02-24-2004 PC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . The Planning Commission February 24, 2004 Page 4 the plan that the Corrunission reviewed, in response to the Park and Recreation Corrunission's recommendations on February 11th. Those changes included widening the buffer between the trail on the east side and the easterly-most homes. A trail corridor was added to the southwest and a lot was eliminated near the access to County Road 1. Due to the unique topographical conditions, Scott Breuer came up with a number of home designs to fit the site, and the lots were designed to fit the home designs in order to preserve the buffer of trees to the east and to the north. He noted that the buffer ranges from 115 feet to 125 feet wide at a minimum and is approximately 190 feet from edge of the trail to the back of the houses. Mr. Campion stated that in discussing custom grading, it was both his and the Gty Engineer's opinion that custom grading of the lots creates nothing but problems and that trees that may have initially been saved end up being lost when trying to fit a house on a particular lot due to grading issues between the house, the street, and yards. He stated that the applicant is willing to work with the city to come up with a plan to replace some of the trees that will be lost. Scott Breuer, 907 Main Street, applicant, stated that have worked very- hard to maximize the tree buffer as much as possible. He stated that the homes will be designed specific to the lots; some homes having 2-car garages and some having 3-car garages. He stated that they looked at some concepts for townhomes and rowhouses but the designs did not prove to be feasible for this site. He felt that there will be some very- nice homes in the proposed development and people will be proud to live in them. Corrunissioner Anderson asked how many homes are proposed compared to the design that is in the Corrunissioner's packet. Mr. Breuer stated that 135 homes are proposed. Mr. Harlicker stated that the design being discussed is the one which was distributed to the Corrunission and only the grading and utilities plan have yet to be modified to match the revised plan. Mr. Breuer stated that the revised plan reflects changes were requested by the Park and Recreation Commission at their February 11th meeting. Corrunissioner Franz asked what the city would be getting back in exchange for the PUD zoning. Mr. Breuer stated that the city would be getting more of a buffer area (6.9 acres versus 5.2 acres), sidewalks throughout the plat to create a more walkable neighborhood, and a theme for the homes to provide a more appealing neighborhood (garages set back near the homes). Mr. Breuer stated they have also discussed having a small park with playground equipment, and planting additional trees with a least two trees per lot in addition to the boulevard trees. Corrunissioner Franz asked if these amenities would be worked out by the March 23rd Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Campion stated that Mr. Breuer would continue to work with staff on these items. He noted that they will be providing over one mile of sidewalks and 1,000 feet of trail connection. Mr. Harlicker noted the location of the trail connection between Outlot A of Nordic Hills and the city trail. Mr. Breuer noted that an access would also be provided to the Municipal Utilities pumphouse so that their trucks will no longer be using the Gty trail to access their site. Corrunissioner Anderson stated that the Gty Engineer referred to the custom grading of lots being a fiasco when dealing with multiple builders. He asked if Mr. Breuer would be the exclusive builder. Mr. Breuer stated that he plans to build all of the homes in the development. Mr. Breuer explained problems that were encountered in developments such as Lafayette Woods and Windsor Oak Hill where trees were left that should have been taken out, causing drainage problems. He stated that all those extra costs for removing trees and grading were passed on to the consumer and could have been avoided if the lot had been properly graded in the beginning. He stated that the homes on the smaller lots will start at $225,000 - $250,000, and that will vary depending on the lot and the style of house chosen.