Consider Site Plan for Water Treatment Plant (Project No. 22-104); Case of City of Ramsey

The City is planning to construct a new Water Treatment Plant north of the Public Works building located at 14199 Jaspar Street (the "Subject Property"). The City is attempting to get the civil plans approved so that the project can be bid this fall. This was noticed as a Public Hearing for the July 28, 2022 Planning Commission meeting, as it was anticipated that a plat was also going to be available for review. However, the plat was not completed in time for this meeting. Once completed, the plat will be added to a future City Council agenda for consideration.  

Staff attempted to notify property owners within 700 feet of the Subject Property, as reflected in the Anoka County Property Records, of the request for a Minor Plat and Site Plan review at a Public Hearing held by the Planning Commission on July 28, 2022. A notice of the Public Hearing was also published in the Anoka County UnionHerald, the City's official newspaper.

Please note, staff originally considered a plat creating four (4) parcels thus requiring a major plat.  It has since been determined no additional benefit would be had by creating four (4) parcels, and instead a minor plat will be proposed creating three (3) total parcels.  The resulting parcels would separate the Public Works Facility, the Water Treatment Plant and the Cemetery.

Project Summary
The City is proposing construction of a new Water Treatment Plant directly north of the Public Works building, located at 14199 Jaspar Street (the "Subject Property"). The Water Treatment Plant is designed to remove both iron and manganese from the municipal drinking water and will have an initial capacity to treat up to ten million gallons per day. The project includes a primary building as well as an accessory building (water reservoir).

Zoning and Land Use
The Subject Property is in the E-2 Employment District. Governmental and public utility buildings and structures are a permitted use in this district. The Subject Property is guided as Business Park, which is intended for office and industrial development.

Subdivision
The City is working with a consultant to develop a plat to split this portion from the remainder of the Public Works Plant area. The plat will be subject to the bulk standards of the E-2 Employment District. All resulting parcels will need to be at least one (1) acre in size and each buildable parcel must also have at least 200 feet along a public road. This will be processed as a Minor Plat, as it is anticipated to result in three (3) lots.  A Minor Plat, per City Code, would only be reviewed by Staff and City Council.

Setbacks
The E-2 Employment District requires a thirty-five (35) foot front setback and twenty-five (25) foot side and rear setback. Both the building and the water reservoir exceed the minimum setbacks on all sides of the property.

Building Height and Building Coverage
Buildings in the E-2 Employment District are restricted to sixty-five (65) feet or less in height and shall not cover more than forty-five percent (45%) of a lot. At its tallest point, the Water Treatment Facility will be forty-seven (47) feet tall. The Water Treatment Plant will be 19,000 square feet and the water reservoir will be 12,000 square feet in area. Combined, this equates to about seventeen percent (17%) building coverage.

Architecture
The exterior finish of this building will be a combination of prefinished concrete wall panels, ribbed metal paneling, flush metal paneling, and glass windows. The exterior finish of the reservoir will be a combination of EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and a prefinished metal parapet cap. The exterior finishes comply with the architectural standards of the E-2 Employment District.

Trash Enclosure
There is no trash enclosure proposed. It is anticipated that there would be the equivalent of one staff person on site for half a day. Thus, there will be minimal waste generated. The waste that is generated will be disposed of in the dumpster on the south side of the Public Works building.

Access
A single access is proposed off of 143^rd Avenue. However, an internal connection to the Public Works property to the south is also proposed. Thus, there will ultimately be two (2) access points to the Water Treatment Plant.

Parking and Maneuvering Areas
All parking and maneuvering areas shall be at least twenty (20) feet from the right-of-way. As proposed, the drive aisle along the north side of the building (paralleling 143^rd Avenue) is about forty (40) feet from the property boundary. All other maneuvering areas are even further from the public road right-of-way.

Industrial developments are required to provide one (1) parking stall per 1,000 square feet of floor space. The Water Treatment Plant is 19,000 square feet, which equates to a minimum of nineteen (19) parking stalls. The Site Plan indicates ten (10) parking stalls that will be constructed directly north of the water reservoir. The Site Plan also includes proof of parking with an additional eleven (11) stalls that could be added, if needed, in the future. Four (4) are on the south side of the Water Treatment Plant and seven (7) are north of the water reservoir.

Landscaping and Tree Preservation
The Landscape Plan includes a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. All species are acceptable. Three (3) different seed mixes are proposed across the site. A low maintenance turf mix, a stormwater seed mix (for the stormwater basin on the west side of the Water Treatment Facility), and a mesic prairie mix around the water reservoir.

There are very few ‘significant’ trees on the Subject Property, and they are located in the southeast corner of the site (around the perimeter of the cemetery). These consist of Siberian Elm and Black Locust, both of which are invasive species. The Environmental Policy Board has recommended that those trees be removed and the seeding be expanded, along with planting of more desirable tree species.

Alternatives
Alternative 1: Motion to approve the Site Plan. There are no major or significant issues with the Site Plan. A plat, which is still needed, would not create a parcel less than what is shown on the Site Plan and therefore, would not result in any deficiencies in terms of bulk standards.  Staff supports this option.

Alternative 2: Motion to approve the Site Plan with modifications. This action would be appropriate if the City Council identifies specific items that it desires to see added, removed, or modified.  

Alternative 3: Motion to deny the Site Plan. As proposed, there are no significant, unresolved issues with the Site Plan and thus, Staff does not support this alternative.

This case is being handled as part of Staff's regular duties.

The Planning Commission recommends approval of the Site Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staff review comments (this includes the need for a plat).

Motion to approve the Site Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staff review comments.