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01/17/2001 - 00009144CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. JANUARY 17, 2001 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Savage called the January 17, 2001, Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Diane Savage, Barb Johns, Leroy Oquist, Dave Kondrick Members Absent: Dean Saba, Larry Kuechle, Connie Modig Others Present: Paul Bolin, Planner Allan Stahlberg, 8055 Riverview Terrace APPROVE THE DECEMBER 20, 2000, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the December 20, 2000, Planning Commission meeting minutes as presented. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a Preliminary Plat, PS #00-03, by David Lopez, to create two residential lots, generally located at 35 62nd Way. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to open the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED AT 7:32 P.M. Mr. Bolin stated that David Lopez, the property owner, is seeking to replat the property at 35 62nd Way into two single family lots. Currently, it is one rather large single lot with a single family home that would remain on the proposed Lot 2. There is an older garage that would be left on the proposed Lot 1. Fridley requires that lots in the R-1, single family district, be a minimum of 75 feet in width with a minimum lot area of 9,000 square feet. The proposed Lot 1 would be 103.5 feet wide and 13,360 square feet in size, and the proposed Lot 2 would be 78 feet wide and 9,778 square feet in size. Mr. Bolin stated that the property is on the north side of 62nd Way, a block from East River Road. The properties to the north and south are zoned R-1. The rail line is to the east of the property. There are a couple of nice large trees on this site. Staff recommends approval with stipulations. The lots exceed the minimum size requirement providing additional home ownership opportunities for Fridley residents. Mr. Bolin stated there is enough room on the proposed Lot 2 to either run a driveway off 62na Way or come in from the unimproved alleyway. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. Januarv 17. 2001 PAGE 2 Mr. Kondrick asked if there were any complaints or objections. Mr. Bolin stated that a comment was received from one neighbor who lives north of this property. The neighbor feels the petitioner has done a nice job of fixing up the existing home and is excited about the prospect of another new home and more remodeling happening in the neighborhood. No negative comments were received. Mr. David Lopez stated he did not have any problems with the stipulations. He bought the property to upgrade it and turn it around to be a nicer place Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Lopez when he planned to start construction. Mr. Lopez stated he did not know. Either his construction company will do construction on the new property, or he will sell the property to recoup the money spent to fix up the inside of the current house. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Johns, to close the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED AT 7:41 P.M. Mr. Kondrick stated this would be a nice improvement for the neighborhood and the property, and he had no problems with the request. Ms. Savage stated she had no problems with it either. Mr. Oquist also stated that he had no problems with this request. MOTION by Ms. Johns, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to recommend approval Preliminary Plat, PS #00-03, by David Lopez, to create two residential lots, generally located at 35 62nd Way. 1. The petitioner shall obtain all the necessary permits prior to construction. 2. The petitioner shall remove existing garage from proposed Lot 1 prior to applying to the City for final plat approval. 3. The petitioner shall construct a hard surface drive and code-required double car garage on proposed Lot 2, by November 1, 2001. Furthermore, the petitioner shall submit a performance bond to the City of Fridley in the amount of $25,000 to ensure construction of the driveway and garage. 4. A grading and drainage plan shall be approved by the City's engineering staff prior to the issuance of any building permits, in order to minimize impacts to the surrounding properties. 5. Silt fencing shall be used where applicable during construction on proposed Lot 1. 6. The petitioner shall pay a$1,500 park dedication fee prior to issuance of a building permit for proposed Lot 1. 7. The petitioner shall pay all water and sewer connection fees. 8. The petitioner shall agree to preserve mature trees to the extent possible. All trees required to be removed for the new home shall be marked and approved by City Staff prior to issuance of building permits. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. Januarv 17. 2001 PAGE 3 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a Zoning Text Amendment, ZTA #00-04, by the City of Fridley to create a new 0-5 Overlay District to permit expansion and new construction on lots created and recorded prior to December 29, 1955, that are between 5,000 and 7,499 square feet in size. MOTION by Ms. Johns, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to open the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED AT 7:45 P.M. Mr. Bolin stated this is the proposed overlay district which would be known as the 0-5 Overlay District. Being an older City that lacks tracts of undeveloped land, it is imperative to explore different ways to preserve and enhance existing housing stock. One of the best ways to preserve the older housing stock would be to create this Overlay District. The older non- conforming properties due to their lot size would have their non-conforming status removed so people can rebuild if their house burns down. People could also then put money into their homes without fear of losing their investment in case of a fire. He stated that in the past four years, three lots would have met this criteria when homes burned down. The property owners had to sell the property to the neighbors; because, with the current codes, they could not rebuild. Mr. Bolin stated the criteria for inclusion of a lot in the 0-5 Overlay District is that the lot needs to be created and recorded in Anoka County prior to December 29, 1955. People who own a number of 50-foot lots now are not going to be able to subdivide those lots and create additional lots and density. This recognizes those lots between 5,000 and 7.500 square feet that are currently non-conforming. This also requires that these lots have a minimum lot width of 50 feet. It would be a 65-foot requirement for a corner lot. Approximately 204 lots between 5,000 and 7,499 square feet in size are located outside the Hyde Park Addition that are both developed and vacant. Out of those 204 lots, there is no breakdown of how many existing homes are on them or vacant. In some cases, it may not be possible to develop some of these sites. One hundred ten lots are located in the Riverview Heights neighborhood, and ten lots are located in the Plymouth Addition. Staff is working with the GIS department to further narrow down the properties. Mr. Bolin stated that Hyde Park is excluded from the Overlay District because past concerns with substandard lot sizes led to the creation of the S-1 Hyde Park neighborhood regulations in 1976. The S-1 Hyde Park neighborhood was developed by a neighborhood task force who determined that they would like a 7,500 square foot minimum lot size. They reduced the minimum lot width down to 60 feet. The 0-5 standards also maintains a 25-foot front and rear yard setback. Hyde Park allows a 768 square foot minimum home size. Staff believes that would be appropriate in the new 0-5 Overlay District as well. The 0-5 standard applies to new construction on vacant lots that meet this requirement. It would also apply to existing homes that are non-conforming. Mr. Bolin stated some opponents to these changes are saying that 20 - 30 years from now, new houses on these lots will look run down just like some of the existing homes in some of these neighborhoods. The housing market is completely different today from 40 - 100 years ago when many of these smaller homes were built as cottages. Construction of a new home is very expensive and represents a large investment that the owner will maintain. Another comment heard is that suburbs are supposed to have space, and these houses will be right on top of the PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. Januarv 17. 2001 PAGE 4 houses next door. Staff has seen one story ramblers on 75 foot wide lots get wider every year as people add onto their garages and homes. This does not seem to be a problem from a streetscape point of view and the City has to adapt to changes. The same side yard setbacks will be maintained. These homes will not be any closer to the existing neighboring homes than in any other portion of the City. Another comment is that these lots have no depth and how can a reasonable house and garage be built on them. There are very practical places for a reasonable size home and a garage on these lots. Mr. Bolin stated staff is recommending approval of the 0-5 Overlay District, because it provides housing options and choices. Homes on non-conforming lots become a lost investment. People come to the City monthly for a permit to expand their homes or remodel; but they then realize that if their homes burn down, they could lose their investment. It has created situations where there are rundown homes, because there is no incentive to maintain the homes. It also gives the City, HRA, and residents more flexibility in developing and creating housing. It does not increase the density. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Bolin why it would not increase the density. Mr. Bolin stated that it may increase the number of people and homes built, but additional lots would not be created. These lots are existing. Tax forfeiture of these sub-standard lots has a cost for the neighborhood and the City. Lot width does not dictate home value. New neighborhoods in the outer suburbs have $300,000 homes on 60-foot lots. Ms. Savage asked what has been done to publish this new district. Mr. Bolin stated that it is advertised in the paper for two weeks prior to this week's meeting. Staff has received no responses to the publication. Mr. Allan Stahlberg, 8055 Riverview Terrace, stated that he hates to see anything smaller than a 50-foot lot minimum right now. There is a house just shoe-horned into the small lot near his house with the driveway running alongside the house. He pities anybody who has to snowblow that driveway. It looks terrible. These little houses that people are not taking care of are worth $70,000 at least. People are fixing them up left and right. The City paid $40,000 for his neighbor's house, and it is now a level lot again. He cannot see where putting more houses on smaller lots will be an asset to the City. The City has been approving big garages and kids cannot park in long narrow driveways. He has never heard of anybody not being able to rebuild a house on a lot if it burns down. That is a scare tactic by the City. If there are standing walls and a foundation, you can rebuild it. That is not friendly to the residents. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Stahlberg if he was for the 50-foot minimum lot size or against it. Mr. Stahlberg stated that he is against anything less than 50 feet. Mr. Kondrick stated that the minimum lot width is 50 feet wide. It is currently 75 feet. Mr. Stahlberg stated that if the house he is talking about has a lot size of 50 feet, it is too small a lot size. Mr. Kondrick stated that this is a new deal. Mr. Stahlberg stated that 50 feet is too small. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. Januarv 17. 2001 PAGE 5 Mr. Kondrick stated that the lots have to have some depth to meet the square footage requirement. You have to figure out how to put on a house and garage on the 50-foot lot. Mr. Stahlberg stated that with increased traffic problems, people are moving back in to the City. Fridley does not have the responsibility to provide housing for everyone. Mr. Kondrick stated they are talking about 200 lots. He believed they should combine these lots whenever possible. Mr. Stahlberg stated that if these lots were combined, you would get more taxes out of them in the long run. MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded by Ms. Johns, to close the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED AT 7:05 P.M. Mr. Oquist stated that to combine the lots, they are assuming that there are two non-conforming lots right next to each other, and that may not be the case. Instead of having the driveway along the side, the driveway could be in the front with a two car garage in front of the house. There are lots of ways to develop a property. People own these properties, and they need to be able to develop on them or the City is going to have to buy all 300 lots. With new construction today, some very nice houses can be developed. He believed this is something the City needs to do. Ms. Savage agreed. Mr. Kondrick stated that he grew up in northeast Minneapolis on a 40-foot lot with a nice size home that sold last year for $93,000. It is possible to get a nice size home on these lots. This will give a good mix of people that can afford nice housing and people will be closer to their workplaces. Ms. Johns stated she also thought this was a good idea. It provides a good opportunity for starter homes for young couples and helps people to take an extra effort to make them look better. Ms. Savage stated that this change reflects existing trends. Fridley is not the suburb that it was at one time and people are looking for an urban type of community and places to walk to in central areas. MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the Zoning Text Amendment, ZTA #00-04, by the City of Fridley to create a new 0-5 Overlay District to permit expansion and new construction on lots created and recorded prior to December 29, 1955, that are between 5,000 and 7,499 square feet in size. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, January 17, 2001 PAGE 6 3. RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 7, 2000, HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING: MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to receive the minutes of the December 7, 2000, Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Johns, to adjourn the meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE JANUARY 17, 2001, PLANNING COMMISSION ADJOURNED AT 8:17 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Signe L. Johnson Recording Secretary