Planning Commission

MAPLE GROVE PLANNING COMMISSION August 10, 2020 CALL TO ORDER A meeting of the Maple Grove Planning Commission was held at 7:00 p.m. on August 10, 2020 at the Maple Grove City Hall, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Chair Colson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Planning Commission members present were Chair Larry Colson, Vice- Chair Chris Ayika, Lorie Klein, Craig Lamothe, Susan Lindeman, Chuck Lenthe, and Joe Piket. Present also were Karen Jaeger, City Council Liaison; Joe Hogeboom, Community and Economic Development Director; Peter Vickerman, Planning Manager and Scott Landsman, City Attorney. ITEMS TO BE None. REMOVED FROM THE AGENDA CONSENT ITEMS The following Consent Items were presented for the Commission’ s approval: MINUTES A. Regular Meeting – July 27, 2020 Motion by Commissioner Ayika, seconded by Commissioner Piket, to approve the Consent Items as presented. Upon call of the motion by Chair Colson, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. CONSIDERATION None. OF ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT AGENDA REVIEW OF THE Mr. Hogeboom reviewed with the Commission what items the City CITY COUNCIL Council approved that was given direction at the Planning Commission level. He explained the City would be completing a MINUTES FROM housing study in order to better understand the City’s housing  Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 2 THEIR REGULAR market. He commented on the updates that were being planned for MEETING OF Main Street and noted a second round of business loans was recently approved by the Economic Development Authority. AUGUST 3, 2020 OLD BUSINESS No items to present. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Vickerman stated the applicant is requesting Planned Unit THE VILLAGE Development, Development Stage Plan approval for a five-story, ARBOR LAKES – 196 unit senior living building with a mix of independent living, SR. HOUSING assisted living and memory care units. The site received Planned Unit Development, Concept Stage Plan approval on May 18, 2020 DORAN FAMILY for the same use. He reported staff sees this project was in DEVELOPMENT, conformance with the Concept Stage Plan. It was noted a text LLC amendment would be required to the Comprehensive Plan to the PUD Regional Mixed Use area and staff would prepare this language independent of this request. The design amenities were reviewed DEVELOPMENT with the Commission, along with the exterior and landscaping STAGE PLAN AND plan. FINAL PLAT FOR A FIVE STORY, STAFF RECOMMENDATION: APPROXIMATELY Motion to recommend that the City Council direct the City 196 UNITS AND Attorney to draft a Resolution and a Planned Unit Development WILL INCLUDE A Agreement approving The Village Arbor Lakes Sr. Housing PUD MIX OF Development Stage Plan and Final Plat, subject to: INDEPENDENT LIVING, ASSISTED 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the city any LIVING AND remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: MEMORY CARE a. The Community & Economic Development Department, dated August 3, 2020 b. The Fire Department dated, August 3, 2020 c. The Water Resources Engineer, dated August 3, 2020 d. The Transportation Operations Engineer, dated July 30, 2020 e. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated July 29, 2020 The applicant shall acknowledge that Park Dedication requirements are based on staff review and recommendation to the Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 3 Park and Recreation Board and their subsequent board action. Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Discussion Chair Colson asked where the trash enclosure would be located. Mr. Vickerman reported this would have to be determined by the applicant prior to being issued a building permit. He anticipated the trash enclosure would be located under the building. Commissioner Klein discussed how COVID-19 might be impacting residential building design in the future. She questioned if attempts were being made to change building format in order to reduce the size of gathering rooms. Mr. Vickerman stated with the current architecture there were a number of rooms that could function for group gatherings. He explained he did not have specifics on how COVID-19 would impact the interior of developments. He commented changes may occur between now and when the building opens. Commissioner Lenthe inquired how the noise from Hemlock Lane would be addressed by the developer. Mr. Vickerman deferred this question to the applicant. Commissioner Lamothe discussed the roadway network. He asked if Arbor Lakes Parkway would continue to have a curb cut. Mr. Vickerman stated the City’s intent was to straighten the curb. He commented alternatives were being considered for adequate fire access. Commissioner Lamothe expressed concern with the site triangle for those entering and exiting the site and also at the adjacent roundabout. Mr. Vickerman stated he could have the City’s traffic engineers double check this concern. The applicant was at the meeting to answer questions. Tony Kuechle, Doran Companies, thanked staff for providing the Commission with a thorough staff report. He discussed the enhancements that were made to the landscaping plan. He explained the building was thoughtfully designed to create a landmark at this entrance. He was excited to start this project in the spring. He noted the club room can be divided into smaller spaces for smaller gatherings. He commented on the outdoor amenities and dining options. He reported workers would get into Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 4 the site through a separate door from guests. He indicated a trash enclosure was not being proposed but rather the garage would have multiple trash rooms and a Tool Cat would be used to bring the trash containers outside on pick up day. He stated a sound study would be completed to address the noise along Hemlock Lane. He anticipated double or triple pane windows would be installed on that side of the building. He commented on the curb but on Village Way and how this was requested by the Fire Department. Commissioner Klein asked what type of ventilation system would be installed in this building. Mr. Kuechle commented on the type of HVAC units that were installed within senior housing developments. He reported each unit would have a magic pack that brings in fresh air for heating and cooling. Chair Colson questioned what the building would be called. Mr. Kuechle reported a name has not been selected. Councilmember Jaeger stated she was saddened to hear about the fire at the Doran building in St. Paul and asked if this building would be rebuilt. Mr. Kuechle explained this fire would not have an impact on this building and noted the fire in St. Paul was a third party Doran project. He indicated the hotel portion of the project would resume construction in the next month. Motion by Commissioner Lenthe, seconded by Commissioner Lamothe, to recommend that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft a Resolution and a Planned Unit Development Agreement approving The Village Arbor Lakes Sr. Housing PUD Development Stage Plan and Final Plat, subject to: 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the city any remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: a. The Community & Economic Development Department, dated August 3, 2020 b. The Fire Department dated, August 3, 2020 c. The Water Resources Engineer, dated August 3, 2020 d. The Transportation Operations Engineer, dated July 30, 2020 e. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated July  Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 5 29, 2020 The applicant shall acknowledge that Park Dedication requirements are based on staff review and recommendation to the Park and Recreation Board and their subsequent board action. Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Upon call of the motion by Chair Colson, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Mr. Vickerman stated the applicant is requesting Planned Unit PUBLIC HEARING Development ( PUD) Concept Stage Plan Amendment for the previously approved Cook Lake Maple Grove project. The COOK LAKE previous approval had 42 single family homes proposed whereas MAPLE GROVE this proposal has 58 lots proposed. This current proposal also THE EXCELSIOR includes a private amenity lot and a proposed public trail loop which are new compared with the previous approval. The general GROUP layout remains the same with an extensive open space ( more than PUD CONCEPT 50%) area between the lots and Cook Lake and an additional open STAGE PLAN space area between the lots and Bass Lake Road. Staff explained AMENDMENT FOR Lot 58 is shown partially on Outlot B ( part of the Havenwood project) and is not owned by the applicant so will need to be 58 NEW SINGLE- removed unless an agreement can be made with the landowner. FAMILY LOTS, Staff commented further on the size of the proposed lots, the ONE LOT FOR A amenities that would be included in the development and COMMUNITY recommended approval of the request. BUILDING, ONE LOT FOR AN STAFF RECOMMENDATION: EXISTING HOME Motion to recommend that the City Council direct the City AND EXTENSIVE Attorney to draft a Resolution approving the Cook Lake Maple OPEN SPACE Grove PUD Residential Concept Stage Plan Amendment, subject to: 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the City any remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: a. The Community & Economic Development Department dated August 4, 2020 b. The Water Resources Engineer dated July 22, 2020 c. The Traffic Engineer dated July 30, 2020 d. The Fire Department dated July 27, 2020 Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 6 e. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated August 5, 2020 The applicant shall acknowledge that Park Dedication requirements are based on staff review and recommendation to the Park and Recreation Board and their subsequent board action. Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Discussion Commissioner Lindeman asked if discussions have been held with the City of Corcoran regarding the roadway connection. Mr. Vickerman stated engineering staff has been speaking with Corcoran staff. It was his understanding there were proposals for development in this area and the cities would need to discuss how the project was funded. Commissioner Lenthe questioned if the applicant would proceed with the project if the increased density were not approved by the City. Mr. Vickerman deferred this question to the applicant. Chair Colson inquired if the development would have 57 or 58 lots. Mr. Vickerman stated the development would have 57 lots with an asterisk. He discussed how the property lines have shifted since the project was brought to the City. He indicated Lot 58 was still being worked on and the underlying landowner needed to approve the lot. Chair Colson commented this development appeared to be quite crammed together given the fact the setbacks were reduced to five feet. He asked if any other concessions were agreed upon for this development. Mr. Vickerman indicated this was the only concession that was made for this development. Commissioner Piket agreed that the development was quite packed. He stated it was his understanding more open space was being gained but the development had also become more dense. Mr. Vickerman reported this was the case and noted the open space was all upland area. Commissioner Ayika indicated this development was quite compact. He questioned if additional lots could be built in the open space. Mr. Vickerman stated this was not the developer’ s plan. Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 7 Chair Colson inquired if staff had a visual of the originally approved site plan. Mr. Vickerman reviewed the original plat with the Commission. It was noted the original plat was approved in 2018. Chair Colson stated he preferred the original plat to the revised plat. He explained he did not see what benefits the City was gaining through the new plat. Commissioner Ayika agreed. Commissioner Lamothe commented the proposed lot size was not unprecedent in the City of Maple Grove. He discussed a couple of neighborhoods in the City that have even smaller lots. Commissioner Piket questioned what type of homes would be constructed on these lots. Mr. Vickerman reviewed the proposed home types with the Commission. He commented if the homes were closer than five feet the homes would have to be sprinkled. He reported each home would have a five foot side yard setback so the homes would be 10 feet apart. Commissioner Klein inquired what price point and size the homes would be. Mr. Vickerman deferred this question to the applicant. Commissioner Lenthe stated he did not support this development given the proposed lot size. He explained he would like to see more creativity or he would recommend the original plat move forward. The applicant was at the meeting to answer questions. Steph Griffin, The Excelsior Group, thanked the Commission for their consideration. She explained she was a new developer from the company that received the original approval. She indicated the five foot side setbacks were consistent with the original request. She noted lot lines were changed, and an amenity space was added. She reported the proposed units would be rental and would be managed by one entity. She indicated the units would be 1,200 to 2,400 square feet in size. She discussed the approved density that surrounded this project and described how this would complement this development. She stated she would be working with staff to provide a trail through the open space. She explained the most challenging issue for this site was the roadway design. She Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 8 indicated the 42 unit option was not viable and would not be moving forward. Chair Colson commented he was not aware this was a rental unit development. Commissioner Piket asked what the rental rates would be for these units. Ms. Griffin explained these were luxury units and the rental rates would be $3,000 per month. Commissioner Ayika questioned who would be managing these units. Ms. Griffin reported the development would have on-site management. Commissioner Lindeman commented she was happy to see smaller homes coming into Maple Grove. She understood the price point may not work for everyone in Maple Grove, but she appreciated they were smaller in size. Commissioner Lamothe stated he also missed the fact that these were rental units. He indicated the proposed development was similar to Mills Creek and noted those lots were even smaller. Ben Schmidt, The Excelsior Group, discussed the roadway alignment and noted the rental units were moved as far from the lake as possible. He explained 30% of the rental units would be side loaded. Chair Colson opened the public hearing at 8:02 p.m. The public was asked by Chair Colson if they had any comments to make regarding this application. No one wished to address the Commission. Motion by Chair Colson, seconded by Commissioner Lindeman, to close the public hearing at 8:02 p.m. Upon call of the motion by Chair Colson, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Motion by Commissioner Lindeman, seconded by Commissioner Ayika, to recommend that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft a Resolution approving the Cook Lake Maple Grove PUD Residential Concept Stage Plan Amendment, subject to: Maple Grove Planning Commission August 10, 2020 Page 9 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the City any remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: a. The Community & Economic Development Department dated August 4, 2020 b. The Water Resources Engineer dated July 22, 2020 c. The Traffic Engineer dated July 30, 2020 d. The Fire Department dated July 27, 2020 e. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated August 5, 2020 The applicant shall acknowledge that Park Dedication requirements are based on staff review and recommendation to the Park and Recreation Board and their subsequent board action. Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Upon call of the motion by Chair Colson, there were six ayes and one nay ( Commissioner Lenthe opposed). Motion carried. DISCUSSION There were no discussion items. ITEMS ADJOURNMENT Motion by Chair Colson, seconded by Commissioner Lenthe, to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting. Upon call of the motion by Chair Colson, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Chair Colson adjourned the meeting at 8:06 p.m. to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission scheduled for September 28, 2020.