11-17-2014 Planning Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, October 20, 2014 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 5 of 28 devoted to streets and increase the amount of land devoted to conservation. Flexibility from the maximum cul-de-sac length standard can be provided through the PRD. In addition, the applicants have indicated that some of the internal street curves do not meet the City’s 30 mile per hour design standard. The City Engineer will need to provide comment on this matter as well as other street-related issues. Grittman noted the applicants have conducted a traffic study of the proposed project, which has been reviewed by the City Engineer. In general the traffic study has found that the area roadways and intersections have more than sufficient capacity to handle the demand created by the development and that no changes to existing roadway design are necessary to accommodate the plat. The only exception to this is the turn lane on westbound West Branch at the development entry point to Lake View Parkway. A number of the residents had raised concerns over the design and conditions at the intersection of North Arm and County Road 19, but the study conducted by Hennepin County found that the intersection meets the minimum visibility requirements and the project will not impact those conditions. Staff does recommend one possible change to the street pattern. The southern portion of Lake View Parkway is intended to be aligned with Forest Arms Road to the south. However, due to the entrance monument island proposed for Lake View, there appears to be a misalignment as it is shown on the plat. Staff believes that the southbound exit lane of Lake View should be aligned to ensure that concurrent left turning traffic from both Lake View and Forest Arms Road onto West Branch will not create turning conflicts. All proposed lots demonstrate an ability to meet required principal building setbacks. The black boxes on the plat illustrate the likely or potential building sites but are not the final design for any lot. Each lot is likely to be custom graded with house design, grading, and driveway access designed for the purchaser. The proposed plat shows potential building sites that would meet the code requirements for setback and reasonable driveway access, along with septic and well sites to serve the lot. As a result, no variances should be needed to accommodate future home construction. A total f nine outlots are proposed within the subdivision. With the exception of Outlot C and Outlot I, the proposed outlots will be owned and maintained by the homeowners association. Outlot C is proposed to be replatted as an individual residential parcel for sale and development at some point in the future. Outlot I will potentially become a privately owned public park. If the park concept does not work out, the outlot may be replatted as a residential parcel. Two trail connections are proposed between North Arm Drive and Lake View Parkway. Grittman stated it is presumed that these trails will be private in nature but should be confirmed by the applicants and be specifically addressed within the subdivision development agreement. No trails and/or sidewalks have been proposed along the periphery of the site. Approximately one-third of the septic sites are wholly or partially within the conservation easement. The acceptability of the containment of septic sites within conservation easements should be determined as part of plat approval. The homeowners association will be responsible for monitoring the use and maintenance of the conservation easement areas. The City Engineer has provided a number of comments relating to the septic sites and will need to be integrated into the Planning Commission’s review and recommendations. Item #01 - PC Agenda - 11/17/2014 Approval of Planning Commission Minutes 10/20/2014 [Page 5 of 28]