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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-08-24 PACKET 07.City of Cottage Grove Planning Commission July 27, 2020 A meeting of the Planning Commission was held virtually at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, on Monday, July 27, 2020, in the Council Chamber and telecast on Local Government Cable Channel 16. Call to Order Chair Khambata called the Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call Boike called the roll: Bigham — Present; Brittain — Present; Fisher — Present; Frazier — Present; Khambata — Present; Knable — Present; Rasmussen — Present Also present were: Ben Boike, Community Development Director; Emily Schmitz, Senior Planner; Bria Raines, Planning Intern; Amanda Meyer, Assistant City Engineer; Steve Dennis, Council Member Approval of Agenda Knable made a motion to approve the agenda. Rasmussen seconded. Boike called the roll: Bigham — Aye; Brittain — Aye; Fisher— Aye; Frazier— Aye; Khambata — Aye; Knable — Aye; Rasmussen — Aye. Motion carried: 7 -to -0. Open Forum Khambata opened the open forum. Khambata asked if anyone wished to address the Planning Commission on any non -agenda item. No one addressed the Commission. Khambata closed the open forum. Chair's Explanation of the Public Hearing Process Khambata explained the purpose of the Planning Commission, which serves in an advisory capacity to the City Council, and that the City Council makes all final decisions. In addition, he explained the process of conducting a public hearing and provided information on how any person wishing to speak could participate in the virtual meeting. Public Hearings and Applications 6.1 Woerner Septic System — Case V2020-039 Tara and Jeremy Woerner have applied for a variance to setback requirements for a sub- surface sewage treatment system to allow septic system at 7981 River Acres Road South to be closer than 150 feet from the normal high water mark within the Mississippi River Critical Area. Planning Commission Minutes July 27, 2020 Page 2 of 3 Raines summarized the staff report and recommended approval based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Khambata opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Khambata closed the public hearing. Rasmussen had questions related to the elevation of the property and if the tank and the mound system is above the flood plain. Schmitz noted that it looks like it is around the 700 -foot eleva- tion and asked the septic designer to verify. Jesse Kloeppner, Kloeppner Services & Design LLC, 1036 Glenhill Road, Shoreview, responded that it is above that and the entire elevation difference from the tanks to where the mound is about four to five feet. He believes the com- ponents are the bigger concern than the tanks themselves, which are within the 100 -year flood- plain and located in a lower space. He noted that there has been some mitigation and there will be pieces in the septic tanks to keep back flow from the house and outside the tanks. There will be a valve that they can shut off so water can't enter the system or leave if a flood does reach the tanks. Khambata stated that after reviewing the application he is in agreement with the conditions of practical difficulty for approving this variance as this is of no fault of the homeowner. Brittain made a motion to approve the variance based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions in the staff report. Fisher seconded. Boike called the roll. Bigham — Aye; Brittain — Aye; Fisher — Aye; Frazier — Aye; Khambata — Aye; Knable — Aye; Rasmussen - Aye. Motion carried: 7 -to -0. Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of June 22, 2020 Frazier made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 22, 2020, Planning Commis- sion meeting. Bigham seconded. Boike called the roll: Boike called the roll. Boike called the roll: Bigham — Aye; Brittain — Aye; Fisher — Aye; Frazier — Aye; Khambata — Aye; Knable — Aye; Rasmussen — Aye. Motion carried. 7 -to -0. Reports 8.1 Recap of July 2020 City Council Meetings Boike provided a summary of actions taken at the City Council meeting on July 15, 2020. Dennis provided an update on the City's budget process. He reported that the Chamber of Commerce has procured 18,000 face masks for local businesses and are available to be picked up at three local businesses. 8.2 Response to Planning Commission Inquiries Boike stated that a memo was provided in the packet regarding the City's trail crossing policy. Brittain thanked staff for the response. He noted that there was mention of potential crosswalk Planning Commission Minutes July 27, 2020 Page 3 of 3 striping that may or may not provide significant change. He wanted further clarification of the viewing triangle and asked where that begins. He expressed concern about obstructions im- pacting visibility of the trails at intersections. Boike responded that from a zoning perspective the site triangle starts at the property line, so that would be the inside of the trail versus the actual roadway. There may be some instances where there are some existing fences that do not meet that requirement, but the code language states that the view shed starts at the prop- erty line. Khambata asked if that is 10 -foot line of sight from the corner property line. Boike stated that generally it is 25 feet, although he does not know specifically what it is for Cottage Grove, and explained to draw the triangle, it is measured from the corner of the property along both streets. Brittain asked if it is the same distance along the roadway and along the trail. Boike stated that staff can provide a response next month with the specific distance. Schmitz stated that typically it is along the front property line and the side property line where the City requires the clear view triangle. 8.3 Planning Commission Requests None Adjournment Khambata made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Fisher seconded. Boike called the roll: Boike called the roll. Bigham — Aye; Brittain — Aye; Fisher — Aye; Frazier — Aye; Khambata — Aye; Knable — Aye; Rasmussen — Aye. Motion carried. 7 -to -0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 p.m.