Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/23/2021

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City Planner Anderson stated that in this instance it sounds like the HOA would maintain ownership of that area. Commissioner VanScoy asked how it would work if there was not an HOA. City Planner Anderson stated that another option would be for that land to be deeded to the City once installed and established. He stated that in this scenario it would be likely that the HOA would own that parcel. Chairperson Bauer asked if the City Council provided input on the 80 foot lots versus the 65-foot lots. City Planner Anderson stated that the Council would prefer to see the property remain as 80 foot lots as a transition into the existing developed neighborhoods. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that it was an overwhelming consensus that the property remains at 80-foot lots. He asked the Commission to also support the 80-foot-wide lot requirement to avoid the situation where the Commission supports 65-foot lots only to get to the Council and have that denied. Citizen Input Paul Tabone, Lennar, thanked the Commission to listening to the request. He noted that he has been working closely with staff to propose different layouts for the property. He stated that at this time they are down to the lot sizes, noting that the Council was clear about the desire for 80-foot- wide lots. He stated that they are working with staff on the secondary access. He stated that the density transitioning is the biggest challenge. He noted that with the desire of the Council to have 80-foot lots,the depths of those home sites would be shortened if that transition area is put into its own parcel. He hoped that there could be some flexibility on that. He stated that he understands how important berming and density transitioning is in the City of Ramsey. He stated that this site is a challenge, surrounded by business, municipal, and rural residential uses. He asked if there could be flexibility in the density transitioning plan if the intent is still met. He stated that the draft landscape plan included as many trees as recommended by the landscaper per size at full maturity, which falls short of the requirement. He stated that if a berm is added,that would take space from the backyards of the residents. He commented that there are some fairly significant existing tree lines to the north and west of the site. He stated that an adjacent property owner previously made the comment that he would even support 65-foot lots,if properly screened. He noted that property has a row of evergreens and suggested that perhaps a row of evergreens be added on this site to increase the thickness of that screen. He stated that would meet the intent of screening without reducing the backyard sizes. He stated that if home sites cannot be platted to the lot line, as shown, it would create a challenge in having 80-foot lots. He commented that staff has been great to work with throughout this process. Chairperson Bauer asked the concern with the size of the 80-foot lots. Planning Commission/August 26, 2021 Page 10 of 26