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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986 05-08 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 86018 Applicant: Richard Whitley Location: 5327 Bryant Avenue North Request: Preliminary Plat The applicant requests preliminary plat approval to subdivide into two lots the property at 5327 Bryant Avenue North. The property in question is zoned R2 and is bounded by Bryant Avenue North on the east and by single-family homes on the south, west, and north. It is located on the west side of Bryant almost a block north of 53rd Avenue North. The existing house is located in the middle of the lot and is being relocated to the southerly portion of the property. It will then be properly situated on the southerly lot of this plat. The existing lot is 18,391 sq. ft. (approximately 126' x 1461 ) . The proposed subdivision would create a northerly lot (Lot 1) which would be 65.78' wide and 9,618 sq. ft. in area; also a southerly lot (Lot 2) which would be 60' wide and 8,773 sq. ft. in area. The minimum requirements for interior lots in the R2 zoning district are 60,width and 7,600 sq. ft. in area for single-family homes. Both lots, therefore, meet the requirements for single-family lots. It should be noted, however, that while the existing lot is large enough for a two-family dwelling (minimum requirements are 75' width and 6,200 sq. ft. of land per unit) , neither of the two new lots are large enough to meet the two-family requirements. The existing legal description of the property is that part of Lot 6, Block 4, Bellvue Acres Addition lying east of the west 155' thereof. The proposed legal description is Lots 1 and 2, Block 1, Whitley Addition. There is currently one water and one sanitary sewer service to the property. The subdivision will require the installation of one new service for both water and sewer and the existing services will have to be reconnected as a result of the relocation of the existing house. These service connections should be subject to a utility hookup agreement. Drainage and utility easements of 5' along the rear and 10' along the front property lines are indicated. Altogether the plat appears to be in order and approval is recommended, subject to at least the following conditions: 1 . The final plat is subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 2. The final plat is subject to the provisions of Chapter 15 of the City Ordinances. 3. The applicant shall enter into a utility hookup agreement with the City prior to final plat approval. 5-8-86 1 i Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 86019 Applicant: E and H Properties Location: 66th and West River Road Request: Site and Building Plan/Special Use The applicant requests site and building plan and special use permit approval to construct a three storey office building between the easterly frontage road of Highway 252 and Willow Lane, south of 66th Avenue North and south of Atkins Mechanical. The property in question is zoned C2 on the west and R5 on the east and is bounded by Atkins Mechanical and 66th Avenue North on the north, by Willow Lane on the east, by an 18 unit apartment complex and Brookdale Motel on the south, and by the easterly Highway 252 frontage road on the west. Office developments are permitted uses in the C2 zone and are special uses in the R5 zone. It is expected that a rezoning application to Cl and/or C2 will be filed in the future to put the entire property under a single zoning classification. However, it is not necessary for the rezoning to precede the approval or construction of the proposed development since that development is already acknowledged under existing zoning. Access/Parking Access to the site will be available from the West River Road frontage road on the west and from 66th Avenue North on the north via an extended access drive which lines up with a median opening in 66th Avenue North. The site plan calls for 86 parking stalls for a 15,875 sq. ft. office building. This does allow for some medical space within the building since it is more than the 79 stalls required for general office use. (Note: general office use requires 1 space/200 sq. ft. ; medical uses require 1 space per 150 sq. ft.) Approximately 4,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area can be devoted to medical tenants. The City Engineer has expressed concern that the access onto 66th Avenue North needs a wider radius to avoid a need for a third lane. Landscaping/Screening The proposed landscape plan calls for plantings concentrated around the building and along the greenstrip adjacent to Willow Lane. The landscape schedule calls for 8 shade trees (all Marshall's Ash) , 3 coniferous trees (Colorado Spruce) , 7 decorative trees (Red Splendor Crab) and 93 shrubs (including Arcadia Juniper, Mint Julep Juniper, Gold Flame Spirea, Compact Viburnum, and Dwarf Euonymus) . The point total of the proposed plan, based on the point system policy recently agreed upon by the Planning Commission is 155 points. The site area in question is approximately 1.06 acres (this does not include an approximate .43 acre area on the northeast portion of the parcel that is to be left undeveloped apart from the access drive to 66th Avenue North) . Based on the requirement of 100 points per acre for an office development up to 2 acres, the site in question is required to have 106 points (149 if the undeveloped area is included) . It, therefore, appears that the proposed plan meets the landscape standard policy. The plans also indicate a 6' high board on board wood fence for parking lot screening along Willow Lane. Grading, Drainage, Utilities The City Engineer has indicated that the grading, drainage, and utility plan must be modified to take account of a new 8" water line to be installed in the West River Road frontage road which will result in the need to abandon some existing services. He has also indicated that the storm sewer system downstream (15" line in Willow Lane) may not be adequate to accommodate a five year storm. He requests that drainage calculations be provided so that the need for allowing occasional ponding on the 5-8-86 -1- Application No. 86019 continued site may be determined. One possible way of dealing with a lack of storm sewer capacity would be to depress the berm in the Willow Lane greenstrip to allow any sizeable backup in the parking lot to overflow toward Willow Lane. Again, the drainage calculations should help determine the need, if any, for ponding on the site. Sanitary sewer service will be provided via a connection to an 18" line in Willow Lane. The plans also indicate bituminous curb at the northeast corner of the parking lot in anticipation of future expansion to the north. The remainder of the lot is to be appropriately delineated with B612 curb and gutter. Building The proposed building is set back 35' from the westerly frontage road of West River Road. Although Highway 252 is a major thoroughfare normally requiring a 50' setback, the intervening frontage road eliminates the need for the extraordinary setback. The building height is 35' , the maximum permitted in the Mississippi River Critical Area. The exterior treatment is to be face brick with bronze aluminum window frames. The main access will be on the south side of the building with a second access on the east end. Lighting/Trash The plan proposes a single light standard with two high pressure sodium (amber) luminaires located roughly in the middle of the site. The plans do not indicate specifications, but the architect has stated that the pole will likely be 20' to 25' high to provide 5 foot candles of illumination over the parking lot. The fixture will likely be a box type that directs the beam downward. The Zoning Ordinance limits light intensity to 3 foot candles at a property line adjacent to a residential district and to 10 foot candles adjacent to a public street or to commercially zoned property. In this case, the south lot line is adjacent to a residential district along the easterly 135' . We would also encourage an adequate, but subdued level of lighting on the east side of the site, given the single-family homes across Willow Lane. The plans show an outside trash enclosure, north of the parking lot, just off the access drive leading to 66th Avenue North. Special Use Standards The proposed office building is a permitted use in the C2 zoning district, but it a special use in the R5 zoning district. The site in question is zoned C2 on the west half and R5 on the east half. The proposal is, therefore, subject to the standards set forth in Section 35-220 and Section 35-314.3b (attached) Many of these standards have to do with the relationship of the proposed office use with surrounding development; whether it is consistent and compatible with surrounding uses and whether it will have any adverse effect on neighboring property values or the development of adjacent land. Staff believe that the proposed office use answers all of these concerns in a positive manner. It is a use compatible on the one hand with Highway 252 on the west and the hotel to the south, but also with the residences to the east. Given the alternatives (such as retail, convenience food restaurants, apartments) , it appears to us that the proposed office use is the best possible buffer between the residential neighborhood along the river and the busy highway to the west. In terms of ingress, egress and parking, the proposed development plan is appropriate in keeping access onto the frontage road and 66th Avenue North. No access will be allowed onto Willow Lane. The parking and stacking space available to the proposed office development should be more than adequate. While it will create some additional traffic in this neighborhood, it will occur primarily 5-8-86 -2- Application No. 86019 continued on 66th Avenue North during the 4-6 p.m. period. The existing level of traffic in this area is not terribly high at present and the addition of 45 peak hour trips (assuming a trip generation rate of 2.8 vehicles per 1,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area) will not be critical though it will be noticeable. The proposed development will have the drawback of increasing the traffic on 66th Avenue North during the 4-6 p.m. period, but should generate less traffic than retail, restaurant, or apartment developments during evening and weekend periods. In general, we feel that the traffic standards are met in this case. All in all, this application appears to be in order and approval is recommended, subject to at least the following conditions: 1. 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, utility and berming plans are subject to review and approval by the City Engineer, prior to the issuance of permits. 3. A site performance agreement and supporting financial guarantee (in an amount to be determined by the City Manager) shall be submitted prior to the issuance of permits. 4. Any outside trash disposal facilities and rooftop mechanical equipment shall be appropriately screened from view. 5. The building 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 Ordinances. 6. An underground irrigation system shall be installed in all landscaped areas to facilitate site maintenance. 7. Plan approval is exclusive of all signery which is subject to Chapter 34 of the City Ordinances. 8. B612 curb and gutter shall be provided around all parking and driving areas with the exception of the northeast corner of the lot and the access drive where permanent curb may be deferred for up to five years. 9. The applicant shall submit an as-built survey of the property prior prior to the release of the performance guarantee. 10. The applicant shall provide drainage calculations for the site to the City Engineer for evaluation of possible on-site storage of runoff, prior to issuance of permits. 11. The replat of this site combining the land into a single parcel shall receive final approval and be filed at the County prior to the issuance of permits. 5-8-86 _3_ Application No. 86019 continued 12. Site lighting shall provide adequate illumination of the parking lot, but light intensity shall not exceed 3 foot candles along the south property line in accordance with Section 35-712 of the Zoning Ordinance. 13• The special use standards are deemed to be met in this case, in consideration of the following: a) the proposed office use is an appropriate buffer between Highway 252 and the single-family residences along the Mississippi River. b) the proposed office use is consistent and compatible with all adjacent land uses. c) traffic generated by the proposed office use can be accommodated by the abutting nonresidential streets and on the subject site and should not overburden public streets and signals in the area. 14. No access to the site shall be allowed from Willow Lane. Access onto 66th Avenue North shall line up with the median opening indicated on the MN/DOT plans for road construction of the Highway 252 project. 15• The special use permit is subject to all applicable codes, ordinances and regulations. 5-8-86 -4- Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 86020 Applicant: E and H Properties Location: 66th and West River Road Request: Preliminary Plat The applicant requests preliminary plat approval to resubdivide into two parcels the land south of 66th Avenue North, east of the Highway 252 right-of-way. The land in question has a split zoning with C2 zoning on approximately the west half of the plat and R5 on the eastern half. It is bounded by the easterly frontage road of Highway 252 (West River Road) on the west, by 66th Avenue North on the north, by Willow Lane on the east, and by an 18 unit apartment complex and the Brookdale Motel on the south. The plat consists of Lots 4, 5, 6, and 7, Block 1 of Olson's Island View Terrace Addition and two unplatted parcels from Lot 15, Auditor's Subdivision Number 310. The northwest quadrant of the plat is occupied by the Atkins Mechanical office building. The remaining area is vacant. The proposed plat places the existing office building on the new Lot 1. The vacant land is to be Lot 2. The office development proposed under Application No. 86019 is to be located on the southerly portion of Lot 2, with the northeast portion of the property left vacant for future development. The two lots are contained in one block, the plat to be titled E and H Properties Addition. The proposed plat is 1.916 acres in area. No lot areas have been provided, but Lot 2 is approximately 1.5 acres and Lot 1, approximately .65 acres. The setback lines shown on the preliminary plat are not entirely consistent with the Zoning Ordinance, but with the complexity of Lot 2, which abuts three different streets, it is difficult to judge precisely which setback provisions apply where. Because the abutment with Highway 252 is buffered by a frontage road, it is staff's judgment that neither lot width, setback, nor 1 acre lot area requirements for office uses adjacent to major thoroughfares apply in this case. Drainage and utility easements are designated at 10' widths adjacent to public right-of-way and 5' widths adjacent to interior property lines in accordance with the Subdivision Ordinance. There are four sets of water and sanitary sewer services within Willow Lane which serve Lot 2 of this plat. Most of these services will have to be abandoned. Disposition of these services should be handled under a Subdivision agreement to be concluded prior to final plat approval. No right-of-way dedication has been indicated on the proposed plat. The needs for widening 66th Avenue North to allow for a median and other improvements in association with the upgrading of Highway 252 should be evaluated prior to approval of the final plat. Approval of the proposed plat should be subject to at least the following conditions: 1 . The final plat is subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 2. The final plat is subject to the provisions of Chapter 15 of the City Ordinances. 5-8-86 -;1- Application No. 86020 continued 3. Setback lines indicated on the preliminary plat are non-binding and are subject to ordinance interpretation by the City Council. 4. The applicant shall enter into a subdivision agreement with the City relating to utility hookups and abandonments and other items deemed appropriate by the City Engineer prior to final plat approval. 5. The City Engineer shall report on the need, if any, of right-of-way dedication for 66th Avenue North prior to consideration of the preliminary plat by the City Council. 5-8-86 -2-