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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989 04-13 PCP Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 89006 Applicant: E and H Properties Location: 6550 West River Road Request: Rezoning Application No. 89006 is a request by E and H Properties (Howard Atkins) to rezone from R5 to C2 a narrow strip of land east of the existing C2 district at the southeast corner of Highway 252 and 66th Avenue North. The purpose of the rezoning is to slightly expand the C2 district to better accommodate a proposed gas station/convenience store/car wash on the site of the existing Atkins Mechanical office building and the vacant land to the south. (see map attached.) This application was reviewed by the Planning Commission at its February 16, 1989 meeting, at which a public hearing was opened. The Commission tabled the matter after taking public comment and referred it to the Northeast Neighborhood Advisory Group for review and comment. Ameeting of the neighborhood group was scheduled for March 14th at the high school. However, none of the advisory group members attended, though a number of people from the neighborhood near the subject property did show up despite inclement weather. Notes of that meeting are attached for the Commission's consideration. A subsequent meeting of the neighborhood advisory group was held on March 21, 1989 at City Hall. Two members and Planning Commission liaison Ella Sander attended. (Minutes of that meeting are also attached for the Commission's review.) After considerable discussion and input from people in the immediate neighborhood of the proposed gas station and the applicant, the Northeast Neighborhood Advisory Group unanimously advised against the proposed rezoning to C2. Instead, they recommended that the City initiate a rezoning of the entire block from 65th to 66th and from Willow Lane to West River Road to C1. (The block is presently zoned R5 on the eastern half and C2 on the western half.) Under such a zoning, the existing Atkins Mechanical building would be a conforming use except for the outside storage that exists now, but the Brookdale Motel and the 18-unit apartment building on the south half of the block would become nonconforming. The Neighborhood Group believed that a rezoning to C1 would result in the best land use buffer between the residences along Willow Lane and Highway 252 to the west. Many concerns were raised about the possibility of a gas station/convenience store/car wash development, including traffic flow, noise, litter, etc. Staff have requested Short-Elliott-Hendrickson to perform a brief traffic study of the proposed development scenario (a service station and 12,000 sq. ft. of office) and other possible developments scenario for the land owned by Mr. Atkins and in some cases the land down to 65th Avenue North as well (see study attached) . The study indicates that a service station and 12,000 sq. ft. of office or a convenience food restaurant and 12,000 sq. ft. of office on Mr. Atkins property would generate considerably more daily trips to and from the property than would office development of the entire block. One thing to bear in mind is that nearly all of the office traffic would be new traffic to area roadways (primarily Highway 252) whereas, a service station or convenience food restaurant would draw considerably from existing traffic on area roadways (approximately 50%) . Apartment development would generate by far the least amount of traffic, both in terms of total daily trips and peak hour trips. Although the service station and convenience food restaurant scenarios generate considerably more traffic, it does not appear that there would be a breakdown in the flow of traffic on 66th or in the intersection with Highway 252. 4-13-89 -1- Application No. 89006 There are a number of planning concerns relating to the parcels both developed and undeveloped between Willow Lane and Highway 252. These include the following: -The Highway Department owns the house at 6626 West River Road and has used it in recent years as a construction office during construction of Highway 252 and the widening of the 694 bridge over the Mississippi River. The property is presently zoned R5. It was formerly a buffer parcel around the Quick Six gas station on the northeast corner of 66th and West River Road. Office use of the property is allowed by special use permit in the R5 zone, but the single-family use was nonconforming and cannot be resumed after a lapse of two years. Now that this residence is served by a frontage road and does not directly abut the highway, we believe it may be appropriate to downzone the property to R1 so that the single-family residence use may be resumed and to foreclose the possibility of apartment development off Willow Lane. If the entire L-shaped parcel were downzoned to R1 , there would be abatement across 66th with the service station site and this R2 abutment would disallow a service station on 66th. (Service stations are not permitted to abut R1 , R2, or R3 zoned property either at a property line or a street line.) The City could down zone a portion of this property to 0-1 (open space) and avoid the zoning conflict if a service station were allowed. A long-term decision on the zoning of this property should probably be made before any service station is built which could quickly become a nonconforming use. -The Northeast Neighborhood Advisory Group recommended rezoning the entire block between 65th and 66th to C1. As mentioned earlier, this would make both the motel and the 18 unit apartment building nonconforming. Neither of these properties is maintained well at present and the City does have some concern that they are having and may have some adverse impact on the single-family development on the east side of Willow Lane. Redevelopment to office use would probably provide a more attactive buffer between Willow Lane and Highway 252, though it would also involve an increase in traffic over present levels. One concern with such a redevelopment would be access. If the motel/apartment building properties were developed separately from the Atkins property, access would almost certainly have to be granted off Willow Lane. This would mean commercial traffic on Willow Lane, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. Such traffic is something the neighborhood would like to avoid, but it probably can't be avoided without tying the motel and apartment properties to Mr. Atkins property. Nevertheless, we would agree with the neighborhood group's recommendation to the extent that it would probably be irrational to leave the motel site zoned C2, if the Atkins property were zoned entirely C1. -The owner of Lyn River apartments is exploring the possibility of rehabilitating that complex (south of 65th and west of Willow Lane) with money from Hennepin County. The concept proposed thus far would reduce the number of apartment units from 84 to 63, but would remodel the buildings so that a third of the units would be three-bedroom units, a third would be two-bedroom, and another third one-bedroom. 4-13-89 -2- Application No. 89006 This would exceed the 10% limit on three-bedroom apartments. In our preliminary discussions with the owner, we have indicated that the Planning Commission has recently recommended retaining the 10% limit. The City Council has yet to render a judgment because the applicant in that case failed to attend the Council meeting. It may be that, instead of rehabilitating the Lyn River complex, the City would prefer to see an extension of C1 zoning all the way down to the freeway. If this were done and the property were redeveloped, there would certainly be an increase in traffic on Willow Lane unless these parcels also were combined with the Atkins property and access were limited to 66th Avenue North. Such an arrangement would almost certainly lead to significant back-ups on the site during the 4-6 p.m. peak hour period. Some congestion on 66th might also result in the morning and evening peak hours. Because of the questions surrounding this neighborhood at this time, staff believe that it may be appropriate to declare a moratorium on all non-office development in this area and have a land use and traffic study performed to guide the City's deliberation on rezoning of land in this neighborhood. Accordingly, we recommend that Application No. 89006 be tabled and a motion forwarded to the City recommending a limited moratorium and study. 4-13-89 -3-