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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-26 PACKET 07.City of Cottage Grove Planning Commission June 28, 2021 A meeting of the Planning Commission was held at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Park- way South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, on Monday, June 28, 2021, 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 Members Present: Sarah Bigham, Jessica Fisher, Tony Khambata, Derek Rasmussen Members Absent: Evan Frazier, Eric Knable, Jerrett Wright Staff Present: Ben Boike, Community Development Director Mike Mrosla, Senior Planner Emily Schmitz, Senior Planner Sam Burns, Planning Intern Steve Dennis, Council Member Approval of Agenda Bigham made a motion to approve the agenda. Fisher seconded. The motion was approved unanimously (4-to-0 vote). 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 requested that any person wishing to speak should go to the microphone and state their full name and address for the public record. Public Hearings and Applications 6.1 Addition at 8401 River Acres Road — Cases V2021-046 Titan Property Ventures, LLC has applied for a variance to setback requirements for a pro- posed addition to an existing principal structure at 8401 River Acres Road south that would be closer than 100 feet from the normal high-water mark within the Mississippi River Critical Area. Planning Commission Minutes June 28, 2021 Page 2 of 4 Schmitz summarized the staff report and recommended approval based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Rasmussen does not see any issues with the application as the addition will be meeting the requirements following adoption of the MRCCA ordinance. Khambata asked what the elevation of the existing house is. Schmitz responded the existing principal structure was constructed at the 700-foot elevation, which is over the normal ordinary high water level of 688 feet. Khambata opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Khambata closed the public hearing. Fisher made a motion to approve the variance based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions in the staff report. Bigham seconded. Motion passed unanimously (4- to-0 vote). 6.2 Rolling Meadows — Cases ZA2021-047 & PP2021-048 KLC of Willmar Inc. has applied for a zoning amendment to rezone approximately 17.6 acres of land located east of the Parkview Pointe subdivision, south of the Woodbury border, and north and west of South Washington Watershed District property from AG-1, Agricultural Preservation, to R-3, Single Family Residential, with a PUD, Planned Unit Development; and a preliminary plat for a residential subdivision to be called Rolling Meadows, which will consist of 41 detached single-family homes and 3 outlots. Mrosla summarized the staff report and recommended approval subject to the conditions stip- ulated in the staff report. Rasmussen asked if Outlots A and B would be maintained by the City. Mrosla responded yes as they will be dedicated to the City. Mrosla noted that Outlot C contains the trail corridor around the property, which will also be dedicated as park land to the City. Khambata asked for more information on the area of Outlot A that is designated for infiltration and what purpose does the infiltration serve for stormwater mitigation. Cory Meyer, Westwood Professional Services, explained that the infiltration is to reduce the overall volume of storm - water and described the process. Fisher asked how many lots would be under the 10,000 square foot minimum lot size. Mrosla responded only about two or three would be under that threshold; the rest are above 10,000 square feet. Fisher then asked about approvals for other PUDs before her term on the Com- mission. Mrosla stated that Parkview Pointe, Northwick Park, and other developments in the city have utilized the PUD for relaxed standards. He noted that the 7.5-foot side yard setback meets the intent of the ordinance to have 15 feet between houses. Khambata noted that exceeding the 7.5-foot setback is great but expressed concern for fire prevention on the garage side with a 5-foot setback and asked if there are any additional build- ing standards that need to be met. Mrosla responded that if the setback goes down to 5 feet, Planning Commission Minutes June 28, 2021 Page 3 of 4 there are different building techniques required for the dwelling but not the garage. For this development, there will be at least 15 feet between the garages and the houses. Khambata then asked if all of the properties would have the 25-foot front yard setback. Mrosla responded that all properties will be setback 25 feet for consistency, which is the same as the Parkview Pointe development to the west. Fisher asked why the cul-de-sac island was removed. Mrosla responded that staff recom- mended the removal of the island since there was no HOA so there would be no one to maintain it. Rasmussen asked about construction access, as it appears all traffic would be coming through 63rd Street. Mrosla responded that staff has not received any concerns or comments from the residents of Parkview Pointe about that issue. The property is unique as the property to the east is South Washington Watershed District property on which nothing can be done. All traffic will have to come up 63rd Street; however, there are conditions of approval that require parking to be on one side of the street. The applicant is anticipating about a month of grading on the site, with the streets constructed this fall. The City does monitor and ensure that contractors clean up the roadway. Khambata opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Khambata closed the public hearing. Khambata asked when the parcel to the west develops, would the same traffic access issues occur where a residential street would be the primary access point for development. He also asked if there was any concern regarding premature wear and tear on that road and how that eventual cost would be paid. Mrosla stated that the City does collect a security in case of dam- age to the roadway, and if it does occur, the developer or builder would correct that. He also pointed out on the map the future access points. Rassmussen made a motion to approve the zoning amendment and preliminary plat for Rolling Meadows subject to the conditions in the staff report. Fisher seconded. Motion passed unanimously (4-to-0 vote). Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of May 24, 2021 Rasmussen made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 24, 2021, Planning Com- mission meeting. Bigham seconded. Motion passed unanimously (4-to-0 vote). Reports 8.1 Recap of June 2021 City Council Meetings Boike provided a summary of actions taken at the City Council meetings on June 2 and June 16, 2021. Dennis provided information on The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon organization and stated that the group is always looking for members. He then stated that he would answer any questions from the Commission. Planning Commission Minutes June 28, 2021 Page 4 of 4 Rasmussen asked if the City will have fireworks for the 4th of July. Dennis announced that they will be held at Kingston Park on July 4, hosted by the Lions Club along with donations from several companies in Cottage Grove. 8.2 Response to Planning Commission Inquiries 8.3 Planning Commission Requests Rasmussen asked for an update on the continuation of Ravine Parkway. Dennis responded that the City is waiting for a couple parcels of land to sell and develop to finish the connection across Jamaica Avenue. Eventually when the east side of Keats Avenue develops, Ravine Parkway will go east and then swing south to connect to the roadway section by City Hall. Dennis then provided information on the public outreach being done for the proposed redevel- opment of the Cedarhurst property. Adjournment Fisher made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Bigham seconded. Motion passed unani- mously (4-to-0 vote). The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.