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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988 09-08 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 88010 Applicant: Minnesota State High School League Location: 2100 Freeway Boulevard (approximate) Request: Site and Building Plan/Special Use Permit The applicant requests site and building plan and special use permit approval to construct a headquarters office building immediately east of the Holiday Inn on the north side of Freeway Boulevard. The property in question is zoned I-1 and is bounded on the north by Parkway Circle (a private access drive serving the buildings in the area north of Freeway Boulevard and west of Shingle Creek Parkway) , on the east by vacant I-1 zoned land, on the south by Freeway Boulevard and on the west by the Holiday Inn. Office buildings are special uses in the I-1 zoning district. Access/Parking The High School League site will have no separate access off Freeway Boulevard, but instead will gain access through the Holiday Inn driveway to the west. This is much preferred as it limits the number of driveway openings onto Freeway Boulevard and will preserve the offsets to the accesses at the LaCasita restaurant across the street. A cross access agreement must be executed prior to issuance of building permits. There will also be an access onto Parkway Circle to the north. The plan provides for 82 parking spaces to the west and north of the building. This is enough parking for 15,033 sq. ft. of office space and 5,467 sq. ft. of storage space. The building is two floors at approximately 10,250 sq. ft. per floor. The plan calls for the entire upper floor and a portion of the lower floor to be utilized as office. The remainder of the lower floor is to be used for storage. Absent a proof-of- parking plan for at least 103 total parking spaces, the applicant will have to enter into a covenant restricting the use of the lower level of the building to approximately one-half storage use and one-half office use. Landscaping The plan calls for five shade trees, two Summit Ash near Parkway Circle and three Sugar Maple near the northwest corner of the building. Seven Norway Pine are scheduled in the greenstrip to the east of the north parking lot. The plan also calls for 10 Andorra Juniper and eight Golden Mockorange to be located southwest of the building near the main entrance drive leading from the Holiday Inn site. Two Amur Maples are scheduled around the Summit Ash at the northwest corner of the site. The total point value of the plantings under the landscape point system is 104 points. Since this development is an office development on a 1.49 acre site, the point system calls for 149 points. The project architect has indicated that more plantings will be shown on plans to be available at the Planning Commission meeting. In addition to the plantings_, it should be noted that the plans call for a terraced light well along the east side of the building. The plan calls for Crown Vetch on the terrace. Sod will be provided in other lawn areas and the site will be served by underground irrigation as required by ordinance. Grading, Drainage, Utilities The grading and drainage plan provides for drainage to break in the middle of the northerly parking lot toward catch basins on either side of the lot. Drainage will break in front of the building partly toward a catch basin and partly down the access drive. The entrance drive is fairly steep, reaching 7% in its central section. The main floor of the building is set at 853' 10" and pedestrians will enter the building on this upper level. The ground will recede fairly steeply from this level 9-8-88 -1- Application No. 88010 continued on the west and south sides of the building. Drainage from the site will be conveyed via storm sewer to a detention pond to be located at the southeast corner of the vacant parcel to the east (see Application No. 88011). The detention pond must have the capacity to serve both sites and must be approved by the Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission. The water connection will be at the west property line off the water service to the Holiday Inn. No separate fire line has been indicated. The plans call for a combined 6" domestic, fire and irrigation service. The sanitary sewer service will be to the south of the building off an extension of the line serving the Holiday Inn. That sanitary sewer line must be extended to the vacant tract to the east so that that parcel also may be served by that sewer line. Building The building elevation will be primarily brick with metal panels above the main floor windows on the west, south and east elevations. The main access to the building will be on the west side. There will be a service entrance on the north side of the building. The driving lane in front of that entrance will be extra wide to accommodate an occasional truck making deliveries. The elevation of the lower level will be 841' 10". This is below the 100 year flood elevation for Shingle Creek, but since this property is outside of the 100 year flood plain, it need not comply with flood plain regulations. Since it is expected that there will be a fair amount of pedestrian traffic between the High School League offices and the Holiday Inn, a concrete walk with steps is proposed through the common greenstrip area, west of the building. The sidewalk will be lined up with the main entrance to the building. Lighting/Trash Outside lighting provisions have not been clearly indicated on the plans. Also no space has been indicated for an outside trash enclosure. No outside trash enclosure may be contemplated at this time. However, the standard conditions clearly call for screening in the event outside trash disposal facilities are used. Special Use Standards) This office development is one of the first pure office developments in the I-1 zone north of the freeway. The Target audit division in the RCM Plaza building north of this site is another such office development though it was not originally planned as such. Likewise with the Salvation Army offices to the west. The Minnesota State High School League office is considered to be very compatible and complementary with the hotel development in the area inasmuchas it will draw travelers from around the state on a regular basis. As to traffic impact, the proposed office is consistent with the probable development scenario in the traffic study done by Short-Elliott- Hendrickson in 1985. And the design of the shared access off Freeway Boulevard with the Holiday Inn will prevent confusion and congestion in Freeway Boulevard which might result if there were two separate driveways so close to each other. Recommendation In general, the plans appear 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. 9-8-88 -2- Application No. 88010 continued 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. 9. The applicant shall submit an as-built survey of the property, improvements and utility service lines, prior to release of the performance guarantee. 10. The property owner shall enter in an Easement and Agreement for Maintenance and Inspection of Utility and Storm Drainage Systems. 11. The storm drainage system shall be approved by the Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission prior to the issuance of permits. 12. Ponding areas required as a part of the storm drainage plan shall be protected by an approved easement. The easement document shall be executed and filed with Hennepin County prior to the issuance of permits. 13. The applicant shall execute a cross access agreement for shared access across the Holiday Inn property to the west prior to the issuance of permits. 14. The applicant shall execute a legal covenant restricting the use of the lower floor of the building to one-half storage use and one-half office use unless and until a proof-of-parking plan and agreement is executed for provision of at least 103 parking stalls on the site. The restrictive covenant shall be subject to review and approval by the City Attorney and be filed with the title to the property at the County prior to the issuance of permits. 9-8-88 -3- Application No. 88010 continued 15. The plans shall be modified prior to consideration by the City Council in the following respects: a) The landscape plan shall show the sizes of plantings and a sufficient quantity to reach 149 points under the landscape point system. b) The site plan shall clearly indicate provisions for outside lighting. c) The floor plans for the lower level shall indicate the sizes of the various rooms and what their use shall be. 16. The special use permit is subject to all applicable codes, ordinances and regulations. 9-8-88 -4 Planning Commission Information Sheet Application: 88011 Applicant: Beisner Ltd. Location: Northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard Request: Preliminary R.L.S. The applicant requests preliminary R.L.S. approval to subdivide into two tracts the vacant parcel of land at the northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard. The land in question is zoned I-1 and is bounded on the north by the Parkway Place building and the central parking lot serving this area, on the east by Shingle Creek Parkway, on the south by Freeway Boulevard, and on the west by the Holiday Inn. The division is proposed to create a parcel for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) headquarters building. The MSHSL parcel (Tract A) will be on the westerly side of the existing 5.6 acre parcel and will comprise 1.49 acres. The balance of the parcel (Tract B) will comprise 4.12 acres. The existing legal description of the parcel is Tract A, R.L.S. No. 1602. The proposed division would keep all land devoted to Parkway Circle in the existing parcel within the larger proposed Tract B, including a strip of land north of the MSHSL site on Tract A. The south edge of Parkway Circle presently has a rolled bituminous curb. Since this section of Parkway Circle will remain in Tract B, it should be the responsibility of the owner of Tract B to upgrade that curb to B612 concrete curb and gutter. Staff recommend that a condition be attached to approval of the preliminary R.L.S. that the owner enter into a subdivision agreement with a supporting financial guarantee to assure completion of the curb and gutter along the south side of Parkway Circle. This work should be completed along with the MSHSL project. Drainage for the entire R.L.S. is subject to review and approval by the Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission. The drainage from Tract A will be conveyed via storm sewer to a detentionn pond in the southeast corner of Tract B. An easement for storm sewer must, therefore, be dedicated on Tract B. A document dedicating the ponding area must be filed with the R.L.S. at the County. Conversely, Tract B will gain sanitary sewer service from an extension of sanitary sewer in Tract A. The applicant must enter into a subdivision agreement stipulating an extension of sanitary sewer service through Tract A to Tract B. The sanitary sewer extension is needed because the sewer line in Freeway Boulevard is small and is constricted in the segment between Humboldt and Dupont Avenues North. Both Tracts A and B will gain sanitary sewer service via a separate line serving the Holiday Inn and traveling westward. Altogether, the R. L.S. appears to be in order and approval is recommended, subject to at least the following conditions: 1. The final R.L.S. is subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 2. The final R.L.S. is subject to the provisions of Chapter 15 of the City Ordinances. 9-8-88 -1- Application No. 88011 continued 3. The owner of the property shall enter into a Subdivision Agreement stipulating responsibility for extension of sanitary sewer to the proposed Tract B and installation of curb and gutter along the south side of Parkway Circle. It shall also stipulate responsibility for construction of storm drainage facilities to serve both Tract A and Tract B including construction of a detention pond on Tract A. The agreement shall be accompanied by a financial guarantee to assure completion of required improvements. Also included in the Subdivision Agreement shall be easement documents for drainage and utilities. 9-8-88 -2- Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 88012 Applicant: Dean Arnott Location: 3313 O'Henry Road Request: Special Use Permit (Home Occupation) The applicant requests special use permit approval to conduct a psychological counseling business in his home at 3313 0'Henry Road. The house in question is the second one east of Beard Avenue North and is bounded on the north by O'Henry Road, and on the east, south and west by single-family homes. The property is zoned Rl and a psychological counseling business is considered a special home occupation because of the customer traffic associated with it. The applicant has submitted a brief letter (attached) outlining various aspects of his home occupation. The letter states the business will occupy two rooms in the basement, each 9' x 121 . The hours of operation will be 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. depending on client and counselor availability. The letter notes there is a double wide driveway plus on-street parking in front of the house. There will be no outside employee. The means of ingress and egress are the same - up and down the basement steps and out the front or back door of the house. A fire and smoke alarm is present in the basement counseling area. There is also one fire extinguisher in the basement. Mr. Arnott expects to have one sign of 2.5 square feet. He concludes by stating that state licensure is not required, but that he is seeking it anyway. The main concern we see with this application is on-street parking. On-street parking can be comprehended for special home occupations, but has not been approved for any in the past five years. It would not seem necessary to have on-street parking except in the case of group sessions. A two-car wide driveway should be adequate for this business, allowing for one client to be seen and one waiting at the same time without parking in tandem. The applicant also mentions in his letter the possibility of creating a separate entrance to the lower level at some time. While this may make it safer and more convenient for clients, we are concerned that a separate entrance could lead someday to the creation of a duplex with a second dwelling unit in the lower level. Any permit approving a separate entrance to the lower level should clearly indicate that no separate dwelling unit is acknowledged thereby. In general, the proposed home occupation complies with City ordinances and approval is recommended, subject to at least the following conditions: 1. The special use permit is subject to all applicable codes, ordinances and regulations and any violation thereof shall be grounds for revocation. 2. The special use permit is issued to the applicant as operator and is nontransferable. 3. The hours of operation shall be from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Services shall be rendered on an appointment only basis. 4. All parking associated with the home occupation shall be off- street on improved space provided by the applicant. 9-8-88 -1- Application No. 88012 continued 5. The counseling area shall be inspected by the Building Official prior to issuance of the special use permit. The applicant shall comply with any recommendations of the Building Official prior to issuance of the permit. 6. Any separate entrance to the lower level shall be constructed with appropriate permits. The City does not acknowledge by the approval of such a permit the creation of a second dwelling unit within the premises. 9-8-88 -2- Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 88013 Applicant: Richard Whitley Location: 5403 Bryant Avenue North Request: Preliminary Plat The applicant requests preliminary plat approval to subdivide into two lots the parcel of land at 5403 Bryant Avenue North. The land in question is zoned R2 and is bounded on the east by Bryant Avenue North, and on the south, west and north by single-family homes. The purpose of the subdivision is to create a new, buildable, single-family lot to the south of 5403 Bryant Avenue North which is an existing single-family home. The Whitley's own the home to the south and recently subdivided to create the lot they presently live on. Accordingly, the proposed plat name is Whitley's 2nd Addition. The existing legal description of the property is "Lot 5, Block 4, Bellevue Acres, Hennepin County, Minn. , except the west 165 feet thereof . . ." It is a metes and bounds description of a portion of a larger underlying parcel. The half section maps from the County calculate the west 165' from the easterly right-of way line of Colfax and leave only about 105' of depth to this lot. However, the underlying parcel extended to the middle of Colfax Avenue North and if the westerly 165' is calculated from that location, a 136' deep lot results. The surveyor has chosen the latter interpretation which is necessary for this subdivision since with only 105' depth, there would be insufficient land for two single-family lots. The County Surveyor will have to resolve this issue at the time the plat is filed at the County. The existing lot is 125.78' wide by 136.22' deep. The lot is being divided in the following manner: Lot Width Depth Area Status Lot 1 60' 136.22' 8,173 s.f. Occupied Lot 2 65.78' 136.22' 8,961 s.f. Vacant Required 60' 110' 7,600 s.f. There is an existing sanitary sewer service, but not an existing water service for the proposed Lot 2. A condition of preliminary plat approval must be the execution of a subdivision agreement stipulating responsibility for extension of the water service. The plat calls for, but does not show utility and drainage easements along the front (101 ) and rear (51 ) property lines. Altogether, the proposed 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 Subdivision Agreement stipulating responsibility for extension of a standard residential water service to the proposed Lot 2. 9-8-88 1 1 Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 88014 Applicant: Target Stores Location: 6100 Shingle Creek Parkway Request: Site and Building Plan The applicant requests site and building plan approval to construct a 13,650 sq. ft. stockroom addition to the Target store at 6100 Shingle Creek Parkway. The property in question is zoned C2 and is bounded on the north by Summit Drive, on the east by the Brookview Plaza Shopping Center, on the south by the Shingle Creek Center (attached), and on the west by Shingle Creek Parkway. The proposed stockroom addition insofaras it is accessory to retail sales activity is a permitted use in the C2 zoning district. Parking The main issue with respect to this application is parking. Basically, the applicant wishes to count new and existing stockroom space under the warehouse formula rather than the retail parking formula. Presently, the entire building is required to have parking based on the retail formula which requires far more parking than the warehouse formula. If the existing stockroom is calculated under the warehouse formula only 18 spaces are required rather than 80 under the retail formula. The proposed addition would displace 45 parking stalls and require 17 additional spaces. Thus, the total required parking spaces for the stockroom space would be 35 stalls and, with the 45 displaced stalls, would just equal the 80 spaces that have already been provided under the retail parking formula. In addition, the plan calls for creating three new parking spaces over and above what is required. The existing Target store requires 631 parking spaces. If the proposed addition were calculated under the retail parking formula, the total required for the building would be 706 spaces. The proposed arrangement would result in a parking requirement of only 586. The differential is, therefore, 120 parking stalls. To assure that the stockroom area will never be used for retail space, Target will have to execute a restrictive covenant limiting the use of the stockroom areas to storage use only. The new storage room is needed because the existing stockroom is overloaded causing trailers to be parked outside for periods of a day or two. Trailer storage is prohibited and the stockroom expansion is certainly expected to alleviate the need to store trailers outside even for brief periods. Building The proposed building expansion is to have an exterior consistent with the existing building including a rounded corner at the northwest corner of the addition. A required exit way corridor will be constructed through the addition emptying out onto an 8' wide fire lane striped north of the building. An outdoor cart storage area is also indicated north of the existing building. As outside storage, this area should be screened by a 6' high masonry wall to match the existing building. The applicant should also protect the new north wall of the building from cars parked right up to it, perhaps with concrete planks or a narrow sidewalk. The dimension on the plan of 64' 6" would allow for a 4' 611 wide sidewalk with curb overlap on both sides of the aisle of parking. 9-8-88 -1- Application No. 88014 continued The building is at present beyond the size permitted for its construction type because of the property line where the building adjoins the Shingle Creek Center. To allow for this construction type, a restriction (prohibition) has been put on construction of buildings within 60' of the existing Target/Shingle Creek Center complex. This yard limit of 60' will have to be revised to reflect the new boundary of the building. Recommendation While we are reluctant to enforce zoning restrictions through restrictive covenants, we feel there are some beneficial side effects to allowing the proposed storage building. It should alleviate fire code violations within the building and the parking of trailers outside the building. There should also be a defined and screened area for outside cart storage, out of the way of pedestrians. We, therefore, recommend approval of this application, 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. 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. 3. Any outside trash disposal facilities and rooftop 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 Ordinances. 5. Plan approval is exclusive of all signery which is subject to Chapter 34 of the City Ordinances. 6. B612 curb and gutter shall be provided around all parking and driving areas. 7. The applicant shall execute a restrictive covenant limiting the use of the existing and proposed stockrooms to warehouse use only under current or new ownership. Said restrictive covenant shall be filed with the title to the property at the County prior to the issuance of permits. 8. The yard limit agreement prohibiting structures within 60' of the building shall be revised to reflect the proposed stockroom expansion prior to the issuance of permits. 9. The plans shall be revised prior to consideration by the City Council to indicate a minimum 4' high masonry wall screening the newly designated cart storage area. 9-8-88 -2-