Agenda - Council - 10/10/2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chairperson Nixt expressed concern regarding the amount of bituminous surface planned for this site Associate Planner Dalnes replied there is little greenspace. The applicant would need to comply with all the landscaping requirements, which may be difficult to do in this proposed area Chairperson Nixt expressed concern that the number of units are being pushed beyond what is practical for this site. Mr. Walz stated this particular location is an outlot with nothing on it, and it is an eyesore. The only options that have been proposed for this lot is a storage building, because no one is willing to put the investment needed into this site Mr. Ness explained by putting these buildings in here and pre- selling them, they have gotten their cost down to under $100 per square foot on the presolds. He has investors jumping at this, and he plans on all of the units being sold out by the end of the year Chairperson Nixt indicated he would suggest the applicant proceed, but taking into account the concerns that have been expressed regarding traffic flow, accessing the warehouses, and the amount of buildings in the area He noted there also needs to be consideration of snow removal on the site. Mr. Walz indicated the road behind the buildings is wider than it appears on the sketch plan. He will have it resized by Oliver and Associates. Commissioner Brauer commented his understanding is there are more parking spaces on the plan than are required. If the parking places by the railroad tracks were removed and everything was shifted towards the railroad tracks it would allow a wider street down the middle of the site and facilitate better traffic flow. Mr. Walz replied this would result in the loss of trees, and the landscaping plan needs to be accommodated. Commissioner Cleveland requested further information regarding the landscaping plan. Associate Planner Dalnes replied there are 75 trees required on this site per the building square footage proposed, and three times as many shrubs. Basically the applicant is trying to include the trees and shrubs wherever they can because there is so little greenspace. The landscaping plan will be reviewed at the time of preliminary plat. Commissioner Hunt commented most of the deliveries on this site will likely be in 24 foot trucks. Most of the time, even if the trucks are parked two -wide, there would be the ability to stage the trucks enough to allow a third truck to wind through, especially with the asphalt up to the back door of the buildings. However, he does understand the comments regarding making the traffic flow easier. Planning Commission /September 7, 2006 Page 19 of 20 —31—