Agenda - Council - 05/26/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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varied but the majority of reasons were: lack of rural character with project, project is too dense, traffic concerns, and environmental concerns. Calls came from residents throughout the City, but most were from those along Variolite or in the Brookfield neighborhood. Staff sent letters to the three (3) residents whose homes are directly adjacent to the proposed new lots offering meetings or personal calls. Staff heard back from two (2) of the three properties and had conversations about the project. One resident was not concerned about the project, noted that he appreciated the letter, but that he understood development would happen onsite. He stated that he was hopeful the project would reduce his taxes. One resident stated some concerns with the project and the change to the rural character, but understood it was slated for development. They are currently working with the Applicant of the Hunt Property to allow for future development of their property to provide them alternatives in the future. Both property owners were cordial and Staff appreciates the time that residents have dedicated to this project. Change.org Petition: A resident of Ramsey has created a Change.org petition as an advisory petition against the project with 325 signatures. The signatures from the petition are attached for reference as well as comments that some signers left. It does appear that the original petition page, which received over 100 signatures, was written as petitioning Low Density Residential to High Density Residential, which is not correct. The owner of the petition has since changed to accurately reflect the project. An advisory petition of this nature is not typical with these projects, but will likely become a more standard tool as the City practices social distancing measures. For future petitions, residents should sign with their names and addresses so that Staff can ensure they are Ramsey residents. Staff attempted to match names from the County GIS File. Staff would estimate that up to 25% of the responses came from non -Ramsey Residents. Staff has not been able to verify the address of nearly half of the signatures, although it is assumed that many, if not most are truly Ramsey Residents. Regardless, there appears to be a clear indication of a cluster of signatures along Variolite Street. In response, Staff suggests a City initiated survey to ensure proper data is provided in terms of existing vs. proposed conditions and ensure addresses are included in the response. City Code Sections • Section 117-111: R-1 Residential (Existing Zoning and Partial Proposed Zoning) • Section 117-111: R-2 Residential (Partial Proposed Zoning) • Section 117-588: Major Plat • Section 117-614: Subdivision Design Standards Preliminary Plat/Next Steps At time of preliminary plat, the City requires: grading plan, landscape plan, tree inventory and preservation plan, utility plan, preliminary plat, and for a project of this scale, an EAW (Environmental Assessment Worksheet) to lay out the basics of the project and determine if an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required. At this time, the Applicant and Staff are looking for high level review of the project as opposed to going into detailed engineering plans which takes place with the preliminary plat. Planning Commission Meeting (May 7, 2020) The draft minutes for the Planning Commission meeting are attached. The Planning Commission met and held a public hearing for the proposed project. After numerous resident comments and thoughtful discussion with residents, the Planning Commission recommended Alternative 2 below, with a majority of the lots at the allowed 80 foot wide size. The written comments that the Planning Commission received are also attached for reference. The Planning Commission was held fully online due to Covid-19 and the Stay at Home Order. Staff attempted to work with residents who struggled to call in or connect via the computer, though some reported technical difficulties. For that reason, Staff does encourage the City Council to receive any new comments on this item at their meeting, noting that residents who have already commented via written comment or at the public hearing have had their comments incorporated via the attached documents (draft minutes, written comments, summary comments, and Change.org petition and comments). Alternatives Alternative 1 (Current Proposal): Recommend approval of Ordinance #20-07 rezoning the Subject Property contingent upon preliminary plat approval by the City. This would allow 55, 65, and 75 foot wide lots on the