Agenda - Planning Commission - 11/07/2002

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P20 The townhouse units will front onto private streets. The Planning Commission held a public hearing and reviewed the preliminary plat on September 5, 2002. The Planning Commission tabled the item and directed staff to complete the following: 1) Hire a consulting firm to conduct a traffic generation analysis for the proposed development 2) Discuss with the developer the cost of upgrading the existing signals on U.S. Highway #10 and how the cost is to be distributed 3) Provide clarification on how the existing berm will be maintained. The developer is proposing to satisfy density-transitioning requirements by the Landscape Buffering option: The Density Transitioning Ordinance states that When an R-2 Medium Residential Development abuts a R-1 Single Family development the developer must provide a 25 foot wide buffer, in common ownership, with a minimum of 2 over story trees, 2 ever~een trees, and 2 under story trees per 100 feet of property abutting the adjacent R-1 district. In this case, the development would be required .to provide 72 trees; the berm currently contains 344 established over story,, ever~een, and under story trees. The townhouse development significantly exceeds landscape buffering density-transitioning requirements. City Engineer Jankowski stated the consultants made a recommendation that no noise mitigation would be required because the model shows it would be within MPCA noise standards and it further showed that one there was some buildings in-between the highway and P,,iverdale, it would further lower the noise. Normally when the consultant makes this recommendation, they sit down and review their recommendations with IvlPCA. He stated they have been successful in the past with IvlPCA agreeing with the consultant On that. Chairperson Nixt asked what staff thought about this because with a sizeable undeveloped tract of land that has mixed use potential all over it and would it not be a waste of money to put up a noise barrier before there was any development done on the land. City Engineer Jankows'ki stated the noise study said. wkhput the development there the requirements would fall below .the standards and would be reduced more once there were buildings there. City Engineer Jankowski stated the traffic issue was a concern raised by MN/Dot in their letter. He stated they had contracted SKF to do a traffic study and there was some consultation between SKF and MN/Dot to find out the scope of that study. A summary of the study states that the major points that would be affected from a traffic standpoint would be the Intersection of Sunfish Boulevard and Highway 10. He stated the traffic level is currently at a level of F 10 service, wh/ch is below acceptable right now, and the traff~c generated from this at full build out would decrease the level to E. He stated it was pointed out that the majority of the decrease in level of service was not due to the additional traffic from the development but the additional growth of traffic on Highway 10. On the positive side, MN/Dot indicated the particular intersection having installed double left turn lanes in 2004. He stated this issue has been addressed. In the comments at a public heating there was a more localized concern with the traffic issues. One of them was at the intersection of Riverdale and Garnet and would it require some kind of signalization. Once Pdverdale Drive connects to Highway 10 they would have a stop sign at Garnet. He stated one of the concerns of the Fire Chief is if they are going to have as many Planning Commission/October 10, 2002 - Page 8 of 20 I I I I I I I I I i I I