Minutes - Planning Commission - 09/04/2001

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Motion Carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Nixt, Commissioners Watson, and Reeve. Voting No: Commissioner Kociseak. Absent: Commissioners Johnson and Sweet. Case Itl 1: Request for Site Plan Review for an Apartment Building Located on the Lord of Life Property; Case of Lord of Life Church Presentation Principal Planner Trudgeon stated that the City received an application from Lord of Life Church for site plan review for an apartment building to be located on their property. The apartment building will be constructed in an area that is roughly 10.05 acres in size. At this time, the applicant is proposing to construct only one of the two proposed buildings. The gross density of the parcel will be 9.35 units per acre when both buildings are constructed. Once wetlands are factored out, the net density will be 12.29 units per acre when both buildings are constructed. The March 2001 Draft Comprehensive Plan indicates the location is planned for high density housing at a net density up to 15 units per acre. The apartment building complies with all setback requirements. The apartment building is setback 75 feet from the property line of the Katnis property to the north. A new access drive is proposed to be constructed to serve the apartment building. The access drive will go across Lot 1, Block 1 of the new plat and exit onto Nowthen Blvd. (CSAH 5). Proof of an access easement needs to be provided to the City that will allow the apartment building residents to cross onto Lot 1, Block 1. The drive itself will be constructed in conjunction with the apartment building and will be located no closer than 20 feet from any exterior lot line. Neighbors on Fluorine St. have raised concerns regarding the potential traffic volume and the possibility that the existing trees located along the common property line will be cut down to accommodate the new drive. Staff feels that every effort shall be made to keep the trees in their present location and to locate the new drive in a place of minimal impact to the surrounding land owners. The apartment building will consist of three stories. The proposed height of the apartment building exceeds the 35-foot maximum height for structures allowed under City Code. The applicant is applying for a variance to exceed the maximum height concurrently with the site plan review process. The one bedroom units will be 770 square feet and the two bedroom units will range from 966 to 1,320 square feet. The floor area for all of the units exceed City Ordinance requirements. The apartment building will have 48 underground parking stalls for use by the tenants and will provide 33 off-street parking spaces in front of the apartment building for a total cfi 81 parking spaces. Under the MR Multiple Residential, a total of 91 parking spaces would be needed for this development. The previous senior apartment development, Savannah Oaks, used a standard of 1.5 parking spaces per unit. If this standard is applied to the Lord of Life apartment building, a total of 72 parking spaces are needed. Staff is recommending that this standard be used again since very few of the residents have two cars and some have none. City Staff recommends site plan approval contingent upon compliance with the city staff review letter dated August 31, 2001, the property being rezoned and receiving a minor comprehensive plan amendment and the applicant receiving a variance to the height restrictions. Commission Business Planning Commission/September 10, 2001 Page 20 of 24