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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 13, 2006 o C I T Y 0 F NDOVE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING - JUNE 13,2006 The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order by Chairperson Daninger on June 13,2006,7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners present: Chairperson Daninger, Commissioners Tim Kirchoff, Michael Casey, Valerie Holthus, and Michael King. Commissioners absent: Commissioners Rex Greenwald and Devon Walton. Also present: City Planner, Courtney Bednarz Associate Planner, Chris Vrchota Others APPROVAL OF MINUTES. o May 23, 2006 Motion by Kirchoff, seconded by Casey, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, O-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. VARIANCE (06-04) TO VARY FROM THE DRIVEWAY SETBACK REQUIREMENTS OF CITY CODE 12-13-9 TO ALLOW A SHARED DRIVEWAY FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1947161sT AVENUENW. Mr. Vrchota explained the applicant is requesting a variance to City Code section 12-13- 9, which requires that driveways be setback 5 feet from the property line to allow a shared driveway access to 161st Avenue NW (County Road 20). Mr. Vrchota discussed the staff report with the Commission. Commissioner Kirchoff asked what the five foot setback was for the driveway. Mr, Vrchota stated City Code requires that all driveways be setback five feet from any property line and since this is a shared driveway, there would be a zero setback. o Chairperson Daninger asked if one of the property owners sells, what happens to the shared driveway. Mr. Vrchota stated that would be addressed by the shared access o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 2 agreement and would be recorded with the properties to ensure access is permanently granted. Motion by KITchoff, seconded by Casey, to recommend to the City Council approval of the proposed variance based on items one and two, the circumstances are unique to the property that were not created by the landowner themselves and it will not be out of character with the neighborhood. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, O-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. Mr. Vrchota stated that this item would be before the Council at the June 20, 2006 City Council meeting. PUBLIC HEARING: RESmENTIAL SKETCH PLAN FOR A SINGLE FAMILY URBAN RESmENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT LOCATED SOUTH OF BUNKER LAKE BOULEVARD ON SEVERAL PROPERTIES BETWEEN CROOKED LAKE BOULEVARD AND GLADIOLA STREET NW. o Mr. Bednarz explained the Planning Commission is asked to review a sketch plan containing 25 detached townhomes and four existing homes that would remain. The proposal combines several properties and the rear yards of several others into what could be considered an infill project. Mr. Bednarz discussed the staff report with the Commission. Chairperson Daninger asked if it was bis understanding that the applicant was asked to be prepared to discuss the PUD with the Planning Commission. Mr. Bednarz indicated that was correct. Commissioner Holthus asked under site design where it says ''typically public streets are required to be thirty-three feet wide, however twenty-eight feet wide public streets have been approved in PUD's in the past", is a variance required for the twenty-eight foot street widths or is it automatically approved with the approval of a PUD. Mr. Bednarz stated the street width and a lot of the other standards that are being requested through the PUD would be approved as a separate list of requirements for the development. It would not technically require a variance. o Motion by KITchoff, seconded by Casey, to open the public hearing at 7:18 p.m. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, O-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. Ms. Dawn Schnickles-Johnson, 1553 l40th Lane NW, distributed a prepared statement (attached to staff report). She stated her parents live at 13526 Crooked Lake Boulevard and her relatives and several neighbors will be impacted by this. She stated at the neighborhood meeting the neighbors expressed their concerns and objections to this o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 3 project. She stated there has not been any consideration on the impact this project will have on the streets, sewer and water and the neighborhood overall. The developer chose not to appear before the citizens and chose to send an assistant to represent this development. She was sent unprepared with drawings and documents that did not reflect the actual plans for the development and homes. Ms. Scbnickles-Johnson stated this proposal is asking for several variances to be made and in some instances the lots are not equal to the size of the existing homes in the neighborhood. She noted that most of the residents have lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years and take pride in the quiet peace of Andover. The thought of fifty or more vehicles spilling out onto 135th Lane NW from two narrow roads, Gladiola and Edelweiss, which would be twenty-eight feet instead of thirty-three feet wide, is simply ridiculous. She also explained that it states in the proposal that they also want to a variance to make the two cul-de-sacs eighty-two feet in diameter versus the typical ninety-three foot, this would make it more difficult for emergency vehicles to turn around ID. o Ms. Scbnickles-Johnson stated the only way out of this development would be onto Gladiola and a right turn onto Bunker Lake Boulevard heading east or onto 135th Lane NW and north onto Crooked Lake Boulevard to make the turns to go either east or west onto Bunker Lake Boulevard. Currently there is no stop light at that intersection and currently with the traffic, it is already dangerous, It was explained at the meeting that Bunker Lake Boulevard is a County Road and therefore any traffic changes would be decided by Anoka County and not the city of Andover. She did not think this development fit into the neighborhood. Mr. Ernesto Gonzalez, 13354 Gladiola Street NW made a PowerPoint presentation explaining his reasons against the proposed development. He explained he was concerned about traffic, sewer and water, the number of proposed homes, tree loss, the lack of trail connections, the lack of advancement of any of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. He stated that some trade off's may be acceptable, but the current plan is unreasonable. Ms. Claudia Johnston representing her mother, Ms. Germaine Hamlet at 13563 Edelweiss, stated her mother was aware that the landowners have the right to sell their property and the developer has the right to develop the property. She thought the staff report explained the reasons why the development should not be put in as presented. They hoped the Planning Commissions recommendation to Council is that they do not approve the sketch plan as presented but if the developer is serious about what he would like to do here and if he is willing to work with staff and the neighbors, if the developer could come up with a better plan, something could be put in there. o Mr. John Backan stated he has lived in Andover since 1973. He has seen Andover grow and thought the Planning Commission has done a great job but this site plan is the worst he has ever seen. He noted in the plans there are fences that are proposed to go up along o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 4 Bunker Lake Boulevard and he felt if a fence needed to be put up to shield a neighborhood, there is already trouble with the project. The aesthetic value of the homes will go down because of this proposed development. He noted that being in the real estate business, he believed the value of the homes in the neighborhood will decrease between eight and fourteen percent if the development is approved. He concurred with what the other residents have talked about. Mr. Lester Bryant, 2830 135th Lane NW, stated this is a high school walker area so there will be more cars coming and going in the area because of this. He stated the idea of splitting the building maintenance and ground maintenance is something he has not heard of and did not think something like this will work. He stated this development is way too dense and does not fit. o Mr. Vie Evans, 13553 Gladiola Street, asked what the sketch plan represented as far as the type of size and type of units being proposed. Ms. Kim Jabloski, 2743 134th Lane NW, asked if these would be considered single family dwellings. Her concern is that there would not be any City controls over them if they were to turn into investment properties and become rental units. Chairperson Daninger stated if this would be a PUD, the City could imply standards so things like that cannot happen. Mr. Bednarz the City does not get involved in the rental of a single family home which these would be considered. Ms. Jabloski stated they are already having issues with rentals in the area and is a concern for her and others in the neighborhood. Mr. Jerry Berry, 13526 Gladiola Street, stated his concern is for safety of the children in the neighborhood and them walking to school and around the neighborhood. Ms. Dianne Dickson, 16368 Wren Street, stated she was at the meeting to speak for her father who lives at 13565 Gladiola Street. She wondered if in the process will the residents have the opportunity to influence or at least observe and understand, what would be included in the PUD since the existing proposal does not give them anything to give them any sort of warmth or comfort about the measures they think should be taken into effect. Chairperson Daninger stated in a Preliminary Plat of a PUD the developer will need to have all of these things spelled out and there will be another opportunity to take public hearing on that. Mr. Tim Foley, 13520 Gladiola Street, stated his concern was if they do go ahead with the development there will be a certain amount of fill and this is going from a hill down to 135th Lane and the pond is at the top of the hill along Bunker Lake Boulevard. He stated he was concerned about the drainage into the lake and what sort of impact it will have on the lake. Chairperson Daninger indicated a development cannot affect the adjacent properties with things like drainage. o Mr. Dan Schmitke, 13725 Edelweiss Street, asked if there is any accommodation for noise in the PUD because there will be fewer trees. o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 5 Mr. R.T. McFeeters, 13558 Gladiola Street, stated he moved into the neighborhood in 1964 and this development will increase the traffic. He stated traffic is not enforced at this time. He wondered how they could increase the traffic and hope to keep a handle on it. Ms. Gloria Benjamin, 13625 Gladiola Street, stated things have changed a lot through the years and they know the City will do the right thing. Ms. Josephine Larson, 13527 Heather Street, stated she has recently adopted the Crooked Lake Access Park because she walks nearly daily and picks up the area. She noted that adding more homes will add concern. She also bikes with her children to Crooked Lake Access Park and with it becoming increasingly busier; she will have concerns about allowing her children to bike there on their own. Mr. John Backen asked the developer to explain the reasons why the rear end of the homes will face Bunker Lake Boulevard and Coon Rapids. They have boats that sit behind the houses along with snowmobiles. This will be a sore site driving on those roads seeing those things parked in the backyards. o Mr. Dan Schmitt asked if affecting home values of the surrounding homes was included in the proposal as well. Mr. Wayne Layman, 13732 Edelweiss, stated as developments were brought into the area, it affected the traffic and neighborhood. He thought they were being too hasty and did not think the developer was prepared with all of the requested variances. Mr. Lester Bryant stated this area is also a must walk area for Crooked Lake School and it extends quite a way south, into Coon Rapids so there are a lot of kids walking from Gladiola. Chairperson Daninger noted that sometimes when a new development comes in, some surrounding streets get improved. Ms. Dawn Schnickles-Johnson stated at the neighborhood meeting upgrades to streets was discussed and the comment was that improvements to the roads would be done during the normal maintenance cycles and not because of the development. Motion by Kirchoff, seconded by Casey, to close the public hearing at 8:01 p.m. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, O-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. o Mr. Todd Ganz, owner of Merritt Development, stated he was at the meeting to answer their questions. o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 6 Chairperson Daninger asked what the size of the units will be. Mr. Ganz stated at this time, during the sketch part of this, they are estimating the minimum to be 1,100 S.F. per to 1,800 S.F. foundation size. Mr. Ganz stated regarding the number of garages per units is based upon the size of the lot, the minimum will be a 440 S.F. two car garage and three car garages where space allowed. Chairperson Daninger asked Mr. Ganz what the estimated home value will be. Mr. Ganz stated based upon current pricing, minimum will be at $245,000 for the least expensive home. Chairperson Daninger stated there was a concern with noise and he wondered what the developer will do regarding it. Mr. Ganz stated he planned to save as many trees as possible to buffer along Bunker Lake Boulevard and to buffer between the existing homes that area already there and they will be doing a tree preservation study for the development. o Chairperson Daninger stated there was a question regarding the direction the houses will face. Mr. Ganz stated he was hoping to have the garages facing one another and have a shared driveway. He thought it was more appealing to have windows, stone and shake facing the road then a garage door. Chairperson Daninger asked what the developer had to say about drainage affecting adjacent properties. Mr. Ganz stated it would not affect adjacent properties. Commissioner Kirchoff asked if there was any reference regarding a trail along Gladiola. Mr. Ganz stated they have not included it but would be willing to include them in the plans for the streets. Mr. Ganz stated regarding rentals, in the developments they have done, he has not heard of any rentals or leases turning up because of the price point. Mr. Ganz explained what the homeowners association would be responsible for in the development. Commissioner King asked if there would be any open spaces in the development. Mr. Ganz stated they did not have any open spaces designed into the project right now. He noted they could add some to make the development more appealing. o Commissioner Kirchoff stated he has not seen any real improvements. He asked Mr. Ganz what the improvements would be for a PUD. Mr. Ganz stated the 2,500 S.F. of living space is an improvement. Having the structure maintained on a regular basis would provide an appealing neighborhood, enhancing the landscaping, tree buffers, six foot evergreen trees, fencing to buffer and the open space he in the back of some of the deep lots would be improvements. He also would like to connect trails, install sidewalks and Eidelweiss would probably be improved which would be a benefit to the City. o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 7 Commissioner King stated there will be a number of trees removed and he wondered if trees will be moved or replaced. Mr. Ganz stated they plan to plant both evergreen and deciduous trees. Commissioner Kirchoff thought the development could lose a few homes and make it more spacious. Mr. Ganz stated he would not be opposed to that. Chairperson Daninger indicated he was in favor of a well designed PUD. He thought the applicant should work with staff and address the concerns of the neighborhood and reduce the number of units. He also stated that all of the improvements need to be shown on the plans. The Commission agreed. Mr. Bednarz stated that this item would be before the Council at the June 20, 2006 City Council meeting. PUBLIC HEARING: RESIDENTIAL SKETCH PLAN FOR A SINGLE FAMILY RURAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT 17404 WARD LAKE DRIVE. o Mr. Bednarz stated the Planning Commission is asked to review a sketch plan containing five rural lots. Mr. Bednarz discussed the staff report with the Commission. Commissioner Kirchoff asked if the second access was the reasonable spot for it to go. Mr. Bednarz stated they look at topography and look at where the road can physically be built. It does need to go to the north and there are several options that would depend on the development plans of the property owners. Commissioner King stated the road going to the north shows a cul-de-sac in the north going south, he knew the area was all undeveloped at this time and is a high area. He wondered if the property owners were contacted and have they seen it. Mr. Bednarz stated the typical notification was provided but there has not been a lot of interest in the sketch plan at this time. He has not been contacted by anyone in the neighborhood regarding this development. o Commissioner Holthus asked if the gravel portion of Ward Lake Drive would be paved and if other residents not in the development would be assessed for road improvements. Mr. Bednarz explained that the development would be asked to pay a proportionate share of the road improvements and that property owners outside of the development are typically not assessed for road improvements until the time that they develop, The Council will need to determine at what time the road will be paved. o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 8 Motion by Casey, seconded by Kirchoff, to open the public hearing at 8:37 p.m. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, a-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. Ms. Lilly Grey, 17947 Hanson Boulevard, stated she walks everyday along Ward Lake Drive and she noticed the proposed change sign. She wanted to have the Commission understand that this is a rural area and if they put in road lights, that they shine down instead of up into the sky. She thought the gravel road needed to be paved because cars drive through there very fast. Motion by King, seconded by Casey, to close the public hearing at 8:41 p.m. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, a-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. Ms. Kathy O'Connell, MFRA, representing Select Homes, made a presentation to the Commission regarding the proposed development. Commissioner Holthus stated one of the requirements they would have to do is to demonstrate the buildability of each lot. She wondered if this was a major concern. Ms. O'Connell did not think it was a concern. o Commissioner King stated he lives in that area and there are many trees in the area. He wondered if they planned on keeping a lot of the trees. Ms. O'Connell stated that is one of the main considerations for where the road and cul-de-sac are located. She noted they had noticed on the knoll there were a couple of beautiful Oak trees so they adjusted the street and will further refme it when they get the :final topography and locate key trees. Commissioner King wondered if the street will be thirty-three feet wide. Ms. O'Connell stated they will put in whatever road width that the city requires but would prefer to reduce the street width because that much paving is simply not needed. Chairperson Daninger thanked Ms. O'Connell for explaining the development to the Commission. Chairperson Daninger indicated the development looked good and should be pursued. The Commission agreed. Mr. Bednarz stated that this item would be before the Council at the June 20, 2006 City Council meeting. OTHER BUSINESS. Mr. Bednarz updated the Commission on previously reviewed items. o Commissioner Kirchoff noted he picked up aD. architecture monthly magazine and the Community Center was in it and apparently they have won an award and thought it was great. o Regular Andover Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes - June 13, 2006 Page 9 Commissioner Casey stated this Thursday there will be an open house provided by the Andover EDA from 5:00 to 7:00 to review the Andover North project general business area. The public is welcome to come. ADJOURNMENT. Motion by Casey, seconded by Holthus, to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Motion carried on a 5-ayes, O-nays, 2-absent (Greenwald, Walton) vote. Respectfully Submitted, Sue Osbeck, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. o o