Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 01/13/2025

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Preservation Plan. There are no wetlands or floodplains on the Subject Property either. The Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS) categorizes the entirety of the Subject Property in Ramsey as 'Urban with Vegetative Cover'. Landscape Plan The submittal does include a Landscape Plan for the project. While there is a request to rezone the Subject Property to a PUD, which has no specific standards, the proposed use is most similar to that of an industrial use, and therefore, the minimum required plantings are to be determined using the canopy cover formula. As submitted, the Landscape Plan needs to be revised to include at least another 27,370 square feet of canopy cover. If, for example, the Applicant were to add a species such as American Elm, Bur Oak, and/or White Oak, this could be accomplished with as few as seven (7) additional trees. All the plantings along the eastern boundary are shown to be on the adjacent golf course property (on top of the existing berm). Staff has informed the Applicant that they need to provide the city with a copy of the written authorization from the adjacent property owner for the plantings to be on the golf course property. The Landscape Plan does include a sixty (60) foot wide bufferyard along the northern property boundary, which abuts an existing residential property. Within the bufferyard, the Applicant is proposing a combination of deciduous overstory trees (Red Maple), evergreen trees (Green Giant Arborvitae), and a six (6) foot tall wooden privacy fence. Typically, a bufferyard would need to be landscaped with an additional thirty percent (30%) of the required plantings. However, the inclusion of the privacy fence reduces the amount of required plantings in the bufferyard by fifty percent (50%). Thus, an additional 6,320 square feet of canopy cover is needed and again, depending on the species chosen, could be accomplished with as few as two (2) additional trees. City Code does provide standards for parking lot landscaping (one tree for every ten parking stalls). However, neither Ramsey nor Elk River Staff consider this to be a typical parking lot. This, in essence, simply serves as a storage area for larger vehicles. The landscape requirements for parking lots are intended to ensure there is some shade available for customers and/or employees (they are parking for shorter periods of time) and to create some visual relief. The users of this site will be parking their vehicle and essentially storing it on the Subject Property for longer periods of time. Additionally, it is worth noting that the plantings along the eastern boundary are directly adjacent to the easternmost row of stalls and thus, will provide some shade for those areas. Funding Source: The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with this request. Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the Landscape Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staffs review comments. Outcome/Action: Motion to recommend approval of the Landscape Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staffs review comments. Site Location Map Existing Conditions Site Plan Landscape Plan with Staff Review Comments Attachments Form Review Inbox Reviewed By Date Brian Hagen Kathy Schmitz 01/09/2025 03:48 PM Form Started By: Chris _-\iderson Started On: 01/07/2025 03:25 PM