09-15-2014 Planning Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, August 18, 2014 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 29 of 33 proposed near the current driveway that serves the existing home. For fire department purposes, Jensen stated they are considering the possibility of using the driveway for the old construction landfill portion as access for emergency vehicles, which would leave the opportunity for water quality to be in the far west, south, and southeast portions of the site. Jensen noted some construction may be allowed on the old landfill site as long as the proper permits are obtained through the PCA and that they have just started to do some land exploration. Rick Harrison, Harrison Site Design, stated they are utilizing software that allows a person to view the development from a 3D perspective to see exactly how the buildings are designed in relation to the topography. The units are staggered and coordinated to enable everyone to have a panoramic view of the area. Harrison indicated some of the units will be walkouts and quite a few of the units will have three- car garages. Harrison stated until the final survey is completed, they are not committed to the number of units, but that in his view this is probably pretty close to what is realistic for the site. Leskinen asked if the property parallels Wayzata Boulevard. Jensen indicated it does. Jensen stated he hopes the access for this property will have some bearing on the property located on the north side of the highway. There are a number of trees along the edge of the right-of-way and the idea is to have a walking path along Highway 12 that would connect this neighborhood to the high school. Jensen stated they see the target market as being people who are either empty-nesters or people with children in high school but do not have the time to perform yard maintenance. There will be a homeowners association, irrigation around the perimeter, and various recreational amenities. Jensen stated they would like to get the Planning Commission’s input on what they feel about a detached townhome neighborhood. Jensen stated as it relates to the view of the development, if someone is traveling east on Highway 12, they would probably only be able to see it for two or three seconds and maybe one to two seconds from the west. There will be a wetland buffer, appropriate setbacks and the trees, which will also help to decrease the view from Highway 12. Jensen stated they are looking for input from the Planning Commission on whether density of this type would be acceptable. Jensen indicated they are looking somewhere in the vicinity of six to eight units an acre, which is very close to the goals stated in the Comprehensive Plan. Jensen stated this would be a medium density category in most communities, which would be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan but would not be at ten units per acre. Jensen stated they also would like to know whether the garages would be counted in the square footage calculation since it was not specified in the Comprehensive Plan, noting that they did count the square footage of the garages for their calculation. Jensen stated in the Orono market, he would expect that most people would want at least a two-car garage with some storage space. Harrison displayed a view of the development from Highway 12. Harrison noted they have 41,063 square feet of building, including the garages. McGrann asked if the trees could be added to the software depiction. Harrison indicated those trees would be added later and that the trees currently being shown are only a small portion of the trees that would be saved down Wayzata. Item #01 - PC Agenda - 09/15/2014 Approval of Planning Commission Minutes [Page 29 of 33]