1987 05 13
CHANHASSEN PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MAY 13, 1987
-
Chairman Conrad called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m..
MEMBERS PRESENT: Tim Erhart, Steven Emmings, Robert Siegel, Ladd Conrad,
James Wildermuth and David Headla
MEMBERS ABSENT: Howard Noziska
STAFF PRESENT: Barbara Dacy, City Planner an9 Jo Ann Olsen, Asst. City
Planner
PUBLIC HEARING:
ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO ~MEND ARTICLE V, SECTION 9 (II), STANDARDS FOR
CONDITIONS FOR RECREATIONAL BEACHLOTS IN AGRICULTURAL AND RESIDENTIAL
DISTRICTS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL RECREATIONAL BEACHLOTS,
THE CITY OF CHANHASSEN.
Public Present:
Name
Address
Margie Karjalahti
Don Suiter
7413 Frontier Trail
Lake Ri ley
~ Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on the Zoning Ordinance Amendment.
Conrad: Before I open it up for any public input, just to get some
rationale for this particular amendment, there are numbers in this ordinance
and they are arbitrary numbers. The ordinance that we're amending
originally said 1,000 feet. 80% of the houses had to be within 1,000 feet
of the beachlot. In the unsewered area, because the lots are bigger, that
forces the numbers that can be within 1,000 feet down significantly but
there was a need in some cases to have use of a recreational beachlot in the
rural area. Without any great wisdom or great numbers to use, the logic for
determining the current amendment was as follows: Currently in the urban
area, given the current ordinance which is 80% of the houses have to be
within 1,000 feet of the beachlot, that logic said we want the home users to
be close to the beachlot. We don't want it spread allover. We don't want
lots to be off the lake. We want the houses to be close to that beachlot.
We looked at the current beachlots and basically it looks like the largest
homeowners associations have under 50 homes within 1,000 feet of the
beachlot. We therefore took that number of 50 and said that's probably a
fair number to be placed in our rural service area. Therefore, that's where
that number carne up between Staff, Planning Commission and other inputs.
With that little bit of background, I'll open it up for any public comment
on the Ordinance revision.
Ron Merit: Is there going to be a limit of the number of feet that the lots
have to be to the lake or not? There's not. So they could be a relatively
~ long ways away?
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 2
e Conrad: Yes.
Ron Merit: So blocks? And 80% of that.
Conrad: The 80% is out and the 1,000 feet is out. What we did is we
substituted a number of houses instead of those. We're still concerned that
a beachlot serves the real contiguous group of homes. That's the philosophy
behind it. The 1,000 feet did not work in the rural service area for us and
we couldn't come up with good other numbers that met anything. The thing
that we try to do in the beachlot is make sure that (1) you're not overusing
that beachlot and (2) that the neighbors on each side of that beachlot are
not abused. You don't want so many people going through there that the
lakeshore neighbors are living next to something that is rather
objectionable so we kind of did it in this ordinance. We kind of protected
that.
Ron Merit: What else is going to be a problem without setting the lakeshore
frontage of that, you have 50 homes and one small lot, do you think that
will be a problem as you just stated? You're afraid that it will be too
populated and could cause problems for the neighbors on each side.
Conrad: The beachlot ordinance as is, what's the minimum feet for a
beachlot?
e Olsen:
Conrad:
It's 30,000 square feet, the lot size.
So the lot size is like three-quarters of an acre.
Margie Karjalahti: Would that hold true then for the rural one? That that
would also have to meet this?
Conrad: This is only rural that we're talking about.
Olsen: Right and all the other conditions still hold.
Conrad: The urban beachlots remain the same.
Margie Karjalahti: All the criteria is the same?
Conrad: Yes. The problem will be if that turns into an urban service area
and those lot owners decide to subdivide. Therefore, there could be
significantly more impact on that beachlot. In this Ordinance we have put
the burden back onto that homeowners association to determine if they want
to open it up for more membership.
Don Suiter: I live across the bay from, not really this question but I
think that's what brought it up. Does that mean, they have say 42 lots now
that if in the future they wanted to add 8 more homes that they could have 8
more homes 3 miles down the road and say we want to welcome you to this
homeowners association?
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 3
~ Olsen: The 5th condition is that it serve as a neighborhood facility.
has to be within that subdivision.
It
Conrad: That's a good question. Does that mean contiguous to the beachlot?
Olsen: Yes. It would have to come through with another conditional use to
expand that.
Don Suiter: But I thought you said the expansion was up to the homeowners
association.
Olsen: That's within that subdivision once it's resubdivided when it gets
sewer and water.
Don Suiter: Is it possible that someone could buy another lot somewhere and
meet the 200 feet and 30,000 square feet and all the other conditions and
buy that as a beachlot and sell it to a subdivision over in here somewhere
and say you can go have access to that? What's to prevent them from doing
that?
Olsen: Again, it would have to be the neighborhood facility.
that in an urban area, they're not within the 1,000 feet.
If they do
Don Suiter: I understand why you're pulling the arbitrary 80% and how you
_ pick those numbers. I'm just trying to look past a little bit and see if we
~aren't going to open up another whole can of worms.
Olsen: That's a good point. We did discuss that and other than having a
set distance from the beachlot, the only other alternative was to have
minimum lots. Again, we added that definition saying that it was a
neighborhood facility.
Don Suiter: So neighborhood will be strong enough to hold up if anybody
tries to do something? Are we rewriting for the last time or is it going to
be amended again?
Conrad: It will always be amended. Every ordinance we have will continue
to be amended. Basically the neighborhood is a good definition in my mind
because it at least gives us and probably City Council something to hang our
hat on in terms of neighborhood is not this block and then 3 blocks away is
something else. The neighborhood is a contiguous group of homes all
attached to that beachlot. If something breaks up that neighborhood and
somebody else wants to add four more lots and it's not contiguous to that
first neighborhood, they do not get, in my mind, the way this ordinance is
written, they do not have priviledges on that beachlot.
Emmings: I think there's a good point here. Al though we've always tried to
put in a statement of intention so you have something to help us remember
what we were doing the last time around. In this one we put in that it is
intended to serve as a neighborhood facility for the subdivision of which
~ it's a part. Instead of stating it as an intention here, that really is
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 4
~ it's definition and I think maybe as part of this Zoning Ordinance amendment
we should go back because right now in our definition of a recreational
beachlot is land abutting public water principle use of which is for private
recrea tional use for two or more fam i 1 ies. That's not really right. That's
not really want we're saying here I don't"think. I think maybe what we
should do is change that definition somehow to reflect the fact that it's a
neighborhood facility for the subdivision of which it's a part and is
intended for private recreational use or something like that. Then we
really have it in concrete. Maybe as our statement of intentions, say that
it's our intention that it not be used by. It's so hard to talk about.
The one you're interested in is the Gagne corner of TH 101 and pioneer
Trail and I can tell you that I think from our past discussions I can tell
you that we would see those roads as marking the boundaries of that
subdivision as the people who are going to be able to use that beachlot in
the future. If anything carne up across those streets we would say no.
Reducing that to general language that can define the concept is very
difficult. We have wrestled and wrestled with it and that's why we've
always been talking about the neighborhood and contiguous homes. Always
struggling for language there. Maybe we could put in as our statement of
intention that somehow we don't want it to get out of the immediate
neighborhood, whatever that means.
Margie Karjalahti: I'm from the Lotus Lake Homeowner's Association. I
would just like to say one thing that you may need to be careful of in
~changing the ordinance is looking ahead maybe 15, 20, 30 years and the rural
~beachlots will then become urban. will their conditions then be
granfathered in if there are changes in the urban beachlots? If you leave
it too broad for the rural, they are always grandfathered into that. One of
the reasons for the beachlot ordinance was to protect the lakes. Not just
for people's enjoyment but it also adds protection for the lakes because not
only do you have homes on the lake but you also have the beachlots and DNR
has required that all lakes be accessible with public boat access and there
are certain percentage of boats that they will allow on the lake too. So I
would just caution to keep all this in mind. That it isn't just owners but
we're also thinking of the environment. To protect the beauty of the lakes
for everybody and for Chanhassen.
Conrad: And that's a concern and subdivision will happen, maybe. It may
not. We know it won't happen until the year 2000 but it might happen after
that. By the definition of the beachlot, you can't park cars on it. You
can't launch boats on it. You can have one dock. When you think of the
rural service area and you think of 2 1/2 acre subdivisions, you can't drive
a car down there and park it. I suppose you could leave it out on the road
but it's kind of self policing because of distance. It's not where you
stroll down. Some of these houses are going to be a long distance away. I
think the beachlot ordinance by itself protects the lake and as I've looked
at it, I think there is a lot of protection already in place. That was my
view of it and here we're giving the opportunity for the same type of rights
to that community in the rural area that urban people have and I think
that's fair too. Margie, it's a good point and it's hard to foresee what's
e going to happen but on the other hand it almost looks like it might police
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 5
~ itself simply because of the great distances between that furthest house
out. Are they going to walk a mile or whatever it might be, half a mile to
get to the beach? I don't think so. And they can't drive their boat down
there so they are going to have to use public accesses. I'm more concerned
with the neighbors on each side. If they are in the homeowners association
and therefore they may have a great deal to say about how, at the year 2000
when I won't be here, those neighbors will have something to say about how
those lots are divided.
Don Suiter: I think your intentions are right. We have to share our lakes
with everyone in the community and I think the ordinance as it stands is
self policing in some ways. Unfortunately, it's not enforceable. We have a
public access on Riley Lake that is manned by Eden prairie and they do a
wonderful job. When there are 15 boats on the lake, a cable goes across and
everybody tries to find other ways to get on the lake and they do. There is
the park on the north end of the bay. The outlot on Sunnyslope which I'm
not even sure is an approved recreational beachlot or not, the last two
weekends there have been boats launching off of there. How do you enforce
that? Do you have neighbors call the police when they have a lot better
things to do? The people and launch their boats, drive their cars back home
and they are on the lake that day so we've got another access point adding
to the lake. As I see it, there are other development areas on the lake and
we could have ever more. I'm really, truly concerned about the safety on
the lake and the environment of the lake. It is getting taxes more and more
..everyday. Just by this addition on Gagne's corner here there are 7 more
"'lots which I think 4 or 5 boats per lot. Okay, 3. Another 21 boats that
could, and I know they won't all go out and race around at the same time but
we are adding use. There is now another airplane that's been added to the
lake this summer. It's just getting more and more busy and I think it's a
great intention but if we can't enforce it and can't police it, then I don't
know if we're really opening outselves up for more trouble. I know that's
not the true issue here tonight but I think my question if it does not meet
the requirements today and we continually change the requirements to allow
more and more beachlots to happen. That's my concern. Are we trying to put
a stop to this to save the lakes or are we just trying to open it up for
everybody and every condition that happens along next time.
Erhart moved, Emmings seconded to close public hearing. All voted in favor
and motion carried.
Conrad: Steve, I think your point is good. I don't want to drop that point
and the intent of this. I would hope we could do something in terms of
intent other than definitionally.
Headla: I'm of the bel ief that people near the lake should have access to
that lake. In other words, if there is a development and let's take this
development that's coming up. The people who live in that area, I think
they should have access to it. I like the concept of the beachlot. I like
it because the way we constructed it, you can't really carry gasoline down
there. It's kind of awkward. You can't get a car down there so primarily
_peoPle walk down to the dock. They use the lake the way a lake should be
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 6
e used. It's minimum impact. A lot of recreational activities can go on. I
like that concept. Steve, I like the concept of the intent. We have K here
and we talk about the terms of the neighborhood and the reason I like that
is we look at it today but in 10 years from now you've got totally different
people here and rules are going to be a little bit different. I think the
way the intent is here, people can look at it and apply it to the situation
as it is then. We aren't bounded by blocks all the way around so I myself
like it and I like the recommendation of the Staff.
Wildermuth:
I go along with Dave. I like the recommendation of the Staff.
Siegel:
I have nothing to add.
Emmings: I think we're all relying in the backs of our minds too, or at
least I am, on the homeowners association. There has to be a homeowners
association that's responsible for the maintenance of a beachlot and we're
assuming that not only will the thing police itself by distance and some of
those factors that Ladd mentioned but hopefully if the thing is getting out
of hand use wise, the homeowners association is going to grab it and say
there are enough of us who are unhappy about what is happening to this that
we're going to impose restrictions on all of us to use it in a way that
makes sense so I think we're leaving that up to the neighborhood to some
extent. I think under urban recreational beachlots, I have two picky
language changes. In the third line down it says "within at least 1,000
_ feet". The words "at least" don't mean anything to me there and I think we
~should just say "within 1,000 feet". Under rural recreational beachlot a
similar in the fourth line down, I would change "as a result of" to just
"resul ting from". It's shorter and clearer to read. The other thing I
would like to do as a part of this, I don't disagree that we should leave
the statement of intention in. That's fine. I think we should change the
definition of recreational beachlot that appears under Article II,
Definitions because right now it's not accurate. It's not what we think a
beachlot is. I agree that the intention not only should stay as stated in
there but maybe even be added to get it across more clearly.
Conrad: What does it take to change a definition?
Dacy: That can be part of your motion tonight.
Conrad: Do you think we can word a definition?
Dacy: I heard you say something earlier tonight about that.
Olsen: I think it was from the intent. The subdivision of which it is a
part.
Erhart: My personal feeling is that the rural lots will be subdivided in
the year 2000 so I don't think that's going to be a problem addressing that.
The other comment is I think everything is okay here other than I agree that
the definition should be changed. I would suggest, rather than try to do
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 7
e it here that we direct Staff to do the wording and make that part of the
proposal.
Headla: It almost seems like a beachlot, we should heavily encourage
anybody having a beachlot to put it in the center of the property so the
people who have land on either side, there is going to be a minimum effect.
If you have a couple lots on each side as a buffer, I think we'll protect a
lot of the neighborhoods that way. The one we talked about last week that
we put it on the north side. Here somebody comes in and had no idea that's
going to be a beach lot and owns the land by the beachlot there.
Conrad: Steve, I'm going to point at you. I think you're a logical person
to make a motion tonight on this one. Do you have a worded motion or would
your preference be to have Staff prepare one?
Emmings: I'll throw one out. I've written one. I've combined the
intention statement from the beachlot ordinance with what we already had
and I've got, land abutting public water which serves as a neighborhood
recreational facility for the subdivision of which it is a part.
Conrad: That's the recommendation to change the definition in the
Ordinance?
Emmings: Yes.
eDaCy: And there would be a comment after that, the principle use of which
is for private recreation.
Emmings: That's why I throw that out, neighborhood recreational facility.
Dacy: So you're not even defining the number of families?
Emmings: This is only to change the definition under Article II.
Dacy: I understand that but then what you're saying is the rest of the
existing definition you are proposing to delete?
Conrad: It says 2 or more right? Does 2 or more having any meaning in
that?
Emmings: If I was going to change it I would say for more than 1.
Conrad: But I'm not sure what that means.
Dacy: The intent was if two abutting property owners wanted to share a dock
facility or share a boathouse or something, they wouldn't have to get a
conditional use permit to do that. If you've got 2 or more, then the
ordinance is tending to regulating that.
Emmings: Let's look at that a little bit. If my neighbor and I want to
e share a dock, which we do, that's not a recreational beachlot. It's just a
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 8
~dOCk going out on our lot line.
Dacy:
I know but I'm saying, if you say 1 or more, then it would be.
Emmings: Why?
Dacy: Because you have 2.
Emmings: But I have my riparian rights on this 11010 feet of shoreline and he
has his on that side.
Dacy: But under that definition, if you said 1 or more, than you and your
property owner would have to have...
Emmings: Isn't the difference Barb that as a lakeshore owner I
riparian rights and what we're doing is giving people who don't
lake riparian rights essentially through the use of a beachlot.
to me to be completely distinct.
have
live on the
That seems
Dacy: I understand your definition based on your riparian lot situation. I
think it does become a little muddy though with the way the definition is
worded.
Conrad: Let's make our motion the way we like and I'm sure you can pass it
~by the City Attorney and get real legal advice on this. The process Barb,
,.,if we pass the Ordinance and we recommend a change in definition, the change
in definition to the ordinance, how does that happen? Does that mean a
public hearing?
Dacy: No. Part of your action tonight is a Zoning Ordinance Amendment.
You're amending the beachlot regulations. You're simply adding to the
motion.
Conrad: Any other comments? Okay, Steve will you make a motion?
Emmings: Yes I will but let me understand before I start. You want me to
make a motion on what we've got in front of us and then we'll simply make a
recommendation on the other part or do you want to make that as part of my
motion?
Conrad:
I would make it part of your motion.
Erhart: It still bothers me the question of can a lot outside the original
subdivision add later? Even with steve's definition, I'm not sure it's
clear. When we're all dead and gone and something happens to interpret
that. If you look in the other one you can't do it because as soon as you
do that one lot then falls out of the mathematical formula of 810% for 1,101010
feet. In the rural it's written that there really is no maximum. You start
out with 510 and they all subdivide and you could end up with 11010 but it
really isn't clear. On the Gagne's property, there isn't a street that
~binds that whole neighborhood because on the east end it simply ends the
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 9
e property. It isn't perfectly clear that the next lot over can't assume the
right to that thing so as a result I would simply add in your proposal that
no dwelling which lies outside the subdivision for which the recreational
beachlot is a part.
Dacy: I thought we had that covered in, facility for the subdivision of
which it is a part.
Conrad: By saying that subdivision it can never be anything else but.
Emmings: If they put in a new subdivision next to Gagne's on the east, then
it's not part of that subdivision.
Erhart:
Okay, so that's clear.
Conrad:
concern.
I think it's covered Tim. I think that subdivision covers your
It covers mine with the same concern.
Emmings moved, Headla seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Zoning Ordinance Amendment #87-4 to amend Article V, Section 9
(11) as follows:
K.
A recreational beachlot is intended to serve as a neighborhood
facility for the subdivision of which it is a part. For purposes
of this section, the following terms shall mean those beachlots
which are located either within (urban) or outside (rural) the Year
2000 Metropolitan Urban Service Area boundary as depicted in the
Comprehensive Plan.
e
Urban Recreational Beachlot: At least eighty percent (80%) of the
dwelling units, which have appurtenant rights of access to any
recreational beachlot, shall be located within one thousand (1,000)
feet of the recreational beachlot.
Rural Recreational Beachlot: A maximum of 50 dwelling units
(including riparian lots) shall be permitted appurtenant rights of
access to the recreational beachlot. Any future lots resulting
from resubdivision shall obtain permission to use the recreational
beachlot from the homeowners association.
Also to change the definition found in Article II of the Zoning Ordinance
under recreational beachlot to read as follows:
Recreational Beachlot shall be defined as land abutting public
water which serves as a neighborhood recreational facility for the
subdivision of which it is a part.
All voted in favor and motion carried.
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 10
~ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO AMEND THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL ZONING
- - -
DISTRICTS TO PERMIT TELEPHONE SWITCH BUILDINGS AS EITHER A PERMITED OR
CONDITIONA~USE:AND TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF UTILITY SERVICES~INCLUDE
--- -
UTILITY BUILDINGS, THE CITY OF CHANHASSEN.
Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on this Zoning Ordinance amendment.
Bob Docken: I am a real estate broker who has been retained by Northwestern
Bell to secure this particular site in Chanhassen. I'm here basically to
answer any questions you might happen to have about that type of facility.
Do you want me to describe it briefly?
Conrad: Does anybody need any descriptions? I don't think so. If we have
questions as we go through, we'll ask you questions and you can field them
for us.
Erhart moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing. All voted in favor
and motion carried.
Erhart: If I'm reading this correct, you are proposing to put the telephone
equipment building in with all these other things that are automatic
permitted uses.
Olsen: We just thought it was an essential service.
e Erhart: I agree it's an essential service but I think there is a
substantial difference between traffic signals and hydrants in a residential
area. Personally I would like to see this come in as a conditional use
where we could review the aesthetics of the building. I have great faith in
the telephone company but this could be expanded with cable TV's. I think
we ought to take a look at them.
Conrad: You're primarily concerned about the aesthetics? Fitting into the
neighborhood?
Erhart: From what I understand this one here, they're talking about buying
a lot that's original intent was going to be a private house. And they are
going to build a building that's going to fit in with the houses. Now we
know th is case tha t we can see they are go i ng to do tha t bu t I'm not sure
that we can have any faith that the next time this occurs that they are
going to build a structure that is going to fit in and appear like a
neighborhood home. There is no economic reason for them to do that. Either
that or write an ordinance that requires the aesthetics.
Conrad: As we go through the rest of the staff, would you think of
conditions? If it's going to be a conditional use permit, think of the
conditions that we would be looking for Tim. If we've got them, then they
should be part of a motion or recommendation.
Emmings: I agree with Tim. I think if you're going to put one of these
~up in a residential neighborhood or any kind of neighborhood, people live
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 11
~around there ought to have an opportunity to comment.
think we should stick with a conditional use process.
For that reason I
Siegel: what are the other utility uses of this nature that are in the
Ordinance? What would this be lumped with as far as part of the utility
services definition?
Olsen:
It's with the power lines.
I'm not sure what the question was.
Siegel: We're talking about either making it a conditional use permit or
lumping telephone utility services in with utility services.
Olsen: utility services are as permitted uses.
Siegel: Yes, what are those? What would be permitted utility uses?
Olsen: Public utilities, municipal transmission systems, communication
poles.
Siegel: But it's not structures?
Olsen: Not specifically, it doesn't say structures. The internal is the
utility service for the utility works for the proposed building but not the
building itself.
e Siegel: What I'm trying to get at is why the recommendation of Staff is
either or. We either make it a conditional use permit or recommended use
within the utility services definition and this seems to be sort of an
exceptional use when you1re talking about building of a structure. It's not
the same as say a electrical substation right? That's not utility service?
Olsen: That's conditional use.
Dacy: That was part of the reason for the option is that we had our
recommendation but obviously you have your different viewpoint and that1s
why we put both options.
Wildermuth: I guess I would like to ask the gentleman representing
Northwestern Bell, is there a standard approach to these utility buildings
that Northwestern Bell takes? Are they hard masonry construction or single
story, double story?
Bob Docken: I have some pictures of typical buildings which you might be
interested in looking at. This particular one is a new building just built
six months ago in Eagan. It1s next to a church site and the Bell architects
and the church architect got together and the church hasn1t been built yet
but the this building was designed to be compatible with the church at such
time as the church is built. This is another recent one which is out in
Woodbury out on Hans Hagen1s development out on Radio Drive. That
particular style of building was the way Hans Hagen wanted it built. This
~is pretty much of a typical building. There are probably more of that style
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 12
~than any others but they are not locked into it. They can be designed to
fit if the circumstance is warranted, the building can be handled.
Conrad: How many more of these might Chanhassen get?
Bob Docken:
I don't know.
I can't say.
Conrad: Do you have so many for x number of households?
Bob Docken: No. Basically, the purpose of this building is to greatly
increase the capacity of the cable going back to the central office. When
the existing cable is filled, in place of burying another cable all the way
back to the central office, they build one of these small buildings and
install equipment which then multiples the capacity of that cable by a
factor of perhaps 10 to 1. Then the actual distribution cable which serves
the individual houses and buildings in that particular area all channel on
into this small building and tied then into the cable that feeds back to the
central office.
wildermuth: When is one of these buildings typically constructed? When the
development is being built?
Bob Docken: In this particular case. That's what happened. There was
obviously a lot of development, a lot of need for additional phone service
a. out there and the cable itself was getting full so this is the means of
~serving Chanhassen Hills as well as other areas which will develop in that
immediate vicinity. I suppose that area might serve perhaps a half mile in
each direction. I don't know. It would depend. There could be another
one, two or three I suppose in Chanhassen. Eagan has a number of them
already. There have been a number of them placed out in Woodbury. Pretty
much in the areas where there is growth. They are also used under
circumstances where some highly technical circuits are required and the so
called fiber optic cables are brought in and they can be utilized in
connection of this type of thing as well.
Wildermuth: I guess I agree wi th the Staff recommendation that it be
included with the definition of utility services so you wouldn't have to go
through the Planning Commission and City Council.
Headla: Since these can go into a single family dwelling, I would like to
see the neighborhood to have a chance at an open hearing to understand what
it's going to be and get some impact so I would say the conditional use
permit.
Conrad: If that's the case, there were some conditions that Staff made
mention of if we wanted to look at it. One is landscaping. Two is the
driveway. Three is access and setbacks. All those things to me look like
something Staff can do.
Wildermuth: If we go that route I think we ought to say some statement in
~there about the architecture fitting in with the area or the intended
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 13
e archi tecture.
Conrad: I can go either way on this one. I think one, it's not going to be
an impact on us but we've also talked about how we can minimize the stuff
that has to go in front of us and here's a case where we're creating
something that comes to us. I guess we can consider it an opportunity for
the public to have their input on something but if they had their input, I
see four criteria here that I don't know is a great deal to have input on.
Are we involving public just to involve the public or do we have some real
substantial things that they could persuade us on and we could say, it just
doesn't fit. I don't see anything that Staff can't do here that we're going
to add value to.
Headla: Does Staff have any strength to reject it?
Erhart: If the public comes in and says they don't want this thing?
Conrad: There is a value in just informing and I can understand that.
Olsen: One of the things we looked at is these are going to be most likely
located before the neighborhood is there so a lot of the times the public
might not even be there to inform.
Conrad: I think all the comments are valid. This is not comparable to the
~other utility services. It is simply a different animal and it has a visual
~impact so from that standpoint I can say, it shouldn't be in that grouping
and it's a little bit different. I'm just not sure as we throw our public
hearing that we're going to hear anything. We're going to go through the
motions folks is what we're going to do unless there is a condition that we
don't see.
Emmings: It seems to me too that if the neighbors have notice that this
thing is going in there, maybe a combination can be made. If everyone in
the neighborhood doesn't like one aspect of this one particular building, I
would think that Northwestern Bell would be happy to meet that but if
Northwestern Bell can just go in and buy the lot and it's a permitted use
and they show it to Staff and go ahead and put it in, the immediate
neighborhood hasn't had any opportunity to comment on it. I agree with you,
I think Staff can handle these very easily and I don't want them to come in
here but I think it's important to leave the local neighborhood to have
contact with the people who are putting it in.
Siegel: Maybe the real estate agent could speak because he just showed us
three pictures of three very different structures, whether those communities
had an option to pick and choose which construction?
Olsen: Woodbury, no. Eagan is a public hearing process. Woodbury was not.
Conrad:
want to
e
Sounds like there is consensus for bringing it past us.
make a motion on this?
Tim do you
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 14
e Erhart moved, Siegel seconded that
that telephone equipment buildings
the following conditions:
the Planning Commission recommend
be regulated as a conditional use with
1. The site must provide landscaping as required in Article VIII,
Landscaping and Tree Removal Regulations.
2. The driveway surface shall be surfaced with a hard, all-weather,
dust free, durable surfacing material and concrete curb.
3. The applicant shall receive access permit from the regulating
party.
4. The building shall meet all setbacks of the district in which it is
located.
5. The building exterior shall be architecturally consistent with the
surrounding neighborhood.
All voted in favor except Wildermuth and motion carried.
Wildermuth: I don't think it really has to come before the Planning
Commission and go through the public hearing process or go before the City
Council. I think it's an essential use and should be a permitted use.
~conrad: We're assuming that these equipment buildings have no cables coming
overhead. They are all buried at this time?
Bob Docken: They're buried.
ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARTICLE ~ SECTION 14, BUSINESS FRINGE
DISTRICT TO ALLOW CONTRACTOR'S YARDS AS A CONDITIONAL USE, PATRICK AND NANCY
BLOOD.
Barbara Dacy presented the Staff Report on this Zoning Ordinance Amendment.
Patrick Blood: I would like to just say one thing. We're pretty new at
this and we would like to have that spot for the simple reason that
contractor's yards have a habit of having sore eyes. Junkyards and stuff
like this. We don't intend to do that with that piece of property. We
realize that's sort of a gateway and a leaving area for Chanhassen and
Chaska and Shakopee being right there in that corner so we do intend to make
it nice. Everything inside storage or landscaping to reduce any sight that
might be distasteful to anybody.
Emmings moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing. All voted in favor
and motion carried.
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 15
~Headla: On the recommendation, the previous one, didnlt we spell out
explicitedly there was no vehicle repair?
Dacy: You mean on the previous conditional use permit for a contractor's
yard?
Headla: Yes. We were concerned about that. We felt that that shouldn't
allow vehicle repair.
Dacy:
I don't recall that specific conditional use.
Headla: I am concerned about the certain terms of vehicle repair and I
would like to see something in our recommendation about that.
Conrad: Do you associate that with this particular request? You're
concerned with the fringe business district in general, not this
particular...
Headla: For this particular type of operation, I think just the nature of
it is suspectible to breakdowns and 11m concerned that we don't all of a
sudden start a major repair for vehicles in that area.
Siegel:
restrict
e business
Headla:
I think
We allow service stations already in that area so you can't
somebody else from making repairs to a vehicle when you have a
allowed in there that is exclusively doing that.
I'm concerned about repairs like that.
we ought to put a condition about that.
If they do on continuously,
Siegel: I'm just making the point that we already allow these service
stations in this district.
Headla: Who was notified of this? Were adjacent landowners? The people up
on the hill, were they notified?
Dacy: They would be notified if we had a specific application. After this
is approved, the applicant will have to file a site plan and go through the
conditional use permit process then people within 500 feet of the property
will be notified of that.
Headla: So it will come back in here? Okay.
Wildermuth: I donlt have any problem with including the contractor's lots
in the business fringe.
Siegel:
I have nothing to add.
Emmings: I don't have any questions.
recommendations.
I agree with the Staff's
~ Erhart:
Is that storage area that's screened 100%, that doesnlt request
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 16
~ anybody though in the area that they're using during the day to do the
repairs and back and forth with the trucks coming and going, there's nothing
that really requires landscaping.
Dacy: In our past applications we have requested them to outline what is a
storage area and we have required a landscaping plan along with that.
Erhart: You don't think you need to have that in there?
Dacy: No.
Erhart: Okay, then the only comment is, I think for the benefit of the
applicant and the City getting abused, where you are proposing to put this
and probably use the TH 101 bridge under the railroad tracks. I'm not
trying to mold what you're trying to do along TH 101 bridge. The TH 101
bridge is our problem but the City needs to recognize that this is a growing
area. Are you planning on driving the trucks under the bridge?
Patrick Blood: Only if it's acceptable. The only thing that might restrict
it, as far as I know, might be the weight restrictions on that particular
road.
Nancy Blood: We will consider a majority of the time using TH 212. The
only time we might use TH 101 is when Canterbury Downs has it completely
~blocked off. Otherwise, TH 212 is better for us.
Patrick Blood: We have been considering that we might be able to talk to
the DOT and get access off of TH 212. Now we haven't proceeded that far.
Erhart: Other than that, my only comment is that we have to get a trail
easement along there.
Conrad:
I don't have any comments. I think it's a good staff report.
Siegel moved, Wildermuth seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Zoning Ordinance Amendment Request #87-2 to amend Article V,
Section 14 (2) to include contractor's yards as a conditional use subject to
the standards established in Article V, Section 9 (4). All voted in favor
and motion carried.
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A RECREATIONAL BEACHLOT ON PROPERTY ZONED A-2,
AGRICULTURE ESTA~AND:Li5CATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF TH 101 AND~14
(PIONEER TRAIL), GEORGE NELSON. -- --- -- -- --- --- -- --
Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on this item.
Wayne Tauer: I guess all I want to point out is just some minor differences
that might be. The siltation basin as it exists on that particular plan
right there is not necessarily an open area. Basically that whole area is
~ fairly heavily wooded. I think our intent is to site that as best we can by
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 17
e going into the field and finding the least impact that we can possibly find
out there. We might have to cut down a tree or two and we'll certainly
tell Jo Ann or Barb as to what our intent is but other than that, that's
probably the only tree cutting that we will do. We're going to meander that
walkway down there. It's going to site designed hopefully with 24 inch open
flavor and try to avoid it. The design of the walkway will be bituminous
will a tilt on one direction with a curb on one side that will not only act
as a walkway but also as a flume to take the run-off from the street which
is up above on the top of the slope. I just wanted to point out the one
minor fact that the siltation basin will be in the trees someplace so we
will try to spot it the best we can.
Siegel moved, Wildermuth seconded to close public hearing. All voted in
favor and motion carried.
Erhart: The only comment I would have, I think it's a good plan. I
personally would like to see the volleyball court, I think that's a real
nice thing to have but I agree that you have to minimize the clear cutting.
The other thing on item 6, I guess I would like to see not being quite so
restrictive in requiring gravel. I think we should just leave it as any
coarse material. My bare feet do not walk on gravel too well and if they
can come up with cement pieces or something where it would serve both
purposes and allow people to walk barefoot so I would just change gravel to
coarse material to eliminate direct run-off into the lake or something like
e tha t .
Emmings: I'm confused because we talked about the siltation basin as if
it's going in but it says if required and I don't know what that means.
Olsen: A lot of the drainage from the street will be directed down here and
until we get the actual drainage confirmations, we do not know if that
siltation basin will be required.
Emmings: The only thing I would say then is that we add another condition
that, if the siltation basin is required, that the ultimate tocation of the
siltation basin should be approved by Staff. They don't know where they're
going to put it. If it's requi red they should have to come in and get
approval from the Staff before they put it in. I also agree with Tim's
change to number 6 too.
Siegel:
I have nothing.
Wildermuth: It's a good plan.
Headla:
Are they permitted to bring Satellites down to the lakeshore?
Olsen:
No.
Headla:
because
'e
I don't think we ought to let that volleyball court there then
you're going to lose a lot of trees. What is the rationale on that?
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 18
~DaCy: The history on the Satellites is, it occurred during the original
beachlot ordinance process because there were some situations in the city
where there were unfortunate circumstances involved with those structures so
the Ordinance was written with a outright prohibition against them.
Headla: Can the homeowners association come in with a request if they want
one?
Olsen: We would have to amend the ordinance. It is specifically prohibited.
Headla: I think we have a lousy ordinance. I don't think it's realistic.
It's almost a time bomb. People are not going to walk up there. Kids,
they're just not. I don't have anything positive to say except to put a lot
of trees around the volleyball court.
Erhart: I think you can take that problem further and it has nothing to do
with the volleyball court. People are going to use that area so you not
only have the trees, you have the lake. I agree with you Dave. I think
maybe we do have a problem here.
Dacy: I think the original concern was number one from an aesthetic
viewpoint and two was that they did create a nuisance. People would tip
them over and cause problems that way. Then there's the smell factor also.
It was a major issue in the original ordinance process.
~Emmings: Would you need vehicle access to service them?
Dacy: Yes.
Conrad: I would not want one next to me. Let me guarantee you. I'm on the
opposite side Dave. I would not want that on the beachlot anyplace. Even
though there is a function. The trees are preferable if that happens.
Neighborhood neighbors and I'm specifically talking about the urban area,
you just don't want that there. We've had all sorts of problems with them.
From the neighborhood standpoint, the beachlot here is only 200 feet wide
and it may be hidden in this particular area but in other parts and other
beachlots, it would not be hidden and I think it would be a real sore thumb
for a beachlot. Staff Report said you're not wild about the grading for the
volleyball and I agree with that but then in the recommendation you don't.
Is that anyplace in there?
Olsen: We can make it a condition if you want it.
Conrad: It's like if there's a lot of grading then we don't want it but if
there isn't, but we don't know if there's grading so I guess I would like to
see a motion that would incorporate another point.
Olsen: The first definition states that the applicant shall provide a
detailed grading and tree removal plan.
e Conrad: Okay, so that covers it.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 19
e Emmings moved, Wildermuth seconded
approval of Conditional Use Permit
to the following conditions:
that the Planning Commission recommend
#86-4 for a recreational beachlot subject
1. The applicant shall provide a detailed grading and tree removal
plan.
2. The applicant shall receive any required permits from the DNR
(dock/sand blanket).
3. No clear cutting shall be permitted other than for the walkway.
4. The recreational beachlot shall be permitted one dock with a
maximum storage of three boats overnight.
5. The recreational beachlot shall be permitted one canoe rack with a
maximum storage of 6 watercraft stored on the rack.
6. The walkway shall be bituminous to the siltation basin and any
coarse material from the basin to the lake.
7. The applicant shall provide a detail design of the siltation basin.
8.
A homeowners association be formed to maintain and govern the
beachlot.
e
9. The ultimate location of the siltation basin, if required, shall be
approved by Staff prior to it's construction.
All voted in favor and motion carried.
SUBDIVISION OF 5 ACRES INTO TWO 2.5 ACRE SINGLE FAMILY LOTS ON PROPRTY ZONED
A-2, AGRICULTURAL ESTATESAND LOCATED AT 750 ~EST 96TH STREET; GEORGIA
JEURISSEN.
Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on this subdivision.
Chuck Worm: The applicant isn't here but I'm her son-in-law and wanting to
buy the other half of that. There are a few things, like the sewage hook-up
deal. I would like to hook-up to it but for reasons that were said, it just
don't make sense. If a person could hook-up to it, it would cost me the
same that it would cost the rest of them houses in there or wherever else I
would have to go to cost to a couple of people, whoever, to get this thing
hooked up because it just don't make sense for one house in that area not to
be hooked up to it when I'm only 200 feet away to hook up to it. And the
lot line, right where the property line runs, from the road, we put it up on
top there because it slopes to the east and it would take quite a bit of her
yard and that's why it wanted it made like that. That's all.
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 20
~Erhart moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing.
and motion carried.
All voted in favor
Headla: The houses to the east, did they have to have soil borings before
they were built?
Olsen: No.
Headla: But some houses aren't that old. What about Hasse? How old of a
house is that? That's about four houses to the east.
Olsen: They are all on the 201 system and really would not require to
submit soil borings.
Headla: Those were 201's before they even built?
Dacy: The 201 program and the drainfield was sized based on the existing
lots that are out there. Not anticipating any subdivision activity that
we're getting now so that system was sized just for the number of lots along
West 96th Street.
Headla:
So the homes were in place at the time before 201 went through?
Olsen:
e Headla :
Right.
When they built those homes, did they have to have soil borings?
Olsen: They had to have perc tests. Some of those homes were built before
that was required.
Headla: Were any of them built after it was required?
Olsen: No, they -might have had to &ubmit perc tests but_they never had to
submit the soil borings.
Dacy: A lot of the homes were built in the 60's. Prior to any ordinance so
that's one of the reasons why they failed.
Headla: But we're a lot smarter than we were 20 years ago. That scares me
because it's just the philosophy of the soil boring, do you think we can
detect problems better?
Olsen: The consultant does. They look at all the features of the site. Is
it in the drainageway where water is running under ground.
Wi ldermuth:
If nothing else you can go to a mound system right?
Headla:
I have nothing else.
wildermuth: I'm in favor of the Staff recommendation although I would like
~to see the recommendation be a littl more explicit about the minimum lot
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 21
~idth of the proposed new lot at the front would be.
feet of that existing house or 20 feet or 25 feet or
Would we go within 10
whatever?
Siegel:
I don't have any questions.
Emmings: I don't like the way the lot split is with that line. I think it
ought to be moved to the east. Can it be moved far enough east to make it
buildable up there? Because of setbacks it will never be buildable towards
the front will it?
Olsen: Yes. 10 foot side setbacks. It's showing 50 foot on the side and
that's not right. It is 10 on the side so they could possibly put a house
up there.
Emmings: I don't know exactly why but it seems to me that line ought to be
as straight as it can be. I guess that's all I've got.
Erhart: Why does the line jog there as proposed?
Chuck Worm: We did that, if we were to split the lot in half, the line
would only be like 8 to 10 feet from her garage and the west side of the
house is the main part of her yard and that's why the jog is in here.
And there's quite a bit of slope right where that line is. East of that
line is quite a bit of slope to the east and we just made it that way so she
~WOUld have a decent yard yet.
Erhart: But that forces you to put your house way back on the property. Is
that your intent?
Chuck Worm: We would keep it straight west in line with her house.
Erhart: That's what is confusing is the setback. Under the old ordinance
it's 10 feet.
Olsen: When they come in for a building permit, it will be under the new
ordinance which is 10/10.
Erhart: So if we were to keep the line straight down, it would not require
a variance?
Olsen: He still would because they still do not have the 180 feet.
Erhart: I understand that but they could split the lots in half and get
close to half and still be outside the 10 foot of Mrs. Jeurissen's house.
I'm just guessing what would happen if we split the lot down the middle to
go within 10 feet to keep it fairly even lots.
Conrad: And what's that going to do for us?
e Wildermuth:
It's keeps the lot line tidier.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 22
e Conrad: Does it solve a problem in the future?
trying to meet the ordinance more fully?
Does it tell us we're
Erhart: The thing I was questioning in my mind, we have an ordinance that
says 180 feet. We're putting a pretty arbitrary jog in here and we're going
further away from our ordinance.
Siegel: Is there any possibility of sharing an existing driveway so there
is only one?
Olsen: They will be sharing a driveway.
Siegel: They are sharing a driveway now and they will continue when the lot
is subdivided?
Olsen: When the street is improved?
Siegel: Yes. They will put a separate driveway into this lot.
Olsen: Right now, when the home is constructed they will be sharing a
driveway.
Siegel: Then I don't see any problem with the configuration that's on
there.
~Erhart: A question on the soil borings. This one says 12 inches mottled
area. That would require a mound system. Just to point out Dave, this
might have been before you got on the Planning Commission. The Commission
and City spent considerable energy last fall and winter revising the septic
system ordinance for the City because we had had some failures. We attended
a class and hired a consultant and rewrote the ordinance. We did a lot of
changes so just trying to settle your concern a little bit, I think things
have changed a lot and I think we have looked into it. If any new member is
uncomfortable with that, perhaps you should go back with Barbara or Jo Ann
sometime and go through some of the things we did. I guess I'm pretty
comfortable with the new ordinance. The existings homes were built there
back before we had any ordinance and some of them wouldn't be allowed at all
or would be required to have mounds.
Conrad: The reason for the 180 feet?
Olsen: It's for future subdivision.
Conrad: Down the middle? It won't happen here. I'm looking for a reason
that we can grant a variance.
Olsen: There's the hardship because it's not physically possible.
Conrad: That doesn't do anything for me.
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 23
e
Olsen:
kind of
It will not be split down the middle when it's subdivided.
reasoning that we used for Mancino's.
The same
Conrad: So granting a variance here, I don't know that we need to get close
to 180 feet because there's not a potential for a subdivision in the future
here. In this whole neighborhood, do you see potential for other types of
subdivisions ever occurring? They are configured this long, skinny way.
Erhart: What are the lots on 96th? 100 or 150?
Olsen: 150 feet.
Conrad: They're all 150? I guess I can see a rationale that we can grant a
variance. I think after the motion we should offer a reason for that.
Headla: Why do we even put in number 2? Obviously he's got to put in
something.
Olsen: That's just to clarify that the 201 option is not an option. We're
just making it clear that Staff is requiring the applicant to install an
individual sewage treatment system and that he can not hook up to the 201.
Headla: Let me put it this way, he doesn't have the right to persue it any
it further if he pays the cost himself. He may be able to convince somebody
eOf extenuating circumstances.
Dacy: He would have to deal with Metropolitan Waste Control Commission and
the Met Council and that still places a cloud as to the City's compliance
with the whole 201 grant and the City does not want to be placed in a
position that we have to refund the federal government all that money
because we don't have it. It really raises the whole question to our
conformance with federal standards.
Headla: I think you have control over it without that motion in there and
if you put that motion in there, you've got him locked in. I think you
ought to give him a chance at least to see on his own.
Conrad: I'm ready for a motion. I guess a person who feels that they have
a definite opinion on where the lot line should be should make the motion so
if there is somebody on the Planning Commission that has a definite...
Siegel: I just want to make a comment. On the third recommendation from
the Staff is that the conditions as stated in the City Engineer's memo dated
May 8th is kind of redundant with your point 2 because his recommendations
is that Lot 2 will be required to accommodate on site septic system. So
you're just kind of stating it again as a separate condition?
Emmings: I would like to state a position here. Condition number 1 is
vague and I guess I would like to see it less vague and the way we get
.. there, supposedly if you move it over is one thing. I don't know what Staff
. is looking for there and it seems to me that there is no reason to grant a
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 24
~ variance in this case whatsoever. The jog is there to accommodate the
convenience of the person who is dividing the lots and that's not a reason
for a variance. Although we can't reach the 180, I think we should get as
close to it as we can.
Olsen: Move it 10 feet from the existing structure of Lot l?
Emmings: Yes, because it should go, to me, right down to 10 feet from the
existing house because that's what the setbacks are there. They can always
make accommodation between themselves. If that's the main yard of the house
and the son-in-law is over next door, he can certainly let them to continue
to use their yard as they have in the past but at least their yard will
conform more to what we've done in the past. I'm uncomfortable with
condition 1 as it is because I don't know what it means. What is the Staff
looking for there?
Olsen: We were looking it to be over as far as possible.
Emmings: I would agree with that position.
Conrad: And as far as possible meaning what?
Olsen: 10 feet from the structure.
e Headla: Did you actually go out and look at it?
Conrad: Do you want to revise your motion at all Bob to be more specific in
condition l?
Siegel: Not after what I just heard from Staff about their intention. If
that's their intention to adjust it for Lot 2. Maybe we're being too
nebulous for the applicant in that regards in leaving it up to Staff.
Chuck Worm: If you people saw where the line lies right now, you would
understand why it is that way. If you guys all want to take a look at it,
you would be in favor of this anyway. The way it is right now. If you were
selling the lot to somebody else, you wouldn't want that lot lying 15 feet
from your house or 20 so I think where the lot line lays right now is the
best spot it's going to be.
Conrad: Why don't you talk to us further. If we went out there and saw it,
why would we be persuaded that the lot line? You can build your house and
you're not going to effect the yard as it stands. You're going to be
sensitive to the yard of the person that you're buying the property from.
You're not going to infringe on that current yard so tell us why if we saw
it we would want to leave it where you have it?
Chuck Worm: Convenience for one thing. If you were living in that house
presently right there, convenience to walk out to the west of the house
there. It's a nice yard. It's all level and where the lot line lies, it's
~ goes right there to the point of the hill where it takes it to the slope.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 25
e It goes on the slope there
place to put the line.
so that's why basically it looks like the best
Erhart: If you put the line 10 feet from her house, you can still build
your house on the pad that you've shown on your plan. You wouldn't have to
do any landscaping in that area.
Chuck Worm: But it would inconvenience her house. If you move that lot
line 10 feet from her house, she would probably say forget it.
Siegel: We've got to be thinking of their problem for resale for that lot.
That person isn't going to be living there forever.
Emmings:
I don't think we do need to think about resale.
Siegel: That might be the hardship.
Emmings: A variance is something that's not a condition created by them and
that's exactly what they're describing. You don't grant variances on the
basis of convenience.
Conrad: Bob, do you want to do anything with your motion?
Siegel: No, I'll let it stand.
e I'll entertain that.
Conrad: Any more discussion?
you comfortable? You want to
intent?
If anyone wants to make an amendment to it
Steve, do you have any more discussion? Are
be specific but are you comfortable with the
Emmings: I don't know. What I would like to do I guess is, let's just go
ahead and vote on it the way it is.
Siegel moved, Headla seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Subdivision Request #87-4 as shown on the preliminary plat dated
January 15, 1987 with the following conditions:
1. The the internal lot lines shall be adjusted east to provide Lot 2
with additional lot width.
2. Approval be contingent on approval of the consultant of two septic
system sites.
3. The conditions as stated on the City Engineer's memo dated May 8,
1987.
Siegel and Headla voted in favor, Conrad and Emmings opposed and Erhart
abstained. The motion carried with a vote of 3 to 2.
Emmings: I'm voting against this simply because I think we should, instead
e of saying the lot line should be adjusted to the east to provide Lot 2 with
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 26
e
additional lot width, I think it should say that this lot split should be
even if possible. The lot line should come over as far as it can to the
existing house. If necessary, right up to the required 10 foot setbacks
because I don't think there are any legitimate grounds for a variance.
Conrad:
I agree with that.
SUBDIVISION OF 15 ACRES INTO 27 SINGLE FAMILY LOTS ON PROPERTY ZONED RSF,
SINGLE FAMILY-RESIDENTIAL AND~OCATED EAST OF CHANHASSEN VISTA AND TRIPLE
CROWN ESTATES, JUST NORTH OF FRONTIER TRAILION LOTUS LAKE, SHAD6WMERE
SUBDIVISION, HILLOWAY CORPORATION.
Public Present:
Name
Address
Phyllis Pope
Marv Leggel
Mr/Mrs Bill Loebl
Susan Albee
Jeff Bonner
Jack Crow
Roger Smi th
.. Don Anderson
.. Margie Karjalahti
620 Carver Beach Road
650 Carver Beach Road
7197 Frontier Trail
6871 Nez Perce Drive
Carver Beach Road
7193 Frontier Trail
606 Carver Beach Road
Pleasant View Road
7413 Frontier Trail
Barbara Dacy presented the Staff Report on this subdivision.
Jim Fenning: I'm with the Hilloway Corporation. I live at 2440 Byrnes Road
in Minnetonka. I have with me tonight Joe Finnley, my attorney who can
speak to any items and also the engineer, Ray Azon from Land Data. We're in
agreement with the Staff Report. We think it was an excellent, indepth
report. Any comments, because of the way time is going here, we'll just
wait until after the neighbors comment and maybe we can incorporated them
into any answers to any questions they may have, we can incorporate that
into a brief presentation. We did have a neighborhood meeting on May 6th
where we had 14 different people from 11 different households who were
represented.
Phyllis Pope: I live 620 Carver Beach Road and I've lived there since 1963.
I guess I have about four concerns and the first one is about the whole
concept of the development. I guess to have seen that property through the
years and I feel it's really a unique piece of property in Chanhassen with
the old trees that are on it, the wild flowers and the lakeshore. I feel
that cutting it up into lots of this size is a shame. You can do that in a
cornfield but when you have property like this, the trees that are going to
come down even with the restrictions are going to be just numerous. It's
not going to be anything like it is now just for the houses and road itself
e so I feel that it's a mistake to divide this property this way. My second
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 27
e
concern is the capacity for the lift station if they connect to the one
that's partially on my property I guess to the north. That lift station has
given the City nothing but trouble ever since it's been in there and only
yesterday many trucks were going up and down that road pumping it again. It
doesn't seem to work. Add these houses to it and who knows what's going to
happen. It's overflowed into the lake many times too. My third concern is
the erosion of the creekbed with the houses on the one side of the
development. As you know, as was noted in the Staff comments, it's a very
steep bank and I feel the houses are way too close to the edge of that bank.
My fourth concern is the suitability of putting lots on the lakeshore to the
north end. That's very low property. It's wet most years most of the year.
Practically level and I don't see how a house is going to be built there.
That's about all.
Marv Leggel: I own property 650 Carver Beach Road. I guess my concern and
I understand that the City is going to be doing feasibility study, I guess I
would like to see the extension of that Carver Beach Road go on through. I
think it's for the good planning of the City and fire protection and safety
and for school buses and everything else. I think that that road should be
connected.
Bill Loebl: I live on Frontier Trail and our backyard abuts the property
that Fennig is trying to develop. I have two points which I would like to
make. The one is a technical question and concerns the dimensions which
_ appear on his proposed plan as opposed to the plan which we recei ved when we
.. bought our property. The figures are not the same and I would urge you,
before your approval, to have these figures checked to make sure that the
right figures are approved by you because once the wrong figures are
approved, then it's much more difficult and complicated and expensive to
correct any errors regarding lot lines. The second point I would like to
make is the number of lots. The original plan was for 23 lots, as you have
seen and for a beautiful piece of land like this is, to jam in 27 houses
side by side with minimum distances between houses as the page 2 of the plan
will show you, is a shame and I don't think anybody will pay several hundred
thousand dollars to live 10 feet from a next door neighbor. Mr. Fennig told
us at the meeting that we had last week that in order to develop the land he
would have to cut down 90% of the trees. I urge you to take a real good
look at this.
Conrad: Your first comment that you're concerned on numbers. Would you go
over that with me again?
Bill Loebl: Yes, may I show you. We live on this lot and the distance here
reads 65 feet. The plan shows 30. This distance reads 98.14 and his plan
shows 95 and our plan, this is 36.7 and his reads 40 you see so these
discrepencies should be corrected before.
Conrad: How do we handle these discrenpencies Barbara in plats?
Dacy: I guess I better look at it first. What this is saying is that it's
e 65 feet from your west lot line to where the line jogs and he has shown that
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 28
e that 65 feet on the plan.
This 30 feet represents from the new lot line.
Bill Loebl: Okay, that was the explanation I was looking for. What about
the next one? The 98.14.
Oacy: Yes, he is showing 95. That would have been caught at final plat
because this is just a preliminary survey and final plat what they have to
do, they ha ve to make sure tha t tha t wou Id ma tch the Sunr i se Ridge
subdivision. Here they've got 36.7 and here they're showing it as 40 so
we've got the same amount they just redistributed it differently but that
would have had to match the Carver County Survey Office would have caught
that.
Mrs. Loebl: We're concerned with Lot 21. You said something about
rearranging the something there on 21. What are you doing with that? I see
those two dark lines Barbara. What are they for?
Oacy: This is the line that they had originally shown. What's being
recommended is that the line be shifted to this alignment so that that would
force the location of the building pad further to the east. Then this area
would be added into this lot.
Mrs. Loeb1: Which would be the east Barbara?
"Oacy: This is to the east. Your house is right here and this would force
"the location of the house more towards the east.
Mrs. Loebl: What is the dark line down at the bottom?
Oacy: That's to gain lot area so that it can maintain a 20,000 square foot
lot area.
Mrs. Loebl:
Is that taking property away from the people to the east?
Oacy: It's taking land area away from his land from the next lot, from Lot
17. Originally, it was 23 and it drops down to 22 and this is back up.
Mrs. Loebl: So the house pad on Lot 21 would be further to the east?
Oacy: That's correct.
A tape change occured while Susan Albee was making her comments. She stated
that she thought the plan was a very good one, does a minimal amount of
grading and she is in favor of the plan. She stated Mr. Fennig has a right
to develop it and she thinks the plan is very beautiful.
Jeff Bonner: I live down at the end of Carver Beach Road. I agree with
this gentleman about opening up that road to Carver Beach. There are a lot
of chidlren playing there and a lot of traffic that flows into the deadend
that I see going by my front door everyday, turning around up in the
e Moulton or Mr. Fennig's property. I didn't like the way I didn't hear about
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 29
e the 35 foot drop up on the hi 11 to grade down tha t one area tha t you were
talking about. I would like to see that. I told Jim I would mow his yard
down there because I go down there in the spring with my tractor and get
stuck down there... The pump station where I hear it's pumping almost every
day. They make 100 trips through there. I don't know. There are a lot of
pros for it and a lot of cons. I know there are also lots in there that
they have people coming in already who are interested in buying if not
already sold. I hate to see this be like Triple Crown there where they come
in, which I was here at the meetings at and the guy stood up here and
deliberately lied and said that all the trees would be left and here my
backyard is asphalt and dirt because they cut everything out of there and
they told you they were going to leave it. They also didn't get a permit on
that for the 70 different cutting trips that came in there. So I just want
to make sure that everything gets done. If it's Staff meeting or whatever
economic sanctions or whatever it takes.
Conrad: It appears to me Barbara that you've looked at this more from the
impact on the environment than you have other developments, especially the
Triple Crown development. This gentleman has some concerns. He's seen some
things happen in that other development that he's nervous about. What do we
tell him that says this is going to be different?
Dacy: The Triple Crown situation is the type of development that the
developer indicated we're going to come in and grade for the streets and
~ we're also going to prep the sites for the building pads. That's why it
.. required the amount of tree removal that it did because they prepped the
entire site. Each individual lot. Vegetation from the setback. The
building pad location the vegetation was removed. In this application, as I
stated earlier, this is not the proposal. The proposed grading plan under
consideration by the Commission tonight, if adopted, will limit grading to
only those areas for installation of the streets and utilities. There is
another second process that the applicant has to go through. After plat
approval they have to submit what is known as final plans and specifications
and that has to be reviewed by the Council. We've also, as I listed out,
required additional plans as well to make sure that that gets done.
Conrad: When you talk about control and I think there is always intent of
controlling but then there is also limited staff time too. When we talk
about monitoring clear cutting or monitoring taking down trees, how do we do
it? And again, going back to the gentleman, how do we manage a developer
who we put some restrictions on, we may put restrictions on, how does City
Staff track that?
Dacy: As part of the building permit application, the applicant submits a
Certificate of Survey. In the case of the lots along the southern tier, they
will have to submit a grading plan as well so we can look at the drainage
impacts but through on-site inspection as well as each individual building
permit is routed through planning, building, engineering and so on, that Jo
Ann and myself, we individually take a look at the lots. Our inspection
~ department has been very astute now as to watching for things for erosion
.. control, locations of homes next to lakes, creeks and so on. They are out
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 30
e
there on a full time basis and they alert us if they see something
occurring.
Marv Leggel: I think the difference that you see there in the Triple Crown
was probaby a FHA improvement project which require a clearing of the path
and contraction of the whole building pads. It appears that the developer
has agreed to go in with an architectural control for each individual lot
and to me that tells me that he's going to do a lot better job in preparing
it. From what I've heard of the price of the lots, I think this is area is
going to dictate a much finer home and architecturally designed home versus
a lot of them that you see in Triple Crown.
Jack Crow: I have a couple concerns. When the Chan vista project went
through, we had over 90 people sign a petition that we didn't want that
connection into Frontier Trail. I don't like the idea, we got 27 more lots
coming onto Frontier Trail from this subdivision but in addition to that, if
it gets connected into Carver Beach Road, we're going to get all of Carver
Beach going down our road as well. Nobody heard us the last time but I hope
somebody is listening a little bit better this time. The other thing I
wanted to mention, that drainage pond down there for sedimentation doesn't
appear to me to be big enough, at least from the plans that we've seen but I
guess that's an engineering question. I would like to see the engineering
on that at some point.
A Dacy: Gary Warren is the name of Ci ty Eng ineer.
~ 100 year storm event. So feel free to call.
It has been sized for the
Conrad: If you would like to see it, you should go in and talk to him and
if you see something that maybe alerts you to a problem. We trust our
engineer in terms of telling us what's acceptable. I think we've had enough
drainage and enough issues in that area that the engineer is sensitive to
run-off but I think we would welcome you to go in and talk to him and take a
look yourself and if you see a problem to bring it up to City Staff and City
Council.
Roger Smith: I live at 606 Carver Beach Road. I own the property at the
northwest corner of his property. I own the last house on the northwest
corner of Carver Beach has there. The questions I bring up is the fact
that I look down onto that creek. I have the northern part of that creek on
my property and it goes through part of my property. I built that house in
1980. That's the last house that's been built on that creek in 30 years and
since I built my house I've watched the property from my house, from both
sides of the creek move 4 to 6' feet and drop into that creek. I'm talking
about those high banks there. There are some high banks in the first 5 or 6
lots and all the way up about 7 or 8. I've watched 5 or 6 feet of my
property drop off into that creek and likewise with the other side of the
creek. I just can't imagine that you can put houses 90 feet apart abutting
the back of the creek and not have a significant part of that drop back into
that creek again. I can show you the trees that have been down there. I
can watch things falloff. It's not from my property. It's the natural
~drainage that goes into that property. The soil just drops that creek like
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 31
e from both sides. It's not the water coming through the bottom, it's the
water corning on the sides. Those lots and those houses and roofs, corning
off the back there will knock that down. If you people want I'll show you
the amount of erosion that's gone since my house was built. The other thing
I have is I see the water for that creek, I saw the dam they put up, I
saw it right before I carne here again. I really have serious questions
whether that holding pond will handle the amount of water that it's going to
put into that thing based upon what I've seen which is since the last 6, 8,
10 years and I live on the creek. The other thing is the trees. I have
this property exactly, in fact the same gentleman who owned it owned all
that property. I built a house back up and did the same thing they did in
taking out trees. You can't build a house of the quality that they're
talking about building without taking a significant amount of trees out.
The other thing you do when you put your roads in and disturb the roots of
those big oaks, they die. And if you don't believe that, you can corne out
and I'll show you the ons that I've got stumps all around my house along my
road where if you get within 8 or 10 feet of them and they're gone. That's
how I've been heating my house for the last 6 or 7 years. You're welcome to
corne out and I'll show you our side of the story that Phyllis and I are
talking about. We're the people who live on that creek. We're not
objecting to the development, we're just objecting to the drainage on that
creek and the number of units going in there in relationship to what's going
to happen to that. The other thing is the road that's involved in that. If
they're going to put a road down there to go through, you're going to have a
_ lot less traffic. I guess my big question is who is going to pay for that.
~You've got Carver Beach people and you've got Chanhassen people who live in
Chanhassen, there's got to be an allocation of those funds. I know a lot of
people who live in Carver Beach who work in Chanhassen, go to school in
Chanhassen. You've also got likewise the beaches and recreation down there
and traffic corning the other way. If it's going to be assessed to the
people in Carver Beach and the people on Frontier Trail, a lot of other
people use that too. I think we're going to have a problem figuring out who
is going to pay for that.
Conrad: Do you see any difference in this land versus Lotus Lake Estates?
Roger Smith: Definitely.
Conrad: Other than the creek, what's the difference? They have a lot of
trees.
Roger Smith: The creek.
Conrad: They had a lot of trees and they developed that quite tastefully.
Do you see a difference in this proposal versus what they're doing?
Roger Smi th:
I do know the drainage runs off without any building.
Conrad: Their lots are 30,000 square foot lots. Minimum lot size in the
~ city is 15,000 and I don't know. This is double the standard.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 32
~ . h
Roger Smlt :
property. I
You've got a creek in there that's a sizable portion of that
don't know if they have 20,000 on there.
Helen Loebl:
Ladd, did you say those lots were 30,000.
Conrad: I was going by net density.
Helen Loebl: They're 20,000.
Conrad: They probably are. Net density is 1.7 units per acre which is
still not, when we take a look at subdivisions, that's not a whole lot of
acreage. That's not a whole lot of units per acre.
Roger Smith: Those 10 north lots, two-thirds of those there's a creek on
them. Four on this side of the creek.
Dacy: Your concern about those lots and the creek are very well founded.
The Watershed District as well as the City have those same concerns. In
measuring the distance of a setback and a standard 25 foot deep building
pad, it ranges from Lots 6 and 7 on over but there is approximately an
additional 30 to 40 feet before what I would call the crest of the hill
before it drops down to the creek. The Watershed District will be requiring
as well as the Soil Conservation Service also indicated that the existing
erosion that's occuring along those slopes will have to be corrected as well
~ as that channel through there will also have to be stabilized. The
~Watershed District has indicated to me to do that. One, is to provide a
piped improvement which would eliminate the creek and install a storm sewer
pipe. The other option is to do rip rap and other means to control erosion
and stabilize it. The City, from our standpoint, we do not recommend the
installation of the storm sewer pipe. It's obvious from our standpoint that
you eliminate the amenity of the creek and the benefit that that proposes so
there will be conditions regarding erosion control around the creek from the
Watershed District and the Soil & Conservation Service.
Roger Smith: without more houses, the natural run-off alone drops it off
there 2 or 3 feet. It comes down in just clumps.
Dacy: I would agree that the existing situation is such that it is eroding
very rapidly and what the Watershed District is going to be looking at is to
try and correct tha t and stop it and stabi 1 i ze it to the poi nt that there...
I'm not going to sit here and say that there's no way that those houses are
going to cause erosion problems but what I am saying is that we are very
atuned to that problem and we're not going to create a situation that's
going to make it worse.
Don Anderson: I live on Pleasant View Road on the north end of Lotus Lake.
I think it's kind of nice we got a developer that's not trying to get more
lots than he's supposed to on a piece of land and it's also kind of nice not
to have somebody pushing for an off-lake rights for the off-lake lots.
e
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 33
e Phyllis Pope: I would like to hear some Staff comment on my concern about
the lift station.
Dacy: I wish the City Engineer was here to address that. To be honest with
you, on a day to day basis I am aware that there are employees going down to
service that lift station but to be honest I can't answer your questions about
the capacity and so on. Maybe the developer's engineer can address the
capacity issue as far as from their development but unfortunately I can't
address your concerns from the City's standpoint.
Phyllis Pope: I think that's a concern that should be straighten out here
before anymore houses are connected to that lift station. I don't see how
this project can really be considered without that.
Dacy: What Staff can do is the engineer will be present at the City Council
meeting or I can have him directly call you within the week to answer those
concerns.
Jeff Bonner: Could they hook up to that original whatever it is going
behind where they want to tie in the road?
Dacy: I believe from the gravity situation there, they are proposing to
connect into the existing lift station. They are looping to the watermain
from Chanhassen vista.
-Jim Fennig: Why don't I just answer a number of concerns that were raised.
Regarding the sewer, right now we're talking about a course by gravity into
the lift station. There is an alternative of picking up gravity sewer down
south here. There is an existing easement in place and it could run there.
We'll leave it up to the City Engineer and the City Staff to tell us which
way they want it run. Obviously if we're going to overload the lift
station, I'm sure they're direct us in the other direction. The reason
we're not running sewer from here in this direction is because the street is
sloping down that way and would require another lift station and normally
cities want as few lift stations as possible because of such problems. I
think I miscommunicated at the neighborhood meeting if one of the neighbors
walked away with the impression that we are going to be removing 90% of the
trees. This illustration shows the area we will be cutting outside of the
right-of-way. There is a good chance that we will even be able to pull that
in even more because within the Subdivision Ordinance it does say that if
there are significant trees in certain locations you can have them within
the boulevard area. This is the worse case scenario where this would be the
maximum limits of the grading and cutting. We've worked on at least 10
plans trying to refine this and keep bringing the road upward or down to
limit the grading. The erosion control, I would like to show you from some
pictures, in the old days this is what was called a driveway and then this
is a new culvert that's just been put in place in the last couple years.
The culvert under the driveway is located down in this area. Now with a 12
inch culvert and another 20 inch culvert, in the spring with heavy rain,
I've seen water over the driveway. With that new culvert you see, all the
e water is going to be stored upstream. The maximum water coming out of that
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 34
~ retention area is going to be out of a 20 inch pipe. So we see that the
erosion will be extremely minimal plus we will be incorporating any rip rap.
Mr. Smith indicated that there is erosion coming from the south going north.
We will be intercepting most of that with the street. At least half of that
plus most of these houses are going to have positive drainage towards the
street which means the hard surface areas will also be draining towards the
street and going down here to the sedimentation pond. That's all I have.
Joe, I don't know if you wanted to mention anything.
Joe Finnley: I'm Jim's attorney. I think he's really addressed most of it.
I just want to make a couple comments. I think first of all, a few of the
neighbors had address kind of the concept concerns about the subdivision and
to me that's getting a little bit beyond the zoning and planning aspect.
There are standards in the subdivision ordinance which Jim has met. We're
not really asking for you to give up on any of your standards. We're going
to meet them in some cases go beyond them and I hope tha t' s how you view it.
The second is on a number of items which are really factual like erosion
control and what's to happen. There really are a number of protections.
This subdivision is being looked at a little bit more closely if not a lot
more closely than a number of ones that went before. Number two, on the
erosion control, we're going to end up with a plan that a number of
government agencies are going to look at and approve. To a certain extent
I think you have to trust the city and Watershed District and the DNR. They
all say it's good. They are professionals and I guess at a certain point
A you have to trust them and while we don't have the work done right now, it's
~clearly a condition that we have to have adequate control for final approval
before we get any building permits. The City Staff has taken care of that
very well. I guess finally, this is a point that strikes me as an attorney,
I'm also a planner and something I see a lot in subdivisions. People have
specific problems which they have identified on an existing site, an erosion
problem or something and the natural assumption, despite what staff does is
that a subdivision will increase the problem or exaggerate it. Whereas,
what your Staff really tries to do I think is use the subdivision as a
positive planning device. They try to emealerate the problem. They
identify an existing problem and say if we do this subdivision correctly,
not only will we not exaggerate the problem, we may diminish it some and I
think that's the point Jim is trying to make about where the pads are
located with the drainage towards the street, storm sewers going down to the
sedimentation pond, intercepting a lot of the existing drainage. The honest
thought behind that is not to even come in and say, we'll leave it as is
because it's sort of there. I think the thought is to emealerate the
problem to use the subdivision to correct. Nobody can make it quiet perfect
but I think the intention is that it would be as good or better after the
subdivision than it is today and that's a point that I would like to make as
a planner more than anything else. That subdivisions aren't necessarily a
device to exaggerate problems. Where the Staff is careful and cautious as
they were in this one, you can help correct problems. Beyond that I don't
think I have other comments.
Mrs. Loebl: Maybe this is premature but they talk about connecting Bighorn
~ Drive and coming up through Chan Vista, that connection. We were out there
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 35
e riding yesterday and at one time it had been brought up that that incline
was so steep that they didn't know how a road could be put in there. Could
anyone explain to me what's going to be done about that incline now? Also,
do I understand correctly that the only trees that are going to be removed
are where the streets and the house pads and everything else is going to be
left. Is that the way I understand it now?
Dacy: The streets and utilities. The grade between where Bighorn Drive
cul-de-sac's now on into the subdivision here is a significant one and one
that they will have to cut through into the subdivision. The Carver Beach
Road connection is going to be an even greater grade. More so than the
extension of Bighorn Drive.
Mrs. Loebl: It looked so much higher yesterday Barbara.
car could get up it.
I don't know how a
Dacy: Right and if you stand at the end of this cul-de-sac and look
directly to the east, I think you'll notice though that it is fairly flat
and then it begins to slope down toward the east. But if you look toward
the north, it drops very quickly.
Mrs. Loebl: We were looking south from Carver Beach. Where Bighorn Drive
is going to be coming through from Chan vista.
~ Dacy: Where the gravel road is now and if you're proceeding down Carver
., Beach Road it drops very rapidly and then it bottoms out and then it rises
again and what I'm saying is that this grade is more steep than this
connection here. This is the one that poses more concerns.
Mrs. Loebl: How will that be done Barbara?
Dacy: What the City will do is hire a consultant to look at the engineering
aspects. How that connection can be made? How wide should the street be?
Also look at the potential costs. How will the property owners be assessed?
How much will be assessed against the applicant? How much benefit will be
assessed to the existing property owners?
Mrs. Loebl: Even on Frontier Trail too?
Dacy: At this point I'm going to say I doubt it because the rationale is
there is no direct benefit from your home to this connection.
Mrs. Loebl: We're going to get all the disadvantages because besides having
the traffic from Chan vista that we've been fighting for a year.
Dacy:
I thought you meant a financial impact.
Mrs. Loebl: Yes, but then we're going to
I'm talking about financial impact. Cost
e because there is going to traffic as well
get more traffic yet from this.
plus the impact of the traffic
as the financial impact.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 36
e
Dacy: I doubt that you will be assessed as a part of this project.
To compare this, I think it's about 1,000 to 1,200 feet long compared
winding through your neighborhood. We believe that a majority of the
traffic will take Bighorn, the shortest route.
to
Mrs. Loebl: Why would they come down from Carver Beach Road then if they're
going to go out that way?
Dacy: The people going out to work in the morning and typically who use
TH 5 and people in southern Carver Beach are the same way. For getting to a
destination south, the quickest means out is going to be through Bighorn
Drive. I think the people in Chanhassen Vista are going to be the ones that
are going to get the traffic.
Roger Smith:
Chanhassen.
I've got a wife who has 40 piano students.
They're going to be using that road.
They come from
Dacy: And they may come up Kerber and use Bighorn. Typically people will
take the shortest route and the quickest time. Winding through Frontier
Trail I think is going to take longer than going up Kerber, going down Big
Horn then up.
Mrs. Loebl:
don't mean
.. collisions
.. accident.
don't mean
The speed limit signs that you put on Frontier Trail, they
a thing. On two separate occasions we almost had head-on
in front of the Friedlander house where there was that one bad
They come whizzing around there. Those speedsters those signs
a thing.
Margie Karjalahti: I live on Frontier Trail down a ways. I'm here on
behalf of the Lotus Lake Homeowners Associations and I would just like to
encourage the developer, I think the development looks very nice and I
really like it but one thing I would encourage you to do is to learn from
experience at the boat access. The government agencies didn't understand
what the people who live next door do so to rely just on the figures and
recommendations from them, I think you wouldn't run into probably more
trouble if you really talked with Phyllis and this man and really worked
with them about erosion control. For the benefit of the boat area and just
for the lake too.
Emmings moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing. All voted in favor
and motion carried.
Headla:
trail?
Barb, will you go over again what the Park Commission said about the
I got lost in the description.
Dacy: The overall trails plan indicated that Bighorn Drive was approved
with a portion of the pavement containing a pedestrian and bike trail so
what the Commission wanted to do was make a connection up into the Carver
Beach area so if Carver Beach Road is going to be constructed as a standard
city street, they were saying that the city should include area for an off-
e street trail. If it's not going to be improved to a public street, then the
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 37
~ Park and Rec Commission recommended that the plat be approved with
condition that at least a 20 foot easement be reserved so that the
Commission could construct a trail.
the
Headla: I think Mr. Finnley brought up the point that from what I've seen
they meet the requirements of the lot size and more than meet what we as a
city feel they should do. I think they are more than fair on dividing up
that land that they do have. I think they're really adding something
positive. I like all the recommendations and I thought it very positive on
the creek but then at the very last, do we even have anything definite
what's going to happen to the creekbank?
Dacy: Is your question do we have anything definite as to what's going to
happen?
Headla: Yes.
Dacy: As I tried to explain earlier, the Watershed District is going to
require the developer to do certain types of improvements along the creek.
People in the neighborhood are right. There is erosion problems occuring.
The Watershed District also has it's standards that any drainage
improvements in the area have to handle a 100 year storm event so yes, the
developer will be required to submit a final plan. It has to be approved by
the Watershed District and approved by the City Council.
e Headla: Okay, I interpret them as saying that's going to be an improvement
over the current situation.
Dacy: Yes.
Headla: The current situation is continually caving in?
Dacy: That's correct.
Headla: I don't have any more questions.
wildermuth: The creek slope line as indicated on the map, does that have
anything to do with where houses can be located? Is there a setback from
the slope line?
Dacy: The City does not have an established setback but that slope line was
established by the developer to prevent buildings being constructed beyond
that line. The City on top of that anyway is going to be requiring a
drainage easement along the northern tier of those lots which will also
force structures out of the slope area.
Wildermuth: Should we have a high water mark on the shoreline?
Dacy: The ordinary high water mark as shown on your plan there is at the
~ elevation of 896.3. That is the point that the shoreland setback is
., measured from.
Planning Commission
May 13, 1987 - Page
e . h
Wlldermut :
Meeting
38
Is that for septic plan?
Dacy: Yes, I think it's on the grading plan.
Wildermuth: I have no further questions.
Siegel: I think Staff has answered all my concerns and I think they've done
a very good job of putting together this thing. It looks like a real fine
project. I think it will be a real enhancement of the residential character
of Chanhassen.
Emmings: Are there any regulations that regulate the width of the riparian
lots?
Dacy: Yes, the Shoreland Ordinance requires 75 feet at the ordinary high
but the applicant has exceeded those requirements.
Emmings: You said the intent of item 2 was to preserve...
Dacy: That was a typo. That should be over storage.
Emmings:
That's all I've got.
Erhart: The 20 foot trail, the bottom of that creek is not reserved for
ttanything? That's going to be all private lots?
Dacy: Right. Because the creek is so fragile and so on, we wouldn't want
pedestrian traffic along there at the bottom there. The Park and Rec
commission's action was just to make the connection along Carver Beach Road.
Erhart: The house pad on Lot 11, looking at the elevation...the ordinary
high water elevation.
Dacy: The Ordinary High is 896 and it's proposed at 904 and 9ll.
of a walkout situation so it will be above that.
It's kind
Erhart: Does that solve the problem?
Dacy: The concern that the City had was the sedimentation basin in Lot 11
and the elevation of that compared to that house pad but that can be
accommodated.
Erhart: And the driveway had to go along the basin?
Dacy: It's going to be following the lot line between Lot 11 and Lot 12.
Erhart: Other than that you're satisfied that lot layout makes sense? It
does not appear like we're trying to insert something in there that doesn't
fit?
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 39
~ Dacy: Again, our concern was elevation of the pond and that can be resolved
when they submit final plans and specs.
Erhart: Okay. That's all I have then.
Conrad: I generally see some good things in what's been submitted to us. A
lot of sensitivity to environment. Maybe not as much as some people would
like but certainly more than we see in the typical plan coming to us.
Certainly more restrictions in terms of what's in our recommendation if we
adopt it tonight. In terms of controls so those of you who are neighbors,
there may be some things you're still concerned with but in terms of what we
see on a daily basis or weekly, whatever, I'm certainly looking at some
things that are environmentally sensitive and better than development~ in
other areas. I think the case comes down to an execution of these things
and I think also in what we're seeing in how the developer is going to
develop a property, I see the control that the city will have on the
development to monitor. It's certainly better than other things that I've
looked at. For my own interest, who owns a creek?
Dacy: The attorney might want to help me out on this but I think the
creekbed may be DNR but it's not officially recognized creek from the DNR's
point so...
Joe Finnley: The developer owns it. The DNR would own the water and the
~landowner would own the bed which of course means nothing if it's a public
~water because the DNR would regulate the water which is a resource of the
state. But it's not a public water or designated wetlands as well. From my
understanding it would be the developer's.
Emmings: Because it's not navigable.
Joe Finnley: It won't govern everything but there are some DNR things that
are wetlands that are not navigable which the DNR in 1972 also took
jurisdiction over as well but typically it would be a navigable water and
Minnesota claims the water itself as a resource that it owns. Not the land.
That would be a taking but as people find out, there are cases where people
own a lake where rice is harvested and it means nothing really to own the
land and public water.
Conrad:
creek?
So what prevents a private landowner from doing something to this
Dacy: Part of the proposed control mechanism is one, we're requiring
replacement of the drainage easement along the northern tier of those lots.
You can not place a structure within an easement. If there is a drainage
problem that occurs, it gives the municipality the right to enter the
property and correct the problem. The developer is proposing a private
means beyond that by establishing covenants that match that creek slope line
that he has identified on the plan.
e Conrad:
I've got four concerns and the Chanhassen engineer can solve all of
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 40
- them. I think the developer will be working along with our engineer. As
Phyllis said, the lift station is a great concern and obviously we have to
take a look at it and I would sure like to have somebody take a look at it
before it gets to City Council so we're a little bit wiser when this gets to
them. The holding pond size, if we can have an engineer, do we have
engineering specs that we can develop or spec out the holding pond size to yet?
Dacy: They have given us a preliminary design and the engineer has reviewed
the applicant's design calculations but that again has to be refined and
reviewed by the Watershed District.
Conrad: We've addressed the creek erosion control and I'm kind of
comfortable with that. Some of the lowlands that we talked about, I think
again, as we develop lots, there appears to be control as those lots are
developed so I think I go back to two things. The holding pond and the lift
station are of interest to me and I think the engineer should have some
comments by the time this reaches City Council. Any other points?
wildermuth moved, Siegel seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Subdivision Request #87-20 subject to the plat stamped "Received
May 7, 1987" and subject to the following conditions:
1. Lots 16 and 17 shall share a driveway.
e
2.
Realign Lots 21 and 22 as shown in Attachment #11.
3. Retention of drainage and utility easement through the northern
area of Lots 1 through 11.
4. Clear cutting of a lot shall not be permited. Selective cutting of
vegetation to allow the placement of a home shall be permissible.
Selective cutting includes removal of vegetation up to four inches
in diameter as measured four feet above the ground surface.
5. Submission of a detailed tree removal and grading plan.
6. Dedication of a 20 foot trail easement.
7. Lots 16, 17, and 21-27, will require separate grading and drainage
plans to be submitted with the building permits to assure that
drainage is maintained away from the Sunrise Ridge subdivision and
that tree removal is done selectively consistent with the Shoreland
Ordinance.
8. A feasibility study should be prepared to evaluate the Carver Beach
Road connection to Bighorn Drive.
9.
An erosion control plan shall be prepared incorporating the
recommendations of the Soil Conservation Service in their March 6,
1987 letter and be submited for approval prior to construction.
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 41
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10. All utility improvements shall conform to City standards for urban
construction.
11. The applicant shall enter into a development agreement with the
City and provide necessary financial sureties as a part of this
agreement for completion of the improvements.
12. Submittal of an acceptable final drainage plan for review by the
City, Watershed District and DNR and compliance with all applicable
conditions.
13. An appropriate easement shall be dedicated to preserve the creek
area from encroachment by abutting property owners.
14. Any existing assessments on the property shall be accommodated into
the redistribution consistent with City standards.
All voted in favor and motion carried.
SUBDIVISION OF 4.7 ACRES INTO 10 SINGLE FAMILY LOTS ON PROPERTY ZONED RSF,
SINGLE FAMILY-RESIDENTIAL AND LOCATED ON~~ITE AV&NUE, APPROXIMATELY 1/4
MILE NORTH OF LAKE LUCY ROAD, CREEK RUNlSUBDIVISION, ROBERT ENGSTROM AND---
- --
.e ASSOCIATES.
Public Present:
Name
Address
Brad Worm
6185 Cardinal
Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on this subdivision.
Robert Engstrom: I'm a developer of this property and have been in the
development business for a fair amount of time and have built several
thousand housing units in the Twin Cities. We've done design and land
planning over the years and this is pretty straight forward. What you have
here is a nice wooded run that comes through the old creek bed and the way
it works out, the sewer and water is in this location right here so the road
is pretty well fixed. Therefore, by putting the road entrance in there and
leaving the creek run the way it is I think we can pretty much preserve the
site. As you can tell by the contours lines, with this sort of configura-
tion there will be a minimum amount of earth moving. There is a nice
planting of evergreens and other deciduous trees on the site so we think
this will be a very nice little subdivision. Regarding the island in the
center of the cul-de-sac, I don't know how many times it's come up and I
suppose 11:00 at night you don't really want to talk about it but I can show
you it has stood the test of time going back to 1967 with Walden and
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 42
e Burnwood in Burnsville where they have been there for 20 years and they are
beautiful. The people like them. I know the folklore that can eminate from
the possible snowplow person who doesn't know how to plow a cul-de-sac.
There are some distinct advantages but the subdivision doesn't rest solely
on that item. I think you folks are missing a big opportunity as far as
development of the overall community if you don't examine this project.
Erhart: Who maintains the flower garden?
Some volunteers?
Robert Engstrom: My experience has been that there is always somebody in
the neighborhood who will raise to the occasion especially if you plant with
more or less maintenance free materials. Right now I have something like
200 to 300 lots under development where over half the lots are on cul-de-
sacs and they all have islands in the center of them mostly except for one
very gorgeous development over here in Minnetonka where they couldn't quite
see it. Basically what happens when you live on cul-de-sacs, instead of
looking at everybody elses home, if you plant some evergreens you look into
trees instead of somebody elses picture window. In terms of snowplowing, my
argument is if you have any intellect at all you can figure out you pile the
snow onto the island and it's a nice place for storing snow so it's not that
big a deal. And even if it was, so what? People want to live in nice areas
and this sort of area we expect to exercise with our amount of architectural
control and try to do a fairly decent job so it enhances the quality of the
entire subdivision so I would ask what your comments might be on that.
e Siegel: .. .maintenance of the island though.
Dacy: If it's public right-of-way technically it's ours.
Siegel: So it's city property.
Emmings:
So if a tree dies on it, we have to take it down?
Dacy: What he's indicating from a practical standpoint the people in the
area will maintain it but it's a public street, we have the ultimate
responsibility.
Robert Engstrom: In fairness, in some other areas where we have a larger
subdivision like 30, 40, 50 or 100 lots and we do have an association, I put
in the covenants that the association will maintain the islands in the
center if maintenance is at a satisfactory level but generally, I just know
from practical experience what happens is people who live there, somebody or
all of them kind of set it up and that's how they take care of it.
Brad Worm: I would like to look at the ditch slope between Lots 2 and 3
there. I'm pretty sure that it's more than a 1 to 1. I'm wondering if
they're going to do anything with that? It seems to me that it's extremely
hazardous.
Robert Engstrom:
Hazardous for who?
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 43
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Brad Worm: For pedestrians and cars on Yosemite.
you know to the bottom there?
What is the drop there do
Robert Engstrom: The slopes seem to be pretty well maintained. They have
nice trees on them.
Brad Worm: No, they're not. I think maybe you want to talk to the road
crew about that to make sure that the road isn't falling in the creek.
Robert Engstrom: What's the point?
Brad Worm: I think if you're going to develop this area you want to look at
an extremely hazardous condition.
Dacy: You're referring to which lots?
Brad Worm: All along 2 and 3 along Yosemite.
Dacy: You mean the ditch section along the west side of Yosemite?
Brad Worm: Yes.
Olsen: That will be in the drainage easement and it will also be maintained
with erosion control during construction.
i ~ Brad Worm: Maintained. So we would usually leave it, it would stay the
same as it is now?
Olsen: Yes, they wouldn't be able to touch it. Once again, the drainage
easement is protected.
Brad Worm: Currently we have like a 20 foot drop with no guardrails. No
protection at all.
Olsen: You mean for people walking along Yosemite?
Brad Worm: Yes, you can't stand on it. Two steps off and you're down.
Dacy: So you're suggesting?
Brad Worm: I think that maybe you want to look at that as far as the
development.
Dacy: To cut down the slope you're saying or widen out the, I'm trying to
determine what you're trying to have us look at?
Brad Worm: The hazard. If you get houses in on Lots 2 and 3, you're not
going to be able to do anything with that ditch so if you want to sell lots
and leave that ditch the way it is.
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 44
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Dacy: Are you saying that you want to have the shoulder widened because the
existing slope is so close to Yosemite?
Brad Worm: The way it is now there is no room for a guardrail. I guess I
think we should have some protection along there.
Conrad: Along Yosemite?
Brad Worm: Yes.
Conrad: You're not concerned about the people who are moving in, you're
worried about...
Brad Worm: Well, once you get houses in there...
Wildermuth: It would be hard to grade it back is what he's saying.
Dacy: We could have the City Engineer look at that situation from the
street.
e
Brad Johnson: I just want to give a position on the island. I had recently
visited every single cul-de-sac in Chanhassen. I think they are basically
ugly. An 80 foot expanse of pavement is not attractive to anybody and from
what we could tell, the only reason was because the proper radius is for
what he just said. The snowplower can't find the road and that's the only
objective we heard that's legitimate. We could possibly have some training
of our staff to plow that. It just doesn't make any sense and it really
destroys the view.
Erhart moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing. All voted in favor
and motion carried.
Erhart: From what I can see in this subdivision that is proposed, five of
the lots would require variances. Is that right?
Olsen: Two.
Erhart: Do we allow flag lots?
Olsen: That requires a variance.
Erhart: What about the other lots that have 30 foot frontage and 58 foot
frontage? How many lots require a variance?
Olsen: Lot 6 requires one and Lot 9 requires one.
Conrad: What does Lot 9 need one for?
Olsen: Lot 9 doesn't have 90 feet at the 30 foot setback. Lot 3 actually
does not meet the 15,000 square foot and it has the 90 feet street frontage
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 45
e
along Yosemite so although from internally, it really doesn't require a
variance.
Erhart: I don't understand why that street isn't done a little bit
different. Just slightly longer or something. Or a hammerhead type cul-de-
sac then we could eliminate all the variances. I don't see any hardship so
I guess I would like to see the plan brought back. Unless he can explain
what the problem is.
Robert Engstrom: There are various ways to approach this site. I can come
in with a plan that you wouldn't be very excited about. It would probably
have an extra lot or two but you wouldn't like it but what we're trying to
do here is have a situation where we're saving the woods coming along in
here like this all the way here so we got that restraint already. We have
some existing vegetation on site on the other lots. Some evergreens and
emersion cover coming in here and there are some nice trees back in this
area.
Erhart: Readjust Lot 6 and have them all access off the cul-de-sac.
Eliminate the flag lots and eliminate the driveway easement.
e
Robert Engstrom: But there is a certain amount of rigidity in your
ordinance and if you're going to conform with all aspects of your ordinance,
it's pretty hard. There are some other dramatically different approaches
that you can take. You can take an approach of bringing the street access
in over here like this and coming down this way. But that's not nearly as
desirable I don't think from the City's standpoint. It's a very steep
ravine.
Erhart:
I'm not suggesting you put a street in there.
Robert Engstrom: But that would be another way of doing it. The City's
already got the sewer and water in this location so that's kind of a fixed
variable.
Erhart: I guess I still don't see why the cul-de-sac can't be further north
and rearrange Lots 3, 4, 5 and 6 so they're on the cul-de-sac and at least
eliminate the flag lots and private driveway. Is that not possible?
Engstrom Associate: You would lose too much.
Erhart: Too much what?
Engstrom Associate: Too much ground. If you push that cul-de-sac back, it
cuts the dimension of the lot down so we are not within your 15,101010. Two
months ago it was 13,101010 and now it's 15,101010.
Erhart: Maybe there's not room for 110 lots on this piece.
only room for 9.
Maybe there's
~ Engstrom Associate:
All of them are oversized.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 46
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Erhart:
I guess I don't like to see that high a percentage of variances.
Robert Engstrom: Sir, I believe you misinterpretted the dimensions. These
are the street dimensions. The only variance that I know of is for one lot.
If it's really important to you we can move this lot line down here. This
is here where the logical buildings sites are. The logical site for this
site is here and this is also a logical building site.
Erhart: We would also like to see how is 3 going to get access?
Robert Engstrom: Private driveway.
Erhart: I guess I'm not exc i ted about that ei ther. Let me just move on.
Regarding the cul-de-sac thing, I guess I would like to take the
opportunity, I think I agree with you but I would like to see our
maintenance representative come in and talk to us about this cul-de-sac. I
would like to get more information. If there is a positive aspect of
putting islands in, I think we ought to do it but I would like to talk to
them. That's my comments.
e
Emmings: I certainly agree with Tim's comments. I don't like Lot 3. I
don't like Lot 6. 9 I don't think is that big of a problem. I think it
could be accommodated pretty easily. My own impression as I was sitting
here too is that it's too many lots crammed into that space and yet I
realize to meet our square footages that they've met and in some cases
substantially exceeded on what we require so I don't think that's a reason I
can vote against it but I don't particularly like it. I think if you have
to have a cul-de-sac, from what I've seen of islands I like them but again,
perhaps we should hear what the real complaints are. Particularly in a
development like this where they are small, I think it would be a good thing
to have it.
Siegel: I guess I don't share the same concerns. I don't see a real big
problem with this. Although it's not the ideal maybe but considering the
topography and the land, it's probably fairly well done engineering project
here for meeting our specifications. Also, is there an island in a cul-de-
sac in Chanhassen?
Robert Engstrom: Yes, one.
Dacy: Sandy Hill Road.
Siegel: I guess are we speaking from experience when we say that plowing
and servicing of the subdivision is very difficult or are we speaking from
somebody elses, some other communities experience?
Dacy: As I understood it, the City Engineer consulted with Jerry Schlenk,
the Street Superintendent and from their standpoint a heavy snowplow can't
see the curb area and come whipping in there. It's more difficult for them
to work around. You can see from our comments from the Fire Department that
e they feel they can work around it and each department has their own views on
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 47
e
the matter but the Engineer consulting with the Street Superintendent has
stated that we would not recommend that this would not become a standard
policy. Beyond that I really can't say much more. Yes, they do have good
points but engineering is pointing out some bad points.
Siegel: From that standpoint it has some pluses and minuses. Obviously
from a service standpoint, if you threw it out just on that point you
wouldn't be considering some of the positive aspects of the island. The
aesthetics and the possibility of enhancing that neighborhood. I think the
problems could be overcome pretty easily by a snowplow. I would tend to
think that including an island, I would like to see more islands included in
cul-de-sacs. Especially large cul-de-sacs where it would kind of enhance
the surrounding area.
Conrad: Who would want to maintain them?
Siegel: I tend to agree that if they are planted properly the maintenance
is pretty minimal and generally, of course, they are going to be maintained.
Even if you just put shurbery and wood chips on it. If you put some nice
pines and some evergreens and wood chips, you wouldn't even have to worry
about maintaining the grass. They would just grow so from that standpoint
you wouldn't have to worry about anybody mowing the grass or whatever.
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Wildermuth: I feel if the developer wants to put an island in the cul-de-
sac and he meets the street and structure requirements that we have, I don't
see it as being any problem. I happen to live on the one cul-de-sac in East
Lotus that does not have an island. There are two cul-de-sacs over there.
I think the City has more problems plowing that one than the one with the
island with the small radius. Have you looked at how you could reconfigure
this subdivision so there wouldn't be any variances? Is there anyway
Barbara?
Olsen: Lot 6 would have to eliminated and Lot 9 can be adjusted with the
lot line being shifted over to the east but there really isn't enough street
frontage to allow Lot 6 to have the 90 feet of frontage. Also, for Lot 3.
Wildermuth: I think this will make a much nicer little subdivision here if
it was reconfigured and not need the variances and maybe increase the lot
sizes. I think as we talked before, even though we have a 15,000 square
foot minimum, 15,000 square feet is not a very big lot. I guess I'm not in
favor of the way it's configured.
Headla: I would like to discuss the cul-de-sac. What questions did you
really ask that fellow that is going to plow that?
Olsen: We just asked him what's your opinion of an island? They have a
certain way of plowing the snow.
Headla: You know what the answer is going to be before you even ask and I'm
not sure he should have the say in that. I think there are a lot of
tit aesthetics for anybody living on that.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 48
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Dacy: Therels no question that the aesthetic benefit is there. The City is
approaching it from the maintenance, the cost and the liability issue as
well.
Headla: whatls different than having some shurbery on the boulevard? I
lived in Excelsior for a good share of my life and we had trees on the
boulevard. Whatls the difference between that?
Olsen: An internal structure that the snowplow has to go around.
Headla: I thi nk that IS somethi ng tha t maybe they should learn how to do.
On Lot 9, does it meet the intent of what welre trying to do on the
Ordinance for aesthetics?
Olsen: Again, the intent is to provide the lot width at the street
frontage.
Headla: But wasnlt it for the house setback.
Olsen: The intent of the ordinance as it is written now is to provide
that lot width at the street or at least at the 30 foot setback to .
ilot ~llow triangular lots. .
e Headla: Are we doing something just to do it or do we have rationale to
change that?
Dacy: Change Lot 9 or are you talking about Lot 6?
Headla: I want to talk about 6 next but on Lot 9.
Olsen: Lot 9, I think it should be changed.
Conrad: Because why?
Olsen: To provide the necessary frontage.
Conrad: Because at 30 feet setback we donlt have the 90 feet?
Olsen: Right.
Conrad: what do we have at 30 feet?
Olsen: 80.
Headla: Lot 6, I guess I donlt have but on Lot 3. Are we talking about an
easement or a common driveway or what?
Olsen: An easement. That could be a common driveway if they wanted to make
4It it that but right it would just be an easement.
~
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 49
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Headla: We talked about easements before and we've gone through this sort
of thing. We just really haven't worked that out satisfactorly have we? I
keep thinking of the one just on the north side of my property. An easement
leads to more and more problems all the time. It seems like you're putting
in an easement because you don't know of any other way to solve the problem.
Olsen: Granted easements aren't ideal but in this case, Lot 3 meets the lot
square footage of 15,000 square feet and it also has the street frontage
onto Yosemite. Technically, if they wanted to, they would put the driveway
out onto Yosemite but that would be going over the creek area.
Headla: You would have to have a 4-wheeler.
Olsen: What we ha~e proposed is that they use the internal street and
reduce alteration to the land and reduce another access onto Yosemite.
Headla: I think that's good rationale but it just seems like we're giving
an easement because we don't know how to solve it. Can't we have an
arrangement where they either put in a commen driveway or have a 30 foot
right-of-way?
Olsen: You could even have them make another flag lot if you wanted.
e Headla:
I got.
I would rather see them do that than have an easement.
That's all
Conrad:
good?
Let's take the road takes about 12% of total area.
Is that pretty
Dacy: That's standard.
Olsen: That's common.
Conrad: 12% is common?
Dacy: That's low compared to the lot sizes are larger than are required.
Conrad: I'm not wild about the configuration with Lots 3 and 6 and it just
bothers me but I'm sensitive to preserving the creek on 3 and I think the
roadway is definitely less surface in this development than most
developments. That's my perspective but I really have a problem with Lots 3
and 6 and I'm not sure how I solve it. I'm not wild about the flag lot for
Lot 6. I don't know why I would grant a variance in that case. I can
understand Lots 3 and 9 real easily. I just don't like Lot 6. It's just
not good planning. It's nothing that I'm comfortable with but I also see
some positives that the developer is doing and based on Staff's direction
I'm trying to see if those positives outweigh the negatives I see with Lot 6
and I'm balancing and I still have a problem with Lot 6. I end up not
e liking it.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 50
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Dacy: And that's part of the reason to need a variance. Basically, your
Commission is going to try and decide whether or not Lot 6 deserves a
variance and you're going to be determing whether or not you feel that this
is overcrowding of the land. Technically Lot 3 meets it, Lot 9 can be
adjusted to be so there are no variances.
Conrad: I guess whoever makes the motion, I guess you got a lot of choices
here. Obviously to go according to Staff or you can make the motion and
approve everything other than the variances that are there. I think the
motion should also be incorporating any comments on the island. I
personally like the island but I personally think that somebody should be in
charge of that island. I'm not willing to take it on as a city so that's
where I'm at. If somebody would like to make a motion.
Emmings: Can I ask a question first? This is maybe a little abstract and
maybe not very much directed to this but here we've got Lot 3 and you say it
meets the street frontage requirement on Yosemite yet it's not served off of
Yosemite. What is the point of having the street frontage requirement
against maybe a person who lives on a lot that doesn't have the street
frontage?
Olsen: The street frontage provides you with the safety access to be
maintained by the City.
Emmings: Here he has the street frontage on a street that you can't use and
~ we're going to sneak you in the back door on a little driveway here and that
made me wonder why we have a street frontage requirement at all.
Dacy: We have a street frontage requirement for easy means of access and
safe and convenient access to the lot. You need a public street for some
traffic flow and traffic circulation management. Practically, access to Lot
3, if they did come off Yosemite, you could do it. You could grade that
down to get your vehicle up it but it would be a lot of grading. Yosemite
is not a collector or an arterial so we don't have that restriction for
direct accesses onto a local street. I understand your point. You're
saying practically the access is going to come off the cul-de-sac.
Emmings: That's where the frontage ought to be.
Conrad: Okay, somebody want to take a crack at this one for a motion?
Headla: Do you have any thoughts on the easement versus a right-of-way for
Lot 3?
Emmings: I personally think that Lot 3 ought to have street frontage on the
cul-de-sac but I just want to make my motion this way and maybe it will pass
and maybe it won't. The City Council will have those comments. That's
going to be a private driveway, I don't know if they intend to make it an
easement over Lots 4 and 2. Maybe they can tell us.
~ Robert Engstrom:
It would be an easement, yes.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 51
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Emmings:
Half and half then split up that lot line?
Robert Engstrom: Yes.
Emmings:
I don't care if it's an easement.
Dacy: Just for clarification, that contains Staff conditions 1, 2, 4, 5 and
6?
Conrad: Yes.
Emmings moved, Siegel seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Subdivision Request #87-21 as shown on the preliminary plat
dated April 24, 1987 with the following conditions:
1. No individual lot shall be permitted access onto Yosemite.
2. Lot 6 shall receive a variance to the lot frontage requirement and
Lot 9 shall have a 90 foot width at the 30 foot front yard setback.
3. The applicant shall provide a detailed grading and tree removal
plan prior to final plat approval.
4.
The applicant shall provide appropriate erosion control to protect
the ravine and the ravine shall be protected by drainage easements.
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5.
The conditions as stated by the City Engineer in his memo dated May
8, 1987.
All voted in favor except Conrad and Erhart and the motion carried with a
vote of 4 to 2.
Erhart: I'm not convinced that we took and tried to find a way of doing
this without the variance and so my recommendation is that Lot 3 be
redesigned, that all the lots have frontage on an internal street with the
90 foot at the setback.
Conrad: I voted nay simply because I don't like the access to Lots 3 and 6
and I also think that as an island, because it was proposed an island, that
there should be responsibility for maintaining that island and I don't
believe it should be the City's responsibility.
SUBDIVISION OF 3.15 ACRES INTO FIVE SINGLE FAMILY LOTS ON PROPERTY ZONED
RSF, S INGLE FAMILY RES IDEN'i:'iAL AND LOCATED AT-7423!7425FRONTIER TRAIL,
LOTUS COURT SUBDIVISION, LOTUS REALTY SERVICES.
Public Present:
Name
Address
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Mr. Bill Kirkvold
7423 Frontier Trail
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 52
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Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report on this subdivision item.
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Brad Johnson: I come before you not as a developer but as a homeowner in
this neighborhood and I would like to explain why we're here and trying to
accomplish this. We have Pete Linsmayer whose home burned down on that lot
about a year ago now. He's here and the others that live on that particular
area and also Mr. Kirkvold. We're all kind of joint applicants. Let me
just give you some history on it because we do ask for some, I've asked for
a number of things because I know when you don't have a private street you
run into all these kinds of problems. This particular piece of property was
developed a number of years ago and when they did it they just put the lots
in kind of randomly. If anybody has been over into that particular area you
can see that there is very little maintenance to the road itself and roads
out in the village. Basically, we also have one more lot that is serviced
off this road in addition to our own which is right here. That particular
lot has no access to anything except it has a little easement across here.
What we tried to do is approach this as a neighborhood and it's taken us
about 6 months to negotiate the purchase of the land. That was the first
step so there is very little up to us. We're not making a lot of money.
We're just trying to straighten out the neighborhood. We also got all the
neighbors to agree that they would participate in this so we have a rare
opportunity where you have four neighbors who will act somewhat uniformally
to try and straighten out the problem that probably would never, ever be
straighten out again once we all go off on our merry way and the lots are
all sold. The Kirkvold are going to sell their home on Frontier Trail and
this makes it all possible, and build on the lake so he's bringing economic
muscle along and he's buying the lake lot. Even at that point, to also bear
the burden of the additional costs to all our lots, we decided we had to put
an additional lot in there to justify getting it done so that's why we have
the position of that one lot. That lot is 51,000 square feet and we're
dividing that lot into two lots. One will be on the lake and one will not
be on the lake. There is sewer and water to all those homes but 10 and
behold, we got halfway through this process and we had agreed to everything
except for wanting a green island and we discovered in the meeting with the
Staff today that the sewer and water in there, there is no manholes so
nobody knows what's there. And I can understand this one, the
recommendation is they tear out what's there and put in all new. That's why
we have got to do that. That might be the right thing to do. We're not
saying that's the wrong thing to do. It does add $12,000.00 to the plan
that we had not anticipated. They are also recommending that we put in at
the end of the cul-de-sac, which we have for the fire which you can't really
argue about, put in a fire hydrant and increase the watermain. There is
maybe some legitimate and mechanical problems in there that could be
corrected at this time. If we do do that, we don't know if we have enough
money. We've budgeted $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 to do this and the
additional $12,000.00 for the sewer and water and two manholes and
everything else gets the budget up beyond what maybe the rest of the
neighbors will agree to do and we may not get it done. The variances are
simply, the houses themself at the point they will be built on are at a 90
foot point and they are setback quite a bit. There's a cliff there that
drops off. A natural overlooking the lake. If we build homes as walkouts
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 53
-
on it so they are situated on that particular parcel. If you notice this
one house right here is probably 120 to 160 feet from right here over to
where that house is situated. This house will be quite a ways from the road
and this house will be quite a ways from the road. We could pull the road
in farther and give us the frontage, it would just cost more money.
Every time we move on asphalt, that's why the variances won't be justifiable.
The cul-de-sac happens to be the backyard of two houses that are on the cul-
de-sac. My house and somebody elses house. In our cases, a number of us,
I'm giving up of what I call my front yard. All the way along to put a road
in there as an easement. We have set that up so it meets city standards as
far as requirements of space, the turning radius and everything like that.
Having gone to other places that don't have rules on green areas in the
middle of cul-de-sacs, we would like to try this as a private road then you
don't have to deal with all these kind of things. The private road
ordinance allows three homes on a private road and that is far less than
what we have. That's where we're coming from basically that we would like
to spend about $20,000.00. We think we're going to straighten out something
that needs to be straighten out. We were half way through the meeting and I
met with Gary Warren today and I think the Staff can understand the problem
of money in trying to get this thing accomplished and they seem to feel that
it's more important to put the sewer and the water and the fire hydrant in
at this time than trying to put all of it up to City standards. When we say
not city standards that means to drop off the curb and gutter and to make it
a little bit narrower and keep it as a private road. We have hired snowplow
experts. We bring them in from Eden prairie and they plow that and nobody
will have to handle them. That's where we are. We've been working on this
now for 3 or 4 months and believe me, it was not easy to get it all
together. You have five people to straighten out a neighborhood. We also
have somebody moving into the neighborhood. There's another thing that was
required, an outlot in here. Because these people have a 10 foot sideyard
and a 10 foot sideyard there and we think ultimately the Ellsworths will
sell this outlot to these people and they will then have a driveway and a
place to put a garage so we thought that part out too. It's like a flag lot
and your easement problem except we only have a 10 foot front yard. So we
have a lake lot which is worth a lot of money with a house with no place to
put a garage and no front yard so we've set the outlot in for that reason.
That took up some of the radius that we could have done. We could have done
this a little bit different. So we've got it set up with this outlot
someday to be sold off to that house. That's where we are.
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Bill Kirkvold: I live at 7423 Frontier Trail which is Lot 10, I'm not sure
what it says on the artist's sketch but as Brad mentioned, I think we
consider this more of an improvement project rather than a subdivision. In
fact, when the notification of public hearing came out, the fact that 3.15
acres was being dividing into five lots, a number of people in the
neighborhood asked me what was going on because it sounded so ominous like a
big developer, Lotus Realty Services in this case, was coming in and was
going to plot five more lots into the neighborhood which really isn't the
case. We're essentially trying upgrade the road and utilities in the area
and divide one lot which is about an acre and a third into two lots. I
think that really comes down to a matter of economics because what's
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 54
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affordable to the neighborhood in terms of this kind of a project. There
isn't any economic gain to us other than if there is some increase in
property value as the result of having a better road. I think it's a matter
of trying to improve the road and get rid of an erosion problem that we've
had with the easement road in the past and provide an aesthetically better
neighborhood.
Brad Johnson: The issue was also having the outlot as a beachlot. We're
not sure, it was a good point that Gary brought up as to the relocation onto
Frontier Trail but there may be a different way or different place to put
that could corne out straighter than it is. Right now it would basically be
running parallel to Frontier Trail and I'm not sure that's really real good.
It's probably a way of doing that straight through maybe 200 feet up
Frontier Trail to put the access in there. What I'm saying is we agree it
should be thought out but we just found out about that one on Friday too and
there are probably other solutions to that that are better.
Bill Kirkvold: I think we can agree to having another access to Frontier
Trail. At the same time I think you have to realize that that particular
road gets used maybe four months of the year and during that time, mostly on
Saturdays and Sundays so we're talking about a situation that's a problem a
maximum of 20 days a year. There's a fence across it most of the time and
it's locked.
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Erhart moved, Siegel seconded to close public hearing.
and motion carried.
All voted in favor
Erhart: Who uses the beachlot?
Brad Johnson: We have an association of about 20 houses.
Erhart: So it's the people outside the cul-de-sac then.
that this road intersect into the cul-de-sac?
Is Staff proposing
Olsen: Yes.
Erhart: Rather than on Frontier Trail?
Olsen: You have two access points right on top of each other,
intersecting actually, ,and it's dangerous as i.t is right now because
you,' re on a curve and you hesitate. ,-
Erhart: Wouldn't you turn the end of that cul-de-sac so that it intersected
with Frontier Trail at a 90 degree angle?
Brad Johnson: That's a sharp turn. We want to put a stop sign there is
what we wanted to do. That will be the next thing.
Olsen: We at least want a secondary access.
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 55
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Brad Johnson: I live right here and we don't use this road. This road can
come right out here like that. This is just a little stream and it can be
culverted and you can run across there. The major drainage one is right
over here. Two streams that come in. This road would come right in there
with no problem. I just have a hard time of seeing a road here and road and
they run parallel.
Erhart: Okay, but Staff is recommending that it run into the cul-de-sac.
Brad Johnson: And we talked with the Staff and we say they're probably
right that something should be done other than what we were thinking about
doing but we didn't know that that would be brought up. This is not our
property.
Erhart: My question is, it seems to make more sense to run it straight up
Frontier Trail rather than using the cul-de-sac but enough on that. I
assume you are taking the lot that you're creating, the sale of that to pay
for the improvements?
Brad Johnson: Not all the improvements but a major share of them.
Erhart: The conversation you have in here regarding a private drive versus
a public street, the ordinance does not allow private streets. I guess what
we're heading for is perhaps passing this thing requiring a public street.
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Brad Johnson: That won't work. Then we'll have to meet all the criteria.
It would have worked up until we discovered it's going to cost $12,000.00.
A public street in this particular area has to have a 28 foot width,
concrete curb and gutter and we add all the math up, you find that that's
about $15,000.00.
Erhart: How wide is Frontier Trail right there?
Brad Johnson: 28 feet. So what we thought we would do is set the road up
so that that would be an outlot. The dimensions of it would be just like
that, meet all the standards of a normal road but because of the economics.
See we all think we have sewer and water until we were told we sort of
don't. They said to put all new in. That's a surprise. We're not saying
they're wrong because it sounds like it might be correct. It just was
mishandled 15 years ago when you did it and that's possible so we're
suggesting as an interim, because we have a limited budget, that we put more
emphasis on the doing of the utility improvements at this point. We didn't
think we had to do those.
Erhart: What do you have wells now?
Brad Johnson: No, we have sewer and water. We have everything.
Erhart: And why do you have to change that now?
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Brad Johnson:
They're saying that the low pond.
There are no manholes and
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 56
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they don't know where the shut-off's are and they want to put a manhole up
there so they can turn it off.
Erhart: It works though doesn't it?
Olsen: They have to provide fire hydrants and they have to provide manholes
and things like that.
Erhart: The sewer system is working okay. They get city water.
Brad Johnson: They don't know where the hook-ups are.
the size of them are.
They don't know what
Erhart: Is that more important that the street issue.
Brad Johnson: To us after we listened to them, we said fine, we'll go along
and put the money into the fire hydrant and the upgrading of the watermain
and whatever. Let's say that's $12,000.00. $2,000.00 for the manholes and
right on down and we said fine. We will then use our budget and go with a
private road in there and we'll cut down the width from 28 feet to 20 feet
to plow ourselves. Those kinds of things and do away with the curb and
gutter. That was the idea.
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Bill Kirkvold: I think the rationale there is those types of improvements
are going to be under the street. Obviously you want to make sure you don't
have those kinds of problems before you go and put it in. There's no sense
in putting in a street without those utilities.
Erhart: I guess on the variance on the lot width, what you're doing here is
really unusual that you can get everyone together to decide to do something.
That's great so I like it. I just have a hard time understanding how the
street works and the sewer.
Brad Johnson: Originally we had it just like this and didn't think we had
to do the sewer. It carne up and we're trying to agree now. Gary is
probably right.
Erhart: The issues we're going to have to decide is whether we're going to
vote for a variance on the street thing but now I'll listen to the other
questions and try to decide.
Emmings: Staff is not recommending that we approve a private street?
Olsen: No.
Emmings:
months and
see how we
questions.
We've been kicking that issue around here over the last couple of
we just finally decided what our position was on that and I don't
can go along with it. Other than that, I don't have any
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Siegel:
That Lot 1, Block 2 and the recreational beachlot shall have access
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 57
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from the new street and not from Frontier Trail.
have access from the new street?
Doesn't Lot 1, Block 2,
Olsen: What we're saying is the secondary access, we want this to be an
opportunity to have this open.
Siegel: Oh, that would be eliminated?
Brad Johnson: Yes, and I'm saying that's fine.
Siegel: Is there any problem with, we just talked about having a variance
for that previous proposal for new Lot 3 here that has the frontage. What
is the requirement, 90 feet?
01 sen: Yes.
Siegel: I don't see any kind of hardship here that existed on the previous
one because Lot 2 could be realigned or the other lots could be realigned to
achieve that pretty easily.
Brad Johnson: We only have two lots to play with. We can't realign my
backyard. My house is built and my yard is there.
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Siegel: what kind of frontage do have there on new Lot 2 at the setback?
Can't we realign the lot line for Lots 3 and 2 to achieve that 90 foot
minimum?
Olsen: You need it for Lot 4 also. Then you get into the square footage.
The only way is to take some land from Lot 1 to Lo~ 2.
Siegel: It seems like there's enough land here to play with so granting a
variance for Lot 3 doesn't seem to have the same kind of impact at least
from my point of view as the previous proposal where there is on other
solution from my thinking.
Brad Johnson: Put yourself in our position, we have Lot 1, the house is
built and right now I'm 30 feet off of the line. The only way to do it is
say you're going to move over and take more of the property that I'm already
giving to this and my wife will divorce me.
Siegel: Is there any way of shifting all of the lot lines all the way over
to that outlot and making less land there. In other words, just move it
around.
Brad Johnson: The problem is, the outlot, we got it in there as small as
we could figure out to make it useful for someday for that house so he can
sell it. Everybody is built so it's difficult to move things around. We
earlier thought that you guys would accept the fact that we were able to
show it at the building point where it's 90 feet. That's what we were
try i ng to accomp 1 ish. All of the homes will be set back the same on the
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 58
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street. They will be equal distance back from the cul-de-sac.
have their own driveways. It's tough.
They all
Siegel: What is the whole area of the original subdivision that has use of
the beachlot? Is it all on Lotus Lake? Is it on both sides of Frontier
Trail?
Bill Kirkvold: Both sides of Frontier Trail.
Brad Johnson:
12 families.
Half of the members are on the lake already. There's about
Wildermuth:
I guess I don't have any questions.
Headla: After we fought so hard to standarize on streets. When I came in
here I was convinced that it should be street then I waiver and then I come
back and gee, if there's going to be six there. We had such good rationale
for the street standards and we've imposed them on other people although it
was a little bit different. I guess I go along with the Staff recommending
that. I had a little harder time on this one but I'm still convinced with
all the recommendations.
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Conrad: Contrary to you, I find this variance for lot frontage a lot
easier. I felt there are more hardships here. In the other case it's a
brand new subdivision. Brand new so there are no hardships. They can meet
all our ordinances. Here, they're trying to straighten out a problem and I
think it's to our benefit to help them straighten it out. I think that's
kind of neat. It looks like a huge road when I look at the blueprint. It
just looks.
Headla: It's the same size as Frontier. It doesn't seem reasonable.
Conrad: I would like to scale it down to a little trail going in there that
a snowplow could sneak through.
Brad Johnson: That's why we requested a private road.
Conrad: We have struggled with private roads over the last couple months.
Brad Johnson: We figured out we got all the people to agree to give away
more of their land. You're talking everyone of these guys is giving away a
number of square feet of their land to get the road in. We asked for the
green area. That was the only thing we were really concerned about. Having
an island because we know looking out the back, we'll sell this whole deal
if we have to look out our backyards and some of our front yards, at an 80
foot radius or diameter of asphalt pavement. It will look terrible. This
thing is 24 feet all the way around. If you can't drive something around
that. So we were all set for this. I don't know what to do with this. I
don't know if we can absorb, we figured out this morning and I agree with
the City, that's where they're at. They're saying we all want all new sewer
and water. Well, there's already sewer and water see, in our minds.
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Planning Commission Meeting
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They're saying they don't know what's there and that'a surprise. Otherwise,
we would have blown right through. That's the one economic thing that
caught us off. I know you guys can't simply say we don't have to put sewer
and water in. That's an engineering question.
Conrad: Your recommendation for the access, I can't envision how it hooks
up. The beachlot access hooks up to the new road. I can't envision how we
could do that?
Olsen: We looked at it real briefly but we saw this low area here and we
said we don't want it to corne out over that. The street most likely will
corne straight out so right here there are going to be two streets so what
our proposal was, but we didn't know how Brad was going to feel about
closing this off so what we were proposing was to have this curve like that
so they could still use it. This is pretty well wooded and it's not like
you're having a second street along Frontier Trail.
Conrad: So what's safer? Having a road that accesses within 10 feet, onto
the new drive within 10 feet of Frontier.
Olsen: From our perspective, yes, to have the access off of this internal
drive versus having one on Frontier Trail.
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Conrad: But you couldn't even turn left. Once you got to that street, how
you rearrange yourself so you're ready to go back out onto Frontier. It
just seems like you have some lousy angles to play with.
Dacy: What Jo Ann is pointing out is what we discussed with the applicant
this morning is that the City's concern is to minimize access points. This
was an suggestion to achieve that objective. Maybe the Commission would
want to direct the applicant to provide a detail of that connection as well
as an alternative plan showing the connection further west so the engineer
can go out and evaluate sight distance and so on and maybe there is another
alternative there.
Olsen: Actually, you could have 30 feet separation on Frontier Trail which
I think is feasible.
Conrad: That's my concern. I don't know that the solution is as safe as
having two accesses going out. I certainly appreciate minimizing the
accesses and I think we should qtrive to do that but I just didn't see the
connection was any safer so maybe that is something we can incorporate into
a motion that we continue to look for a solution.
Brad Johnson: The beachlot owners would have something to say about that.
Erhart: Do we have streets now in the city that are 28 feet wide?
Olsen: You mean public streets?
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Erhart:
A private street.
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 60
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Olsen:
A private street would be much smaller than that.
Erhart: So the minimum width in the City of Chanhassen is 28 feet so we
don't differentiate any place even if it was a four lot cul-de-sac it would
be 28 feet wide?
Olsen: what we look at is reduced right-of-way but the street is still
built to city street.
Conrad:
In some cases that's unfortunate.
Headla: What's critical in street standards? When I think of street
standards, I think of the base material and how heavy the traffic. I don't
think of the width as much. Should we have something else besides just a 28
foot width?
Olsen: That provides you the passing width and emergency access that's
necessary. It also gives you the base.
Headla: The base I can see just from the different vehicles that can handle
it but the width I have a hard time with. You have a maximum of six homes
here. It isn't as though you have heavy traffic coming and going. It seems
like you should have some other additional alternatives to width when we
know it has minimal traffic. Is there anything available on that?
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Dacy: It comes down to almost like the private drive, where do you cut off
the couple of lots? You could say for six lots or less you can have 20 foot
wide paved surface. Well, somebody comes in with 7 or 8. If you want to
make a recommendation to the Council that the Council evaluate a reduced
standards, that is within your perogative to do so.
Headla: A reduced width standard?
Dacy: Right but from an ordinance standpoint, 28 feet was established to
provide adequate travel lanes and as Jo Ann said, that emergency access,
it's an appropriate width for an urban street and that's what our ordinance
says at this point but if you want to make a different condition that's
certainly within your power.
Conrad:
Is there a motion?
Erhart moved that the Planning Commission recommend approval of Subdivision
Request #87-22 as shown on the preliminary plat dated April 24, 1987 with
the following conditions:
1. The street shall be improved to city standards and shall connect
with Frontier Trail.
2. The City Engineer's conditions stated in his memo dated May 8,
1987.
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 61
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Recommendations:
1. The City Staff review the possibility of an alternative street
standard for this subdivision considering the existing conditions
and the hardships imposed by those conditions.
2. Staff work with the applicants to provide a better plan for how the
cul-de-sac actually intersects with Frontier Trail and the trail to
the beachlot.
3. To have the City Engineer reconsider the recommendation of digging
up the utilities because they don't know where they're at.
Conrad: There seem to be some contradictions in there. When you left,
the street shall be improved to City standards. That's a direct
contradiction to directing staff to look for smaller width streets.
Erhart: Okay, is there anyway to work around that? Some wording?
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Conrad: I don't know that you can make that part of this motion. If we
want a smaller width standard, I guess we should be directing staff to
research maybe not a 28 foot wide street but an 18 foot or 22 foot wide
street or something. I think it's tough to make that into this particular
motion. I think it's a directive that you may want to direct staff to do.
I guess you have to decide whether your motion is to accept city standards
or to specifically state they should be dropped for this.
Erhart: What I want to do is get a vote on number 2, set to city standards
and the recommendation was essentially to allow us to come back afterwards.
So when it goes to City Council, somebody has done some work. I'm in
agreement with what Dave says, why isn't there some alternative city
standards that would allow in special cases a 24 foot street with a minimum
base. I'm trying to get the thing to a vote to city standards.
Conrad: I agree with the concept. Do you want to restate then on what you
like.
Erhart: The motion is the approval of the subdivision. One, the street
shall be improved to city standards and shall connect with Frontier Trail.
Two, the City Engineer's conditions stated in his memo dated May 8, 1987.
That's the motion. Then there were three recommendations. Now, are those
part of the motion or is that just something...
Dacy: It sounded like part of the motion to me.
Conrad: Yes, make it part of the motion.
Erhart: Did you write down what they were.
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Olsen:
That the City Engineer reconsider replacing the utilities.
Staff
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May 13, 1987 - Page 62
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review the access from the recreational beachlot and Staff review alternate
street design.
Headla: Alternate street design or alternate street width design?
Erhart: width and base.
Dacy: Design encompasses.
Siegel: When you refer to the City Engineer's memo dated May 8, 1987, there
are redundancies and the City Engineer's conditions are sometimes duplicated
by the Staff's recommendations. Also negate what you've just proposed in
some cases so you can't just carte blanche say the City Engineer's position
stated in the memo dated May 8th because there are contradictions in your
motion. You either have to take the recommendations from the engineer on a
point by point basis.
Erhart: I guess what I was trying to do Bob is get it to a vote basically.
Siegel: But I don't know what we could be voting on.
Erhart: We are voting on whether we like the plan. However, if we require
to do it with what I'm moving, they may not be able to afford to do this at
all.
-
Siegel: In that case you're saying we should eliminate the requirement that
the street shall be a public street. You said eliminate number 1.
Erhart: I read that as the island issue. Let's leave the island in there.
Conrad: Just a quick footnote, in the future we can't have a engineer
making recommendations and refer to it. We have to see it on the same page.
It confuses us and it keeps us here after midnight.
Dacy: Has there been a second to Mr. Erhart's motion?
Conrad: We're still trying to figure out what it is.
Dacy: Maybe if there's a second, we can decide the issue. Do you want the
street as a public?
Erhart: Yes, public.
Dacy: with or without the island?
Erhart: with the island.
Dacy: So the first condition is that it be dedicated a public street with
an island. Then it's number 2 as is. Then you're dropping number 3,
correct?
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Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 63
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Erhart:
Yes.
Dacy: You're keeping number 4 which is the City Engineer's memo which we're
trying to sort out.
Olsen: I can iron out the discrepencies.
Erhart: So leave 4 off?
Olsen: You can go ahead and leave it in and I'll leave the pertinent
conditions so we can conform.
Erhart: I'm making this motion in that I believe this thing is going to end
up being negotiated more with the Staff and it's going to come back here.
I'm just trying to get the thing through to give you an idea of where our
feelings are at on this thing plus get our comments onto the Council. Is
the motion clear now? It includes number 1 with an island. Number 2, the
street shall be improved to City standards and connect with Frontier Trail.
And number 4 which Jo Ann is going to straighten out the conflicts and I
agree there are some conflicts. Then the three recommendations are that
one, the City Engineer re-evaluate his recommendation to redo the whole
utility thing. Two, that we try to find another standard or another design
for a street that is more appropriate for this particular unique situation.
Three was the access of the beachlot road.
~ Siegel: You forgot to address the access to the beachlot in your motion?
Are you eliminating that?
Dacy: No, he's saying that we'll look at it.
Emmings: It sounds like from what you are saying on various comments, are
you expecting those things to come back here? You sound as if you thought
they would.
Erhart: Yes.
Emmings: If it passes on to the Council how would it?
Dacy: You're only other option is to table it.
Headla:
Council.
They can make the recommendations when they give this to the
Why would it have to come back here?
Emmings:
Tim said he might have to look at it again.
Erha r t: No, we can move th i s on to the Counc i 1 as long as we get those three
recommendations. I think it's a good deal but there are a lot of problems
to work out yet.
Conrad: Basically, your three recommendations are just directives to Staff
~ and really, in directives to be prepared to review these things when they
Planning Commission Meeting
May 13, 1987 - Page 64
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get to City Council.
Erhart: Yes. Also I think we're giving a message to City Council. I think
that's our direction with our comments and through the recommendations~
Conrad: I'm comfortable that the Engineer reviews it. I'm comfortable that
the beachlot can be reviewed again by City Staff in time for the City
Council meeting. I don't know what's going to happen with the standard for
streets. I think we should keep that there but I guess I would like to see
us address that at a later date with Staff to review that issue. So keep it
in but let's consider that as a separate subject sometime that we manage and
move along and review.
Erhart moved, Headla seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
approval of Subdivision Request #87-22 as shown on the preliminary plat
dated April 24, 1987 with the following conditions:
1. The street shall be a public street with an island in the cu1-de-
sac turnaround.
2. The street shall be improved to city standards and shall connect
with Frontier Trail.
3.
The City Engineer's conditions as stated in his memo dated May 8,
1987.
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Recommendations:
1. The City Staff review the possibility of an alternative street
standard for this subdivision considering the existing conditions
and the hardships imposed by those conditions.
2. Staff work with the applicants to provide a better plan for how the
cul-de-sac actually intersects with Frontier Trail and the trail to
the beach10t.
3. To have the City Engineer reconsider the recommendation of digging
up the utilities because they don't know where they're at.
All voted in favor and motion carried.
Headla moved, Erhart seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and
motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 a.m..
Submitted by Barbara Dacy
City planner
_ Prepared by Nann Opheim