Fargo Planning Commission Meeting - October 3, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Fargo Planning Commission Meeting - October 3, 2023
The Fargo Planning Commission met on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Commission Chambers at City Hall. Chair Rocky Schneider called the meeting to order, noting the upcoming Fargo Growth Plan open houses on October 17 and 18, and the website fargogrowthplan.org. The meeting adjourned at 4:35 PM. All seven members present (Gunkelman, Schmidt, Morgan, Rosenberg, Shewey, Tasa, Schneider) voted unanimously on all items; Members Stofferahn and Holtz were absent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke in person during any public hearing. One opposition letter regarding the group living conditional use permit (Crary's First Addition) was received and included in the packet; the letter writer was not present.
Discussion Items
- Meadow View Second Addition (Major Subdivision & vacation of right-of-way) – Staff presented a replat of 26 lots with a widened right-of-way (2 ft wider boulevards) and negative access easements to limit driveway locations and improve snow storage. Applicant Jon Youness (EagleRidge Development) expressed full support, stating the project targets entry-level housing for first-time homebuyers. Commission discussed how the application fits with the MetroCog housing study. No public opposition.
- The Pines at the District Fourth Addition (Zoning change & minor subdivision) – Staff explained a cleanup replat combining two parcels under a single conditional overlay (C-O) to simplify development. Applicant Brian Pattengale (Houston Engineering) described it as a cleanup of previous plats. No public comments.
- Urban Plains by Brandt Seventh Addition (Zoning change & major subdivision, including right-of-way vacation) – Staff noted consolidation of four existing conditional overlays into one, vacation of roundabout rights-of-way (based on an approved traffic study), and realignment of access easements. Applicant Tim Gleason (Gleason Companies) confirmed two developable lots for end users. No public opposition, only inquiries.
- 924 Townhomes Addition (Zoning change, PUD master plan, & minor subdivision) – Staff presented a seven-townhome project near Roosevelt neighborhood, with a PUD allowing reduced front and rear setbacks (4 ft instead of 25 ft and 15 ft) and private access from 10th Avenue North to avoid driveways on 7th Street. Applicant Brandon Raboin (FM Property Pros II) noted the PUD enables individual ownership and attainable pricing (targeting affordable/attainable housing). Commission discussed building height (three stories with stairs), accessibility, snow removal, and the limitation of the PUD to allow owner-occupied versus rental. The adjacent property owner expressed support; the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association was informed.
- Agassiz First Addition (Minor subdivision) – Staff noted an unpermitted structure on the property; the plat will not be recorded until the building is removed or remediated per the Building Official. Applicant Brian Pattengale (Houston Engineering) explained the structure is a semi-permanent building that can be relocated. No public comments.
- Northern Sheyenne Land Fourth Addition (Minor subdivision) – Staff described a cleanup replat to vacate leftover negative access easements and split a lot. Applicant Andrew Thill (Lowry Engineering) confirmed the main purpose is to remove easements blocking driveway access. No public comments.
- Radio Second Addition (Conditional Use Permit for industrial services and warehouse in GC zone) – Staff presented a CUP to allow industrial service and warehouse uses on a 20-unit condo development. Applicant Kyle Bartram (MBN Engineering) clarified the permit is needed for general contractors. Commission discussed history of the area and restrictions (no outdoor storage, no manufacturing/hazardous chemicals). Seven conditions were attached. No public comments.
- Rocking Horse East Second Addition (Conditional Use Permit for industrial services and warehouse with outdoor storage) – Staff noted an existing CUP from 2018 that did not allow outdoor storage; the new CUP adds outdoor storage (limited to rear of property, with opaque screening). Applicant Matt Prochnialz (Moore Engineering) confirmed full enclosure with a six-foot white maintenance-free fence. The CUP was restricted to warehouse and industrial services only (excluding manufacturing and wholesale sales). Commission discussed graffiti definition and screening requirements. No public comments.
- Crary's First Addition (Conditional Use Permit for group living in SR-2 residential district) – Staff presented a CUP for Vocational Training Center, Inc. to allow four developmentally disabled adults to live in a single-family home with 24/7 staffing. Applicant Steve Peterson (Operations Director) noted the home will have a residential sprinkler system, no noise concerns, and staff present when residents are home. The property is already owned and can operate with three residents without a CUP. One opposition letter expressed concerns about noise and congestion. Commission discussed past similar cases, staffing, safety features, and the requirement for state licensing. The CUP includes conditions: new owner must apply for a new CUP, permit effective only after certificate of occupancy and state requirements, and maximum of four residents.
- Other Item: Planned Unit Development Final Plan for EOLA Second Addition – Staff presented the final plan for a hotel and water park development, consistent with the approved master plan. Commission clarified that the final plan includes surface parking; a future parking ramp would require a separate final plan. No public hearing; motion approved.
Key Outcomes
- All motions were approved unanimously (7-0, with two absent) as follows:
- Meadow View Second Addition – Recommended approval of subdivision plat (moved by Rosenberg, seconded by Gunkelman).
- The Pines at the District Fourth Addition – Recommended approval of zoning change and subdivision plat (moved by Gunkelman, seconded by Schmidt).
- Urban Plains by Brandt Seventh Addition – Recommended approval of zoning change, subdivision plat, and right-of-way vacation (moved by Schmidt, seconded by Tasa).
- 924 Townhomes Addition – Recommended approval of zoning change, PUD master land use plan, and subdivision plat (moved by Gunkelman, seconded by Rosenberg).
- Agassiz First Addition – Recommended approval of subdivision plat with condition regarding unpermitted structure (moved by Schmidt, seconded by Shewey).
- Northern Sheyenne Land Fourth Addition – Recommended approval of subdivision plat (moved by Tasa, seconded by Morgan).
- Radio Second Addition – Approved Conditional Use Permit with seven conditions (moved by Gunkelman, seconded by Schmidt).
- Rocking Horse East Second Addition – Approved Conditional Use Permit with seven conditions (moved by Schmidt, seconded by Shewey).
- Crary's First Addition – Approved Conditional Use Permit with three conditions (moved by Tasa, seconded by Schmidt).
- EOLA Second Addition PUD Final Plan – Approved as consistent with master plan (moved by Rosenberg, seconded by Morgan).
Meeting Transcript
The meeting to order. Um, just a quick announcement that uh Fargo Growth Plan dot org is our website for our Fargo Growth Plan update that the city is working on. And there's going to be open houses held on Tuesday and Wednesday on the seventeenth and eighteenth. There's a couple different options for you to be involved, or you can go on Fargo Growth Plan dot org. So we encourage everybody in the audience and everybody online to take advantage of that opportunity to talk about where you see the future of Fargo as we use the growth plan for almost everything we do here. So we appreciate your input. Motion and second, any discussion. Any opposed. Any discussion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign. Motion passes. Moving on to our public hearing items. Number one will ask Donald to the podium here. Our first item is the Meadow View second edition, which is located here. This is University Drive South and 70th Avenue. This is edge of Davies High School here. And as you see, looks better in the close-up here. There are a number of lots here that are involved in this subdivision. A little different here. They are along Meadow View Drive South. These pictures are from yesterday. Meadowview Drive South is the only street not yet constructed in this subdivision. And it is under construction here. Couple of different views. This building here is this building here. These are not that building is not in the subdivision. That faces 68th Avenue South. The properties are zoned SR4, single dwelling residential. No zone change is proposed here. But what's happening is the uh the right of way, the vacational right-of-way referred to in your staff report. Uh the right of way is getting wider. The street itself will not be any wider, but the the uh right-of-way will be four feet wider, and we'll look at a section drawing prepared by our engineering department in a moment. But when you know we get these uh somewhat narrower lots, these lots here are being replatted. Some of these, these overall get a little bit narrower. There's a chart in your staff report that indicates what the differences are. These lots do not change size on this side. But the idea is as you get the lots get narrower. You've often seen um here and in other towns where it seems like there's not a lot of room between driveways, there's you know, no place to park on the street, even though parking might be allowed, no place to stack the snow. So the idea, this is uh somewhat of an experiment um to try to widen the right-of-way. So here would be our standard 70-foot section for the roadway here. This is the proposed one, so you see the boulevards are two feet wider on either side, a 14 foot as well as a over, or instead of a 12-foot boulevard, also provides more room for trees there, and so that's what this is really doing. Like I said, that one row of lots is um many of them are getting a little bit narrower, and then the right-of-way is expanding, and then an important feature of this is as you see these dark dashed lines here. Um, these are negative access easements, and uh these are um to prevent just like negative access seasements always are to prevent access, so it's gonna limit where the driveways are gonna go. This is 12 feet on either side here, and they'll be on on both sides. The uh yeah, they're they don't show up real well, but they're right there. And this is to provide a guaranteed area where there won't be a driveway intervening in there, so you've always got a straight stretch of 24 feet at least. Uh the developers working with the city engineer's office to uh adjust the size of those. There might be a little different configuration on the final version, but that's the idea to to uh to make that work.
openpublica.com