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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 20, 2003 Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20. 2003 Page 77 of 84 McKinnon: Okay. Thank you. Zaremba: The second accepts the amendment. Borup: Motion and second. Any other discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Thank you. MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES. Item 9. Public Hearing: AZ 02-032 Request for annexation and zoning of 5.0 acres from RUT to R-2 zones for proposed Northbridge Subdivision by Centennial Development, LLC - west of North Meridian Road on West Ustick Road: Item 10. Public Hearing: PP 02-035 Request for Preliminary Plat approval of 5 building lots and 4 other lots on 5.0 acres in a proposed R-2 zone for proposed Northbridge Subdivision - west of North Meridian Road on West Ustick Road: Borup: Public Hearing AZ 02-032, request for annexation and zoning of five acres from RUT to R-2 zones for the proposed Northbridge Subdivision by Centennial Development, LLC. This is west of Meridian Road and off of Ustick. We'd like to open that Public Hearing at this time and also we'd like to open Public Hearing PP 02-035, request for Preliminary Plat on the same parcel. Kirkpatrick: Chairman, Members of the Commission, again, this is an application for Northbridge Subdivision and annexation and zoning of five acres from RUT, the property is currently located in Ada county, to R-2, which is a rural residential district zoning and Preliminary Plat approval of five building lots and four other lots, and a miscellaneous application for a private road. I will go ahead and put that -- all right. The surrounding land uses are to the north we have West Ustick Road and to the north of Ustick Road is zoned L-O. To the south we have Salisbury Lane Subdivision, which is zoned R-4. To the east we have rural residential development zoned RUT located in Ada county. To the west we have rural agricultural property zoned RUT, also in Ada county. The Strausser Farms Subdivision zoned R-4. Meridian Road borders Strausser Farms Subdivision to the west. I will highlight what -- a couple of the major issues that you're going to hear. Staff is recommending approval. Probably the primary issue we will talk about this evening -- the applicant is proposing that the road be designated a private road. Staff is recommending that this either be made a public road or a private road meeting all public road standards, including drainage. And we are also recommending that the applicant provide a stub to the western portion of the property. Are there any questions of staff? Borup: Go ahead. Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20. 2003 Page 78 of 84 Zaremba: I'm sorry. Would the stub be satisfied by tweaking the traffic circle that's at the end to touch the property line, so that it eventually could be connected? Kirkpatrick: As long as it is 50-foot wide, yes. Zaremba: Well, I, actually, would enlarge it, but -- you have this -- I'm focusing on the little bulb that's at the south end of it here. Kirkpatrick: Yes. Zaremba: If it either were enlarged or twisted just a little bit, so that this side actually contacted the property line. Freckleton: Commissioner Zaremba, that is what staff is proposing. Zaremba: Oh. Okay. Freckleton: That would basically turn into a gO-degree corner with a knuckle. Zaremba: Yes. Freckleton: Yes. Zaremba: Okay. Freckleton: More or less just follow the alignment of the sewer and water that you have got shown there. Zaremba: Okay. Borup: A clarification on the staff approval. You had said either a private road to public standards or a public road. Didn't ACHD recommend a public road with modified design criteria? Kirkpatrick: Correct. Borup: And that's still -- Kirkpatrick: And we support that. Borup: Okay. Zaremba: Well -- and I would support that also. If this is going to become a stub street and eventually connect to another subdivision it needs to be a public road. MeridIan Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20. 2003 Page 79 of 84 Centers: And, Mr. Chairman, from what I read, any private road is direct to the City Council and we have no involvement in that. It was clarified by the Planning and Zoning that this application is to go to City Council only. That was MI 02-013. And that was with a private road, wasn't it? Borup: We don't have the applicant here to -- Centers: Right so why are we talking about the private road? We either approve it with a public road or nothing. Borup: Yes. Well, that's what I feel. Centers: Yes. Borup: We can approve a public road as modified. Centers: Right. Borup: Okay. Centers: And, then, if they want to go to a private road, then, they make their appeal there direct to the City Council. Correct? Okay. Borup: Would the applicant like to make their presentation? Amar: M r. P resident, Commissioners, Kevin A mar, 114 East Idaho in Meridian. The decision on a public or private road was determined yesterday when ACHD wouldn't allow us to do an alternative design standard that has not been allowed in the past. Borup: They would not allow it? Amar: In the past they would not. Borup: Oh. Amar: They made an exception for us yesterday. The hearing was yesterday. With that exception, we can go -- or we think we can go public. The question in this area is the high ground water and that was the whole -- the initial thrust to do a private road in the first place. We can meet DEQ's requirements, but DEQ and other agencies don't always agree or see eye to eye and so I think with that, putting that stub street in and as long as we can meet the requirements, obviously, of DEQ, we would be happy to propose this as a public road a nd the alternative design standards. For your information, the alternative design standard would only include a sidewalk on the lot side or the east side of that road, separated from the street and, then, a borrow pit on the rural section -- rural road style, than an urban style. But that's alii want to say. I'll answer questions. Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20. 2003 Page 80 of 84 Borup: So is that designed for the drainage to go to the west or -- entirely or does half the street still drain to the -- does the street still drain both ways, still -- Amar: The street still can drain both ways. This is a section that they started doing in Nampa, putting that borrow ditch to actually get a grass swale and separated sidewalks, and, then, using that area as a runoff retention area. The majority of the runoff, however, would go to that west area. Borup: So you still have to have another drainage area for the other side in addition? Amar: That's what my engineer tells me. Zaremba: What you're talking about is Lot 7 right? Is the drainage? Amar: Yes. This a rea and, 0 bviously, we still have tor edesign tom eet the drainage standards and the -- Zaremba: And that's a common area maintained by the homeowners association? Amar: The homeowners association. Uh-huh. My only concern was going -- if we are doing a public road, I have no concerns with the stub street. I don't want a stub street onto a private road. Borup: Oh, it makes sense to think that a future street would follow that sewer easement anyway. Amar: You would think so. Borup: Any other questions from any Commissioners? Mathes: Is there high groundwater everywhere in the parcel? Amar: The groundwater is about three and a half to four feet. Mathes: How are you going to build houses with high groundwater? Amar: You can elevate the pads. We can also do a -- another way with high groundwater is done with a slab on grade or a cement floor. Mathes: So there is no mold in the foundation. Amar: Exactly. We may think we are in a desert, but there is a lot of water in the ground and so we do have to come up with alternative building methods and one of those is a concrete floor or elevate your building pads where you groundwater is above an unknown elevation. That is something that we are extremely interested in. Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20, 2003 Page 81 of 84 Borup: So there have not been test holes here yet, then? Amar: Yes, there has. That's where we determined the groundwater would be at when we d id the test holes and t hey are monitoring those by Materials Testing. The initial result that we had for the last few rnonths of the irrigation season for the groundwater was about three and a half to -- four feet to three and a half feet deep in this area. In talking to the contractor that developed this subdivision, they had -- the whole area out there has high groundwater. They put in this -- and that was -- when ACHD has different standards and so all of their storm drain pipes are surcharged with water, they always have water i n them a nd a Iways will have water i n t hem a nd A CH D does n ot allow that anymore. Not only do we have high groundwater and mold problems, the West Nile virus is rapidly approaching also. I think this rnay be -- we will see how it works in here and in Nampa, but this may be something that could be considered on other areas of Meridian that does have high groundwater. Freckleton: Mr. Chairman? If I could maybe add to that just a little bit, just for informational purposes. When Mr. Amar speaks of the DEQ BMP's, the requirement as it stands right now is three foot of separation from the bottom of the drainage swales that he would have here -- from the bottom of those swales you have to have at least three feet of separation to the high groundwater mark. The City of Meridian also requires that the streets centerline finish grade is a rninimurn of three feet above the high groundwater elevation. The purpose of that three foot from finish center line grade is that by the time you grade the lot back and, then, you have your foundation wall and your footing, you're going to be at least a foot above that groundwater mark. That's our goal is to have at least a foot above, so -- Amar: I consider it quite a bit of confidence. If we are only a foot above that groundwater, it will be a concrete floor. I can't take the risk of letting mold be in this area on any of my subdivisions. That would be a bad thing. Centers: Not many concrete slabs in this -- Amar: There are a lot. We have done a few of thern in Nampa and they have worked out fine. People seem to be adverse to them until they go to a basement and they don't think about it, that a basement is a concrete slab. You build it on the first floor and that's a bad thing, but if you build it in the basement they seem to be okay with it. I can tell stories, but I don't think any of us want to hear stories. Borup: Any other questions? Amar: Very good. Thank you. Borup: I don't think we are going to take any other testimony. There is no one else in the audience. They have all gone home. Zarernba: Mr. Chairman, I move the Public Hearing on both these items be closed. Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting February 20, 2003 Page 82 of 84 Centers: Second. Mathes: Second. Borup: Motion and second to close the Public Hearing. All in favor? MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES. Borup: Well, again, this is probably one of those subdivisions that doesn't meet the minimurn lot standards. Zaremba: All right. Then, Mr. Chairman, I move that we forward to the City Council recommending approval of AZ 02-032, request for annexation and zoning of 5.0 acres from RUT to R-2 zones for proposed Northbridge Subdivision by Centennial Development, LLC, west of North Meridian Road on West Ustick Road, to include all staff comments. Mathes: Second. Borup: Motion and second. All those in favor? Any opposed? MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES. Zaremba: Mr. Chairman, I move we forward to the City Council recornmending approval PP 02-035, request for Preliminary Plat approval of five building lots and four other lots on 5.0 acres in a proposed R-2 zone for proposed Northbridge Subdivision, west of North Meridian Road on West Ustick Road, to include all staff comments, and the decision made that it will be a public road and stubbed to the west at the turn around. Rohm: Second. Borup: We need a second. Did we hear a second? Rohm: Second. Borup: I'm sorry. Motion and second. All in favor? Any opposed? MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES. Borup: Thank you. Centers: Mr. Chairman? Borup: Yes.