Planning Commission Meeting 6 May 2024 - transcription and comments for relevant section of meeting about the first Final Plat proposal by Veridian Homes, developer.
<h1 id="may-2024-planning-commission-meeting">6 May 2024 Planning
Commission Meeting</h1>
<p>[JGS - I’ve edited this transcript to include links to the Legistar
items (shown with italic font <em>Link:</em>) to the three different
(!!) plats, the Original, Legistar #81268, the Preliminary, Legistar
#82733 (Agenda item 8 for this meeting), and the Final, Legistar #82752
(Agenda item 9 for this meeting). Each of these are referenced by
Mr. Parks and each has a <strong>different</strong> plat map, which is
confusing.]</p>
<p>[Planning Commission Chair]</p>
<p>Moving to Agenda Items 8 and 9. Note that these items are related and
will be considered as one public hearing. Following the public hearing
the Plan Commission shall make separate findings and motions on each
agenda item.</p>
<p>Agenda Item 8 Legistar 82733 <a
href="https://madison.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6608210&GUID=5630378B-652F-457A-B85E-DEE6C2276AFD"><em>Link</em></a>
approving the revised Preliminary Plat of Midpoint Meadows on property
addressed as 2150 Marty Road, 7751 Mid Town Road, and 7342-7762 Raymond
Road (Alder District 1) and Agenda item 9 Legistar 82752 <a
href="https://madison.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6609319&GUID=76DE2233-F23E-404A-8DED-5BA7D7BB874C&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=midpoint"><em>Link</em></a>
Approving the Final Plat of Midpoint Meadows at the same location. And
we will have a presentation … information by Tim Parks. Tim you’re
up.</p>
<p>[Tim Parks]</p>
<p>Chair and members of the Planning Commission. Just briefly an
overview. The Preliminary Plat of Midpoint Meadows was originally
approved by the Common Council earlier this year on February 13th [<a
href="https://madison.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6450721&GUID=2995B039-86EA-45D4-8495-23DE37A80D2A&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=81268"><em>Link:Legistar
#81268</em></a>] subject to conditions following a Planning Commission
recommendation of approval on February 5th both of the Original
Preliminary Plat and of a zoning map amendment to provide permanent
zoning for the roughly 101 acres of land that comprise the Midpoint
Meadows subdivision.</p>
<p>One of the conditions of approval was a requirement that the
applicants submit a revised Preliminary Plat for the subdivision with
the first Final Plat that addresses many of the major and outstanding
conditions of the February approval.</p>
<p>The revisions [to the Original Plat] on the current proposed
Preliminary Plat include removal of three private open space out lots
[Original Plat: O.L.3, O.L.4, and O.L.11(??)]. The removal of the
landscape easement along most of the High Point Road frontage [Original
Plat: O.L.4]. And also a slight adjustment to the unit mix in the
development which increased by 3 the number of single family lots from
148 to 151, a slight increase to 98 lots for 49 future two-family twin
homes, and two lots for future multi-family development with an increase
in approx 12 total units between the two lots.</p>
<p>The subdivision also includes a lot for future mixed use and
commercial development [Original Plat: lots #246 and #247, Preliminary
Plat: lots #251 and #252, Final Plat: O.L.4], in CCT zoning, an out lot
[Final Plat: O.L.3] for a private alley that will serve a block of the
two-family twin homes adjacent the corner of … the future corner of Mid
Town and Raymond Roads and its future intersection with High Point Road;
two out lots to manage storm water for the subdivision [Final Plat: O.L.
1 and O.L.2] as well as two out lots for future development [Final Plat:
O.L.5 and O.L.6].</p>
<p>Of note, the two out lots for future development, out lots 5 and 6
east of Marty Road … since this was … since the subdivision was
previously before the Planning Commission the City has entered into
negotiations and a purchase and sales agreement with the subdivider to
acquire the land east of Marty Road within the subdivision, so out lots
5 & 6 which are identified for future development are going to be …
are scheduled to be acquired by the City for Regional Stormwater
Management.</p>
<p>That was something that was on the horizon when the [Original]
Preliminary Plat and rezoning request was before you in February. Since
that time the City has Adopted a resolution approving the purchase and
sales agreement and the negotiations for that, as well as a budget
amendment for the storm water utility to accommodate the acquisition for
that property.</p>
<p>So out lots 5 & 6 are scheduled to be acquired as part of the
City’s acquisition of approximately 72 acres of land which includes land
just north of Mid Town Road outside of Midpoint Meadows subdivision
which is being acquired with that same resolution and agreement for
expansion of Elver Park.</p>
<p>The applicant has also submitted their first Final Plat for approval
which includes most of the Midpoint Meadows subdivision; excludes
however the lot for future mixed use and commercial development
[Original Plat: lots #246 and #247, Preliminary Plat: lots #251 and
#252; Final Plat: O.L.4; one of the two of the big open spaces WEST of
Marty Road, in the Preliminary Plat it’s split by a street into two
plats, in the Final it’s one out lot], and one of the two lots proposed
for multi-family development [Original Plat: lot #245 Preliminary Plat:
lot #252; Final Plat: O.L.4]; there is also a local street which is
shown on the Preliminary Plat as Ridgemont Road which is not being
platted at this time and will instead be platted in a future phase
[i.e., the street is shown on the Original Plat as Old Midtown Road and
Preliminary Plat as Ridgemont Road, but is removed on the Final plat so
that O.L.4 is one contiguous space].</p>
<p>Planning Staff and staff from reviewing agencies have reviewed the
revised Preliminary Plat and proposed Final Plat and believe that the
applicable standards for approval can be met and that the revised
Preliminary Plat addresses certainly the vast majority of the major and
non-standard comments from the February approval. And we believe that
both requests merit approval. I’d be happy to answer questions following
the public hearing.</p>
<p>[JGS - transcription above as exact as I could get it; transcription
below edited for brevity and clarity because there is a lot of formal
language used for these meetings - I’ll note that this part of the
Planning Commission meeting lasted about 8 minutes total of the 1h 45m
meeting.]</p>
<p>[Plan Commission Chair]</p>
<p>Thank you. We have two people … three people registered in support
and available to answer questions. So I will open the public hearing.
[Brian Munson, Dan Day, Matt Brink - representing Veridian Homes] Are
there questions for any of our registrants?</p>
<p>Seeing no raised hands I’ll close the Public Hearing. Are there any
questions of Staff?</p>
<p>Then I would be looking for a motion.</p>
<p>[Alder Duncan]</p>
<p>I move that we approve [Agenda Item 8]</p>
<p>[Plan Commission Chair]</p>
<p>Seconded by Alder Field. Any discussion? Seeing none we come to a
vote and I will assume unanimous consent unless I see a raised hand to
object. Seeing no raised hands the motion passes unanimously.</p>
<p>Then moving on we need…</p>
<p>[Alder Duncan]</p>
<p>I move we approve [Agenda Item 9].</p>
<p>[Plan Commission Chair]</p>
<p>Seconded by Alder Field. Any discussion? Seeing none we come to a
vote and I will assume unanimous consent unless I see a raised hand to
object. Seeing no raised hands the motion passes unanimously.</p>
<p>[Finit]</p>
<p>Comments:</p>
<ol type="1">
<li>If the City is in negotiations with Veridian (Mr. Parks said
“subdivider” in his comments) for purchase of Final Plat O.L.5 and O.L.6
and the field north of Mid Town Road, then Veridian <em>already owns
this land</em>, which means the Marty family probably sold it to them
sometime last year, probably started negotiations with Veridian in the
summer).</li>
<li>Based on the public zoom meeting a month ago development starts in
the fall; which makes sense as the fields were all planted a few weeks
ago and will need to be harvested before the work begins.</li>
<li>The City Parks representative on the public zoom said they plan to
make the Elver Park extension a prairie, i.e., no playing fields.</li>
<li>It seems likely, though of course at present unknown, that “our”
field will also be prairie-like; but we don’t know what may be needed to
make it “Regional Stormwater Management” capable, if it is not that
already after the extensive work the City did when they repaved Mid Town
Road and reworked the sewer and added that new underpass for water;
perhaps a catch pond excavated along the low land over by Marty
Road?</li>
<li>The work to extent High Point Road south across the new development
will make the intersection of Mid Town Road and High Point Road very
unfun until it’s all finished. Veridian said on the public zoom that’s
one of the first things that has to happen.</li>
<li>It looks as if the Original Plat’s redirection of Mid Town Road and
the creation of a cul-de-sac at the Provence Hill driveway (that created
the commercial lot and the multi-family lot) is removed from the Final
Plat and that Mid Town Road continues through its intersection with High
Point Road.</li>
<li>The City and Veridian people said that the new Raymond Road won’t
happen for some time, 3-4 years, until after all the new houses are
built.</li>
<li>All of the home development is across that ridge we can see behind
the dairy farm; on the Preliminary Plat (which includes topographical
lines, the dashed lines with occasional numbers on them that reference
feet-above-sea-level), the highest point is at the western end of Stones
Throw Drive, lots #138, #138, #140, #165, and #164, inside the 1120-foot
line at 1128 feet. There should be no affect on our property from this
development until they get to the Raymond Road changes, because all of
that property is about 3000 feet/half a mileish west of us, about the
same distance as the new apartment complex, Esker Apartments, at Raymond
Road and S. High Point Road. We will of course “see” the development as
homes are built across that ridge.</li>
<li>The Raymond Road changes almost certainly will affect access to the
Building 7203 upper parking lot. Raymond Road was resurfaced some years
ago and the margins mended a bit. But I cannot imagine that the City
Traffic folks won’t take this opportunity to make Raymond Road wider,
etc. According to City Traffic on that public zoom, it will also not
follow the ground as it and Marty Road do now, but will be elevated
enough to allow a pedestrian/bicycle tunnel that will connect the east
end of old Raymond Road by the catch ponds and the new cul-de-sac at the
end of Marty Road (which is why there will be a cul-de-sac at the end of
Marty Road.). But again that’s a future phase of the development and
won’t happen for several years.</li>
<li>Veridian gave no information about the development in the future for
those multi-family lots and the commercial space which were radically
altered for the Final Plat. I’m assuming “multi-family” means apartment
buildings like Provence Hill. They will be build immediately behind
where the Marty family homes are along Marty Road, and thus south of the
Provence Hill Apartments. And yes, they will be ugly if in their
building all of those beautiful old trees behind the Marty family homes
are removed. Progress, right?</li>
</ol>
