Planning commission recommends Buckingham twin-home CUP to Kasson City Council with grading and drainage condition

The Kasson City Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for a twin home at the Buckingham property, adding a required grading and drainage plan and recording of deed/covenant restrictions as conditions before the CUP proceeds to the city council.

Staff recapped that a prior minor subdivision altered lot orientation and triggered the need for a CUP because the proposal is for a twin home (a property-line separation down the middle of two units, which is different from a duplex on one lot). Staff displayed building elevations, floor plans (two bedrooms and two baths per unit) and a site plan showing conforming setbacks, and said draft deed and covenant documents had been provided to be recorded with the CUP.

Neighbors urged caution. Ryan Wegner said a small 4-inch storm line near the Kreditmacher property routinely backs up, leaving “a foot, foot and a half” of standing water; he described 3rd Avenue NE as roughly 13 feet wide with no curb or gutter, poor plow access and a road that has not received maintenance for years. Judy Townsend described the alley’s history, saying the east half was annexed long ago and the narrow alley was originally dubbed an alley, which is why curb-and-gutter were not installed; she also raised questions about where sewer hookups would be made because many homes on 3rd Street tie to 2nd Avenue. Becky Angel said most neighbors have experienced sewer backups and that converting a single-family home into a twin home would add housing, water demand and bathrooms, stressing that the area’s historic infrastructure may not be well suited to denser development.

The city engineer told the commission that staff had reviewed street conditions and did not believe utility capacity to serve a second unit would necessarily be a limiting factor, but that drainage impacts from a larger impervious footprint would require review and mitigation during construction. During Q&A the applicant indicated existing sewer service would be used for the two units; no construction plans were before the commission tonight.

After discussion, staff and commissioners agreed to add a fourth condition requiring a grading and drainage plan to be submitted and reviewed by the city engineer before final approvals. A commissioner moved to recommend approval with that additional grading/drainage condition; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Kasson City Council for final action.

The planning commission noted that demolition of existing structures and recording of the deed/covenant restrictions were conditions of approval; the commission did not act on construction plans tonight, which will be reviewed separately at the staff level.