DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS - Lori Johnson, City Planner
Title
SECOND READING
GRANTING A REZONING FROM FR (FARM RESIDENTIAL) TO DF (DEVELOPMENT FLEX) FOR 42 ACRES LOCATED AT 12801 AND 12847 LEXINGTON AVENUE NE. LENNAR CORPORATION (CASE FILE NO. 19-0040/LSJ)
Schedule of Actions
|
Planning Commission (Public Hearing) |
12/10/19 |
|
City Council (1st Reading) |
01/06/20 |
|
City Council (2nd Reading) |
01/22/20 |
|
Action Deadline |
02/27/20 |
Planning Commission Action
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning. There were questions at the public hearing regarding public versus private streets in this development.
Background
Lennar Corporation is proposing to develop 42 acres on the east side of Lexington Avenue and north of 125th Avenue for the purpose of constructing 97 single family homes. The proposed plat lies to the west of Lennar’s other single family project, Woodridge, which is accessed via Lever Street.
Rezoning
Currently, the property has an existing zoning designation of FR (Farm
Residential) and is guided in the Comprehensive Plan as LDR (Low Density Residential). The property is within the MUSA (Metropolitan Urban Service Area) which indicates it is intended to be served with city sewer and water. The project zoning is proposed to be DF (Development Flex) to cover all of the residential uses. With the DF zoning, housing products and neighborhood design issues will require and be regulated by a Conditional Use Permit (CUP).
Preliminary Plat
Lennar is proposing to develop 42 acres into 97 single family lots and two outlots and the development will be known as Lexington Cove. The 97 single family lots have a minimum lot width of 60 feet, which is consistent with the size of the lots in this area. The outlots will be used for storm water ponding and wetlands.
The plat will be accessed with a connection to Lexington Avenue. There are three street stubs in the plat that will extend to future development to the east, north and south. There is a proposed sidewalk located around Lots 29-45 and on the south side of Street A and Street D. There is no trail/sidewalk connection to Lexington Avenue because a trail is not provided on the east side Lexington Avenue.
A concept plan for the property to the east of this plat has been presented to ensure that future road extension make sense. In addition, the future sanitary sewer layout provides a concept for how the properties to the north and south of this plat could be developed.
Park dedication will be required for the 97 new lots being constructed at the rate of $4,449 per unit, for a total park dedication fee of $431,553. This amount must be paid prior to releasing the plat mylars for recording at Anoka County.
All local public streets require dedication of 60 feet of right-of-way and shall be constructed to 29 feet back to back of width. All streets will follow the Anoka County street name grid system.
The proposed street connection will need to be submitted to the Anoka County Highway Department(ACHD) for review and comment. All work proposed in the county right of way will need to be permitted by the ACHD.
Trunk Sanitary Sewer area charges become due with platting for upland acreage. The 2019 rate of $6,621/acre for Sanitary Sewer District 7 will apply to all upland acreage if platted in 2019. The 2019 rate will be indexed for 2020 and a new rate will be established January 2020 and will apply to all upland acreage platted in 2020.
Standard utility and drainage easements must be dedicated along all lot lines and over areas of delineated wetlands, wetland mitigation, infiltration trenches, rainage swales, and storm water management ponds. The developer is to provide access for inspection and maintenance of storm water management infrastructure. Restrictions will be placed on lot lines as needed to limit fences and landscaping to ensure access.
Development requires a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II General Storm Water Permit for Construction Activity from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). A prerequisite to the MPCA permit application includes preparation of a site Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for the development site.
A Rice Creek Watershed District review and permit are required for this project.
Construction contract documents shall include a mass (rough) grading, erosion protection, sediment control, development, utilities, roadway, and storm drainage plan sheets. Plans shall detail wetland information, tree preservation, erosion protection, sediment control, proposed grading contours, utilities, roadway geometrics, storm drainage, storm water quality management, custom lot-grading, house type, and house elevation information. Additional information is required on adjacent parcels to the south to confirm that existing drainage patterns are being addressed. The development plan shall indicate all structures will be protected from flooding. Supporting wetland delineation report, geotechnical investigation report, soil boring logs and hydrology report shall be included in the submittal for city review and approval.
The Developer shall process a Letter of Map Change with FEMA prior to issuance of building permits if any of the development is within the unnumbered A-Zone on the FEMA flood map. Developer shall provide all FEMA paperwork and structure as-built surveys to homeowners at time of lot closing. Developer is responsible for following through with FEMA as necessary to receive final FEMA documents and to provide those documents to the homeowners, and to record the final documents on the certificate of title for each parcel in the development.
As-built surveys shall be required to verify structure elevations, custom grading requirements, and final lot grading elevations.
Conditional Use Permit
The conditional use permit is necessary to set up the standards of development in the DF (Development Flex) zoning district. This is consistent with every DF zoning district within the city.
All setbacks are listed within the proposed resolution for approval. Also included in the resolution are house size standards, exterior material standards and landscaping requirements.
Lennar is proposing to construct various types of homes in this development with over 20 potential elevations and floor plans. The home options include one-story, two story and modified split level floor plans. The homes range in size from 1,325 square feet to 2,600 square feet. The estimated price range for the homes will be between $335,00 and $420,000, which is a lower price point than the Woodridge development to the east. This gives home buyers many options to purchase a new home through Lennar.
All homes to be constructed are to be consistent in architecture, materials and style with the drawings/elevations presented with the conditional use permit submittal. Included with your packet are examples of the elevations and floor plans that were submitted by Lennar but all options provided are very similar in nature. Use of premium materials such as brick, natural stone, stucco, cementious or engineered wood siding or shake shingle siding are to be used on all front elevations. Vinyl/metal siding can be utilized on the side and rear elevations. Care to be taken to utilize a variety of home styles, front elevations and colors to provide maximum housing variety within each neighborhood. Developer to establish criteria to ensure that adjacent single-family homes built within the development do not have the same exterior color or architectural elevations
Each lot in the development will be required to have the standard two trees per lot with extra plantings on corner lots. The landscape plan also includes an extensive screening effort along Lexington Avenue which will present a very nice border to the development and provide screening for the new homes along this roadway. This landscaping will also help to meet tree preservation requirements. Approximately 23.7 acres will be disturbed during construction and the city’s tree preservation requirement includes replacing 8 trees per acre for all disturbed portions of the development. This would mean that 218 trees would be required for tree replacement purposes. The developer has proposed a total of 232 trees within this development, including individual lot landscaping.
Also provided is a 6-foot maintenance free fence on the west side of the lots on Lexington Avenue to enhance the landscape screening along this roadway.
Recommendation
By motion, approve the Resolution.
Attachments
Zoning and Location Map
Narrative
Existing Conditions
Preliminary Plat
Site Plans
Overall Grading Plan
Future Sanitary Sewer Layout
Wetland Impact Plan
Landscape Plans
Concept Plan for Property to the East
House Plans
Body
THE CITY OF BLAINE DOES ORDAIN: (Added portions are underscored and deleted portions are shown in brackets with overstrike.)
Section 1. The Official Zoning Map of the Zoning Code of the Municipal Code of the City of Blaine is hereby amended to change the zoning classification of the following described property:
PARCEL 1:
OUTLOT G, WOODRIDGE FIRST ADDITION, ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
PARCEL 2:
THE NORTH QUARTER OF THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 1, TOWNSHIP 31, RANGE 23, EXCEPT PARCEL 6, ANOKA COUNTY HIGHWAY RIGHT-OF-WAY PLAT NO. 81, ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
PARCEL 3:
THE NORTH 330 FEET OF THE SOUTH THREE-FOURTHS OF THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 1, TOWNSHIP 31, RANGE 23, EXCEPT PARCEL 7, ANOKA COUNTY HIGHWAY RIGHT-OF-WAY PLAT NO. 81, ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
PARCEL 4:
THE NORTH 930 FEET OF THE SOUTH THREE-FOURTHS OF THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 1 TOWNSHIP 31 RANGE 23, EXCEPT THE NORTH 330 FEET THEREOF, ALSO EXCEPT THE SOUTH 300 FEET THEREOF, ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
Section 2. The above described property is hereby rezoned from:
[FR (Farm Residential)]
to
DF Development Flex
Section 3. The City Manager is hereby directed to make the appropriate changes in the Official Zoning Map of the City of Blaine to reflect and show the changes in zoning classification as set forth above.
INTRODUCED and read in full this 6th day of January 2020.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Blaine this 22nd day of January, 2020.