[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right we'll call the meeting to order uh good evening and welcome to the January 18th 2024 meeting of the minaka Planning Commission the commission generally meets on the 1 and third Thursdays of the month the schedule and tentative agendas can be obtained by calling the planning department or by checking the city website at minaka mn.com scov the commission holds public hearings on land use applications from a specific process standpoint that means we make recommendations to the city council on rezoning subdivisions conditional use permits and amendments to the city's comprehensive plan zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations we also also make final decisions on site plans signage requests and variance requests and expansion permits unless these requests are part of an application that must be heard by the city council in that case the commission makes a recommendation and the council makes the final decision the city notifies Property Owners within at least 400 ft of the sites post signs on the properties and places notices in the Lakeshore Weekly News and the manka memo any agreed party May appeal a final Planning Commission decision to the city council if you wish to appeal you must submit a written request to the city within 10 days of this meeting from a broader standpoint the city's Conference of plan zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations are the city's best efforts to codify a balance between individual rights and Community responsibilities individual rights are easy to understand Community responsibilities are more subtle but the idea is that we as members of the community agree to limit our individual rights for the common good of the group The planing Department the planing commission and the city council are charged with managing the sometimes difficult bouncing act we ask you keep this broader perspective in mind as we review tonight's applications again welcome uh staff please call Ro Banks here Hansen here Henry is excused Maxwell here Powers here Waterman here Cher Su here there are six of us seated here tonight uh next up on the agenda is approval of the agenda and I believe there is a change memo yes chair commission there is a change memo for tonight so item 8A was uh posted uh with the agenda that went out last week uh this is the Nash res residence um this week after the packet was distributed they decided to withdraw their application so that is off of the agenda is item 8A and just one item tonight 8B moves to 8A sounds good thank you uh recognizing the change memo would someone like to make a motion to approve the agenda I'll make that motion motion Powers a second second Banks all those in favor signify by saying I I I motion carries next is approval of minutes from the January 4th 2024 meeting uh Commissioners any changes to those minut minutes doesn't look like it's all right then I'll take a motion to approve the minutes I will make that motion uh motion Hansen I'll second second Maxwell all those in favor signify by saying I I I motion carries next up is report from staff yeah chair and commission just a few things uh tonight uh we had a council meeting um on the 8th of January uh kind of a short uh meeting for Planning Commission items we had we had a change in our our fees uh this year across the board for cities so just application fees uh for land use applications uh which were last really adjusted in 2016 uh uh we um were adjusted uh so that you don't you don't see that you don't take action or make a recommendation to council but know the fees for the Landy applications that you do review went up a little bit for some of those areas uh so that was approved and the other thing on the agenda was the Covington Road accessory dwelling unit um uh which was also approved so pretty straightforward agenda for the um uh January 8th's can I ask a quick question about the fees was that across the board like a x per I assume increase or was it kind of item by item um so we uh we have a little bit of a u methodology for like our land use fees on like the actual time that we put into review of a typical application so uh we adjusted all of our inputs to those to bring the numbers up because it had been you know eight eight more than eight years eight years I guess yeah so those got adjusted and then other fees just reflected like building code uh changes uh per statute okay um and then other fees just for licensing and things like that were part of that fees ordinance as well so just kind of adjustments and each has their own methodology for kind of how they're calcul okay sounds good thanks um okay so then just a few other items um one I wanted to uh say from staff thank you to our uh outgoing commissioner uh commissioner John Powers um John has been a commissioner since October 15th of 2015 if if that number makes sense hard to believe was it 20 or 1950 it was in the 1800s so John came to us as as happens with uh Commissioners you know um begging and pleading put me on the commission for goodness sakes John John was a known commodity in minaka um meaning he had served the city in a role as a as kind of a real estate adviser for City properties for a number of years and we had a commissioner that had left and needed a spot filled because there were a number of items coming up on Planning Commission agenda items so um he was he was you know a known commodity we didn't really have a pool of people at that time that had previously interviewed and were available and John was tapped on the shoulder I've never been a known Commodities you a known commodity seems kind very well respected yes so he was appointed to the Planning Commission his first meeting was October 15th of 2015 right and that um that started a course that was um that may not be repeated and what I mean is John had served out the term of a commissioner and then he started on his two-year uh four cycle appointment tour so in total John attended 150 Planning Commission meetings and that's that's his attendance numbers 150 meetings over eight years and and three months and if you do the calculus on what John read during that course of time it was almost a thousand land use applications yeah it's an amazing it it might never be exceeded and you know and you know the Pyramid of uh importance or whatever they call it I still don't know it so can we go through that tonight if there's time yeah no it's it's been a great run um what can I tell you when I first sat down here the first time I sat down I was sitting in the chair where actually where Matt Henry would be sitting this evening and uh they called attendance and I said yes I mean my voice was like three octaves higher I was so afraid and Julie wish knock was sitting right there and she shakes she looks at me and she shakes her head uh-uh that's not what we say we say here she's lipping you know she's telling me so I went immediately you know got shy again and then just said okay here you know and so began my work and uh it's been an honor for me of course to work alongside all of you and then the ones that came before you um I know I bring a lot of experience now to the Planning Commission but I'm leaving it in good hands and I have every confidence that the city will be uh well served by whoever replaces me for sure and hopefully they'll be young and full of spunk and you know whoever that is they'll bring a new vision you know to the table because you all have as we all know whenever a a a person comes before us with their project you we all come at it from different angles so we don't have to be repetitious uh amongst ourselves we've teamed up very well this is a very strong team of people led by Josh of course and and so I just I think the city is so much better off this is the last level of governance that I kind of thought about this the other day there's the last level of governments where strictly volunteer I mean there's no hidden agendas really I mean you can't have they can't the citizen we can't wag their fingers at us and say you're doing it just for the money or you were bought or whatever you know because we're busy eating you know peanut butter filled pretzels behind the scenes and that's our dinner sometimes you know and so it's it's just been a great run I love the city you know I just love the city so much and I walk around it now and wherever I go I see projects that I touched and I helped influence and it's nice even if you're just a small voice which is what I am and so that's about all I can say thank you I just I and Laur you know watching you and learning from you and Susan uh it's really a study you don't see it but when I'm sitting here listening to you I'm learning and I've been learning for eight years um you've taught me a lot of things that when I go out into the world and I'm just kind of viewing things I I often wondered when I was a kid how do cities go together I honestly did I would wonder why does the why is the barber shop next to the laundromat next to the butcher you know next to a house and I Now understand how that goes together if it goes together well and it takes I know this sounds silly and very punished but it takes good planning and I so my hat's off to you thank you for teaching me what it means to be a good planner to both of you thank you Susan great thank you um we've moved on I think to report from planning Commissioners anything to add commissioners yeah commissioner Waterman well i' just like to add John I mean I I'll definitely miss you I think you've done an amazing job helping improve the city uh as as a volunteer it's quite a record there uh big shoes to fill here on the Planning Commission for sure I've certainly learned a lot from you uh especially just as you say we we each come at things from different angles and a lot of times we didn't agree and there were definitely many many times I'm like okay I didn't think about it that way um I never thought anybody could take as many notes as you take I I I am a note taker think that was even humanly possible yeah drives drives are insane but I think part of your legacy here I would say is like I I feel like you know there'll be the seven of us going forward and I could there'll definitely be situations where certainly I'll approach something I'll be like okay well here here's my opinion but what would what would commissioner Powers have to say and I I have a feeling a few other people might as well that's very kind of you to say um don't be a stranger you know the meetings are open to the public Standing Room only I have a fourcc car garage I want to get a Varian for that's why you've been doing this so we'll miss you thank you I'll miss you as well thank you anything else Dad I'll jump in I not as a not so much as a planning commissioner but as a human being I just um when I like to be that guy that says what's one word that describes this human being and so for me John that word is genuine about you um you take a true interest in in in people and where they come from and and their background and what their interests are and you become by virtue of that genuine approach to day-to-day you become a glue a glue guy so like you hold you hold this group together and um you become a friend to people and you are a friend um yeah and so like I look forward to getting we've grabbed coffee um so I just appreciate your friendship and some of the wisdom you share and and uh and just honestly the genuine and curiosity which you approach your days through that lens is is uh remarkable so just want to say thank you thank you and thank you my friend great any other final comments yeah commissioner Banks I'll keep it brief um but just want to add on to that you know John is it really has been a pleasure um being a part of this team with you and um getting to know you you know both professionally and personally outside of the commission um you know you exhibit great leadership and so when I join the commission and I sit here and get to hear all the different ideas and the comments um it's always great to to hear hear how you you lead with um you know your experience your skill set and and you know just your honesty when you're committing uh making comments to you know our um you know applicants or uh anyone who's in the audience speaking and so that's one of the things that I think I've picked up from you and hopefully can uh continue to grow in that area but it's been great to see W so thank you great working with you thanks yeah been great working with you all right I think we're about done with the John po Love Fest but uh the Love Fest is over yeah the honeymoon is over but I just want to say thank you John too um I would say I'm going to miss you but I won't because I see you all the time I see John out in if you live in the city of motanka you keep your eyes peeled you're going to see John I promise whether you like pancakes there you're going to see John in fact I see John sometimes he doesn't even know outside the city I've seen him a couple times passing and driving in his car will pass each other oh there's Sean uh so but I I just want to say uh kind of like Alex said you you bring a lot to the playing commission you definitely make it interesting and more fun so um you're not my longest friend but you definitely are my oldest friend if that if that uh makes you feel better but yeah you've done a lot uh for me and I love your perspective again it's fun even when we don't agree it's I still I always look forward to hearing what you have to say so um I'm sure that will continue just now your wife is the only one that has to hear so either way thank you for thank you for your service above and beyond for the city I can't think of too many people who do and have done more for the city than than you especially on the volunteer basis as long as I haven't done it to the city that's right not yet not yet so thank you John thank you Jos all right um moving on before we begin consideration of the non-consent agenda items I'd like to review the steps in the process and the public hearing procedure that will be followed for each proposal first the item will be announced and the staff will report on the subject the commission will then ask questions next the applicant will be invited to make a presentation or offer comments Commissioners may ask additional questions at this time after the applicant is finished the public hearing will be open to give anyone present the opportunity to comment on the proposal if you wish to speak please come to the podium state your name and address for the record we ask you to keep your comments brief and try not to repeat points already made once everyone has spoken we may allow speakers to return for additional comments at Large meetings I don't think that's going to apply tonight uh neighborhood spokes people are encouraged and will be given up to 15 minutes to present the public hearing will be closed and no further comments will be allowed the commission will discuss the proposal and make a decision uh the first item on tonight's agenda is item8 what is now 8 a was 8 B uh preliminary plat of uh oberg Estates a two lot subdivision at 2203 Oakland Road uh and Miss Thomas I think this is your item yes thank you chair uh this property is a just over 2 Acre Site located on the uh east side of Oakland Road excuse me one minute it contains a home that was originally built in 1939 as well as a variety of natural features uh including uh two Wetlands on the Northerly portion of the site uh Associated flood plane areas and over 200 trees primarily Ironwood Oak as well as some ash trees the owners are proposing to remove that existing home and then divide the property uh into two lots to accommodate those home sites the existing null on which the house sits now um would be lowered from two to 2 six feet and then excavation would also occur in the front and rear yards to accommodate the required uh storm water facilities basically rain Gardens in those areas that work to to locate homes to build those required facilities anticipated to result in removal of about 25% of the site's high priority trees and 18% of the significant trees and as the commission knows that's those numbers are well below uh what the tree uh protection ordinance would actually allow for removal staff does support approval of the lap division for two reasons the first I already noted uh that it does meet the tree ordinance standards and secondly the Lots themselves hopefully we'll come into Focus here um the Lots themselves uh would meet and exceed all of the uh area and dimension standards for R1 Zone Lots so with that extraordinarily brief uh presentation I will uh turn it back to the chair with a recommendation that you you uh recommend approval of this subdivision with that list of conditions as outlined in the resolution great thank you for the brief presentation uh Commissioners any questions for staff all right doesn't look like it uh if the applicant would like to come forward and make a statement or offer any type of presentation you're more than welcome to all right all right doesn't look like it commissioner Powers this is about as easy as it's going to get all right I dare you to come up here it's my last meeting all right so um all right I guess not well we will move along and open the public hearing if anyone would like to come forward and comment on this item feel free to give us your name and address for the record and seeing no big rush for the podium we will close the public hearing uh Commissioners any comments or questions well based on the vast public comments I have no comments other than I'm fully in favor this I drove over to the site and took a look at it and it makes great sense to me so I I'd go for it all right it meets all the requirements that we ask of a a subdivision so I'd go for it you're getting lazy in your last meeting here John uh I yes I am yes I am uh commission's any other thoughts or comments doesn't look like it's U one just comment I have is on the uh northernmost lot um it looks like the driveway potentially would curve around and you'd pull into a garage from I know these are just placeholders would pull into a garage from the north and we I might challenge that because we've seen the challenges with some of the those kind of wraparound garages and driveways so that might just be one when the application or building plans come through that might be one that I would just recommend finding a way to have to not do that and and chair uh that particular configuration is just simply making use of the existing driveway um and so if someone wanted to to do that um but certainly um we would review any new building permit these are as you said just placeholders and um so the configurations May certainly change perfect just uh an observation based on recent discussions that we've been having so uh Commissioners any other comments I don't think so um all right with that would someone like to make a motion uh to recommend the city council adopt the resolution approving the plat of or Estates a twoot subdivision at 22 203 Oakland Road I would like to make that motion to finish off my career looks like it's going to be a wonderful project motion by commissioner Powers I'll not only that I would how you mute the mics again all right uh I I will second please motion by Powers second uh by commissioner Hansen staff please pull the commission Banks yes Hansen yes Maxwell yes Powers yes Waterman yes Cher Su yes motion carries uh and this is a recommendation that will be heard by the city council on January 29 is that the right date the 29th y okay correct for some reason I had the dates wrong in my head on the 29th uh good luck with the project um and before we move on to item number nine we do usually take these meetings more seriously than this this this happens to be a lighter one and uh a big one for us as a team so just want to put that in the record so uh with that commissioner Powers would you like to make the motion to adjourn no I would not okay would someone else like to make the motion you're still going have to vote on I would like to I will make that motion I want to talk about all right motion by Hansen uh second by Maxwell all those in favor signified by saying I I I I'm opposed motion still carries good night [Music]