Loading...
2023.04.10 - MinutesApproved Planning Commission Minutes – April 10, 2023 CRYSTAL PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers, Crystal City Hall 1. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Crystal Planning Commission convened at 7:00 p.m. with the following members present: X Commissioner (Ward 1) Sears [Vice Chair] X Commissioner (Ward 2) Selton [Chair] X Commissioner (Ward 4) Einfeldt-Brown [Sec. Vice Chair] X Commissioner (Ward 1) Heigel X Commissioner (Ward 3) Maristany  Commissioner (Ward 4) Johnson  Commissioner (Ward 2) Strand  Commissioner (Ward 3) Buck X Commissioner (At- Large) Scholz Other attendees: City planner Dan Olson, City Council liaison Therese Kiser, Community Development Director John Sutter, Dan Brown and Robbie Latta, both representing Hampton Companies, Michelle Affronti and Michael Pate, both representing Amarok LLC, and other interested persons. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Heigel and seconded by Einfeldt-Brown to approve the minutes of the March 13, 2023 regular meeting. Ayes: Maristany, Heigel, Selton, Einfeldt-Brown, and Scholz. Abstain: Sears. Nays: None Motion carried. 3. PUBLIC HEARING a. Subdivision (preliminary plat) and Rezoning to Planned Development request from Hampton Companies for proposed townhomes at 3401-3415 Douglas Drive North (Application 2023-03). Planner Olson presented a summary of the staff report and stated he is recommending approval of the preliminary plat and rezoning request. Commission member Heigel said he suggests not having a swamp white oak planted in front of the townhomes along Douglas as they get quite large. Mr. Brown said they are open to having different species. Planner Olson said the Commission could add a condition of approval to replace that tree with a smaller tree species. Commission member Maristany is concerned that visibility will be impaired at the intersection of 34th and Douglas by the reduced building setback. Landscaping may also add to that impairment. Planner Olson said that buildings and landscaping will not be located within the visibility triangle at that intersection. Approved Planning Commission Minutes – April 10, 2023 Commission member Maristany asked where snow removal will occur and will this impact the existing townhomes to the north. Planner Olson said that snow will be primarily stored in the stormwater swale on the north end of the site. Mr. Sutter said that the grading along the north property line will be such that any water from the snow melt will be carried east, not towards the existing townhomes. Commission member Maristany asked if there should be a main entrance door facing Douglas, to match single-family homes in the area. Planner Olson said any homes are located quite a distance across Douglas Drive, and the west side of Douglas has townhomes that face south, not towards Douglas. Each townhome will have landscaping along Douglas. Mr. Sutter said ideally the townhomes would have an urban form as she is proposing, but since the County does not allow parking on Douglas, any front doors would be merely decorative. Maristany asked about the safety of patio doors on a busy street where break-ins can occur. Mr. Brown said there will be a decorative fence in front of the patios which can inhibit break-ins. Mr. Sutter said the city’s policy for this property is guided by the R-2 density and to meet that density, its necessary to have reduced setbacks. Commission member Heigel said that the fencing in front of the patios may inhibit EMS personnel from reaching the interiors of the units for medical emergencies. Mr. Sutter pointed out areas where there will be fence openings to access the units. Commission member Sears asked about soil correction from the previous gas station use. Planner Olson discussed the soil clean-up process that will happen when the applicant constructs the buildings. Underground tanks were removed shortly after demolition of the gas station. Commission member Maristany asked about storm shelters for the townhomes. Mr. Brown said residents will have a window-less area in the back of the units where they can shelter. Commission member Scholz asked if the applicant thought about increasing the building setback along Douglas. Mr. Brown said the setbacks were determined to allow adequate vehicle movement to the garages. Mr. Sutter said the County would not allow driveway access off of Douglas. Scholz asked if the units were to be sold or rented. Mr. Brown said if interest rates continue to be high, they would sell the units. Mr. Olson suggested adding a variation for the PD that fences can be up to 5 feet rather than the maximum 4.5 foot limit in the R-2 district. Commission member Maristany asked what demographic might live in these townhomes. Mr. Brown said typically young professionals or empty-nesters, but the units may also sell to families with children. Chair Selton opened the public hearing. An interested person from the public said he is interested in working with the applicant to install a fence where his property meets the proposed parking lot. An interested person from the public said she is opposed to the development. She drives down 34th Avenue quite often and believes that the building setback will impair Approved Planning Commission Minutes – April 10, 2023 visibility for turns on to Douglas Drive. The site layout does not provide sufficient room for snow storage. She does not want these units to be rented as there are enough rentals in Crystal. She said Crystal needs larger homes for families, not townhomes. Hearing no one else from the public who wished to speak, Selton closed the public hearing. Planner Olson said he would like to address the site visibility comments. Although the buildings will be 13 feet to the property line, the buildings would also be 20 feet from the sidewalk and 28 feet from the existing curb on Douglas. Moved by Scholz and seconded by Sears to recommend approval to the City Council of the subdivision and rezoning applications for Hampton Companies for the property at 3401-3415 Douglas Dr N., with the added 5’ maximum height for fences along Douglas. Ayes: Heigel, Einfeldt-Brown, Sears, Selton, and Scholz. Nays: Maristany. Motion carried. b. UDC text amendment request from Amarok LLC to amend requirements for electric fences (Application 2023-04). Planner Olson presented a summary of the staff report and stated he is recommending denial of the text amendment request. Commission member Maristany asked if the police department had any comments on the amendment. Planner Olson said the police did not provide comments on the proposed ordinance. Commission member Scholz asked if a specific property owner has asked for an electric fence. Mr. Pate said they do have a client asking for this fence type. Commission member Heigel said there may be city liabilities if someone is injured because of the electric fence. Mr. Pate described how Amarok’s fencing system works. For the ordinance amendment, he referenced standards for electric fences but these are not adopted in all states. The fences greatly reduce property break-ins. Mr. Pate said Amarok carries liability insurance for each property and people are not injured by these fences. Commission member Maristany asked if the fences would harm wildlife. Mr. Pate said no. A person would receive a 15-20,000 volt shock if they impact the electric fence. Commission member Heigel said the fence is similar to what he’s seen on farms, and he’s seen a 1,000 pound steer knocked to its feet. Mr. Pate said the shock with Amarok’s fence would be less than what would happen on a farm. Commission member Maristany asked if the solar panel would not provide the energy needed to run the fence. Mr. Pate said there are auxiliary mechanisms to step in when the solar panel is not working. Commission member Sears said he’s familiar with electric fences - people would not be injured by these fences and they are a deterent to crime. Approved Planning Commission Minutes – April 10, 2023 Mr. Sutter said although the applicant said these fences would not be allowed in residential districts, the ordinance they submitted states otherwise. Any fences that would be installed under this ordinance would remain even if the city later repeals the ordinance. City staff has no knowledge of a specific property owner who would like an electric fence so we can’t verify if the applicant’s claim is true. The city would like to encourage investment through indoor storage in a building, not outdoor storage enclosed by an electric fence. Mr. Pate said his intent is not to allow electric fences in residential areas so he’s willing to change the draft ordinance to reflect that. Commission member Maristany said the City Council might study the issue more in- depth to see the need for an electric fence ordinance, rather than approving this ordinance language. Mr. Sutter said an application has been submitted and Amarok is asking for a response from the Planning Commission and City Council on the specific application they submitted. Commission member Heigel said he doesn’t see the need for electric fences in Crystal. May other cities have also said no. Commission member Scholz said she’d be open to electric fences on a case by case basis, but this ordinance is not appropriate as submitted. Hearing no one from the public who wished to speak, Selton closed the public hearing. Moved by Heigel and seconded by Maristany to recommend denial to the City Council of the text amendment application for Amarok LLC, based on the findings in the staff report. Ayes: All. Nays: None. Motion carried. 4. OLD BUSINESS - None 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Conformance to Comprehensive Plan – sale of 3401-3415 Douglas Dr N. Moved by Einfeldt-Brown, seconded by Sears to make the determination that the sale of 3401- 3415 Douglas Dr N is in conformance to the Comprehensive Plan. Ayes: All. Nays: None. Motion carried. 6. GENERAL INFORMATION • City Council actions on previous Planning Commission items: Olson stated that the Council approved the site plan for the new office warehouse at 5208-5216 Hanson Ct N. Approved Planning Commission Minutes – April 10, 2023 • Update from Council Liaison: Council liaison Kiser said the City Council has had some meetings to review plans for the Blue Line LRT station. Council interviews for the vacant position will wrap up by this Thursday. • Staff preview of likely agenda items for Monday, May 8, 2023 meeting. Planner Olson said the application deadline date is not until tomorrow, but one item for the May meeting will be a presentation by the consultant working on updating the Blue Line Extension LRT station area plan. Mr. Sutter said a community meeting on the update will occur by early June. 7. OPEN FORUM - None 8. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Einfeldt-Brown and seconded by Selton to adjourn. Ayes: All. Nays: None Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.