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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986 10-16 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 86023 Applicant: Brooklyn Center Baptist Church Location: 58140 Humboldt Avenue North Request: Site and Building Plan (Amendment)/Special Use The applicant requests amended approval of the special use permit and site and building plans for a gymnasium addition to the Brooklyn Center Baptist Church at 58140 Humboldt Avenue North (southeast corner of 59th and Humboldt). The original plans for this project were approved by the City Council on June 23, 1986. Since that time, the bids for the project have been submitted which exceeded the church's budget for the project. The architect, Dennis Batty, has recommended that the exterior treatment of the addition be downgraded from brick to decorative concrete block. The church has agreed to this change and requests that this amendment to the plans be accepted by the City. Staff have initiated a formal review and approval procedure for this amendment inasmuchas exterior treatment is a subject of City Council review and inasmuchas the approved plans have been on display at a public hearing. Ordinance Basis/Policy The preamble of Section 35-230 of the Zoning Ordinance (attached) declares that it is the policy of the City to "preserve and promote an attractive, stable residential and business environment for its citizens through encouraging well-conceived, high quality developments. To this end, imaginative architectural concepts shall be employed in the design of buildings and in the development of respective sites." Section 35-230 then goes on to elaborate the procedures and required documents for site and building plan review and approval. It does not define "well conceived" or "imaginative architectural concepts" as such. Rather, it creates a process and a minimum threshold of competence- by which such objectives may be attained. It trusts to the intersubjective judgment of Planning Commissioners, City Council members, planners and architects the case by case determination of what is high quality, well conceived, and imaginative. Subsection 3 of 35-230 comprehends the imposition of "conditions and restrictions as deemed necessary to protect the public interest and to secure compliance with the requirements of the ordinance." The wording of this sentence indicates that the "public interest" is not limited to what is codified in City ordinance and must be protected through special conditions attached to an approval action. The general policy regarding exterior treatment of buildings has been to require consistency of quality, if not exact material around an entire structure. False facades are to be avoided. Consistency has been required of roof treatments such as mansards as well as of wall materials. Examples There are a number of churches and schools in Brooklyn Center to compare to the proposed project in terms of exterior treatment. We have surveyed a number of these institutional uses to compare with the proposed gymnasium addition at Brookyn Center Baptist Church. The principal wall material in nearly all cases is brick. Stone is used at St. Alphonsus Church. A list of various schools and churches with exterior treatments follows: -St. Alphonsus Church and School: stone exterior around entire complex. 10-16-86 _1_ -Cross of Glory Church: Brick exterior throughout. -Brookdale Covenant Church: Brick exterior throughout. Brooklyn Center Baptist: All brick exterior at present. -Brookdale Christian Center: Two types of brick on church and classroom exterior. Gymnasium addition has rock faced concrete block. Church of the Nazarene: Original church has concrete block with stucco overlay. Expansion in 1981 provided a stucco exterior. -Lutheran Church of the Master: Brick exterior throughout. Fellowship hall addition in 1981 extended identical brick treatment. -Earle Brown Elementary: Brick exterior throughout. Upper level of gymnasium area is stucco. -Evergreen Elementary School: Brick exterior throughout. -Willow Lane Elementary School: Brick exterior. New gymnasium addition will match existing brick. -Garden City Elementary School: Brick exterior. Upper level of gymnasium has metal exterior treatment. -Northport Elementary School: Brick exterior. Recent multi- purpose room addition is also brick, though not the same color. -Brooklyn Center High School: Brick exterior throughout. Analysis Based on the above examples, it appears that the policy of consistent exterior treatment has been applied to institutional uses about as vigorously as toward commercial and industrial uses. There has been some flexibility when it is impossible to match the existing brick or in cases where a gymnasium has a higher roof-line. Generally speaking, though, expansions along a comparable wall line have utilized comparable materials, identical where possible. The case of the Brookdale Christian Center does provide some precedent for the applicant's proposal. However, it may be that that approval set a precedent that is inconsistent with the City's general policy and should not be extended to other cases in the future. It should be noted that the existing church in that case had two distinct types of brick. In general, staff feel that the proposed treatment is not "high quality" or particularly well conceived. It meets the immediate financial constraints of the church, but will have a lasting impact that we think will detract from the image of the building in the long run. We would prefer that the church defer some internal (non-code required) improvements in the short run and finish the space off as funds are available. In conclusion, therefore, we recommend that the plan amendment for rock faced block on the gym exterior be denied on the grounds that it is inconsistent with the City's policy of consistent exterior treatment which has been followed in the vast majority of cases in the City. 10-16-86 -2-