicated along all lot lines. 7. The developer is to provide access for inspection and maintenance of this storm water infrastructure. 8. The Mayor, City Clerk and City Manager are hereby authorized to execute any and all necessary documents, agreement and releases related to the approval, recording or administration of Haverhill. Motion by Commissioner Homan to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0040B a Conditional Use Permit to allow for the construction of 44 townhome units and private streets in a DF (Development Flex) zoning district based on the following conditions: Case 20-0040B: 1. The construction of all townhomes to be generally guided by the approved City of Blaine Page 3 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 conditional use permit resolution and consistent with all the depictions, drawings and information on the plans attached to the staff report. 2. All site plan and unit plans require approval from the Planning Department prior to any work being performed on site. All site work to meet all requirements of Section 33 (Performance Standards) of the Zoning Ordinance. 3. Developer to install grouped mailboxes with design and location approve by the City and the US Postal Service. 4. Minimum floor area above ground for each unit shall be 1800 sq. feet. 5. The following trees are required on site: 44 overstory trees, 44 conifer trees, and 44 ornamental trees. 6. Underground irrigation must be used for all landscaped areas. 7. Sod shall be required on all disturbed areas and placed over 4 inches of black dirt that contains no more than 35% sand. 8. No detached accessory structures allowed except if needed to house underground irrigation controls. 9. Any entrance signage for the development requires a separate permit. 10. All units must contain an automated fire suppression system. 11. WAC (Water Access Charge) and SAC (Sewer Access Charge) will be due on each permit but calculated giving a credit for what has been previously paid. 12. All driveways and on site utilities are considered private and are the maintenance responsibility of the homeowner’s association for the 44 units. Motion seconded by Commissioner Halpern. A roll call vote was taken. The motion passed 6-0. Aye: 6 - Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Goracke, Commissioner Olson, Commissioner Halpern, Deonauth, and Villella Vice Chair Goracke noted this would be on the agenda of the February 1, 2021 City Council meeting. 4.-2 Public Hearing Case File No. 20-0031 // Groveland Village (M/I Homes) // Northwest Corner 93rd Lane and County Road J The applicant is requesting the following: 1. Comprehensive Plan Amendment from PI/PC (Planned Industrial/Planned Commercial) to MDR (Medium Density Residential) and HDR (High Density Residential). 2. Rezoning from PBD-A (Planned Business District Airport) to City of Blaine Page 4 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 DF (Development Flex). 3. Preliminary Plat approval to subdivide approximately 26.96 acres into 108 lots (including 107 townhome lots and one common lot) and three outlots to be known as Groveland Village. 4. Conditional Use Permit to allow for the construction of 107 townhomes in a DF (Development Flex) zoning district. Attachments: Attachments Unapproved PC Minutes 011221 The report to the Planning Commission was presented by Elizabeth Showalter, Community Development Specialist. The public hearing for Case File 20-0031 was opened at 7:27PM. Rosemary Bonnett, 1873 86th Lane NE, explained she owns the 400 foot span that will have eight townhomes looking into her house. She indicated there was only a 40 foot buffer between the townhomes and her property. She stated she was very concerned with this. She questioned if it was wise to put another 250+ people adjacent to the airport given the noise generated by the airport. She indicated that she had been talking to M/I Homes and the applicant was working with her on the specific buffer plan with fencing and trees. Katie Corsman, 8480 Groveland Road in Mounds View, explained she lived just across the street from the proposed development. She stated her concern was with the fact the only entrance and exit was directly across the street from Groveland Road, which was already a big cut through street. She commented there was a lot of speeding traffic on her roadway already and this would increase with another 250+ vehicles. Jake Clark, 8736 Hastings Circle NE, indicated he lives north and west of the proposed townhome development. He stated he was concerned with increased traffic and the number of trees that would be lost. Rosemary Bonnett requested staff send her the report that was provided to the Planning Commission. Community Development Specialist, Elizabeth Showalter stated she would send a link to this document to Rosemary Bonnett. The public hearing was closed at 7:34PM. Vice Chair Goracke requested the applicant be brought into the meeting. City of Blaine Page 5 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 John Rask, M/I Homes, introduced himself to the Commission. He commented on the proposed development and the constraints of being so close to the airport. He noted this was not a viable commercial or retail site and for this reason he was proposing townhomes. He explained he met with the City and the County regarding access to the site noting a comprehensive traffic study was completed. He noted a nice stand of trees would be saved along Groveland Road. He indicated he could work to save more trees along Rosemary’s property line. He stated he would be complying with the airport noise design building standards for the townhomes. Commissioner Villella stated he was sympathetic to the traffic concerns being raised. He asked how likely it would be that a stop light would be installed at the entrance to the property. Project Engineer, Teresa Barnes reported the likelihood of a traffic signal was minimal due to the spacing between the already existing light at Airport Road and 85th. For timing purposes, a light at this intersection would not work well and that the options analyzed in the traffic study included stop signs on Groveland Road and a roundabout. Commissioner Halpern commented on how the existing neighbors would be impacted by this development. He thanked the developer for working to preserve the wetland on this property along with existing stands of trees. There was one more question from the public. David Corsman, commented on the traffic study and questioned what the probability of having a stop sign or roundabout installed. He requested to see a copy of the traffic study. Project Engineer, Teresa Barnes explained staff could provide Mr. Corsman a copy of the traffic study. The likelihood of the stop signs or roundabout is not known at this time. Motion by Commissioner Olson to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0031A a Comprehensive Plan Amendment from PI/PC (Planned Industrial/Planned Commercial) to MDR (Medium Density Residential) and High Density Residential (HDR) based on the following conditions: Case 20-0031A: 1. The proposed land use is consistent with the townhome use proposed for the site. 2. The proposed townhomes and apartments provide a gradient of residential products compatible with the existing single family homes to the west and the freeway to the east. City of Blaine Page 6 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 3. The proposed land use allows for construction of a variety of housing products to meet market demands for higher density housing. Motion by Commissioner Olson to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0031B a rezoning from PBD-A (Planned Business District-Airport) to DF (Development Flex) based on the following conditions: Case 20-0031B: 1. The DF (Development Flex) zoning district is a widely used zoning district for new townhome and apartment developments in Blaine and it provides the City and the developer flexibility to create the best product and site plan for the community. 2. The DF zoning allows the city the opportunity to apply standards consistent with recent master planned developments. The standards will create an attractive benchmark for quality homes with a variety of housing products. Motion by Commissioner Olson to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0031C a preliminary plat to subdivide approximately 26.96 acres into 107 lots (townhome lots), three outlots and one common area lot to be known as Groveland Village based on the following conditions: Case 20-0031C: 1. The applicant will be required to pay park dedication for the 107 new lots within this plat. If paid in 2021 the amount will be $4,449 per lot, for total due of $476,043. This fee must be paid prior to release of the final plat mylars for recording at Anoka County. The applicant should be aware that this fee may be increased in the future if the property is final platted in a different year. 2. Developer will need to obtain a Coon Creek Watershed District permit prior to any site work. The developer shall be responsible for the construction, maintenance, and repair of storm water features. 3. Site plan and grading approval is required prior to any construction activities occurring on site. 4. A development agreement which outlines all of the developer’s responsibilities for Developer Installed Public Improvements will be required prior to any work being performed on site. The development agreement will also include the financial guarantee for the private improvements and landscaping. 5. As-built surveys shall be required to verify structure elevations, custom grading requirements, and final lot grading elevations. 6. The developer will be responsible for installation of sanitary sewer, water main, storm drainage improvements, street with concrete curb and gutter, street lights, mailboxes, traffic control signs, street signs, and all appurtenant items. The City shall approve plans and specifications prior to start of construction. Hydrant locations will need to be reviewed by the Fire Department. City of Blaine Page 7 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 7. A six-foot wide concrete sidewalk is required along the south side of Street A. 8. Standard utility and drainage easements must be dedicated along all lot lines. The Developer is to provide access for inspection and maintenance of this storm water infrastructure. 9. The developer will be required to obtain the approval of Anoka County, Ramsey County, and/or MnDOT for any work within the respective right-of-ways. 10. The Mayor, City Clerk and City Manager are hereby authorized to execute any and all necessary documents, agreement and releases related to the approval, recording or administration of Groveland Village. Motion by Commissioner Olson to recommend approval of Planning Case 20-0031D a conditional use permit to allow for the construction of 107 townhomes in a DF (Development Flex) zoning district based on the following conditions: Case 20-0031D: 1. The construction of all townhomes to be generally guided by the approved conditional use permit resolution and consistent with all the depictions, drawings and information on the plans attached to the staff report including a masonry element on all front elevations. 2. All site plan and unit plans require approval from the Planning Department prior to any work being performed on site. All site work to meet all requirements of Section 33.00 (Performance Standards) of the Zoning Ordinance. 3. Developer to install grouped mailboxes with design and location approved by the City and the US Postal Service. 4. Minimum floor area above ground for each unit shall be 1,750 sq. feet. 5. The following trees are required on site: 108 overstory trees, 108 conifer trees, and 107 ornamental trees. 6. Underground irrigation must be used for all landscaped areas. 7. Sod shall be required on all disturbed areas and placed over 4 inches of black dirt that contains no more than 35% sand. 8. No detached accessory structures allowed except if needed to house underground irrigation controls. 9. Any entrance signage for the development requires a separate permit. 10. All units must contain an automated fire suppression system. 11. WAC (Water Access Charge) and SAC (Sewer Access Charge) will be due City of Blaine Page 8 Planning Commission Minutes January 12, 2021 on each permit. 12. All driveways and on site utilities are considered private and are the maintenance responsibility of the homeowner’s association for the 107 units. 13. A landscaped buffer shall be provided at the western property edge (entire length) including a 6-foot tall privacy fence, constructed of maintenance free materials, and conifer trees. 14. All homes in the plat must meet the noise abatement standards as required and outlined in Section 33.21 of the Zoning Code. Motion seconded by Commissioner Halpern. A roll call vote was taken. The motion passed 6-0. Aye: 6 - Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Goracke, Commissioner Olson, Commissioner Halpern, Deonauth, and Villella Vice Chair Goracke noted this would be on the agenda of the February 1, 2021 City Council meeting. Adjournment Adjournment time was 7:54PM. Motion by Commissioner Halpern to adjourn the Regular Planning Commission meeting. Motion seconded by Commissioner Villella. A roll call vote was taken. The motion passed 6-0. Aye: 6 - Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Goracke, Commissioner Olson, Commissioner Halpern, Deonauth, and Villella City of Blaine Page 9