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08.25.2025 CC item MinutesCity Council Minutes – August 25, 2025 4 and existing public drainage and utility easement necessary in support of the Avienda Apartments plat. voted in favor, and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 4 to 0. GENERAL BUSINESS. 1. Santa Vera Phase II Planned Unit Development Amendment and Site Plan Review (Planning Case 25-07) Eric Maass, Community Development Director, summarized the location of the Santa Vera Phase II project and discussed the prior concepts that the City Council reviewed. He explained the zoning amendment for the exterior building materials, mechanical screening, and the minimum parking setback for parking stalls. He reviewed the site plan, including the architectural renderings, landscaping, screening, building height, parking spaces, and stalls. Charlie Howley, Public Works Director/City Engineer, explained that the traffic study confirmed the street network is within capacity thresholds. He stated that the current plan was to split the traffic via Laredo and Santa Vera Drive. He said that there was a condition to review site lines. He noted that the sanitary and water main services could serve the development. He discussed the grading and drainage proposed conditions. Mr. Maass reviewed the nine items that are measuring items for site plans and noted that the proposed site plan adheres to the requirements. He stated that the Planning Commission recommended the approval of the site plan. Councilmember von Oven asked what it meant for a wetland to be incidental. Mr. Howley answered that an incidental wetland is often classified because of the size limitations, how it was created, and whether it serves a function. Mayor Ryan asked about screening the air conditioner. Mr. Maass said that the AC units would have a mixture of perennials and bushes to screen them from adjacent views, and they were near the retaining wall, which would help screen, but the landscaping was appropriate regardless of whether the wall was there or not. Mayor Ryan asked about the purpose of the screening. Mr. Maass responded that it was to benefit the apartments and neighboring viewpoints. Mayor Ryan suggested including additional areas they could use landscaping for beautification, not just for screening. She asked about the material of the retaining wall. Mr. Maass answered that they had not gotten to those details, but he thought it would be a brick wall. Mayor Ryan asked about the height of the retaining wall. Mr. Maass responded that they were still refining the grading plan, but they were hoping to get more to a five or six-foot wall because of the costs. He said it would be only visible to the occupants of a specific building. City Council Minutes – August 25, 2025 5 Mayor Ryan asked about the sidewalk and asked if it was going through existing trees. Mr. Maass answered that they were existing trees. Mayor Ryan said they were cutting down trees for the sidewalk. She said losing all the trees on Santa Vera would be a big loss. Mr. Maass responded that they looked at different ways to align the sidewalk. He said there was a planned removal of buckthorn for sight line issues. He said they were trying to minimize the loss of trees. Mayor Ryan said she would be supportive of the sidewalk if it meandered through the trees. Mr. Maass said some of the trees were ash trees, so they would try to meander towards the ash trees rather than the maple trees. Mayor Ryan asked if there were any images they could look at for a better perspective regarding saving the cottonwood trees and removing buckthorns. She asked where the trees would be kept. Mr. Maass answered that in the northeast section of the site, the existing trees were proposed to be maintained. He noted the trees that were planned to be removed. He said they took a hard look at the purpose of tree removals. He said they consider grading, stormwater management, and underground utilities when they think about tree removal. Mayor Ryan said that often, there is a give-and-take relationship in development. She asked that they continue to go beyond what is required when planning the landscaping to ensure a variety of trees and different heights, since it will impact neighboring residents. She said she received an email about the traffic movement and access, and whether the internal traffic should be internal. Mr. Howley said that there was a large stand of trees that were saved and were not a part of the project. He said it was twenty percent of the entire southern perimeter of trees. He stated that there was a sizeable grove of trees that would remain. He commented that one-way traffic does not make sense because there is a low volume of traffic, and the internal drives would not be connected. Mayor Ryan said that the original planned unit development was from the late 90s. She said that they had a lot of iterations, but asked if there was an average-sized unit that would have shifted from 1998 to today. Mr. Maass suggested that she ask that question of the developer. Councilmember von Oven asked if the trees in the buffer yard were a part of the 35 trees to be saved. Mr. Maass answered that those trees were in addition to the 35 trees. Ryan Sailer, Headwaters Development, stated their goal was to build something high-quality that they would maintain for a long time. He reviewed the site plan for 621 Santa Vera Drive. He reviewed the mix of units in the different phases and commented that larger units were still desired. He stated that the units appeal to empty nesters and young families who want to get into a good school district. City Council Minutes – August 25, 2025 6 Mayor Ryan stated that she thought that people would like the larger units. Mr. Sailer stated that more people are working from home and want additional space. Mayor Ryan voiced appreciation of the product and his work with the City Council. Councilmember von Oven moved, Councilmember McDonald seconded that the Chanhassen City Council approve the requested site plan and amendment to the Saratoga 3rd Addition Planned Unit Development Zoning Ordinance for the construction of two apartment buildings at 621 Santa Vera Drive, subject to the conditions of approval, and adopts the attached Findings of Fact and Decision. All voted in favor, and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 4 to 0. COUNCIL PRESENTATIONS. Councilmember Schubert thanked the city staff for the wonderful community day. ADMINISTRATIVE PRESENTATIONS. Laurie Hokkanen, City Manager, noted that they had a special City Council meeting on September 4th to discuss the Community Center. CORRESPONDENCE DISCUSSION. 1. Quarterly Financial Report CLOSED SESSION 1. Pending Litigation Councilmember Schubert moved, Councilmember McDonald seconded that the Chanhassen City Council move into closed session as permitted by Section 13D.05, subdivision 3, to discuss pending or threatened litigation related to property damage related to a water main break at 6361 Melody Lane. All voted in favor, and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 4 to 0. Councilmember Schubert was absent for the closed session.