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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-08-10 PACKET 04.J.REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA MEETING ITEM # Lj DATE 8/10/11 Community Development ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT Danette Parr STAFF AUTHOR COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST Consider approving a variance to off - street parking requirements to reduce the number of parking spaces at Target, 8655 East Point Douglas Road, to all for the excavation of bio- retention basins to reduce and improve storm water runoff. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Adopt the resolution approving the variance to off - street parking requirements at Target. BUDGET IMPLICATION $N /A $N /A N/A BUDGETED AMOUNT ACTUAL AMOUNT FUNDING SOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION ACTION ❑ PLANNING ❑ PUBLIC SAFETY ❑ PUBLIC WORKS ❑ PARKS AND RECREATION ❑ HUMAN SERVICES /RIGHTS ❑ ECONOMIC DEV. AUTHORITY SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS DATE REVIEWED APPROVED DENIED 7/25/11 ❑ ® ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ® MEMO /LETTER: Memo from John McCool dated 8/4/11 ❑ RESOLUTION: Draft ❑ ORDINANCE: ❑ ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATION: ❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION: ® OTHER: Excerpt from unapproved minutes from 7/25/11 Planning Commission meeting ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS 1 R City Administrator Date COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: ❑ APPROVED ❑ DENIED ❑ OTHER CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE MINNESOTA TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator FROM: John McCool, Senior Planner DATE: August 4, 2011 RE: Target Store — Off - Street Parking Variance Application Proposal Target Store is requesting a variance to the minimum off - street parking regulations to install four bio- infiltration basins in their parking lot and one additional bio - infiltration basin behind their building. Approximately 70 parking spaces will be eliminated, thus reducing their number of off - street parking from 550 spaces to 480 spaces. Location Map Planning Commission The Planning Commission reviewed Target Store's variance application at a public hearing on July 25, 2011. A representative for the applicant was present. No public testimony or written comments were received at that meeting. The Commission supported the applicant's proposal and unanimously recommended approval (7 -to -0 vote), subject to the conditions listed in the draft resolution. An excerpt from the Planning Commission's unapproved minutes is attached. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 2 of 7 In 1989 when the Target Store project was first submitted to the City for review, the City granted a variance to the minimum off - street parking regulations. At that time, the ordinance required a mini- mum of 572 parking spaces. Target proposed 563 spaces. In 2002, Target Store proposed to eliminate 11 parking spaces to permit the construction of four landscape islands interior to their main parking lot. This variance was granted by the City in March 2002. • • t' • Property Characteristics The Target Store site is fully developed on approximately 9.5 acres of land. The 113,947 square foot building is located at the southeast corner of the site. There are 550 parking spaces west of the Target Store. Motor vehicle access is provided from two shared access drives that connect to East Point Douglas Road. Bio- retention Basins and Current Runoff The South Washington Watershed District and Washington Conservation District have both ex- pressed concerns about flooding and water quality along the East Point Douglas Road corridor in Cottage Grove. The Target property was one of several areas identified as providing an opportunity to improve storm water rate control and water quality. This project is a cost - sharing project between Target, South Washington Watershed District, and Washington Conservation District. Adding bio - infiltration basins to the site will reduce storm water runoff volume and phosphorous loads into the watershed. The Target Store site presently does not provide any pre- treatment of storm water be- fore discharging into the storm water piping system. The four bio- infiltration basins in the front parking area and the one basin behind the building are shown on the site plan below: a 4\� P ropos ed bio infiltration basins i4 6� 4 _- {. Site Plan i Site Plan Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 3 of 7 The majority of the storm water runoff from Target's parking lot flows from the front of Target's building to five existing catch basins that are 90 feet east of Target's westerly property line. There is an existing 36 -inch diameter re- enforced concrete storm water pipe that connects all five of these catch basins and connects to a larger storm water pipe in East Point Douglas Road. There is also a 21 -inch storm sewer along pipe within the drive aisle closest to the Target's building front and an 18- inch storm sewer within the access drive behind Target's building. The majority of the storm water runoff from Target's parking lot will drain to the existing low- points at the west end of their parking lot. Most of the runoff from the roof and the drive aisle area behind the building will flow into the bio- infiltration basin that is behind Target's building. Construction of the infiltration basins will require the asphalt surface and subsurface materials to be removed. A concrete curb, except for curb -cut openings to allow storm water to drain into the basins, will be constructed around the perimeter for Basins 1 through 4. There are multiple "curb- cuts" for each basin. Basins 1 and 4 will also have a basin separation wall that will effectively divide these larger basins into two cells for rate and quality control. Draintile will be installed in the bottom of each basin. There are four rain garden plans. The two smallest rain gardens will have the same plantings and design. The four rain garden plans are shown below: `.n J FI d8 R: w tw ` rr' s'�A I Rain Garden A (Basin 1) Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 4 of 7 x Rain Garden B (Basins 2 and 3) ,.._ YYf I Rain Garden C (Basin 4) Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 5 of 7 Rain Garden D (Basin 5) The plant list for all four rain gardens is shown below: TARGET PLANT LIST Symbol Quantity Botanical Name Common Name Spacing Size -;Ull 2a" Aster x dum-�Als'Nirple Dome' Purple Dome 18" O.C. t gallon Ca]<. 1'' ?5 Calanvr�stisx aniti&m'Karl Forester' _ Feather Reed Grass 2'o.c. Igallon 3'11 Care\ - v%[pmxdea Fox Seaga 2 plug !'I 227 D rrdlaIonir DmirfBuThHoneywdlc 4'a C. 5gallon Gc: 11 Glodad i tw.santjw% var lm•rmis'hn t•le' f ur al Hnnc yio uat Tn ±z perplan 2 °BB IlAS ?35 1lemrro „al7is :4,pricc•t Sparkles' Apricot Spat'ldes Dayii @y I B' ox. 1 gallon IV 3Qt Iris s.Nriea'Caesar's Brutlwr' Siberian MIS lir oc. Igallon Rafi 59 Rhusarrinitim 'GrA ut GrC L.lwsum9r B t. 5gallon RIO 114 Rasa 'NeadvW'ild` 14e..AVIYAd Shrub Rc *sue 30 o.c. 2gallon _ RfG 3 Rudbedia ful ida'Goldstwan' Bled -Eyed Su I r a.c. t gallon TcC 7 Tilde cordata'GreenTirt' I.iaden Tree per plan 2'BB L( 220 Uxtrs icata'(<Ao'd Blazing Stet 1Fo.t. plug 2747 to[•u' o.c. = on center The proposed rain gardens will be similar to the rain gardens at the South Washington County Service Center — Cottage Grove, 13000 Ravine Parkway. Photographs of the Service Center's rain gardens are shown below. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 6 of 7 It is estimated that the bio- infiltration basins will detain approximately 85 percent of the storm water runoff for this site and reduce the phosphorous loading by approximately 90 percent and reduce the total suspended solids by 97 percent. This project will also help the City of Cottage Grove meet their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) objectives. Other than making the draintile connections to the existing storm sewer pipes, the rest of the existing storm water sewer lines will not need to be modified. Parking Needs Assessment Target has evaluated their parking needs for this store to ensure adequate parking is provided for their customers. Based on the annual store sales volume and parking usage at selected higher vo- lume Target Stores, Target found a strong and statistical correlation between store sales and car counts. In applying this methodology to the Cottage Grove Target Store, they determined that the maximum parking demand is about 450 parking spaces or about four spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area. The City's minimum off - street parking requirements for retail stores is five spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area and 4.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet for neighborhood /community shopping •centers. The City ordinance regulations are 10 to 25 percent higher than Target's pro- posal. The City has twice granted variances to the number of parking spaces for the Target site, and it still appears that there is an abundance of parking spaces for this site. The proposed improvements are compatible with commercial development standards and bring the site more into compliance with the City's landscaping requirements. Target's parking lot is properly maintained with adequate access. The number of vacant parking spaces along the north and west sides of their parking lot are sometimes used by patrons of neighboring businesses. Even in the winter time when snow is stored onsite, availability of parking spaces has never been a concern. Utilities All the public utilities exist and provide adequate service to the business in this area. None of these public utilities will have to be relocated or modified to accommodate these bio- infiltration basins. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Ryan Schroeder Target Store — On -site Parking Variance Application August 4, 2011 Page 7 of 7 Variance Criteria The City Council may grant variances from the strict application of the zoning ordinance and can impose conditions and safeguards on the variance. Under the new variance law that went into effect on May 6, 2011, the City should adopt findings addressing the following questions: • Is the variance in harmony with the purposes and intent of the ordinance? • Is the variance consistent with the comprehensive plan? • Does the proposal put property to use in a reasonable manner? • Are there unique circumstances to the property not created by the landowner? • Will the variance, if granted, alter the essential character of the locality? Public Hearing Notices Public hearing notices were mailed to 27 property owners who are within 500 feet of the project. These notices were mailed on July 14, 2011. That the City Council adopts a resolution approving Target Store's off - street parking variance ap- plication to reduce the number of existing off - street parking spaces from 550 to 480 to allow the excavation of four bio- retention basins within the interior of the parking lot and one bio- retention in their rear yard. The findings of fact and conditions of approval are listed in the attached draft resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 201 -XXX WHEREAS, Target Stores applied for a variance to the off - street parking requirements to reduce the number of parking spaces from 550 to 480 to all for the excavation of four bio - retention basins within the interior of their parking lot and one bio- retention basin in the rear of their building to reduce and improve storm water runoff, on property legally described as: Lot 1, Block 1, Cottage Grove Plaza, Washington County, Minnesota. Commonly known as 8655 East Point Douglas Road South, Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota. WHEREAS, public hearing notices were mailed to property owners within 500 feet of the property and a public hearing notice was published in the South Washington County Bulletin; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on July 25, 2011; and WHEREAS, a planning staff report which detailed specific information about the property and the variance application was prepared and presented; and WHEREAS, the public hearing was open for public testimony. The applicant attended the public hearing. No other public testimony was received; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed the criteria and findings established by the Zoning Ordinance for granting a variance. A summary of this criteria is as follows: 1) It must be determined that there are unique conditions that apply to the structure or land in question that do not generally apply to other land or structures in the same district; 2) That granting a variance must not merely serve as a convenience to the applicant but must be nec- essary to alleviate a demonstrable hardship or difficulty from the City's ordinance; and 3) Granting the variance must not impair health, safety, comfort, or morals or in any respect, or be contrary to the intent of the Zoning Ordinance or the Comprehensive Plan. The City may impose conditions and safeguards in granting any variance. WHEREAS, the Planning Commission unanimously (7 -0 vote) recommended to the City Council that the variance be granted. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, hereby grants a variance to the off - street parking requirements to reduce the number of parking spaces from 550 to 480 to all for the excavation of four bio- retention basins within the interior of their parking lot and one bio- retention basin in the rear of their building to reduce and improve storm water runoff, located on the property legally described above. Granting of this variance is based upon the following findings of fact: Resolution No. 2011 -XXX Page 2 of 3 A. The Target Store has operated since the 1989. During that time, Target's parking lot has never been fully occupied by parked vehicles. Reducing the total number of parking spaces by 70 additional parking spaces will not detrimentally impact Target's parking needs or affect any other business in the Cottage Grove Plaza. B. The construction of the five bio- infiltration basins interior to Target's parking lot will generally improve the aesthetic appearance within the parking lot and bring it more into compliance with city requirements. C. Construction of the bio- infiltration basins for management of storm water runoff and improving water quality before discharging it downstream is consistent with the intent of the ordinance without negatively affecting the operation of the site. In fact, the installation of the bio- infiltration basins will improve internal traffic circulation. D. A parking need assessment was performed by Target to ensure that off - street parking will continue to adequately serve their customers. The results of their study found a strong correlation between store sales and car counts. In applying the parking need formula to the Target Store in Cottage Grove, the results were about 30 parking spaces less than the 480 parking spaces they are proposing. E. The Target Store property is part of a community shopping center known as Cottage Grove Plaza. Most of the other businesses in this retail area appear to have vacant parking spaces as well as Target's parking lot. F. The character of the proposed bio- infiltration basins will be in harmony with the other landscape islands within the Cottage Grove Plaza. G. The variance is consistent with the adopted Future Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan. H. The proposed 480 off - street parking spaces will continue to provide adequate parking for Target Store's customers. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the recommendation for approval is subject to the following conditions: 1. The applicant must provide the City with an as -built survey of each bio- infiltration basin upon finishing the project. 2. The applicant shall complete the project in a timely manner. 3. Dust and erosion must be controlled in accordance to best construction methods. 4. Stockpiles of materials, storage of construction equipment, and debris must be properly managed and controlled to ensure the safety of the public. Resolution No. 2011 -XXX Page 3 of 3 5. Landscaping within the bio- infiltration basins shall be maintained and free of noxious weeds. Passed this 10th day of August. 2011. Myron Bailey, Mayor Attest: Caron Stransky, City Clerk EXCERPT FROM UNAPPROVED MINUTES OF THE JULY 25, 2011, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING 6.1 Target Parking Lot— Case V11 -015 Target Corporation has applied for a variance to off - street parking requirements to elimi- nate approximately 70 parking stalls at Target, 8655 East Point Douglas Road South, to allow for the installation of four bio- infiltration islands in the parking lot and a bio- infiltra- tion basin at the rear of the building to reduce and improve storm water runoff. Treber recused himself from this Planning Case as he is an employee of Target Corporation and asked Vice Chair Messick to conduct this agenda item. McCool summarized the staff report and recommended approval based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Cindy Robb, Group Lead for Target Corporation, stated that they have been working on this project closely with the Washington Conservation District for the last nine months. They believe it will be a significant improvement to the look of the Target Store and for water quality concerns for that particular site and the whole sub - watershed. She noted that this is a joint partnership with the Washington Conservation District and the South Washington Watershed District. Brittain asked if the recent addition of the grocery section in the Target store was looked at in their parking analysis. Eric Pagett, Real Estate Department for Target Corporation, 1000 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, responded that it was a consideration. The calculation that is critical to parking de- mand is store volume. They provided a conservative approach to that calculation, which shows that even from Black Friday through the holidays, their demand levels reach about 450 stalls maximum. They are comfortable that they are providing their guests with the most convenient access and parking in those scenarios. Rambacher asked why the basins have different shapes and sizes. Robb responded that the shape of the basins has to do with the water flow in the parking lot. They are putting them where existing catch basins are located so they don't have to re -route the storm water system on the site. She noted that these is not an even split of storm water flow within the parking lot; the two larger basins have more water going to them. Rambacher asked who will monitor and maintain the catch basins. Robb responded Target would. Target would be entering into a ten -year main- tenance agreement with the Washington Conservation District, and their obligation to perform proper maintenance on the basins would be recorded to their deed. Pearson noted that the locations of the basins are where snow is piled during the winter and asked what they have planned for snow removal and storage. Robb stated that they talked with their store facility technician in detail, and he was comfortable based on the parking needs on the site that they could either put the snow next to the basins or in the small parking areas between the basins and the edge of the parking lot. They could also haul the snow off site. They would not store any snow within the basins because it would be detrimental to the plantings. Pearson asked who would monitor that. Robb responded the store facility technician. Excerpt from Unapproved Planning Commission Minutes Target Parking Lot Variance — Case No. V11 -015 July 25, 2011 Page 2 of 3 Messick opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Messick closed the public hearing. Brittain made a motion to approve the variance to off-street parking requirements at Target, 8655 East Point Douglas Road South, based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions listed below. Poncin seconded. Findings of Fact. a. The Target Store has operated since the 1989. During that time, Target's parking lot has never been fully occupied by parked vehicles. Reducing the total number of parking spaces by 70 additional parking spaces will not detrimentally impact Target's parking needs or affect any other business in the Cottage Grove Plaza. b. The construction of the five bio- infiltration basins interior to Target's parking lot will generally improve the aesthetic appearance within the parking lot and bring it more into compliance with City requirements. c. Construction of the bio - infiltration basins for management of storm water runoff and improving water quality before discharging it downstream is consistent with the intent of the ordinance without negatively affecting the operation of the site. In fact, the installation of the bio - infiltration basins will improve internal traffic circu- lation. d. A parking need assessment was performed by Target to ensure that off-street parking will continue to adequately serve their customers. The results of their study found a strong correlation between store sales and car counts. In applying the parking need formula to the Target Store in Cottage Grove, the results were about 30 parking spaces less than the 480 parking spaces they are proposing. e. The Target Store property is part of a community shopping center known as Cottage Grove Plaza. Most of the other businesses in this retail area appear to have vacant parking spaces as well as Target's parking lot. f. The character of the proposed bio- infiltration basins will be in harmony with the other landscape islands within the Cottage Grove Plaza. g. The variance is consistent with the adopted Future Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan. h. The proposed 480 off - street parking spaces will continue to provide adequate park- ing for Target Store's customers. Conditions of Approval: 1. The applicant must provide the City with an as -built survey of each bio - infiltration basin upon finishing the project. 2. The applicant shall complete the project in a timely manner. Excerpt from Unapproved Planning Commission Minutes Target Parking Lot Variance — Case No. V11 -015 July 25, 2011 Page 3 of 3 3. Dust and erosion must be controlled in accordance with best construction methods. 5. Landscaping within the bio- infiltration basins shall be maintained and free of noxious weeds. Brittain commended Target Corporation for undertaking this project to improve the appearance of the parking lot and helping to improve the community.