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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[04] Minutes, March 12 March 12, 2018 Page 1 of 3 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Planning Commission for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, March 12, 2018 at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall opening with the Pledge of Allegiance. Planning Commission Members Present: Chair Gina Dullinger, Commissioners, Troy Goracke, Chad Hausmann, Matt Johnson, Steve Olson, Daryl Schaefer, Mike Ross, Community Development Director Therese Haffner Members Absent: None Others Present: City Administrator Judy Weyrens, Kevin Johnson, Chad Carlson, Amber Nagel, Jim Krebsbach, Gary Heltemes, Julie Johnson, Janet Linn, Jayme Roering, Jeff Roering Approval of the Agenda: Dullinger made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of item 7, Comprehensive Plan Update. The motion was seconded by Schaefer and passed unanimously. Approval of the Minutes: Schaefer noted correction to “hearing” rather than “acres” under Public Hearing. Olson made a motion to approve the minutes of February 12, 2018 as amended. The motion was seconded by Dullinger and passed unanimously. Public Hearing, Preliminary Plat and PUD, Southview Heights: Haffner stated an application was received from KJ Development of St. Joseph, LLC for approval of a preliminary plat and planned unit development th (PUD). The property is the former Del-Win Ballroom site located west of 20 Ave SE. The plat consists of 1 lot of just over 6 acres. The property is zoned R-3 Multiple Family Residential and the development will consist of a mixture of townhomes, duplexes, and patio homes for a total of 54 units. The R-3 lot area requirements are 50 feet for south side and rear yard setbacks. The proposal requests those setbacks be reduced to 30 feet. Additionally, per the Ordinance, the maximum lot coverage is 50% whereas the request for this development has a maximum lot coverage of 60%. Haffner stated staff recommends greenspace be maintained at 50%. Utilization of a PUD does not afford the developer deviation from the underlying zoning district requirements for economic reasons. The plan proposes a distance of 10 feet between the buildings for the duplexes and patio homes, which the Planning Commission will need to determine if that spacing is adequate. Kevin Johnson, KJ Development of St. Joseph, LLC: Johnson approached the Planning Commission as the owner and applicant for the proposed development. Johnson purchased the property in 2001 and rezoned the property from B2 to the current R3. The development will be completed in three phases which is the most feasible. The contractor for the project is Lumber One. The property value would be around $7M once completed. Chad Carlson, Lumber One Avon: Carlson, representing the Contractor for the development, presented colored renderings of the project. Carlson stated their goal is to stay at 40% for greenspace. Regarding th the access points, the development originally had two access points; however, 20 Avenue SE is considered a major arterial road. The development will have one main access with an emergency access on the north end of the lot. Jim Krebsbach; Krebsbach stated his mother owns the property to the north of the development and is concerned about the setback and if there will be any type of buffering along that property line. Haffner stated the proposed setback is 30 feet and there is no additional buffering proposed. As no one else present wished to speak, Dullinger closed the public hearing. Olson asked what options the developer has for adding additional greenspace to meet City Ordinance. Johnson stated an option would be to have porous concrete. If the concrete were not used, then the parking stalls on the west end of the property would be lost as those would be converted to greenspace. March 12, 2018 Page 2 of 3 thth Paul Schumer, 250 18 Ave SE: Schumer stated some of the houses along 18 Avenue have water issues because of water drainage from the hill. Schumer added he is concerned with additional water coming into those lots. Will Huston, Westwood: Huston, engineer/surveyor of the project, stated there will be a swale that will drain the water to the southern storm water pond. Regarding the distance between the duplexes, Johnson stated 10 feet can be done. It was derived from the fire code. Schaefer asked how the elimination of the parking stalls would impact the development. Huston stated there is additional room in the driveways for extra parking. The parking stalls would be an added benefit. Schaefer added it would be a disadvantage to require the developer to remove the additional parking stalls. Schaefer noted that since Stearns County recognizes porous concrete for greenspace, then the City should too. Schaefer is having a hard time with possibly eliminating a duplex in order to meet the greenspace requirements. Dullinger asked if there were concerns with the “s” curve entrance into the development. Johnson stated th staff had required the access align with the access across 20 Avenue into the Armory. In order to meet the greenspace requirements, an additional 15,000 square feet of greenspace would need to be created. Hausmann stated he is having a hard time going against staff recommendation as the main reason for the greenspace deviation is economic. Hausmann made a motion recommending the City Council approve the Preliminary Plat and Preliminary PUD Plan for Southview Heights with the following conditions being met. 1. All engineering issues are addressed. Revise plan accordingly. 2. Final plat and site plan approvals are required prior to the development. Development fees, including but not limited to park dedication, storm development, etc. is required at time of final plat. The developer/owner will be required to enter into a development agreement with the City in accordance with the city subdivision ordinance. 3. That a 10 foot wide trail easement be recorded in advance of the recoding of the final plat and documented on the final plat on the northerly boundary of the plat. The construction of an 8 foot wide bituminous trail shall be improved to city standards and completed at the same time of construction of the development at the expense of the developer/owner. 4. That the maximum impervious surface will be 50% to meet city zoning ordinance. Revise plan accordingly. 5. That the emergency access be constructed and maintained at the expense of the developer/owner including snow removal. 6. That the exterior finish materials for all the buildings will meet the R-3 ordinance requirements. Revise plan accordingly. 7. That additional trees and additional shrubs will be provided to meet the city zoning ordinance. Revise landscaping plan accordingly. The motion was seconded by Dullinger and passed unanimously. Council Liaison Report: Goracke reported the following:  Zoning Ordinance Amendment was approved.  The Park Board will be holding an open house session to obtain feedback for East Park th Development on March 21. March 12, 2018 Page 3 of 3  Maintenance Staff is starting to discuss plans for an additional cold storage building. Dullinger questioned the status of the annexation. Weyrens presented an overview of the annexation th noting the presentation was also shared with the City Council and at the February 15 information th session. Since the February 15 information session, the City and Township have created a sub- committee to meet on annexation issues. Schaefer questioned if the annexation would put the township out of business. Weyrens stated she cannot answer that question. However, the City does not have that intention. The original agreement was created in 1997 and at that time it was determined that the township would survive after the annexation. Weyrens added since then the Township had entered into an agreement with Waite Park and has annexed those properties into their city limits. st The proposed timeline for the annexation is April 1, but will need to be reviewed by the Council on whether an extension is needed. Comprehensive Plan Update: Dullinger questioned whether the annexation would be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan. Weyrens stated the annexation will not change the intent of the document and future land use planning for the City. Haffner stated that consultant Community Design Group (CDG) has finished the draft of the document. Haffner invited Planning Commissioners to attend the joint all city meeting at 6 PM on March 27th where CDG will present the draft plan. Adjourn: Olson moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:28 PM. The motion was seconded by Dullinger and passed unanimously. Therese Haffner Community Development Director