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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-14-Argonnne Village CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE April 14, 2004 ITEM #1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order in the Council Chambers at City Hall at 6:05 PM. ITEM #2. Roll call. Present were Committee Members J. Berg, P. Messinger, T. Goodwin, R. Boldus, J. Volimas and H. Lovelace. Also present were Parks and Recreation Director Steve Michaud, Environmental Resources Coordinator Mac Cafferty and Recording Secretary Pat Vinje. ITEM #7. Argonne Village preliminary plat. United Properties proposes development of a 36.39 acre commercial subdivision to be known as Argonne Village. It is located on the southeast corner of County Road 50 across from Juniper Path. There are no park requirements for this development. Certain wetlands will be preserved and th potential greenway spaces will provide a trail connecting 175 Street cross-country to County Road 50 south of the site. United Properties has purchased several properties to accommodate this project. Bruce Carlson, United Properties Vice President of Retail Development, presented an overview of the project to the committee. United Properties began working on their plans for this site in May 2001. The site will include a grocery anchor and 30,000 square feet of retail shop space. The project included acquisition of 12 properties which included seven houses. Dan Parks, Westwood Professional Services, spoke of the grading design and existing wetlands. He indicated the existing wetland located north of the site would be expanded from its current size. Ed Hastek, Senior Landscape Planner, summarized the tree preservation plan. There are 1,553 trees which are 6? or larger of which 142 trees will be saved. Grading of the site results in a low number of saved trees. An additional 68 trees will be saved following revision of the grading plan of the wetland mitigation area. Also, 25 trees can be removed from the site and transplanted to another City location or brought back onto the site at a cost of $5,000. Another option for restoring trees on site would be purchasing tree stock from a nursery at a cost of $9,000. Nursery stock would come with a guarantee vs. no guarantee of survival of replanting existing trees. Committee member Berg asked how the loss of trees is addressed. Staff responded the tree preservation plan is individually assessed. Member Goodwin asked what measures were taken with the grading plan to preserve trees. Mr. Carlson answered the slope and dirt was addressed and 25% of the site will be greenspace. Member Goodwin inquired if there were any locations that do not need grading. Mr. Carlson answered no. Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee Page 2 April 14, 2004 Staff added there are limited options to save trees and greenspace. It is the intent to have a good landscaping plan for the Hoppe property, a possible land donation consisting of a beautiful knoll with large oak trees. Member Berg asked about the 150,000 ? 200,000 cubic yards of dirt which would be removed from the site. Staff indicated there are locations throughout Lakeville to fill in with dirt. Member Volimas asked how many trees are oak. The response was approximately 300 are oak and maple with possibly half being oak. Volimas then asked how many trees would be planted. Mr. Parks indicated the City will dictate a tree plan per ordinance with a approximately 150 trees being restored around the perimeter and 100 near the wetland. Mr. Carlson explained United Properties has donated $2 million toward road improvements in addition to eliminating well and septic systems on the site. He added this is not an easy site to work with. United Properties staff have gone through great pain to identify and save trees. Member Goodwin responded 25 trees saved is not significant. Member Messinger stated additional trees, as part of the final landscape plan, will also be planted. Mr. Parks stressed the slope of the site and curb set of County Road 50 th and the relocated 175 Street does not allow the site to leave areas ungraded. Staff spoke of the intersections of 35W/Co. Rd. 50, 35W/Co. Rd. 60, 35W/Co. Rd. 70 zoned as commercial. The development of this site addresses the transportation issue which has been a concern for a long time. Member Volimas asked if it was possible to group trees together versus spacing them apart? Mr. Carlson answered groups of trees are preferred and that will be shown in the final landscape plan. Member Goodwin added a natural look in the plan is preferred. Staff complimented United Properties on the site plan with respect to the good job done minimizing the impact on the wetlands. 04.13 Motion by Messinger and seconded by Volimas to recommend City Council considerapproval of Argonne Village preliminary plat including a cash contribution to satisfy the park dedication requirement which will be determined during the final plat process. The developer is required to construct appropriate 8-foot concrete sidewalks along County Road 50, additional pedestrian circulation Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee Page 3 April 14, 2004 throughout the development including sidewalks along the proposed cul- de-sac east of the site. In addition, the developer is required to follow the natural resources requirement detailed in the Planning and Engineering reports associated with tree preservation, grading, drainage and erosion control and further recommendations by the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, if applicable. The committee further recommends review of the grading plan in an effort to save additional trees, review of the landscaping plan to ensure a natural and attractive layout, and recommendation that the 25 trees that are to be removed from the site to be placed back on site or placed off site such as within City parks. Ayes ? 6 Nays ? 0 Motion passed.