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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001 04-12 PCM MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION APRIL 12, 2001 CALL TO ORDER The Planning Commission meeting was called to order by Chair Willson at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Chair Tim Willson, Commissioners Sean Rahn, Dianne Reem, Graydon Boeck, and Stephen Erdmann. Commissioners John Whitehead and Rex Newman were absent and excused. Also present were Secretary to the Planning Commission/Planning and Zoning Specialist Ronald Warren, and Planning Commission Recording Secretary Nancy Czajkowski. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MARCH 29, 2001 There was a motion by Commissioner Rahn, seconded by Commissioner Erdmann, to approve the minutes of the March 29, 2001 meeting as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. CHAIR'S EXPLANATION Chair Willson explained the Planning Commission's role as an advisory body. One of the Commission's functions is to hold public hearings. In the matters concerned in these hearings, the Commission makes recommendations to the City Council. The City Council makes all final decisions in these matters. APPLICATION NO. 2001 -007 (ANOKA- HENNEPIN ISD #11) Chair Willson introduced Application No. 2001 -007, a request from Tom Durand, on behalf of the Anoka - Hennepin Independent School District to seek Site and Building Plan approval to construct an approximate 5,600 square foot media center addition to the north side of the Evergreen Park Elementary School, 7020 Dupont Avenue North. Mr. Warren presented the staff report using overhead transparencies to describe the location of the property and the proposal. (See Planning Commission Information Sheet dated 04/12/01 for Application No. 2001 -007 attached.) The proposed media center addition would be constructed to the north of the circular portion of the Evergreen Park School building and would be connected to that building by a corridor /vestibule area. Currently the north wall of the school is set back 101 feet from the north property line. The new addition would be located 32 feet from that north property line. City ordinances require minimum 15 -foot building setback and buffer strips where such a use abuts R -1 zoned land as it does in this case. The buffer strip must be landscaped and may not be used for parking, driveways, off street loading or storage. Staff recommends approval subject to seven conditions. He suggested another condition should be the repair and patching of the south parking lot blacktop. Chair Willson asked about fire exits. Mr. Warren pointed out the exits in the addition and reported that the Building Official has reviewed exiting requirements with the applicant. 04 -12 -01 Page 1 Commissioner Reem asked how many houses are across from the site. Mr. Warren responded there are five houses along the property line. Commissioner Reem questioned the removal of the three large trees. Mr. Warren responded there are trees and shrubs around the property line. He stated there are also fences. He added the school maintains the trees. He stated the buffer area that is required is 15 feet. He noted in this case there are 32 feet plus trees and landscaping. He added staff believes the landscaping to be adequate. Commissioner Reem stated her concern in the future for those people on the north. She noted right now there is a substantial distance without that building. Commissioner Rahn asked if the trash enclosure would have a gate. Mr. Warren responded he would assume that it would. He indicated the area he thought would be screened. Commissioner Rahn asked if they could require that it be gated. Mr. Warren responded the Commission could require it be enclosed. Commissioner Rahn stated he is concerned about children getting around the trash containers and being injured. Chair Willson asked about heaters in the vestibule area. He questioned how the new addition would be heated. Mr. Warren responded he would assume they would add additional duct work. He stated he further assumes the building official and the architect would discuss this further. Commissioner Erdmann stated he has similar concerns to that of Commissioner Reem regarding the visual impact of the addition to adjoining property owners on the north side. He noted it appears that the lighting is adequate. He added the screening on lot 3 and lot 4 is a bit less than on the other points on the northern border. He stated since it is a story and a half and placed closer to the homes, it might be good to beef up the screening on that portion of the northern lot line. He noted it would provide more buffering on that area. He added there is wider spacing on the existing screening. He stated there is a large gap where a tree appears to be missing. He noted six evergreens could fill in gaps and provide more substantial screening to the homeowners. Mr. Warren stated the trees look to be spaced uniformly. He noted it is a judgment call on the part of the Commission with respect to proper screening and buffering. He added that when he reviewed the site he did not notice any major gaps. He stated the same ordinance standard was in place at time this school was built and the council approved it as today. He noted he personally does not believe it would be necessary to require additional screening, but it is the Commission's decision. The Chair called for further discussion or questions from the Commissioners. The Commissioners interposed no objections to approval of the Application. PUBLIC HEARING — APPLICATION 2001 -007 There was a motion by Commissioner Boeck, seconded by Commissioner Reem, to open the public hearing on Application No. 2001 -007, at 8:08 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. 04 -12 -01 Page 2 Chair Willson called for comments from the public. Mr. Tom Durand, Director of Administrative Services for the school district, introduced the architect, Mr. Tom Sindelar of DLR Group. He stated after the 1999 referendum the school district looked at improvements for the school. He noted they felt the computer lab and media center would be an addition to the school and free up the current center for some much - needed extra space. He added they decided to design it in a way it could be used by the community as well. He stated there are separate entrances and restrooms. He noted they are able to block it off from the rest of the building. He added it would be a valuable addition to the school and to the community. Chair Willson asked about the heating. Mr. Sindelar responded the building currently has a central plant. He stated they would be tying onto that with a separate air handler. Chair Willson asked if there was enough capacity. Mr. Sindelar responded in the affirmative. He stated it is in very good condition. Chair Willson asked about the exits. Mr. Sindelar responded there is a second exit to the east that leads directly to the outside. Chair Willson asked about the windows. Mr. Sindelar responded the windows are fixed because the addition would have air conditioning. He stated the addition and the current building would be sprinkled. Commissioner Reem asked about the buffer and the people to north. Mr. Sindelar responded they looked at that issue. He stated they are doing 18 of these and we felt it was working with the existing setback. He noted they have double the setback and felt no additional landscaping was necessary. He added it is a mature site as it is. No other persons from the public appeared before the Commission during the public hearing on Application No. 2001 -007. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING There was a motion by Commissioner Rahn, seconded by Commissioner Erdmann, to close the public hearing on Application 2001 -007, at 8:15 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Durand stated the potholes can be filled, but ultimately he has a set number of dollars. Mr. Warren stated the curb and gutter are in, the only problem is patching potholes in the south parking lot. Commissioner Rahn stated he proposed an add amendment to condition number five. He noted it should include opaque screening on a lockable gate in this area. The Chair called for further discussion or questions from the Commissioners. The Commissioners interposed no objections to approval of the Application. 04 -12 -01 Page 3 ACTION TO APPROVE OF APPLICATION NO. 2001-0007 (ANOKA- HENNEPIN ISD #11) There was a motion by Commissioner Boeck, seconded by Commissioner Rahn, to recommend to the Council that it approve Application No. 2001 -007, submitted by the Anoka- Hennepin ISD #11 for site and building plan and special use permit approval to construct an approximate 5,600 square foot media center addition to the north side of the Evergreen Park Elementary School, 7020 Dupont Avenue North, subject to the following conditions: 1. The building plans are subject to review and approval by the Building Official with respect to applicable codes prior to the issuance of permits. 2. Grading, drainage, and utility plans are subject to review and approval by the City Engineer prior to the issuance of permits. 3. Any outside trash disposal facilities and rooftop or on ground mechanical equipment shall be appropriately screened from view. 4. The building addition is to be equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system to meet NFPA standards and shall be connected to a central monitoring device in accordance with chapter 5 of the City Ordinance. 5. The plan shall be modified, prior to the issuance of building permits, to provide appropriate opaque screening of the trash container area including opaque screening on a lockable gate servicing this area. The use of plastic slates woven between chain link is not acceptable as a means of meeting this opaque screening requirement. 6. The applicant shall provide appropriate erosion and sediment control devices on the site during construction as approved by the City Engineering Department. 7. All work performed and materials used for construction of the street utilities and the repairing of the deteriorating parking lot shall conform to the City of Brooklyn Center's current standard specifications and details. Voting in favor: Chair Willson, Commissioners Boeck, Erdmann, Rahn, and Reem. The motion passed. The Council will consider the recommendation at its April 23, 2001 meeting. The applicant must be present. Major changes to the application as reviewed by the Planning Commission will require that the application be returned to the Commission for reconsideration. APPLICATION NO. 2001 -008 (ERIN T. CUNNINGHAM & JEFFREY SACKMASTER) Chair Willson introduced Application No. 2001 -008, a request from Erin T. Cunningham & Jeffrey Sackmaster to seek Special Use Permit approval to conduct a home occupation involving the operation of a machine lathe in the garage of the home at 2406 Ericon Drive. Mr. Warren presented the staff report using overhead transparencies to describe the location of the property and the proposal. (See Planning Commission Information Sheet dated 04/12/01 for 04 -12 -01 Page 4 Application No. 2001 -008 attached.) The proposed home occupation falls under the classification of a special home occupation because it involves the use of an accessory structure on the property; because the home occupation involves the use of equipment not customarily found in a residential dwelling; and because the home occupation may also involve the employment of a person who is not a member of the family occupying the dwelling. Staff recommends approval subject to six conditions. Mr. Erin Cunningham described the machine as staff played a video -taped presentation showing the machine in operation and the level of noise associated with it. Commissioner Boeck asked if they do prototype work. Mr. Cunningham responded in the affirmative. Chair Willson noted hearing Mr. Cunningham speak on the tape in a normal voice gave him an idea of the noise level. Mr. Cunningham stated if they are using plastic in the machine, they would only hear the hydraulics. Commissioner Boeck asked if the garage was attached, insulated, and heated. Mr. Cunningham responded in the affirmative. He stated the heater blows in on both sides of the wall between the home and the garage. Mr. Jeffrey Sackmaster stated the tape is intended to show people that not all machines make smoke and noise. He noted it has no vibration and sprays a coolant on the bar that brings the noise down. He added the coolant is nontoxic. Mr. Cunningham stated the chips and materials are all recycled. Mr. Sackmaster stated they have run only approximately four hours in the last two days at their current location. He noted it depends on the amount of requests that are called in to them. He added they do overflow work or do prototypes. He stated a lot of machine shops do not have this machine. He noted Mr. Cunningham does the programming to do the prototypes. He added that if the parts fit, the customer purchases the program and the parts so they can run more of the parts themselves. Commissioner Reem asked if the garage door is ever open. Mr. Cunningham responded it is always down. He stated the material comes in the side door and is no bigger than an inch and a 1/16. Commissioner Reem asked if they go through the living area. Mr. Cunningham responded no. Chair Willson recognized Ms. Shirley Block, 2412 Ericon Drive and Ms. Edythe Metz, 2344 Brookview Drive who spoke in favor of the applicant's proposal. Commissioner Boeck asked if they are allowed to have sewer or water in the garage. Mr. Warren responded they could have water, but not sewer. Mr. Cunningham stated they would remain at their current site until September 1, 2001. Mr. Warren responded it is an interim location to keep the business operational. He stated that it was his understanding that they are looking for an industrial site. Commissioner Erdmann stated he could personally vouch for the quietness of the enclosed 04 -12 -01 Page 5 machine. He noted he had worked in a machine shop previously. He added he thought that by 7:00 a.m. most people are up and about. He stated it was customary for machine shops to start early. He noted he does not think it would cause a problem if the start time for the home occupation was 7:00 a.m. He added he would leave the 8:00 p.m. ending time for the operation. The Chair called for further discussion or questions from the Commissioners. The Commissioners interposed no objections to approval of the Application. PUBLIC HEARING — APPLICATION 2001 -008 There was a motion by Commissioner Rahn, seconded by Commissioner Reem, to open the public hearing on Application No. 2001 -008, at 8:52 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Willson called for comments from the public. He noted for record the parties present have been previously introduced and are in favor of the application. Commissioner Rahn asked about the water based coolant. He stated if it is run through the machine there could be shavings. Mr. Sackmaster responded the shavings and coolants fall into bottom of the machine. He stated there is a filter so that the shavings stay on top and the coolant gets recycled into the machine. Mr. Cunningham stated the lubricant goes into a five- gallon bucket and it is returned to where purchased. He noted they musty prove recycling. He added if there are any chips, they have to scrap out the bottom of the machine. Commissioner Erdmann asked about the electrical service for the machine. Mr. Cunningham responded it requires 220 volts. Mr. Warren noted he did receive a call from Mr. Leonard Buecksler, 2337 Brookview Drive. He stated Mr. Buecksler had questions, but did not express any negative views or comments. He noted Mr. Buecksler was not present. No other persons from the public appeared before the Commission during the public hearing on Application No. 2001 -008. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING There was a motion by Commissioner Boeck, seconded by Commissioner Erdmann, to close the public hearing on Application 2001 -008, at 8:57 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. The Chair called for further discussion or questions from the Commissioners. There was a motion by Commissioner Erdmann, seconded by Commissioner Reem to recommend a 7:00 a.m. starting time rather than the 8:00 a.m. starting time contained in the staff report. The motion passed unanimously. ACTION TO APPROVE OF APPLICATION NO. 2001-008 (ERIN T. CUNNINGHAM/ JEFFREY R. SACKMASTER) There was a motion by Commissioner Boeck, seconded by Commissioner Reem, to recommend to the Council that it approve Application No. 2001 -008, submitted by Erin T. 04 -12 -01 Page 6 Cunningham/Jeffrey R. Sackmaster for a Special Use Permit approval to conduct a home occupation involvin g the operation of a machine lathe in the garage of the home at 2406 Ericon Drive, subject to the following conditions: 1. The special use permit is granted for a home occupation involving the operation of a machine lathe in the garage of the home at 2406 Ericon Drive with the possible employment of no more than one non - resident employee. This home occupation may not be altered or expanded in any way not comprehended by this application without first securing an amendment to the special use permit. 2. The special use permit is subject to all applicable codes, ordinances and regulations. Any violation thereof may be grounds for revocation. 3. All vehicle parking associated with the home occupation shall be off street on improved space. Vehicle parking on the property shall be in compliance with Section 19 -103, Subdivision 12 of the city ordinances regarding the size of vehicles allowed. 4. The hours of operation shall be between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The home occupation shall not be operated on Sunday. 5. The applicants shall comply with recommendations of the Building Official with respect to safety related matters regarding the location and operation of the machine lathe in the accessory structure. 6. The applicants shall provide an appropriate fire extinguisher in the area of the home occupation per the recommendation of the Building Official. Voting in favor: Chair Willson, Commissioners Boeck, Erdmann, Rahn, and Reem The motion passed. The Council will consider the recommendation at its April 23, 2001 meeting. The applicant must be present. Major changes to the application as reviewed by the Planning Commission will require that the application be returned to the Commission for reconsideration OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Warren explained Plan C for the Eagle Crest PUD. He stated he received it from Mr. Bill Gleason. He noted there are two building elevations with one floor plan. He added this would make a third floor plan. He stated the first had four different elevations and the second had one elevation. He noted Mr. Gleason had a tragedy in the family and was out of town for a week. He added there is one other floor plan that would be provided as soon as possible. He stated the City Council did approve the PUD subj ect to all considerations and conditions proposed by the Planning Commission. He noted the City Council would preview all the plans before the final development agreement is put together. He added they would bring it before the Commission, too. Chair Willson stated he assumes it would probably be at the next meeting. 04 -12 -01 Page 7 Commissioner Reem stated she is concerned about the trash now that the snow is gone. She asked if the ordinances give a required number of days for clean up after the snow is gone. Mr. Warren responded it is not just true here, it is everywhere. He stated there would be a code enforcement sweep probably taking place in May. He noted new code enforcement officers have just been brought on. He added some businesses with the worst problems have been contacted Mr. Warren stated the next meeting is a study session. There was no other business. ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner Boeck, seconded by Commissioner Rahn, to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. 4� Chair 2 Zoe Recorded and transcribed by: Nancy Czajkowski TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. I 04 -12 -01 Page 8