Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 08/16/2021

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Environmental Policy Board (EPB) 5. 3. Meeting Date: 08/16/2021 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Information Title: Consider Natural Resources Aspects of North Brook Meadows Preliminary Plat (Project No. 20-105) Purpose/Background: The City has received an application from Platinum Land (the "Applicant") for Preliminary Plat review of North Brook Meadow, located at the southwestern corner of Nowthen Boulevard and 175th Avenue (the "Subject Property"). Observations/Alternatives: General Project Overview The Applicant is proposing a seventy-seven (77) lot, single family home residential subdivision. The Subject Property is zoned R-1 Residential (MUSA) - 80 and is approximately thirty-five and a half (35.5) acres in size. The proposed net density is approximately 2.2 units per acre (maximum allowed is 3 units per acre). The units would be connected to city services (sanitary sewer, water, and storm sewer). Natural Resources Inventory The City's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) identifies a Moderate Quality mixed emergent marsh (wetland) in the northwest corner of the Subject Property. The remainder of the Subject Property is categorized as planted or cultivated vegetation in the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS). It does not appear that any impacts are proposed to the wetland area. Wetlands and Floodplain There is wetland located in the northwest corner of the Subject Property. It does appear that the required sixteen and a half foot(16.5') setback has been included on the plan set. It does not appear that any impacts are proposed to the wetland. A portion of the northwest corner of the Subject Property also has floodplain. Per the FEMA floodplain maps, this is categorized as General Floodplain District, meaning that there has been no detailed study to determine the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or floodway and flood fringe. However, the City's Surface Water Management Plan does include data on estimated 100 year peak elevations based on modeling. It appears that the best available data currently shows the estimated BFE as 885 feet. Floodplain boundaries need to be added to the plan sheets to determine if there are any potential impacts. Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan A tree inventory was completed. Staff is requesting additional information such as total number of significant tree Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) inches, number of inches preserved, number of inches removed, and for any removals, a brief description of why (e.g. mass grading, stormwater pond, etc.). This information is necessary to verify whether the project is meeting the tree preservation requirements outlined in City Code (preserving at least 40% of the significant tree DBH inches on site, or reforestation of 1.25 inches for every 1 inch over the threshold). Trees in the southwest and southeast corners are proposed to be preserved. The trees in the southwest corner would provide decent screening of the new lots for the adjacent, existing residential homes. The trees in the southeast corner will help buffer noise from vehicular traffic on Nowthen Boulevard.