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. . . Planning Commission Minutes December 28, 2004 Page 4 6.2. Townhouse Concept Plan - South Side of 175m Avenue The staff report for this request was presented by Senior Planner Scott Harlicker. Mr. Harlicker reviewed the concept plan to include six acres located south of 175th Avenue in the Urban Service District, rezone the property to R3, and plat the property for 32 townhouse lots. He discussed the surrounding land uses, layout of the site, and the location of wetlands. Mr. Harlicker presented the issues associated with each of the three components of the concept, including timing, expanding the area to include adjacent properties, appropriateness of density, street widths and public vs. private streets, layout, and setbacks. Commissioner Offerman asked if the surrounding properties would be included in the Urban Service District. Mr. Harlicker stated that would be an option. He stated that changing the land use of the property to High Density as part of the newly revised Comprehensive Plan, implies that the property eventually would be included in the Urban Service District. He stated that the Commission needs to make a decision whether the entire 80 acres should be included now, or to do it "piecemeal". Commissioner Offerman asked how the surrounding properties would be impacted. Mr. Harlicker explained that if they were included, they would be assessed as they are developed. If they are not included, there would be no impacts. Commissioner Offerman asked if there are wetlands south of this property. Mr. Harlicker stated that there is a large wetland between this site and the Elk River Station development. Commissioner Stevens asked if there was still an issue of sewer capacity. Ms. McPherson explained that a study has determined that there is no issue with capacity, and that there is the option to expand the capacity when it is needed. She noted that the City Council approved the expansion of the headworks at the Wastewater Treatment Plant to handle 3.5 million gallons per day, which is double what is being handled today. Commissioner Stevens stated that he was not in favor of the reduced road width to 24 feet, and would recommend a normal width of 32 feet. He further recommended that normal setbacks be maintained. He felt the layout of the concept plan fits well on the site. He noted that economically, the project should be able to stand on its own. Chair Ropp asked if parking is allowed on only one side of a standard 32-foot roadway. Mr. Harlicker stated that parking is allowed on both sides. Chair Ropp recommended that sidewalks be placed on one side of all streets within the plat. Commissioner Anderson stated that since the sewer capacity was not an issue, he felt that it would be better overall for development to include the entire 80 acres in the Urban Service District. He asked for clarification of densities for the various zoning districts. Mr. Harlicker explained the average number of units per acre for Rlc, Rid, R3 and R4 zoning districts. Commissioner Anderson stated that he was not in favor of the 24 foot street widths and felt the sidewalks were a must. He felt the Commission should look at what will best service the entire 80 acres, not just a single plat. Chair Ropp concurred. Discussion followed regarding how to approach consideration of including the entire 80 acres in the Urban Service District. Ms. McPherson suggested that staff could look at transportation issues and come up with a general layout of streets, utilizing the Natural Resources Inventory information. She felt it was important for zoning and land use to be consistent. Ms. McPherson suggested that each site could be brought in and rezoned