Planning Commission

MAPLE GROVE PLANNING COMMISSION November 14, 2022 CALL TO ORDER A meeting of the Maple Grove Planning Commission was held at 7:00 p.m. on November 14, 2022 at the Maple Grove City Hall, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Chair Lamothe called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Planning Commission members present were Chair Craig Lamothe, Chris Ayika, Lorie Klein, Susan Lindeman, Chuck Lenthe, Michael Ostaffe, and Joe Piket. Present also were Peter Vickerman, Planning Manager; Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner; Brett Angell, Assistant Community and Economic Development Director; and Scott Landsman, City Attorney. ITEMS TO BE Chair Lamothe requested the Planning Commission discuss New REMOVED FROM Business Item 7B before Item 7A. THE AGENDA Motion by Chair Lamothe, seconded by Commissioner Piket, to amend the agenda placing New Business Item 7B before Item 7A. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. CONSENT ITEMS The following Consent Items were presented for the Commission’s approval: MINUTES A. Regular Meeting – October 10, 2022 Motion by Commissioner Ostaffe, seconded by Commissioner Ayika, to approve the Consent Items as presented. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. CONSIDERATION None. OF ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT AGENDA Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 2 REVIEW OF THE Mr. Angell reviewed with the Commission what items the City CITY COUNCIL Council approved that was given direction at the Planning Commission level. MINUTES FROM THEIR REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 7, 2022 OLD BUSINESS No items to present. NEW BUSINESS PUBLIC HEARING Mr. Angell stated Sperides Reiners Architects, applicant, are seeking a comprehensive plan amendment, PUD concept stage DENTAL plan, development stage plan, rezoning, and final plat approval to ASSOCIATES OF accommodate a new 13,606 square foot dental office building. The MAPLE GROVE proposed development would be located on a portion of the Maple Grove Covenant Church property at 9350 Upland Lane North. The SPERIDES applicant did host a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, October REINERS 25, 2022 at Maple Grove Covenant Church regarding this ARCHITECTS development. The plat request for the proposed development includes the creation of an additional 2.5-acre lot on the northern 9350 UPLAND portion of the lot. This area of their lot is currently being utilized as LANE NORTH greenspace and is primarily grass. The approximately 9.2-acres of 13,606 SQUARE remaining land would be retained by Maple Grove Covenant Church and the parcel would continue to operate as a religious FOOT MEDICAL institution. Staff discussed the plans in further detail and made the OFFICE BUILDING following recommendation. ON NORTHERN PART OF STAFF RECOMMENDATION: EXISTING CHURCH SITE Motion to recommend that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft a resolution and a Planned Unit Development agreement approving the Dental Associations of Maple Grove comprehensive plan amendment, planned unit development concept stage plan, development stage plan, rezoning, and final plat subject to: 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the city any remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 3 a. The Community & Economic Development Department dated October 12, 2022 b. The Engineering Department dated November 14, 2022 c. The Fire Department dated October 10, 2022 d. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated November 3, 2022 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 Piket asked if the mature trees on the perimeter of the property would be removed. Mr. Angell discussed the tree removal plan in further detail with the Commission. He explained the trees on the east side of the property line would be maintained. Commissioner Lenthe requested further information regarding the driveway location. Mr. Angell reported the driveway location has been reviewed by the City’s traffic engineer and noted the driveway would not align with the school. Commissioner Lenthe questioned if there was a swale along the sidewalk along Upland Lane. Mr. Angell stated this was the case. Commissioner Ayika inquired if the handicap parking had been adjusted. Mr. Angell reported the applicant was required to include one additional handicap parking space in order to meet ADA requirements. Commissioner Ostaffe asked what type of lighting was being proposed for the site. Mr. Angell commented on the lighting plan and noted any challenges with lighting would be blocked by the berm and landscaping on the east side. Chair Lamothe questioned how many parking spaces City Code would require for this building. Mr. Angell stated he did not have this information in front of him, but noted the building was overparked per City parking requirements. Chair Lamothe indicated he did not believe it was necessary for the site to have 121 parking spaces. Mr. Angell suggested the Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 4 applicant speak further on this matter. The applicant was at the meeting to answer questions. Steve Miller, MSP Commercial, introduced himself to the Commission. Eric Reiners, SRA, addressed the parking issue. He explained the dentists hope to provide adequate or ample parking for patients and waiting patients. Chair Lamothe questioned how many total chairs the dental office would have after Phase 2 was completed. Mr. Reiners indicated the dental office would have 28 total chairs. Mr. Reiners commented further on the proposed lighting plan and noted the site would have shielded light fixtures in order to limit the bleed off the site. Commissioner Ostaffe inquired how long it would take to build out the entire building. Mr. Reiners reported this was yet to be determined, noting this would depend on the market. Chair Lamothe opened the public hearing at 7:18 p.m. The public was asked by Chair Lamothe if they had any comments to make regarding this application. No one wished to address the Commission. Motion by Chair Lamothe, seconded by Commissioner Lenthe, to close the public hearing at 7:19 p.m. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Motion by Commissioner Ayika, seconded by Commissioner Piket, to recommend that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft a resolution and a Planned Unit Development agreement approving the Dental Associations of Maple Grove comprehensive plan amendment, planned unit development concept stage plan, development stage plan, rezoning, and final plat subject to: 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the city any remaining applicable comments contained in the Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 5 memorandums from: a. The Community & Economic Development Department dated October 12, 2022 b. The Engineering Department dated November 14, 2022 c. The Fire Department dated October 10, 2022 d. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated November 3, 2022 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. Chair Lamothe explained he would be supporting the request but noted he was concerned about the excessive amount of parking. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Mr. Vickerman stated the applicant is requesting PUD concept PUBLIC HEARING stage plan approval for a 121-unit residential development on approximately 40 net acres of land. The applicant is proposing 55 BELLA WOODS single family detached lots, generally in the center and eastern US HOME, LLC portion of the site and 66 townhomes closer to County Road 101. (LENNAR) The detached lots are proposed to be 65 feet in width. The proposal is in the Northwest-610 Master Plan area and is generally 10350 BROCKTON west of the recently approved Evanswood development. There are LANE NORTH two main areas of development with a large, preserved forested area between them. Staff discussed the plans in further detail and 127 UNIT (56 made the following recommendation. DETACHED, 70 ATTACHED) STAFF RECOMMENDATION: RESIDENTIAL Motion to recommend that the City Council direct the City DEVELOPMENT Attorney to draft a resolution and a Planned Unit Development agreement approving the Bella Woods planned unit development concept stage plan subject to: 1. The applicant addressing to the satisfaction of the city any remaining applicable comments contained in the memorandums from: Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 6 a. The Community & Economic Development Department dated November 6, 2022 b. The Water Resources Engineer dated October 5, 2022 c. The Fire Department dated October 6, 2022 d. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated November 8, 2022 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 Piket asked if the development would include any pedestrian walkways or sidewalks. Mr. Vickerman explained the development would have sidewalks on both sides of the streets. He indicated the black lines on the plans indicated the conceptual trail locations. Commissioner Ostaffe requested further information regarding the lot sizes. Mr. Vickerman noted the lots would be approximately 65 feet wide and 130 feet deep. Commissioner Ostaffe stated he was concerned with the proposed lot size, noting these were smaller than what was typically approved by the City. He questioned what the setback requirements were for the homes. Mr. Vickerman stated the setbacks would be five and ten feet, which meant there would be 15 feet between the homes. Commissioner Ostaffe inquired if the streets running through the development would be public. Mr. Vickerman discussed which streets in the development would be public and which would be private. Commissioner Ostaffe questioned how many of the proposed townhouse units would be rental. Mr. Vickerman stated the developer has indicated none of the units would be rental. Commissioner Klein asked if the Commission would be approving a PUD agreement at this time. Mr. Vickerman explained this would not be approved until the Commission was considering the Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 7 development stage plan. Commissioner Lenthe stated he was generally satisfied with the northeast portion of the development. He noted the southeast portion of the development raised questions for him. He indicated there was no space for outdoor recreation and recommended the developer be required to provide a tot lot in this area. He explained he was also concerned about the two parcels east of this development. He recommended parking and a turnaround be considered for the 24 townhomes on the south end in order to better serve delivery vehicles and guests. Commissioner Ostaffe agreed a turnaround in the southern area would be beneficial, along with the need for an outdoor recreational space. He asked what percentage of the T-zone was being preserved on this property. Mr. Vickerman reported 75% of the T-zone was being preserved. Chair Lamothe asked if the “bubble” or “handle” was a new thing for Maple Grove given the fact this was a public street. Mr. Vickerman stated the City has these within the community without the center area. The applicant was at the meeting to answer questions. Paul Tabone, Lennar Homes representative, thanked staff for the detailed staff report. He explained he would be considering adding recreation space for the development and noted he would also look into adding guest parking near the Liberty townhomes. He discussed how challenging the housing market was at this time but noted there was a market for both attached and detached townhomes at this time. He stated his intention would be to make adjustments to the plans based on the Commissions comments in order to assist him with submitting his preliminary plat in hopes of going through the City approval process in early 2023. He explained he understood the concerns regarding the narrow lots, but noted this was becoming quite common in todays housing market due to rising building costs. Commissioner Piket asked what the square footage would be for the detached single family homes and what the price points would be. Mr. Tabone stated he was seeing new construction homes around 2,500 square feet with a price point of $600,000. He indicated the townhomes would be around 1,600 to 1,800 square Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 8 feet and the price would be $400,000. Commissioner Ostaffe reported there was a demand for housing in Maple Grove. He expressed concern with the number of townhomes that were being built in Maple Grove at this time. He discussed how townhomes ran the risk of becoming rentals in the future. Mr. Tabone reported the HOA documents would address rentals. He reiterated that at this time, the intention was for all of the units to be for sale and not rental. Commissioner Lindeman asked if the City Council still had a rental moratorium in place. Mr. Vickerman reported this was the case. Commissioner Ostaffe supported the developer putting language in place within the HOA documents that would put a cap on rentals. Chair Lamothe opened the public hearing at 7:56 p.m. The public was asked by Chair Lamothe if they had any comments to make regarding this application. Jim Hou, KOA Campground owner, explained his family has owned this property for the past 49 years. He understood growth and development was a positive thing for Maple Grove. He discussed he amenities that were offered on the KOA property and recommended the new development have their own playground. He discussed how he did not want the new development to negatively impact his business. He questioned how the proposed development would be separated from his property and asked if 65 foot wide lots would be the standard. He requested further information regarding the T-zone and the right-of-way property. Mr. Vickerman discussed the location of the T-zone and noted it was not within code to provide screening from one residential property to another. He commented further on the location of the Hennepin County right-of-way and noted this property would not impact the development. He stated the City understands the KOA abuts this development, and noted the KOA could put a buffer in place to screen the new townhomes. Mr. Hou thanked the Commission and staff for the feedback. Commissioner Piket requested further information on how the KOA property was used throughout the summer months. Mr. Hou Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 9 explained his busiest time was Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. He noted the vast majority of his guests stay in RV’s, but noted he also has test sites and cabins. He reported he has a 9:00 p.m. quiet hour. He stated he would welcome any calls or concerns regarding noise. Commissioner Ostaffe suggested the developer be required to install a fence along the KOA property line to ensure children are not allowed onto that property because there was an outdoor pool. Mr. Hou stated this was a concern for him. Commissioner Piket questioned if the pool was fenced and drained in the winter. Mr. Hou reported the pooled was fenced, opened to the elements, and was drained slightly. Motion by Chair Lamothe, seconded by Commissioner Lindeman, to close the public hearing at 8:11 p.m. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Commissioner Ayika requested further information regarding the proposed cul-de-sac. Mr. Vickerman discussed the plans for the temporary cul-de-sac noting additional signage could be considered. Commissioner Ayika asked if the developer would consider installing a fence along the KOA property line. Mr. Tabone stated he could look at what would be feasible for screening along the north property line. He explained he could disclose to new owners what type of business was occurring on the property to the north. Commissioner Lindeman supported a privacy fence being installed along the KOA property line as well. Motion by Commissioner Klein, seconded by Commissioner Ayika, to recommend that the City Council direct the City Attorney to draft a resolution approving the Bella Woods planned unit development concept stage plan 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 November 6, 2022 Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 10 b. The Water Resources Engineer dated October 5, 2022 c. The Fire Department dated October 6, 2022 d. The Parks & Recreation Department, dated November 8, 2022 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. Commissioner Lenthe stated he would like to see a fence installed by the developer. He proposed an amendment to the motion that would also require the developer to install a common greenspace with playground area in the townhome complex. In addition, he wanted to see parking and turnarounds at the end of the two driveways in the south townhome area. Lastly, he recommended the parcel that is left to be developed have a street extended in order to provide future access. Amendment by Commissioner Lenthe, seconded by Chair Lamothe, to require the developer to install a common greenspace with playground area in the townhome complex, that there be parking and turnarounds at the end of the two driveways in the southern townhome area, and that the parcel that is left to be developed have a street extended in order to provide future access. Chair Lamothe stated he was not on board with forcing the developer to lose a lot, in order to provide another street extension. However, he understood the concern being raised by Commission Lenthe. He suggested staff provide the Council with information on how the two lots to the south would be ghost platted in order to not require this additional roadway extension. Mr. Vickerman supported the Commission proceeding in this manner. Amendment by Commissioner Lenthe, seconded by Chair Lamothe, to require the developer to install a common greenspace with playground area in the townhome complex, that there be parking and turnarounds at the end of the two driveways in the southern townhome area, and that the two parcels to the south be ghost platted in a manner that was acceptable to staff and the City, with access right-of-way being Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 11 adjusted at the time of Development Stage Plan. Chair Lamothe encouraged the developer to be a good neighbor and to install some sort of privacy fence in order to keep headlight wash out of the KOA campground. Commissioner Piket indicated there may be enough trees in this area to block the headlight wash. Chair Lamothe recommended staff investigate this further to ensure headlight wash was not spilling from the proposed development into the KOA campground. Commissioner Ostaffe recommended a fence be installed along the property line. Commissioner Piket questioned if a fence could be installed in a T-zone. Commissioner Lindeman reported she did not want the fence to be a requirement, but she wanted it investigated by staff during the Development Stage Plan. Mr. Vickerman suggested staff visit the site and mark off where the road would be in order to better understand if there was an issue. Chair Lamothe and Commissioner Lenthe supported this recommendation from staff. Amendment by Commissioner Lenthe, seconded by Chair Lamothe, to require the developer to install a common greenspace with playground area in the townhome complex, that there be parking and turnarounds at the end of the two driveways in the southern townhome area, that the two parcels to the south be ghost platted in a manner that was acceptable to staff and the City, with access right-of-way being adjusted at the time of Development Stage Plan, and that staff investigate the location and need for fencing along the stub road adjacent to the KOA property. Upon call of the amendment by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Commissioner Piket stated he was concerned with the fact this development would have more small lots and small homes that Maple Grove Planning Commission November 14, 2022 Page 12 could easily be converted into rentals in the future. He explained he would prefer to see bigger lots for the single-family homes along with larger lots for the townhomes. He discussed how difficult it would be to keep children out of the pool or playground on the KOA property. He encouraged the developer to find a way to separate this development from the KOA property. Chair Lamothe anticipated this would be difficult. He stated the City would have to consider how to address the conversion of owner occupied properties into rentals. Commissioner Ostaffe commented he had many of the same concerns as Commissioner Piket in that narrow lots created small homes, which could easily be flipped into rentals. He stated he was also concerned with the lack of screening proposed by the developer. He encouraged the developer to speak with the KOA property in order to address this concern. He noted he was also concerned with the fact the developer did not have any play space planned for the townhome development. In addition, he was concerned with the number of townhomes that were being built in the City at this time. Upon call of the amended motion by Chair Lamothe, there were five ayes and two nays (Commissioners Piket and Ostaffe opposed). Motion carried. DISCUSSION There were no discussion items. ITEMS ADJOURNMENT Motion by Chair Lamothe, seconded by Commissioner Lenthe, to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting. Upon call of the motion by Chair Lamothe, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Chair Lamothe adjourned the meeting at 8:41 p.m. to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission scheduled for December 12, 2022.