HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988 10-27 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 88019
Applicant: Buetow and Associates, Inc.
Location: Earle Brown Drive, south of Learning Tree Day Care
Request: Site and Building Plan
Location/Use
The applicant requests site and building plan approval to construct an approximate
20,000 sq. ft. office building for the City-County Credit Union on the vacant parcel
of land between Park Nicollet Medical Clinic and the Learning Tree Day Care Center.
The parcel in question is zoned C2 and is bounded on the northeast by the Learning
Tree Day Care Center, on the southeast by Highway 100, on the southwest by Park
Nicollet Medical Clinic, and on the northwest by Earle Brown Drive. Financial
institutions and office buildings are permitted uses in the C2 zoning district.
Access/Parking
The site plan calls for two 24' wide access drives on Earle Brown Drive, an entrance
drive at the southwest corner of the site and an exit drive at the northwest corner of
the site. The building is approximately 5,000 sq. ft. per floor. The first floor
will primarily be a lobby for the credit union. As such, the parking requirement is
based on the retail parking formulas (11 spaces for the first 1,000 sq. ft. and 8
spaces for each additional 1,000 sq. ft.). For 5,000 sq. ft. the requirement is 43
spaces. The upper two floors and the basement are calculated at the general office
formula of one space per 200 sq. ft. of gross floor area. The parking requirement
for the basement, second and third floors (a total of 15,000 sq. ft.) is 75 spaces.
The combined total is 118 spaces which is the precise total provided for on the
proposed site plan. Of these, three are handicapped spaces as required by state
regulation. Most of the parking is located in the main lot west of the building. A
smaller employee lot in the southern portion of the parcel is also provided.
Landscaping
The landscape plan calls for 282 landscape points on a 2.8 acre site - consistent
with the landscape point system. Plantings include 14 shade trees (2 Common
Hackberry, 4 Emerald Green Maple, 4 Northwood Red Maple, 2 Redmond Linden, and 2
Summit Ash), 19 coniferous trees (10 Black Hills Spruce, 9 Scotch Pine), and 56
shrubs (all Andorra Juniper). Rows of trees line the entrance and exit drives and
nine trees are scheduled for a large green area surrounding the building.
Greenstrip areas are generous - 15' adjacent to interior property lines and
approximately 30' adjacent to Earle Brown Drive. A 2' to 3' berm is proposed in the
greenstrip adjacent to Earle Brown Drive to provide screening of the parking lot
from the residential development (Earle Brown Commons) to the west. Two required
trees have been eliminated from parking lot islands that have been tapered back to
allow for freer movement of fire trucks. These trees should be relocated elsewhere
on the site - perhaps in the front greenstrip or around the employee lot which also
has no trees. Underground irrigation is noted on the plans.
Grading, Drainage, Utilities
The site is fairly flat. The proposed drainage pattern is basically from east to
west. Four catch basins are proposed, all west of the building, in or near the
entrance and exit drives. These catch basins and the roof drainage will be
connected by storm sewer which will drain into a 21" storm sewer line in Earle Brown
Drive. The utility plan calls for a 4" water line for domestic service and a
separate 6" diameter fire line to the building . There is an existing hydrant in the
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Application No. 88019 continued,
Earle Brown Drive right-of-way. The Fire Chief is analyzing the possible need for
another hydrant to serve the site. A 4" diameter sanitary sewer line is proposed to
serve the building. Grades are shown on the landscape plan, not with the utilities.
A separate grading, drainage and utility plan should be submitted prior to City
Council consideration. Grades need to be altered to reflect a higher first floor
elevation. Also, drainage calculations must be submitted for the 5-year and 100-
year storm, again prior to City Council consideration.
Building
As mentioned earlier, the building to is be three stories and a basement level. The
second floor is to be rented out, at least at first, while the rest of the building is
occupied by the credit union. There are six (6) drive-up lanes on the east side of
the building, adjacent to Highway 100. The drive-up lanes are to be under a metal
canopy. The building itself is brick and reflective glass, a burgundy color. A
canopy is proposed over the main entrance walk. The plan also features a skylight
over the vestibule and front stairwell. The basement is to have separate lunch
rooms for smoking and non-smoking, an aerobics room, storage room and locker rooms.
Lighting/Trash
k Lighting has not been greatly detailed on the site plan. Eight 25' high light posts
are indicated around the main traffic lanes on the site. One light post is proposed
for the employee lot. The plan indicates that light will be broadcast into the
property and that the illumination will not exceed one foot candle at the property
lines. This is far below the 10 foot candle limit in commercial zones (Section 35-
712) . A trash enclosure with a 6' high brick screen wall is proposed slightly north
of the northeast corner of the building.
Recommendation
Although the grading, drainage, and utility plans are disjointed and poorly drawn at
present, action on the proposal is possible, provided the applicant submits a
revised plan prior to City Council consideration. 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.
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Application No. 88019 continued
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, prior to the issuance of permits.
11. The plans shall be revised prior to consideration by the City
Council to indicate the following:
a) Two additional Black Hills Spruce on the landscape plan.
b) A separate grading, drainage, and utility plan showing the
first floor elevation at 851' and also showing City utilities
(size and location) in Earle Brown Drive and indicating
drainage calculations for the 5-year and 100-year storms.
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Planning Commission Members
FROM: Gary Shallcross, Planner S
SUBJECT: Construction at St. Alphonsus
DATE: October 27, 1988
St. Alphonsus church is proposing some minor additions and interior remodeling at
the church, most of them having to do with handicapped accessibility. The
improvements include:
1. A 32' x 77' garage off the south side of the west wing of the
church.
2. An enclosed entrance and elevator tucked into the juncture of the
west and north wings of the church.
3. A new concrete walk, curb drop, handicapped ramp and entrance on
the west side of the main building.
4. Handicapped restrooms in two locations within the building.
5. Ramping of the sidewalks east of the building leading into the
north wing.
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The exterior treatment of the external additions will come very close to matching
the existing building. It will be a rock-face concrete block in an ashlar 1
(irregular arrangement of varying sizes and shapes) pattern repeated in 2' x 4'
blocks around the exterior of the additions. The color is also to match as closely
as possible.
The proposed garage is to be used to store a pick-up truck with plow and maintenance
equipment pertaining to the school and church. The church also has conceptual
plans of building a second storage building on the west end of the site, adjacent to
the ballfields. That building would house equipment used in the maintenance of the
grounds. Some of it is presently stored outside and in a concrete block 24' x 60'
slab on grade building. The additional building should not be attached because it
exceeds the size allowable under the Building Code for slab on grade buildings. The
church wants to use opaque security fencing to screen the equipment in the interim,
but we have discouraged this, believing that outdoor storage is really
inappropriate in the R1 zone.
In a related matter, the Northbrook Alliance Church is constructing a 24' x 30'
garage south of their parking lot at 62nd and Aldrich Avenues North. The structure
meets setbacks and requires no additional on-site parking. A building permit has
already been issued. It was felt that no zoning issues presented themselves other
than basic setbacks and that formal review was, therefore, unnecessary.
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