A regular meeting/public hearing of the Planning Commission of Alexandria Township was held on the 24th day of February, 2014 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
Roll Call: Commission members present were Julie Haar, Larry Steidl and Linda Dokken-McFann. Also present were Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk, and Ben Oleson, Township Zoning Administrator. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Steidl at 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Haar, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Minutes: Dokken-McFann, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 01/27/2014 meeting as written. Motion carried. Haar abstained.
Commissioner Dropik joined the meeting.
Chairman Steidl recessed the regular meeting to open the public hearing.
Public Hearing: Preliminary Plat application of Rock Acres submitted by Tim and Sandy Rock (Mr. Rock via speakerphone). Also present was their surveyor, Rodney Eldevik. The propert(ies) are located at 1966 and 2044 Liberty Road NE. The applicants are proposing to re-subdivide two 10-acre lots into three lots of 1.75 acres, 5.54 acres and 12.20 acres. Two of the lots would contain existing homes (5.54 acres and 1.75 acres). The third lot would be deemed an “outlot” and encompass the existing farmland on the western portion of the property (12.20 acres).
Zoning Administrator Oleson stated that last August the applicants presented a slightly different version of the preliminary plat which depicted access to the back lot off County Road 73 to the north. That plan was not viable due to easement issues. The current plat depicts access to the back outlot off Liberty Road.
Due to the prohibitive cost of extending the sewer district lines to the propert(ies), last November the applicants applied for a variance to waive this requirement. They were granted the variance with two conditions: 1) the plat was to remain essentially the same, with a large approximate 12-acre back lot and the other two lots having existing homes; and 2) the back lot be considered an outlot that can only be developed with township approval.
We received two letters of input, one from Douglas County Soil and Water District and the other from Douglas County Public Works. The Soil and Water District has indicated that they have no issue with the driveway crossing that wetland. Anything more than that, such as a future public road, for instance, would be a separate matter. The public works director indicated there were two issues: 1) there would need to be 50 feet of right-of-way along Liberty Road (17 feet more than what has been proposed); and 2) the spacing between driveways does not appear adequate according to the county’s “guidelines”. In following up with the public works director, Oleson said the county indicated the spacing requirements are a “guideline” only and that they have, at times, given exception to it.
Oleson recommended that the application be approved with the following conditions:
- The applicant shall dedicate enough land so that there is a full 50 feet of right-of-way along Liberty Road for all three proposed lots;
- The applicant shall submit (prior to final plat approval) more detailed documentation from a licensed SSTS designer indicating where the properties can support two private sewer systems for each lot (current compliance inspections showing a compliant system for each of the two existing systems must also be submitted and can serve as evidence of one available site);
- No construction or placement of structures or other improvements shall take place on Outlot A unless specifically approved by the Township Board; and
- No future subdivision of Outlot A, or Lots 1 and 2, shall be allowed except in conformance with the requirements of the Subdivision ordinance, or other applicable ordinances, in effect at the time. This shall include requirements for connection to public or regional sewer system(s).
Seeing there was no public present, Chairman Steidl closed the public hearing and reconvened the regular meeting.
Dokken-McFann stated she had no problem with the proposed driveway issue.
Dokken-McFann also stated that since there appears to be sufficient documentation indicating where the properties can support two private sewer systems/lot, she would be in favor of not requiring the sewer design be submitted at the time of final plat.
Dropik questioned the wording in the letter from the septic system designer which states: “there should be enough room on this lot for two (2) septic sites as one is existing at this time.” He questioned the use of “this lot”, wondering if it referred to one of the two lots or did it indicate both lots. Mr. and Mrs. Rock stated the wording applied to both lots. Oleson concurred. Mr. Rock also requested that compliance not be tied to this plat. Oleson stated that normally soil borings are linked to compliance, and it appears the soil borings have not yet been done.
Dokken-McFann, seconded by Haar, made a motion to recommend approval of the preliminary plat of Rock Acres with conditions 1, 3 and 4 as stipulated in the staff report; changing condition no. 2 to read: “the applicant shall submit more detailed documentation from a licensed SSTS designer indicating where the properties can support two private sewer systems for each lot (current compliance inspections showing a compliant system for each of the two existing systems must also be submitted and can serve as evidence of one available site). This documentation need not be submitted prior to final plat approval, but must be submitted by the end of May 2014”; and adding another condition, No. 5, to read as follows: “the applicant shall reduce the width of Outlot A along Liberty Road from 80 feet to 66 feet, with the excess 14 feet to be added to the proposed Lot 2.” Roll: Dokken-McFann, Haar, Dropik and Steidl – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Zoning Administrator’s Report: Oleson stated the town had received numerous complaints about a structure being built along the County 23 corridor. The complaints centered on the size of the structure as well as the intent of use. The commission requested Oleson to research language clarifying gambrel style and any other verbage pertaining to “style” as it relates to accessory structures. They also requested definitions for the terms “story” and “breezeway.”
New Business: Deputy Clerk Fulghum reported that Dokken-McFann’s and Haar’s appointments to the planning commission expire this year. Dokken-McFann has expressed interest in re-appointment; Haar has not. The town board will be considering a replacement for Haar at their next meeting. Chairman Steidl to relay the commission’s desire of having a bio on the selected candidate.
Old Business: The training and discussion on the comprehensive plan was tabled until the next meeting. Since this subject has been delayed repeatedly, in part due to time constraints, the commission agreed to lengthen their meetings by ½ hour to accomplish the comprehensive plan update. The next meeting will be dedicated to training and outlining the plan sections for updating.
Adjournment: Being no further business Dokken-McFann, seconded by Dropik, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:36 p.m.
Respectfully submitted…
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Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ___________, 2014
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Larry Steidl, Chairman