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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 [08] Aug 02August 2, 2004 Page 1 of 5 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Planning Commission for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, August 2, 2004 at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Chair (Council Liaison) Gary Utsch. Commissioners: Mike Deutz, Sister Kathleen Kalinowski, Marge Lesnick, Jim Graeve. Administrator Judy Weyrens. Others Present: City Engineer Tracey Ekola, Jim Sand, Jeff & Elaine Ramler, Kathryn Kalkman, Branden Kappes, Nettie Pfannenstein, Rick Packer, Tim Erkilla Approve Agenda: Lesnick made a motion to approve the agenda; seconded by Deutz and passed unanimously. Sand Companies. Preliminary/Final Plat Morningside Acres: Weyrens reported that the Planning Commission has already conducted the required Public Hearing for the preliminary plat entitled Morningside Acres. At the July 26, 2004 Planning Commission, approval of the plat was tabled to allow Sand Companies additional time to review the request of the County Engineer. The County Engineer had requested the consideration of left and right turn lanes to the development to efficiently move traffic. Based on the request of the County Engineer, the City Engineer referred this matter to a traffic Engineer who has since submitted a report. The preliminary report indicates that the turn lanes will be needed and they should be the responsibility of the developer. City Engineer Tracy Ekola stated that she is in the process of reviewing the cost of constructing right and left turn lanes. Once the costs are determined the County Engineer must review the plans and associated costs. Jim Sand, representing Sand Companies, stated that he does not wish the plat to be tabled again. If the utilities are to be extended this fall, the plat needs to be approved. Utsch questioned Sand if he is willing to agree to the costs of the left and right turn lanes and if so the plat could move forward. Sand stated that he cannot agree to the construction of the lanes without knowing the costs of such. Ekola stated that at this time the County Engineer has not reviewed the results of the traffic study as it has just been completed. Before the lanes can be constructed the County Engineer must approve the plans. Weyrens stated that the plan can move forward if the developer agrees to the terms of the left/right turn lane and if the plans are approved by the County Engineer. The approval can be contingent upon those terms and if at some point the developer does not agree to the requirement, the plat can be referred back to the Planning Commission. Kalinowski made a motion to adopt the resolution recommending the Council approve the Preliminary and Final Plat entitled Morningside Acres. Approval contains the following contingencies: 1. Approval of the City Engineer 2. Execution of the Development Agreement between the City of St. Joseph and Sand Companies. 3. Sand Companies must agree to the cost sharing and/or construction of the left/right turn lanes from County Road 121 as recommended by the City and County Engineer. Failure to agree to the terms will render the plat denied, sending the plat back to the Planning Commission for further consideration. The motion was seconded by Graeve and passed unanimously. Safe Shred. Development Plan: Jeff Ramler, owner of Safe Shred, approached the Planning Commission seeking approval of his development plan to construct a 12,000 square foot facility in the St. Joseph Business Park. Weyrens stated that the plan submitted is complete with the exception of lighting and sign detail. Ramler has not decided if a monument sign will be installed and if one is constructed he will meet the Ordinance requirements. With regard to the lighting, the architect will provide lighting details with the building permit. Based on the submitted plans, the proposed facility meets or exceeds all Ordinance requirements. August 2, 2004 Page 2 of 5 Weyrens stated that the only outstanding issue is the extension of utilities. The property where the facility is to be built has been subdivided since utilities were installed. Therefore, the lot in question does not have a stub for water and sewer. Since the road is only two years old, the City does not encourage the developer to cut into the street for utilities. City Engineer Tracy Ekola stated that they are researching alterative methods to extend utilities including the possibility of constructing a shared service. Graeve asked Ramler to give the Planning Commission members a brief summary of his company and what they do. Ramler stated that he and his wife are the owners of Safe Shred and that they have been in business since 1997. Currently, they have 175 customers and they shred about 40 ton of paper per month. They have boxes set up in various locations in which people can put paper that they would like to have disposed of. He goes to the various locations and gathers the papers that are to be shredded and takes them back to their facility. Ramler stated his customer base is diverse and includes accountants, law firms, and medical facilities. They currently have two part-time employees who work approximately 20-30 hours/week. When questioned if the shredder will create a noise problem, Ramler stated that it will not as the building is pre-cast. Deutz made a motion to recommend that the Council authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Development Agreement between the City of St. Joseph and Safe Shred to construct a 12,800 square foot facility contingent upon approval of EDA. The motion was seconded by Kalinowski and passed unanimously. Interim Use Permits: In 2003, the Planning Commission issued three Interim Use Permits, (IUP) for Owner Occupied Rental Units. The IUP's all required annual review at which time any and all Ordinance violations would be considered. The Commission agreed to consider each IUP individually, starting with Kalkman. Utsch informed those presented that they would have an opportunity to speak for/against any IUP. 1. Kathrvn Kalkman - 209 East Minnesota Street: Nettie Pfannenstein approached the Commissioners and stated that she lives across the street from Kalkman and is only aware of one incident involving bad judgment. Pfannenstein stated that she had to contact the Police one evening when Kalkman decided to have a few friends over and sit around a bon fire. It was extremely dry during this time and the flames reached extreme heights. After contacting Kalkman the fire was controlled. Pfannenstein stated that she decided to contact Mr. Kalkman to further discuss the matter. Pfannenstein stated that she was concerned about adding another rental property to the neighborhood and opposed the issuance. However, Phannenstein stated that Kalkman is an example for other properties. Since she has moved in the property has been cleaned and maintained. The only concern she has is the number of tenants that are living in the house. Pfannenstein recommended the Planning Commission extend the IUP for another 12 months. Weyrens stated the property records have been reviewed and the City did not receive any complaints other than that of the bon fire. Deutz made a motion to renew the Interim Use Permit for Kathryn Kalkman at 209 East Minnesota Street for an additional 12 months. The motion was seconded by Lesnick and passed unanimously. 2. Mike Bader - 101 5th Avenue NW: No one present wished to comment. Weyrens stated that the property owner is requesting to renew the rental license but could not attend the meeting. The property records have been reviewed and the City did not receive any complaints regarding this property. August 2, 2004 Page 3 of 5 Kalinowski made a motion to renew the Interim Use Permit for Mike Bader at 101 - 5`h Avenue NW. The motion was seconded by Deutz and passed unanimously. 3. Brandon Kappes - 32 1gt Avenue SE: No comments from the public Weyrens reported that Kappes has not completed the rental license process. The Rental Housing inspector inspected the property, but Kappes did not follow through and pay the fee or request a re- inspection for the items needing correction. It appears as if he has been renting to at least one individual over the past year which would be a violation as the property was not licensed for rental. Kappes approached the Council to discuss his Interim Use Permit. He stated that he has not rented to anyone last year. He stated that he and his friends work late hours and that he frequently has friends over after work, but he assured the Commissioners that he has no renters at this time. Utsch stated that there is always more than one car parked in his yard and that his rental license has lapsed. He also mentioned that the backyard has not been cleaned which was a requirement. Kappes responded that he is working on the parking issue, as he was told last year that he did not have sufficient parking for two renters. Kappes stated that he has been working with the Building Official on alternative parking areas as he does not want to remove the curb or cut down any trees. Weyrens stated that the approval for an Interim Use Permit is only valid for 12 months. If a rental license is not secured by October, the property owner must start the process over, including payment of the hearing fee which will require the Planning Commission to conduct a new public hearing for the issuance. The Planning Commission informed Kappes that he must resolve the parking issues before October 2, 2004 or the IUP is null and viod. At this time an extension of the IUP is not appropriate. Lesnick made a motion to table renewal of this Interim Use Permit for Brandon Kappes until all outstanding issues are resolved. If the matter is not resolved by October 2, 2004 the Interim Use Permit is null and void. The motion was seconded by Graeve and passed unanimously. ARCON Development: Rick Packer and Tim Erkilla approached the Planning Commission to discuss the proposed development entitled Rivers Edge. Rick Packer introduced himself to the Commission and stated that Arcon Development owns the property and will be developing the same. Erkilla that his firm, Westwood Professionals, has been retained to engineer the proposed development. Erkilla stated that he and Packer have been working with the City Staff to design a concept plan. As of this time the property has been annexed and the environmental process has been completed. The developer chose to complete the AUAR process for the environmental which is the most comprehensive environmental process. The AUAR process has just been completed which expanded over a 9 month time period. The proposed plat consists of 881 residential units and various housing types such as custom lots, entry lots, patio lots, townhome units, apartment units and a senior campus. Rivers Edge will be developed using the PUD process to accommodate the various housing types. To follow is a summary of discussion items. Funding of the Studv: Graeve questioned who provided funding for the AUAR. Weyrens stated that the developer contracted and paid for the study. Throughout the entire process the City reviewed the documents and provided input. Wetland Area: Lesnick questioned how much of the proposed development area is considered wetland. Packer stated that there is 60+ acres of wetland and that % of the area dedicated for parkland is wetland or a designated floodplain. August 2, 2004 Page 4 of 5 Regional Park: Utsch stated that Stearns County has a desire for the City to provide a Canoe Park which would be regional in nature. While Stearns County is requesting the preservation of the land abutting the Sauk River, they have no desire to own or fund the park development. They will however provide technical assistance. Lot Size: Utsch questioned how the lots will be laid out and whether or not they will meet the Ordinance requirements. Utsch questioned the notation on the concept plan indicating a 50' frontage on some housing types. Utsch stated that the plan must meet the density requirements of the Ordnance. Ekola stated that she has some comments in regard to the Concept Plan that ARCON submitted. One of the concerns is the road designation. The transportation network needs to be reviewed to assure that collector streets are provided to move traffic efficiently and some of the neighborhood roads should be revised to empty to a collector street. In addition, Ekolla stated that the concept plan includes private streets and the Planning Commission needs to determine if such will be allowed. Deutz stated that Ordinance was changed prohibiting private streets and questioned the inclusion of such. Weyrens stated that in the area designated for senior living, the private roads may be appropriate as they have a higher need for security. Packer said he understands the City's reasons for wanting public roads, but stated the City needs to understand the difference between a private road and a private driveway. The townhomes, patio homes, and apartments would have private driveways. Ekola stated that she also has concerns with the proposed park area and access to the park. Ekola identified the following areas of concern: 1. Park Entrance -Based on the concept plan there is not a designated entrance to the park and if the park is to be regional, an entrance should be provided. 2. Park Visiblity -The park should be visible from County Road 121. This can be accommodated by removing some of the single family homes that abut the park. 3. Park Access -Minimally the park should have three vehicle access and four to five pedestrian access points. Again this is based on the size of the park and regional concept. The park as illustrated on the current concept plan has the appearance as a neighborhood park with private access. 4. Park Topography -The plan indicates an area will be borrowed, what does this mean? Additional data should be provided so the Park Board know exactly how much of the area designated as park is useable park space. The concept plan indicates a holding pond in the Park, how big is the holding pond? 5. Trail Extension - A master trail plan should be developed for the proposed development providing a continuous trail within the development and a connection to the existing City trail. Packer stated that before some of the concerns addressed by Ekola can be resolved, the Park Board needs to determine who will own the park, and what type of park they want. Packer stated that he will meet the requirements of the City but needs to have them identified first. The Planning Commission discussed the proposed lot configuration and if the development meets the density requirements. Packer stated that he is proposing a curvilinear development which will create uniquely shaped lots. Development using a curvilinear pattern tends to reduce speed creating family friendly neighborhoods. The topography of the property and required holding ponds also create a-typical lots. Packer stated that all the lots in the development will be buildable and he will have more specifics when the details are prepared. However, before the details can be prepared, he needs to know if the concept is acceptable. Utsch addressed the issue of affordable housing and stated the City is not going to allow for 50' lots even if the developer claims they are going to build affordable housing. Utsch stated that there is no way to assure that those size lots will have affordable houses on them. Packer stated that he is an advocate of affordable housing, but he cannot construct a house for $130,000. August 2, 2004 Page 5 of 5 ~raeve questioned the protection of the Sauk River and if in Ekola's opinion the area is protected. Ekola stated that the City Ordinance is more restrictive then the DNR regulations thereby requiring a more stringent protection of the Sauk River. Packer assured the Planning Commission that the development will not destroy the shoreland and he too has a desire to preserve the area. The Planning Commission by consensus accepted the concept plan for River's Edge and instructed Packer to contact the Park Board before beginning the Preliminary Plat process. September Meeting: Due to the September Planning Commission meeting date falling on Labor Day, Weyrens asked the Commissioners to chose an alternate date to which it was determined the regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 7:OOPM Adiourn: Lesnick made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Deutz and adjourned by consensus Ju W rens Ad inistrator