"Rum River Retreat" — Preliminary Plat and Variance Request for 17400 and 17650 Erkium Street NW (Project No. 26-106); Case of Sundance Woods, LLC

The City has received a Land Use Application from Sundance Woods, LLC (the "Applicant") for a fifteen (15) lot, single family rural residential subdivision of the properties known as 17400 & 17650 Erkium Street NW (together, the "Subject Property").  The application also includes a request for a variance to lot depth for two of the proposed lots.  The proposed subdivision is a Major Plat, which includes three (3) phases: Sketch Plan, Preliminary Plat, and Final Plat.  The Planning Commission previously reviewed the Sketch Plan at their April 23, 2026, meeting and just conducted the Public Hearing for the Preliminary Plat and Variance.  This case is to consider formal action on the Variance and Preliminary Plat, which, if approved, grants the Applicant entitlement to the project, with the third and final step (the Final Plat) essentially approving the legal document (the plat) that creates the lots.  

Public notification was mailed to property owners within 700 feet of the Subject Property.  A legal notice was placed in the Anoka Union Herald Newspaper.  Additionally, a "Proposed Development" sign was also placed on the Subject Property.

Project Overview
The Subject Property is approximately 61 acres in size, which includes the area encumbered by a permanent road easement and dedicated right-of-way (the very southern end of the Erkium Street corridor).  The Applicant is proposing to subdivide it into fifteen (15) single-family residential lots (the existing home at 17400 Erkium Street will remain, so this subdivision will technically result in fourteen [14] new homes).  The Subject Property is zoned Rural Residential (RR) and is guided as Rural Developing in the Comprehensive Plan.  A portion of the Subject Property (all of 17400 Erkium Street NW) is also within the Scenic River Protection Overlay District.  The proposed lots within this overlay district are subject to not only the standards of the Rural Residential Zoning District, but also the standards of the overlay district.

Bulk Standards
The Rural Residential (RR) Zoning District requires a minimum lot size of 2.5 acres and a minimum lot width of 200 feet (100 feet if on the bulb of a cul-de-sac).  The minimum required setbacks in the RR District are:

Rural Residential District Setbacks
Front	40 feet
Side (Interior)	10 feet
Side (to right-of-way)	40 feet
Rear	40 feet

However, since a portion of the Subject Property falls within the Scenic River Protection Overlay District (all of 17400 Erkium Street NW along the south side of the plat), those lots are subject to the more restrictive standards between the RR district and the overlay district.  All lots within the overlay district shall have a minimum width of 300 feet at the building line (rather than the standard 200 feet per the zoning district) and at the Ordinary High Watermark (OHW) of the Rum River and Trott Brook. Riparian lots shall be at least four (4) acres in size (non-riparian lots shall be at least 2.5 acres in size).  The four (4) lots in the Scenic River Protection Overlay District that abut either the Rum River or Trott Brook, which is a tributary of the Rum River, all exceed four (4) acres in size. Due to the fact that a portion of the Subject Property is within the Scenic River Protection Overlay District, Staff did forward the Preliminary Plat plan set to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for review and comment.  The DNR had no specific comments or objections to the plat.
  
All lots appear to comply with the minimum lot width standards in the Rural Residential Zoning District and the Scenic River Protection Overlay District.  Proposed lot sizes range from 2.69 acres to 8.99 acres, which all comply with the bulk standards of both the zoning district and overlay district.  Due to the location of the permanent road easement for the Erkium Street corridor, the depth of the two proposed lots on the east side of this easement is limited to 185 feet.  However, in the Rural Residential Zoning District, the minimum required lot depth is 200 feet.  Due to this deficiency, a variance to lot depth is necessary.  Staff is supportive of this variance because shifting the road corridor slightly to the east to meet the 200-foot lot depth requirement would result in more tree loss, extensive grading, and the proposed lot depth is essentially equivalent to the lot depth of the many of the existing lots abutting the eastern boundary of the Subject Property.  

Streets
The subdivision will be accessed via a southerly extension of Erkium Street.  Presently, this corridor is encumbered with a Road Easement extending south from 177th Avenue to the northern border of 17400 Erkium Street, where it connects to the dedicated right-of-way established with the Riverbrook plat.  There is a private driveway within this Road Easement serving 17400 Erkium Street (and 17500 Erkium Street, which is not part of this subdivision).  This will need to be upgraded to meet the City's public road standards.  Additionally, an east / west road will be constructed to the western boundary of the Subject Property.  Should the land to the west ever develop in the future, this east / west road could be extended and connected to 177th Avenue, and the temporary cul-de-sac would be eliminated.  This new road segment exceeds the 600-foot maximum cul-de-sac length set forth in the Subdivision Code (Chapter 117).  However, after consultation with the City Attorney, this is not being designed as a true, permanent cul-de-sac and thus, Staff's interpretation is that a variance is not necessary due to the 'temporary' nature of this turn-around.

Both roads will be built to rural section road standards with some areas having concrete curbing for storm water management.  MN State Fire Code requires a minimum width of at least twenty-six (26), with parking restricted to one side of the street due to its length.  Both streets are proposed to have a paved width of twenty-six (26) feet and the plans do show no parking signs on one side of each of the two streets.  The bulb of each cul-de-sac will have a paved diameter of 100 feet, in accordance with the City's subdivision design standards.

Utilities
The Subject Property is outside the 2040 MUSA boundary.  Therefore, all proposed lots will need to be served by private wells and septic systems.  The Preliminary Plat identifies locations for both the primary and alternative sites for septic systems on each lot.  The Applicant has provided a septic report, which included soil borings for each lot in the Preliminary Plat.  It does appear that each lot has sufficient soils to accommodate both a primary and alternate septic location.

Wetlands/Floodplain
There are multiple wetlands across the Subject Property.  The Applicant has completed the wetland delineations, which must be reviewed and approved by the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO).  The Preliminary Plat does include drainage and utility easements extending at least 16.5 feet beyond the delineated wetland boundaries.  There are also floodplains present over the southern portion of the Subject Property.  None of the proposed home locations appear to be within a floodplain.  However, at the time of home construction, an Elevation Certificate or an As-Built Grading Survey will be required for Lots 2–4, Block 3, to verify that the homes on these lots are properly elevated above the Base Flood Elevation (BFEs).  This will also benefit future homeowners regarding whether flood insurance is required or not.

Existing Conditions
The Subject Property is heavily wooded and, as previously noted, also contains wetlands and floodplains.  The City's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) identifies a high-quality mesic oak forest over a large portion of the Subject Property.  Due to the natural features of the site, the Applicant is proposing to custom grade many of the lots, to try and minimize impacts.  The submittal did include a Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan.  In residential developments, City Code restricts tree removal to no more than sixty percent (60%) of the Significant Tree DBH inches (a Significant Tree is defined in City Code as all oaks and evergreens with a diameter of four [4] inches or greater and all other deciduous trees with a diameter of eight [8] inches or greater).  Per the Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan, approximately 40% of the Significant Tree DBH inches will be removed.  This percentage would likely be lower, but the Applicant did not inventory trees within the floodplains because they were outside the limits of disturbance (meaning a greater number of trees are actually being preserved).  

Public Hearing
The Planning Commission conducted a Public Hearing for the Variance and Preliminary Plat at their August 27, 2026, meeting.  Multiple members of the public spoke at the meeting (draft meeting minutes are attached to the case), and the City also received two written comments regarding the project (also attached to the case).

All costs associated with this request are the Applicant's responsibility.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of both the variance to lot depth and the Preliminary Plat, contingent upon compliance with Staff's review comments.  

Motion to adopt Resolution #26-187 granting a variance to lot depth for Lots 1 and 2, Block 2, Rum River Retreat;

-and-

Motion to adopt Resolution #26-188 approving the Preliminary Plat of "Rum River Retreat."