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Home My WebLink AboutPC86042 - 12/11/86 - Freeway Blvd & Shingle Creek PkwyPLANNING CONMMSION FILE CHECKLIST File Purge Date:_ z 9w FILE INFORMATION Planning Commission Application No. 84>0`1z PROPERTY INFORMATION Zoning: -Z=� PLAN REFERENCE Note: If a plan was found in the file during the purge process, it was pulled for consolidation of all plans. Identified below are the types of plans, if any, that were consolidated. • Site Plans • Building Plans • Other: FILE REFERENCE Note: The following documents were purged when this project file became inactive. We have recorded the information necessary to retrieve the documents. Document Type Date Range Location Agenda Cover Sheet: Planning Commission Agenda Book Minutes: Planning Commission 12-1%1 f,6c, City Vault Minutes: City Council 1z �l2`,64 City Vault Resolutions: Planning Commission City Vault Resolutions: City Council City Vault Ordinances: City Council City Vault Historical Photographs: Planning Commission City Archieve CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER PLANNING COMMISSION APPLICATION Application No. 86042 Please Print Clearly or Type Street Location of Property Freeway Blvd & Shingle Creek Pkwy. (Northwest Corner) Legal Description of Property mrac E RLS 157 2 Owner Lombard Properties, Inc. Address 6601 Shingle Creek Pkwy. # 200 Applicant Lombard Properties, Inc. Address 6601 Shingle Creek Pkwy. # 200 Phone No. (612 ) 566-8022 Phone No. (612 ) 566-8022 Type of Request: Rezoning Subdivision Approval Variance Site & Bldg. Plan Approval Special Use Permit Other: Description of Request: Approval of project identification for Shingle Creek u„c;nPGc Park, a P_U.D.. (Planned Unit Development) The applicant requests processing of this application and agrees to pay to the City of Brooklyn Center, within fifteen (15) days after mailing or delivery of the billing state- ment, the actual costs incurred by the City for Engineering, Planning and Legal expenses reasonably and necessarily required by the City for the processing of the application. Such costs shall be in addition to the application fee described herein. Withdrawal of the application shall not relieve the applicant of the obligation to pay costs incurred prior to withdrawal. Fee $ 50.00 Stev Most org- Applicant's Signature Director of Development Receipt No. 72873 Date: November 25, 1986 PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Dates of P.C. Consideration: Approved Denied this _11 day of 19 r& , subject to the CITY COUNCIL ACTION Dates of Council Consideration: Approved Denied this day of 19 , with the following amendment: L,ie P/I Form No. 18 (over please) N Planning Commission Information Sheet Application No. 86042 Applicant: Lombard Properties Location: Northwest corner of Freeway Blvd. and Shingle Creek Pkwy. Request: Sign Variance The applicant requests a variance from the Sign Ordinance to allow a permanent project identification sign for the Shingle Creek Business Center on the parcel of land at the northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard. The business center included RCM Plaza and Parkway Place office/industrial buildings, the Shingle Creek Eleven speculative industrial building, the Ramada Inn, a vacant landlocked tract north of Ramada Inn, and a vacant parcel at the northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard planned for office development. The entire area is zoned I-1 (Industrial Park) and is bounded on the north by MTC bus garage and Spec. 9 industrial building, on the east by Shingle Creek Parkway, on the south by Freeway Boulevard and on the west by the Shingle Creek greenstrip. The proposed freestanding identification sign would advertise the entire complex of buildings developed by Lombard Properties. As such, it would pertain to developments not on the site where the sign would be located. Therefore, the proposed sign would, to some extent, be an off -site sign or billboard. Such signs are prohibited under Section 34-130, subsection 11 of the Sign Ordinance. Applicant's Case Sign variance applications are subject to the three standards set forth in Section 34-180 of the Sign Ordinance (attached). Mr. Steve Mosborg of Lombard Properties has submitted an introductory letter (attached) explaining the general sign program for the Shingle Creek Business Center and a letter addressing the standards for a variance for the project identification sign (also attached). The letter addressing the variance basically describes the elements that make up the Shingle Creek Business Center and argues that the development will lack identity and coherence without symbol (the project identification sign) to serve as a focal point identifying the entire area. The letter concludes by stating that the sign will provide a dramatic identification of the business center which will, in turn, be a credit to the community. Staff Analysis With respect to hardship, it must be recognized that there is no way of identifying a multi -parcel development without referring to aspects of the development located on other parcels than the sign itself. If the business center is, indeed, a unified complex of business developments on multiple parcels of land, bound together by ownership and agreements for cross -access and parking, then a common identification sign is perhaps quite appropriate. Such a sign cannot exist without containing a de facto off -site message. As to whether the conditions upon which the variance request is based are unique, some comparison to other multi -use or multi -parcel developments is in order. Brookdale is the largest such complex in the city. It contains multiple buildings, attached and detached, and multiple parcels. A variance was granted under Application No. 66059 to allow the two freestanding signs which identify the entire complex. (No variance would be required, however, under the current Sign Ordinance). The Northbrook Shopping Center also exists on multiple parcels with multiple buildings and has a common freestanding identification sign for the 12-11-86 _1_ Application No. 86042 continued complex. Palmer Lake Plaza office/industrial complex is actually three attached buildings on separate land parcels, but with a common identification sign. In all of these cases, parcelization is less important in establishing identity than is unified ownership, common access and cross -parking agreements. Common ownership, shared access and parking are certainly elements of the Shingle Creek Business Center, though the association of the buildings is much looser than a complex of buildings physically attached. The situation in this case is fairly unique. It is certainly unique in the I-1 district where virtually every other building has its own access onto a public street. The final standard has to do with the impact of the variance on the public welfare and on property in the neighborhood. The impact of the proposed signery is, it would seem, related to the extent to which it replaces other freestanding signery rather than adding to it. The proposed "sign" actually consists of three signs increasing in size from approximately 44.65 sq. ft. for the smallest sign, 82.5 sq. ft. for the middle sign, and 127.5 sq. ft. for the largest sign, for a total of 254.65 sq. ft. of total sign face. The three sign faces are set behind one another so that the impact are of the two smaller signs is included within that of the largest sign. Therefore, the largest plan of obstructed vision is the 127.5 sq. ft. of the largest sign. The proposed sign would be located on the office site at the northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard. No other freestanding identification sign would serve that site. The Ramada Inn presently has a freestanding identification sign. The Shingle Creek Eleeven building has a freestanding sign for Metro Systems, an office furniture dealer. Both these signs are considerably smaller and lower than permitted by ordinance. Parkway Place and RCM Plaza have no freestanding identification signs. Under the Sign Ordinance, each of the buildings in this complex would be entitled to have at least one freestanding sign, 250 sq. ft. in area. The corner lot on which the proposed sign would be located could be allowed two such signs, since it has at least 400' of frontage along two major thoroughfares. Based upon these considerations, the proposed project identification sign does not appear to pose a threat to the general character of the industrial park. Other Consideration Aside from the standards for a variance, staff would recommend that the Commission consider the fact that no development has been built, approved, or even formally proposed for the site on which the proposed sign would be located. The proposed sign for the Shingle Creek Business Center would be an appropriate element of a six - storey office development, which would serve as the central focus of the business center. We question, however, whether such a sign would be as appropriate on a smaller restaurant site, or even the site of an industrial building. We, therefore, recommend that no sign permit be issued for the project identification sign until a building permit has been issued for the office development on the same site. Recommendation Based on the foregoing analysis, we recommend approval of the proposed variance application, subject to at least the following conditions: 1. No other freestanding sign within the Shingle Creek Business Center complex shall have an impact plan larger than the 127.5 sq. ft. of the largest panel of the proposed project identification sign. 12-11-86 -2- Application No. 86042 continued 2. A deed restriction limiting freestanding signs within the Shingle Creek Business Center to 127.5 sq. ft. shall be executed and filed with the title to the effected properties. 3• The permit for the proposed freestanding project identification sign shall not be issued until the building permit is issued for the planned office development on the same parcel. Any resubdivision of the land parcel at the northwest corner of Shingle Creek Parkway and Freeway Boulevard or development proposal for something other than a multi-storey office development shall invalidate approval of this application. 4. The freestanding project identification sign authorized by this variance shall be in lieu of any and all other freestanding identification signs permitted by the Sign Ordinance for the property on which it shall be located. 12-11-86 -3- PROJECT IDENTIFICATION VARIANCE REQUEST SHINGLE CREEK BUSINESS CENTER Lombard Properties, along with their consultant, Sign Consultants, Inc., is requesting a variance to allow the installation of a Project Identification sign located at the Northwest corner of Freeway Blvd. and Shingle Creek Parkway. Following is information to support our variance request. Shingle Creek Business Center, when completed, will consist of four (4) office/warehouse buildings, the largest hotel and convention center in Brooklyn Center, a 6-story office complex and a superb environmental landscaping package. The one factor that can unify all of the above units within the Business Park is an effectively designed and placed sign system. The owner has committed great effort and resources to ensure that a professionally designed and implemented sign system is incorporated into the PUD to identify and enhance this quality development. This system utilizes traffic control signage, tenant signage, a directional system and a main project identification sign. The key to tying all of the signage together for the purpose of unifying the entire PUD in the eyes of the public and Shingle Creek Business Center tenants and user, is the main project identification sign. The entire sign system for the PUD is designed around the main project identification sign. The main project identification sign serves two purposes. The first purpose is to provide the necessary element that will solidify the identity of Shingle Creek Business Center as one entity. The second is to identify Shingle Creek Business Center to the community. At this time, Shingle Creek Business Center has no single physical entity to identify it. The name is advertised and the public is familiar with the name but does not have that necessary physical element to stand as a symbol of the development. The project identification sign design will provide a dramatic identification of a very elegantly planned and executed project. It will serve as a gateway to the businesses and services of Shingle Creek Business Center and work to ensure the success of the development. It will also beccme a hallmark of the Business Center and of the community of Brooklyn Center. LOMBARD PROPERTIES INIC INTRODUCTION Shingle Creek Business Center is the first "Planned Unit Development," "PUD," with a mixed -use in the City of Brooklyn Center. Because the current sign ordinances do not address the specific needs for a PUD mixed -use development, Lombard Properties, the developer, has retained Sign Consultants, Inc. to assist them. Sign Consultants has been given the responsibility to design and source a complete integrated graphic sign system for the Shingle Creek Business Center PUD. This system consists of developing not only signage but a sign criteria that will maintain the aesthetic value of the sign graphic package for now and into the future. Presently, a sampling of the new graphic package is in place which meets with the existing sign ordinances. However, there are additional requirements which are not addressed in the current ordinances. One of these requirements is for placement of two (2) directional signs and the other is for the incorporation of a project identification sign. 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