Planning commission recommends approval for DCM Farms preliminary plan after months of revisions

The Dayton City Planning Commission voted 4-0 March 6 to recommend that the City Council approve a zoning map amendment, planned unit development and preliminary plat for the 91-acre DCM Farms project off Fernbrook Lane.

The commission’s recommendation follows a revised plan that reduces the number of proposed lots from 266 to 253, increases side-yard setbacks to 7.5 feet, converts a proposed private street to a full public street with on-street parking and moves previously proposed commercial uses to an outlot for future consideration. Commissioners said the revisions made the layout more acceptable and cited the developer’s proposed public benefit of funding a roundabout on 114th Avenue as a key factor.

Planning staff and the developer told the commission the comprehensive plan amendment originally in the application — which would have triggered a mandatory Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) — has been removed, eliminating the immediate need for the EAW. John (city planning staff) said the commercial corner has been replatted as an outlot “meaning it would be subdivided at a future date,” and that staff would finish its engineering and landscaping review before the application goes to council.

Residents who live adjacent to the site told the commission they remain concerned about drainage, noise, light, traffic patterns and how roundabout construction would affect driveway access. Lee Hallquist, who said she lives at 11471 Fernbrook Lane, told commissioners, “I need to be sure that you’re not gonna keep pumping water into my house,” and sought guarantees about how grading and stormwater would be handled. Several speakers asked whether stormwater from the planned holding pond could be routed toward their yards; staff members responded that the project’s proposed curb, gutter and drainage would ultimately route water into the pond and existing natural waterways rather than into neighbors’ yards.

Commissioners pressed the developer and staff on timing and alignment for proposed roundabouts at 114th and 117th avenues. The developer said construction of the 114th roundabout would be a substantial public benefit and estimated its share at roughly $1.5–2 million, though exact contributions and timing are unresolved; staff noted Hennepin County must approve and fund portions of the road work. Commissioners said they expected the roundabout alignment to be pushed as far south as practical to preserve access for the northern-most existing homeowners.

The motion to recommend approval combined the zoning map amendment, PUD and preliminary plat into one action and passed on a roll-call vote that the clerk recorded as 4-0 in favor. The commission noted several items remain outstanding in staff review, including a revised landscape plan and final engineering checks; staff said those items will be completed prior to the City Council hearing.

The project will proceed to the City Council for final action after staff completes its remaining technical review; staff did not set a council hearing date at the meeting.