Review Sketch Plan for Pearson Place (Project No. 16-31a); Case of John Dobbs

The purpose of this case is to review the official Sketch Plan, prepared by Otto Associates and dated May 4, 2017, for a proposed twelve (12) lot residential subdivision near the southern/eastern end of Bowers Drive.   The Sketch Plan Review process affords the Planning Commission to opportunity to provide early direction on the layout of the proposed plat, before the Developer prepares detailed Preliminary Plat plans. A key decision will occur at Preliminary Plat, in which the layout will be approved, subject to approving final construction plans and Final Plat documents. At that time, the City will review items including, but not limited to, Grading Plan, Utility Plan, Landscape Plan, and Street Light Plan.

The City did host two (2) public workshops regarding a concept plan for this project in 2016.  Comments from attendees of those workshops are attached for reference.  Furthermore, the Planning Commission did review a Concept Plan for this project in March of 2016 and the minutes from that discussion are also attached.

Although a public hearing is not required, a notice of Sketch Plan was sent to surrounding property owners (including all of Bowers Drive).  The project site is located within the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area (MRCCA) and so Staff also notified the MN DNR.

The development site is located near the southern/eastern end of Bowers Drive, a cul-de-sac that is slightly over a mile long.  The Sketch Plan proposes to establish twelve (12) lots on the north side of the road where there is a gap of approximately 1,400 feet between existing homes. 

The project area is currently guided as Low Density Residential (LDR) in the Comprehensive Plan, is zoned R-1 Residential (MUSA), and is located in the MRCCA Overlay District.  Also, the MN DNR just recently completed a rulemaking process that created new districts in the MRCCA and, for non-riparian lots, primarily defers to the underlying zoning district for dimensional standards.  However, the City has yet to receive the necessary guidance from the MN DNR to proceed with updating our Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan and thus, are caught in a transitional time. 

As a result, the Applicant has indicated that their intention would be to also apply for a Zoning Amendment to rezone the land to a Planned Unit Development, which, if approved, is a legal instrument that would allow deviations from certain standards (setbacks, use of private utilities rather than municipal services, etc.).  The proposed lot size, lot width, and density all appear to conform to the R-1 Residential (MUSA) bulk standards, as outlined in the Staff Review Letter.  Furthermore, the MN DNR has previously commented that they would be generally supportive of that approach as the proposed lots would comply with the new MRCCA rules.  The public benefit would be a fifty (50) foot wide outlot along the rear boundary of the existing homes on the north side of the road to serve as a buffer to future development.  This area is heavily wooded and would provide both visual and noise buffering from future uses.  This idea came out of the public workshops held last year.

At the public workshops last year, the primary concerns raised by attendees focused on concerns with construction traffic on Bowers Drive and the lot sizes proposed.  As previously noted, per the new MRCCA rules, one (1) acre lots would be acceptable.  They also seem to be compatible with many of the other lots along Bowers Drive, with the exception of four or five lots directly across the street.  These lots were platted as part of Bowers Mississippi Acres 3rd Addition and are each approximately 200 feet in width.  When measured at the building setback line, the proposed lots range from approximately eighty (80) feet in width up to 130 feet in width.  While narrower than those directly across the street, the lots are very similar to the majority of existing lots on Bowers Drive.  Additionally, the proposed lots range in size from 1 acre up to approximately 1.89 acres in size, which is consistent with the existing lots (ranging from about 0.44 acres to 1.84 acres in size).

As noted previously, Bowers Drive is a long cul-de-sac with no other access point.  While many of the residents noted at the workshops that they enjoy this setting, it is also a major factor in their concern about construction traffic and potential road damage due to heavy equipment.  Staff is open to exploring options to mitigate these concerns but does not have any possible solutions at this time.  At the direction of the City, the Sketch Plan does reserve a sixty (60) foot wide outlot that could serve as a future access if/when the vacant land north and east of this site develops in the future, even if only reserved for emergency access. The City's Public Works and Public Safety Teams very much prefer improved access abilities to this neighborhood for a variety of reasons.  

The proposal includes serving each lot with a private well and septic system, similar to all the existing homes on Bowers Drive.  The Sketch Plan does identify both a primary and secondary site for the septic system, a requirement that was not in place when this neighborhood was originally platted.  Questions/concerns were raised at the public workshops about the potential impact new wells would have on groundwater levels in the area.  If this is identified as a concern of the Planning Commission, part of the direction to the Applicant could include further study to determine if there would be any impact on groundwater. Minnesota Rules 7080 provide baseline protections from contamination due to septic systems. In addition, MRCCA rules continue to provide protections to surface water.

All costs associated with processing the Application are the responsibility of the Applicant. There are no City funds proposed to be utilized for the construction of this project.

Staff recommends that the Applicant to proceed with preparing a Preliminary Plat.

Provide the applicant with feedback, and recommend any changes to the Sketch Plan prior to submission of Preliminary Plat. No formal action is required.