HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988 11-10 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 88018
Applicant: Packaging Plus, Inc.
Location: 6800 Shingle Creek Parkway
Request: Sign Variance
The applicant requests approval of a variance from City Council Resolution No. 77-
67, which governs wall signery along the north walls of 6800, 6820, and 6840 Shingle
Creek Parkway, to allow wall signs not more than 11 feet above the building floor
grade. The property in question (6800 Shingle Creek Parkway) is zoned I-1 and is
bounded on the north by 69th Avenue North, on the east by the Earle Brown Farm
Apartments, on the south by Medtronic and Shingle Creek Parkway, and on the west by
the Speculative Industrial Building #5 (6820 Shingle Creek Parkway). Signs are
permitted accessory uses in the I-1 zoning district. However, City Council
Resolution No. 77-67 (attached) limits the height of signs along the north wall of
6800, 6820 and 6840 Shingle Creek Parkway to no more than five (5) feet above the
building floor grade.
The applicant, Mr. James Montgomery, has submitted a letter (attached) in which he
argues for a "temporary or permanent variance per Section 34-180 of the Sign
Ordinance" (also attached). He notes that the sign was put up (and paid for) by
Porter Signs without a permit and was removed by Packaging Plus on September 24,
1988. As to the standards for a sign variance contained in Section 34-180, Mr.
Montgomery argues that they have experienced a hardship for seven years with
customers and vendors having difficulty in locating their office. He adds that it
would be an additional hardship to have paid for the sign and receive no benefit from
it. He states that the proposed sign is appropriate for visitors circling the
building looking for the tenant space. He adds that the sign which has been
constructed is too large and fragile to be placed at the 5' height limit and would
probably be vandalized.
With regard to uniqueness, Mr. Montgomery states that the resolution governing
signery on the north sides of these buildings testifies to the uniqueness of them.
He argues that his business is unique from others in the building in the number of
customers that come to his offices. With regard to possible detriment to the public
welfare, Mr. Montgomery discusses the aesthetics of the proposed sign and argues
that it is definitely not a blight on the surroundings. He points out that
landscaping and berming in the buffer strip along 69th obscure the sign about 90% and
that residents probably won't object.
Mr. Montgomery concludes his letter by offering a revision of City Council
Resolution No. 77-67. The revision would allow signs up to 11 feet above the
building floor elevation.
Staff are not convinced that there is a particular hardship suffered by placing the
sign below the 5' height limit. People traveling around the building in search of
Packaging Plus are just as, if not more, likely to see a lower sign than a higher
sign. While it would be easier to vandalize a lower sign, it would also be easier to
repair and maintain. With respect to uniqueness, we do not regard Packaging Plus as
a unique business along 69th Avenue North. To allow Packaging Plus to have a sign
11' high would certainly open the door to all other businesses along 69th to have
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Application No. 88018 continued
such signs. This is no doubt why Mr. Montgomery recommends at the conclusion to his
letter an amendment to Resolution No. 77-67 to allow all the businesses along 69th to j
have signs up to 11' above building floor grade. We do not support such a revision
as it would be an unnecessary intrusion into the visual environment of the
residential neighborhood to the north. There is no access to the industrial
buildings from 69th Avenue North. There is, therefore, no need to identify tenants
along the north sides of those buildings.
With respect to detriment to the public, the applicant argues that the proposed sign
is aesthetically pleasing and offends no one. It may well be an attractive sign,
but it is the intrusion such a sign makes into the visual environment of the
residential neighborhood along 69th Avenue North which Resolution No. 77-67 seeks
to preclude. Whether the sign is attractive or not is not the issue. The fact is it
would constitute an unnecessary message bombarding the consciousness of those who
drive or live along 69th Avenue North. We strongly recommend that the variance
request be denied and that City Council Resolution No. 77-67 be kept as is.
The following findings are recomended as a basis for the denial:
1. The proposed sign was fabricated and erected in error without a
proper permit. The City, therefore, accepts no responsbility
for the lost value of the sign.
2. There is no access to the industrial buildings along the south
side of 69th Avenue North. There is, therefore, no need to
communicate a message to those driving along 69th Avenue North.
3. The proposed sign would constitute an unnecessary intrusion into
the visual environment of the residential neighborhood north of
69th Avenue North.
4. A sign not more than 5' high is very readable to people on the
property looking for a given business on the premises.
5. The Packaging Plus business at 6800 Shingle Creek Parkway is not a
unique sort of business relative to other businesses located in
the buildings adjacent to 69th Avenue North.
6. The standards for a sign variance contained in Section 34-180 are
not met in this situation.
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Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 88020
Applicant: Brooklyn Center E.D.A.
Location: 6105 Earle Brown Drive, etc.
Request: Site and Building Plan/Special Use Permit
Location/Use
The applicant requests site and building plan and special use permit approval
to restore the Earle Brown Farm complex for multiple uses, including an
exhibit/banquet hall, restaurant, office space and bed and breakfast motel.
The property in question is presently zoned I-1 and is bounded on the north and
east by Earle Brown Drive, on the south by the Earle Brown Commons apartments
and the Brookdale Corporate Center III parking lot, and on the west by
Brookdale Corporate Center III and vacant I-1 zoned land. All of the proposed
uses are commercial uses allowed by special use permit in the I-1 zoning
district. The hippodrome is to be used as an exhibit and banquet hall; the
horsebarns as a restaurant, lounge and offices; the four barns on the north
side of the complex as offices; and the residential complex along the west side
of the site as a bed and breakfast motel.
Access/Parking
The proposed plan calls for four access drives off Earle Brown Drive and one
shared access off Summit Drive. The southerly access off Earle Brown Drive
will exceed the 30' maximum stipulated in Section 35-703 of the Zoning
Ordinance. The width of the driveway is necessary for fire truck access and
manuvering room for trucks backing into the loading docks. The loading docks
are located on the east side of the expanded hippodrome because to put them on
the west side would destroy the mall area surrounded by the buildings and would
thereby significantly detract from the historic character of the site which is
being sought. Two more access drives are proposed opposite the stable and one
access is proposed at the northwest corner of the site to be shared in the
future with Brookdale Corporate Center IV building (as yet not built).
Parking is to be provided to the north and east of the complex of buildings.
Also a small, 41-stall parking lot southwest of the site, located on the site
of Brookdale Corporate Center III site, will be dedicated to the use of the
Earle Brown Farm complex. The City does not have a geographic easement as
such, but we do have a parking agreement with Ryan Construction Co. granting
the City the right to use 41 excess stalls on the Corporate Center III site for
use by the Earle Brown Farm complex. There is however, a 41 stall lot that is
accessible only from the Earle Brown Farm site. Parking provided on the site
plan totals 327 spaces, including 8 handicapped spaces and including the 41
off-site spaces. This is enough spaces to meet the minimum use of the complex.
The key variable is the use of the hippodrome. As an exhibit hall, it
requires a minimum of 111 spaces. The 11 room bed and breakfast requires 13
spaces, the office space (22, 171 sq. ft. ) requires 111 spaces; and a restaurant
and lounge (163 seats plus 10 employees) requires 87 spaces. The total
required is, therefore, 322 spaces.
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Application No. 88020 continued
However, if the hippodrome is used as a banquet hall, its potential occupancy
is 907 people. In addition, lower level meeting rooms have a potential
occupancy of 227 persons. At one space per two seats plus one per two
employees (estimated at 50), the hippodrome alone would require as many as 593
spaces. As a practical matter, the E.D.A. doubts that occupancy will ever reach
this theoretical maximum. Nevertheless, a proof-of-parking is shown with a four
level parking ramp along the north side of the site. We recommend that a proof-of-
parking covenant be filed with the title to the property to insure
that such a ramp can be required in the event the property is sold to a private
party. Before building a ramp to accommodate banquet traffic, the E.D.A. will
pursue agreements with Ryan Construction and with Mr. Robert Bradley to use
their office parking lots during banquet events. Since, these events will
generally be scheduled during evening hours, there should be no conflict with
the office uses. In any event, it should be stressed that the E.D.A. will have
control over the scheduling of events and, if parking problems develop, will be
in a position to provide any necessary ramping to accommodate business at the
hippodrome.
Landscaping
The proposed landscape plan is more than generous. In terms of landscape
points; the plan provides for 2151.5 landscape points on 7.04 acre site, or
over 300 points per acre. (The requirement for office is only 603 points for
this site, or about 85 points per acre. ) The plan provides 1660 of those
points with shade trees of varying types (27 Patmore Ash, 37 Pin Oak, 11 Sugar
Maple, 75 Sapporo Autumn Gold Elm, and 16 Regal Elm-these Elms are disease
resistant). The Elms dominate along the entrance drive off Summit Drive and
in the mall area, also along the northerly entrance drive off Earle Brown
Drive. A walkway in the main parking lot will be treated with Patmore Ash
approximately every 201 . Pin Oaks are the primary tree used in the boulevard
and greenstrip area along Earle Brown Drive. There will be a meandering
sidewalk installed in the Earle Brown Drive right-of-way. A small orchard of 18
Snowdrift Crabapple trees is proposed west of the 'D' barn and north of the
bunkhouse.
Shrubs are used primarily as foundation plantings and most are located around
the residential buildings to be used as a bed and breakfast complex. Shrubs
include 25 Minnesota Snowflake Mockorange, 31 Arnold's Red Honeysuckle, 63
Vanhoutte Spirea, 21 American Highbush Cranberry, 99 Winged Enonymus, 46
Japanese Bayberry, 22 Dwarf Amur Maple, and lesser numbers of other shrubs.
The size of the shrubs is generally large-from 24" to 36" in diameter. There
will also be beds of perennial flowers around the residential complex. The
plan calls for annual flowers around the pool within the mall. Ornamental
grasses are also scheduled in various locations, primarily at the corners of
the barns.
Grading/Drainage/Utilities
The entire site drains via a network of catch basins and storm sewer into the
detention pond on Ryan Constructions property to the west. Although the
western portion of the site, drainage will be conveyed westward to the Ryan
detention pond. (The lowest area of the site is actually the southerly portion
of the cental mall). The utility plan calls for all buildings except the
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Application No. 88020 continued
blacksmith shop to be connected to city water and sanitary sewer. The
blacksmith shop may be physically connected to the 'H' barn which will have
water. and sewer service, otherwise it will have to have utility connections.
The site will be served by an 8" water line connected to a city main in Earle
Brown Drive and to the water main serving the Earle Brown Commons residential
development to the south. Buildings will be served by a single connection
rather than having separate fire lines. The site will be served by seven fire
hydrants, three located in the central mall and three around the perimeter of
the buildings. One hydrant is actually located on the Earle Brown Commons
property near the southwest corner of the site.
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Buildings
The plans call for a substantial addition to the hippodrome building. The
addition would be for a lobby, restrooms, and a receiving area. The exterior
of the addition will be primarily glass and steel to differentiate it from the
original hippodrome and allow the original building to be seen through it. The
addition will have a flat roof at the top of the wall line of the hippodrome.
A lower level will also be constructed with a large kitchen, restrooms, meeting
rooms, storage, and mechanical rooms. An enclosed walkway will be provided
along the east side of the addition. The exterior of the other buildings will
remain basically as is, though the residences will be spread out somewhat from
their present configuration.
The stable will have a restaurant (130 seats) in the larger central area, a bar
and lounge in the southerly portion of the building and a kitchen and
conference room in the northerly section of the building. The second floor of
the stable will be primarily office and mechanical rooms. The central area
will be open to the restaurant below. There are to be four barns (the 'H'
barn, blacksmith shop, 'G' barn, and 'D' barn) along the north side of the mall.
All are to be restored and re-used as offices. All will have second floor
levels within and loft space along the sides.
The residential complex will include four (4) residences (The Earle Brown
House, Foreman's House, Carriage House, and Farmhouse) all connected by an
underground and first level corridor. A gazebo is to be located between the
Carriage House and the Farm House on the west side of the connecting corridor. A
commerical kitchen will be located in the Earle Brown House to serve the 11 room bed
and breakfast complex. There is no planned use of the bunkhouse (north of the bed
and breakfast complex) as yet. The pumphouse is also to be restored. The entry
gate at the south end of the mall will also be restored. All buildings within the
total complex are to be equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system.
Lighting/Trash
The site lighting plan calls for ten 20' high light poles with 250 watt high pressure
sodium lamps spaced about 95' apart in the greenstrip adjacent to Earle Brown Drive.
The plan also calls for 110 watt high pressure sodium lamps on 42" high bollards
approximately every 20' in the walkway in the main, north parking lot. Shorter
bollards are to be used in the main walkway in the mall area and around the reflecting
pool in the mall. Ten foot high poles with 100 watt HPS lamps are proposed at the
westerly entrance to the restaurant (stable) and at the entrance to the Earle Brown
House.
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Application No. 88020 continued
Trash containers have not been indicated on the plans. Trash for the hippodrome
will likely be stored in the receiving area at the southeast corner of the building.
Miscellaneous
A wood fence to match the existing fence will be placed around the perimeter of
the site, with gates at the two entrances off Earle Brown Drive, opposite the
stable. Also, a fire lane is to be created in the mall area connecting the
circular drive in front of the bed and breakfast complex to the opening between
the 'H' barn and the stable. A class 5 base will be laid beneath the topsoil
to provide support for fire trucks. The circular drive will have a
surmountable curb to allow fire trucks to move onto the fire lane if necessary.
Special Use Standards
Restaurants, transient lodging, and office space have been acknowledged
previously in the I-1 zoning district, These uses seem especially compatible
in the office dominated portion of the district south of the freeway. It
should be noted that the Planning Commission and City Council have discussed
desirable uses in the I-1 zone and have indicated a preference in tightening up
the zone somewhat by eliminating some of the C2 special uses and rezoning the
land on which these uses are situated to C2. This would exclude transient
lodging from the I-1 zone. When this change is made, we will be recommending a
rezoning of this site and perhaps others south of the freeway to C2.
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The use that has not yet been acknowledged in the I-1 zone (or any other zone
for that matter) is the exhibit/banquet hall. This is the most intense use of
all those comtemplated for the Farm and will generate the most traffic and
parking. However, its most intense time period will be in the evening and on
weekends when the neighboring office uses will be generating little if any
traffic. This off-peak traffic pattern makes the exhibit and banquet hall
compatible and complementary with surrounding, existing land uses. In 1985,
the Earle Brown Farm site was allocated 229 trips during the 5:00-6:00 p.m.
peak hour period in the Short-Elliot-Hendrickson traffic study. The proposed
array of uses for the Farm should generate 156 trips during the 5:00-6:00 p.m.
peak hour and 226 trips in the 7:00-8:00 p.m. peak hour. This scenario
includes the exhibit hall, not the banquet hall. Using the hippodrome for a
banquet hall will result in more evening (7:00-8:00 p.m. ) peak hour trips.
Again, however, this should not overtax the local street system since the
office buildings, by this time, will be mostly vacant. -We, therefore, conclude
that the traffic impact of the proposed array of special uses is within an
acceptable range. We recommend approval of the requested special use permit.
Conditions of approval should include at least the following:
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 by the contractor prior to the issuance of permits.
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Application No. 88020 continued
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4. Any outside trash disposal facilities and rooftop mechanical
equipment shall be appropriately screened from view.
5. The buildings are 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 1
landscaped areas to facilitate site maintenance.
7. Plan approval is exlusive 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 circular drive-up to the
bed and breakfast which may have surmountable curb.
9. The contractor 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. The special use permit acknowledges office, transient lodging,
restaurant and exhibit/banquet hall uses. No other uses are
comprehended.
13. The special use permit is subject to all applicable codes,
ordinances and regulations and any violation thereof shall be
grounds for revocation.
14. The applicant shall enter into a restrictive covenant on the land
requiring the construction of a parking ramp to bring total
parking available on the site to as much as 804 parking spaces
upon a determination by the City that a need exists for additional
parking on the site.
15. Plan approval acknowledges approval of Application No. 88022, an
interim variance from the 15' greenstrip requirement until the
partial vacation of Earle Brown Drive.
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Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 88021
Applicant: Brooklyn Center Economic Development Authority
Location: 6160 Summit Drive
Request: Special Use Permit
The applicant requests special use permit approval for off-site accessory parking
on the site of Brookdale Corporate Center III, 6160 Summit Drive. The uses of the
the off-site parking is to be the Earle Brown Farm. The site in question is zoned I-
1 and is bounded on the north by vacant I-1 zoned land, on the east by the Earle Brown
Farm and the Earle Brown Commons residential development, on the south by Summit
Drive, and on the west by Earle Brown Drive (west leg). Off-site accessory parking
is a special use in the I-1 zoning district. The off-site accessory parking rights
are not localized to particular area on the site, but are incorporated in a
development agreement between the City of Brooklyn Center and Ryan Construction Co.
The agreement grants the City rights to 41 parking spaces on the Brookdale Corporate
Center III site without regard to location. However, there is a 41 stall lot within
the Ryan property that has access only from the Farm site.
The proposed off-site parking meets the requirements of section 35-701.3
(attached). It is in the same zoning district; the parking is within 800' of the
Farm site; there are more than 20 off-site spaces; the parking is not across a major
thoroughfare; the parking is legally encumbered to the use of the Farm site. The 41
off-site stalls, added to the 286 on-site stalls, brings the total parking available
to the 327 stalls. This is enough to meet the required parking for the Farm complex
(322 spaces) if the hippodrome is used as an exhibit hall. Banquet parking will
likely require either a ramp or agreements with owners of surrounding property to
use office parking lots in the evening hours.
In lieu of the fact that a form of legal encumberance already exists to reserve the 41
spaces to use by the Earle Brown Farm site, approval is recommended without
conditions.
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Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 88022
Applicant: Brooklyn Center Economic Development Authority
Location: 6105 Earle Brown Drive, etc.
Request: Variance
The applicant requests approval of an interim variance to allow a 5' greenstrip
adjacent to the Earle Brown Drive right-of-way rather than the 15' required by
section 35-700 of the Zoning Ordinance. Since the right-of-way of Earle Brown
Drive will be narrowed by 10' on either side when it is partially vacated, the
resulting greenstrip will be 15' ultimately. The same interim variance procedure {
was followed when the Earle Brown Commons was proposed in 1986. There is also an old
cul-de-sac right-or-way which actually extends within the proposed parking lot.
Although the cul-de-sac is no longer there, the right-of-way has yet to be vacated.
The vacation will be accomplished with the filing of the Brooklyn Farm plat which has
been held up while the City has been trying to acquire the underlying rights to Tract 1
H, R.L.S. #1380 - the Earle Brown Drive right-of-way.
We recommend the approval of the interim variance, subject to the following
condition:
1 . The City will continue to use all means necessary to acquire the underlying
rights to Tract H, R.L.S. #1380 in order to accomplish a partial vacation of
the Earle Brown Drive right-of-way from 80' to 601 .
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