Loading...
1986 04 23 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES REGULAR MEETING APRIL 23, 1986 e Chairman Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Steven Emmings, Robert Siegel, Bill Ryan, Ladd Conrad, Howard Noziska and Mike Thompson. MEMBERS ABSENT Tim Erhart STAFF PRESENT Barbara Dacy, City planner and Vicki Churchill, Secretary. PUBLIC HEARING 2. Northern States Power Company: a. Conditional Use Permit request to allow 115 kv power transmission lines through the City of Chanhassen either along Highway 5 and the Chicago-Milwaukee Railroad or along the future Highway 212 alignment. e b. zoning Ordinance Amendment to allow Substations as a conditionse in the R-la, Agricultural Residence District. c. Conditional Use Permit request to allow a power substation to be located on 7 acres of property zoned R-la, Agricultural Residence District and located at the northwest corner of County Road 17 and County Road 18. Public Present Doug Hansen Jim Curry Gayle & Lois Degler David B. Setterholm Al Klingelhutz Walter & Marisa Paulson George St. Martin Christine Peterson 17001 Stodola Road 4817 Upper Terrace, Edina 1630 Lyman Blvd. 18780 W. 78th Street (The Press) 8600 Great Plains Blvd. 8528 Great Plains Blvd. 9231 Audubon Road 9900 Bren Road East, Mpls. (Opus) - Dacy stated that first staff would like to discuss the placement of the four alignment options. She stated that on February 12, 1986, the Planning commission reviewed the request and recommended denial of the proposed route so that the city Council could give direction to the Planning Commission, the applicant and staff. She stated that the Zoning Ordinance Amendment to allow electri- cal substations as a conditional use was tabled at that time. She stated that the transmission line application was considered Planning commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 2 e by the City Council on March 17th. She stated that at the March 17th meeting, NSP presented information regarding the need and justification for the 115 kv line. She stated that the alignment was also a major issue. She stated that each of the council mem- bers stated their position on the issue and it was stated that Highway 5 alternatives should be evaluated by NSP. She stated that the City Council referred the matter back to the Planning Commission because NSP submitted additional information as to the need of the 115 kv line and the need for the location of the substation at the proposed site. Dacy presented a video of the all the alternative routes that NSP has submitted that could be followed. She stated that she would discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of the proposed routes. 1. Highway 5 - West 184th Street - Railroad e She stated that this option proposes installation of the transmission lines from the Westgate Substation, along Highway 5 to the Chanhassen Eden prairie boundary (the future right-of-way of West 184th Street) north to the Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. She stated that the lines would then follow the railroad along the rear of Lyman Lumber, the rear of the Chanhassen Meadows apartment project, through the eastern portion of the downtown area adjacent to the Taco Shop and the Apple Valley Red-E-Mix and through the business park to the existing 69 kv line west of Audubon Road. Dacy stated that the advantages of this route is that there would be no visual impact on Highway 5 as one enters the city. She stated that the disadvantages would be that the lines would be located within 50 feet of the Lyman Lumber storage buildings and the Chanhassen Meadow garage buildings. She stated that NSP has indicated that there is not enough clearance between the transmission poles and the structures. She noted that in the case of Lyman Lumber, flammable products are being stored in these buildings which are located close to the rear property line. She also stated that in Eden prairie on the north side of the railroad tracks, a single family subdivision is under construction. She stated that the transmission lines would be located adjacent to a single family neighborhood. She also noted another disadvantage is that the railroad communication lines may have to be relocated. 2. Highway 5 - West 78th Street - Railroad - She stated that this option proposes installation of the transmission lines from the Westgate Substation along Highway 5 to where the railroad crosses West 78th Street and then continues e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 3 along the railroad to the existing 69 kv line west of Audubon Road. Dacy stated that the advantage of this route is the that align- ment does not interfere with any existing or proposed single family residences or industrial buildings. She stated that the disadvantages of this route would be that transmission poles would be visible in the major entrance corridor into the com- munity and the downtown area and again the railroad communication lines may have to be relocated. 3. Highway 5 - Railroad Dacy stated that this option proposes installation of the transmission lines from the Westgate Substation, along Highway 5 and then to the railroad near the church site. Dacy stated that an advantage to this route would be that transmission poles and lines would not be located through down- town commercial property. She noted that the disadvantages were that transmission lines would have to cross Highway 5 in the vicinity of the Dakota Avenue and Highway 5 intersection and that the poles would be located along a significant portion of the e Highway 5 corridor. 4. Highway 212 Corridor Dacy stated that advantages to this option would be that transmission lines would not be located along the major entrance into the community; it would help to establish the 212 corridor; and that the western portion of the route along Lyman Boulevard is along the the urban service area boundary. She stated, however, the disadvantages of the alignment are the uncertainty of the timing and installation of the 212 corridor in relation to NSP construction timetable; if the 212 corridor is not installed, the transmission lines would bisect large tracts of land which could become residential areas in the future (Curry and Klingelhutz property). - Dacy stated that in summary, Option #1 has a section without ade- quate right-of-way for public safety in the area along Lyman Lumber, the Eden prairie border and the Chanhassen Meadows apart- ment project. Option #2 locates the transmission lines along an existing corridor (Hwy. 5) and intersects the railroad at the cement plant. Transmission lines would be located along the railroad at the rear of the dinner theater area. Option #3 also locates the transmission lines along an existing corridor but follows Highway 5 for a longer distance. Option #4 is the most direct route but may create a corridor through potential residen- tial areas. e e e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 4 however, because a Highway 5 alignment may be recommended in Chanhassen, Eden prairie staff now indicates that Eden prairie would allow a Highway 5 alignment. She also stated that Eden prairie did consider a requirement for underground installation and NSP indicated that underground installation would signifi- cantly increase costs because of the technology involved. Dacy also noted that NSP has also met with MnDOT staff as location of the lines in relation to the widening plans. stated that MnDOT indicated that both agencies would have together in locating the lines appropriately. to the She to work Jerry Larson, NSP Planning, stated that there are two major lines that come into the Chanhassen area: one from Eden prairie and one from Scott County. He stated that if for some reason from a storm or if a car hits a pole, if something were to remove one of the power lines from operation, the only remaining source to the area would be from Scott County. He stated that by 1988 with the growth that is occurring in Chanhassen, Eden prairie, Excelsior, Deephaven as well as Chaska, what will happen is the remaining line will hold a percentage above what its capability is to carry it. He stated that there is not enough capacity in the existing line to carry to all of the customers. He stated that in order to protect the Westgate facility, they would be forced to interupt service to some customers if this situation would occur during a high load period. He stated that when the lines are loaded to the extent that he is talking about, the wires sag and they get hot and cause safety problems. He stated that they also have to consider loss of power to the Chaska end. He stated that when that happens, they have to load the lines from Westgate over its 100% capacity which weakens the lines. He stated that the solution, if there is a facility that is overloaded, what you do is build a transition facility that would be in parallel so if you lost any of these facilities there is an alternate back-up which would be the Bluff Creek substation. He also stated that they have talked with the Minnesota Valley Co-op and the proposed substation site is potentially an alternate source in the future for the Co-op to use. He stated that site was chosen because it was a compromise location between the needs of Chaska and NSP's needs to serve Excelsior, Chanhassen and Eden prairie area. He stated that it is located half way in between and for all of the customers in the area. He stated that a question was raised at the last meeting about why NSP could not build from the south a single line from Scott County back to the Bluff Creek project. He stated that there are two outages causing the need. DAve Anderson, NSP - Minnetonka Office, stated that being able to construct shorter feeders enables NSP to increase the capacities to serve the present as well as future loads, give reduced expo- sure to outages, and also gives better back-up. He stated that there is reduced line losses that help conserve energy, better Planning commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 5 e e voltage control and regulation on the feeders and in the industrial operations sometimes big machinery flickers and with shorter feeders enables more consistent voltage fluctuations. He stated that there are nine substations located throughout the area. He stated that the present feeder that serves Chanhassen comes out of Deephaven substation at Highway 7 and Vine Hill Road. He stated that their load forecast indicates that they will need another feeder/distribution circut in this area to maintain reliable service in 1987. He stated that they looked at several alternative solutions. He stated that the first solution was to go to Excelsior and add a third feeder. He stated that it would require increasing the transformer capacity in the substa- tion needed by changing out the existing transformer to an electric one or adding a second transformer. He stated that it is fairly simple to do on a distribution level but it meant that they were using up much of the remaining capacity in that 69 kv line that is presently serving Deephaven and Excelsior. He stated that their second choice was a long feeder out of Deephaven and again from a distribution point of view it is very simple to do. He stated that longer feeders have the disadvan- tages of increased exposure to outages and increased line losses. He stated that it is a possibility, but the problem was the same as Excelsior where they used up much of the remaining capacity in the 69 kv line. He stated these types of solutions might work for the next feeder but the real problem is where do you go from there once the transmission capacity is used up? He stated that the third choice was to come back from the Westgate substation and bring out an express feeder, about three miles, into the industrial area. He stated that this is a possible solution, but some of the problems with long express feeders are with overhead are trees and underground, with dig-ins and cable failures. He stated that also there are some proposed highway improvements along Highway 5 and it was difficult to find a place to put that feeder where it could be left and not moved again during that construction period. Don Chmiel stated that the route NSP is recommending is coming down Highway 5 from Eden prairie, parallelling Highway 5 on the north side of road, to the cement plant, then parallel to the railroad. He stated that the other alternative would be to follow Highway 5 in and around and then meet the railroad again, at the church then down to the 69 kv line. He stated that either route is acceptable to NSP. He stated that if NSP did not feel there was a need to provide the service, they would not spend millions of dollars to do this. Ryan asked if there were any petitions or letters to enter into the record? e Dacy stated that staff received a letter today from Opus Corporation and there is a representative here tonight. e e e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 6 Jim Curry stated that he was pleased that NSP was not recommending the 212 alignment. He stated that he supports either alternative along Highway 5. Al Klingelhutz stated that most of his feelings were expressed at the last Planning Commission meeting and city Council meeting. He just wanted to state that if high voltage lines were to follow along 212 corridor, which someday will be a residential area, it would be a real detriment to the values of the property. He felt it would be a shame to place 115 kilowatt lines through an area that contains so much promise for the City. Melissa Eide stated Lake Riley and Rice Lake is a flyaway for birds going back in forth. She stated that some of these birds fly at eye level and would hate to see some of these birds fly into a high line. Gayle Degler wanted to again state that in April, 1971, his brother was killed with the lower powered 69 kv line. He stated that first of all as far as the need, he stated that the need is not in Chanhassen. He stated that he felt it was real nice that NSP and Chaska got together and decided to put the substation in Chanhassen. He stated that the 212 corridor is going to cross at C.R. 17 and C.R. 14 and felt the line should follow there because it would be closer to the people that need the service. He stated that he is against the substation at the proposed site. He felt that sometimes the need is over stated to stress a point. He asked if NSP does not get approval for the proposed lines, does that mean the substation is dropped? He stated that he heard the substation is going to go even if the City of Chanhassen says no Northgate power line. He stated that he does not know how the power line will affect him or his children, but he stated that with his business with milking dairy cows. He stated that the phrase "stray voltage", which does things to ani- mals and to cows causes masditis which is an inflamation which can cause economic ruin to a farmer. He stated that NSP has done studies at St. Cloud where they measured the masditis where a line went similar to the one that passes his home. He stated that when they moved the line off the man's property, his produc- tion increased greatly. George Warner, NSP, stated that in the study, after the transmission line was moved, the stray voltage was still there and it was proved that it came from a different source. Gayle Degler stated that stray voltage is a problem and he is not going to say how 115 kv will affect his herd or his family. He felt that Chanhassen could find another place for the substation. Ryan asked for the record, if he lived in the first home south of the substation? e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 7 Gayle Degler stated that his parents live there now on the east of the road. He stated that obviously Chaska would like the substation in Chanhassen. He suggested placing the substation farther north. Christine Peterson, Opus Corporation, asked for a continuance of the public hearing. She stated that the proposed line goes directly through the business park and they would like time to assess the implications. She stated that the first question Opus asked NSP is why not bury the cable. She stated that they first stated because of the high voltage and then found out from another source that there was a cost factor involved, and asked which it was? She stated if the lines would be in the railroad right-of-way or if land would need to be deeded. She stated that at first they stated it would be in the right-of-way and then said they would need an easement dedicated, and asked for a correct answer on that. She also asked what the restrictions on the lines such as height, closeness to a structure, etc.? e Jerry Larson, NSP, stated that in order to bury a higher voltage line the cost goes up dramatically. He stated that to build the line from the Westgate substation to Bluff Creek, which is about 6t miles, the cost would be approximately $160,000 to $175,000 a mile for overhead line. He stated underground line would cost between a million and a million and a half dollars a mile. He stated that NSP's position is that in order to maintain lower rates to attract industry so that all of the consumers can afford electricity. Ryan stated that there was another question about railroad right-of-way? - George Warner, NSP, stated that they would attempt to get a per- manent easement on the railroad right-of-way. He stated that there some cases where they would have to be on private property. He stated that their easements are determined by the National Electric Safety Code Clearance. He stated the reason they prefer not to have buildings on the right-of-way, although there are some, is to protect the lines. He stated that in the case of the lumber company, they are concerned if there is a fire, the heat from the fire will heat the conductors up beyond the thermal limits and the line will sag and trip-out and would lose the line. He stated that they have allowed commercial buildings on the easements which are constructed of fire proof materials or a sprinkling system that provides a two hour fire rating from an interior fire. He stated the reason for the two hour rating is that a fire department could respond within a two hour period and the fire would not weaken the roof and would not heat up the conductors. e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 8 Ryan stated that he thinks the question is if NSP goes along the railroad right-of-way, would they need some of Opus's property for an easement and how much? George Warner stated that they could give an approximate guess of about 40 feet outside of the railroad right-of-way. He stated that they will be using part of the Highway 5 easement also. Jerome Carlson, one of the owners of Instant Web, stated that he sent a letter to the City Council in March and stressed concern relative to the continued shortages that his company is experiencing. He stated that he is not addressing the pros and cons of the substation. He stated that there is a need for the electricity. He stated they have a log available that can verify the number of times that they have had black-outs or shut downs. He stated that whether the electricity is off for 30 seconds or five minutes, many things occur. He stated that in many cases the circut boards either burn out immediately or prematurely as a result. He asked how they would be able to add more equip- ment or more industry without the extra power. e Dave Anderson, NSP, stated that the last outage that was an operator switching error. He stated that one operators closed a switch before he opened another. that they have had massive tree trimming program and there should be less outages because of this. occurred of the He stated felt that Jerome Carlson also stated that he felt there was a power shortage. He stated that the need for him is growing rapidly. Dave Setterholm, representing the Press, stated that he would like to echo Mr. Carlson's comments in that they also see the desparate need for more power. He stated that they have also had power outages from time to time and it is very costly. He asked what the poles would look like. George Warner stated that they would be a single steel pole along Highway 5 the height would be approximately 80 to 100 feet above ground. He stated that there would be a pole every 400 to 600 feet. Dave Setterholm stated that in the report, NSP did not want to follow the 212 corridor because the route was not firmly established. He stated that widening improvements were planned for Highway 5 and asked if that might be a problem? George Warner stated that they have the preliminary plan for the Highway 5 improvements. e Dave Setterholm asked if the expansion of the Highway determined which side of the highway the poles would be on? e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 9 George Warner stated that they hope to stay on the north side and will clean up the existing poles on Highway 5. Dave Setterholm stated that his concern is that he is not sure the City wants to have 100 foot poles at the entrance of the City. He stated that they have invested a lot of money into what they feel is an attractive building. He was not happy that it was possible to have these poles 100 feet from the front of their building. Don Chmiel stated that in a letter from MnDOT to Jo Ann Olsen, MnDOT stated that they are also looking at a route for the power line which would run parallel to inplace Highway 5 from the Westgate Substation to the railroad in Chanhassen and close cooperation between MnDOT and NSP will be necessary so that the proposed power line construction is compatible with future high- way plans. Jerome Carlson asked if nothing is done in the next few years, he asked where it would leave Instant Web, united Mailing and victory Envelope specifically and other people in general in terms of not enough electricity. e Jerry Larson, NSP, stated that as the demand grows, there will be a greater number of hours of potential failure. Ryan asked what NSP's schedule was from a construction standpoint and when would they be able to deliver service to victory Envelope from the new substation? Don Chmiel stated that the schedule is that they would like to begin right-of-way negotiations right away with the City and proceed with the requirements. He stated that the begin construction date was March, 1986 for the 69 kv portion. He stated that they look to complete the temporary 69 kv line in service by May, 1987. He stated that for the 115 kv line, they are looking at starting in August, 1986 with completion in May, 1988. Christine Peterson stated that from Opus's standpoint they would like to assess the need in numbers or statistics. She asked what clearance restrictions there would be and what impact aIlS kv line would have on a main stream computer? George Warner stated that they have done a study that any struc- ture of metal or wire in any building provides shielding for your electronic equipment. e George stated that there has not been an answer to Mr. Degler's question about the location of the substation, why it could not be placed further south. e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 10 Don Chmiel stated that the City of Chaska is not in quite the need that the City of Chanhassen is in. He stated that this was pointed out at the last meeting. He stated that Chanhassen does need it more than Chaska and what they are looking at is by bringing Chaska into the project, they can defer some of those costs. He stated that by placing it further south, it would take away from Chanhassen. Chaska wanted it further south, but Chanhassen needs the capacity into the industrial park. asked if the substation was going to sit on the hill? Don Chmiel stated that the grades from the county road which is about 920 feet, and to the top point of the substation which would be 935 feet. Gayle Degler stated that the road is the highest thing around there except for his building site. He stated that it is on top of the hill. He stated that it is going to be seen coming from the east and south because it will be sitting up on the hill. He asked why Chaska approached NSP and not Chanhassen? Don Chmiel stated that Chaska is a wholesale buyer from NSP and they will help defer some of the costs. ~ stated that he has never seen a substation that had enough landscaping. Don Chmiel stated that he agrees, however, they have tried to make the building more attractive and with the grade they are at, they have brought it down quite a bit. Al Klingelhutz asked if they have considered moving the substa- tion closer to the railroad tracks which is about two or three blocks north. Don Chmiel stated that they need the roads to get into it. Al Klingelhutz stated that there is a nine ton road leading up to the tracks. He stated that the substation now is at a high V1Sl- bility and at the intersection of three roads and felt if it was moved back, it would not have so much visibility and would be on one road. Gayle Degler asked if there was a difference in right-of-way between just a 69 kv and a 69 and 115 kv line? e George Warner stated that the right-of-way will vary with the type of structure. He stated that with a double circut they planned on using a single pole structure where they can. Gayle Degler asked what could be built in that right-of-way? Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 11 e George Warner stated that as he said before no residential buildings, it could be commercial buildings with certain restric- tions as far as type and clearance. He stated that some cities are using the right-of-way for a walking trail or parking lot. Noziska moved, seconded by Emmings, to close the public hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried. M. Thompson asked what staff's position was on this? Dacy stated that staff's position was to show the pros and cons of each alternative. She believed that Option #1 poses the most problems and either Option #2, #3, or #4 would be feasible. M. Thompson asked as far as alignments, besides 212, which would have the least impact on the downtown? Dacy stated that Option #3 would skirt the downtown and would be along Highway 5. Noziska stated that all of the options have impacts. He asked if Eden prairie had any comments on this? e Dacy stated that Eden prairie has indicated that a Highway 5 alignment would be approved. Noziska felt that the proposed site of the substation was not very good as far as visibility and off the beaten path. Jerry Larson stated that if the substation was placed too far north, it will have problems reaching Chaska and if it is placed too far south, then there will be problems for Chanhassen. Noziska asked if NSP would consider moving the substation north by the railroad tracks and asked staff how far it would be from the proposed site? Dacy stated that it would be approximately a half mile. Jerry Larson stated that it has to remain in the center proximity of Chanhassen and Chaska within about 1 to lt miles from the pro- posed site. Noziska felt that the substation should be placed next to the tracks. He also asked why Opus was not brought into the case earlier? Dacy stated that the public hearing notice was sent to Opus/Alscor Investment and went to their general office. She e e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 12 stated that she did call Michele Foster to check and verify what their position would be and was told that she had not received it. Noziska asked staff what she felt their position was? Dacy stated that she believed they still want additional time to go through their internal review process and assess the impacts as far as retailing their lots in the area. Noziska asked if the Commission would have to table the item again or was there another solution? Dacy stated that the Commission could direct the applicant to work with Opus in the meantime before the item went to the City Council. Conrad stated that he is not convinced that the right location for the substation has been identified. He asked if there were any dangers with the 115 kv line versus the 69 kv? George Warner stated that National Electric Safety Code specifies the structure strength, the strength of all mechanics in the line, etc. e Conrad asked if any other agencies beside NSP would respond to down lines and also if the longer span between lines would cause more problems than shorter spans? Don Chmiel stated that in some instances there would be police to detour traffic. He stated that dangerous wise, there would not be much problem with transmission lines. He stated that tor- nadoes have a tendency to pull them out, and they would have a dominoe effect. Conrad stated that he would suggest Alternative #2. He stated that he dislikes it going through the downtown area after spending a lot of money to encourage development and it is unfor- tunate that it has to be placed there. He does not know where the power station should be and would like staff to make a recom- mendation on that. Bob Siegel was concerned about the suddenness of the request and was concerned about placing the substation at the proposed site without any other alternatives. He was also concerned because staff did not make a specific recommendation on the routes. He stated that they presented three alternatives in which all have pros and cons. He feels that there should at least be one alter- native for the substation which would be less visible. e Dacy stated that staff did not make a specific recommendation because some of the criteria was very subjective and not directly e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 13 planning related. She stated that one person may have no problem with 100 foot white poles along Highway 5; however, there are others that feel that is a significant visual impact. She stated that there were issues that the public, Planning Commission and the City Council had to address as a whole. She stated that staff felt that by identifying the pros and cons of each route the public, Commission, Council and NSP could discuss which would be the best route. Steve Emmings also felt the location and the lack of flexibility of the substation is of great concern. He stated that he is also struck by the apparent sudden urgency or need of the lines. He also asked what a substation did? Dave Anderson, NSP, stated that a substation has a number of facilities in it and one of the major facilities is a transformer that would transfer the voltage from in this case 115,000 volts down to what is called distribution voltage is 13,800 volts it then goes out on the smaller lines and into the local areas where it is again transformed down to a usable volt. Emmings asked how a substation would give more power? e Dave Anderson, NSP, stated that by locating a substation between two areas, such as the existing substation in Chaska and Excelsior, and placing one in between, you are connecting to the higher voltage transmission line. He stated that by putting a higher voltage or pressure in the center of the area, the entire area surrounding has a higher voltage. Emmings stated that Mr. Carlson asked what would happen if there was nothing done about the power and Mr. Chmiel stated that there would be a problem. He asked what exactly would happen, would there be no power, or less reliable power? He stated that Mr. Carlson stated he was having problems with the power and Emmings felt it was more of a service problem rather than be a lack of power. Dave Anderson, NSP, stated that Mr. Carlson was talking about two different problems. He stated that the problem with outages would probably be lessened with the tree trimming, etc. but he also spoke of adding more press and folding machines. He stated that is a capacity problem just like overloading a line in a home. He stated that Deephaven is almost at its peak for capa- city and the problem is not a day to day capacity problem. He stated that problem is when a feeder is down to pick it up on a secondary back-up. e Emmings asked if there was a capacity problem at this point in time? e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 14 Dave Anderson, NSP, stated not at this point; however, victory Envelope will be going on line this summer and with other industries growing, there is a potential in the near future. Emmings asked how the substation was chosen? Don Chmiel stated that the site was chosen for several reasons. He stated that one was because the 69 kv line parallels that location and secondly because it is adjacent to a highway or county road with sufficient load capacity. He stated that the third reason was that NSP was able to option that piece of pro- perty and the proximity to location of NSP's needs and to meet Chanhassen's and Chaska's needs. Emmings asked if any other site was looked at? Don Chmiel stated that a site about 3/4 of a mile south on County Road 17 on the west side across from a new residential develop- ment. - Emmings stated that if he had to chose a route it would be Option #2. He stated that he does not like it. He does not mind the poles along Highway 5 but felt once they get to the railroad, they should be placed underground and felt that NSP would find a way to afford the cost differences of the overhead and underground lines if made a condition. He felt that it should stick to existing corridors. He felt the item should be tabled because he is unconvinced of the need and feels the City Engineer or a consultant should assess it. Don Chmiel stated that the Public utility Commission will not allow NSP to underground to benefit one respective city and if the city so desires it to go underground, then it is the city's requirement to pay the difference between the overhead and underground costs. Dacy stated that as far as the need and staff's viewpoint on that, it seemed that it is a Chanhassen problem but also a south- west area problem in that they have to make a connection between the Westgate substation and the Scott County substation and the question is the best way without jeopardizing an overloaded and possible outage in the future. - Ryan stated that the industrial sites in Chanhassen are along the railroad and the power line should also go there. He felt the substation site could possibly be placed where the Mcr tower was approved for. He was not sure he would like the power lines to run through the downtown area. He would recommend Option #3. He stated that power lines run along highways and railroads. He is also not convinced that the city needs the tie line. He stated that he would like to give Opus more time to respond; however, as e e e Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 15 far as going through that property, lines going through undeveloped industrial property poses the least impact on the south side. Transmission Line Conditional Use Permit: Motion by Conrad, seconded by Noziska, to recommend to the City Council Option #2 or #3 subject to: 1. Advice from Fred Hoisington or other appropriate con- sultant on the route which minimizes negative impacts on downtown Chanhassen; 2. Opus be given a chance to present concerns at the City Council meeting; 3. No permit shall be issued until the City manager in his opinion certifies there is a need for transmission lines. 4. The City Manager agrees that the TH 212 corridor is not a viable alternative; 5. The City should work with NSP to minimize negative impacts on business parks and downtown. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Zoning Ordinance Amendment: Motion by Noziska, seconded by Siegel, to approve Zoning Ordinance Amendment Request #85-5 to amend Section 6.04, Conditional Uses in the R-la District, as follows: Section 6.04. Conditional Uses. 17. Electrical substations subject to the following conditions: a. The substation must be served by a collector or major arterial street as designated in the Comprehensive Plan. b. The substation will not have sanitary facilities and will not be used for habitation. c. The substation will be located on at least five (5) acres of property. d. A six (6) foot high security fence surround the substation. Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 16 e e. A landscaping plan be submitted minimizing visual impacts for city approval. f. Substations shall be 500 feet from single family residences. Additionally, to amend Section 4, Rules and Definitions of the Zoning Ordinance to include: Power Substations: A facility comprising of, but not limited to, transmission towers, transformers, power equipment, and structures necessary to house said equip- ment." Substation Conditional Use Permit: Motion by Noziska, seconded by M. Thompson, to recommend approval of Conditional Use Permit Request #85-14. Motion failed. e Noziska - Aye Siegel - Nay Emmings - Nay Ryan - Nay Conrad - Nay Thompson- Nay Substation was not in proper place and sites to the north adjacent to the railroad should be evaluated. No options were submitted to review for the substation. Request for Initiation of zoning Ordinance Amendment for Corner Lot Setbacks Dacy stated that the current ordinance requires a corner lot to have three 30 foot setbacks (two front yard and one rear yard). She stated that City staff at one time was administratively allowing corner lot setbacks to include a 30 foot setback along both street frontages, a 10 foot side yard setback and a 10 foot rear setback instead of a 30 foot setback. She noted that in other areas, variances were required, and staff feels an amend- ment to the ordinance is necessary to resolve the issue. Dacy noted that it has been found that three 30 foot setbacks significantly inhibit the buildability of corner lots. She stated that the 10 foot setback for the rear yard would also allow for additions, decks, etc. She noted that these expansions in a standard interior lot normally do not require variances because there is ample room from the rear of the house to the setback line. -e Staff proposed this change as part of the new ordinance and such was part of the Zoning Ordinance report for the March 19, 1986 meeting. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission direct staff to initiate a zoning ordinance amendment immediately . - - Planning Commission Minutes April 23, 1986 Page 17 despite the likelihood of the new ordinance being adopted this year. Emmings moved, seconded by Siegel to intiate the zoning ordinance amendment on corner lot setbacks. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Approval Of Minutes Noziska moved, seconded by Emmings to approve the April 9, 1986 minutes as written. Noziska, Emmings, and Ryan voted in favor and the motion carried. Sigel, Conrad and Thompson abstained. Meeting adjourned at 11:45 p.m. Submitted by Barbara Dacy, City Planner Prepared by Vicki Churchill May 5, 1986