Review Revised Sketch Plan for Hunt Addition, Case of Platinum Land (Project 20-105)

The purpose of this case is to review a sketch plan application from Platinum Land LLC (the "Applicant") for Hunt Addition, a residential subdivision of 80 foot-wide lots on the property generally west of Nowthen Blvd

No notification is required for Sketch Plan, but City Staff attempted to notify property owners within 700 feet of the Subject Property, as reflected in the Anoka County Property Records, of the meeting. Staff also updated the webpage dedicated to this project.

Summary  

Site Acreage	38 Acres
Proposed Lots	76
Proposed Lot Sizes	80 foot wide lots (consistent with zoning)
Proposed Density	2 units/acre
Existing Zoning	R-1 Residential (MUSA) District (80 Foot Wide Lots)

The revised sketch plan (attached) appears to meet all of the requirements, generally, of the R-1 District. There are revisions that will need to be made to the plan, which could be incorporated into a Preliminary Plat submittal if the project moves forward. Notably, those items include:

• Noise study along Nowthen Blvd, or proposal of noise wall or buffer along Nowthen Blvd
• Analysis of each lot to ensure they meet City Standards for buildable area, width at front yard setback line, etc. including a sheet showing proposed house pads on each lots
• Incorporation of density transitioning
• 16.5 foot setback encumbered by drainage and utility easement over all wetlands
• Plan does not show space for stormwater ponds, which need to be encumbered by drainage and utility easement
• Plan for future connection to lot in SE corner of site to allow for future redevelopment, per landowner's request

Staff also made the following recommendations:

• Consider realignment of lots to align existing easement with road or back yard of only one row of lots
• Easement through site needs to be clearly marked on the ground when homeowners take ownership of the land as it drastically cuts down buildable space on the lots

Utilities
This area is guided for municipal water supply and sanitary sewer (wastewater) in the City's Comprehensive Plan. Zoning Code requires that new lots created in this District connect to the municipal system. Staff would like to note for the record that just because utilities are in the area, individual property owners on well and septic will not be forced to connect to City utilities per the City's Charter.

Preliminary Plat/Next Steps
At time of Preliminary Plat, the City requires: Grading Plan, Landscape Plan, Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan, Utility Plan,  and Preliminary Plat. At this time, the Applicant and Staff are looking for high level review of the project as opposed to going into detailed engineering plans which takes place with the Preliminary Plat.

Alternatives
Alternative 1: Recommend the Developer move forward with Preliminary Plat design consistent with Staff Comments and Neighbor Comments. Staff will work with the Developer to ensure that comments are incorporated, noted, and included in any resubmit. Staff supports this alternative.

Alternative 2: Table the request and recommend the Developer revise the Sketch Plan and come back to a future Planning Commission meeting with a revised plan. Staff can be supportive of this alternative if the Planning Commission wishes to see a revised plan prior to moving forward. Staff notes that the site is zoned for 80 foot wide lots, so other items can be handled administratively if the Planning Commission feels comfortable with Staff handling items such as ponding, wetlands, etc.

City Code Sections

• Section 117-111: R-1 Residential (Existing Zoning and Proposed Zoning)
• Section 117-588: Major Plat
• Section 117-614: Subdivision Design Standards

The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with review.

Staff recommends directing the Applicant to develop a preliminary plat incorporating staff comments and working with the adjacent neighbor to allow the neighboring property to develop in the future, per the property owner's request.

Direct the Applicant to/not to develop a preliminary plat application incorporating staff and neighbor comments.