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6.17. SR 05-17-2004TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM Mayor and City Co~ Michele McPherso~Director of Planning May 17, 2004 Update on Planning Commission Agenda Items Item # 6.17. Staff would like to provide a brief update to the City Council regarding two Planning Commission projects under consideration: Trout Brook Estates and River Park. Attachments · Location Map - Trout Brook Estates · Preliminary Plat - Trout Brook Estates · Location Map - River Park · March 17, 2004 Letter from the City Engineer Regarding Coving · Preliminary Plat - River Park · East Elk River Overall Aerial Photo A and B The Planning Commission has been meeting with two applicants, Ryan Contracting Company and Orrin Thompson Homes regarding developments on the Becket and Miske properties. Both projects require zone changes to Planned Unit Development from single family residential, a conditional use permit, and a preliminary/final plat. Trout Brook Estates Trout Brook Estates is proposed by Ryan Contracting Company on the Gerald and Mary Becket property. This property is located directly north of Trott Brook Farms and south and east of County Road 13. The total development site owned by the Beckets is 109.49 acres. Ryan Contracting is intending to develop the easterly 103 acres, as the Beckets will retain 6.49 acres for their existing farmstead. The Trout Brook Estates development is comprised of 116 twin homes and 54 single family detached homes for a total number of residential units of 170. The roads and dwelling units are located in the area of the high ground. The applicant is intending to dedicate land Miske/Becker Property May 17, 2004 Page 2 adjacent to Outlot K for park purposes. Currently, the application has been tabled until the June 22nd Planning Commission meeting in order for the applicant to further revise the proposal to comply with the Wetland Technical Evaluation Panel comments regarding wetland fill and mitigation. River Park Concurrently, while reviewing the Trout Brook Estates development, the Planning Commission has been reviewing the coved preliminary plat for Orrin Thompson Homes on the Miske property. The Miske site is located adjacent to County Road 40 and south of County Road 13. It is directly east of the Becket property and also east of Sunset Ridge, an existing large-lot single-family development. The total area of the Miske property is 224 acres. The total number of residential units being proposed is 720. Of that, 354 are multiple family (row and back-to-back townhome units), and 366 single-family dwelling units. As noted in the City Engineer's memo of March 17, 2004 staff has a number of concerns regarding the coving concept, specifically relating to safety and increased costs of operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure. Staff, therefore, has developed an alternative to the coving plan that utilizes a traditional grid system and yields approximately 680 units utilizing both attached and detached housing types. The Planning Commission has reviewed both options, and would prefer a development closer in style to the grid. The applicant is intending to continue with the coved proposal. This application will also be reviewed by the Planning Commission at the June meeting. There are a number of issues the Council may want to discuss with staff as they review the information regarding these two developments. They include: 1. density and housing types - location of proposed townhome units 2. transportation connections - connection between the new developments as well as with existing subdivisions 3. utility extensions and facilities - sewer, water, well and water treatment facility Staff looks forward to a discussion with the Council regarding these two developments and the above issues. If appropriate, the Council may wish to provide direction to staff regarding any of the noted issues. S:\PLANNING\Case Files\2004\P 04-09 Riverpark\5 17 04 memo CC.doc River Case Number: Location Map ZC 04-05 & P 04-08 & CU 04-I! TROUT BROOK ESTATES LOCATION MAP~ O UT IN SECTION 35 , TOWNSHIP 33, RANGE 36 ELK RIVEI~ MINNESOTA ~ ~ SHERBURNE COUNTY ~ Io~ FAN CONTRA CT/JYG , CO. N£OOK ESTATES RYA~'4 CON-,RACTiNG CO. COVER SHEET 2. PRELIMINARY PLAT 3. PRELIMINARY PLAT ,$. PRELIMINARY PLAT S, EXISTING CONOI TIONS ~XISTING OON01TIONS 7 £XISTING CON01TIONS 8. P~ELIMINARY SITE & UTILITY PLAN 9. PRELIMINARY SITE & UTILITY PLAN 10 PRELIMINARY GRADING PLAN 11. PRELIMINARY GRADING PLAN 12. PRELIMINARY GRADING PLAN PRELIMINARY GRADING mLAN 14 PRELIMINARY GRADING PLAN 15. PRELIMINARY GRADING DETAILS OUTE, ROOK ESTATES SITE M UL VANE Y HILLSIDE CITY PARK txlver Location Map Case Number: CU 04-15 RIVER PARK Howard R. Green Gompany March 17, 2004 File: 821880J-0240 Ms. Michele McPherson Director of Planning City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 RE: RICK HARRISON CONCEPT PLAN MISKE PROPERTY Dear Ms. McPherson: As you are aware, I have significant concerns about the Rick Harrison Conceptual Plan for development of the Miske property. My concerns revolve around two items: Safety and additional costs of operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure. As such, I have discussed my concerns and gathered information from other department heads and will attempt to quantify the various concerns in this correspondence. o The Fire Chief expressed significant concerns relative to the time required for emergency responses because of two issues. First, the difficulty in street naming and addresses and the ability of an emergency response vehicle to drive directly to that address; and secondly, with all of the curved streets in the development, the speed at which they can get to the middle of the development will be greatly reduced. There is estimated to be 721 units in this development. Generally, this type of development will generate from six to ten trips per unit. That means there will be between 4,500 and 7,000 vehicle trips throughout the development. Virtually all of the roads in the development are curvilinear. As drivers become more familiar with the street network in the neighborhood in which they live, they will tend to pick up speed, and as such, the curves tend to be straightened out by the driver. This means it will be difficult to keep vehicle traffic on their own side bf the roadway, especially on roadways that have lower volumes of traffic. With all of the curves in the development, many of the site distances required for safe vehicle travel are across the fronts of private property. These areas could easily be built up with trees, shrubs and other landscaping that will limit the site distance. The same is true relative to stopping distance at intersections. It will be virtually impossible for snow removal equipment to determine where the edge of the roadway is in large' snowfalls. With the setback of the houses all varying and the curves of the road, the snowplow driver will essentially be guessing where the edge of the curb is. This will likely lead to poor snow removal, or in the other case, removal of significant amounts of sod from the boulevard areas. Ltr-031704-McPherson.doc 2550 University Avenue West · Suite 400N · St. Paul, MN 55114 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389 Ms. McPherson March 17, 2004 Page Two From a sanitary sewer standpoint, there will be a significant increase in the number of manholes required in this development because of the curved streets. That will lead to increased costs for the maintenance of the sanitary sewer system. The Sewer Department annually cleans all sanitary sewer lines from one manhole to other. With the increase in manholes, there will be an increase in the amount of time and setups required to clean the sanitary sewer system in this development. In addition, with the varying setbacks of the homes, some as far as 125 feet back from the property line, the sanitary sewer system will need to be significantly deeper to allow for this additional service length. This again will add to the cost of operating and maintaining the sanitary sewer system. The same is true of the storm drainage system. Given the curved roads, there will be many more manholes and/or catchbasins to provide for a storm sewer collection system. Normal maintenance of these structures will increase in time and cost because of the increase in structures for the size of the development. There will likely be a significant increase in the number of hydrants throughout the development due to the varying and sometime relatively large setback of the homes. This increase in hydrants will lead to an increase in operation and maintenance of the water system. How will the City control the construction of the homes at the appropriate setback and angle that they are laid out in this development? As we are all well aware, many times developments do not end up how they start relative to who is building the homes. Different builders look at lots differently. There would need to be some mechanisms to require homes of a specific style at a specific elevation and a specific setback. I think this would be virtually impossible under the City's current system to regulate and monitor. It is my recommendation and I believe the departments I spoke with support that this development style should not be allowed to move forward. If you have any questions regarding any of these comments, please call. Sincerely, Howard R. Green Company Te~E. TJM:sw Ltr-031704-McPherson.doc Howard R. Green Gomnanv 0 250 500 750 SCALE ~N FEET WARNING THE CONTBACTOR SHALL CONTACT ALL PUBLIC UTILiTiES FOR LOCATIONS OF ALL UNDEROROUNO WIRES, CABLES. CONOUrTS. RIPES, MANHOLES. VALVES, OR OTHER BURIED STRUCTURES BEFORE DIGGING. HE SHALL REPAIR OR REPLACE THE ABOVE WHEN DAMAGED DURING CONSTRUCTION AT NO COST TO OWNER Date: Description: By: ~ I i - ?-,,Schoell & Madson, Inc. Engineering · Surveying · Planning Soil Testing * Environmental Services ~-~x~a S5305-'~25 E~ ~, ~la ~-~ Orrln Thompson Homes 935 East Weyzatl Boulevard Wayzata, Mlnneeota 55391 1952! 249-3076 Prefect Name/Locatio~ I Dale: II River Park I Elk River, Mlnnelot. 04/26/04 [1 ~-~ir,~ OVERALL PLAT a~ DEVELOPER PROPOSAL = 720 UNITS CITY PROPOSAL = +680 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES TOWNHOUSE UNITS PUBLIC STREETS PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS ALLEYS