Bluff Creek Primary Zone Boundary Ltr 2-5-20CITY OT CHAI'IHASSXN
Chanhassen is a Community for Life - providing for Today and Planning for Tomonow
February 5, 2020
Mr. Tim Erhart
961 I Meadowlark Lane
Chanhassen, MN 553 I 7-8695
Re: BluffCreek Primary Zone Boundary
Dear Mr. Erhart
I am writing to respond to your request to modifl the BluffCreek Overlay District primary zone boundary
map as it relates to your property east ofPowers Boulevard (PID 251550022\.
The city hired WSB to review your property to determine ifa primary zone boundary adjustment was
appropriate. Based on their review ofthe information you supplied, City Code, applicant request, and city
and Riley Purgatory BluffCreek Watershed District documents, and rules regarding the definition and
determination for a bluffoverlay district and available GIS mapping and information, the consultant
recommended that a small portion ofthe site be removed from the primary zone from the east side ofthe
primary zone, but the westem boundary not be modified. (See attached Memorandum from WSB dated
December 10, 2019.) This recommendation is consistent with the city's review dated May 19,2016
(attached).
Ifyou do not agree with this interpretation, then you may appeal this decision to the Board ofAppeals and
Adjusments pursuant to Section 20-29 ofthe Chanhassen City Code. A development review application and
$ 100.00 appeal fee must be submifted for an appeal.
Ifyou have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at (952) 227 -1139 or
kaanenson{7 c i.chanhassen.mn. us.
Si v
Kate AICP
Community Development Director
Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
Bob Generous, Senior Planner
Charlie Howley, City Engineer/Public Works Director
Matt Unmacht, Water Resources Coordinator
Andi Moffatt, WSB
The city will implement the revision of the Bluff Creek Overlay District primary zone boundary removing the
area shown in green and correcting the map to show the area shown in blue, which is within the subwatershed
zone draining west ofthe ridge top, on the attached Map 3, Potential Exclusion Area.
Enclosures
PH 952.227.1 I 00 . www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us . FX 952.227.1110
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Memorandum
To:
Fron:
Date:
Re:Review of BCOD br Erhart Property
\rtBB Project No. 15183-{D0
On behalf of the Gity of Chanhassen, please see the review and determination of the Erhart
Property adiustment requesl as it pertains to the City's Blufi Creek Overlay District ordinance
d. Foster the creation of a greenway conn€c{ing Lake Minnewashta Regional park and
the Minnesota River Valley. The greenway will serve as an unintenupted pedestrian
hail, bikeway system, and wildlib conidor afioding opporhrnities for recreation,
education, physical fitness and nonmotorized transportation.
Bob Generous, Cig of Chanhassen
Oecember 10, 2019
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Background lnformrtio0
The Citfs Blufi Creek Overlay Disfict (BCOD) was developed in March 1997 as the end product
of the Blufi Creek Watershed Natural Resources Management plan. The purpo€e of the BCOD is
to:
Protecl the Blufi Creek Conirlor, weflands, bluffs, and significant stands of mature
fees through the use of careful site design, probctive @venants, sensitive alignment
and desbn of roadways and utilities, incorporation of natural batures, landscaping,
techniques outlined in the cit/s surface mter management plan, and the praciices
delineated in the civs surhce water managemer plan.
b. Encourage a development patbm that allows peopb and nature to mix spanning
multiple ecosystems. Development in the coridor should be ecologir=lly desened
and built around natural featurE suct as fees, wethnds, and blufrs. SEnificant
natural batures should impac-t devslopment ralher han development impac{ing
significant nafural Eahlr€s. The natural qualilies of the conidor should be preserved
to ensure suffcient habitat area br wildlib.
c. Promote innovative developrn€nt tecfiniqu€s sudl as duster development and open
space subdivisions to measurably reduce the arnount of impervious cover compared
to traditional de\relopment practices resulting in s(rnificant portions of a site being
retained as pemanent, protecied open spsce.
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,. lmphment the polft:ies and recommenddions bund in the Blufr Creek Watershed
Nafural Resources Management Plan.
Encourage cost efiective site development. Op€n space design practices can reduce
infrastructure engineering and construction costs because of lot configurations,
shortened strBets, and reduced utility runs. Long term cost savings can also be
realized by the City of Chanhassen associated with infrastructure maintenance costs.
Kr015183& .ffiDoc.tr/Euo - 120a19 - BCOO R4i(!* Coiduadt .doc(
tuidi Mofiatt, WSB
lratt Unmac-ht, WSB
December 10, 2019
Page 2
3.
ThemapoftheBcoDiscurren0ymaintainedbythecityasa.Glslayer.Alandownerdeveloper,
;,ty ;t;;il"&", or offrer may present eviden-ce as.to why the boundary should be placed in a
specifi; bcation. This argument must consider the following:
l.Drainageboundaries-ifthesitedoesnotdrainintotheBluffCreekthenitshouldnotbe
inciuOel in he BCOD. Drainage does not need to be a direc't connection but must simpty
have a hydraulic nerus _ cuMert, ditch, overland, sheet llotv or other @nveyance.
Existence of natiye communities - does the area have a unque or potected nafural
,"*rra"t"ta"t"stomeettheobiec{ivesoffreBlufrCreekNaturalResourc6
Management Plan?'-'-'a."-wenanos provide surface wdar dstention, watef quality, fiood abatement habitat
and educdional opPorhinities
O. Wooatanos provid absbaction and decreas€ runofi to Blufi Creek They limit-
"noi* ""0'p.t*e infibaton whidl can bonefit bas€ iox's within the deek'
They abo provue habitat and a€!fiGtic velue'
c. Praiirle and meadow areas also prornote infilffiion thereby decreasing runofi'- td;, ;."i.", and llashiness within the ctannel and other beneffis sucfi as bse
flor within Blufi Creek.
Topography - are blufrs, sGep slop€s defned as areas with av-erage slopes exceeding
ZS'pe-dnt, or o$er hnd mat'are iuscedible to erosion and mass soil movernent
presenO
2
Findlngs
Drainage boundaries: The City's subwabrshed mapping is attacfied in X'p {' This
;hil"tt-p",1i"" ort," pat"ir rt"t It within thG Blufi Creok vrdershed, Bc-As' 12
iru;".riii. it e topolraprry uased on LiDAR datBd 2012 h6 et o been reviewed and
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tr.p i. rfis-subv;tgrshcd appea]s b drain to l co .nstuded pond adjacent
to Fowers Boulevard and then overllow t6 the south, wtri*r then b direc'ted under a
curveri unoer ure rcao b ur€st. Ther€fore, th€re is a hydrologic connection to Blufi creek.
i;;;;;;ih". t a srnal .edion within 6,€ BCOD th;t does not drain to Blufi Creek and
166r"i O.iinjto ne east to Lake Rilsy, and is within the Riley Creek Subqratershed. This
small area that drains east is highlighted on th€ f.P 3'
The findings br the drainage boundary-a]e thet the P9OP and the portion of.this parcel
n&J in Ol ACOO do€s dAin to Btuftoro€k, except br the small erea that drains to
Lake Riley. Thb area could be removed from the BCOD'
Native communitbs:---'". -w"una":
Based on National Wotlind lnventory, city mapdng' and aif .plgtog'- t
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i.i r.rg" wefland on the east of the efea in quGtion within the PlD, but
ttra ls not w#rin tre Blufi Cre€k drainage area' There appeas to be a storm
.
ffid ulat;;-a*at"d imrnadiately a-diacent to Porcrs Boulevard - this area b
h& consltered yr€[anO. There Oo-not Lppsar to be any other wetlands within the
abr Creek suhmte|Ehed within Orb piriet. Aas€d on $is infomatbn' here do
naappeartoUeweUandswithinslbper6l'ssubu'atershedthatprovUebenefit
to Blui Cteek, so this land cover is not apPlicable'
1
2
K\015183{00\AdminEocs\tulEMo-'l2O41S-BCODReviewConclusionsdocx
December 10, 2019
Page 3
b. Woodlands: Air photos show various areas of wooded areas or scattered trees.
The landowner provided a tee inventory dabd August 2, 2019. Based on the
hee inventory within the existing blufr overhy disfbt there are difiering tree
specbs within the parcel. Th6e trees primarily include red oak, bur oak, aspen,
basswood, easEm r6d cedar, and elm. Thes€ are native species to Minnesota.
Based on the inbrmation proviled in the tee survey, it appears there is suffcient
native rvoodlands that would provide valuable habitrat wilhin the Blufi Creek
watershed.
c. Grasslands: Ba6€d on a review of aerbl phob6, there arc grasslands in the
BCOD arBa. These areas promote infiltration and reduce runofi creating benefits
within the BCOD.
The findings fur the presenoe d native mmmunitbs are that the area within Ore
BCOD does contain native woodhnd phnt communiti€s, as well as grassland areas
hat provide ben€fits to fl€ BCOD.
3. Topography: The ordinance states that slopes exceeding 25 percent shall be
preseNed in a nafural state. map 2 shows arEas that have slopes greater than 25olo
Addibonally, soils that are erosive in nature should be consirered. rp 4 shou6 the
soils categorized based on their erodibility. There are erodible soils and steep slopes
within the BCOD area within the parcel.
Scils infumation uas also reviersd from the County Soil Surwy. Th€ soils wihin the
exbting BCOD are a8 bllow5:
. HM - Hamel Loam. KB - Kilkenny-L€sbr loems
The findings regarding topography and eoils show that there are highly erodible or
pobntially highly erodible soils and sGep slopes within the BCOD area wihin the
parcel. Protecning and defining tfi6e areas wihin the BCOD b appropriate per the
BCOD ordinance.
Goncluslona
The property in questbn was revieryed wih respect to tle above criterie. The PID contains a
numb€r areas that uould qualiry it to b€ indud€d in the Blufi Creek Overlay Disfict. The majority
of the aree in question drains to Blufi Cre€k. Of th€se ar€as, the majodty contain ether
excessively steep slopes, erodible soils, or u/oodland or grasshnd habitat. There is one small
area that is within the parcel but not within the Bluff Creek Suhratershed, and topography shows
this area would not drain to Blufi Creek. As su€fi, thb area can be consUered for exclusion ftom
the BCOD. The remaining areas appear to qualify to remain in the BCOD.
lf you have any questions, please call fiE al76!287-7196 or email me al
amo fat@ 6beno.corn.
K1015183-000\Admin\Docs\t\rEMO - 12U19 - BCOD Review Conclusions.docx
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May 19, 2016
Mr. Tim Erhart
RE: Bluff Creek Overlay District
Dear Mr. Earhart,
This letter is meant to be illustrative of the purpose and delineation of the Bluff creek overlay District'
especially as it pertains to your property located east of Powers Boulevard and north of Pioneer Trail'
The Bluff creek overlay District first came into existence in March of 1997 as the end product of the
Bluff Creek Watershed Natural Resources Management Plan. The plan identified five primary goals and
these goals were further resolved based upon a variety of factors' They are as follows:
1. protection, restoration and enhancement of natural resources. This goal sought to divide the
watershed into regions and set management goals and techniques for these regions to protect
habitat and water quality.
2. Acquire and develop a continuous greenway corridor for aesthetics, recreation, water quality
protection and wildlife habitat preservation'
3. Minimize and/or avoid the impacts of development pressures'
4. Provide educational opportunities for all ages'
5. Development of a Natural Resources Management Plan that spans multiple jurisdictions'
These realizations were supported and/or expounded upon in the 1997 Bluff Creek Corridor Feasibility
study and then again in the 2oo9 Bluff creek TMDL BioloSical stressor ldentification Report, the 2013
Bluff creek watershed Total Maximum Daily Load Report: Turbidity and Fish Bioassessment
lmpairments and lmplementation Plan. Allthese reports supported the basic underlying premise that
the cause for the degradation of Bluff creek is the urbanization of the contributing watershed and
subsequent alterations to the flow regime. The last identified
The map currently maintained by the city as a Gls layer as well as contained within the Bluff creek
Natural Resources Management Plan is prima facie evidence but is not considered the definitive
boundary.Alandowner,developer,cityrepresentativeorothermaypresentevidenceastowhythe
boundary should be placed in a specific location. This arSument must consider the following:
1. Drainage boundaries. lf the site does not drain into the Bluff creek than it should not be
included in the BcoD. Drainage does not need to be a direct connection but must simply have a
hydraulic nexus - culvert, ditch, overland sheet flow or other conveyance'
2. Existence of native communities. Does the area have a unique or protected natural resource
that serves to meet the objectives of the Bluff creek Natural Resources Management Plan?
a.Wetlandsprovidesurfacewaterdetention,waterquality,floodabatement,habitatand
educational oPPortunities.
b. Woodlands provide abstraction and decrease runoff to BluffCreek. They limit erosion
and promote infiltration which can benefit base flows within the creek' They also
provide habitat and aesthetic value'
c. Prairie and meadow areas also promote infiltration thereby decreasing runoff, scour,
erosion, flashiness within the channel and other benefits such as base flow within Bluff
Creek.
3. Topography. Are bluffs, steep slopes or other land that are susceptible to erosion and mass soil
movement present?
4. Connectivity. Will this site serve continuation of the green corridor, a trail corridor or other
recreational or educational purpose?
With the original 1996 plan, the BCOD was approximately as show in red in Figure 1. The shaded green
shows the current BCOD per the proposed Fairview limits. These boundaries are overlaid upon the 1991
aerial photoSraph showing the conditions that existed at the time the BcoD was created.
Figure 7. Site conditions io 1997 with cufient BCOD oreo in
green, oiginalwestem limit oI BCOD in red ond proposed
boundory lrom Westwood exhibit in yellow.
Figure 2. Site conditions in 2014 with curreot BCOD oreo in
gteen, originol westem limit ol BCOD in red ond prcWed
boundory lrom westwood exhibit in yellow.
Given the criteria set forth for establishing the boundary, I do not see the justification for moving the
western boundary as shown.
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