02-12-07 PC Agenda
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AGENDA
Golden Valley Planning Commission
Joint Meeting with the City Council
Presentation/Discussion of the 1-394 Corridor Study Draft Final Report
Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road
Council Conference Room
Monday, February 12, 2007
6pm
(Dinner will not be provided)
I.
Presentation/Discussion of the 1-394 Corridor Study Draft Final Report
Golden Valley Planning Commission
Regular Meeting
Council Conference Room
7pm
I. Approval of minutes
January 22, 2007 Planning Commission Meeting
II. Reports on meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City
Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other meetings
III. Other business
. Discuss draft Infill Housing report
. Discuss rescheduling/cancelling the February 26, 2007 regular Planning
Commission meeting
IV. Adjournment
e ;~~~3~~8~06 (ITY: 763-593-3968) to e~~~~:t;e:~~t~ ~~~~Ples of ~ft~~:~esio;~~ts
may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc.
.
Joint Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission and Golden Valley Environmental
Commission
January 22, 2007
A joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Environmental Commission was held
at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Conference Room, 7800 Golden Valley Road,
Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, January 22,2007. Director of Planning and
Development Mark Grimes called the meeting to order at 6 pm.
Those present were Planning GommissionersCera, Eck, Kluchka, McC
Schmidgall and Environmental Commissioners Anderson, Baker, Hill
and St. Clair. Also present was Director of Planning and Develop n
Director of Public Works Jeannine Clancy, City Engineer Jeff or , E
Coordinator AI Lundstrom, Joint Water Commission Consulta tt
Administrative AssistanfLisa Wittman. Planning Commissio
were absent. Environmental Commissioner Sipala was abse
I. Presentation/Discussion of the Water Su
Comprehensive Plan
He stated the Environme
versus the water usage i
averages 5 to 6 mil' gall
an average day in J .
Environmental
commercial w
water us
differe
the cust
pr .ess re
ter Commission on updating
prehensive Plan. He
explained that there is not a lot
e to Met Council requirements and
s best practices, demand, usage, growth
.
Harder explained that he has been workin
the Water Supply Plan which is one ele
discussed what is going to be in the wa
of latitude when putting together w
State statutes. He stated that th
and supply for the future.
has asked about the water usage in the winter
m. a typical day in January Golden Valley
water per day and approximately 7-8 million gallons on
irly typical for a built-out community. Another issue the
about is a break down between residential and
ned that residential use is approximately 75% of the total
nd industrial use is about 25%. Hill asked about the
rcial and industrial. Harder said that it is normally the size of
efln commercial and that industrial customers use a lot more
r versus just the regular domestic use of water.
Harde 0 a chart that showed a five year average for the Joint Water
Commiss a whole looking at the average per capita water use which is a measure
that the DNR and the regulators like to look at to see if a community is a water waster or
water conserving type of community. He said that Golden Valley is right at the metro
average for gallons per day per capita.
.
Harder discussed an overview of the water supply plan itself which is done by the JWC
and includes the cities of Golden Valley, New Hope and Crystal. He explained that since
the JWC is the water purchaser they are responsible for preparing the water supply plan
and submitting the plan for approvals by the various state agencies. He said in terms of
the requirements of the water supply plan it is fairly scripted as to what needs to be
.
.
.
Minutes of the Joint Planning Commission and Environmental Commission Meeting
January 22, 2007
Page 2
included in the plan such as describing the sources, describing water tank storage, how
water is supplied to the end users, population changes and conservation efforts.
He referred to sustainability and stated that some of the things addressed in sustainability
are conservation, climate changes and possible impacts on water supplies, use of fossil
fuels and the impact of carbon footprint which is emissions from businesses, trucks and
well pumps to name a few.
He said another issue regarding the water supply plan is interconnectio
neighboring cities and regional issues such as where people might b
the natural resources are located in relation. He stated another re .
the reliability of the Minneapolis water supply system which is V'f
pursuing an interconnection with St. Paul which would be able
the entire JWC uses on its peak day,
d where
ion is
c measures
ictio sand
asures include
irriga ion ordinances, new
idential water efficiency
He said the measures that
irrigation system efficiency,
. Ilandsc~ping irrigation ordinances!
interior/eXterior retrofits and continuing
He referred to water conservation best practices and
including public education, codes and standards, w
consumption based metering and billing. Some
targeting irrigation systems efficiency, commerc'
home water conservation, ability to restrict I
projects, and municipal building interior
the JWC is considering including in its
considering adoption of a model or .
ability to restrict lawn watering,
with a water conserving rate str
Baker asked what typical
would be a base charge,
water there is a ce . fe
slightly higher rate
~.
McCarty asked .'
projects.
added
. 9 rate structures looks like. Harder said there
hen for the first 6 or 8 thousand gallons of
, 00 gallons and then usage above that would have a
ns and there could be a third tier.
of gs are included in the commercial water use efficiency
like low flow fixtures in office park bathrooms. Schmidgall
be used for commercial irrigation.
t if 75% of water goes toward residential use why that isn't an area
u want to address. Harder said the JWC is trying to avoid issues that
me sort of subsidy or the need to go into people's homes. He added that
a lot of cation issues are automatically addressed as homes are upgraded. Clancy
added that the City is using its available money on an 1/1 program and that conservation
issues are more of an educational opportunity for residents when they do upgrades in
their homes.
Pawluk asked if the City has the ability to restrict lawn watering. Clancy said that Golden
Valley's ordinance at one time was essentially in violation with the JWC contract with
Minneapolis. However it is no longer in violation. She added that one of the goals with this
water supply plan is to have consistency in all three cities.
Minutes of the Joint Planning Commission and Environmental Commission Meeting
January 22, 2007
Page 3
. Kaisershot asked if there is a residential educational component in the water supply plan.
Harder said there are things on the City's website, but nothing new is planned.
Pawluk asked if there was a way that. water bills could show residents their current rate
versus a rate that they could pay if they were following some of the conservation ideas so
that they could see in dollars what they could be saving. Clancy said she didn't think the
bills could be defined to that level of detail. Kluchka suggested showing an average .
household dollar amount instead. Clancy said she thinks the City could possibly show an
average household dollar amount on its bills. She added that she thinks . taff does a
good job in the newsletter writing educational articles on storm water' could
probably do a better job writing about water conservation issues.
.
Schmidgall asked about III. Clancy explained that III is inflow
sanitary sewer system or clear water going into the sanitary
Harder referred to a chart that showed 2001 Daily Wa
conserving rate structures and the idea that if cities
amount of water sold goes down and the rate go
encourage people to cut down on their water co.
the most expensive water and because pia
those peak days. Hill said that people do
lained water
uch nservation the
he would like to
pea days because that is
ding to the water used on
when the peak days are.
Harder talked about the next steps .
Technical Committee will start wr'
each of the three cities, the JW
their specific Comprehensiv
and the Environmental C
Ian. He said that the JWC
n then there will be public hearings in
t /.,!an and each city will incorporate it into
es stated that both the Planning Commission
ee the water supply plan again in the future.
.
.
Regular Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commis~ion
January 22, 2007
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,
January 22,2007. Chair Keysser called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Cera, Eck, Keysser, Kluc
Schmidgall. Also present was Director of Planning and Development
Planning Consultant Perry Thorvig and Administrative Assistant Li
Commissioner Waldhauser was absent.
II.
January 8, 2007 Planning Commission Meeting
I. Approval of minutes
Eck referred to the third sentence in the first par
should read as follows: The City does "not" requ
decks less than 8 inches in height and driv
nd stated that it
ermits for at-grade patios,
.
MOVED by Eck, seconded by Cera an
January 8, 2007 minutes with the
animously to approve the
on.
Outdoor Lighting Ordinance
Applicant:
Purpose:
n ordinance regulating outdoor lighting and to amend,
language in the current City Code reg.arding outdoor
ollowing Sections:
r 4, Section 4.60, Subd. 6 (C)
r 6, Section 6.39, Subds. G & J
ter 11, Section 11.30, Subd. 8
Chapter 11, Section 11.36, Subd. 5
Chapter 11, Section 11.55, Subd. 5(A)(1)
Chapter 11, Section 11.70, Subd. 5(A)(4)
Grimes referred to his staff report and reminded the Planning Commissioners that they
(along with the Environmental Commission and the City Council) have been working on
this proposed Outdoor Lighting Ordinance since 2005 and that the next step in the
process is this public hearing. He added that Planning Consultant Perry Thorvig is in
attendance at this meeting to review the proposed ordinance and answer any questions
the Commissioners may have.
.
Thorvig stated that the two issues this proposed ordinance addresses are over lighting
,and light trespass. He reviewed the ordinance and pointed out that it proposes several
.
.
.
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 22, 2007
Page 2
things including maximum wattage, maximum footcandles, curfew, uniformity and banning
certain types of fixtures. He noted that parking lots, gas stations and auto sales lots have
special provisions because they are unique. He referred to the non-conforming uses
section and explained that non-conforming uses are allowed to stay unless there are
complaints or are considered a nuisance. He explained that there. are administrative
variances allowed in this ordinance if it is determined by the City Manager that the
variance is needed and there is also some flexibility to allow for uplighting. He discussed
enforcement of the ordinance and stated that lighting plans will be required to be
submitted along with building plans.
Thorvig referred to Subdivision 2 of the ordinance and explained t
definitions such as cut-off angles, shielding and footcandle.
arious
Thorvig referred to Subdivision 3 of the ordinance and expl
exceptions and issues that the lighting ordinance does not a
street lights, temporary construction lighting, lighting i im
seasonal lighting. He referred to Subdivision 6 and
nonconformities and nuisances.
Grimes asked Thorvig to explain light unifor
ratio of maximum illumination to minimu
level of light is measured. Thorvig stat
ground, but not on the darkest part
more public, accessible area.
d that light uniformity is the
er asked where the lowest
el of light is measured on the
e likely it would be measured in a
Eck asked Thorvig to expla'
explained different angle
definition used in the ordl
n for "cutoff". Thorvig drew an example and
ererit types of cutoff fixtures. He added that the
try standard definition.
Kluchka stated that
definition shou
uage in the ordinance is using a definition, that
sser agreed.
2(A) and stated that the word "is" should be the word "are".
pe Ie were notified of this public hearing. Grimes stated that this is
aring but that a notice will be published in the local paper when it
Council for a formal public hearing.
Schmidg he doesn't think there is anything out of the ordinary with this proposed
ordinance and that it seems consistent with other communities.
Kluchka suggested having a definition for "decorative lighting". He referred to Subdivision
7 and stated that the word "non" should be added before the word "R-2" and in
Subdivision 9 (A)(1) the last word "and" should be changed to the word "or". He asked
what. happens in a situation where a non-residential and a residential property are next to
each other. Thorvig said he thinks that there would be an expectation that the commercial
property lighting levels would be allowed to be higher.
.
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 22, 2007
. Page 3
Kluchka said he wants the ordinance to be clear. He referred to Subdivision 13(A) and
said that the word "architectural" can mean many things and that the last sentence
doesn't make sense. Grimes suggested rewriting it to say that floodlights on poles are
prohibited.
Keysser asked if the Public Safety Department has reviewed this ordinance. Thorvig said
they have and they are comfortable with it. Grimes added that the Public Safety
Department has agreed that even lighting is more important than high levels of lighting.
Keysser opened the public hearing.
es
but if a
enew
the
Cera referred to Subdivision 7 and asked how it addresses existing Ii
explained that existing lighting can stay and be considered legally
property owner wants to make changes to their lighting it will ha
ordinance. He explained that the non-conforming use langua
state statute.
Kelsey McDonald stated that the City might want
as well as "decorative".
.
Kluchka agreed that it is important to def
said he thinks the ordinance is fine as i
is really just temporary lighting. Cer
lighting in order to conserve ener
regulations don't apply to deco
tive" lighting. Schmidgall
seasonal decorative" lighting
time or date cut off for seasonal
no. he ordinance states that the
ting.
Seeing and hearing no 0
o comment, Keysser closed the public hearing.
Keysser said he thi
stated that "season
ordinance bec
language that
he would
lightin
like the
ce is fine, and should be left as it is written. Kluchka
ighting should be defined or removed from the
causes problems. Grimes suggested adding
I lights can't "bleed" over onto another property. He said
rney review the language regarding seasonal decorative
that the motion include that the Planning Commission would
inion before the ordinance goes to the City Council.
happens if a property is legally non-conforming and the City receives
es said that if a property is considered legally non-conforming there is
can do.
.
MOVED by McCarty, seconded by Eck and motion carried 5 to 1 to recommend approval
of adopting Section 11.73 Outdoor Lighting Ordinance and amending, adding or deleting
language in various sections in the current City Code regarding outdoor lighting. Kluchka
voted no.
'.
.
Minute,s of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 22, 2007
Page 4
III. Reports on meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City
Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other meetings
McCarty stated that on January 23, 2007 the Board of Zoning Appeals will be discussing
an interpretation by staff regarding the height of a house currently under construction on
June Ave. S.
IV. Other business
Keysser stated that he will be meeting with City Engineer Jeff Oliver,
Gary Johnson and Director of Planning and Development Mark Gri e
discuss some of the infill issues the Commissioners have been yi
begin writing a report and asking the Commissioners for their'
V. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8 pm.
.
.
.
.
.
[city letterhead]
date
The Honorable Linda Loomis, Mayor, City of Golden Valley
Council member Freiberg
Councilmember Pentel
Council member Scanlon
Council member Shaffer
RE: Report on Subdivision and Housing
Dar Mayor Loomis and Council members:
In OctoberU'?] of 2006, the City Council re
research the interrelated issues of subdivision
tear-down housing developments.
, the Planning ommlSSlon
housing developments, and
Please find attached our Report on
request, we would be pleased to m
Council. Following your preliminary r
Report at a Planning 'on meet
Development. At your
ent n on this Report to the
hold a public forum on this
e to the City of Golden Valley.
Don Keysse ,
Commissioner
Commissioner Le
Commissioner John Klutchka
Commissioner Dean McCarty
Commissioner Steve Schmidgall
Commissioner Cathy Waldhauser
'v
.
.
REPORT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON
SUBDIVISION AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
The City of Golden Valley has had to deal increasi
requests, infill housing developments, and tea
the last few years. In part, these issues
development pressures, increases in land
patterns, a market trend towards a prefer
desire by families who work in the Minnea
downtown and avoid long commute
ues of subdivision
lopments, over
e to housing
commuting
increased
closer to the
To a large extent, these trends ar
o The Metropolitan
Cities of as much
o The Twin Ci .
into the fo
and the conti
robust, and is projected to remain so
strong dynamic downtown economy,
upper income jobs.
o
, partlc during rush hours, continue to worsen,
to expect significant improvements in commuting
.s puts increased development pressure on c1oser-
, ity to the downtown.
o
bs, including Golden Valley, are well served by school
o be among the best in the state.
For ese trends are favorable for the City of Golden Valley.
Continued housin evelopment, if managed intelligently, will provide broader
opportunities for homeownership by current and future residents, continued healthy
growth in the City's tax base, and a continued economic vitality in, and demand for,
commercial and retail services.
While the City is largely a "built" community, with virtually no raw land, there are
several opportunities for redevelopment, including commercial and industrial areas
. that will inevitably go through an adaptive reuse phase. In addition, the City has
.
.
.
approximately 163 Ln 22~_m lots, out of over 1,000 lots that, at least theoretically
under current ordinances, could be subdivided into two or more lots. Furthermore,
the City has a number of smaller homes, dating to the 195Q's and 1960's, that are
candidates for teardown and redevelopment.
Summary and Background of Issues
, 3 in 2004 and ~ in
of in-fill developments
at the rates of these
s, and the factors
ar it down, and
rong incentive
~ a housing
The City has had 3 requests for subdivisions in 2006, 4 irJ
2003. Although we do not have firm data on the nu
and teardown developments, there is at least a per/
has been increasing in the last couple of years. ~,<. . c
described above, make it feasible to purchase aJ'(~){lsting hou
build a new and larger one in its place; these~'f1's;Jitlonsalsogiv
to property owners of large lots to subdivid~the'ii. lot anc;l sell a ne
developer. '
State statutes require that the City conduct ap"uplrc hearing for all subdivision
requests, even when the requestm~e~ all statutot"ya,nd code requirements. Each
of these public hearings has brou'~ht:sQrTt'e rneasureofcitizen input and concern.
In general,. the comments from the\c~mmul!jtYh:aye cent:ered on two aspects of
subdivisions, as well as infill devel~Pl11elJ.t$iarref<~te-~rdown developments, both
ultimately relating to ~h~(p.erception of l!1c~eill,sed houslf1g density and "massing":
A) "Cha(acl:~r of the\~mmUnl~~""': the perception that the newer h~mes,
being largerilll'lQ of mqire mode~~i .~tyle than the surrounding homes,
adversely impatf:~h~(:~~r~a:er ofth~~-t6mmunity. An example is a 1,500 SF
one';' t950's h9rne that is rep11aced by a modern 3,000 SF 2V2 story
h, .0 r examp.le is a neighborhood of large lots and smaller homes,
re one I J~~ubdlV'i-d~d into two parcels, and a new and larger home is
It on the ne~'arcef;\]t:l. both instances, the increased density, smaller
\'. " " ',) .
,and larger es arevseen as adversely changing the character of the
. unity, both he sense of increased density and in the sense that the
me is iscordant architectural element in the surrounding
d
B) "St ter drainage" - the concern that new. developments, by
increasing i permeable surfaces and changing the existing grading, could
exacerbate any current problems in the neighborhood with stormwater
drainage and basement flooding. Much of the soil in the City is clay, and
there are' numerous swampy areas in the City, so to some degree flooding
issues are inevitable. But adding impermeable surfaces does have the
potential for contributing 0 this problem.
.
Study Procedures
The Planning Commission met on several occasions to discuss this assignment.
There was relatively little public commentary at our meetings, even though our
meetings and agenda items are posted. It is possible that the recent slowdown
metro-wide in housing construction has slowed the rate of subdivision and housing
construction in Golden Valley, and therefore. reduced intensity of this
controversy, for now . 'But there is little question that ace and pressure of
housing construction will reneW in the future.
Finally, one of our guiding princi
balance between the rights of pro
see fit, and to benefit from market
their prop~rty, versus. the rights of a
practices and to shelt wn prop
pts by other cities
k, Bloomington,
reviewing and
The Planning staff assisted us by providing review
to manage this issue, including Edina, Hop
Minnetonka, and Atlanta (GA). The Public W
understanding stormwater l11anagement iss
Although the issues of subdivision, infill de
are closely linked, we have separated them out
nd teardown evelopment
r purposes of discussion.
.
the inherent tension and
their property as they
lead an enhanced value for
tain certain standards and
Subdivisions
lishes a number of parameters for
in an R1 zone, including: (a) a minimum lot size of
t frontage, eliminating "Ietterbox" lots.
In re rdina es, we noted that some of them (e.g., St. Louis
Park) p izes, and none of the inner-ring suburbs require more
than a 10, lot size. Some communities also require neighborhood
meetings, w at neighborhoods can veto a subdivision request, Under
state statutes, is required to hold a public hearing on any subdivision
request, at the ng Commission and then the City Council. However,. if the
request meets all of the requirements of our ordinance, there is no legal grounds
for denying the request.
In our opiniqn, the existing subdivision ordinance establishes appropriate
parameters and procedures, and strikes a reasonable balance between property...
owners' rights and neighborhood rights.
.
.
We do not recommend any changes to the subdivision ordinance.
Infill and Teardown Housing
2.
because they share
new, home in an Rl
lIy larger than the
nd "massing" that is
We have combined these two issues into one discussion,
common attributes: the construction of a new, or substantiall
district that is perceived by the neighborhood to be subst
other homes in the immediate neighborhood, and of a s
out of context for the neighborhood.
A related issue that has been identified by commu
a new home blocking access to the sun for
generally, there .is often expressed a sense
community through this new development.
is the possibility of
xt door. More
"lost" in the
A number of ideas are discussed in the
implemented, or attempted, in other communiti
1.
munity or neighborhood,
.cal significance, where
defined, to preserve
.
5.
ricts within a community or
by the neighborhood itself, where
tions taken by that neighborhood);
ighborhood before development is
oper/owner must conduct a hearing
, gl eighborhood at least some measure of
the characteristics of the development);
volumetric measurements (various measurements
by limit, the size and scale of a new/rebuilt
setback (creating more of an open space in front bf the
rve to blunt the massing effect of a new home)
3.
.
Each of these , while interesting and offering the potential of significantly
reducing and slo he rate of development, also has two problems. First, each
represents a consi erable logistical and management burden on the City, and on
the community. Communities would be requir~d to self-identify and self-organize,
and city staff would have a considerable added work load and regulatory complexity
in managing these processes. Second, to the extent that neighborhoods and
citizens are given some new measure of control over the development rights of a
property owner, we felt that this was in conflict with the existing, and historic,
rights of property owners to manage their own properties.
.
.
.
There are also a range of measures that the City could implement administratively I
to slow-down in-fill and teardown developments, including:
1. moratoriums on subdivision, residential demolitions, and building permits
(above a certain size);
2. . lengthier building review and permitting processes (esp~cially for demolitions
of residential properties); s,....
3. more expensive permitting fees;
.'-'.-> -'. -C->;.:_:.,. _.', :,",_ :.:<~
....~ee6MMEN~-nQN i '".
'\:
'<.>,~(((','::, n._~_"_
;~n'apge.th: zoni~:(:ode ~it~x~f~r~JJ~e here)l. as it relates to building heights
h'\~~~lstncts, aSj~,lIows: (a) drop the ability to have a 2V2 story house,
and'l,~ve.. t. he h~z..i~./...;h.:t limit simply at 30 feet; (b) adopt the definition of height
(below~~~.stat~(in the MN Rules, but establishing this definition as our own
definitiohi~,tH~than referencing the MN Rules, so that if the Rules are ever
changed,w.~/flave the option of whether or not modify our definition
accordlngly: ",'
"Height of building" means the vertical distance between the highest
adjoining ground level at the building or ten feet above the lowest ground
level, which is lower, and the highest point of a flat roof or average of height
of the highest gable of a pitched or hop roof" (MN Rules, part 6120.2500)
.
.
.
In our opinion, focusing on building heIght, in conjunction with the existing
limits on site coverage, allows us to approximate more complicated formulas
of Floor/Area ratio (FAR) and volumetric limits, effectively accomplishing the
task of limiting the massing of a home without creating an administrative
burden on staff.
RECOMMENDATION 2
Change the zoning ordinance IIc;itEtl()n] as It relat7~~p;\~ccessory structures,
so that (a) no one accessory structure can be IJ"~:~( than 800 sf, and any
one property may have no more than at. ,6f~,OOO sf of accessory
structures; (b) the roof of any accessory st{re n,:Q~>~e similar in style,
design and materials to the roof of the rTJaln!; ructure; l~~'~pe height of any
accessory structure is limited to no mQ.fe than 10 feet, rnt~~~red from the
floor to the top plates; and (d) anya<:c~essory structure grea~~~>than 120 sf
will require a building permit. .. .
RECOMMENDATION 3
For any new construction, \whettl~ ,~ new h6U$e .or replacement through a
tear-down, if any sidewall )~ 'J()nge.r, thal(l . 35 fa~tl.~hat sid~ wall must be
articulated, with a shift of at le~st one fi;>.(.)t ev~ry 35 feet of sidewall.
Storm-water Mana~~iryel1t
,
The City, in most ar~i;Js, is ch~ha~erized by\c.J'a,y soils,. swampy land, and high water
tables. This createS Q,n-g9169.)S'sUes of$t6rmwater management. The City is
responsible fc;u-' , all.storm \6l:a:tel' once it arrives at the street. However, because of
improp~'9radinga,~-c:l. denseqlay soil, a number of properties experience a puddling
effect:~fter heavy 'r~inti:llls, ~ere the water stands on the surface and does not
drain-immediately to\~l1'E! street. In some instances, storm water can seep into
basem~n'ts, again due \to\ improp'er grading. Some homes also have basement
water p'r~~~ms due to 1r;high groundwater table.
One of the lJf\ti~rly'ng,~toblems is that relatively few R1 properties in the City have
rear yard storm\~vlers or catch basins. When the City was initially developed,
there was little ttr~lJght given to that, which now contributes to the problem of
stormwater retention.
The concern about new housing developments exacerbating existing stormwater
management problems, due to the increase in impermeable surfaces, is
understandable. However, the City has Implemented a method to address this
concern.
.
The City requires a comprehensive Grading, Drainage and Erosion Control Plan
("Grading Plan") for all housing construction and reconstruction. The purpose of
the Grading Plan, which is prepared by the applicant's contractor and is reviewed by
the City's Public Works staff, is to ensure that stormwater is drained successfully
away from the proposed house, and away from neighboring properties, out into the
street, where stormwater drains can capture it.
This review has proven to be successful, in the opinion of
instances, a Grading Plan for a new construction or r
improve existing drainage problems, since, over time
blocked with debris and non-maintenance, and in
properties were not graded properly. Since a new
for a Grading Plan, existing problems may a
problems caused by the construction are avoi
jc Works. In some
ruction can actually
age systems become
tances, the original
s the requirement
ted, while new
The requirement of a Grading Plan approva
security deposit for temporary erosion co
increasing the incentive for a homeowner to co
further
The Public Works staff has al
developments utilize such tech
. manholes to further mitigate potenti
.
inance, e have stipulated that the
a front yard is 50%. However, at this
surface area that can be impermeable
meowner could pave his/her entire
drainage problem. But in practice,
and gardens, very few homeowners do
Rei
dema
recom
still leave
rds that are 50% impermeable. But given the
gara s, it is possible to reach that limit. We therefore
the 500/0 limit, on the assumption that a 40% maximum
or a wide driveway and parking apron.
Change the percentage of the front yard that can be covered with an
impermeable surface from 50% to 40%.
Other than this recommendation, we do not see the need to make further changes
in the zoning code or other ordinances as it relates to stormwater management.
The current system of requiring detailed Grading Plans, as administered by the City
Engineer, seems to work well.
.
.
.
Summary of Recommendations