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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-24 PC Minutes.docx City of Cottage Grove Planning Commission November 24, 2014 A meeting of the Planning Commission was held at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Park- way South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, on Monday, November 24, 2014, in the Council Chambers and telecast on Local Government Cable Channel 16. Call to Order Chair Rostad called the Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call Members Present: Ken Brittain, Adam Graf, Kimberly Graff, Jody Imdieke, Wayne Johnson, Lise’ Rediske, Jim Rostad, Randall Wehrle Members Absent: Chris Reese Staff Present: John McCool, Senior Planner John M. Burbank, Senior Planner Justin Olsen, City Councilmember Rostad reported that this will be Commissioner Wehrle’s last meeting with the Planning Commis- sion and expressed appreciation for his service. Approval of Agenda Graf made a motion to approve the agenda. Imdieke seconded. The motion was approved unanimously (8-to-0 vote). Open Forum Rostad 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 Rostad explained the purpose of the Planning Commission, which serves in an advisory 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 go to the microphone and state their full name and address for the public record. Public Hearings and Applications 6.1 Park Place Storage – Case SP2014-039, CUP2014-040, V2014-041 Park Place Storage has applied for variances to City Code Title 11-6-5, Landscaping Re- quirements, Title 11-6-13, Architecture; and Title 11-10D-7, Self-Storage Facilities; and a Planning Commission Minutes November 24, 2014 Page 2 of 5 site plan review and conditional use permit to allow approximately 237,778 square feet of storage condominiums to be located at 7552 West Point Douglas Road South. McCool summarized the staff report and recommended approval based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Graff asked for further clarification on the tax base table and if this would be a continuing tax base or an initial tax payment to the City. McCool responded continuous. Johnson asked if there are any examples of a similar project in other areas of the Twin Cities. Applicants Paul Jorgensen, Park Place Storage, 6415 County Road 19, Corcoran, and John Rausch, Cushman Wakefield North America, 3500 American Boulevard West, Bloomington, introduced themselves. Jorgensen stated that they have seven locations around the Twin Cities with 650 to 700 units. They are adding buildings to their locations in New Hope, Shakopee, and Minnetrista. He ex- plained that these are different than mini-storage facilities; the units are larger and heated. Rausch stated that the people buying these condominiums use them to store nice cars or boats and they tend to finish the units. He highlighted that the proposed steel panels are not typical steel panels and showed photos of buildings that utilize that material. He stated that Building 1 would look nicer than United Properties or Opus industrial buildings with the punch outs and the accents on the front. That will be on three sides of Building 1. They are proposing to put the steel panels on the ends of the other building which would wrap the corners. They are also proposing to use soffit materials on the end caps of Buildings 2, 3, and 4. Johnson asked if the heating would be in each unit or centralized for the building. Rausch stated that each unit would have its own natural gas heater. Johnson asked where they would be vented. Rausch responded through the side of the building. He explained that they are concerned about water penetration so they don’t want to go through the roof. Rostad asked once somebody decides to build a unit, does the association prohibit them from subdividing a unit to sell. Jorgenson explained that they cannot divide existing units. Rostad asked if sleeping units would be allowed. Jorgenson stated no residences are allowed in the condos and that is very clear in the bylaws. He explained that the condo owners police the rules themselves and there is no outside storage allowed. Rostad asked if they have seen anyone trying to operate a business out of a unit. Jorgenson responded that is prohibited by the bylaws, noting that the condos are priced higher than office space. Rostad asked if Park Place Storage would have an ongoing stake in the project after all the units are sold. Jorgenson stated that he does manage the associations and that there is a board. Brittain asked if they build the entire building at one time or as the units are sold. Jorgenson responded that they would build Building A first and a part of another at the same time. Based on the length of the beams, they would probably build to the halfway mark. They typically start construction when they get 50 percent of a building sold. Brittain asked based on past experi- ence, how long it takes to complete the entire project. Jorgenson stated that they would like to be sold out in three years but it is typically four to five years. Planning Commission Minutes November 24, 2014 Page 3 of 5 Graf asked about the governing documents, sample budget, sample disclosure, reserve study, long-term planning and operating, and maintenance the facility. He would like to see what the interior corridors look like. He also would recommend that there be some sort of formal staging in place. He asked if they accept presales, are they working on marketing, the length of their management agreement term, and how long they retain control of the operation of the prop- erty. Jorgensen stated that the Corcoran facility has been there for 16 years and he has man- aged it since the beginning. Each facility has a board who provides direction for him. If the board does decide that they don’t want him managing the property any longer, he would step down. Graf asked if there is a formal agreement and what is the term of that agreement. Jorgensen stated that it is up to each board; a couple are year to year and others don’t have an agreement. Rausch noted that staff has the declaration, bylaws, and rules and regulations. McCool explained that the interior corridors are paved driveway accesses with garage doors and service doors. Jorgenson stated that the sample operating budget and reserve study can be provided to staff prior to the City Council meeting. He then stated that they do take pre- sales but they do not know the cost structure yet. Rediske asked if they have done research into the market in this area. Jorgensen responded that they have received interest from several Cottage Grove residents, and they also look at their current owner list and where they reside to see if they would like to move closer to their homes. Rediske asked when they plan to break ground. Jorgenson responded as quickly as they can. Rediske asked where the next closest one is to Cottage Grove. Jorgenson re- sponded that there are facilities in Holton, Wisconsin, a small site in Hastings, Shakopee, Corcoran, and Minnetrista. He noted that they will be spending more on this site than the others he owns. Rostad opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Rostad closed the public hearing. Rausch stated that he has been involved in other projects in Cottage Grove, including the White Pine senior housing development, and some of the other alternatives they looked at for this particular site would have involved a small building with a large parking lot, which would mean the tax base would be a third to a fifth of what this project will bring in. Imdieke thanked the applicants for looking at the City of Cottage Grove and for taking into consideration the visibility of the site and investing in the aesthetics of the buildings. She be- lieves this is a great use for that property. Brittain made a motion to recommend approval of the variances for landscaping, archi- tecture, and self-storage facilities, based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions listed in the staff report. Graff seconded. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). Graf recommended approval of the conditional use permit and site plan review subject to the conditions listed in the staff report, with the addition that the operating budget, reserve replacement study, and staging plan be included. Wehrle seconded. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). Planning Commission Minutes November 24, 2014 Page 4 of 5 6.2 Glengrove Industrial Park 4th Addition – Case PP2014-044 The City of Cottage Grove has applied for a preliminary plat to create one industrial lot to be located on 23.87 acres of land that is approximately 2,100 feet west of Jamaica Avenue and south of 97th Street. McCool summarized the staff report and recommended approval subject to the conditions stipulated in the staff report. Brittain asked if the state does not award the project to Leafline, would this property still be platted. McCool responded that the City would not record the plat. He noted that the announce- ment will be made by the December 3 City Council meeting. Rostad asked about the plans for the building and property layout. McCool responded that information on the site plan, which was unanimously approved by the City Council at their meeting on September 17, was provided to the Commission at their September 22 meeting. Rostad asked if any additional approvals, such as variances, would be necessary. McCool stated that no variances would be necessary as they comply with all the requirements of the City ordinances. Rostad opened the public hearing. No one spoke. Rostad closed the public hearing. Brittain made a motion to approve the preliminary plat for Glengrove Industrial Park 4th Addition, subject to the conditions listed in the staff report. Wehrle seconded. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). Discussion Items None Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of October 27, 2014 Graf made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 27, 2014, Planning Com- mission meeting. Graff seconded. Motion passed unanimously (8-to-0 vote). Reports 9.1 Recap of November City Council Meetings Olsen reported that at the November 5, 2014, meeting, the City Council approved the T-Mobile conditional use permit to install additional antennas on the City’s water tower on 81st Street. The Council denied the variance to allow a second residential dwelling unit as part of an ac- cessory structure at 10990 Manning Avenue South. They discussed the application at their October 15 meeting and they voted to continue it to the November 5 meeting. He explained that there were no findings of fact that would enable them to approve that variance; there were other options discussed that would meet their needs without building a second residential dwelling unit. At the November 19 meeting they reviewed the Environmental Assessment Planning Commission Minutes November 24, 2014 Page 5 of 5 Worksheet for the proposed Riverstone project and voted unanimously to not require an En- vironmental Impact Statement. They approved the text amendment regarding certificates of survey and as-built surveys for new residential construction. The CIP 2015-2019 was also approved. He reported the results of the recent election, congratulating Dave Thiede on his re-election and Steve Dennis on his election to the City Council; Karla Bigham who was elected to the Washington County Commission; and Denny McNamara and Dan Schoen for their re- election to Minnesota House Districts 54B and 54A respectively. Olsen thanked Wehrle, who has submitted his resignation, for his service on the Planning Commission. Burbank noted that the City is accepting applications for the upcoming vacancy on the Planning Commission. 9.2 Response to Planning Commission Inquiries None 9.3 Planning Commission Requests Brittain noted that during discussion regarding the second residential unit variance, there was some confusion about the intent of some of the language in the City Code referring to living quarters for servants. He asked if that language could be cleaned up. Olsen responded that the Council asked the City Attorney to do some in depth study on that language, and an ordi- nance amendment will be on an upcoming agenda. Adjournment Graff made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Johnson seconded. Motion passed unan- imously (8-to-0 vote). The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.