03/15/2004 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE • ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, March 15, 2004 6:00 o'clock p.m. (#11. #04-2994 LANDFORM, STEVE JOHNSTON, REPRESENTING SWERVO DEVELOPMENT, 875 W. WAYZATA BLVD., COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT-Continued) The property is within the defined Rural Area of Orono as shown on CMP Map 3B-2. The property is mapped and guided for Rural Residential Use, 2-acre minimum lot size in the 2000- 2020 Land Use Plan. The property is about 12 acres to start with but will be reduced to the new Highway 12 right of way takings. There are just under 4 aces of wetland on the property to the south towards the cemetery. The wetlands are approximately one mile from Lake Minnetonka, and drains eventually to Brown's Bay through a series of small creeks and wetlands. The location within the watershed is not a significant factor in whether this property should be re-guided. The dry buildable area of the property is about six and one-half acres. Gaffron stated that the applicant requests an amendment of the Orono Community Management Plan(aka"the CMP" or the "Comprehensive Plan") to allow development of this 6.5 acre site at an Urban Residential density of up to 6 units per acre, with twinhomes or townhomes. He noted that the proposed use would require the following actions by the City: • Amendment of the 2000-2020 Community Management Plan to convert the status of the property from Rural to Urban (i.e. this application); • Establishment of standards within the CMP for future use and development of this property(to be drafted if amendment moves forward); • Rezoning to allow high-density multi-family development (probably to RPUD); and • Approval of a RPUD development plan, subdivision and development agreement Gaffron stated that the conversion from Rural to Urban status would require the extension of urban services to this site, including municipal sewer and water. It is unknown whether the current water connection to Long Lake is viable for such a development. Gaffron reviewed the 2000-2020 Comp Plan areas identified for higher density development. The applicant's property is not among those identified for such a change. Gaffron noted a number of factors to be considered for this property: 1. The property is to some extent an"orphan", with relatively little relationship to the development that surrounds it. 2. The day-care use at the site apparently has not had much success in recent years, due to factors not fully known to staff but potentially related to vehicular access difficulties. 3. The range of potential uses within the existing RR-1B Rural Residential zoning for this) site include the development of single-family housing (up to 3 homes at a 2-acre density) as well as a variety of institutional,public or private uses. Page 30 of 48