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07-26-10 PC MinutesRegular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission July 26, 2010 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Chambers, 7800. Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, July 26, 2010. Chair Keysser called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Planning Commissioners Cera, Eck, Keysser, Kluchka, McCarty, Schmidgall and Waldhauser. Also present was City Planner Joe Hogeboom and Administrative Assistant Lisa Wittman. 1. Approval of Minutes July 12, 2010 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Eck referred to the fourth paragraph on page 1 and stated that the second use of the word "now" should be removed from the second sentence. Waldhauser referred to the seventh paragraph on page 2 and stated that the meeting she attended was not a "special" meeting rather a portion of a regular Council/Manager meeting. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Waldhauser and motion carried unanimously to approve the July 12, 2010 minutes with the above noted corrections. 2. Informal Public Hearing -Minor Subdivision - 500 Cloverleaf Drive - SU08-09 Applicant: Golden Valley Land Co., Matt Pavek Address: 500 Cloverleaf Drive Purpose: The subdivision would create two separate lots for the construction of two new homes. Hogeboom referred to a map of the property and explained the applicant's proposal to split the existing lot into two new lots.. He stated that staff has reviewed this proposal and determined that each proposed new lot meets City Code requirements. Lot 1 will be 27,300 square feet in area and Lot 2 will be 21,950 square feet in area. Cera referred to Lot 1 and asked if the steep topography will be an issue. Hogeboom said he doesn't think the steepness will be an issue. He referred to his staff report and discussed the City's regulations regarding approval of minor subdivisions including sewer and water connections, granting of certain easements, other public agency review, title review and park dedication requirements. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission July 26, 2010 Page 2 Hogeboom referred to an illustrative drawing that showed the existing home on the property and how the two new homes could possibly look. He reiterated that this proposal meets all of the City Code requirements and that staff is recommending approval of this proposed minor subdivision. Keysser asked if the applicant is requesting any variances. Hogeboom said no. Kluchka asked about the City's requirements regarding demolition of the existing home before the subdivision is officially approved. Hogeboom said that demolishing the existing home will be required as part of the Final Plat approval. Waldhauser stated that the existing home appears to be in good shape and asked what would be wrong with leaving it where it is or moving it instead of demolishing it. Hogeboom explained that the existing home does not conform to setback requirements and that a subdivision cannot be approved if there are any non-conformances. Matt Pavek, applicant, stated that he and his wife are planning to live in the proposed house being built on Lot 1. He stated that he did consider trying to save the existing house but it doesn't have a basement, which decreases its value. He said he is still considering having the house moved and he's also been working with the City's Fire Department regarding the use of the existing house for training exercises. Keysser asked if Lot 2 will be sold to a developer. Pavek said Lot 2 would be sold to a builder and he doesn't know at this point if a builder would construct a spec home or if it would be custom built for someone. Eck questioned why Lot 2 isn't larger in size. Pavek stated that the proposed property line dividing the lots is parallel with the south property line. He added that once the setbacks are figured for Lot 1 he may decide to make Lot 2 slightly larger. Eck asked why both homes show 2-stall garages versus 3-stall garages. Pavek explained that the side yard setback requirements in Golden Valley could force the garages to be located in front of the homes and he doesn't want the focal points of the homes to be the garages. He added that a 2-stall garage fits in better with the neighborhood and he would probably make the garages slightly deeper to allow for more storage. Keysser noted that Lot 2 is fairly narrow and asked if it will be difficult to build a house on that lot. Pavek stated that that the building pad for a house on Lot 2 could be 50' x 50' or larger if built from setback line to setback line. Keysser opened the public hearing. Renee Brown, 516 Cloverleaf Drive, said she is very much in favor of this proposed development because people who will maintain their property would improve the neighborhood and the property values. She said Matt Pavek has done a good job in Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission July 26, 2010 Page 3 working with the neighbors and addressing their concerns. She stated that the existing house has been taken care of by neighbors because the former owner has not been able to maintain it. She added that the inside of the existing house would probably not appeal to very many buyers and that its highest and best use might be as a charitable donation. Helen Ekman, 440 Cloverleaf Drive, said that if someone were to build on the proposed Lot 2 it would be extremely close to her house. She said nothing has been discussed at this meeting regarding what the neighbors might think about this proposal. She referred to a letter from a Mr. Mahabadi who lives on Woodstock and said he is opposed to this proposal unless the City wants to divide his lot as well. She said the neighbor next door to her has been in Boston for at least six months and she is concerned that he might not have received notice regarding this proposal. She said she has signatures from Dee Dahlquist (330 Cloverleaf Drive) and from the homeowner at 524 Cloverleaf Drive who both oppose this development. She said she is worried this proposal would be more "inner-city" and she is worried about water coming down on to her property. She said a buyer might like to purchase both lots and then the City wouldn't have to get involved. There will be more noise, more congestion, more cars, more garages and less grass and trees. Duane Hillman, 1112 26t" Avenue NE, Minneapolis, said he doesn't want to make this neighborhood a small, crowded "inner-city" kind of neighborhood. He said he thinks it would be proper for the applicant to build a nice big house on the existing lot. He said he is concerned about the steep hill on the property and he doesn't want the trees to be cut down because he wants deer to keep running through the area and the DNR should be contacted to try to save the trees. He said his son who lives in Texas is interested in buying Ms. Ekman's house but he doesn't want to live in the "inner-city" either. He said he and Ms. Ekman would like more time to study the proposal. Jim Martens, 515 Cloverleaf Drive, said he fully supports the proposal. He said he has helped maintain the property in question by painting the house, mowing the lawn and helping the previous owner get a new roof. He said it is interesting that Helen, a person who doesn't have residence in the neighborhood and people who didn't show up at this meeting would have such strong opinions about this proposal. He said he and several other people in the neighborhood work very hard to maintain their property and the ones that don't are the ones opposed to the proposal. Duane Hillman said according to what Mr. Martens said he should also approve of the applicant building just one house on the property. He said Mr. Martens is prejudiced against senior citizens and he should not object to him speaking just because he is a friend of Ms. Ekman's. Marla Kapperud, 420 Cloverleaf Lane, said she supports this project and it has been delightful and wonderful to live in this neighborhood. She said subdividing this property and adding two beautiful homes will add a lot of value to the neighborhood and might Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission July 26, 2010 Page 4 increase the tax base as well. She said she doesn't think Mr. Pavek has plans to cut down all the trees and is in fact trying to save as many trees as possible. Seeing and hearing no one else wishing to comment, Keysser closed the public hearing. Keysser asked Pavek how long the home has been vacant. Pavek said he thinks it has been vacant for a couple of years. Eck stated that according to all of the information he's reviewed there is no legal basis for opposing or denying this subdivision. Cera asked Hogeboom to explain the public hearing notification process. Hogeboom stated that property owners located within 500 feet of the subject property receive a hearing notice 10 days before the Planning Commission meeting and again 10 days before the City Council meeting. Keysser asked Pavek to explain his meetings with the neighborhood. Pavek explained that he had an informal meeting with the neighbors on Thursday, July 22 in order to answer any questions they had. Waldhauser said she is impressed with the plans and is pleased that the developer is only splitting the property into two lots. MOVED by Waldhauser, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval of the subdivision request at 500 Cloverleaf Drive subject to following conditions: 1. The City Attorney will determine if a title review is necessary prior to approval of the final plat. 2. The City Engineer's memo, dated July 15, 2010, shall become part of the approval. 3. A park dedication fee in an amount determined by the City Council shall be assessed at the time of final plat approval. 4. All applicable City permits must be obtained prior to the development of the new lots. --Short Recess-- 3. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings No reports were given. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission July 26, 2010 Page 5 4. Other Business Keysser announced that he is resigning from the Planning Commission in order to complete his doctorate program. Kluchka asked Hogeboom if there has been any progress or ideas from the Green Team regarding franchise architecture. Hogeboom suggested the Planning Commission put a recommendation in writing asking the City Council to give staff and/or the Planning Commission direction regarding studying franchise architecture or having commercial architectural standards. Kluchka said he would like to see some level of the LEED certification process added to requirements and conditions placed on developments. He said sustainability and re-use are his primary concerns. Waldhauser discussed various seminars she's attended regarding development and construction of new buildings. Hogeboom informed the Commission that there has been a moratorium placed on the former Homesteader property at the corner of Douglas Drive and Olson Memorial Highway to allow staff to study the area and give a recommendation for the use of the property and transportation issues. Kluchka said he is interested in knowing how the Menards proposal will fit in with the 1- 394 zoning code requirements. He said he is also interested in the street extension and road alignment. Hogeboom said he has been discussing design standards with Menards and that he is not yet sure about the road alignment issue. 5. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm. Lester Eck, Secretary