Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting

Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting June 26, 2024 Cedar Falls, Iowa MINUTES The Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission met in regular session on June 26, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The following Commission members were present: Alberhasky, Hartley, Henderson, Johnson, Sorensen and Stalnaker. Grybovych, Leeper and Moser were absent. Karen Howard, Planning and Community Services Manager and Jaydevsinh Atodaria, Planner II were also present. 1.) Chair Hartley noted the Minutes from the June 12, 2024 regular meeting are presented. Alberhasky made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented. Sorensen seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 6 ayes (Alberhasky, Hartley, Henderson, Johnson, Sorensen and Stalnaker), and 0 nays. 2.) The first item of business was a final plat for the Arbors Fifth Addition. Chair Hartley introduced the item and Ms. Howard provided background information. She explained that the property is north of Viking Road and West of Arbors Drive. The Fifth Addition is zoned RP-Planned Residence District and has 21 single-family residential lots and includes an extension of Autumn Woods and Fernwood Drives. Staff recommends approval of the final plat of Arbors Fifth Addition subject to all technical requirements and required legal papers. Sorensen made a motion to approve the item. Henderson seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 6 ayes (Alberhasky, Hartley, Henderson, Johnson, Sorensen and Stalnaker), and 0 nays. 3.) The next item for consideration by the Commission was a preliminary plat for North Cedar Estates. Chair Hartley introduced the item and Sorensen recused himself from the item. Ms. Howard provided background information explaining that the plat is west of Cypress Street and north of Lone Tree Road and is owned by Jim Sands. The plat is proposed to have 33 residential lots with one phase of development, three tracts for stormwater management and one outlot for a proposed park. All of the lots meet requirements for size and setbacks. She discussed the new streets and those that will be continued. Ms. Howard also discussed stormwater management and sanitary sewer, noting that all requirements have been met. She also discussed the proposed parkland. Staff recommends the item be presented for initial discussion and voted on at a future meeting. Mr. Stalnaker asked about the detention basins and how much they will contain. Ms. Henderson asked if this has been a flood issue in the past and if this will help with that. Ms. Howard indicated that it would be best to have the applicant’s engineer answer the question. Mr. Stalnaker asked about the street parking near the park, how wide the street will be and if there will be parking designated for the park. Ms. Howard stated that the streets are the standard 31 ft.-wide and the parking would be available for anyone in the neighborhood to use. Dan Arends, VJ Engineering, came forward to make himself available for questions. John McSweeney, adjacent landowner, asked about the park and its location. He noted the issue he has with cul-de-sacs and only having one way to get out of a neighborhood. He stated that he would like to see roads that connect similar to the older neighborhoods where there is more of a grid. 1  Dan Arends, project engineer, spoke to the water detention, explaining that it will be swales where the water will infiltrate into the sandy soils during a rain event and will be easy to maintain and more effective. He noted that this type of system is used in other locations where there are similar sandy soils that absorb the water more quickly. Jim Sands, petitioner, stated that he is willing to put tiles down to get down into the better soil if needed. Chair Hartley asked about emergency vehicles in cul-de-sacs and whether Public Safety reviewed the plat. Ms. Howard stated that Public Safety did review the plat. While cul-de-sacs are discouraged, in this particular case existing development would prevent the street from extending to the south. Mr. Stalnaker asked about the metric for the size of parks in a subdivision. Ms. Howard stated that there isn’t a formula to determine the size. The subdivision code states that park space should be provided to serve the needs of the development. The project is being taken to the Parks and Rec Commission for their review and recommendation on July 11, so the size and location would be something that they would discuss. Ms. Henderson asked about potential expansion of the park with future development. Ms. Howard stated that that is a possibility. The item was continued to the July 24 meeting. 4.) Mr. Atodaria then provided an update on development in the Downtown Character District. He spoke about the Clay Street Cottages and their progress. He also discussed a new detached single-family unit at 422 Iowa Street, Patton’s at 317 Main Street, The Other Place at 408-412 Main Street and a new mixed-use building at 123 E. 3rd Street. Henderson asked if improvements are planned for the property next to Patton’s. Mr. Atodaria said at this time the owner has decided to not move forward with the project, but the owner is still the same so there may be some future possibilities. 5.) As there were no further comments, Alberhasky made a motion to adjourn. Johnson seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 6 ayes (Alberhasky, Hartley, Henderson, Johnson, Sorensen and Stalnaker), and 0 nays. The meeting adjourned at 6:06 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Karen Howard Joanne Goodrich Community Services Manager Administrative Assistant 2