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2024-04-08 Planning Commission Agenda REGULAR MEETING AGENDA Planning Commission meetings are being conducted in a hybrid format with in-person and remote options for attending, participating, and commenting. The public can make statements in this meeting during the planned public comment sections. Some members of the Commission may attend virtually. Members of the public may attend virtually by following instructions below. Remote Attendance/Comment Options: Members of the public may attend this meeting by watching on cable channel 16, streaming on CCXmedia.org, streaming via Webex, or by calling 1-415-655-0001, entering access code 2630 099 1615, and password 1234 from phones and video systems. 1. Call to Order & Land Acknowledgement 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes March 25, Regular Meeting 4. Informal Public Hearing – Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development) Applicant: 201 General Mills Blvd LLC. Location: 201 General Mills Blvd 5. Council Liaison Report 6. Other Business a. Reports on Board of Zoning Appeals and Other Meetings 7. Adjournment April 8, 2024 – 6:30 pm City Council Chambers Hybrid Meeting CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 25, 2024 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 1. CALL TO ORDER AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Chair Brooking called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. and read the Land Acknowledgement. a. Regular Members Present: Brookins, Ruby, McCormick, Cohen, and Segelbaum b. Regular Members Absent: BarnstorƯ and Meredith c. Student Member, Status: Benjamin Fricke, Present d. StaƯ Members Present: Alma Flores, Community Development Director Darren Groth, Assistant Community Development Director Christine Costello, Housing & Econ. Dev. Manager Maria Cisneros, City Attorney Kendra Lindahl, City Planning Consultant e. Council Liaison Present: None 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Cohen motioned to approve as presented, Ruby seconded. Commission voted 5-0 to approve. Motion carried. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: March 11, 2024, Regular Meeting Minutes. Item Continued to next meeting. 4. STAFF INTRODUCTIONS: Darren Groth, Assistant Community Development Director Christine Costello, Housing & Econ. Dev. Manager 5. INFORMAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR MINOR SUBDIVISION LOCATED AT 227 PAISELY LANE AND 2209 EDGEWOOD AVENUE NORTH a. Lindahl introduced and presented the agenda item to the Commission. b. StaƯ recommended approval of Minor Subdivision, subject to the findings and conditions in the report. c. Discussion ensued. d. The applicant spoke in favor of the request. e. Chair Brookins opened the public hearing at 6:45 p.m. f. Three citizens spoke in opposition to the request. g. Chair Brookins closed the public hearing at 6:55 p.m. h. Chair Brookins requested a motion. i. Ruby moved to approve the motion, as recommended by sta Ư. j. Cohen seconded. k. The Commission voted 5-0 to recommend APPROVAL. CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 25, 2024 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 6. INFORMAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR ZONING MAP AMENDMENT, FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT, PRELIMINARY PLAT, AND CUP LOCATED AT 6100 GOLDEN VALLEY ROAD a. Lindahl introduced and presented the agenda item to the Commission. b. StaƯ recommends approval of the following based on the findings and conditions in the staƯ report. c. Discussion ensued. d. The applicant spoke in favor of the request. e. Chair Brookins opened the public hearing at 7:33 p.m. f. No comments were provided during the hearing. g. Chair Brookins closed the public hearing at 7:33 p.m. h. Ruby moved to approve the motion for the Future Land Use Plan Amendment to change the guided land from Medium Density Residential to OƯice i. McCormick seconded. j. The Commission voted 5-0 to recommend APPROVAL of the Future Land Use Plan Amendment. k. Ruby moved to approve the motion for the Zoning Map Amendment to rezone the property from R-3 to OƯice. l. McCormick seconded. m. The Commission voted 5-0 to recommend APPROVAL of the Zoning Map Amendment. n. Ruby moved to approve the motion for the Preliminary Plat. o. McCormick seconded. p. The Commission voted 5-0 to recommend APPROVAL of the Preliminary Plat. q. Commission Ruby moved to approve the Conditional Use Permit, with the following five (5) conditions: i. The applicant shall follow the conditions in the StaƯ Report presented by Lindahl. ii. The applicant shall monitor site parking and, when requested by the City, provide information about how site parking will be managed, if cueing or parking begins to impact access on Golden Valley Road. iii. A City Stormwater Management permit is required for the construction. That permit will require submittal of civil drawings with demolition, grading/stormwater, utility, site, etc. for review and approval by staƯ. iv. The applicant shall submit a snow management plan for the site. v. Open turf areas shall use pervious materials. r. Segelbaum seconded. s. The Commission voted 5-0 to recommend APPROVAL, with conditions. CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 25, 2024 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 7. INFORMAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT FOR SACRED COMMUNITIES. a. Lindahl introduced and presented the agenda item to the Commission. b. StaƯ recommends approval of the following based on the findings and conditions in the staƯ report. c. Discussion ensued. d. No person was present to speak at the public hearing. e. Cisneros spoke to add clarification to the agenda item. f. Ruby moved to approve the motion for the Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment, with the following condition: i. StaƯ shall hold a public meeting once a permit application is submitted. g. Segelbaum seconded. h. The Commission voted 4-1 (Brookins) to recommend APPROVAL, with conditions. 8. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: None 9. STAFF UPDATES: None 10. OTHER BUSINESS: None 11. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Brookins adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m. 1 Date: April 8, 2024 To: Golden Valley Planning Commission Prepared By: Christine Costello, Housing & Economic Development Manager Reviewed By: Alma Flores, Community Development Director Darren Groth, Assistant Community Development Director Kendra Lindahl, Planning Consultant Subject: Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Informal Public Hearing Case Information Property address: 201 General Mills Blvd Applicant(s): 201 General Mills Blvd, LLC Property owner(s): 201 General Mills Blvd, LLC Zoning District: Office (O) Lot size: 19.44 acres Current use: Office Proposed use: Office and Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development) Future land use: Office Adjacent uses: Single-Family and Office (north); Golf Course (east); Office (south), and Multi-Family (west) Site Aerial: 2022 Aerial Photo (Hennepin County) 2 Summary The Applicant is requesting the use of the existing, vacant building for office space and Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development). Offices, excluding medical and dental, is a permitted use in the ‘O’ Zoning District and Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development) is permissible after first obtaining a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the use. The applicant seeks the CUP for Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development) to allow for a conversion of interior space. Existing Conditions The subject site at 201 General Mills Boulevard has an existing 90,000 square foot building and a surface parking striped for up to 620 vehicles. The building was constructed in 1998, as part of the General Mills campus. In 2019, the Applicant purchased the property and made extensive renovations to the building. The office building is nearly vacant and in order to attract a prospective tenant(s). PROPOSAL The Applicant is proposing to lease approximately 50,000 square feet of the building for office and laboratory space to a prospective tenant. The remaining 40,000 square feet is not included in this proposal and is intended to stay as office space, office storage, and amenity areas. The prospective tenant is anticipated to employ approximately 200 workers and plans for an average of 25 visitors per work week. The hours of operation will be from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The zoning ordinance requires Offices, excluding medical and dental uses to provide 1 parking space per 250 s.f. of gross floor area, which equates to 200 parking spaces for the office use. The zoning ordinance section on off-street parking space requirements does not provide a for the minimum number of required off-street parking spaces for laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development). Per Section 113-151(c)(1) of the ordinance, the City shall determine the necessary sparking spaces considering all the factors. It was determined that a prospective tenant with demand for 225 parking spaces, assuming 200 workers and 25 average 3 visitors, will meet the required minimum parking space requirement since the overall site contains 620 parking spaces. The Applicant and prospective tenant have no plans to expand the building or parking lot footprint of the property. In addition, no changes are being made to the parking lot lighting which was upgraded to more energy efficient lighting in 2020. Neighborhood Notification and Public Comments City Code Section 113-30(c) requires that applications for a conditional use permit be referred to the Planning Commission to hold an informal public hearing. In addition, all property owners within 500 feet of the subject site shall be notified of the informal public hearing by the U.S. mail, not less than 10 days prior to the date of this informal public hearing. Notice to property owners was mailed out March 28, 2024. As of April 5, 2024, Staff received inquiries from two property owners who received the notice. Staff Analysis Overall, staff in multiple departments reviewed the project and did not have significant concerns about the use since the prospective tenant use would be interior to the building and no building or parking lot expansion is proposed. The site has ample parking and is currently under parked from when the building was at full capacity. The site is located a short distance from Highway 55 and I-394 and the prospective tenant would employ approximately 200 individuals, which is less than the building’s capacity and parking spaces provided. General Mills Boulevard is a collector street, designed to connect major traffic generators, job centers and neighborhoods. General Mills Boulevard is at a level of service (LOS) A and B and project to remain that into 2040 per the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The building’s sewer connections were inspected in 2014, and the Inflow and Infiltration is compliant. A prospective tenant such as a laboratory (medical, dental, or research and development) may require an updated Inflow and Infiltration Inspection. As part of staff’s review, options for sustainability for the site were identified for the Applicant and any current or prospective tenant(s). It was noted that portions of the subject property are located in the floodplain. The Applicant’s site plan indicates that the building is high enough in elevation to be located outside of the FEMA mapped floodplain and outside of the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission jurisdiction floodplain. However, on the official FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map the building appears to be in a floodplain. If the Applicant is interested in changing the official map to show that the building is out, and to pay lower premiums for flood insurance, the applicant may retain a licensed surveyor to complete a FEMA Letter of Map Change. In addition, if the Applicant is interested in opportunities for improve energy efficiency, renewable energy, EV charging City staff can be of assistance. Evaluation Per State Statute 462.3595, the Planning Commission can only consider the general and specific standards set out in the zoning ordinance related to the proposed use and a conditional use 4 permit. The zoning ordinance does not provide any specific conditions for approval for laboratories including medical, dental, or research and development. Therefore, the Planning Commission per City Code Section 113-30(d) shall make findings and recommendations for a CUP to the City Council based upon any or all of the following factors (which need not be weighed equally): Factor Staff Finding 1. Demonstrated Need for Proposed Use Standard met. The applicant is looking to lease the building and a prospective tenant is interested in the building and being able to use some of the space for medical, dental, or research and development laboratory space. The prospective tenant use will be conducted wholly within the building, there will be no expansion of the building or parking lot. 2. Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan Standard met. The Comprehensive Plan guides the parcel for Office use and Laboratories (medical, dental, or research and development) use falls under the heading of Offices and Financial Institutions in the City’s Use Table. 3. Effect upon Property Values Standard met. There are no anticipated changes to property values as the existing building will be used in a manner consistent with the City Code. 4. Effect on Traffic Flow and Congestion Standard met. The Average Daily Trip (ADT) counts are taken every four years. In 2022, the ADT was 3,945 trips, and in 2017, the ADT was 8,883 trips. The prospective tenant may potentially increase the 2022 ADT count but is not anticipated to exceed the counts from 2017. 5. Effect of Increases in Population and Density Standard met. There will be a potential increase of employees in the area and potentially new homeowners and/or renters. With a limited housing stock, the densities may stay the same or increase along with new housing stock as a desired outcome of the Comprehensive plan. . 6. Compliance with the City’s Mixed-Income Housing Policy Not applicable. 5 7. Increase in Noise Levels Standard met. The CUP would not enable a prospective tenant to generate excessive noise and all uses must adhere to the existing Minn. State Noise Pollution Control Rules. 8. Generation of Odors, Dust, Smoke, Gas, or Vibration Standard met. The prospective tenant is not anticipated to generate odor, dust, smoke, gas, or vibrations since the use is conducted wholly within the building. 9. Any Increase in Pests or Vermin Standard met. The prospective tenant is not anticipated to attract rodents. 10. Visual Appearance Standard met. The prospective tenant will be potentially adding additional HVAC units on the roof and will screen the units from view per City Code Section 113-157(e)(1)d. 11. Other Effects upon the General Public Health, Safety, and Welfare Standard met. Recommended Action Based on the findings above, staff recommends approval of the Conditional Use Permit, subject to the following condition(s): 1. At the time of building permit application, the perspective tenant shall provide any proposed chemical inventory and any mitigation measures to the Building Division and Fire Department for review. Failure to comply with one or more of the above conditions shall be grounds for revocation of the CUP. Consistent with State statute, a certified copy of the CUP must be recorded with Hennepin County. Attachments CUP Planning Application (2 pages) Narrative (4 pages) Blocking Diagram (2 pages) Site Plan (1 page) Planning | 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55427-4588 763-593-8095 | TTY: 763-593-3968 | www.goldenvalleymn.gov | planning@goldenvalleymn.gov Conditional Use Permit Street address of properties in this application: APPLICANT INFORMATION Name (individual, or corporate entity): Address: Phone number:Email address: Authorized Representative (if other than applicant): Name: Address: Phone number:Email address: Property Owner (if other than applicant): Name: Address: Phone number:Email address: SITE INFORMATION Total area of property (in acres):Current zoning of property: Proposed conditional use(s) requiring permit: Provide a brief description of all proposed uses for this property: PROPOSED Number of o -street car parking spaces: ____________________ Number of residential units: ____________________ Number of bicycle parking spaces: ____________________ Number of employees: ____________________ Percent impervious surface: ____________________ Hours of operation: ____________________ Percent building coverage: ____________________ Building height: ____________________ Percent open space: ____________________ Gross ﬂ oor area: ____________________ PLANNING APPLICATION 201 GM Blvd, LLC (Jim Sorboro) 201 General Mills Boulevard, Golden Valley, MN 55426 612-617-6256 jim.sorboro@eqh.com 201 GM Blvd, LLC (Jim Sorboro) 201 General Mills Boulevard, Golden Valley, MN 55426 jim.sorboro@eqh.com 20 Business Office Research Labs Office and Research Labs for approximately 200 personnel. 620 0 42.83% 7.43% 49.74% 0 6:00am-8:00pm 200 34' 90,000 sqft Conditional Use Permit (cont.) This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call 763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc. REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS Narrative outlining how the proposed plan meets the 10 factors of evaluation listed in the Conditional Use Permit Section of Gold- en Valley Zoning Code, Section 113-30. List all proposed uses of the property and how much space (in square feet) will be devoted to each use, the number of employees, the number of potential customers or visitors, hours of operation, how well this type of use has been accepted at other locations, what the site will look like, and any special measures to be taken by the applicant to address any impacts to surrounding properties. I/I compliance: Before application submittal, the property must be in compliance with the City’s Inﬂ ow/Inﬁ ltration (I/I) requirements. Contact the Public Works Division at 763-593-8030 for I/I inspection and compliance information. An application will not be accept- ed until the property receives an I/I compliance certiﬁ cate. Legal description of property Copies of all documents, including covenants, by-laws of owners association, and Abstract of Title or Registered Property Certiﬁ - cate, submitted to City Attorney for examination Application fee: $400 Application fee for Home Occupation: $75 Resubmission if CUP previously denied: $50 25 copies (ﬁ ve large-sized plans, 20 11”x17”-sized plans) and one CD of each of the following: Exterior site plan, drawn to a scale of 1”=20’ or larger, with all use areas, access points, and special features or equipment clearly indicated Interior ﬂ oor plan, draw to a scale of 1”=20’ or larger, with all use areas, access points, and special features or equipment clearly indicated Other documents may be required or encouraged for City sta to make a complete evaluation of the proposal. Please con- sult with City Planning sta by calling 763-593-8095, or email planning@goldenvalleymn.gov before submitting this application. SIGNATURES To the best of my knowledge, the statements contained in this application and its attachments are true and correct. Please include printed name, signature, and date for applicant, authorized representative (if other than applicant), or property owner (if other than ap- plicant). The property owner(s) signature is required for this application. Name of Applicant (please print): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ Authorized Representative (if other than applicant) Name (please print): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ Property Owner (if other than applicant—required) Name (please print): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date: __________________________ Planning | 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55427-4588 763-593-8095 | TTY: 763-593-3968 | www.goldenvalleymn.gov | planning@goldenvalleymn.gov Jim Sorboro 3/21/24 architects 123 North Wacker, Suite 2450 | Chicago, IL 60606 | T: 312.471.3770 | www.whitneyAD.com April 4, 2024 attn: Alma Flores re: Research Lab – Conditional Use Permit – Required Attachments Compliance with 11 Factors of Evaluation 1. Demonstrated need for proposed use This potential Research Lab believes the Golden Valley property suits its needs and will revitalize a vacant building. 2. Consistency with comprehensive plan of the city Because this is a nearly vacant existing facility, this Research Lab will be bringing new jobs to fill it. 3. Effect upon property values in the neighboring area Because of the new professional jobs being created, property values should only be enhanced. 4. Effect of any anticipated traffic generation upon the current traffic flow and congestion in area Because the building currently has more than 600 parking spaces and the Research Lab will have approximately 200 employees, there should be little effect on congestion. 5. Effect of any increase in population and density upon surrounding land Again because there are fewer employees than before there should be no increase in density. 6. Compliance with the City’s Mixed-Income Housing Policy. Not applicable 7. Increase in noise levels to be caused by the proposed use. Proposed uses will not contribute to any increase in noise levels. 8. Any Odors, dust, smoke, gas, or vibration to be caused by the proposed use. None of the above elements will be a part of this Research Lab’s occupation or processes on the site. 9. Any increase in pests, including flies, rats, or other animals or vermin in the area to be caused by the proposed use. None of the above listed animals or insects will be increased by this Research Lab’s occupation or processes on the site. 10. Visual appearance of any proposed structure or use. This Research Lab will be adding additional HVAC units on the roof of the existing building. This Research Lab will furnish the approximate screening to mask their appearance. 11. Any other effect upon the general public health, safety, and welfare of the City and its residents. There are no other negative effects this Research Lab will have upon the public health, safety, and welfare of the city of Golden Valley and its residents. The proposed uses by this Research Lab. for the 201 GM Drive property are research labs and office space. Of the 90,000 sq. ft, approximately 50,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to labs and the remainder to office storage and amenity areas. Approximately 200 employees will utilize the space and an average of 25 visitors per week are expected to come to the space. Hours of operation will be nominally 6am-8pm. See photo below of the current site which has been there since 1998. There will be no further impacts to the surrounding areas because of the Research Lab’s occupancy. The following lab types this Research Lab will develop in the building are the following: First floor 1. ACS Chemistry general analytics lab 2. ACS Chemistry mass spec. lab 3. Biosafety lab 4. Biomedical electromechanical lab 5. Metrology and calibration lab 6. Bio Glass laundry lab 7. Chemistry practice lab 8. Electromechanical U+V lab 9. Disposable materials testing lab Second floor 1. Innovation lab 2. Validation lab 3. R+D lab 4. R+D rapid prototype lab 5. Machine shop 6. Compliance labs 7. Agile labs Legal Descriptions of Property: Lot 1, Block 1, Campus View, except that part thereof lying southerly of the following described line: Commencing at the northeast corner of said Lot 1; thence South 0 degrees 03 minutes 47 seconds East, assumed bearing along the east line of said Lot 1, a distance of 839.46 feet to the point of beginning of the line to be described; thence South 65 degrees 02 minutes 15 seconds West a distance of 110.28 feet; thence South 49 degrees 37 minutes 46 seconds West a distance of 146.67 feet; thence southwesterly and westerly a distance of 91.66 feet along a tangential curve concave to the north having a radius of 80.00 feet and a central angle of 65 degrees 38 minutes 37 seconds; thence North 64 degrees 43 minutes 37 seconds West tangent to said curve a distance of 871.56 feet to the westerly line of said Lot 1 and there terminating. Torrens Property-Certificate of Title No. 1481583 Registered Property Certificate: See attached Certificate of Title. Thank you, whitney inc. name: Matt Churchill title: Principal | Architect of Record date: 4-4-24 cc: Mark Stenftenagel, Mary Esche, Melissa Bogusch