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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-21 MINUTESCity of Cottage Grove Planning Commission May 21, 2007 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Planning Commission was duly held at City Hall, 7516 – 80th Street South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota on the 21st day of May 2007, in the Council Chambers and telecast on local Government Cable Channel 16. Call to Order Chairperson Thiede called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call Members Present: Shane Bauer, Ken Brittain, Tina Folch-Freiermuth, Obid Hofland, Steve Messick, Tracy Poncin, Chris Reese, David Thiede, Chris Willhite Members Absent: None Staff Present: Howard Blin, Community Development Director John McCool, Senior Planner Mark Grossklaus, City Council Approval of Agenda A motion was made Blin added agenda item 6.4, which is the approval of the 2007 work rules. and seconded to approve the agenda with the amendment. Motion approved unanimously (9-0 vote). Open Forum Chairperson Thiede asked if anyone wished to address the Planning Commission on any non- agenda item. No one addressed the Commission. Chair’s Explanation of the Public Hearing Process Chairperson Thiede explained the purpose of the Planning Commission, which serves in an advi- sory capacity to the City Council, and that the City Council makes all final decisions. In addition, he explained the process of conducting a public hearing and requested that any person wishing to speak should come to the microphone and state their full name and address for the public record. Public Hearings and Application Reviews 6.1 Jerrod Winter Porch – Case V07-027 Jerrod Winter, 8162 Homestead Court South, has applied for a variance from Title 11-9C-5, De- velopment Standards in the R-3, Single Family Residential District, to allow construction of a front porch 23.5 feet from the front property line when 30 feet is required. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 2 of 10 McCool summarized the planning staff report and recommended approval based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions listed in the staff report. Thiede asked if Winter had any comments. He had none. Thiede then asked if the Commission had any questions for the applicant. There were none. Thiede opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Thiede closed the public hearing. Brittan made a motion to approve the application, subject to the conditions in the staff re- port and based on the findings of fact listed below. Hofland seconded the motion. A. The property is on a cul-de-sac and the existing homes around the cul-de-sac are not in a straight alignment. The proposed nine-foot addition on the front of the home will be closer to the street as compared to other abutting dwellings, but will not appear to be significantly closer to the roadway or adversely affect abutting property owners’ front yard appearances and views. B. The enclosed addition is approximately one-third of the building’s 54-foot width. C. Adding a new front entry makes the front door more prominent, attractive, and welcom- ing than the garage door. D. Extending the roof over the front stoop creates a sheltered entry and provides a visual dimension on the front of the home that enhances its architectural character. E. Remodeling the front entry will make the split-entry more efficient and livable, lighter and airier, and increase the property’s market value. F. The proposed variance will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent properties, will not increase the congestion of the public streets, will not endanger the public’s safety, or diminish property values within the neighborhood. G. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). 6.2 TNT Fireworks at Cub Foods – Case ICUP07-025 TNT Fireworks has applied for an interim conditional use permit to allow temporary outdoor sales of fireworks in the parking lot at Cub Foods, 8690 East Point Douglas Road. McCool summarized the staff report and recommended approval subject to the conditions stipu- lated in the staff report. Poncin asked if there was a reason they switched locations from Menards to Cub Foods. Randy Hermann, 13351 – 44th Court NE, St. Michael, representing TNT Fireworks, explained that the access to Cub Foods is better than to Menards. He stated that they would sell fireworks prod- ucts from around June 22 through July 4. He then explained that Pastor Mark Anderson of Rose of Sharon Lutheran Church and members of that congregation will staff the sales tent and they will remain at the site 24 hours a day, noting that this is a fundraiser for the church. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 3 of 10 Brittain asked if the staff last year was volunteer or paid employees. Hermann responded that they were volunteers, but it was a family and not a church. Thiede opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Thiede closed the public hearing. Brittain made a motion to approve the application, subject to the conditions listed below. Willhite seconded the motion. 1. The Interim Conditional Use Permit is in effect between June 18, 2007 and July 8, 2007. 2. A building permit for the 30-foot by 50-foot temporary sales tent must be issued by the City’s Building Inspections Department before the temporary tent is erected. 3. No merchandise may be displayed outside the tent. 4. A portable multipurpose dry chemical type fire extinguisher must be provided if electric service is provided to the temporary tent. “NO SMOKING” signs must be posted as re- quired by the City’s Fire Marshal. 5. All electrical wiring and connections must comply with State electrical requirements. 6. Overhead electrical service or electrical extension cords are prohibited from any power source that extends across the parking/paved area of the Cub Food’s site. 7. Advertising signage attached to the temporary tent is permitted. Free-standing signs or off- premise advertising are prohibited. 8. All the requirements imposed by the National Fire Protection Association 1124, 2003 Edi- tion for retail sales of consumer fireworks must be complied with. 9. The minimum aisle width serving as a portion of the exit access in the temporary sales tent and all aisles accessible by the public must be a minimum of 48 inches wide. Dead-ended aisles are prohibited. 10. Discharging fireworks within 300 feet of the temporary tent is prohibited. 11. Sale of fireworks is permitted between the hours of 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. TNT Firework’s employees must be on site during business hours and during non-business hours for security reasons. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). 6.3 Norris Marketplace – Cases SP07-019 and CUP07-020 VSI Construction has applied for a site plan review of Norris Marketplace, the commercial por- tion of the Presbyterian Homes project on the southwest corner of Hadley Avenue and Grange Boulevard, and a conditional use permit to allow a drive-through. Blin summarized the staff report and recommended approval subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 4 of 10 Len Sutherland, 13131 Jonquil Lane, Dayton, Minnesota, presented a 3-D virtual imaging concept showing the layout of the site. He stated that on the northeast corner of the site a plaza with a monument sign will tie the streetscape into the development. Blin stated that the actual design of corner plaza is not depicted in the video; a different designer is preparing that plan. Sutherland stated that they are using the same landscape architect as the senior housing portion. He de- scribed the exterior of the buildings noting that they will appear to have two store fronts, one of the street side that will not have entries and one on the parking lot side; the materials include EFIS, brick, and masonry block; the roofs will have higher parapets to screen the HVAC units and pipes; the long linear store fronts will resemble smaller store front areas; and they will work with staff to ensure that the trash enclosures are hidden from view. Blin reported that the city is employing Brauer & Associates to design improvements to the Hamlet Park area, which is on the east side of Hadley Avenue. He then discussed changing the name of Grange Boulevard to 80th Street for the retail area, explaining that 80th Street would continue to the fire station and the road after that point would be called Grange Boulevard. Public Safety staff does not have any objections to this pro- posal. He noted that the G-Will Center has a Hadley Avenue address, though in the future, United Properties, which owns that site, may choose to be addressed off 80th Street if they redevelop the site. Messick noted that the proposal is 133 parking spaces below what is required by ordinance and asked if there are other similar shared use developments within the city have less parking than what is required. Blin responded that the Grove Plaza Center has several variances for parking due to shared uses that have different peak times. Messick asked if individual retailers would be able to reserve places for only their customers. Sutherland responded no. Folch asked if there would be trees in the parking lot as shown on the drawings, which were not shown in the animation. Sutherland responded that there will be landscaped islands; the animation shows how the whole site lays out but does not have landscaping details. Hofland asked where the emergency access would be. Blin responded that Presbyterian Homes has two access points off Hadley. The main access serves the surface parking lot and the under- ground parking, which would be the primary emergency access route. The commercial portion has two access points, one off Hadley Avenue and one off Grange Boulevard. There is also a pathway that circles the senior housing building that is being upgraded to handle trucks. He also noted that VSI prepared a traffic study for the entire area that showed that with this development, no traffic concerns were determined. The City’s engineers asked that before this traffic study is presented to City Council that a couple other intersections be studied. The key intersections surrounding the site will function at an acceptable level. Poncin asked if there would signage on both the monument and the building façades. She asked about pedestrian access, specifically a safe access from the senior housing through the parking to the retail portion. Blin displayed a plan of the overall site pointing out the location of the sidewalks through the project. He stated that there would be signage on both the monument sign and on sign bands on both sides of the buildings. There would be a uniform sign design package for the retail buildings. Brittain suggested that a concrete median be added between two rows of parking to the area that is to the right of the medical building that would have a surmountable curb and sufficient width to allow pedestrian traffic, which would provide access on a straight line rather than pedestrians hav- ing to walk around the site. Sutherland believes that they could accommodate that. He suggested that they move the trees required for that landscape island to the west to provide additional land- scape buffering for the adjacent residential neighborhoods. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 5 of 10 Reese asked if the sign package would be for the entire site or one for the senior housing compo- nent and one for the retail portion. Blin responded there would be separate packages, however, the materials would be similar between the two uses. Reese then asked if the city is in agreement with having two monument signs on one site. Blin stated that the Planning Commission could recom- mend that. He displayed a drawing of the senior housing monument sign. Thiede asked what the retail signs would look like. Sutherland responded that the Norris Market- place sign on 80th Street would have no tenant signage on it and the Hadley entrance monument sign is very similar to the Presbyterian Homes sign. The monument sign next to the fire station, off Grange/80th Street, will be similar to the Presbyterian Homes sign but will have space for the names of the tenants. Brittain expressed concern about the location of the monument signs, noting that they could block site lines for vehicles turning right out of the site. He suggested moving the signs back a little or putting them on the other side of the access drive. Blin stated that staff will look at the visibility with those signs. Folch agreed with Brittain about obstructing views of traffic, especially in front of the fire station. Reese asked where the stormwater runoff would go from this site. Blin responded it all flows to the south. He pointed out one large and two smaller ponding areas on the site map. He stated that eventually the water would flow to the east into the Hamlet Park pond. Messick noted that the conditions of approval do not reference the parking variance and he would like to add information regarding the other development that does not meet the parking require- ments prior to the Council meeting. Blin responded that staff will provide comparison information on Grove Plaza, including the size of the development and the amount of parking that does not meet the requirements. Poncin asked about the significance of the name “Norris Marketplace.” Bob Van Slyke, Senior Housing Partners, Presbyterian Homes, 2845 North Hamline Avenue, Roseville, explained that the John Norris was the original founder of Cottage Grove. Hofland stated that he likes the corner courtyard. Folch asked if this area would be called Gateway South as the area on the other side of the high- way is called Gateway North. Blin responded that both sides of Highway 61 are Gateway North and Gateway South would be the Jamaica interchange. He stated that there may be smaller signs incorporated into the plaza area that say Gateway North. He explained that the city is doing as much as possible from a design standpoint to tie the two sides of the highway together. Brittain asked if the materials for the trash enclosures would match the buildings. Sutherland re- sponded yes. Brittain then noted that the entrance near the large retail site across from the fire sta- tion seems pretty short and asked if the side of the building wall extended all the way out to the front face of the parking area so the dock door is not visible. Sutherland responded that the current design shows this wall extending out and it would match the façade on the building. He then stated that they will work with staff to design with some sort of medallion or other feature to break up the large surface areas on the exteriors of the buildings, mainly on the ends. Brittain asked if the roof top mechanical equipment would be visible from the senior housing windows. Sutherland re- sponded that the mechanical equipment would be visible from the third and fourth stories. Van Slyke noted that the equipment would only be visible from the decks and not from inside the units. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 6 of 10 Brittain asked if there would be a way to screen that equipment so it is not as obtrusive. Sutherland responded that from that angle there would not be a way to screen the equipment. Brittain asked if there would be any benefit to changing the fire station address to 80th Street. Blin stated that he would check with Public Safety. Thiede opened the public hearing. Rolland Barber, 8287 Grenadier Avenue South, asked about the fence between his property and the subject property. He stated at the neighborhood meeting last week, he was informed that there would be a fence at the property line. He asked how utility companies would service their lines as there is a 30 degree slope. He also asked who would maintain the 15-foot area between the prop- erty line and fence. He expressed concern about changing the name of Grange Boulevard to 80th Street, noting that people could be confused when they exit the highway as the signage directs those wanting 80th Street to go east and Grange to go west. He is also concerned about the sign- age on the corner blocking views of pedestrians. Blin responded that Presbyterian Homes is build- ing a six-foot high cedar fence along the rear of all the properties on the west and south sides of the site. He then explained that there is a 15-foot strip of former tax forfeit land that the city owns and as part of the development agreement, the city made that land available to Presbyterian Homes to be incorporated into their landscape design and that they will maintain. The utility com- panies will have the same access to the power lines that run along rear as they currently have. Blin stated that staff will have our engineers look again at the visibility concerns in the area. No one else spoke. Thiede closed the public hearing. Thiede asked Blin to clarify what the Planning Commission is being asked to approve. Blin re- sponded the final development plan for the two buildings on the corner, deferring action on the freestanding restaurant site and the medical office building, and the site plan including location and design of the buildings and the parking. Folch asked if the lighting along street includes lampposts or would it only be lighting on the sides of the buildings. Blin responded that there will be street lights like those along 80th Street and sconce lighting on the sides of the buildings. Thiede asked if the Commission is approving the layout of that corner. Blin stated that it could be brought back for an informal review at the next meeting. Brittain would like to see a condition added requiring both monument signs to be moved back far- ther for better site lines so they don’t interfere with right turns. He would also like to see a condition added to require a linear pedestrian walkway including a sidewalk with a surmountable curb as de- scribed earlier. Reese asked what the difference is between conditions #18 and #24, which both talk about lighting details. Blin responded that they could be combined into one condition. Reese asked what public improvements would be made as noted in condition #17. Blin responded that there would be very few public improvements except stubbing utilities to the site; he noted that condition #17 is stan- dard language in all development agreements. Brittain made a motion to approve the application, subject to the conditions listed below. Poncin seconded the motion. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 7 of 10 1. All site, utility, landscaping and building plans must conform to plans dated May 7, 2007, with revisions noted in the staff report. 2. All structures in Phases Two and Three shall be consistent in architectural design, mate- rial pallet and construction materials. 3. The original conditions of approval identified in Ordinance No. 808 and Resolution Nos. 06-220 and 06-221 for the PHS of Cottage Grove Master Plan Development Overlay must be complied with. 4. The Site and building details preliminarily approved for Phase Three of the PDO must be submitted for final review and approval by the City. These plans must also include archi- tectural and landscaping details. 5. All revisions to utility and drainage plans must be approved by the City Engineer. 6. Final drainage plans must be submitted to the South Washington Watershed District for review. 7. A revised traffic study must be prepared and submitted to the City Engineer. This study will be used to determine if turn lanes, traffic control signs, and the like will be neces- sary on Hadley and Grange Avenues. Costs for all such improvements will be the responsibility of the developer. 8. All applicable permits (i.e., building, electrical, grading, etc.) must be issued by the City prior to any work or construction taking place. Detailed construction plans shall be re- viewed and approved by the Building Official and Fire Marshall. 9. The landscaping plan must be revised and submitted for review and approval by the Planning Department prior to the issuance of a building permit. 10. Installation of landscaping shall occur in a timely fashion and be consistent with an ap- proved landscaping plan. A letter of credit in the amount of 150 percent of the landscape estimate shall be submitted to the City as required by City ordinance (Title 11-6-6(f)). The financial guarantee shall be in effect for one year from the date of installation to ensure the installation, survival, and replacement of the landscaping improvements. No building permit will be issued until the required financial guarantee has been received and accepted by the City. 11. Irrigation shall be provided for all sodded and landscaped areas, including the curbed land- scaped island interior to the parking lot. The irrigation system shall consist of an under- ground sprinkling system that is designed by a professional irrigation installer to meet the water requirements of the site’s specific vegetation. The system shall be detailed on the landscape plan. 12. Concrete aprons for all private access drives shall be constructed per City requirements. 13. Crosswalks must be stamped decorative concrete. 14. Missing sidewalk sections shall be detailed on the project plans. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 8 of 10 15. The Emergency Access lane link between Phase One and Phase Two shall be constructed. 16. Park dedication requirements will be met through a cash payment in the amount of 4 percent of the 7.7 acre undeveloped land value. 17. The developer shall enter into a subdivision agreement with the City of Cottage Grove for the installation of and payment for all public improvements in the subdivision, pur- suant to Title 10 of the City Code. 18. All site lighting must meet City Code requirements. All light fixtures must be downward directed with cut-offs. The specifications of all light fixtures must be provided with the application for a building permit. 19. Final architectural plans, lighting details, and exterior construction materials and colors must be reviewed and approved by the Planning Department prior to the issuance of a building permit. 20. The grading and erosion control plan for the site must comply with NPDES II Permit re- quirements. Erosion control devices must be installed prior to commencement of any grading activity. Erosion control must be performed in accordance with the recom- mended practices of the “Minnesota Construction Site Erosion and Sediment Control Planning Handbook” and the conditions stipulated in Title 10-5-8, Erosion Control Dur- ing Construction, of the City’s Subdivision Ordinance. 21. The applicant must provide the City with an as-built survey of all private utilities prior to issuance of certificate of occupancy. 22. The applicant will be responsible for ensuring that all appropriate storm water and ac- cess cross easement documentation is completed prior to the issuance of any building permits. 23. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, the applicant must submit a comprehensive sign package to the City for review and approval. 24. All outdoor lighting must be directed downward and away from residential property and public streets and must not exceed .5 footcandle by the residential property lines and one footcandle at all other property lines. 25. All mechanical equipment screening and trash enclosures must include a combination of block and brick, consistent with the principal building. Willhite made a motion to amend the motion for approval to combine conditions #18 and #24 and to review the signage and the pedestrian sidewalk corridor. Messick seconded. Mo- tion to amend passed unanimously (9-to-0 vote). Motion to approve the application with amendments passed unanimously (9-to-0 vote). 6.4 Approval of Work Rules Blin stated that at last month’s meeting there was a question about what constitutes an absence. The City Code states that three consecutive or four unexcused absences in one year will result in Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 9 of 10 removal from the Commission. Language that clarifies that only unexcused absences count was added to the work rules. Hofland made a motion to accept the 2007 Planning Commission Work Rules with the change to the wording regarding unexcused absenses. Reese seconded. Motion passed unanimously (9-to-0). Discussion Items 7.1 Real Estate Signs Blin summarized the staff memo and asked for direction from the Planning Commission on whether the city should amend the sign ordinance to regulate commercial real estate signs. He displayed examples of some of these signs that exist around the city. Commission discussion included re- quiring uniformity in size and type of signage, that for lease/sale banner signs should be treated the same as other temporary banner signs, setting time limits for these types of signs, and limiting the number of signs on a property to one. The Commission also requested information on the value of these signs for leasing or selling commercial property. Blin asked if staff should conduct a survey of commercial brokers and building owners in other cities about the value of those signs. The Commission agreed, and asked if local businesses could be surveyed also. Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of April 23, 2007 Being that there were no corrections or additions to the April 23, 2007, minutes, they were approved as sent. Reports 9.1 Recap of May City Council Meetings Blin reviewed the items discussed by the City Council at their May 2 and May 16, 2007, meetings. 9.2 Response to Planning Commission Inquiries McCool asked if there were any questions on the memo responding to last month’s inquiries. Brittain stated that discussion is needed regarding screening materials for at-grade mechanical equipment, such as at the new Holiday gas station, which used a long wooden fence for screening that does not match the building materials. It was the consensus of the Commission to strike the second sentence in the ordinance that allows properly maintained wood, vinyl, or metal screens or fencing, so the ordinance would read: “Acceptable screening materials must be similar to or com- patible in design and color with those used on the principal structure.” Willhite asked if the new language would apply only to new enclosures and existing ones would not have to comply until they are replaced. Blin responded that existing structures would be considered legally noncon- forming. Willhite asked if it would have been acceptable if the shed at Bonngard’s Meats had been inside the trash enclosure. Blin responded that it was visible. Brittain stated that he believes the lottery sign at the Phillips 66 gas station is an electronic sign with changing numbers. Blin stated that in earlier discussions the direction staff got was that the Planning Commission preferred to prohibit all electronic signs and this could be addressed during the proposed revisions to the sign ordinance. Planning Commission Minutes May 21, 2007 Page 10 of 10 9.3 Planning Commission Requests Brittain asked if there has been action on the Walgreen’s trash enclosure. McCool responded that they are talking to their corporate office and taking a survey of other gates in front of other dump- sters throughout the community, which they expect to be stained as well. Reese asked if the Commission could get a review of lot standards regarding sizes and widths before the Commission reviews more developments in the East Ravine, particularly on the direc- tion that the City Council wants to go. Folch asked if a link to the City Codes could be provided to the Commission so ordinance lan- guage could be reviewed before discussions such as the sign ordinance amendment. Blin announced that the next meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee would be on June 4 at City Hall. Adjournment Brittain made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Reese seconded. Motion passed unani- mously and the meeting adjourned at 9:59 p.m.