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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11A Menards Expansion – Variances, Conditional Use Permit, and Site Plan Review Applications TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Charlene Stevens, City Administrator FROM: John McCool, Senior Planner DATE: July 3, 2018 RE: Menard, Inc. – Variances, Conditional Use Permit, and Site Plan Review Applications Proposal Menard, Inc., has filed the following planning applications: 1. Variance to City Code Title 11, Chapter 3, Section 9(F); Required Off-Street Parking, and amended site plan to eliminate 40 additional customer parking spaces from the already approved parking variance that allowed 396 parking spaces; and 2. Variance to Title 11, Chapter 6, Section 13; Architecture, to reduce the 65 percent minimum requirement for Class 1 exterior building materials to Class 4; and 3. Site plan and conditional use permit for the proposed construction of a 43,808 square foot storage building at the southeast corner of their existing retail store, expand the lumber yard addition east of the existing pallet racking line, and create a special order area and delivery staging area within their existing outdoor storage area. The property is located at 9000 East Point Douglas Road shown on the location map below. Location Map Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 2 of 12 Review Process Application Received: May 23, 2018 Acceptance of Completed Application: May 23, 2018 Tentative City Council Date: July 18, 2018 60-Day Review Deadline: July 22, 2018 Planning Commission’s Recommendation The Planning Commission held the public hearing on the variance requests to the minimum off- street parking requirements and the 65 percent minimum Class 1 exterior building materials re- quirement, site plan, and conditional use permit at their June 25, 2018, regular meeting. At the public hearing, Rodney Wekkin, Real Estate Representative for Menards, Inc. stated that the Menards site does not allow any practical expansion opportunities and believes the elimination of 40 customer parking spaces will still provide adequate parking for their customers. Mr. Wekkin summarized the parking ratios for twelve other Menards stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin and pointed out that four other Menards stores with more square retail floor space have higher parking ratios (less number of parking spaces per square foot of retail floor area) and those stores do not have any parking shortage. No other testimony was received for or against at the public hearing. The Planning Commission noted that in addition to decreasing the number of customer parking spaces from 396 to 356 spaces, more parking spaces will likely be lost during the winter season if snow is stockpiled within Menard’s parking area. The reason is because the existing stormwater basin in the southeast corner of the Menard’s site is proposed to be eliminated and Menard’s will not be able to push excess snow into the basin as they have done in the past. A couple Planning Commission members expressed concerns for the proposed 43,808 square foot storage building to be in front of Menard’s retail store and that the amount of green space at the site will be reduced from approximately 15.75 percent to approximately 9.39 percent. City ordinance requires a minimum of 20 percent green space for commercial properties in the B-3 Zoning District. The Planning Commission also discussed the general site layout for Menard’s stores that have higher parking to retail floor space ratios (higher the ratio, the less number of parking spaces based on the gross retail floor area). Some Commission members stated that other Menards stores are located within a larger retail area, where shared parking was possible. An aerial photo for the Menards store in Oak Park Heights, MN; Hudson, WI; Waukesha, WI; Golden Valley, MN, and Eden Prairie, MN are shown on the following pages. The actual day of the week and time of day are unknown for these aerials. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 3 of 12 Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 4 of 12 Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 5 of 12 The Planning Commission recommended, on a 6-to-2 vote, denial of the two variance requests and denial of the site plan and conditional use permit applications. It was noted that without ap- proving the variances, the construction of the 43,808 square foot storage building would not be possible. The Planning Commission’s recommendations were based on certain findings. An ex- cerpt from the unapproved June 25, 2018, Planning Commission meeting minutes is attached. Background In July 1995, a variance was granted by the City allowing Menard, Inc. to provide approximately 407 parking spaces instead of the 568 spaces required by the Zoning Ordinance. This variance was supported by the rationale that the ratio of parking spaces proposed was similar to the num- ber of parking spaces allowed by other Midwest communities. In calculating the minimum number of parking spaces required, no parking spaces were counted in the outdoor storage yard. A vari- ance was also granted to allow a larger pylon sign. In December 2000, the City Council approved Menards site plan and conditional use permit for the 54-foot by 180-foot canopy on the northwest side of the existing 161,160 square foot retail building, which is used for the display and retail sales of garden and outdoor merchandise. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 6 of 12 In April of 2001, an interim conditional use permit was approved allowing a temporary greenhouse that temporarily removed 12 parking spaces in the parking lot. Planning Considerations Comprehensive Plan – Future Land Use Designation The future land use map in the City’s Future Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan shows this property guided as “commercial.” The existing Menards retail site and the proposed storage building expansion is consistent with the 2030 Future Land Use Map. Zoning This parcel is currently zoned General Business (B-3). The proposed use is consistent with the B-3 zoning district. Existing Site Conditions The Menards site currently has a total gross land area of approximately 14.9 acres. The retail floor area is approximately 161,160 square feet with an enclosed receiving/loading dock area of approximately 13,410 square feet on the north side of the building, a 9,720 square foot storage area at the northwest corner of the building and a 26,880 square foot garden center along the west side of the building. Outdoor storage racks for lumber, landscaping materials, and construc- tion materials exist along the perimeter of the outdoor storage area. A 1.3-acre stormwater deten- tion pond is located in the southeast corner of the property, and there are 396 parking spaces in front of the building. The 12-foot tall wooden privacy fence along the perimeter of the outdoor storage yard is approximately ten feet from side and rear property boundaries. Menards is bordered by commercial uses to the west and residential uses to the north and east. There is an existing 75-foot wide natural gas pipeline easement between Menards’ east property boundary line and the existing residential neighborhoods to the east. An aerial of the Menards property is shown below. Menards Site – 2016 Aerial Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 7 of 12 Setbacks The proposed 43,808 square foot warehouse would be set back 50 feet from the front property boundary line, which adjoins East Point Douglas Road. The Menards store sets back 270 feet and the parking lot 20 feet from the front property line. All the minimum setback regulations are compliant with the B-3 District standards. Surface Water Management/Grading and Drainage The existing stormwater basin in the southeast corner of the Menards site will be filled in and a new underground stormwater system will be constructed. The City Engineer and consulting engi- neer (Bolton & Menk) evaluated Menards hydraulic modeling to determine if the City’s trunk storm drain system and downstream ponding has adequate capacity to allow Menards to discharge up to an additional 10 cubic feet per second (cfs) from their site. To off-set stage and discharge impacts, a cash payment to the City for future downstream improvements and off-site ponding downstream will be required. Menards is required to pay to the City an estimated $250,000 de- pending on the final stormwater design. A copy of Bolton-Menk’s letter dated March 8, 2018 and the Menards Grading and Drainage Plan are attached. Architecture/Construction The north side of the warehouse is proposed to be constructed with an emerald green pro-rib steel siding exterior material. This side of the building faces the interior of the outdoor storage area. The building height is approximately 30 feet. Proposed Warehouse North Elevation The west side of the building will not have any type of siding material for an exterior wall. There will be a row of racks along most of this side of the building to allow stored building materials to be accessible from outside the building. A roof canopy will extend approximately ten feet over this open wall. The roof material is proposed to be a white pro-rib steel roof with a row of clear poly- carbonate panels that will allow natural light into the building’s interior. Proposed Warehouse West Elevation Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 8 of 12 The east side of the building is proposed to have a combination of gray smooth masonry block and tan colored split-face masonry block materials. This side of the building will face toward ad- joining residential properties. A mix of deciduous and conifer trees will be planted along this side of the building. Proposed Warehouse East Elevation The south side (facing East Point Douglas Road) of the proposed warehouse would also have a combination of gray smooth masonry block and tan colored split-face masonry block materials. A mix of deciduous trees are proposed to be planted in the green space between this side of the building and East Point Douglas Road. Proposed Warehouse South Elevation City Code Title 11-6-3, Architecture, requires exterior walls of any nonresidential structure visible from a highway, public street, park, or public view from adjacent properties of residential uses to be composed of at least 65 percent Class 1 materials. The east and south sides of this warehouse comply with this regulation. The north exterior wall (rib steel siding) faces the interior of the outdoor storage area and will not be visible from adjacent properties or East Point Douglas Road. The west exterior side of the warehouse is not proposed to have any wall/siding material and the proposed storage racks will likely be visible from East Point Douglas Road (east bound traffic) and from Menards customer parking lot. A retaining wall four feet in height with a wrought iron fence ten feet in height is proposed to be installed from the southerly most corner of the ware- house to the security gate/canopy structure located at the southeast corner of Menards retail store. An illustration of this retaining wall and fence is shown below. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 9 of 12 Menards original submittal proposed the exterior walls (except the west wall) for this warehouse to be constructed of an emerald green colored rib-steel siding material. This type of material is a Class 4 material. The public hearing notice included the description of Menards’ variance request to reduce the 65 percent minimum Class 1 building material requirement. Landscape Plan City ordinance requires 20 percent green space for commercial properties zoned B-3 District. The current Menard’s site has approximately 15.75 percent green space. If the proposed warehouse is constructed, the amount of green space will be reduced to approximately 9.39 percent. Existing trees and shrubs around the existing stormwater pond and in the southeast corner of the Menards site will be replaced with 17 new deciduous and coniferous trees along the east side of the warehouse and 22 deciduous trees on the south side of the warehouse. In addition, 175 shrubs will be planted along the wrought iron fence that will be along east side of the parking lot, between the parking lot and the warehouse building. Twenty deciduous trees will be planted on the south side of the warehouse and approximately ten of the existing deciduous trees closest to East Point Douglas Road will remain in that corner of the site. A copy of the landscape plan is shown below. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 10 of 12 Landscape Plan (June 13, 2018) Parking In 1995, when the City originally reviewed and approved the Menards project, a variance to the minimum parking requirements was granted to allow a total of 407 parking spaces. Today, the total number of existing parking spaces at the Menards site is 396. With construction of the pro- posed 43,808 square foot warehouse, not only will 40 parking space be displaced, but additional parking spaces will likely be temporarily unavailable. City staff is concerned for the additional loss of 40 parking spaces. During the winter season, if Menards stockpiles their snow within the parking lot, additional parking spaces will be temporarily unavailable. In previous years, Menards generally stockpiled their snow along the east side of their parking lot and pushed the snow into their existing stormwater basin. The table below is a comparison of building square footage and number of parking spaces for Menards stores in other communities. These store locations are ranked by the parking ratio (build- ing square footage divided by the number of parking spaces). The ratio equates to the amount of Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 11 of 12 building square footage per one parking space. The smaller the ratio number, the more parking spaces are provided per building square feet. As you can see, the parking ratio for the Menards store in Cottage Grove ranks eighth of 13 stores. If 40 parking spaces are eliminated, then the parking ratio increases. Building Sq. No. of Parking Parking Ratio (Bldg. Sq. Ft. City Ft. Spaces per One Parking Space) Madison WI (Southwest) 184,390 549 336 Most Burnsville 165,772 487 340 Parking Maplewood 166,066 487 340 Apple Valley 160,680 458 351 Maple Grove 164,875 465 355 Red Wing 173,161 487 356 Eau Claire, WI (West) 169,823 459 370 Cottage Grove (Currently) 161,625 396 408 Oak Park Heights 169,748 402 422 Cottage Grove (Proposed) 169,739 358 474 Hudson, WI 169,778 358 474 Waukesha, WI 243,648 452 539 Least Golden Valley 243,619 376 648 Parking Eden Prairie 243,648 350 696 Parking is prohibited along East Point Douglas Road, and the Menards site does not have any other opportunities to provide more parking. The Pine Grove Marketplace, 8600 East Point Doug- las Road, is an 11,021 square foot multi-tenant commercial building with 54 parking spaces. The City is not aware of any “shared” parking agreement between Menards and Pine Grove Market- place, therefore Menards customers could not use these parking spaces. Rodney Wekkin, Real Estate Representative with Menards, sent an email to the City on July 11, 2018, with further details on the parking situation at the Cottage Grove store. He also included a table comparing sales and parking spaces at other metro area stores with Cottage Grove. His email is attached. City Department Review Representatives from various City Departments reviewed the applicant’s planning applications. In general, concerns were expressed for the loss of 40 parking spaces and the potential temporary loss of additional parking spaces during construction and the winter season if snow is stockpiled in their parking lot. If the City Council approves the reduction of the existing number of parking spaces, City staff recommends that stockpiling snow on the Menards site that results in loss of parking spaces be prohibited. No written comments or recommendations were received from other advisory commissions. Public Hearing Notices The public hearing notice was mailed to 221 property owners who are within 500 feet of the Menards site and published in the South Washington County Bulletin on June 13, 2018. No written comments were received as of June 14, 2018. Honorable Mayor, City Council, and Charlene Stevens Menards – Site Plan, Conditional Use Permit, and Variance Applications July 3, 2018 Page 12 of 12 Variances – Ordinance Criteria With any variance request, the Planning Commission and City Council must look to the zoning ordinance for guidance and direction. City Code Title 11-2-7: Variances, states that: D. Consideration By Planning Commission; Recommendation: Before authorization of any variances, the request therefor shall be referred to the Planning Commission, and for its recommendation to the City Council for the granting of such variance from the strict application of the provisions of this title so as to relieve such practical difficulties to the degree considered reasonable without impairing the intent and purpose of this title and the comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission shall recommend such conditions related to the variance, regarding the location, character and other features of the proposed building, structure or use, as it may deem advisable. The Plan- ning Commission shall make its recommendation within sixty (60) days after the request is referred to it, unless the applicant requests, in writing, that an extension of time for review be granted by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission may recommend a variance from the strict application of the provision of this title, if the practical difficulties test is met. The test is: 1. The property is proposed to be put to reasonable use; 2. The variance request is unique to the property (not created by the landowner); and 3. The variance will not alter the essential character of the locality. In order to grant the variances, the property owner must meet all elements of the practical difficulties test. Menards included in their variance application a written narrative and written responses to the ordinance criteria. A copy of their documentation (date stamped May 23, 2018) is attached. Recommendation That the City Council accept the Planning Commission’s recommendations denying Menard, Inc.’s planning applications as described below and adopt the attached draft resolution that includes the Commission’s findings of fact. 1. Variance to City Code Title 11, Chapter 3, Section 9(F); Required Off-Street Parking, and amended site plan to eliminate 40 additional customer parking spaces from the already approved parking variance that allowed 396 parking spaces; and 2. Variance to Title 11, Chapter 6, Section 13; Architecture, to reduce the 65 percent minimum requirement for Class 1 exterior building materials to Class 4; and 3. Site plan and conditional use permit for the proposed construction of a 43,808 square foot storage building at the southeast corner of their existing retail store, expand the lumber yard addition east of the existing pallet racking line, and create a special order area and delivery staging of the existing pallet racking line, and create a special order area and delivery staging area within their existing outdoor storage area.