6.5. SR 12-15-2003Item # 6.5.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
MEMORANDUM
Mayor and City Council
Scott Harlicker, Senior Planne~'~'
December 15, 2003
SUBJECT:
Case No. LU 03-06
Request by Patrick and Deborah Holzem to Amend the
Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Request
Consider a request by Patri& and Deborah Holzem for an amendment to the
Comprehensive Land Use Plan to indude their property in the Urban Service District.
Location
The property is located on the east side of Davis Street, north of 193rd Avenue and east of
Twin Lakes Road.
Zonina/Land Use
Rla (Single Family Residential) / LR (Low Density Residential)
Attachments
Location Map
Excerpts from the Comprehensive Plan - Utilities and Initiatives
Letter from the applicant
Memo to Mayor and City Council/LU 03-06
December 15, 2003
Page 2
Overview
The applicant owns about 216 acres on the east side of Davis Street, south of 197ra Avenue
and east of Twin Lakes Road. The property is outside of the Urban Service Area. They are
requesting that all 216 acres be included in the Urban Service Area. The property has been a
dairy farm. The land is rolling fields with isolated wetlands and woods.
The Urban Service Boundary extends to the west side of Davis Street and up to the south
side of 193r~ Avenue and the south side of Twin Lake Road (CR 13). The properties on the
west side of Davis Street are within the Urban Service District, the properties on the east
side of Davis Street, including the applicant's, are not.
According to an analysis completed by the City Engineer as part of the draft Comprehensive
Plan, the ultimate development of properties currently within the Urban Service Area will
use up the current capacity of the treatment facility. The City will be conducting an
engineering study to determine the feasibility of providing greater treatment capacity. Until
that analysis is completed, staff does not believe it would be prudent to include additional
property in the Urban Service Area.
In addition, the adjacent properties to the west which are currently within the Urban Service
District, Miske property, Phoenix Enterprises property and the Turner property, are not yet
serviced with sewer and water nor have they been assessed. It would be premature to expand
the Urban Service District to include the applicant's property until the adjacent properties
currently within the Urban Service District are developed.
Planning Commission Meetina
At the November 25th Planning Commission one neighbor spoke at the public hearing. She
had question about how this application would impact her property. The Holzems were
unable to attend the meeting but a letter from them was read into the record. A copy of that
letter is attached.
Recommendation
The Planning Commission and staff recommend that the City Council deny this request to
amend the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to include the applicant's 216 acres in the Urban
Service District to the City Council based on the following findings.
1. According to an analysis completed by the City Engineer as part of the draft
Comprehensive Plan, the ultimate development of properties currently within the Urban
Service Area will use up the current capacity of the treatment facility. The City will be
conducting an engineering study to determine the feasibility of providing greater treatment
capacity. Until that analysis is completed, the Council does not believe it would be prudent
to include additional property in the Urban Service Area.
Document2
Memo to Mayor and City Council/LU 03-06
December 15, 2003
Page 3
2. It would be premature to expand the Urban Service District to include the applicant's
property until the adjacent properties currently within the Urban Service District are
developed.
3. The requested expansion of the Urban Service Area is not consistent with the current
Comprehensive Plan nor is it consistent with the Draft Comprehensive Plan currently being
considered by the Council.
Document2
Case Number:.
Location Map
LU 03-03 PATRICK & DEBORAH HOLZEM
N
power in its service area.
The service area for municipal electric service is not the Urban Service Area.
The current service territory is shown in Figure 8-2. A series of expansions
are proposed over the next four years. Through these expansions, the Municipal
Utilities will acquire service areas from Connexus Energy. Even after
cornpledon of these expansions, the Mumcipal Utilities will not provide elecrmc
service throughout Elk River.
In 2002, the system used 157,500~000 KWH (-kilowatt hours) of electricity.
Usage ranges from 207000 K~X;/month dunng the winter to 35,000 IC¥'~T/month
over the summer.
The current 10-year capital plan shows a new substation in 2007.
Storm Water Management
Management of storm xvater and surface drainage is not a utility in the same
sense as sanitary sewer, water and electriciu,. It does, however, represent a
municipal service that requires a comprehensive approach.
The City conducts surface water management planning to determine the needs
and approaches for managhag storm water systems throughout the community,.
The objectives of this system are to manage runoff and to restore groundwater.
The formal storm water system consists of catch basins, pipes, ditches and
detention ponds. XX,'etlands and other natural systems play an important role
in effective storm water management.
The CitT has opted not to use the statutory power to establish a storm water
utilit3;. Instead, the Ciu,'s financial management plan calls for the creation of
one or more storm water improvement districts. The special taxing districts
provide a means for funding area-wide improvement projects.
Urban Service Area
The Land Use map Isee Figure 5-4~ contains an "urban service area boundary.'
This urban service area boundau; defines the area that is planned and guided
to receive municipal sanitan~ sexx, er and water se2dce. The urban sen,ice area
demonstrates the important relationship between planning for land use and
providing utilities.
The pm'pose of the urban service area boundary is to facilitate planning for
and expansion of the municipal sewer and water system. The urban service
area boundary allows the City and the Utilities Commission to plan for the
capacit3'. Location and phasing of trunk lines, lift stations, storage facilities,
and treatment facilities. The boundaU, also allows private property owners to
plan for future development recognizing both the costs and timing associated
with municipal utilities.
Given the need to manage the capacity of the municipal sewer system (see
i~ Building the Future -A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
Eik~vb?-~
Utilities
discussion later in this secnon), changes to the urban service area boundaW
should be handled with care.
The urban service area boundary should not be expanded on a speculative
basis. The boundary should be expanded only when development wilt occur
in a reasonable time after expansion.
The boundary should only be expanded if the City believes that sufficient
sewer and water treatment capacity will be available to serve properq~' within
the urban service area and the development (and redeveIopment) within the
expansion area. The implications on treatment capacity should also be
considered with redevelopment projects and changes in land use that wil! alter
demands on the utility system.
Sewer Capacity
The capacity of the municipal sanitaz,'y sewer system is an important issue in
planning for the future growth of Elk River. The key issues are plant capacity
and collection system.
Plant Capacity
The current treatment plant has total treatment capaci~ of 3.0 million gallons
per day. Howard R. Green Company (city engineer) has estimated the future
sewer flows based on the current and proposed land use in the urban service
area. The analysis uses existing development and future development resulting
from the land use pattern in the Comprehensive Plan to project future
wastewater flows.
The analysis estimates that the ultimate development of property within the
Urban Service Area consumes 2.64 million gallons per day of plant capaci~.
The analysis allocates an additional 0.52 million gallons per day of flow to
"inflow and inf'dtration." This flo~v represents water that enters the collection
system and treatment plant from non-development sources. The combination
of these sources produces a total flow of 3.16 millions gallon per day.
Based on this analysis, wastewater treatment plant capacity becomes a critical
issue in future land use planning. The important planning implications include:
° The City has sufficient treatment capacity to support the land use
pattern set forth in the Comprehensive Plan. Future changes in form
and density must consider the implications on wastewater treatment.
· Reaching the 3.0 million gallons per day of treatment capacity will
require improvements to the plant. It is important to have a clear
understanding of the timing and financing of these improvements.
· The boundary of the Urban Service Area becomes an meaningful Gcror
in guiding growth. The boundary should not be expanded unless
wastewater treatment capacity can be provided.
Building the Future -A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
Utilities
· The City should undertake engineering studies to determine the
feasibility o£ providing greater treatment capacity. This capacity will
be needed to develop the Urban Reserve and Mining areas at urban
densities.
' The plant capacity analysis identifies existing development wit,~z', the
Urban XervA'e .4rea (primarily residential) that are assumed to remain
on private septic systems. A future need to replace septic systems with
municipal sanita~T sewer places additional demands on plant cap~city.
· Land use around the wastewater treatment plant needs to allow for the
potential of future plant expansion.
Collection System
Plaint capaci~ is not the only constr~nt facing the sewer system. The size and
location of tlne collection system also influences the ability to expand the system.
One area of constraint examined in the planning process is the Mining area.
While engineering studies have not been performed, the prelimina~y assessment
is that the existing collection system provides bruited capaci~, to extend sanita~
sewer se~w-ice into this area. The implications of this constraint on development
cannot be determined without a more detailed engineering study. For this
reason, the land use for the area is a reserve-like Mining designation. This
approach allows management of continued mineral extraction and defers future
land use decisions until more information on sewer capacity is available. A
future amendment of the Comprehensive Plan will be needed for this area.
As mineral extraction is completed in the southern portions of the Mining
area, the need to plan for development will increase. Additional investigations
will be needed to determine:
· 'The flows tlnat can be accommodated with the existing collection
system.
· Land uses supportable with these floxvs.
· Financial implications for the City and property owners from the
necessary improvements.
· Feasibility of extending a new sexver collection trunk hne to this area.
· Impacts of the additional flows on plant capacity.
in addition to the iVLining area, potential collection system limitations in ortner
areas of Elk River should be determined and coordinated with future land use
planning.
Utilities
i~ Building the Future -A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
'ER. ii,:er
8,~6
Sanitary Sewer Capacity
One of the most important initiatives resulting from the Comprehensive Plan
is further study and investigation of sanitary sewer capacity. Among the issues
identified for this initiative are:
Undertake a more detailed analysis of current plant capacity
A basic analysis was performed in conjunction with preparation of the
Comprehensive Plan, but a more thorough analysis is needed to better
understand the relationship bewaeen planned development within the Urban
Sezwice Area and the capacity of the current plant. This analysis can also help
to plan for improvements needed for the existing plant to reach full capacity.
Evaluate the options for extending the sewer collection system to the grovel mining area.
This study has three elements:
(1) Flow and development capacity supportable with the extension o£ the
existing system.
(2) Feasibility of building a larger trunk to serve this area.
(3) Costs and financing options for the improvements.
Each of these elements has significant implications for land use and development
in the mining area. Sewer capacity (or the lack of) will influence the type and
intensity of development, and private and public costs of these improvements
will also influence development in this area. Improvements may be technically
feasible, but too expensive for either developers or the City.
Conduct preliminary studies of plant expansion.
While the need for expansion of the wastexvater treatment plant lies years in
the future, the need to plan for expansion exists today. Several issues must be
addressed before a plant expansion should occur. The only xvav to understand
these issues is to conduct additional studies. For example, an ~xpansion study
should consider the development capacity and financial implications created
by this project. Given the development pattern and the limitation o£ Elk
River's collection system, additional development potential may not match
expanded treatment capadty. Without the revenue from new development,
current users will pay more for the plant improvements.
Addressing this issue in a timely manner is important for land use planning
because land use and development planning rely on assumptions about the
availability of sanitary sewer service.
Street System
The Transportation Plan and the Transportation element of the Comprehensive
Plan provide a long-term framework for managing the local street system.
This in]dative focuses on specific steps that work to achieve the objectives of
these plans.
Using the Plan
Building the Future -A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
3,1~2
12/04/2003 22:42 7632414444 GUARDIANANGELSCARE G PAGE 02
November 19, :2003
Dear Elk River Planning Commission ~ City Council:
This letter is to restate that we fccl our request to have our property be designated in
the urban service district is logical plarming. The fact that most of the propcrties in
the area are either owned by land development companies or property owners
petitior~i~g for urban services is one of several good reasons for consideration.
Secondly, the area is not currently being mined for gravel, or restricted by a
conservation easement, as are other areas being ccmsidered for urban service area.
Much of the land is ideal for sewer and water development and the property owners
are requesting to be included.
Most of Elk River has already been determined for urban services or rural
development. Our property, as well other land nearby can efficiently be served with
city sewer mad water. The property across Cleveland Street is in the urban servicc
district. If services are constructed in the right of way of Cleveland, why wouldn't the
city want to efficiently serve a later bencfiting area? This only s~s fair.
Duc to medical reasons we are unable to attend the Plarming Commission meeting on
November 25~. We ask that the Planning Commission and City Council considcr our
request to be included in the Urban Service District based on logical planning and
fairness.
Thank you for your consideration, and if you havc any questions please call us at 441-
6283.
Elk River MN 55330