Planning Commission Minutes 03-06-1996
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MINUl'ES
REGULAR MEETING. MONTICELLO PLANNING COMMISSION
Wednesday, March 6, 1996 . 6:00 p.m.
Members Present: Di'ck Frie, Richard Carlson, Dick Martie, Jon Bogart,
Rod Dragsten
Staff Present:
Jeff O'Neill, Gary Anderson, Steve Grittman, Wanda Kraemer
1. Call to order.
Chairman Frie reconvened the meeting of March 5th to order.
2. Approval of minutes of the regular meetin~ held Februm:y 6. 1996.
MOTION WAS MADE BY RICHARD CARLSON AND SECONDED BY
TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR
MEETING FEBRUARY 6, 1996. Motion passed unanimously.
3. Consideration of adding items to the a~enda.
There were no items added.
4.
Citizens comments.
There were no items added.
5. Public Hearing--Consideration of approval ofpreliminm:y plat of the Briar
Oakes Second Addition. Applicant, C&S of St. Cloud.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported that Kevin Schmitz orc & S
of St. Cloud is requesting preliminary plat approval of a revised design of the
Briar Oakes Estate Second Addition. Briar Oakes Estate Second Addition is
located north of the first addition of Briar Oakes Estate and south of the
City's Eastwood Knoll subdivision. East of the plat is Meadow Oak 4th S
Addition. The revised plat made slight modifications to the lots and affected
roadways in the northwest corner of the plat. The changes to the original
approved preliminary plat are relatively minor and include introduction of a
modified cul-de-sadloop street featuring a center island. The revised plat
also includes a reduction of the street width at Shady Circle. The
preliminary plat contains 32 lots, all of which are over the minimum 12,000
sq ft. You'll note that storm water easements on the plat reduce the useable
area of a number of the larger lots. The grading plan has been designed to
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minimize the impact of the road on the forest area. It is expected that a
major segment of the pathway system will be installed with this project, or
the grading will be installed, or the City will be obtaining funds from C & S
which will be combined with other funds to build this pathway within the
next two years. The City Engineer is currently reviewing the design of the
modified cul-de-saclloop street in the northwest comer of the plat. This also
features a center island that will be landscaped by the developer and
maintained through a homeowner association.
Chairman Frie opened the public hearing.
Kevin Schmitz, developer C & S, stated that he had been working with City
staff and the City Engineer on the Briar Oakes project and did not have
anything else to add.
Chairman Frie closed the public hearing.
The Commissioners discussed the radius of the loop street and the
maintenance of the center island. Commissioner Bogart stated that he had
seen other 24-ft loop streets where snow removal had worked. The center
island could be maintained through a homeowners association or by actually
deeding partial ownership of the property to each parcel adjacent to the cul-
de-sac. This should be discussed further with City staff.
Chairman Frie wanted Kevin Schmitz to be aware of the pathway costs in
the project.
Kevin Schmitz replied that he was aware of the pathway costs because he
had paid them on the first phase and discussed this issue with City Staff.
COMMISSIONER CARLSON MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE
PRELIMINARY PLAT WITH MODIFICATIONS TO THE CENTER ISLAND
ROAD WIDTH, AND CUL-DE-SAC DESIGN AS SUGGESTED BY THE
CITY ENGINEER AND STAFF. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER
bRAGSTEN. Motion passed unanimously.
6.
Continued public hearin~--Consideration of a conditional use permit which would
allow expansion of an office buildinli:' in a PZM zone. Applicant, Ruff Auto Parts.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported that at the previous meeting
of the Planning Commission, Brian Stumpf and Ron Ruff described a
proposal to add a second story to the existing office building. The Planning
Commission was hesitant to approve the addition without certain site
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improvements being made such as screening of outside storage. The
Planning Commission noted to the applicant that the City has required many
other applicants to make code-related improvements to their site at such time
that expansion occurs. The Planning Commission did indicate a strong
interest in working with Ruff Auto toward legitimizing the land use by
creating a planned unit development zoning district and development
concept, Ruff Auto would be converted from a lawful nonconforming use t 0 a
lawful use. The Planning Commission tabled the decision regarding the
conditional use permit pending additional discussions between City staff and
Ruff Auto regarding the potential creation of a Ruff Auto pun zone.
O'Neill reported that he did meet with Chuck Stumpf, Brian Stumpf, and
Ron Ruff of Ruff Auto. Ruff Auto was not convinced that the creation of a
planned unit development at this point was the best solution. They appeared
to be interested in moving forward with development of the second story of
the structure as proposed under the current request, which, if approved,
would expedite the project.
Chairman Frie opened the public hearing.
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Chuck Stumpf, partner Ruff Auto, stated that he was confused as to how
much land should be included in the pun. He said Ruffs would be willing to
move the fence along 6th Street back 10 ft and allow the City to do screening.
Also, they would be willing to work with the City on some issues but not if it
involved holding up the permit for the addition. The second story is needed
soon and it will take time to have a PUD worked out.
Chairman Frie asked Brian Stumpf, employee at Ruff Auto, if he had
additional comments. He did not.
Ron Ruff, partner at Ruff Auto, stated he did realize in the future something
would need to be done. He said that as the land develops around them it will
be easier to decide what screening is needed. The idea of a PUD scares him
because he is still uncertain of what it will involve.
Chuck Stump inquired as to the cost and the boundaries of the PUD. Jeff
O'N eill stated that the neighborhood will gain from conversion of a
nonconforming use to a PUD; therefore, a cost-sharing arrangement could be
justified. O'Neill asked Steve Gritman, City Planner, what he would
estimate the cost to be. Grittman stated around $5,000.
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Chairman Frie closed the public hearing.
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The Commissioners discussed the request and did agree that it would be
hard for Ruffs to pursue the PUD before the addition to the office. The
Planning Conunissioners were concerned about establishing a precedent by
not requiring the site be brought up to code before issuing the CUP. The fact
that this business is the only one of a kind in the City and has been
grandfathered in the City for many years does create a unique situation. The
Commissioner came to the decision that if there was an agreement to move
the fence along 6th Street and to screen the area and a consensus on a time
frame to review the possibilities of a PUD, then issuance of a conditional use
permit would be acceptable.
Chairman Frie suggested a time frame of six months. During this six months
the property could be surveyed and a PUD plan be developed.
COMMISSIONER BOGART MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE EXPANSION OF AN
OFFICE BUILDING OF AN OFFICE BUILDING OF A NON-CONFORMING USE IN A
PZM ZONE WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:
1.
A SIX MONTH TIME FRAME BE ALLOWED FOR NEGOTIATIONS
TO MOVE FORWARD, WITH DIALOG, TOWARD A PUD AND BY
THE FIRST MEETING IN SEPTEMBER THE PLANNING
COMMISSION RECEIVE A REPORT.
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2. THE FENCE ALONG 6TH STREET IS MOVED BACK 10 FT, WEST
OF KEVIN STUMPF'S PROPERTY.
3. THE AREA ALONG 6TH STREET IS SCREENED WITH 4 FT TO 6
FT PINE TREES AND THIS IS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE PARKS
COMMISSION. CITY IS TO INSTALL THIS LANDSCAPING.
4. THE APPLICANT AGREES TO SHARE THE COST OF THE SITE
PLAN 50/50 WITH THE CITY WITH COSTS NOT TO EXCEED A
TOTAL OF $5,000.
Motion passed unanimously and was based on the following findings:
1.
The expansion of the office building will not result in an increase o~
intensificaiton of the non-confonning aspects of the site. For exampleyl'
no additional outside storage will result from the expansion.
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2.
This situation is a unique, long~standing, pre~existing condition to
which the applicants have expressed an interest in negotiating a
solution.' These conditions are not found in other areas of Monticello,
thus the conditional use permit approach is justified in this situation.
The site size, configuration, and elevation relative to the surrounding
properties makes complete conformance to city code, or establishment
of a PUD, unfeasible within the requested time frame for construction
of the addition. Accepting an agreement to plan for ultimate
conformance while allowing expansion in the short term accomplishes
Ruff Auto's short~term goals and has the potential of creating a long-
term plan that allows the neighborhood and Ruff Auto to co-exist.
7.
Comprehensive plan report.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported that the public hearings for
the Comprehensive Plan are in April. The public hearings were delayed so
the joint meeting between Planning Commission, HRA, and Parks
Commission will be in mid May to review each Commissioner's
implementation steps. O'Neill also informed the Commissioners that he and
Steve Grittman, City Planner, would be attending the township meeting in
two weeks regarding the Comp Plan. The Township Board were all given a
Comp Plan to read and review. The meeting will allow the Board a time for
questions and comments.
8.
Monticello Community Partners (MCP)/redevelopment planning progress
report (Dick Frie. Jeff O'Neill. Jon Bogart).
Chairman Frie, Planning Commission representative to MCP Board, reported
that the MCP board has been established, officers elected, and a PO Box
address given. There has also been a fund raising committee established and
donations pledged by the board. There is a first draft completed for a job
description for a project manager. The Board is concentrating on review the
RFP for the downtown redevelopment project.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported that eight downtown!
riverfront planning proposals were received by the City. The plan prepared
will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and ultimately be considered
for adoption as an amendment or update to the comprehensive plan.
J on Bogart, Chairman Design Committee, reported that the Design
Committee was gathering information on the history of the building in the
downtown area. There appears to be some interesting building facade that
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have been covered up. The Design Committee is also organizing a Spring
Clean-up for East and West Bridge Park.
Jeff O'Neill inquired if the tree trimming for Bridge Park should be brought
to the Parks Commission. The Planning Commission thought a
recommendation from the Parks Commission would be the best choice.
9. Status of efforts to acquire riverfront property west of Bridge Park.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported the City is waiting for costs
from the contractor on the repair the fire damage at the riverfront properly.
The homeowner is still not positive if the house will be left on the market.
The Planning Commission will be kept up to date on what happens.
10 Update on code enforcement activities.--Al Poach
Gary Anderson, Building Official, reported that AI Poach had not returned
his call but the site looked like he had moved. He would continue to monitor
the properly.
11. Hi~hway 25/Cedar Street Corridor Study update.
Jeff O'Neill, Assistant Administrator, reported that as soon as the state
recommends one of the options a public information meeting will be
scheduled. MNDOT might not recommend a particular option but agree to
both of them and leave the final decision to the City.
12. Adjournment.
JON BOGART MADE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.
SECONDED BY DICK MARTIE. Motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
WDAwIA (~
Wanda Kraemer
Development Services Technician
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