Planning Commission Minutes 08-21-2012 (Special Meeting)SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
MONTICELLO PLANNING COMMISSION
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - 5:30 PM
Mississippi Room, Monticello Community Center
Commissioners Present: Brad Fyle, Charlotte Gabler, William Spartz
Council Liaison Absent: Lloyd Hilgart
Staff Present: Angela Schumann, Ron Hackemnueller
Council Members Present: Clint Herbst, Tom Perrault
1. Call to order
Chairman Spartz called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
2. Planning Commission Interview
The interview had been cancelled by the applicant and would be rescheduled.
3. Subdivision Ordinance Workshop
Revising the subdivision ordinance had been identified as one of the primary goals of the
2012 Planning Commission workplan due to the need to update regulations and provide
continuity between the new zoning ordinance and the platting process.
Staff noted that, although the subdivision ordinance isn't directly tied to achieving all of the
goals in the Comprehensive Plan, it is an important part of defining a vision for the
community. The ordinance will help to clarify what makes for good neighborhoods, and
commercial and industrial developments.
Staff from Community Development, Building and Engineering Departments reviewed the
ordinance in detail and identified:
• Outdated language
• Language that may be eliminated or revised based on existing or recent ordinance
amendments
• City ordinance or Design Manual specifications that should instead be included in
the subdivision ordinance
• Suggested ordinance additions from other sample codes
Angela Schurann indicated that Planner Steve Grittman had conveyed to her that it has
become increasingly more important that specific engineering standards be included as
part of the subdivision ordinance as such standards provide legal grounds for approving
or denying requests.
Staff also outlined some policy issues for the Commission to consider as part of the
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ordinance revision process. These include:
• Entrance Monument Placement and Design Standards
• Ponding Placement and Design Standards
• Street Width and Design
• Sidewalk and Trail Connections
• Lighting Standards
Commission feedback will be provided to planning consultant Ben Gozola of MFRA. He will
prepare a draft code for a first review by the Commission in November 2012. Staff will follow
up that review with an open house to obtain public input on the draft subdivision ordinance
prior to the formal pubic hearing.
4. Community Tour
Those present at the meeting proceeded to a windshield survey tour of Monticello
subdivisions, including:
Hillcrest
Timber Ridge
River Terrace
Original Plat
Featherstone
Union Crossings
River Mill
Hillside Farm
Rolling Woods
Carlisle Village
The tour attendees focused on the design aesthetics of each subdivision. Angela Schmmann
requested that the group provide general observations related to each development. The tour
attendees indicated support for the following neighborhood design features:
• Pocket parks within residential neighborhoods - without large athletic field space
• Landscaped center medians in collectors with provided maintenance
• Narrower road widths when separate off - street parking facilities are provided in
townhome developments
• Collector street routes should have sidewalks or pathway on both sides
• Parks should ideally be served by sidewalk or trail connections
• Lower volume streets do not always require sidewalks
• Prefer that development occur with the natural grade of the land to bring out character
of lots and streets
• Surmountable curb in residential areas
• Require maintenance -free design on monuments, must be maintained in common by
association
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• No strong opinion about the length of blocks, but the group did like some curving in
residential neighborhoods
• Support for ornamental lighting within residential neighborhoods
• Strong support for selecting a single design for lighting in industrial, commercial and
residential areas and applying it consistently.
• No specific recommendation on lighting spacing, but the group did cite Featherstone
and 7 I Street as an appropriate example of spacing and lighting for both street and
pedestrian ways
• Agreed that street connections between neighborhoods is important and should be
retained
• Preferred use of decorative pavers with landscaping in high traffic commercial
boulevards within the downtown area.
The tour attendees also identified areas of concern in terms of subdivision design. Concern
was expressed regarding private streets and the potential for maintenance issues due to lack of
adequate association support. The group agreed that fewer private streets would be preferred.
The group also felt that shared driveways for residential properties should be discouraged.
5. Adiourn
The special meeting was adjourned at 7:25 PM by Chairman Spartz.
Recorder: Kerry T. Burri
Approved: September 4, 2
Attest:
Angela Schlyiy &q Community Development Director