HomeMy Public PortalAbout07-11-2017 POSTED IN CITY HALL JULY 7, 2017
PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA
TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017
7:00 P.M.
CITY HALL (2052 County Road 24)
1. Call to Order
2. Public Comments on items not on the agenda
3. Update from City Council proceedings
4. Planning Department Report
5. Public Hearing – Lunski, Inc. – Rezoning, Preliminary Plat, and Site
Plan Review for a 90 unit Senior Assisted Living/Independent Living
Community and Office Building located North of State Hwy 55, South
of Chippewa Rd and west of Mohawk Dr. (PID#03-118-23-32-0007)
6. Public Hearing – Buddy and Kim Snow – 2402 Hamel Road –
Conditional Use Permit to construct a second principal home on Rural
Residential property over 40 acres
7. 32 Hamel Road LLC – 32, 36, 42 Hamel Road – Preliminary/Final Plat
to combine three lots into one
8. New Email Address Check-in
9. Approval of June 13, 2017 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
10. Council Meeting Schedule
11. Adjourn
NORTHWEST ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS, INC.
__________________________________________________________________
4150 Olson Memorial Highway, Ste. 320, Golden Valley, MN 55422 Telephone: 763.957.1100 Website: www.nacplanning.com
PLANNING REPORT
TO: Medina Planning Commission
FROM: Nate Sparks
DATE: July 6, 2017
RE: Medina Senior Living Community Rezoning, Preliminary Plat, and Site Plan Review
CITY FILE: LR-17-204
Application Date: June 19, 2017
Review Deadline: August 18, 2017
BACKGROUND
Lunski, Inc. has made an application for a rezoning, preliminary plat, and site plan review for development of a
three-story 90 unit senior housing building, a two-story medical office building, and a lot for future
development.
This project was reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council in February as a Concept Plan. The
Concept was for an 80 unit senior building, a medical/office building, and a commercial building. The Planning
Commission discussed the rezoning as being generally acceptable. However, there were concerns voiced about
the size of the project being too intense for the site. The Council discussed concerns about parking, building
height, and wetland impacts. The applicant removed the commercial building from the site and increased the
amount of parking provided, and increased the number of independent/assisted living units.
PROJECT SITE
The property is located north of Highway 55, west of Mohawk Drive, and south of Chippewa Road. The site is
10.8 acres in size. There is a 2.6 acre wetland on the lot. Much of the site is wooded.
ZONING / COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
The subject site is guided for a Commercial land use in the current Comprehensive Plan and Business in the
proposed 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The property is zoned RCH, Rural Commercial Holding which is an
interim designation for land awaiting urban development. This area is identified for urban development, at this
time.
PROPOSED REZONING
The applicant proposes to rezone the property to B, Business District, which would be consistent with the
direction the City is heading in the draft 2040 Comprehensive Plan. “Nursing homes, assisted living facilities,
and independent living facilities associated with such uses” are a permitted use within this District. In the 2030
Comprehensive Plan, which is still in effect until the 2040 Plan is adopted, this site is guided for a Commercial
land use which contemplates “commercial, office, and retail uses” that are “concentrated along the TH 55
corridor.” The Business zoning district was designed more to implement the Business land use in the 2030
Comprehensive Plan and the Commercial-Highway district was designed for the Commercial land use.
However, because the City has contemplated changing the land use of the subject site to Business in the draft
2040 Plan, any rezoning would ideally be generally consistent with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and not in
conflict with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The 2030 plan does establish unique objectives for the Commercial
and Business land uses, but instead the uses share a similar set of objectives. As such, it could be argued that the
rezoning to Business is not inconsistent with the 2030 Commercial land use, especially within the context of the
proposed change to Business in the draft 2040 Plan update.
PROPOSED PRELIMINARY PLAT
The applicant is proposing to divide the parcel into four lots. Lot 1 is intended for a private street. Lot 2 is a
3.39 acre site intended for future development. Lot 3 is a 3.08 acre site that is intended to house the senior
facility. Lot 4 is a 3.81 acre lot for a medical clinic/office building. The minimum lot size is 3 acres in the B
District. Lot 1 will need to be an outlot as it is intended for a private street.
The minimum lot width in the B District is 175 feet with a minimum lot depth of 175 feet. It appears that all lots
meet these standards.
Lot Area Upland Area Width Depth
B District Standards 3 acres N/A 175 feet 175 feet
Lot 1 (Outlot for private road) 0.49 acre 0.45 acres 54.75 391.81
Lot 2 3.39 acres 2.64 acres 175 566
Lot 3 3.08 acres 2.13 acres 245 457
Lot 4 3.81 acres 2.99 acres 175 705
The private road needs to be platted within an outlot, pursuant to the requirements of the Subdivision
Ordinance. If this is not platted in this fashion, Lot 3 would technically have no frontage and would
not comply with City requirements and Lot 1 would not comply with minimum lot standards.
Park dedication will be required with the plat. The Park Commission will review the application. At the concept
plan review, the Park Commission discussed that a trail along Chippewa Road may be required.
SITE & BUILDING PLAN REVIEW
Site Access
The site is proposed to be accessed by a 24 foot private street off of Chippewa Road. The street is on the plan
within Lot 1, which needs to be changed to an outlot. The City's Subdivision Ordinance requires private streets
to meet City road standards. The outlot will need to be owned by an association to which all lots would be
members.
The proposed private street is not centered in the proposed outlot. The applicant states that this is due to grade
changes towards the western property line and to balance the need for spacing between the access point to the
west and wetlands to the east. The private road needs to be located within the Outlot. Drainage and utility
easements should be enlarged along the outlot subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. This also
results in the trail along the drive being on the individual lots. The trail should be placed within an easement to
ensure it may be used by all site users.
The City Engineer requested a traffic study and some additional information has been requested. This
information will determine the necessity of any turn lanes or improvements at nearby intersections.
Senior Housing Building
The senior facility is proposed with 90 units and about 100,000 square feet. There are 32 one bedroom, 14 two-
bedroom, 10 memory care, 5 special care, and 29 studio units. The units range from roughly 450 square feet for
the studio, 580 square feet for the one bed room, and 900 for the two-bedroom units with some variation. The
special and memory care units are smaller. There are 48 garage stalls proposed on the lowest level of the
building.
45 of the units are for “independent living.” The B District allows for assisted living facilities with independent
living “associated” with the use. This would appear to require 50% of the units, at minimum, to be assisted
living with the remaining independent units to be age restricted. Of the 45 assisted living units, 15 are proposed
to be memory/special care.
The proposed building is three stories tall. The average roof height to adjacent grade is 44' 2.5”. The B District
allows building heights of 30 feet, 35 feet with sprinklers, and 45 feet with necessary conditions required by the
fire marshal. Required yard setbacks are required to be increased for buildings greater than 35 feet in height by
the amount they exceed 35 feet in height. This would be an additional 9 feet.
In the B District, all exterior building materials are required to meet the following standards:
(a) A minimum of 20 percent of the building exterior shall be brick, natural stone, stucco (not Exterior Insulation
and Finish System or similar product), copper, or glass.
(b) A maximum of 80 percent may be decorative concrete, split face (rock face) decorative block, and/or
decorative pre-cast concrete panels. Decorative concrete shall be color impregnated in earth tones (rather than
painted) and shall be patterned to create a high quality terrazzo, brick, stucco, or travertine appearance.
(c) A maximum of 20 percent may be wood, metal (excluding copper), fiber cement lap siding or Exterior
Insulation and Finish System or similar product, if used as accent materials which are integrated into the overall
building design.
The proposed building is 19% masonry, 17% stone, 8% lap siding, 26% stucco, and 30% glass. This appears to
meet the requirements for the exterior finish. The detail on the material comprising the lap siding should be
provided.
Building modulation is required for every 100 feet of horizontal length. The proposed structure is meeting this
requirement.
Medical Office Building
The proposed medical/office building is two stories in height and about 25,000 square feet. The proposed floor
plan is not very detailed and just shows general space. The plans state that average roof height to adjacent grade
is 35' 6”. The building appears to be meeting the building modulation requirements.
The proposed building is 58% masonry, 8% “architectural wood veneer”, 12% stucco, and 22% glass. This
appears to be consistent with the required architectural standards.
Lot 2
No construction is proposed for Lot 2, at this time. A demonstration building has been placed on the lot for
conceptual review.
Setbacks & Performance Standards
Within the B District, the minimum front yard setback is 40 feet. This may be reduced to 30 feet for a private
street. Setbacks to arterial roads are required to be 50 feet. Side and rear yard setbacks are required to be 25
feet, which may be reduced to 15 feet in order to accommodate shared site improvements.
Yard setbacks are required to be increased for buildings greater than 35 feet in height. This would add slightly
over 9 feet of required setback to the senior building and 6 inches to the setback of the medical/office building.
The medical/office building appears to be exactly 50 feet from the Highway 55 right-of-way, which cannot
accommodate the extra six inches of setback. The senior building appears to be able to accommodate the extra 9
feet of setback to the private road and side and rear lot lines.
Parking lots are required to have a 25 foot front yard setback, 25 feet to a street side yard, 20 feet for a street side
yard to a private street, and 15 feet to the side and rear yard. The side and rear yard parking setback may be
reduced in cases where the parking is shared, as is proposed in this situation. As proposed, it appears that these
setbacks are generally met.
In Section 832.2.06 it states that there is a 100 foot setback to residential zoned areas for both buildings and
parking lots. The properties across Chippewa Road are zoned residential. The right-of-way is 66 feet in width,
leaving at least 34 feet on the subject site to account for. The 40 foot front yard building setback would be
greater this distance, however, the setback for a parking lot may need to be adjusted. There are reductions
available for this setback when additional landscaping is placed for screening purposes.
The B District standards state that impervious surfaces are capped at 70% unless utilizing shared improvements
when the limit may be raised to 80%. The applicant will need to demonstrate that this standard is being met.
The applicant is currently proposing to meet this standard by using porous pavement.
There is a proposed skyway between the two buildings. Existing regulations do not provide a means to allow an
encroachment on required yards for such a structural element.
Tree Preservation & Landscaping
Section 828.41 of the Zoning Ordinance states requirements for tree preservation. For a property of this size,
the allowed significant tree (8 caliper inches in diameter) removal related to “initial site development” is 10%.
Initial site development is the “grading and construction of streets, trails, and sidewalks; the installation of
utilities including water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, natural gas, electric, and cable television; or the grading
and construction of drainage ways and storm detention areas.”
Activities other than the initial site development are permitted at 15% removal of significant trees for lots of
about 3 acres in size. This would allow for 15% removal of trees on the three lots being created for building
sites.
On the tree preservation plan, it is stated that there are 1944 caliper inches of significant trees on the site. The
table of trees appears to have 1943 inches of trees. The allowed removal for initial site development (10%)
would allow for 193 inches of removal. The plan states there are 183 inches being removed for initial site
development. One tree on Lot 1, which is the lot intended for the private street, is incorrectly labeled as a
removal for “lot development” instead of initial development. Adding this tree to the total would result in 191
inches of trees being removed for the initial site development out of the permitted 193 inches.
For tree removal related to the site development, the applicant is using the three development sites as one. As
stated during the concept plan review, this is intended to be 15% on each lot. One of the three lots is not
proposed for development, at this time, and by including these trees in the total would only be acceptable if this
were intended to be some sort of conservation area where the trees were intended for preservation. However, it
is a future development site.
The tree removal table on C2.0 shows 372.5 caliper inches of removal for “lot development.” An examination
of these numbers appears to actually show a total “lot development” removal of 395.5 inches. These numbers
were provided on a lot-by-lot basis but the totals were not broken down in that manner.
Lot 3 has 40.5 inches of significant trees. The 15% removal would allow for about 6 inches of trees to be
removed. All 40.5 inches are proposed for removal. This results in about 34.5 inches of necessary replacement.
Lot 4 has 460 inches of significant trees after the initial development removal. The 15% removal would allow
for 69 inches of trees to be removed. 355 inches are proposed for removal. This results in 286 inches of
necessary replacement.
This would appear result in a total required tree replacement for development on Lots 3 and 4 of about 320.5
inches rather than the 80 inches identified on the plan. It may be advisable for the applicant to revise the tree
preservation plan and quantify removal for each lot independently. The applicant has stated that they are
intending to meet the tree replacement requirements with the landscaping plan.
The landscaping plan requirements for development in the B District would be 56 overstory trees, 28 ornamental
trees, and 94 shrubs. The applicant's plan summary states they are providing 58 three inch in diameter overstory
trees, 28 two inch ornamental trees, and 137 24” tall shrubs. The planting schedule provided with the plan
actually shows 57 overstory trees, 27 ornamental trees, and 131 shrubs. The plan itself appears to show 50
overstory trees, 28 ornamental trees, and 113 shrubs. The plans, plan summary, and the planting schedule should
be revised to be consistent.
Overstory trees are required to be 2.5” in diameter for landscaping purposes. Ornamental trees are required to be
two inches in diameter. Shrubs are required to be 24” inches. The proposed ornamental trees and shrubs meet
the minimum size standards while the overstory trees are 0.5” inches greater than the minimum required.
Eight percent of the parking area is required to be landscaped. The applicant states that the parking lot area is
54,872 square feet. The plan states they are providing 4,431 square feet of green space. This totals 8.08%.
Landscaping in the parking lots is required to be in islands at least 12 feet in width, which appears to be met.
The building is required to be separated from parking areas and access drives by landscaping in areas at least 12
feet wide, which also appears to be met.
Tree replacement is intended to be over and above the minimum requirements of the landscaping plan.
Replacement trees are required to be native trees identified on the list in Sudivision 10 of the Tree Preservation
Ordinance. Replacement trees are required to be a minimum of two inches in diameter. The applicant is
proposing some trees in the landscaping plan that are greater than the required 2.5 inches. Perhaps, the intent is
for 0.5 inches to be applied to the replacement requirement. If there were 57 trees provided, this would result in
a reduction of about 28.5 inches of replacement trees.
All mechanical equipment, trash areas, and loading docks are required to be screened. Also, Section 828.07
requires screening from any commercial use to a residential use which would require screening on Lot 2.
Lighting
As required by Ordinance, a photometric lighting plan has been submitted for review. The subject site lies
within Lighting Zone E4 which corresponds to areas which exhibit high ambient lighting levels. The zone
generally includes urban areas with primary land uses for commercial, business and industrial activity (including
highway commercial and downtown districts).
According to the lighting plan, a total of 44 exterior fixtures are proposed upon the subject property as
summarized below:
Type Plan Symbol Height Quantity Arrangement
Parking Lot Fixture (Commercial) A2 32 feet* 2 Back to back
Parking Lot Fixture (Senior
Residential)
B4 & B5 22 feet* 11 Single
Pedestrian Scale Fixture C 12 feet 13 Single
Pedestrian Scale Fixture D 3.5 feet 13 Single
Wall Sconce WP15 NA 5 Single
* Referenced fixture height includes 2-foot pole base
As shown, all proposed light fixtures meet the maximum pole height requirements of 32’ - 6” (30 feet plus a pole
base which does not exceed a height of 30 inches).
Consistent with Ordinance requirements (for E4 zones), all fixtures are proposed to have an output of less than
2,000 lumens and are to be fully shielded such that light sources are not visible from adjacent properties and
rights-of-way.
Within E4 zones, the Ordinance stipulates that maximum lighting levels at the property line must not exceed 1.5
footcandles before curfew and 0.6 footcandles “after curfew.” In review of the photometric lighting plan, it
appears that maximum lighting levels at the property line measure 0.1 footcandles which conforms with
Ordinance requirements.
The submitted lighting plan does not provide any information related to the illumination of site and building
signage. Conformance with the lighting requirements of Section 829 of the Ordinance will be required as a
condition of sign permit approvals.
Signage
In Section 815.11, the B District allows for one free standing sign per lot up to 80 square feet of sign area and 20
feet in height. Signs are required to be setback 10 feet from all property lines and outside of a clear vision
triangle for a street or access drive. There are three free standing signs proposed. A multi-tenant pylon sign is
proposed on Lot 2, which would technically be a sign on a lot without a principal use since no construction is
proposed for this lot, at this time. A monument sign is proposed for Lot 3, which does not appear to be meeting
setbacks and could be viewed as being within a clear vision triangle of the private street and access drive. A
pylon sign with a dynamic display is proposed for Lot 4. This will need to demonstrate compliance to the City's
brightness requirements. The illumination and lighting related to the signs were not included in the photometric
plan.
Off-Street Parking
The plan currently has 217 stalls on the site. The parking areas are proposed to be shared. The City's parking
ordinance states that the required parking is required to be on the parcel with the use generating the parking
demand except in cases of shared or joint parking. This may be deemed acceptable provided there is an
association in place to manage this common element adequately to ensure the proper amount of parking is
provided at all times.
Section 828.51 of the Zoning Ordinance requires that all parking stalls be a minimum of 9' x 19' with a two-way
drive aisle width of 22 feet. The City may require that primary drive aisles be increased to 24' in width. The
plan generally shows the primary drive aisles with a 24 foot width and the secondary with a 22' width. The
ordinance states that a maximum of 20% of the required stalls may be provided as compact car spaces, which are
required to be a minimum of 8' x 16' in size.
Section 828.51 Subd. 1 (j) states that “to the extent practicable, dead end drives shall not be permitted.” There is
a dead end drive aisle for parking on the east end of the medical/office building. The fire marshal required a fire
truck turn around if this is to be permitted. There is a proposed car turnaround at the end of the drive, which
should be made larger or it would be ineffective. This would likely result in the removal of an additional
parking stall.
The number of stall required for the medical/office building is based on 1 stall per 250 square feet. This results
in a parking requirement of 100 stalls. The applicant is providing 33 stalls on the lowest level of the building
and the remainder in the parking lots.
The senior building does not have a specific number designated for required parking. Therefore, the Planning
Commission is to review the parking and make a recommendation to the City Council. It is important to keep in
mind that the required parking is to accommodate residents, guests, and employees. Fluctuations in the number
of independent living units versus the assisted living units could alter the number of needed parking stalls.
Therefore, it is very important that the proper number of stalls be provided on the site. City Staff reviewed the
Institute of Transportation Engineers Standards Manual which recommends 0.4 stalls per unit for senior assisted
living and 0.35 stalls per unit for memory/special care units. The remaining independent living units could defer
to the City's multi-family parking standard for 2.25 stalls per unit. This would result in a parking requirement of
120 stalls. Alternatively, the City could allow 1 stall per unit for the 29 studio units which would reduce the
required parking by about 36 stalls. 48 stalls are being provided in the lowest level of the building.
Grading & Drainage
In the B District standards, in Section 832.3.03, states that “site improvements shall be designed in a way which
most effectively maintains predevelopment topography, drainage patterns and ecological functions.” It also
states that “drainage and stormwater improvements shall be designed with an emphasis on integrated stormwater
management practices such as vegetative swales, filter strips, biorention, and similar improvements as approved
by the city rather than pipes and retention ponds.”
The proposed site is being raised in order to accommodate the development. There is a portion of a wetland on
site being filled. The City Engineer has provided comments related to grading and drainage.
Stormwater comments from the City Engineer and Watershed District may require significant revisions to the
storm sewer plan for the site. The applicant is using porous pavement for a portion of the parking lot, in order to
meet impervious surface requirements. Specifications on this pavement type should be provided. Water quality
modelling components will need to be identified.
Wetlands
There is a 2.6 acre wetland on the site. This wetland is identified as a “Manage 1” classification. This requires
an average of a 30 foot wetland buffer with a minimum of 20 feet. The setback from a principal structure to the
buffer is 15 feet and 5 feet for accessory structures. Private trails, parking areas, and structures are not permitted
within the buffer. The plan should clearly depict the wetland buffer distance being used at all points and the
method by which the wetland buffer is being averaged. It appears that there are structural elements that are
likely not meeting the required wetland buffer setback.
There are areas where the wetland buffer has been made steeper than watershed district standards, which
requires additional buffering. The Elm Creek Watershed District has provided comments. These comments
cause the need for plan revisions, so Staff is not recommending action until the changes are provided for review.
Wetland impacts are proposed with the plan. There is also a boardwalk proposed over the wetland. The City
Engineer has requested additional information regarding these impacts and the WCA application.
Utilities
The site will be serviced by sewer and water. The City Engineer has provided comments and requested
revisions. Easements for utility mains may be required.
Association Documents
Due to the shared parking and the private street, a strong association will be required for this development. Draft
covenants were provided and reviewed by the City Attorney. The Attorney recommended revisions to ensure
that the association and not the developer is the declarant and that the easements be made to continue in
perpetuity to ensure that the easements can't be terminated. Also, is was recommended that there not be clauses
placing restrictions on the reciprocal agreements that would weaken the shared parking concept. The applicant
should work with the City Attorney on making revisions to these documents.
REQUEST REVIEW
The applicant is proposing a rezoning to B, Business which will correspond with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which is still in effect, identifies this parcel as Commercial. The General
Business designation more directly corresponded with the Business District. The Comprehensive Plan discusses
the two designations as follows:
Commercial (C) provides areas for highway oriented businesses and retail establishments; can include
commercial, office and retail uses; is concentrated along the TH 55 corridor and are served or will be served by
urban services.
General Business (GB) provides opportunities for corporate campus uses including light industrial and retail
uses. This designation identifies larger tracts of land that are suitable for office and business park developments
and are served or will be served by urban services.
The purpose of the Business District is:
“The purpose of the Business (B) district is to provide for a zoning district for a mix of office, high quality light
industrial, and larger-scale retail and service uses with proximity to arterial roadways. Development shall include
high quality and attractive building materials and architectural design as well as extensive landscaping in order
to limit impacts on surrounding land uses, and shall be integrated and coordinated in a way to most efficiently
utilize site improvements and to protect the natural environment.”
The rezoning will need to be found to be in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan.
The site plan has some issues that will need to be corrected in order to meet all zoning requirements.
In the Subdivision Ordinance it is stated that the City shall deny approval of a preliminary plat if one or a
combination of the following finding are made:
(a) That the proposed subdivision is in conflict with the general and specific plans of the city, or that the
proposed subdivision is premature.
(b) That the physical characteristics of this site, including but not limited to topography, vegetation, soils,
susceptibility to flooding, water storage, drainage and retention, are such that the site is not suitable for the type
of development or use contemplated.
(c) That the site is not physically suitable for the proposed density of development or does not meet minimum lot
size standards.
(d) That the design of the subdivision or the proposed improvements are likely to cause substantial
environmental damage.
(e) That the design of the subdivision or the type of improvements are likely to cause serious public health
problems.
(f) That the design of the subdivision or the type of improvements will conflict with public or private streets,
easements or right-of-way.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The applicant is proposing to develop the property by putting two uses on two lots that share parking and utilize
a private street. The two uses and the associated parking are fully utilizing the site and there appears to be some
plan revisions necessary to meet stormwater requirements, wetland buffers, tree preservation, minimum parking,
and setbacks. A third lot is being made available for future development that would also result in additional tree
removal and storm water management issues.
If the Planning Commission finds that this application is not meeting the necessary review criteria, it would be
appropriate to forward a recommendation of denial to the City Council.
Otherwise, the Planning Commission may wish to table this request to allow for the adjustments to the plans
requested by the Watershed District and the City Engineer and also provide comments to the applicant on
desired revisions to the plan. Staff would recommend the following issues, at minimum, be addressed:
1. Mechanism for ensuring the senior building meets zoning shall be identified. This includes limitations
on independent living units and required parking provisions.
2. Lot 1 shall be identified as an Outlot.
3. Impervious surface calculations shall be provided.
4. The tree preservation plan shall be revised.
5. The landscaping plan shall be revised.
6. The turnaround on the dead end parking area shall be increased in size.
7. All setback issues shall be corrected.
8. Association documents shall be provided in the manner requested by the City Attorney.
9. All comments from the Elm Creek Watershed District shall be addressed.
10. All comments from the City Engineer shall be addressed.
Attached:
Aerial Photo
List of Documents
Excerpt from February 13, 2017 Planning Commission minutes
Excerpt from February 21, 2017 City Council minutes
Engineer’s Comments received 7/6/2017
Elm Creek Watershed District Comments received 7/6/2017
Applicant’s Narrative
Preliminary Plat
Plan Set dated 6/19/2017
Project: LR‐17‐204 – Lunski Senior Community Rezoning, Preliminary Plat, Site Plan Review The following documents constitute the complete record of the above referenced request, even if some documents are not attached, or are only attached in part, to Planning Commission and City Council reports. All documents are available for review upon request at City Hall. Documents Submitted by Applicant: Document Received Date Document Date # of pages Electronic Paper Copy? Notes Application 5/12/2017 5/12/2017 3 Y Y Fee 5/12/2017 5/12/2017 1 Y Y $11,000 Narrative 6/19/2017 6/19/2017 4 Y Y Labels 6/19/2017 NA 1 Y Y Labels inaccurate; staff updated Plan Set 5/12/2017 5/12/2017 23 Y Y Plan Set – Updated 6/19/2017 6/19/2017 25 Y Y Soils Map 5/12/2017 5/12/2017 3 Y Y Traffic Analysis 5/12/2017 5/10/2017 66 Y Y Preliminary Plat 5/16/2017 5/12/2017 1 Y Y Draft Covenants 6/19/2017 NA 19 Y Y Wetland Replace. App. 6/19/2017 6/19/2017 13 Y Y Stormwater Report 6/19/2017 6/16/2017 142 Y Y (continued on back)
Documents from Staff/Consultants/Agencies Document Document Date # of pages Electronic Notes Legal Comments 5/25/2017 1 Y Legal Comments 6/28/2017 1 Y Building Official Comments 5/26/2017 1 Y Building Official Comments 6/26/2017 1 Y MnDOT Comments 6/1/2017 1 Y No Comments City Engineer Comments 5/30/2017 3 Y City Engineer Comments 7/6/2017 4 Y Elm Creek Watershed Comments 7/6/2017 9 Y No Recommendation Incomplete Letter 6/2/2017 2 Y Legal Notice 6/30/2017 19 Y Public Comments Document Date Electronic Notes
Medina Planning Commission Excerpt from February 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes
1
Public Hearing – Lunski, Inc. – Concept Plan Review for an 80 Unit, Three-Story
Senior Assisted/Independent Living Facility and Commercial/Medical Office
Development – North of Hwy 55, South of Chippewa Road and West of Mohawk Drive
Finke noted that this is a concept review and therefore following the public hearing the Commission
would simply be asked to provide input. He stated that this request includes an 80-unit senior
housing community which would be a combination of assisted and independent living in addition to
an office, medical office and commercial buildings. He stated that this would not be an allowable use
under the commercial zoning district and is therefore requesting a zoning change that would allow
senior living as a permitted use. He noted that the property will be reguided to business under the
new Comprehensive Plan, but the applicant would like to jump ahead in order to continue on in the
process if the Commission feels that this would be a good fit. He reviewed the current zoning under
the existing Comprehensive Plan and proposed zoning under the draft Comprehensive Plan for the
adjacent properties. He reviewed the proposed access, noting that there would most likely be some
wetland impacts in order to provide that access. He stated that the senior living building would be
three stories with 80 units in addition to the office building and commercial building. He noted that
staff would suggest a number of adjustments in order to bring the request into compliance with the
business zoning district. He noted that there may need to be a reduction in square footage in order to
accommodate the adjustments and provide sufficient space for emergency vehicle access. He
described the proposed building materials. He noted that staff would recommend a traffic study to
determine if any traffic improvements would be needed for Chippewa Road. He noted that the office
and commercial buildings may be under parked and that would also support the reduction in square
footage. He stated that it is important to quantify the mix between the assisted and independent living
units because it impacts parking needs and because the code requires that assisted living is the
primary use. He stated that the real discretion would be whether the City would support the rezoning
in the interim until the new Comprehensive Plan is adopted.
R. Reid asked if simply a zoning amendment would be required or whether a Comprehensive Plan
amendment would be needed.
Finke stated that the major question would be whether the business zoning would be appropriate. He
stated that a Comprehensive Plan amendment would be administrative.
Murrin asked how the staging would work.
Finke replied that there is staging for business, but noted that this is within the imminent stage for the
existing plan and draft Comprehensive Plan. He confirmed that if approved the applicant could begin
construction immediately.
Barry noted that this is currently one lot that would be broken into four parcels. He asked if there is a
benefit to splitting the lots.
Finke explained that staff suggested that it may be worth looking at subdivision as that would provide
flexibility with the sale of the parcels as the uses are not necessarily items that would be owned by the
same party.
Albers asked if there is a difference between subdivision of the lots and a PUD.
Finke stated that a PUD would provide more design flexibility as well as flexibility under the
regulations.
Medina Planning Commission Excerpt from February 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes
2
Albers asked if these units would count towards affordable housing as this is higher density.
Finke explained that it would likely count as high density housing. He stated that from his
understanding, credit for high density housing will not give you a credit towards affordable housing,
as the forecasts are looking at housing costs rather than density. Finke provided additional
clarification on how the high density and affordable housing figures are calculated.
Dean Lunski, 1416 Main Street in Hopkins, stated that they purchased the property in 2006 and have
been waiting to develop the property as they were caught in a moratorium. He stated that they have
urgency to develop, as they have owned the land for some time. He stated that they have done
marketing reports and would prefer close to a 50/50 split between the assisted and independent living,
perhaps slightly higher on the assisted living side. He stated that the preference would be to have
high density residential zoning for the senior living property. He stated that perhaps in the beginning
they would begin with a ratio of 75 percent assisted. He stated that they are not putting in memory
care units because of the proximity to the memory care center nearby.
Murrin asked why the independent living/assisted living would be proposed for that site.
Lunski replied that it would be for efficiency. He noted that originally they had padded the site for
retail, but that does not appear to be a good fit. He stated that they have begun a marketing study and
believe that the units would be absorbed within six months. He stated that they would be the
developer and would have an independent manager to run the assisted living.
Murrin asked if the applicant has done assisted living before.
Lunski replied that the construction team has a lot of experience in high density development. He
stated that he does have other projects he owns that have independent management.
DesLauriers asked if the plat would accommodate a reduction in square footage to support additional
parking.
Lunski replied that they could adjust the parking and reduce the square footage for the commercial
building.
R. Reid asked if this could work without the commercial building.
Lunski replied that they would need the commercial building in order to make the overall project
work.
Barry asked the number of staff that would be required for the assisted living facility.
Lunski stated that they have not figured out the staffing at this point. He stated that they do not want
to cut any corners on that project and want to make sure the rooms and amenities needed are
provided.
Albers referenced the wetland mitigation that would be needed and asked if the applicant has spoken
to the property owner to the west about obtaining an easement to travel through their property for
access as a method to avoid the wetland.
Lunski stated that he does not know that property owner, but would be open to having that
conversation.
Medina Planning Commission Excerpt from February 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes
3
Finke stated that it seems unlikely, but that conversation could occur.
Lunski stated that they reviewed the site to determine the best approach to meeting the setbacks and
disrupting as little as possible.
Albers referenced the three-story building and confirmed that would not include the garage. He
stated that his main concern from the south elevation would be the height, noting that this would be a
fairly sizable building in the wooded area. He stated that he would want to ensure that it fits into the
character of the building. He noted that Polaris blends nicely into their background and noted that he
had concern with the overall height of the project.
Lunski stated that they followed the business zoning requirements for height.
Acting Chairperson Albers opened the public hearing at 7:47 p.m.
No comments made.
Acting Chairperson Albers closed the public hearing at 7:48 p.m.
Murrin stated that she would like to have the residential units count towards the high-density numbers
for the community, noting that perhaps that could be delayed to count towards the Comprehensive
Plan components.
Albers stated that there is already proposed guiding for high density and this would essentially add
more.
Murrin noted that she would like to have the units count towards the high density for the community
and suggested removing high density from another area to create a balance.
R. Reid stated that this area was already designated as commercial and therefore was not zoned for
rural development.
Finke stated that there would be an option to rearrange the high density within the draft plan, as the
Council has not formally approved the plan. He stated that procedurally the draft plan has been
largely unchanged through the numerous public hearing and public meetings and that would be
making a pretty major shift.
Barry stated that the Steering Committee did a lot of work through the open houses to develop the
draft plan. He stated that it is impossible to predict what the Metropolitan Council will release in
their next system statements. He stated that a lot of work has already been done on the
Comprehensive Plan and therefore did not recommend changing that. He stated that the decision at
this time would be to determine the best course of action now for this application.
Murrin asked if the applicant would like to build the commercial first or the high-density portion first.
Lunski replied that the commercial building would go hand in hand with the assisted living. He noted
that if the site were zoned for high density residential they would switch the development to more
high density residential and the commercial aspects would be removed. He estimated 140 units if
high density housing were to be the zoning.
Medina Planning Commission Excerpt from February 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes
4
Albers stated that he would not envision that type of use. He stated that he liked the design of the
building, even though it will be big. He stated that the thought of a retail coffee shop would be
appealing.
R. Reid stated that she does not have a problem with rezoning the property to business. She stated
that one reason this type of use was not allowed within commercial was because they did not want it
to face Highway 55. She stated that, as arranged, this would not access from Highway 55 and
therefore would support the use. She stated that the site appears crowded, but she does not have a
problem with the rezoning.
Lunski stated that the site will blend a bit more with the commercial use.
R. Reid asked for information on timing and whether the applicant would be prepared to break ground
this year.
Lunski replied that they are ready to build and would like to break ground this year if the process
continues to move forward.
R. Reid asked if this would open the floodgates for similar applications if this is allowed to move
forward.
Finke stated that there are two similar requests this evening, although not entirely the same request.
He stated that the likelihood is fairly low as there is not that much property in play that would not
require a Comprehensive Plan amendment. He noted that a number of property uses are going to be
changed from the existing use under the Comprehensive Plan. He noted that developers are looking
to be consistent with the new plan, which is good, but noted that the City still needs to accept
comments from other jurisdictions and the Metropolitan Council and therefore some things under the
draft plan can change. He confirmed that the difference between the commercial and business zoning
districts is not much.
The Commission confirmed consensus to support the change in zoning from commercial to business
should this continue to move forward.
Albers referenced the overall size of the development and asked if the applicant would be willing to
scale back the development to meet the necessary setbacks and requirements.
Finke confirmed that some adjustments would need to be made to meet the minimum zoning
requirements, but noted that the changes would not be substantial.
Medina City Council Excerpt from February 21, 2017 Meeting Minutes
1
Lunski Senior Housing/Office Concept Plan Review – PID 03-118-23-32-0007 (7:18 p.m.)
Finke noted that this is a concept plan review and therefore the Council will simply provide
comments and no formal action is necessary. He stated that this is a proposed 80-unit
combination of independent and assisted senior living and would also include an office building
and commercial building. He discussed the topography and current state of the site including
trees and wetlands. He stated that a future request may come forward to rezone the parcel
from commercial to business. He noted that the draft Comprehensive Plan designates this land
as business rather than the current designation of business. He identified the zoning and uses
of adjacent properties. He displayed the concept plan which identifies the senior housing
building, the office building, and the commercial building. He stated that the concept plan
designates three lots and provided more details on the proposed access. He reviewed some of
the concerns noted by staff including the need to specify the mix of assisted living and
independent units within the complex. He noted that within the business zoning district,
assisted living would need to be the primary use with independent living as an accessory. He
stated that one item to be considered is whether the Council would be comfortable rezoning the
parcel to business ahead of the adoption of the draft Comprehensive Plan. He noted that staff
has suggested that the building size be reduced slightly to better fit onto the parcel. He
provided additional information on high density housing and how those units are calculated.
Pederson referenced the wetland that would be filled and asked for additional information.
Finke stated that there are wetland impacts for the driveway, which staff views as a necessity as
access will not be supported onto Highway 55.
Anderson referenced lot three, specifically the setback requirement, and asked how much the
applicant is short of meeting that requirement.
Finke replied that the applicant would be about two or three feet short of meeting the setback
requirement.
Pederson asked whether emergency and fire vehicles would have adequate space to navigate
the site. He noted that if this moves forward the Chippewa extension may be needed and the
applicant should be aware of the costs.
Mitchell noted that this is different than the original plan for the area but it could still be a good fit
and asked for the input of the Council.
Pederson stated that this seems to be a good fit for the property but it seems that there is too
much going on with the site.
Cousineau stated that this does not seem like a bad location for the project but the project is too
large and feels like a jump ahead.
Mitchell stated that commercial is not filtered through the same jump ahead as residential
development.
Anderson stated that the real question is regarding the policy. He stated that despite the
similarities between business and commercial zoning, there have been previous applicants that
wanted to come in under the new Comprehensive Plan zoning and the Council has denied
those requests. He stated that if the applicant feels strongly they should request a
Comprehensive Plan amendment.
Medina City Council Excerpt from February 21, 2017 Meeting Minutes
2
Mitchell noted that this would not draw a large amount of traffic to the site, which is in
agreement with what the City wants. He stated that he attended the Planning Commission
meeting and endorsed the comment that the applicant work with the adjacent property owner for
a possible driveway that would avoid the wetland. He stated that the applicant has stated that
they would like flexibility in the unit type so that they can change over time based on the market
demands. He cautioned to ensure that if flexibility is provided, a sufficient amount of parking is
still provided. He stated that this seems to be a lot of development on not so much land.
Cousineau stated that there is real emphasis on the business park zoning that the buildings
should blend into the surroundings and she commented that perhaps the landscaping could be
tweaked to better blend. She noted that the height of the building would stand out a lot
compared to the surrounding uses.
Pederson stated that applicants have complained later in the process about the cost of
underground parking and noted that the applicant should be aware of that cost as the
underground parking would be needed to support this level of development.
Anderson noted the applicant should be aware of the potential cost of expanding Chippewa that
would come along with that road project.
Mitchell stated that this is a terrific use for the property. He stated that the Council is getting into
the design details in order to provide a higher level of comment to the applicant. He stated that
he is in favor of the project with the comments the Council made tonight.
Pederson stated that he is also in agreement with the project as long as the details could be
worked out.
Cousineau stated that she would be willing to rezone to high density if we could ensure our
density is not in excess of our required numbers.
Finke provided additional details on the process that would be necessary to change the zoning
to high density. He stated that at the Planning Commission, the applicant did say that if the
rezoning was done to high density they would not be opposed to that and would then choose
high density rather than senior living.
Cousineau asked if this could create a creep in the increase of residential units that would not
count towards high density requirements.
Finke stated that there are a number of acres available for business development that could be
used for assisted type living.
Dean Lunski, applicant, stated that they purchased the property in 2005 with the intent to
develop in 2005, but a moratorium was placed and therefore they have not been able to
develop. He stated that if they were going to rezone to residential they would go to multi-family
housing rather than independent/assisted living as that use is also highly in demand. He stated
that the aging population of Medina is growing and therefore there is a demand for senior living
in the area.
Mitchell stated that the applicant has sat on this land for many years and the applicant would
like to get moving and not wait until 2020.
701 Xenia Avenue South | Suite 300 | Minneapolis, MN 55416 | (763) 541-4800
Building a legacy – your legacy.
Equal Opportunity Employer | wsbeng.com
July 6, 2017
Mr. Dusty Finke
Planner
City of Medina
2052 County Road 24
Medina, MN 55340-9790
Re: Medina Senior Living – Engineering Review
City Project No. LR-17-204
WSB Project No. 03433-140
Dear Mr. Finke:
We have reviewed The Medina Senior Living application and plans dated June 20, 2017. The
applicant proposes to construct a 90 unit senior living complex consisting of three stories and
approximately 118,100 square feet. In addition, a separate 40,000 square foot two-story
medical/office building is also proposed for the site.
The documents were reviewed for general conformance with the City of Medina’s general
engineering standards and Stormwater Design Manual. We have the following comments with
regards to engineering and stormwater management matters.
Site and Grading Plans
1. The utilities shown on the site plan and make it difficult to read, either eliminate these on the
site plan or make the line-types lighter.
2. The City’s comprehensive trail plan shows a future trail extension along Chippewa Road.
The applicant may need to provide additional right of way, easements, and/or construct a trail
along this section of Chippewa Road as a part of the park dedication allocation to the City.
3. Provide an exhibit showing the turning movements of trucks (fire and delivery) within the
site including the delivery entrances along with a detail of the truck dimensions.
4. Provide details and design information for the proposed boardwalk with future submittals.
5. Provide a legend on the site plan denoting the various types of paving and walkways
proposed for the site with clear hatching patterns.
6. There are details shown in the plans for retaining wall, show the location and elevation
information more clearly on the site/grading plans. The elevations should include both the
top and bottom of the wall.
7. Note that slopes shall not exceed 3:1 in locations where the steep slopes are proposed.
8. Correct the symbol for the proposed tree locations on the landscaping sheets; it is also not
clear what types of trees are being planted in relation to the legend.
Medina Senior Living – Engineering Review
July 6, 2017
Page 2
9. The City will provide confirmation whether or not additional ROW is required along
Chippewa Road for the trail once the traffic study has been updated as indicated in this
review concerning the turn lanes.
10. In general, plans shall meet the requirements set forth in the City’s Design Manual.
11. Maximize the parking lot bump out at the southeasterly lot to allow for greater turning
movement space during backup maneuvering.
12. Provide analysis to confirm that the proposed underground parking is feasible given the
underlying soil conditions and water table elevation.
Utility Plan
13. Easements may be required by the City to encompass all or a portion of the sanitary sewer
and watermain into the site.
14. Looping connections may be required to minimize long dead-end watermain sections, the
layout provided will require review by the City’s Fire Marshall. Extend the watermain south
with the sanitary sewer alignment along the westerly property line and provide a second
connection to the existing watermain at TH 55.
15. Extend the watermain and sanitary sewer stubs up to the right of way line adjacent to
Chippewa Road. Add gate valve to the watermain stub.
16. Label the building services separately and include type of pipe and stub invert information
for the sanitary services. Add missing invert information to northerly sewer stub.
17. Provide dimension labels between watermain and both sanitary sewer and storm sewer
piping.
18. Use different line-type for sanitary sewer that includes arrows to denote direction of flow.
19. Verify that adequate water pressure will be available for the proposed structures served by
City water.
20. On Sheet C5.0 under Sanitary Sewer Notes, note 1 needs to be corrected to meet the
requirements of the City of Medina design guidelines in regards to pipe strength designation
and bury depth.
21. Based on the current design, it appears the applicant will be required to apply for permits
from DLI and MDH, provide copies to the City.
Traffic & Intersections
22. Although the Traffic Study does indicate that no turn lanes are required at the Site Entrance,
the updated information and analysis outlined below should be provided to make a final
determination. In addition, in order to provide a recommendation on the need for turn lanes at
Willow Drive or determining the interaction between the adjacent driveways, the additional
information and analysis should be provided.
23. Dependent on the increase on vehicular traffic, the development may contribute to the need
for extending Chippewa Road to the east between Mohawk Drive and Arrowhead Dive.
24. The posted speed limit on Chippewa Road is currently 40 mph. There are horizontal curves
on the current roadway west of the proposed site driveway. With this in mind, the proposed
Medina Senior Living – Engineering Review
July 6, 2017
Page 3
driveway should be analyzed for sight distance issues or concerns. A figure showing the site
line analysis should be provided.
25. The intersection analysis only considered Chippewa Road at the site entrance. To document
the area impacts, the intersections of Chippewa Road at Willow Drive and Chippewa Road at
Mohawk Drive should also be analyzed.
26. The site traffic generation should be revised/updated with the following:
o The text of the project narrative indicates that the Senior Housing part of the site
includes assisted living as well as the senior housing.
o The medical office is now smaller 24,757 sf
o The retail is now larger 4,320 sf. Is it anticipated that this could be a Pharmacy? If so,
that should be used for traffic generation.
27. The majority of the traffic to and from the site will use Willow Drive to TH 55. Additional
analysis showing delay’s and queues need to provided, specifically for the left and right turn
movements at:
o Chippewa Road at site driveway;
o Chippewa Road at Willow Road;
o Chippewa Road at Mohawk Drive.
28. The site plan should be updated to show the correct location of the proposed uses. The future
phase (commercial) access location to the main driveway is close to Chippewa Road. This
should be evaluated to insure no conflicts.
29. The Traffic Study indicates that the interaction between the Site entrance and the property
driveway adjacent to it does not have any issues. Provide the assumption(s) for development
of the adjacent property and additional discussion/analysis, including future traffic generation
and the anticipated left/right turn queues between driveways, to validate whether or not there
will be future impacts and issues.
Stormwater Management
30. The development will need to meet the City’s infiltration requirement. It is not clear in the
submittal how this will be accomplished. One option is to utilize stormwater reuse from the
proposed ponds for irrigation.
31. Several ponds are shown on the grading plans. The City requires compliance with the
volume control requirement and it is not clear that any infiltration or filtration volume is
provided.
32. The development will need to meet the appropriate Elm Creek Watershed standards and
permitting requirements, provide permitting documents to the City when approved.
33. Provide demonstration that the water quality criteria have been met using PondNet, P8, or
other approved water quality modeling method.
34. Specify if future impervious area at the north side of the site has been included for treatment
or if this area is to be treated once constructed.
35. EOFs must be labeled on the plans for all BMPs.
36. Label the size and type of existing and proposed storm sewer piping, label the invert
information on all catch basins/manholes.
Medina Senior Living – Engineering Review
July 6, 2017
Page 4
37. Calculations must be submitted indicating the culvert under the proposed entrance road is
sized adequately to convey the offsite tributary area to the wetland.
38. North Pond must have a minimum dead pool depth of 3 feet.
39. North Pond NWL does not match that used in HydroCAD. Confirm the correct NWL and
HWL.
40. Show HWL on the plans for the biofiltration basin.
41. Confirm that the freeboard from the lowest opening of the buildings meets the two feet of
freeboard from the emergency overflow elevations of the BMPs.
Wetland Impacts
42. Label the wetland buffer and provide dimensioning on each sheet.
43. WCA application comments:
o Include a more complete description of the purpose and need for the project,
including any standards that may apply to the driveway, pathways, ADA, etc.
o It appears that project elements other than the driveway are contributing to the
wetland impact as well (grading for the building, paved pathway, and gazebo area).
Add a discussion of the need and design requirements for these elements.
o If stormwater will outlet into the wetlands, discuss how the stormwater will be pre-
treated prior to discharging to the wetland and include in the impact acreage any
impacts that result from outfall structures, including riprap.
o Add a discussion regarding the boardwalk.
o The current application does not include details regarding avoidance alternatives. The
WCA requires that two avoidance alternatives be discussed. One can be a no-build
alternative. Include exhibits of each alternative.
Please contact me at 763-287-8532 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
WSB & Associates, Inc.
Jim Stremel, P.E.
City Engineer
elm creek
Watershed Management Commission ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE TECHNICAL OFFICE 3235 Fernbrook Lane Hennepin County Public Works
Plymouth, MN 55447 Department of Environment and Energy PH: 763.553.1144 701 Fourth Ave. South, Suite 700
E-mail: judie@jass.biz Minneapolis, MN 55415 www.elmcreekwatershed.org PH: 612.596.1171
E-mail: jason.swenson@hennepin.us
CHAMPLIN • CORCORAN • DAYTON • MAPLE GROVE • MEDINA • PLYMOUTH • ROGERS
S:\EMD \DEMCON\CORR\SWENSON\WATERSHEDS\ELM CREEK \PLAN REVIEWS\2017\2017 -019 Medina Senior Community, Medina\2017-0 19
Review Memo .docx
Medina Senior Living Facility
Medina , Project #2017-019
Project Overview: The 10.8-acre commercial project site is located north of Highway 55, south
of Chippewa Drive and midway between Willow Drive and Mohawk Drive. The site is currently
vacant and covered by forested lands and a cattail marsh wetland is located in the central portion
of the site running in an east -west direction. The proposed project is 6.00 acres, with 3.77 acres
of impervious surface and will include two new main building structure s, an accessory structure,
and paved parking and driveway access to Chippewa Road. The remaining approximately 3.5
acres on the north side of the site will be platted for future development and is not subject to the
Elm Creek Watershed Commission review now. Our review will be for compliance to the
Commission’s 3 rd generation standards and rules.
Applicant: Lunski Inc . – c/o Dean Lunski, 1416 Main Street, Hopkins, MN 55343. Phone: 952-
929-3400. Email: dlunski@psidb.com
Agent/Engineer: Hill Engineering, Inc . – c/o Jay Hill, P.E., 1585 Dunlap Street North, Saint Paul ,
MN 55108. Phone: 612-987-4455. Email: hilleng@gmail.com
Exhibits :
1) ECWMC Request for Plan Review and Approval received May 31 , 2017 (City authorization
is J une 1 , 2017).
2) Project review fee of $2,750 on May 31 , 2017.
3) Complete plan was received on June 20, 2017.
4) Medina Senior Living Community Preliminary Plat (dated 5/12/2017)
5) Medina Senior Living Community, Site Plan Review Submittal (dated June 19, 2017)
CS..........Cover Sheet
A-SITE ..Architectural Site Plan
C1.0 .......Existing Conditions
C2.0 .......Tree Survey
C3.0 .......Site Plan
C4.0 .......Grading Plan
C5.0 .......Utility Plan
C6.0-6.2 Civil Details
C7.0 .......SWPPP
Medina Senior Living Community Page 2
Medina, Project 2017-019
July 5, 2017
C7.1 .......Erosion Control Plan
L1.0-2.0 .Landscaping Plan
6) Stormwater Design Report, dated June 16 , 2017 (unsigned).
7) Joint Application Form for Wetland Impacts, Dated 6/19/2017
8) Purchase Agreement for Wetland Bank Credits, 6/16/2017
Findings ;
9) A complete application was received on June 20 , 2017. The initial 6 0-day review period
expires August 19, 2 017.
10) The entire site will be routed to the existing wetland located in the center of the property.
The wetland discharges through a 15” Culvert to the south into the Highway 55 Right of
Way, then south under Highway 55 and through neighboring properties before discharging
into the series of wetlands and ditches south of Highway 55 eventually flowing north into
Rush Creek.
11) Rule F. Floodplain Alteration does not pertain to this project. There are no established
FEMA or ECWMC flood plains within the project corridor.
12) Rule G. Wetland Alteration. City of Medina is the Local Government Unit administe ring
the Wetland Conservation Act of Minnesota. A wetland delineation has been completed
and approved by the LGU. The applicant proposes impacts to 0.11 acres of wetlands to
complete the project. The applicant is proposing to purchase banking credits to mitigate
the pro posed impacts. Credits are proposed to be purchased from the Soberg wetland bank
in Hennepin County, roughly 1 ½ miles west of the proposed impacts.
In addition, there is a trail crossing of the wetland with no details of what this crossing is
(grading, b oardwalk, etc…). Information about this crossing must be added to the project
plans and should be included in any WCA permit applications. These issues should be
addressed by the City of Medina in their role as WCA LGU.
13) Rule I. Buffer requirements. Buffers are required to be an average of 25 feet wide, with a
minimum width of 10 feet. Several revisions are required to meet the Commission’s
requirements as follows:
a. At the proposed wetland impact area, a 10 foot wide minimum buffer is required.
Based on the site improvements as shown, this will require moving several
proposed trails out of the minimum buffer as they are not allowed in the buffer
when constructed as part of other site improvements.
b. The proposed gazebo will also need to be moved out of the 10 foot required
minimum buffer, and we suggest it also meet the recommended structure setback
of 15 feet from the required buffer.
c. There are multiple locations where the proposed buildings encroach into the
recommended 15 foot structure setback from the wetland buffer.
Medina Senior Living Community Page 3
Medina, Project 2017-019
July 5, 2017
d. The applicant must provide calculations demonstrating that minimum area is met
for the wetland buffers, taking into account all areas that require additional width
being added for slopes that are steeper than 6H:1V. There are multiple areas where
the minimum slopes are not met.
e. The applicant is proposing including all of the south pond and sloped as part of the
wetland buffer to increase the average buffer width. Staff will accept the pond in
the minimum 25 foot buffer in this area, but will not allow the remainder of the
pond to be include in the buffer width averaging.
14) Rule E. Erosion and Sediment Control will meet the Commission’s requirements with
minor revisions:
a) A final plan, dated and signed by a Professional Engineer licensed in Minnesota, must
be submitted to the Commission and the City of Medina .
b) The SWPPP must include a map identifying the receiving waters from the site. The
SWPPP states that the site drains to waters that are impaired. These must be identified
correctly in the SWPPP, not just stated generically. A review of the MPCA impaired
waters map did not identify any impaired waters within 1 mile of the site.
c) Note #6 on Sheet C4.0 need to be changed to state stabilization must occur within 14
days per the current NPDES permit. The language on the plans has not been effective
since August of 2013 when the current NPDES permit was made effective.
d) The SWPPP should identify who prepared the SWPPP and the training received that
qualifies them to prepare the SWPPP to comply with NPDES permit requirements. A
copy of the University of Minnesota Erosion Control Certification is one example.
e) BMP Notes on Sheet 7.0, Item 1 refers to designing all BMPS for 0.5 inches of runoff.
This should be replaced with 1.1 inches, per the current Elm Creek Watershed
Standards (which will also meet the current requirements of the NPDES construction
stormwater permit in effect since August of 2013.
f) The plans should have an actual Statement of Estimated Quantities (SEQ) on the plans
for at a minimum of all erosion control items to comply with NPDES permit
requirements.
g) The erosion control plans must provide redundant sediment control devices (such as a
second line of silt fence) adjacent to the wetland on site since the required 50 foot buffer
in the NPDES permit will not be maintained.
h) Inlet erosion controls should be shown at all culverts on the site per the detail plate
ERO -9 on Sheet C7.0
i) Details are missing for the proposed filtration basin such as the depth of the facility
above the filtration medium (see the cross section on Sheet C6.2). In addition, these
details appear to conflict with some of the standard plate details on RG-02 and RG-03
on sheet C6.0. Details RG-02 and RG-03 are also largely illegible at the scale they are
currently printed at and should be increased in size.
j) The Civil details on sheet 6.0 include a porous asphalt detail/cross section that refers to
a draft specification from MnDOT dating to 2012. The applicant should note that this
specification is now outdated and should be updated to MnDOT’s current standard. The
Medina Senior Living Community Page 4
Medina, Project 2017-019
July 5, 2017
la st revision from MnDOT is dated 4/3/2017 and may be found in MnDOT Special
Provisions SP 140.
k) No soil borings were provided for review showing the groundwater elevations on the
site. If any of the proposed pervious parking facilities or rain garden do not meet the
required 3 feet of separation from the groundwater elevation, then an impermeable liner
is required. This appears to primarily be an issue for the proposed rain garden facility.
l) The bottom of all infiltration/infiltration features should be scarified (ripped) to a
minimum depth of 12 inches prior to installing the remainder of the infiltration feature.
15) Rule D. Stormwater Management will be provided by two proposed ponds and filtration
feature (rain garden). Per the stormwater reports, runoff from the rooftops is proposed to
be routed directly to the south stormwater pond. However, no details on how this is
proposed to occur are provided for review, and the roof profile of the senior living
community does not support this conclusion as shown on the plans. Runoff from the
parking areas is a routed through pervious parking areas and then also is directed to the
south stormwater pond. Runoff from the entrance access and some trails is proposed to be
directed to the northern stormwater pond. A rain water garden is also proposed for the site
that will provide treatment for runoff from so me of the proposed trails only.
Again, it should be noted that the stormwater calculations do not appear to take into account
any further expansion on the north side of the site at this time outside of the proposed access
drive.
16) The southern pond outlet will be equipped with a 12” orifice at 990.0’ and discharges
through a 10” outlet pipe at 991.0’ in elevation. No details on proposed pipes or outlet
control structures were provided for review in the plan set.
17) The northern pond will be equipped with a 12” orifice at 990.0’ and discharges through a
12” outlet pipe at 991.0’ in elevation per the HydroCAD model. The project plans call for
a normal water level of 992.0’. This discrepancy must be resolved. No details on proposed
pipes or outlet control structures were provided for review in the plan set.
18) The HydroCAD modeling for the site does not take into account the existing watersurface
or the proposed water surface correctly in the modeling. All open water surfaces, such as
open water in the wetland and open water on each of the proposed ponds should be modeled
using a curve number of 98 (though this is not included in the impervious surfaces
calculation).
19) Stormwater rate control.
The post-development stormwater runoff rates for the 2-, 10- and 100-year events meet the
standards as presently modeled and are shown below:
Storm
Event
E xisting
Discharge Rate (cfs)
Proposed Discharge
Rate (cfs)
2-year 2.60 0.87
10-year 5.04 1.66 100-year 10.81 3.58
Medina Senior Living Community Page 5
Medina, Project 2017-019
July 5, 2017
These rates will require verification when modifications are made to the HydroCAD
models.
20) Volume analysis:
The volume abstraction requirement for 1.1” of runoff from 3.37 acres of new impervious
surface is about 13,460 cubic feet.
The applicant notes that soils are not conducive for infiltration . However, a significant
portion of the site appears to contain type C soils that have a higher infiltration rate than
used in the modeling for the project. The applicant is proposing to build three separate
areas of parking with pervious pavement and storage provided under the pavement with
drain tile outlets. Two of these appear to be able to be redesigned to take advantage of the
better soils to increase the volume abstraction.
Without detailed infiltration testing of the soils at the actual elevations where infiltration is
proposed to occur, the applicant is advised to use the infiltration rates from the Minnesota
Stormwater Manual with a factor of safety of 2.0 applied to them (ie: reduce the infiltration
rate in ½).
The applicant proposes using excess wetland buffer areas for additional abstraction credits.
Per the notes above, the area covering the south pond is not acceptable for use in these
calculations.
The applicant will need to provide a better accounting of how the required abstraction will
be met for the site.
21) Water quality and nutrient analysis :
a. The applicant provided a narrative account of water quality and nutrient analysis
from the site, but provided no backup calculations to demonstrate how these
numbers were determined.
b. The applicant also appears to call the existing forested area on the site grassland,
meadow, or open space. The applicant is advised to apply the correct pre-developed
land use of woodland to the water quality calculations.
c. The applicant must provide the calculations from PondNET or other water quality
modeling software (such as the MIDS calculator) to demonstrate the source of the
information provided in the narrative.
22) At the time of writing this report, it was not certain which party (City of Medina or the
applicant) would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the stormwater
management facilities. A responsible party must be established for the O&M Plan.
Medina Senior Living Community Page 6
Medina, Project 2017-019
July 5, 2017
Recommendation:
None at this time. Significant revisions are still required to the site to bring it into compliance
with ECWMC Rules.
Hennepin County
Department of Environment and Energy
July 5 , 2017
Jason Swenson, P.E.
Technical Advisor to the Commission
���� C A I N S T ��. . <