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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission - 08/12/1985 AGENDA EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 12, 1985 School Board Meeting Room 7:30 p.m. COMMISSION MEMBERS: Chairman Ed Schuck, Julianne Bye, Christine Dodge, Virginia Gartner, Robert Hallett, Stan Johannes, Dennis Marhula STAFF MEMBERS: Chris Enger, Director of Planning; Michael Franzen, Senior Planner; Kate Karnas, Administrative Assistant Pledge of Allegiance--Roll Call I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA II. MEMBERS REPORTS III. MINUTES IV. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS (7:35) A. EDEN PLACE APARTMENTS, by Tipton Corporation. Request for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 on 32.8 acres, Preliminary Plat of 50.64 acres into two lots, two outlots, and road right-of-way, and Environmental Assessment Worksheet for construction of 496 apartment units. Location: West of Highway #169, North of Research • Road, and East of Purgatory Creek. A continued public hearing. (8:00) B. EDEN POINTE APARTMENTS, by Eden Pointe Partnership. Request for Planned Unit Development Amendment Review, with variances, on 15.3 acres, Zoning District Change from RM-6.5 to RM-2.5 on 15.3 acres, and Preliminary Plat of 15.3 acres into one lot for construction of a 149-unit apartment complex in 11 buildings. Location: South of County Road #1, East of Homeward Hills Road. A public hearing. (9:00) C. THE PARK AT CITY WEST, by Finger Enterprises. Request for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 on 13.43 acres, with variances to be reviewed by the Board of Appeals, and Preliminary Plat of 9.52 acres into one lot for construction of a 288-unit apartment complex in six buildings. Location: West of Highway #169-212, north and south of City West Parkway. A public hearing. V. OLD BUSINESS VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. PLANNER'S REPORT VIII. ADJOURNMENT **NOTE: The times listed above are tentative, and may be significantly earlier, or later, than listed. • MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 12, 1985 School Board Meeting Room 7:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Ed Schuck, Julianne Bye (8:15) Christine Dodge, Robert Hallett, Stan Johannes, Dennis Marhula MEMBER ABSENT: Virginia Gartner STAFF PRESENT: Chris Enger, Director of Planning; Michael Franzen, Senior Planner, Kate Karnas, Administrative Assistant; Don Uram, Assistant Planner Pledge of Allegiance--Roll Call I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Dodge to adopt the agenda, as printed, with the following amendment to the order of items: Item IV.B., Item N.A. • Motion carried--5-0-0 II. MEMBERS REPORTS None. III. MINUTES MOTION: Motion was made by Hallett, seconded by Johannes, to approve the minutes of the July 22, 1985, Planning Commission meeting, as written. Motion carried--3-0-2 (Dodge and Marhula abstained) IV. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS B. EDEN POINTE APARTMENTS, by Eden Pointe Partnership. Request for Planned Unit Development Amendment Review, with variances, on 15.3 acres, Zoning District Change from RM-6.5 to RM-2.5 on 15.3 acres, and Preliminary Plat of 15.3 acres into one lot for construction of a 149-unit apartment complex in 11 buildings. Location: South of County Road #1, East of Homeward Hills Road. A public hearing. Planner Enger explained that the question of the zoning for the site had . been raised at the time of application for development of this property. It had been assumed that the property was zoned Rural . However, upon checking . Planning Commission Minutes 2 August 12, 1985 the legal description for rezoning of the eastern portion of the Mill Creek development, it was determined that the legal description for the overall Planned Unit Development of this property, including both the developed Mill Creek site and the proposed Eden Pointe Apartments site, not just the eastern portion of the site, had inadvertently been published. This "incorrect" legal description resulted in the rezoning of all of this property to RM-6.5. Mr. Peter Beck, attorney for proponents, stated that proponents had reviewed the Staff Report for this item and agreed that a continuance would be in order. He stated that proponents had made efforts to meet with the neighborhood to introduce them to the project and to find out what their concerns may be. At a meeting with the neighborhood held on July 10, 1985, Mr. Beck stated that the neighbors had raised a number of concerns, including concerns about the southern-most building on the property and that the landscaping and screening of that structure from the neighborhood to the south. Mr. Beck noted that a second neighborhood meeting had been held the week prior to the Planning Commission meeting, at which time, revised plans were presented to the neighbors. He stated that, at that time, one of the major concerns of the existing residents was that of the rental nature of the project. Mr. Beck stated that it was the intention of the proponents to develop the property of a rental project, and that, while the potential conversion to condominiums was possible in the future, it was not planned at this time. Planner Franzen reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Staff Report of August 9, 1985. Concerns noted by Staff in their report included landscaping, screening, exterior materials, trail systems, and internal pedestrian system within the project. Hallett asked what their rental price would be of the units. Mr. Jack Brandt, proponent, stated that the rents would be between $525 to $630. He stated that the proponents were attempting to stay on the high end of the Twin Cities Area rental units in terms of quality for the units. Mr. Brandt noted that all units were either one or two-bedroom units. Hallett asked about run-off into the pond, in particular, the effect fertilizer might have on this pond. Mr. John Bergly, Wehrman and Associates, representing proponent, discussed the storm water drainage system proposed for the development. He noted an area where temporary storage would be located in the southeast corner of the property. Hallett asked about traffic in this vicinity and the impact that development of this parcel would have upon traffic conditions currently. Planner Enger responded that Hennepin County expected to upgrade County Road #1 to a four- lane road eventually. No time table for the upgrading was available at this time. Ms. Jan Daly, 12260 Travois Road, expressed concern regarding the rental nature of the development and the maintenance of the property. • Mr. Robert Daly, 12260 Travois Road, stated that he felt this rental project would change the nature of the entire neighborhood due to the transient nature of apartment dwellers. He stated that he was also concerned about traffic problems at the intersection of 'Homeward Hills Road and County Road Planning Commission Minutes 3 August 12, 1985 #1. Mr. Daly questioned the need for this type of building in the City of Eden Prairie. Mr. Paul Rudberg, 12100 Travois Road, stated that winter storms were a matter of great concern in this area due to the ice build-up on Homeward Hills Road. He stated that he did not feel that adding more cars to this area would help that type of situation. Ms. Linda Rudberg, 12100 Travois Road, stated that, at one of the neighborhood meetings, the developer had informed them that rental property would bring up the value of their homes. She stated that she did not believe that this was true. Ms. Mary Damlo, 12117 Cartway Curve, stated that she agreed with the concerns of the previous speakers. In particular, she expressed concern for the winter road conditions in this area. Mr. Greg Damlo, 12117 Cartway Curve, stated that he, too, disagreed with the need for more apartments in Eden Prairie. He stated that he felt the City had plenty of apartment units available and that there were enough smaller units in this area of the community. Mr. Damlo also expressed concern for the winter icy road conditions. • Mr. Dennis Perry, 9661 Portal Drive, stated that wood had been stolen from his home. He expressed concern that this type of incident would increase with development of apartment units in this area. Mr. Dan Noethe, 9861 Laguna Circle, expressed concern about the density of the project and the impact of that density on traffic in the area. He stated that his main concern was the fact that this would be a rental project and how that would impact the neighborhood in the future. Mr. Noethe also expressed concern about the potential for burglaries and thefts if apartment units were built in this area. Mr. Mike Denny, 9810 Laguna Circle, stated that he agreed with the concerns of the previous speakers. Mr. Mark Utne, 9881 Laguna Circle, stated that he, too, agreed with the concerns of the previous speakers. Mr. Mark Boomgaarden, 11870 Runnel Circle, suggested that the proponents could design the development to better fit the existing densities in this area, as opposed to being the highest density project in this vicinity. Mr. Ken Meyer, 9741 Portal Drive, also expressed concern regarding the density of the project as proposed. He noted that the south access to the proposed development along Homeward Hills Road was at the point where Homeward Hills Road was the steepest, which could cause potential "bottlenecking" of the traffic for all the residents in this area. Mr. Teri Koch, 9728 Portal Drive, questioned what would happen to the views of the existing residents to the ponding to the east. She stated that she was concerned that the development of this property as proposed would cause the devaluation of her property. Planning Commission Minutes 4 August 12, 1985 Mr. Chris Awes, 9721 Portal Drive, stated that he agreed with the concerns of the previous speakers. Mr. Peter Horn, 9641 Portal Drive, expressed concern for compatability of the exterior materials with those already existing in the area, in particular, the Mill Creek area. He stated that he felt that the last revision made by the proponents, eliminating one building and adding the units from that building to the other buildings on the property, resulted in the loss of architectural variety for the project. Mr. William Warner, 9751 Portal Drive, stated that he agreed with the concerns expressed by previous speakers. He asked if some of the concerns raised by the neighbors would be reviewed and responded to by Staff in the near future. Chairman Schuck stated that Staff would try to have answers to all of their questions at the next Planning Commission meeting. Marhula asked when the Hillsborough neighborhood had been approved and whether they had been aware of the potential development of Mill Creek West (the property under discussion) at the time of that approval . Planner Enger responded that the Hillsborough neighborhood had been approved in approximately 1978 and that the plans for Mill Creek West had been known about at that time. • Marhula asked if the City had adequate right-of-way for the widening of Homeward Hills Road. Planner Enger responded that there was adequate right- of-way, and, with this project, the total amount of right-of-way would be approximately 80 feet. Marhula asked about the concerns listed in the Staff Report. Planner Enger responded that transition to the north, south, and west of the project was one of the major concerns. He stated that it was Staff's opinion that it would take more than just landscaping, or screening with plant materials, or fencing, in order to provide adequate transition. Staff was suggesting a site planning solution as the best alternative available in order to provide transition in these directions. Hallett stated that he felt lower density may be an answer to the concerns of Staff and the neighbors. He stated that he did not feel that developers needed to always be at the top end of the range of density provided for a site. Marhula stated that he agreed with Hallett. He noted that it appeared from the site plan that some of the units could possibly be looking into other buildings and that perhaps the site plan could be "loosened" to provide better living space for the future residents. MOTION: Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Dodge, to continue the public hearing on this item to the September 9, 1985, Planning Commission meeting to allow proponent opportunity to revise their plans in accordance with the concerns presented at the Planning Commission meeting of August 12, 1985. Motion carried--5-0-1 (Bye abstained) Planning Commission Minutes 5 August 12, 1985 A. EDEN PLACE APARTMENTS, by Tipton Corporation. Request for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 on 32.8 acres, Preliminary Plat of 50.64 acres into two lots, two outlots, and road right-of-way, and Environmental Assessment Worksheet for construction of 496 apartment units. Location: West of Highway #169, North of Research Road, and East of Purgatory Creek. A continued public hearing. This item was continued by the Commission from its July 8, 1985, meeting in order to allow proponent opportunity to mitigate concerns of the Commission regarding screening and building mass. Mr. Steve Young, architect for proponents, reviewed the changes which had been made to the plans since the Planning Commission meeting of July 8, 1985. These changes included: pulling buildings back further from the intersections; setting the buildings lower on the property; adding two-story elements to the structures; breaking up of the roofing mass; the use of eight, 62-unit structures, instead of four large structures; and, reorientation of buildings on the north end of the project by at least 90 degrees to avoid the long, linear view of the structures from the north. Mr. Mike Sjeklocha, proponent, stated that one of his concerns was that the construction of eight smaller buildings, versus four larger buildings, would be more costly from the construction point of view. He stated that, after • his staff had reviewed the costs of building by both methods, he discovered that there was -no appreciable increase in the cost of building more smaller buildings rather than four large buildings. Planner Franzen reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Staff Report dated August 9, 1985. Hallett asked whether the property owner to the north was aware of the connections for the road system through this area and the potential impacts on that property. Planner Enger stated that the property owner to the north had been involved in discussions regarding the road alignment in this area and was aware of the connections proposed. Hallett asked if there would be much tree removal from the site. Planner Franzen responded that there would be very little, if any, tree removal . He stated that the majority of the trees were located within the scenic easements on the property. Marhula stated that he felt proponents had responded well with the concerns of the Planning Commission. Chairman Schuck concurred. Bye stated that her only remaining concern was that of the security of the renters along the internal pedestrian system of the project, particularly at night. She too, agreed with Marhula that proponents had responded well to the concerns of the Commission. • Chairman Schuck asked for comments and questions from members of the audience. There were none. Planning Commission Minutes 6 August 12, 1985 MOTION 1: Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Johannes, to close the public hearing. Motion carried--6-0-0 MOTION 2• Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Johannes, to recommend to the City Council approval of the request of Tipton Corporation for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 for 32.8 acres for construction of 496 apartment units to be known as Eden Place Apartments, based on revised plans dated August 7., 1985, and subject to the recommendations of the Staff Reports dated July 5, and August 9, 1985. Motion carried--6-0-0 MOTION 3: Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Johannes, to recommend to the City Council approval of the request of Tipton Corporation for Preliminary Plat of 50.64 acres into two lots, two outlots, and road right-of-way for • construction of 496 apartment units to be known as Eden Place Apartments, based on revised plans dated August 7, 1985, subject to. the recommendations of the Staff Reports dated July 5, and August 9, 1985. Motion carried--6-0-0 MOTION 4: Motion was made by Marhula, seconded by Johannes„ to recommend to the City Council a finding of no significant impact for the Environmental Assessment for the Eden Place Apartments development by Tipton Corporation. Motion carried--6-0-0 C. THE PARK AT CITY WEST, by Finger Enterprises. Request for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 on 13.43 acres, with variances to be reviewed by the Board of Appeals, and Preliminary Plat of 9.52 acres (consisting of two outlots) into one lot for construction of a 288-unit apartment complex in six buildings. Location: West of Highway #169-212, north and south of City West Parkway. A public hearing. Mr. Allen Huvard, proponent, reviewed the site characteristics and proposed development in detail with the Planning Commission. Planner Franzen reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Staff Report dated August 9, 1985. Marhula asked about the distance between buildings on Parcels A, B, and C. He stated that it appeared some of the structures were too close together. Mr. Huvard responded that distance between buildings on Parcel A was 20 feet; on Parcel B, 60 feet; and, on Parcel C, 30 feet. He noted that the Planning Commission Minutes 7 August 12, 1985 • buildings within the parcels would be located at different elevations, therefore, not necessarily creating the situation where balconies would be located very close together. He also stated that vegetation would be located in these corridors to break views to adjacent buildings. Planner Enger stated that the proponents would need to use columnar type trees to fill up spaces between units which were located close together. He added that perhaps a shift of the structures of even five feet would be helpful . Hallett asked why proponents were asking for a density of 22.4 units per acre for the project. Planner Enger responded that the High Density Residential use of this site had been approved as a land use as part of the City West Planned Unit Development. Hallett asked if an Environmental Assessment Worksheet had been prepared for this site, in particular with respect to traffic generation. Planner Enger responded that one had been prepared for the overall City West Planned Unit Development, which included review for 400 units in this area while proponents were proposing 288 units instead. Hallett asked how the City would be able to control bonding time periods for landscaping in order to determine whether trees had been damaged during construction, if damage did not show up for a period of time. Planner Enger responded that this was done through the developer's agreement and through the landscaping bond required of the developers at the time of building permit issuance. He stated that Staff would be paying particular attention to this matter for this site. Chairman Schuck asked about the impact on the ponds in terms of erosion which may be caused by the development. Planner Enger responded that the City and Watershed District would be working together to see that proper erosion control methods were employed throughout the construction and final development of this site. Schuck asked about the speed limits for City West Parkway in this area. Planner Enger responded that the City would be looking at lowering the speed limits through this portion of the development. Chairman Schuck asked for comments and questions from members of the audience. There were none. MOTION 1: Motion was made by Bye, seconded by Johannes, to close the public hearing. Motion carried--6-0-0 MOTION 2: Motion was made by Bye, seconded by Johannes, to recommend to the City • Council approval of the request of Finger Enterprises for Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 for 13.43 acres, with variances to be reviewed by the Board of Appeals, for construction of 288 apartments units to be known as The Park At City West, based on plans dated July 22, 1985, subject to the recommendations of the Staff Report dated August 9, 1985, with the Planning Commission Minutes 8 August 12, 1985 following added conditions: 1) Prior to review by the City Council, proponent shall meet with Staff to review the building relationships in order to determine if there are alternatives to eliminate the closeness of the buildings; and, 2) Prior to review by the City Council, proponent shall meet with Staff to review transportation and traffic considerations for the property with respect to City West Parkway. Motion carried--6-0-0 MOTION 3: Motion was made by Bye, seconded by Johannes, to recommend to the City Council approval of the request of Finger Enterprises for Preliminary Plat of 9.52 acres (consisting of two outlots) into one lot for construction of 288 apartment units to be known as The Park At City West, based on plans dated July 22, 1985, subject to the recommendations of the Staff Report dated August 9, 1985, with the following added conditions: 1) Prior to review by the City Council , proponent shall meet with Staff to review the building relationships in order to determine if there are alternatives to eliminate the closeness of the buildings; and, 2) Prior to review by the City Council, proponent shall meet with Staff to review transportation and traffic considerations for the property with respect to City West Parkway. • Motion carried--6-0-0 V. OLD BUSINESS None. VI. NEW BUSINESS None. VII. PLANNER'S REPORT None. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION TO ADJOURN was made by Johannes, seconded by Dodge. Chairman Schuck adjourned the meeting at 11:00 p.m.