HomeMy WebLinkAbout5B - Copper Cove PrePlatMEETING DATE: AUGUST 5, 2013
AGENDA #: 5B
PREPARED BY: DAN ROGNESS, COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
LARRY POPPLER, CITY ENGINEER
PUBLIC HEARING: NO
AGENDA ITEM: CONSIDER A REQUEST FOR A PRELIMINARY PLAT TO BE KNOWN AS
COPPER COVE
DISCUSSION: Introduction
K. Hovnanian Homes has submitted a request for approval of a Preliminary Plat
to be known as Copper Cove. The property is located on a 45 acre site located
at a site south of County Highway 42 west of Ferndale Avenue. The develop-
ment plan calls for a residential development consisting of 65 Low Density sin-
gle family residential lots. The area encompasses two parcels of land with
wooded areas to the north, open field areas in the center, and one existing resi-
dential home site to the south near the shoreline of Prior Lake,
History
The Planning Commission held a public hearing regarding this plat application
on June 17, 2013. Public comments were taken and included concerns about
street connections to Ferndale Avenue, impacts to current traffic, and tree im-
pacts. At the meeting City Staff identified the remaining critical issues regarding
streets, utilities, trails, and storm water.
The Planning Commission voted to table discussion of the preliminary plat to
the July 151 Planning Commission meeting and advised the developer to con-
sider changes to the trail network near the wetland, consider revisions to ad-
dress street and utility concerns of City Staff, attempt to coordinate with the ad-
jacent property owner to the west to develop an overall plat design that may uti-
lize joint infrastructure needs, and revise the hydrology to meet City standards.
On July 151" the Planning Commission continued discussion of the project, yet
major utility and street concerns remained for the City Staff and the Planning
Commission. Therefore the Planning Commission directed the applicant and
City Staff to continue conversations to alter plans to address these major is-
sues; the item was tabled to the August 5th meeting.
City Staff has since meet with the developer on July 24th. Correspondence is
attached regarding this meeting and follow-up after that meeting.
Current Circumstances
The following paragraphs outline the physical characteristics of the existing site,
the Comprehensive Plan and zoning designations, and a description of some of
the specifics of the proposed site.
PHYSICAL SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
Total Site Area: The total site consists of 45.6 acres.
Topography: This site has a varied topography, with elevations ranging from
900 MSL at its lowest point along the shores of Prior Lake to 990' MSL at its
highest point in the northern part of the site.
Vegetation: There are a large number of significant trees located on the north
end of the site.
Wetlands: Wetlands exist along the northern edge of the site and at the center
of the site. The site is subject to the provisions of the State Wetland Conservation
Act.
Access: Access to this property is currently from County Highway 42 to the
north. Proposed access to the development is indicated from existing Ferndale
Avenue, Carriage Hills Parkway, and Shore Trail.
2030 Comprehensive Plan Designation: This property is designated for Urban
Low Density Residential (R -LD) uses on the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Land Use
Map.
Zoning: The site is zoned R-1 (Low Density Residential).
Shoreland: The southern portion of this property is located within the Shoreland
District for Lower Prior Lake. As such, the southern area is subject to the
Shoreland requirements listed in Section 9104 of the Zoning Ordinance,
PROPOSED PLAN
The development plan calls for a residential development consisting of 68 single
family homes.
Lot Sizes: The residential lots are proposed with a minimum lot size and width
of 12,000 square feet and 86 feet in width respectively. The proposed lots will
meet the minimum lot size and width requirements of the R-1 (Low Density Res-
idential) Zoning District.
Setbacks: The residential lots have proposed setbacks that will meet the mini-
mum required 25 foot front yard, 10 foot side yard, 25 foot rear yard, and 25 foot
side yard abutting a street.
Impervious Surface: The maximum impervious surface coverage for each indi-
vidual residential lot within the Lower Prior Lake Shoreland District is 30% of the
total lot area as required by the Shoreland Ordinance.
Density: Density of the residential development is based on the residential net
area of the site, which is 23.0 acres. The density of the residential area of the
development is 2.83 units I acre.
Parks: No parkland dedication is proposed with the development. An existing
park is located immediately east of the site. Therefore the parkland dedication
required by City Ordinance is proposed to be satisfied thru a fee payment into the
City park fund.
Trails: Trails and/or sidewalks are proposed on the plans along the Ferndale
Avenue, Carriage Hills Pkwy, and Street 2, 3, and 4 corridors. Also, a trail is
proposed west of the large wetland to connect the northern and southern resi-
dential areas. The large wetland within the center of the development is a
unique and high quality wetland, one of the most high quality wetlands within
the City. Considering the nearby park, there is an opportunity to provide a trail
connection from the park toward and possibly encompassing the wetland to al-
low trail users an opportunity to view this unique City feature. Designed cor-
rectly to minimize impact, a trail could be proposed surrounding this feature and
connect to City park and other trails including the CSAH 42 trail system. The
City has completed trail connections around wetland features in many plats over
the years. A few examples include: Jeffers Pond, Hickory Shores, Wilds North,
Northwood Meadows, and Markley Lake. The trail also offers a way to demar-
cate the property surrounding the wetland which reduces the potential of dump-
ing of yard waste. Plat changes may be necessary to build this trail yet mini-
mize impact to the wetland itself; for example, the lots could be shifted to allow
the trail around this wetland. The developer is not showing a trail surrounding
the wetland; rather, they show trail along the western side of the wetland and
have added a short trail segment which overlooks the wetland on the east side.
The Comprehensive Plan states, "Trails will link together public parks, commer-
cial and industrial areas, regional trails and schools. Trail needs are based on
the need to provide trails to serve new growth and to connect new development
with the rest of the community, and to interconnect Prior Lake trails with adja-
cent community trails. Internal access trails within neighborhood parks are well
received, and looped trails within a park provide accessibility as well as an ex-
cellent opportunity for exercise and casual strolls".
Streets: A number of important street connections are planned for this property
and the adjacent property to the west. Carriage Hills Parkway is a major collector
street which will eventually carry approximately 3,500-4,500 vehicle trips per day.
Another north/south minor collector roadway is planned in this area as well that
would connect CSAH 42 with Carriage Hills Parkway. These major and minor
collector roadways will provide a local supporting roadway network to CSAH 21
and CSAR 42.
The minor north/south collector street is proposed on the adjacent parcel to the
west and is designed for future construction when the parcel to the west develops.
This north/south roadway would include a full access intersection at its intersec-
tion with CSAR 42 approximately 800 feet west of Ferndale Avenue. Preliminary
conclusions from the County Highway 42 Study Area Pian would appear to sup-
port this full access location. Adding signals to this intersection would be done
if/when traffic counts warranted their installation. The county would also prefer
no direct lot access onto that future minor collector street within proximity of the
County Highway 42 intersection due to turn lane and car stacking conditions.
Ferndale Avenue is currently a full access intersection, but would be converted
to a right inlright out intersection. Due to the added traffic proposed with the
Copper Cove Development, City Staff and Scott County recommend the conver-
sion of Ferndale Avenue in conjunction with the Copper Cove Development. The
Copper Cove Plat includes three connections to Ferndale including an extension
of Ferndale Avenue which curves in an east/west manner. This east/west exten-
sion of Ferndale would terminate at the Copper Cove western property line and
would be extended with further development to the west. Street 2 off of Ferndale
Avenue would intersect with Ash Circle and terminate to the west at the property
line. With development to the west, Street 2 would intersect with the future
north/south minor collector roadway. Street 9 intersects with Hampton Street and
connects to Street 2.
A portion of Carriage Hills Parkway (700 feet) would be built with the Copper
Cove project; however, a remaining 600 foot segment gap of Carriage Hills Park-
way would remain unbuilt between the Knob Hills Neighborhood and the Sand
Point Neighborhood on the adjacent parcel to the west. Scott County has com-
mented that this gap should be completed in connection with this plat. The City
Council has preliminarily discussed adding the remaining segment of Carriage
Hills Parkway to the Capital Improvement Plan for construction in 2094. It is im-
portant on a major collector street roadway to reduce conflict points including
driveway accesses. The design of Carriage Hills Parkway would follow the de-
sign of Knob Hill to the west and include a center median and left turn lanes.
The plat now includes three roadway connections onto Carriage Hills Parkway
instead of four; the developer is now showing north leg of Street 6 (now street 8)
connecting from Cardinal Street to Street 4. The developer continues to propose
a short Street 6 cul-de-sac south off Carriage Hills Parkway, which does not meet
City Standards. Street 6 is proposed to be approximately 200 feet away from
Ferndale to the east. The developer is now showing this connection as a right in
I right out, thereby avoiding a turn -lane within the center median. This separation
distance is less than any other intersection separation east or west on Carriage
Hills. The shortest distance already constructed on this roadway is approximately
300 feet. The City's Public Works Design Manual (last adopted in 2007) is a
document adopted by reference by the City Council. The City Code was last
changed in 2001 relating to Design Standard Section 9004. Section 6.4 (page
24) of the Public Works Design Manual and Section 1004.406 of City Code states
the following:
"Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles,
except where topography or other conditions justify variations. The minimum an-
gle of intersection of streets shall be eighty (80) degrees. Local street intersec-
tions must have a centerline offset of at least 280 feet. Local streets intersect-
ing with a collector or higher order street must have a centerline offset of
at least 660 feet unless topographic or other conditions render the require-
ments of this provision unreasonable."
Since Carriage Hills is a major collector street, intersections should be offset at
least 660 feet per the standards. The Copper Cove plat does not meet this stand-
ard for Street 6 or Street 4. Furthermore, the ghost plat to the west would also
introduce another street which would not meet this standard. The topography
does not present an issue for these streets; rather topography plays a role in the
housing styles created as a result of the roadway configuration. The City should
not compromise standards or add additional infrastructure because of less than
optimal housing styles as it transfers a burden of cost from the developer to the
taxpayers in the form of additional infrastructure which must be maintained or in
the form of reduced standards. Each development project presents unique chal-
lenges, especially in Prior Lake. On this project, the location of Carriage Hills
Parkway along the high point {ridge} is presenting challenges to the housing
styles. The developer must adapt their design to these site characteristics with-
out compromising City standards or adding unnecessary infrastructure at the cost
City taxpayers. City standards have changed over the years as knowledge is
gained regarding optimal intersection spacing. The streets constructed to the
east and west were constructed prior to 2001; it is uncertain what the standards
were at the time of these developments.
The reduction of the Street 6 conflict point on Carriage Hills Parkway is strongly
recommended. The overall siting of a north/south minor collector location should
also be reviewed further due to spacing criteria.
Grading: The existing grades through this site vary from an elevation 988' high
point near Ferndale and CSAH 42 to a 904` elevation at the shores of Prior Lake.
In between these high and low points, the large wetland in the middle of the plat
includes a normal water level of 930. A ridge exists at the Carriage Hills roadway
location. Water drains south to Prior Lake from this ridge and north and east
north of Carriage Hills Parkway.
Mass grading is proposed for the site to facilitate roadways and house pads within
the plat. In general, the grading appears appropriate for the development. Be-
cause of the way this property was originally divided north to south, the long and
narrow Copper Cove parcel required careful analysis of the grades so that the
grading links to the adjacent vacant property to the west and allows for future
development. The Developer has shown possible roadway elevations for the par-
cel to the west to show how future street connections could occur. This infor-
mation is helpful and is satisfactory in showing the future roadway connections
and ghost platting. It is undetermined how these proposed roadway grades will
affect house styles for the adjacent property. The proposed grades north of the
large wetland require redundant sanitary sewer discussed in the next section of
the report.
Sanitary Sewer/Water Mains/Storm Sewer: Sanitary sewer and water is avail-
able to the site along Ferndale Avenue. An existing trunk sanitary sewer and
watermain easement exists through the Copper Cove property and to the west
along the lake connecting the Shore Trail area to Beach Street. This plat pro-
poses a watermain connection at Hampton Street, Ash Circle, Carriage Hills, and
Shore Trail. These connections are appropriate.
The storm sewer for the plat is proposed to drain to three ponding areas created
within the plat. Pond 1 would serve the area north of the large wetland and is
placed between Street 1 and CSAH 42. This ponding system outlets to the wet-
land to the west which ultimately drains west along CSAH 42. Pond 2 is located
north of Carriage Hills Parkway south of the large wetland. It serves the street
network in these areas of the plat and includes a large infiltration cell. The outlet
for Pond 2 is to the east through a series of wetland areas. Pond 3 is located
south of Carriage Hills Parkway and north of Street 7. Pond 3 currently outlets to
the City storm sewer pipe in this area which flows to Prior Lake.
The hydrology for the Copper Cove plat has several significant issues which are
not yet resolved as of the date of this report. The northern portion of the site
drains to the west and ultimately to Pike Lake. Rate control requirements are not
met by the current plan submittal, specifically for the southern portion of the site
that drains to Prior Lake; the applicant may be submitting additional information
that may satisfy the rate control requirements, but this information has not been
received as of the date of this report. To meet volume control requirements, an
infiltration basin is proposed. Required soils testing and design information show-
ing how this infiltration basin will function have also not been received.
The wetland types were reviewed as a part of the project. When routing storm -
water through existing wetlands, certain wetland types require more protection,
based on their quality and existing function. A significant error in the last submittal
regarding the wetlands will change several of the critical comments regarding
stormwater management for the wetlands, including allowable inundation peri-
ods. At the time of this report, updated information on wetland inundation re-
quirements has not been received.
A sanitary sewer connection is proposed at Shore Trail, Carriage Hills, and the
south Ash Circle and Ferndale intersection. The development proposes a sani-
tary sewer line along Ferndale between Ash Circle north and Ash Circle south.
Due to the grades proposed for the area north of the wetland, the developer can't
connect to the existing sanitary sewer system at the northern intersection at Fern-
dale and Ash. Looking at the overall sanitary sewer system and the grades pro-
posed by the developer for this area north of the wetland, the most efficient way
to serve this property would be from the west. A sanitary sewer line at Rolling
Oaks and CSAH 42 provides a more direct connection to the sewer interceptor
which flows north to the Blue Lake Wastewater Treatment Facility. However, the
property to the west and a portion of Rolling Oaks must first be served with sani-
tary sewer to extend the sanitary sewer to this portion of the Copper Cove project.
As proposed, this project would construct a 200 foot segment of redundant sani-
tary sewer that the City would need to maintain in perpetuity. The City Council
has preliminarily reviewed the Capital Improvement Plan and has proposed to
include reconstruction of Rolling Oaks which would provide sanitary sewer to the
property to the west. Once this sanitary sewer is constructed, it would be availa-
ble for development of the western parcel. Without the connection on Rolling
Oaks, redundant or deep sanitary sewer would be needed to serve the property
west of Copper Cove. Since the northern portion of the plat is proposed to be a
second phase of construction, the developer is proposing to connect to the west
if the pipe is available. If it is not available, the developer suggests a one-time
contribution to the City for the perpetual maintenance for this redundant pipe seg-
ment.
The Copper Cove development proposes to maintain the existing sanitary sewer
and watermain along the north shore of Prior Lake and within backyard lots pro-
posed with the Copper Cove and the ghost plat of the adjacent parcel to the west.
The City requests the developer to relocate these facilities to be contained within
the nearest adjacent streets. These backyard utilities are difficult to maintain due
to the yard grades, trees, and future amenities built by lot owners. The City of
Prior Lake maintains many of these types of backyard utilities; however, the prob-
lems associated with these easements are numerous. Lot owners find it difficult
to understand the easement restrictions and sometimes build over the easements
anyway. At some point when the City needs to maintain the utilities, these fea-
tures must be removed. The grades in this area are also a challenge to mainte-
nance crews in bringing equipment to access manholes for maintenance of the
system. The proposed right-of-way and depth of the trunk facilities will increase
due to the movement of the utilities into the proposed street. However, over the
long term, staff anticipates reduced time for maintenance as well as time associ-
ated with dealing with residents on building issues within this backyard easement
area. The City would pay a portion of the cost of this trunk sanitary sewer system
movement through oversizing for this development. The oversizing calculation
will be performed at the final plat stage after a design has been reviewed. In
general, the City pays oversizing for depth increases and pipe size increases of
trunk systems. The current plat does not show the movement of these utilities to
the street. As proposed, development to the west would perpetuate the place-
ment of sanitary sewer within backyard areas.
Tree Replacement/Landscapina: There are many significant trees on the site.
The tree inventory identified 25,689 significant caliper inches of trees on the site.
Up to 35% of the significant caliper inches may be removed for house pads and
driveways. Any removal above these amounts requires tree replacement at a
rate of '/2 caliper inches for each inch removed. The proposed plans currently
indicate removal of 11,397 inches for the development and 6,154 inches for pub-
lic infrastructure. Therefore, the plans indicate 1,163 inches of tree replacement.
Fees and Assessment: The development will be subject to all development fees
including trunk utility, park dedication, utility connection fees, a City administration
fee, and a Construction Observation fee at the time Final Flat.
ISSUES: As indicated in comments in this report, City Staff has still has concerns with the
overall development design, particularly in relation to street, utility, stormwater,
and trail design. While the developer has continued to have discussions with City
Staff concerning these issues, there are continued differing viewpoints in the de-
velopment design.
The City and developer met on July 241. As a result of the meeting, K. Hovnanian
has proposed additional changes to the plat to address some of the significant
issues. Correspondence regarding the meeting items is attached to the report.
The plans depicting the changes proposed were received on July 3111, 2013.
Staff has not had an opportunity to fully review these plans to understand the
ramifications of the proposed changes. At first glance, a number of the critical
comments remain unchanged as described above. Therefore, staff would rec-
ommend denial of the plat at this time.
Although the larger 95 acre site is divided in ownership, City Staff feels that many
issues can best be resolved with one combined or two coordinating preliminary
plats moving through the process together. This would allow for the coordination
and likely cost savings related to grading, storm drainage, streets and public util-
ities. While City Staff acknowledges that the current Developer may only have
the ability to propose improvements to the eastern half of the 95 acres through a
purchase agreement with the owner of the east half, City Staff sees significant
opportunities for both sides working together.
ALTERNATIVES: 1. Recommend approval of the Preliminary Plat subject to any listed conditions
as identified by the Planning Commission.
2. Recommend tabling discussion of the item to a future meeting and providing
the developer with specific direction.
3. Recommend denial of the request.
RECOMMENDED City Staff recommends Alternative 3.
MOTION:
EXHIBITS: 1. Location Map
2. Preliminary Plat Plans (7-31/13)
3. Email correspondence between Developer & City Staff (811113)
Copper Cove
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Jeff Matzke
From:
Parks, Jeffrey <JParks@KHOV.COM>
Sent:
Thursday, August 01, 201310:13 AM
To:
Jeff Matzke
Cc;
Clark, Kevin - MN
Subject:
FW: Copper Cove - response comments from 7/24 meeting
Good morning, Mr. Matzke. Thank you for forwarding the information below. We also believe we had a productive
meeting between us last week. We'd like to respond to the points below and have this included in the packets of
information for distribution to the members of the Planning Commission and City Council. K. Hovnanian's comments
and responses are included below in italics text.
Jeff Parks
Division President
K. Hovnanian Homes - Minnesota Division
12701 Whitewater Drive, Suite 120
Minnetonka, MN 55343
jparksO*hov.corn
952-253-0469 direct
952-944-3437 fax
khov.com/mn
From: Jeff Matzke[mailto:jmatzke@cityofpriorlake.com]
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 10:00 AM
To: Clark, Kevin - MN
Cc: Larry Poppler; Dan Rogness; Pete Young
Subject: FW: Copper Cove - response comments from 7/24 meeting
Kevin,
Please review Larry Popper's email below regarding the comments discussed at our meeting this past week. Let us know
if you have any questions.
Thanks.
Jeff Matzke
Planner
Community & Economic Development Dept.
City of Prior Lake
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
phone (952) 447-9814
fax (952) 447-4245
Email imatzke6, citvoforiorlake.com
Think Green. APlease don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. Thank you.
From: Larry Poppler
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 9:56 AM
To: Jeff Matzke
Subject: Copper Cove
Jeff,
On Wednesday we had a productive meeting with K. Hovnanian on the Copper Cove Plat. The critical issues were
discussed with possible solutions. A few of the discussion items brought up questions that needed further review. The
City discussed the Copper Cove development at our DRC meeting on Thursday morning and talked about the issues to
provide clarification.
I. STREET 6 North —The developer discussed the connection of Cardinal Street and had a few questions as well as
questions after the meeting. Our redesigned STREET 6 North complies with the guidelines listed below. Thank
you for providing clarification following our discussion.
a. What vertical separation is needed between the pond elevation and the street elevation? —The City
would like to see a similar pond separation as the low floor of the lots. Since this is a land locked basin
the back to back 100 year elevation should be used in the evaluation.
b. What is the maximum retaining wall height? -- The City does not have a maximum retaining wall height
standard. The City has several retaining walls throughout the City at various heights. In general the City
would like to minimize retaining wall height. The City would prefer grading within the park property to
reduce the retaining wall height even if it is at the expense of tree removal. When grading within the
park, wetland boundary and stormwater storage should be considered.
c. What type of cul-de-sac design should be implemented? - The City standard is for a curbed full
temporary cul de sac unless it is part of phased development. The City would require the full curbed
temporary cul de sac according to the standard. The maintenance challenges of phased development
cul-de-sacs has been an issue for Public Works.
d. Can the City allow a reduced design speed on Cardinal Street? Considering the short low volume nature
of the roadway and the topography, the City would be comfortable with 25 mph horizontal and vertical
curves for Cardinal Street.
e. What width standard should be applied to Cardinal Street? The City Standard is 32 foot wide street back
to back should be used.
2. STREET 6 SOUTH —The developer proposed to limit the connection of the south cul-de-sac to Street 6 to a right
in / right out and to move the cul-de-sac slightly west to provide a greater distance from Ferndale. The other
option involved the removal of the cul-de-sac but required the reduction of two lots. After discussing these
options, the City stands by the requirement to remove the access from Carriage Hills. The ordinance criteria on
major collector streets is clear that the separation distance between intersections is 660 feet. We'd like to make
it clear that we offered to make the certain modifications described above, but respectfully do not believe that
total adherence to this guidance is in the best interest of either us or the City. We believe by making this cul-de-
sac a right -in, right -out only condition, mitigates anypotential traffic flow/safety issues as this cul-de-sac only
serves 4 lots. Further, by eliminating the STREET 6 North cul-de-sac, we believe we have addressed the greatest
concerns raised by the members of the Planning Commission. Our plans, as previously submitted and as now
revised, have lots that all meet the minimum width, depth and area calculations required of its current
zoning. To revise the plans further to both reduce the number of lots and make the remaining lots less desirable
has a long-term result that we believe does not suit the City's best interests, This means fewer homes being
built, and at lower values, which reduces tax revenues and increases the per -lot maintenance costs of the public
infrastructure. We believe that it is in the best interest of both us and the City to provide an efficient design that
creates a highly desirable neighborhood. There has also been no consideration given to the fact that there is no
transition between the neighborhood to the east (where driveways are allowed onto Carriage Hills) and our site
which is being held to a standard of a minimum 660 feet distance between access points. We believe there
ought to be consideration given to a transition from the no distance to 660 foot distance standards.
3. SOUTH SEWER TRUNK PIPE —The developer suggested an alternative design which places the 15" pipe at the
ultimate location without a redundant pipe for the lots within the plat. This proposal suggested that sewage
would be allowed to accumulate within the 15" pipe and overflow to the existing pipe system. The DRC
discussed the implications of this proposal and appreciated the Developer's attempt to think "outside the box"
on this issue. However, the DRC can't approve this proposal considering: Increased maintenance, pipe and
manhole degradation, potential for sewer backups, odors, and unknown timing of western property
development. The DRC suggested the following alternatives in order of preference for the movement of the
trunk pipe. We thought our alternative design suggestion addressed both current and future needs, but
respectfully accept DRC's rejection. That being said, we believe the existing system was intended to serve this
property as designed, and should be utilized in that fashion. This property and the adjoining westerly property
were both placed into the current MUSA because of the existence of this standing infrastructure and we believe it
was also intended to be developed utilizing the current infrastructure. We don't feel that we should be required
to replace a functioning sanitary system that serves many other current users and that has a sufficient remaining
useful life. Further, requiring us to obtain an easement from an adjoining property owner and providing an
outlot for a new temporary sanitary line looping back and reconnecting to this existing system would require the
subsequent loss of a valuable home site on the lakeshore which is unacceptable to us and we believe is not in the
best interest of the City.
a. Obtain an easement from the adjacent property to the west to connect the 15" pipe into the existing
system.
b. Temporary connection of 15" pipe into existing system within the Copper Cove Plat. This requires a
temporary service pipe for several lots.
4. NORTH SEWER PIPE — The City and developer reviewed the possibility of platting a portion of the lots to connect
to the existing sewer system. The remaining lots would be platted as outlot until the pipe to the west is
available. Based on this discussion, 6 lots of the 19 total could be developed with this scenario. The remaining
13 would have to wait for future development. The developer cited that 13 lots is too much to feasibly wait for
future development. They suggested that 6 would be tolerable. The developer also highlighted that the amount
of redundant sewer pipe is only 200 feet because a 250 foot stretch of pipe between Copper Cove and the
western property would not need to be built. The developer offered the following to resolve this issue. 1. If the
western property is developed prior to final platting of this area, they would connect to the pipe to the
west, 2. Developer would pay the City a lump sum (to be determined with final plat) for the life cycle cost of
the redundant pipe. There are concerns regarding the precedential nature of this action. City staff will prepare
an estimate of the life cycle costs. We have agreed that if the western property developed prior to us receiving
a final plat approval on the northerly portion of the site (north of the unique wetland), that we would design this
area to flaw to the west as the City Engineer has suggested. However, we want to be clear that if our final plat
for this area precedes development of the westerly property that we would be allowed to proceed with the final
plat with the pipe below Ferndale as is shown in our current application, which has been termed as
"redundant". We have offered the suggestion that we may make a contribution towards the future maintenance
costs of the "redundant" pipe if it were built, however we had not indicated an outright life cycle cost
obligation. We are awaiting the City staff's analysis of this life cycle cost to be able to ascertain whether it is
something we can accommodate.
5. CR 42 / FERNDALE RIGHT IN / RIGHT OUT—The developer suggested that the Ferndale conversion to right in /
right out be delayed until the phase of construction which provides the Ferndale connection to the plat or the
development north of the unique wetland. Developer suggested that development of street 3 east of street 4
would be part of a future phase. The DRC found this proposal to be acceptable as new development traffic
would not access the Ferndale / CR 42 intersection. The County will be consulted on this issue for a final
determination. We will continue to work with City staff and the County for the final determination as to when
this modification would be implemented.
6. SHORE TRAIL/STREET 7 --The developer indicated that they would revise the intersection to the "t -intersection"
as recommended by the City. The retaining wall height will be minimized as much as possible. Developer
suggested that the retaining wall height would be reduced by one foot of height from an earlier design. The DRC
found this acceptable. Our revised plans reflect this modification.
7. HYDROLOGY -- The hydrology for this site has been a moving target due to the plat changes through the
process. The final hydrology can not be determined until the plat changes are complete. The developer
suggested that the final hydrology will meet City rules once the final design is completed. Because of the
landlocked nature of the wetland east of the plat, additional infiltration is needed to comply with City rules. A
bypass will be installed for the wetland to the north to comply with the comments on hydrology. Final
hydrology has been resubmitted with our latest modifications and meets all city and county criteria.
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8. TRAIL AROUND UNIQUE WETLAND —This item was not discussed at the meeting with the developer. However,
City Staff stand by the comments regarding a trail connection around the wetland. It is acknowledged, that
movement of lots and streets would be required to place the trail around the wetland because of the slopes in
the area. Respectfully, we believe that we accommodated this request and adequately addressed this issue at
our last Planning Commission meeting with revisions that show an additional trail section on the easterly side of
the unique wetland, along with an observation lookout area. Our design preserves the natural amenity. While
not a requirement in your ordinances, we have listened and addressed this request in a thoughtful and
environmentally sensitive manner while also providing the community at large the opportunity to enjoy this
natural asset.
9. PLANS -- Developer suggested that interim plans and not a full submittal package will be provided to the City for
evaluation prior to the August 5111 Planning Commission meeting. A ful[ submittal will be provided for review
prior to the City Council meeting. The DRC is concerned that the amount of changes may have ramifications to
the plat which may involve new issues which have not been identified at this time. Timely submittal of plans is
critical for a full evaluation prior to preliminary plat approval. City Staff require a minimum of two weeks for a
proper review due to current workload. Considering the above items and changes proposed by the Developer
to address these items, the staff recommendation could change as a result. The Developer should consider a
brief delay in taking this item back to the Planning Commission, so that these items can be fully worked out
before the public meetings. A full submittal package has been submitted for staff review. Although we
acknowledge that staff may not have enough time before the August 51h Planning Commission meeting to review
in full detail, we stili want this item to be heard and decided upon at the Planning Commission on 8/5, even if
with conditions that a more detailed review be completed in advance of the anticipated City Council meeting on
August .12th. We respectfully want the City Council to have the opportunity to be fully informed, and if they feet
necessary, to continue to the following council meeting on August 261 prior to their rendering a decision on this
application.
We look forward to the opportunity to partner with the City of Prior Lake to make this desirable community a reality. We
also want to thank staff for their continued cooperation and collaboration.
Please forward this information to the Copper Cove Development team.
Larry Poppler
City Engineer/ Inspections Director
City of Prior Lake
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
952-447-9832