Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/11/2004

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Preliminary Plat and Site Plan ReNew Pdvenwick 4 March 5, 2004 Page 6 of 8 17. located on the property and is covered by a drainage and utility easement. The easement will need to be vaaated and a new drainage and utility easement platted that incorporates the new drainage pond area. 18. Density Transitioning. The subject property is located adjacent to an existing townhouse development, Rivenwick 3~d Addition, which is zoned R-2. City Code does not require density transitioning when a property is zoned R-2 and abuts a property that will be developed at a R-3 density (7-15 units per acre). It should be noted that the subject property is boarded to the south and .eaSt by Riverdale Drive, a MSA street with an 80 foot right-of-way, and U.S. Highway #10 to the north. 19. Landscaping. The total area of the site is 910;840 square feet, which includes 399,457 square feet of impervious area and 332,148 square feet of pervious area. g/hen the canopy cover formula is applied, it results in the need for a minimum of 146,145 square feet of crown cover throughout the site (ratio of impervious area to total area multiplied by the pervious area). A combination of overstory trees, ornamental trees, and shrubs shall be utilized to fulfill the landscaping requirements. However, no less than 25% coniferous trees and no less than 25% deciduous trees shall be utilized to satisfy the planting requirements. Furthermore, no more than 25% of the overall required canopy cover square footage shall be fulfilled with shrubs and ornamental trees. The landscaping plan dated February 2, 2004 indicates that a total of 530 trees will be installed (327 overstory and 203 ornamental trees). While these plantings will exceed the minimum requirements for canopy cover square footage, the plan does not include any shrubbery. At a minimum, some shrubbery should be included as foundation plantings. All species, except for one, indicated in the species palette are acceptable or preferred as outlined in the Ramsey Tree Book. The Scotch Pine (?inus sylvestris) must be replaced with another coniferous species. Ali plants included in the species palette meet or exceed the minimum size requirements. A revised landscaping plan should be submitted to the City that incorporates shrubs into the planting schedule (this could be an inset showing the typical plantings around each building). The revised plan should also include a replacement species for the Scotch Pine. The Ramsey Tree Book can be referenced to help determine preferred and/or acceptable species. Finally, Staff is recommending that additional coniferous trees are installed along northern property line. This will provide some buffer to noise and dust that may be generated from traffic on Highway 10. There are a couple of points of concern regarding the general location of street trees. First, no trees can be planted within thirty-five (35) feet of the back of curb of any intersecting street. It appears that many of the "corner" trees on the plan are close to the minimum distance of thirty-five (35) feet from the back of curb. This is something that will require attention in the field when the trees are installed. Additionally, no tree shall be planted within fifteen (15) feet of a hydrant. If a Conflict does exist, the spacing of the trees may need to be adjusted or an individual tree(s) may need to be eliminated t?om the planting schedule. If the latter is necessal3,, the City must be informed of which tree(s) is being eliminated and the reasoning for its elimination. Tree Preservation. There was no tree preservation plan submitted. Staffwould like to see a plan, drawn to the same scale as the preliminary plat, which indicates what trees are currently on the site, including, at a minimum, species, size (diameter at breast height), and condition. Furthermore, this plan should also specify any trees that are slated tbr preservation.