HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-019 Inf Sh Spiritual Life Church Application Filed on 8-16-01
City Council Action Should Be
Taken By 10-15-01 (60 Days)
Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 2001-019
Applicant: Sandness Construction
Location: Spiritual Life Church
Request: Site and Building Plan Approval
The applicant David Sandness of Sandness Construction is seeking site and building plan approval for an approximate 7,000 sq. ft. addition to the Spiritual Life Church, 6865 Shingle
Creek Parkway.
The property in question is zoned C-1 (Service/Office) and is bounded on the north by Shingle Creek Parkway with I-1 zoned property containing the Palmer Lake Plaza office/industrial
building on the opposite side of the street; on the east by Xerxes Avenue and a two story office building with I-1 zoned property containing an office/industrial building on the opposite
side of Xerxes Avenue; and on the south and west by Freeway Boulevard with R-3 zoned property containing the Earle Brown Farm Estates townhomes on the opposite side of that street.
Places for religious assemblies such as chapels, churches, temple, mosques and synagogues, are permitted uses in the C-1 zoning district.
Spiritual Life Church was granted site and building plan approval by the City Council for a 900 seat church on June 9, 1997, under Planning Commission Application No. 97006. They are
now seeking site and building plan approval for an approximate 7,000 sq. ft. addition including a fellowship hall and meeting room. The fellowship hall addition will be located at the
northwest corner of the existing building, is 5,088 sq. ft. and is labeled on the site plan as Addition A. The meeting room will be located on the south side of the building, is 1,692
sq. ft. and is labeled Addition B on the site plan. A 24 ft. by 26 ft. garage is also shown to be located in the south parking lot.
The applicant is not proposing to make any site changes other than the building expansion. The church was planned with a possible expansion in mind and this expansion will not affect
existing improvements. The City is still holding a financial guarantee to assure the completion of site improvements associated with the 1997 application. We may be close to recommending
elimination of this guarantee upon verification of the completeness of the site improvements.
ACCESS/PARKING
Access to the site is unchanged and is gained from Xerxes Avenue and two access points from Freeway Boulevard. The parking requirement for the church is based on seating capacity.
Nine hundred seats were indicated on the original plan which required 300 parking spaces. Three hundred and four parking spaces were constructed. Five parking spaces will be eliminated
with the construction of the garage leaving a balance of 299 parking spaces on the site. The seating capacity of the church is now 600 seats. The additions to the church do not require
additional parking. We believe the parking space provided will be sufficient to meet the church’s needs even with a seating capacity expansion over the present number. If need be,
an additional one or two parking spaces could be provided on the site.
GRADING/DRAINAGE/UTILITIES
No site revisions are proposed with respect to grading, drainage or utilities for this expansion. It should be noted that the church had received Shingle Creek Watershed Commission
approval in 1997 for a water retention plan that included two ponds, one on the north side of the site, the other on the south side. The church has recently been advised that the north
pond was not constructed to the proper depth and that the outlet was not constructed according to the plan. A correction notice has been sent to the church and these matters are to
be addressed by September 18, per that notice.
LANDSCAPING
The applicant’s landscape plan that has been submitted with this application is a verification of the landscape plan proposed in 1997. They note that the landscape point system required
392 points which they have slightly exceeded with their plantings which include 17 Fallgold Ash, 21 Plum Leaved Crabapple, 14 White Spruce, 7 Colorado Spruce, 15 Techney Arborvitae,
48 Hillieri, 49 Purpleleaf Sand Cherry and 22 Red Barked Dogwood.
Final verification of the landscaping and pond modifications could allow the financial guarantee currently being held to assure completion of the 1997 site improvements to be released.
We do not believe it is necessary to include a condition for a performance guarantee with the proposed expansion.
BUILDING
The building exterior for the proposed additions will be a rock faced concrete masonry unit colored to match the existing building. Prefinished metal fascia will also be provided to
match the existing.
The floor plan shows a fellowship hall addition, which will be L shaped. A portion of the expansion in this area is labeled preschool. The preschool is considered a permitted accessory
use with the church. Elementary and secondary schools (K-12) are not an allowable use in the C-1 zoning district. The preschool use should be acknowledged as a condition of this
approval provided it is properly licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and that a copy of the license is kept on file with the City.
LIGHTING
The lighting plan shows the location of lighting standards that were installed. These light poles coincide with the original lighting plan submitted and no modifications are planned.
RECOMMENDATION
The plans appear to be in order and approval is recommended subject to the following conditions:
The building plans are subject to review and approval by the Building Official with respect to applicable codes prior to the issuance of permits.
Any altered grading, drainage or utility plans are subject to review and approval by the City Engineer prior to the issuance of permits.
The building additions 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.
The applicant shall provide appropriate erosion and sediment control devices on the site during construction as approved by the City Engineering Department.
Plan approval acknowledges a preschool use on the property. The applicant shall receive appropriate licensing from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and a copy of said license
shall be kept on file with the City.
9-13-01
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