Agenda • PLANNING COMMISSION
WORKSHOP AGENDA
Tuesday, September 1 1, 2001- 6:30 p.m.
Elk River City Hall —Training Room
I. Call Meeting to Order
2. Consider September I I, 2001 Agenda
3. Mobile Workshop: 6:30—8:00 p.m.
• Twin Lake Townhomes
• Rolling Hills
• Ridges of Rice Lake
• Windsor Park
• Meadowwoods Village
4. Townhome Ordinance: 8:00—9:00 p.m.
• Open Space Definition
• • Final Changes
• Locations of Projects/Percentages of Development Area
5. Adjourn
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S:\PLANNING\PlanningCommission\9-11AG.DOC
• R-3, Townhome District
Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of the R3,Townhome District is to accommodate a variety of housing types,including
single family detached, single family semi-detached, duplex and townhouse dwellings, at low to
moderate residential densities(approximately 11 units per acre or less). This district is also intended
to function as a transition between the less intense single family district and more intense multi-
family districts. Certain other structures and uses necessary to serve governmental, educational,
religious, recreational,and other needs of neighborhoods are allowed as permitted or conditional
uses subject to restrictions intended to preserve and protect the residential character of the district.
A. Permitted Uses
i. Single Family Dwellings
ii. Two Family Dwellings
iii. Three Family Dwellings
iv. Townhomes(four or more units),with no more than six(6)dwellings per structure if in
a row or no more than eight (8) dwellings per structure if back-to-back
v. Model homes in compliance with Section
vi. Licensed daycare facilities for sixteen (16) or fewer children
IIIvii. Public parks, playgrounds and open space
B. Accessory Uses
i. Public shelters and essential services
ii. Garages and sheds
iii. Private recreational facilities
C. Conditional Uses
i. Licensed daycare facilities for seventeen (17) or more children
ii. Governmental offices
iii. Governmental buildings and facilities
iv. Institutional uses
v. Conditional home occupations in single-family dwellings
D. Development Standards (Lot Area, Setbacks, Density, Open Space)
i. Single Family Dwellings:
• a. Lot Area: 12,000 square feet
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September 7,2001
Page 2
b. Lot Width:
Interior: 80 feet
Corner: 100 feet
c. Setbacks, Dwelling:
Front: 30 feet
Side: 10 feet living area, 5 feet garage
Rear: 30 feet
d. Setbacks, Accessory:
Front: 30 feet
Side: 5 feet
Rear: 10 feet
ii. Two Family Dwellings:
a. Lot Area: 6,000 square feet
b. Lot Width: 60 feet
c. Setbacks, Dwelling:
III Front: 30 feet
Side: 10 feet
Rear: 10 feet
d. Setbacks, Accessory:
Front: 30 feet
Side: 5 feet
Rear: 5 feet
iii. Three Family,Four-plex(quadraminium),Townhome,or Condominium Dwellings:
a. Lot Area: 20,000 square feet for three family or four-plex dwellings
Townhome or condominium unit lots shall have sufficient
area to include living area(including bay or bow windows),
garage,deck(s),patio(s),or porches of the individual dwelling
units.
b. Lot Width: Base lot width: 100 feet
Townhome or Condominium Unit: 28 feet
c. Setbacks,Yard:
30 feet at the periphery of the development parcel
• For yards bordering major collector or arterial streets,an additional
20 feet of setback is required to provide a landscaped buffer yard
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September 7,2001
Page 3
d. Setbacks, Building:
Setbacks between buildings shall be 25 feet or one-half(1/2)the sum
of the building heights of the two(2)adjoining buildings,whichever
is greater
Buildings shall be setback a minimum of thirty (30) feet from the
back of curb line of private drives, guest parking areas and public
rights-of-way.
iv. Density:
The maximum development density within the R3 District will be based on the net build
able area for either a two family dwelling, three family dwelling, four-plex,
quadraminium,town home, or a condominium subdivision exclusive of public street
rights-of-way,wetlands,major drainage ways as defined by the Comprehensive Storm
Water Management Plan,water bodies and slopes steeper than three to one (3:1)slope
ratio.
The following lot areas per unit standards shall determine the maximum development
density:
Two Family Dwellings,Three Family Dwellings,Four Family Dwellings,
Quadraminuims,Town homes:Five thousand(5,000) square feet per unit.
411 v. Open Space Requirements
In addition to the park dedication requirements stipulated by the City's Subdivision
Ordinance,a minimum of ten(10)percent of the gross development project area shall
be in useable open space and recreational use for the project residents. This open space
shall be outside of the yard areas that may be adjacent to units and buildings. Such areas
shall be specifically designed for both the active and passive use and may include exercise
equipment,saunas,playground equipment,etc. Said areas and facilities shall be private,
except in those cases where the City agrees to assume responsibility for all or a portion
of the recreational space. In those cases where private ownership in maintained,the land
and facilities shall be subject to the requirement of common areas as detailed in Section
11-58-19 of this Title.
E. Building Design and Construction Standards:
i. Unit Width: The minimum width of a dwelling unit within the R3 District shall be:
a. twenty-eight (28) feet for single family detached townhomes
b. twenty-four(24)feet for internal dwelling units located in buildings containing more
than four (4) units.
ii. Unit Construction:
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Townhome Ordinance Version I
September 7,2001
Page 4
• c. Building elevations and floor plans shall be furnished with subdivision requests
illustrating exterior building material and colors to demonstrate compliance with this
Section. Building floor plans shall identify the interior storage space within each
unit.
d. Buildings shall be designed to prevent the appearance of straight,unbroken lines in
their horizontal and vertical surface. There shall be no more than two(2)continuous
townhouse dwelling units without a break in the horizontal and vertical elevations of
at least thirty two (32) inches.
e. Provision shall be made for possible decks,porches or additions as part of the initial
dwelling unit building plans. The unit lot shall be configured and sized to include
decks or porches.
f. In case of a gable roof,a minimum twelve (12)inch overhang on gable ends shall be
required for all residential structures. All other soffits,on residential structures,are
to have a minimum eighteen (18) inch overhang.
e. The exterior of town home dwelling units shall include a variation in building
materials, which are to be distributed throughout the building facades and
coordinated into the architectural design of the structure to create an architecturally
balanced appearance. The preferred materials are: brick, stucco, stone, dutch lap
vinyl siding and fiber-cement siding In addition,town home dwelling structures shall
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comply with the following requirements:
1) A minimum of twenty-five(25)percent of the combined area of all building
facades of a structure shall have an exterior finish of brick, stucco and/or
natural or artificial stone.
2) Except for brick,stucco,and/or natural or artificial stone,no single building
façade shall have more than seventy-five(75)percent of one type of exterior
finish.
3) Except for brick, stucco, and/or natural or artificial stone, no town home
dwelling structure shall have more than sixty (60) percent of all building
facades of one type of exterior finish. Deck railings may be included as a
change of material on the façade of a building.
4) For the purpose of this section, the area of the building façade shall not
include area devoted to window,entrance doors,garage doors,or roof areas.
iii. Garages:
a. Each dwelling unit shall include an attached garage.
b. Garages shall comply with the following minimum size standards:
• 1) For dwellings with basements: Four hundred eighty four(484)square feet.
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September 7,2001
Page 5
• 2) For dwellings without basements: Five hundred eighty four (584) square
feet.
3) Garages shall be a minimum of twenty (22) feet in width.
iv. Outside Storage:
Outside storage shall be allowed only in designated areas that are screened in and under
the ownership of the property owners association subject to other applicable provisions
of this Title.
F. Parking, Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation
i. Resident Parking:
Resident parking shall be provided at one space per bedroom. Resident parking may
occur in the garage or in the driveway of individual units.
ii. Guest Parking:
At minimum, one half(1/2) guest parking spaces per unit shall be provided in an off-
street parking lot or private drive. The design of the off-street parking lot shall conform
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to the parking requirements of the Elk River Code of Ordinances.
iii. Streets:
All streets shall be public and shall comply with the design standards and specifications
as governed by the City's Subdivision Ordinance,except that the required right-of-way
may be reduced to fifty(50)feet and the required street width reduced to twenty-eight
(28) feet with parking limited to one side.
iv. Drives:
a. Deadend private driveways shall serve a maximum of two (2) structures or six (6)
units per side.
b. Private drives shall be under the ownership and control of the property owners
association who shall be responsible for the maintenance,repair,and replacement of
surfacing. Said association shall maintain a capital improvement program for the
driveways under its ownership.
c. Adequate length shall be added to the terminus of all private drives for the purposes
of backing up and turning. Such areas shall not be used for parking.
d. Private drives must include plans and areas for snow storage.
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Townhome Ordinance Version I
September 7,2001
Page 6
e. Private drives shall be a minimum of twenty-four(24)feet in width(back of curb to
• back of curb) and shall not allow parking on either side unless they are a minimum
twenty-eight (28)feet in width,in which case parking may be allowed on one side.
v. Sidewalks:
A six (6) foot sidewalk shall be provided on one side of the public street.
G. Landscaping/Screening/Lighting:
A detailed landscaping and lighting plan shall be provided and implemented pursuant to this
Section. Said landscaping and screening shall address the following:
i. All open areas of the development project which are not used or improved for required
parking areas, drives or storage shall be landscaped with a combination of over story
trees, under story trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground cover materials. The plan for
landscaping shall include ground cover,bushes,shrubbery,trees,sculpture,foundations,
decorative walks or other similar site design features or materials. The landscape plan
shall include detailed foundation plantings for areas adjacent to buildings,walks,etc. In
addition to the trees required by Section 1008 of the Elk River City Code,the following
is required:
a. A minimum of five(5) shrubs for each dwelling unit and a minimum of one(1)tree
• per dwelling unit.
ii. Landscaping at the boundary of the site adjoining another property and the immediate
perimeter of the principal structure.
iii. Buffer yard landscaping for yards bordering major collector and arterial streets. Buffer
yard landscaping shall include berming and the use of coniferous trees.
iv. Screening of guest parking areas.
v. All boulevards shall be sodded. Prior to sodding,the developer shall provide three(3)
inches of pulverized and screened black dirt. The areas to be sodded shall be fine graded
and rocks, trash, or other debris shall be removed.
vi. Screening of designated outdoor storage areas.
vii. All landscaped areas,including on-site traffic islands and all public rights-of-way adjacent
to the property(where access is allowed by the governmental jurisdiction),shall have an
in-ground irrigation system with an automatic controller.
H. Transition Requirements:
Any R3 zoned property abutting an R1, R2, or residential PUD District shall have a
• minimum of one (1) tier of single family detached,two family dwelling lots, or detached
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September 7,2001
Page 7
• town homes bordering such a district. Exemptions to the provisions of this Section may be
granted, provided one or more of the following conditions exist:
i. The properties are separated by a major collector or arterial street.
u. The abutting land use is a non-residential use is allowed in the district in which it is
located.
iii. The properties are separated by a railroad right-of-way,wetland,water body,floodplain,
public open space, park or other such similar publicly reserved and development
restricted area with a minimum width of one hundred(100)feet across its entire length.
I. Utilities:
i. All utilities serving an R3 subdivision,including telephone,electricity,gas and telecable
shall be installed underground.
ii. Separate public utility services shall be provided to each unit unless exempted by the City
Engineer.
iii. Water connection: Individual unit shut off valves shall be provided.
iv. Sewer connection: Where more than one unit is served by a sanitary sewer service,all
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maintenance and cleaning shall be the responsibility of the property owners association
or owners.
v. Unit utility connections shall be located in the side or rear of the unit whenever possible
and shall be screened. Unit utility connections in the front of units shall be screened by
a structure that is integrally designed as part of the unit.
J. Common Areas:
The following minimum requirements shall be observed in the R3 District governing
common areas:
i. Ownership:
All common areas within an R3 development including,but not limited to,open space,
wetlands,greenways,drainage ponds,driveways,private drives,parking areas,play areas,
etc. shall be owned in one of the following manners:
a. Condominium ownership pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 515A1-106.
b. Twin home,quadraminium and town home subdivision common areas shall
be owned by the owners of each unit lot,with each owner of a unit having an
equal and undivided interest in the common area.
• ii. Home Owners Association:
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September 7,2001
Page 8
IIIA home owners association shall be established for all quadraminium,three and four-
plex multiple family and town home developments within the RM-1 District,subject to
review and approval of the City Attorney, and shall be responsible for all exterior
building maintenance,approval of any exterior architectural modifications,landscaping,
snow clearing and regular maintenance of private driveways and other areas owned in
common when there is more than one individual property owner having interest within
the development.
Definitions:
Single Family Semi-Detached
Open Space
Quadraminium
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