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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-04-18 CPC MINs City of Stillwater Planning Commission April 16, 2009 Present: Dave Middleton, Chair, Suzanne Block, Mike Dahlquist, Robert Gag, Dan Kalmon, John Malsam, Scott Spisak and Charles Wolden Staff present: Planner Mike Pogge Absent: Mike Kocon Approval of minutes - Mr. Gag, seconded by Mr. Dahlquist, moved approval of the minutes of March 9, 2009. Motion passed unanimously. OPEN FORUM There were no comments from the public. PUBLIC HEARINGS Case No. 09-08 A special use permit request for a Type III home occupation permit for an in- home occupational therapy business at 202 N. Greeley St. in the RB, Two Family Residential District. Lisa Sandstrom, applicant. The applicant was present. Mr. Pogge reviewed the request and staff findings and noted there are 12 conditions of approval for this type of home occupation special use permit; Mr. Pogge noted that the applicant has agreed to comply with all 12 conditions. Ms. Block asked about the estimated traffic; Ms. Sandstrom replied that she anticipates there will be no more than 20 visits per week, not 20 clients who might visit on more than one occasion. Mr. Middleton opened the public hearing. No comments were received, and the hearing was closed. Ms. Block moved approval as conditioned. Mr. Kalmon seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS Review of Cub seasonal plan sales permit (continued from the March Planning Commission meeting) - Mr. Pogge noted that when the Commission considered the request in March, it requested additional information on the specific location of the garden center, circulation of the gas delivery trucks, potential conflicts with gas delivery and overall impact on parking. Since the March meeting, Mr. Pogge said Cub submitted additional drawings which were included in the agenda packet. The garden center will be placed in the same location as in previous years, in the northwest corner of the parking lot, he said. Regarding circulation of the fuel truck, drawings indicate the proposed route meets all required clearances, he said. Mr. Pogge said staff met with Cub Foods representatives, and Cub indicated it is working to have off-peak fuel delivery to avoid any conflict with customer traffic. Mr. Pogge also stated with the garden center in place, there is a total of 435 parking spaces on site, with an additional 12 proof of parking spaces that could be installed before next year's gardening season should parking become an issue this year; the overall parking requirement for the site is 447, he stated. Mr. Pogge concluded that staff is recommending approval with five conditions. A Cub Foods representative was present and stated he felt all of the questions had been addressed, and, if any other questions arise, Cub will attempt to answer those as well. 1 a City of Stillwater Planning Commission April 16, 2009 Mr. Middleton asked about the length of operation of the garden center. The Cub Foods representative stated the request is for operation until about July 5, noting that the length of operation actually depends on the seasonality of product and weather; he said, in most instances, it is Cub's desire to conclude the operation by mid- to third-week in June. Mr. Middleton said his concern was with the potential for two outdoor operations - the garden center and fireworks sales. It was noted that the request for fireworks sales must be approved and that request is submitted by the vendor, not Cub, for consideration. Mr. Wolden expressed a concern about the proximity of the garden center to the liquor store entrance and the truck traffic there. There was a question about frequency of fuel delivery; the Cub representative said that is dependent on movement of product, but said he would expect that at the high end, there would be one delivery per day; he reiterated that the vendor, Holiday, has been very cooperative in arranging for overnight or early morning delivery. Mr. Wolden, seconded by Mr. Malsam, moved approval as conditioned. Motion passed unanimously Mr. Gag spoke of a possible alternate location; the Cub representative responded that location may be off the store's property. Motion to approve as conditioned passed unanimously. Discussion of Millbrook subdivision single-family home design - Several representatives of Lennar were present to discuss proposed additional elevations and house plans in both the CR and large-lot areas of Millbrook; plans include two-car garages, in the CR district, and three-car garages for the larger lots. The spokesperson stated the three-car garage design incorporates the additional garage space into the living space, rather than just adding a stall to the edge of the garage area. Mr. Dahlquist asked if these plans would be additional to the current offerings; the Lennar spokesperson stated the current offerings would be available, but they may phase out those that are not getting any buyer attention, likely resulting in six total plans being available. On a question by Mr. Dahlquist, the Lennar spokesperson stated the three-car garage versions would be limited to the larger lots, but noted they may come back in the future with a request to change the designation of some lots to large-lot even though some home sites may be lost. It was noted that square footage and floor plans are much the same as current offerings - the change is in the addition or deletion of the garage stall. Ms. Block noted a previous concern about the height of homes backed up to Twin Lake and asked if the height has changed in the new plans; the Lennar spokesperson said the heights have not changed. Ms. Block wondered whether the elimination of a garage stall may lead to future requests for sheds. Mr. Wolden asked whether plans would meet setbacks as referenced in Lennar's letter to the City; the spokesperson stated based on their understanding of the design regulations for the area, they know they will have to limit the use of some of the plans to meet the guidelines. Mr. Dahlquist commented that the garages are a much more dominant feature of the new plans; he asked whether these plans would apply to phase 1 only or to future phases, as well. The spokesperson said the request would be to utilize these plans through phase 1 and as the project moves forward. Mr. Dahlquist verified that the developer would be limited to about 25% of the lots based on the garage setbacks of the new plans. Ms. Block spoke of the "monotony" regulations and stated she had noticed two houses, viewed from the rear elevation, of the same color next door to each other; the spokesperson stated the front elevation is related to both color and house plans and there could potentially be two houses of the same color adjacent to each other if they are different house plans. Ms. Block asked about plans for the park; the spokesperson responded that about half of the park is ready for development. Mr. Pogge noted the City has been programming park development funds and 2 It- City of Stillwater Planning Commission April 16, 2009 because of the low number of residents has decided to wait until the area develops a bit further before developing the park. Ms. Block pointed out the park will serve residents other than just Millbrook residents and wondered if there was any advantage to delaying development. Mr. Pogge said there is a financial consideration in delaying development. Mr. Gag asked about the process for approval of the changes; Mr. Pogge explained both the Planning Commission and Council would hear the request and could consider additional conditions related to the house plans if so desired. Mr. Gag spoke of the amount of time spent considering plans in the past and said he finds the constant changes difficult and frustrating. There was discussion of the changes that have been made to plans in the past. The spokesman spoke of the changes in the market and industry that have prompted the request. Mr. Dahlquist suggested there will be additional changes to the market before this project is completed and the City must be careful not to react incorrectly to every change; Mr. Dahlquist also stated when this project was first considered, the housing types, cottages and traditional, were looked at as adding variety to the City housing stock. Mr. Dahlquist spoke of the importance of ensuring that there is a variety of housing stock, styles, prices, for all residents, a reason why the Planning Commission must careful when considering the proposed changes. The Lennar spokesperson reiterated that the proposal adds variety to what is available and falls within the rules for Millbrook. Mr. Middleton noted there while things change over time, there are some guidelines, such as garage setbacks/prominence, in place for this development, guidelines that the Commission is going to be very critical of when considering the request. Comprehensive Plan update - Community Development Director Turnblad provided an update on the Comprehensive Plan process. He stated the jurisdictional review period is finished, with only Lake Elmo's review/comment yet to be completed, and the Met Council has indicated the City can proceed. He said at the next meeting, the Planning Commission will look at all the comments from the reviewing agencies and decide if any comments have merit to be included in the Plan. After the City Council reviews/discusses comments, the Plan will be submitted to Met Council, hopefully by early June. Mr. Turnblad also stated that at the May meeting, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to refine the land use map, which will be included with the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Turnblad reviewed some of the possible land use map changes. Mr. Turnblad said once the Comp Plan is adopted, the Commission will be busy with two consistency projects, looking at properties to ensure they are zoned consistent with the newly adopted maps/Plan. Mr. Kalmon asked if there is any additional time for public comments; Mr. Turnblad stated the public comment period is never closed, even after the Plan is adopted. Ms. Block, seconded by Mr. Wolden, moved to adjourn at 8:10 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary 3