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Johns Narrative 061413 APPLICATION FOR PUD REZONING & PRELIMINARY PLAT REVIEW Chanhassen City Staff Planning Department May 20, 2013 J & S Ventures1 Inc. is proposing a 16 lot si ngle family development called Preserve at Rice Lake. It is located south east of Tigua Lane and West 86 th Street, just north of Hwy 212. The property is 13.23 acres. We ar e requesting a re-zoning to a PUD. The site has 163,187 sq. ft. of delineated wetl ands of which only 14,095 sq. ft. would be impacted. We are proposing to satisf y the 2:1 wetland mitigation requirements by purchasing wetland credits from a wetland bank. The development utilizes a portion of the upla nd area to create 16 lots ranging in area from 10,004 to 18,303 Sq. Ft. The overall pr oposed density of the 16 lots on 13.23 acres is 1.2 units per acre. This proposal leav es 3.65 acres of upland included open space. The proposed rezoning of the site is to a PUD. The PUD designation is to allow for deviations from zoning require ments in order to provide a better development while being sensitive to the wetlands and worki ng around the site constraints. The PUD process allows the City the flexibility to create better developments by deviation from standard zoning code requirements in excha nge for the expectation that the development will result in better land use taking into account the environmental features of the property. Benefits to this PUD: 1. The site is essentially clustered. This clustering allows for the creation and preservation of open space within the subdivision. The development proposes to retain 57.2% open space versus the 50% mi nimum required. With the application of clustering the lots, the na tural features and beauty of the site can be preserved. This project will have the gross density is a 1.2 units per acre, and the average lot size will be ¼ acre. 2. The vast majority of the existing wetl ands will remain untouched. The main impact is due to the necessity of the a ccess road, without which the parcel could not be developed. All wetlands have appropriate buffer areas which will be contained within outlots to be deeded to the city. The developer will place a sign or post indicating conservation area at the rear lot corners of those lots abutting the wetland outlot. 3. Behind lots 4 thru 8, Block 1, between the minimum wetland buffer strip and the rear property lines, we are proposing to keep this area as an enhanced preservation area. This would effectively enlarge the buffer area and help filter the rear yard runoff from the wetland. This would e nhance and help protect the natural wetland beauty of the site. 4. The developer is currently working with th e adjacent land owner to the north in an effort to connect into sanitary se wer service via a manhole located on the landowner’s lot. The original plan for this project called for connecting to a manhole approximate 200 feet north of the northeast corner of the property. This original plan would have required the rem oval of significantly more trees in this area, and would be a large impact to th e high quality wetland on the east end of the parcel. We are also in discussions with this land owner to provide them a water service hook up to City water. 5. Installation of a noise wall. As the deve loper we will be installing an extensive noise wall along Hwy 212 which will not onl y lessen the highway traffic noise for this property but for the adjacent properties as well. The wall will be constructed to match that of the adjacent existing wa ll. The wall will be constructed in the MnDOT right-of-way. MnDOT is aware of this proposal and is not opposed to the wall or plantings. 6. Clustering the lots allows for reduced hard surface area. While there are no individual lot hard surfac e requirements, the calculations below demonstrate this claim. Street Pavement Area 43,183 Sq. Ft. Sidewalk & Future Trail 10,713 Sq. Ft. Driveway 16,000 Sq. Ft. (Est. 1,000 per lot) Bldgs, Porch, Patios etc. 40,000 S q. Ft. (Est. 2,500 per lot) Total Hard Cover 109,896 Sq. Ft. (19.07%) 7. We also are proposing additional tree s over and above what is minimally required. Minimally required are 87 tr ees and 46 shrubs. We are proposing planting 12 (13 % more) trees and 54 additiona l ornamental grasses. Added to the shrubs, this is a 117% increas e. The trees and grasses wi ll enhance the streetscape and provide a visually unifying element. 8. Mail Boxes. A custom designed mail box will be constructed. These will be grouped to minimize street impact and to comply with the US postal service requirements. Placement and design must have final approval by the post office prior to installation. 9. Street Element Plantings. The additional Prairie Fire crabapple trees and Purple Foliage switch grass placed approximately every 50 feet along the main entrance and at the trailhead will help to make a unified appearance for the subdivision while helping to make a visu al transition from the natural landscape to the urban maintained landscape. The plant materials are native in appearance but by using them often and in a uniform pattern, the image will be one of design and not random as in nature. 10. We are proposing a 5’ wide sidewalk. This sidewalk will not only be used by the residents but we believe it will be mostly used by the surrounding neighborhood as access to the future park tr ail to the east. Th is side walk will make the pedestrian feel more like they are on a continuation of the park trail to the east, instead of walking through someone ’s front and side yards to get to the trail. Lastly, it should be a very safe tr ail to walk on because on the south side of the cul de sac there are only 3 driveways. 11. Staff is also asking that the trail extens ion be located between Lots 11 and 12 to avoid a small wetland impact. Doing this would not be a problem except that we feel that this route not on ly makes the pedestrian experience not as pleasant with less of a secluded walk, but it is also more intrusive for the adjacent residences. We feel the trail as shown allows a more open view public access while still protecting the adjacent resident ’s privacy. We also believe that the future trail can be constructed to minimize the wetland impact. We will construct the sidewalk section within the right of wa y, and the rest is shown as future trail. It is our understanding that if we construct the sidewalk as shown on the plan then eventually the City Parks Department w ill construct the trail portion from the cul de sac to the east, shown as future trail. This property is both beautiful with its wetla nds and natural areas, and yet has had many constraints that make it difficult to deve lop. This very beautiful single family development will provide the best situation for land use for this parcel, while still preserving a large portion for open space. This development also at the same time creates a buffering with the impact of the hi ghway and minimizing the impact to adjacent existing neighbors. We ask the City to approve this preliminary plat of The Preserve at Rice Lake so that this subdivision can and w ill be an amenity to the City of Chanhassen and the surrounding residential neighborhoods for many years to come. Sincerely, John Knoblauch Vice President J & S Ventures1 Inc.