Minutes - Council - 06/23/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Kuzma stated that he would support the tiered lot sizes as discussed. He stated that he also agrees with the issue of safety and would support a full connection that could support a fire truck. He stated that he would also be open to exploring preservation of additional wooded acres as that is a great asset to the community. Mayor LeTourneau stated that the residents of Bowers Drive accept that a second access will most likely be required and are now focusing on how that could be designed to not infringe upon the existing neighborhood but still provide access to fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Councilmember Musgrove asked if any changes are being made to the land use. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill explained that this framework would guide those conversations, noting that at some point a rezoning would be necessary. He stated that this is a nonbinding document that provided policy direction that would be implemented in future steps. Councilmember Musgrove stated that she would like to see what could be done to preserve the tree canopy area but also understands that this is private land and has the ability to develop. She stated that she also likes option two. Steve Bona, Capstone, stated that the Pearsons own the trees on the property. He stated that Capstone has had success in Ramsey and appreciates working with City staff. He stated that the Riverdale connection to Highway 10 needs to be more known so that they can design their concept with the knowledge of how it connects to Highway 10. He stated that they would propose full park fees and dedication of two acres of trees to be preserved through the park and buffer. He stated that there have been a lot of comments related to tree preservation. He noted that another option would be heavy on park dedication land and lighter on the park fees. He stated that there are 79 acres and they could dedicate eight acres of park that could be all-natural trees. He stated that Capstone also suggested a bonus for the smaller lots which could equate to another two acres, which would be a total of ten acres of park land. He noted that option would not involve park fees but would provide the opportunity to preserve those trees. He stated that if they preserve that ten acres, they lose development area which loses economy of scale to make the development work. He noted that the total tree canopy area is 23 acres. He stated that if they go beyond that ten acres, they cannot make the development work financially because they could not pay for Riverdale Drive and could not pay for landscaping and common areas. He asked for feedback on that tonight so that they could work that into the concept plan and continue to move forward. He stated that they provided the first alignment for Riverdale with access to the west of the buildings. John Dobbs stated that he has helped the Pearsons for some time and was the developer of Pearson Place. He stated that when Pearson Place was developed there was a joint effort between the neighborhood, planning staff, property owner and developer to finish off Bowers Drive. He explained that the 50-foot buffer was provided as a buffer and acknowledgement that there would be density on the other side of the trees compared to the unique Bowers Drive neighborhood. He stated that he understands the desire to save trees but noted that this is not a new dialogue. He stated that this is about the Pearsons property and their tenure in the City. He stated that the Pearsons are fond of the existing residents and have provided that buffer. He stated that when he City Council/June 23,2020 Page 18 of 21