05/19/2014 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,May 19,2014 6:30 o'clock p.m. 5. In conjunction with the green space noted above, installation of stormwater management systems such as swales, rain gardens, et cetera, should be incorporated into the green spaces to allow for filtration of runoff and sediment/debris containment. 6. Separation of parking from the traveled right-of-way of County Road 15, preferably with the landscaping of some sort. The site plan submitted by the applicant accomplishes some of the above goals but does not address others. Site access is consolidated into one curb cut at the approximate location of the existing access serving the main marina building. The internal circulation of the site allows for a continuous loop but the parking stalls are substandard at 18' x 9' rather than the required 20' x 9'. Gaffron noted this is likely due to the fact that there is not sufficient room between County Road 15 and the lake to provide for standard depth stalls while maintaining a 24-foot drivable corridor between opposing stalls as well as required landscaping along County Road 15 and along the lakeshore. Gaffron stated the proposed parking does meet the required 10-foot setback from the adjacent residential property. Whether ten feet is sufficient to allow for adequate landscaping and screening to the adjacent residential property is worthy of discussion. As it relates to the rules of the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, the number of boat units allowed for marinas has historically been based on shoreline length and the two residential zoned properties have historically been included in the countable shoreline for the marina. In addition,the southerly Tanager Lake dock system for this marina has extended outside the allowed dock use area for a number of years based on extended lot lines. Both dock systems on Tanager are currently non-compliant. Because 1440 and 1442 are zoned residential, LMCD rules require extra side setbacks for slips that open toward residential property. The applicants have submitted a revised dock proposal that would maintain a 56-foot setback to the zoning boundary if the rezoning occurs. The down side to this is that it would potentially result in additional boat traffic in front of the residential property at 1432. Gaffron stated the proposal does not meet the required 10-foot lakeshore landscaping requirement, which in turn does not provide for the desired stormwater management facilities which potentially could be parallel to the shoreline. The proposal does provide landscaping and separation between County Road 15 and the parking areas. The right-of-way for the 1440 and 1442 parcels is reduced, allowing for greater separation between the road and parking. The Planning Commission should review the request for rezoning, hold the public hearing and accept public comments. The Planning Commission should consider whether acceptance and adherence to the conceptual site plan is critical to a rezoning decision and the expected, potential, and unanticipated impacts of rezoning in attempting to reach a recommendation to the City Council. Schoenzeit asked if the rezoning could be joined with possible improvements on the marina site. Gaffron stated he had a discussion with the City Attorney as to whether a rezoning is possible and he indicated it is something the City generally should not do. The City Attorney did state that at the time the City is looking at a site plan, a rezoning, and a comprehensive plan amendment, one of the options is to Page 12 of 31