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01-26-09 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26,2009 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Chambers, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, Janyary 26,2009. Chair Keysser called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Planning Commissioners Cera, Eck, Keysser, McCarty, Schmidgall and Waldhauser. Also present was Director of Planning and Development Mark Grimes, City Planner Joe Hogeboom and Administrative Assistant Lisa Wittman. Commissioner Kluchka was absent. 1. Approval of Minutes January 12, 2009 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Waldhauser referred to the second paragraph on page 7 and clarified that the Commission discussed pavers "of any kind" not just pavers. She also clarified that that when she was talking about screening she was referring to screening with plants. Eck noted a few typographical errors. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Waldhauser and motion carried unanimously to approve the January 12, 2009 minutes with the above noted corrections/clarifications. 2. Informal Public Hearing - Planned Unit Development and Preliminary Plat - Southwest Quadrant of 1-394 and Highway 100 - The Towers at West End Applicant: Duke Realty Address: Southwest Quadrant of 1-394 and Highway 100 Purpose: To allow for the construction of a 4,400 space (approximate) parking structure in Golden Valley. This will support up to 1.1 million square feet of proposed office space to be built adjacent to the ramp in St. Louis Park. Grimes stated that this proposal consists of two different items, the Planned Unit Development and the Preliminary Plat. He referred to a location map and noted that this proposal is located in the far southeast corner of the City. He stated that the property is designated for commercial/office on both the Comprehensive Plan Map and the Zoning Map. He showed the Planning Commissioners a map indicating where hearing notices for this meeting were sent. He explained that typically hearing notices are sent to property owners within 500 feet of the subject property but in this case that area was greatly expanded in order to get input from the public. Grimes referred to a map of the entire project and explained that the retail and service portion of the project is on the west side of the site and the office portion is on the east side of the site. He stated that the applicant is going through a similar approval Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 2 process with the City of St. Louis Park because most of the project is in St. Louis Park. (The Preliminary PUD was recommended for approval by the St. Louis Park Planning Commission last week.) Only the proposed parking ramp and a portion of the connections from the ramp to the office building are in Golden Valley. He explained that the proposed total area of office space is 1.1 million square feet and will be a phased development in three or four buildings. At this point in time the applicant is asking for preliminary approval and they intend on waiting for a market for the office buildings before they will go ahead with the final plan approvals. He explained that when looking at a preliminary plan it is a broad review to make sure it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and general development concepts accepted by the City. He noted that there will be two building permits issues, one from St. Louis Park for the office buildings and one from Golden Valley for the parking ramp. He added that building inspections will be done by each City for the buildings in their City. Each city will handle public safety to the buildings in their City and there will be cooperation in fire and police calls. Grimes referred to a drawing of the proposed office buildings and stated that they will be approximately 9 stories in height. The parking ramp will have six levels above ground and one level below ground and will be approximately 55 feet in height with the stair/elevator tower being 75 feet in height. The parking ramp will have approximately 4,400 parking spaces when all of the office buildings are built which is a ratio of 1 space per 250 square feet of floor area as required by the Zoning Code. He stated that the proposal also calls for bicycle parking at a rate of 10% of the parking stalls which is more than required by the Zoning Code. He explained that half of the bicycle parking is proof of parking so only half the bicycle spaces will be built right away. He added that the applicant is proposing to reduce the size of the parking stalls from the required 9 feet by 18.5 feet to 8.5 feet by 18 feet. He said staff believes that is reasonable for a parking ramp facility. He added that the proposed parking ramp will be located close to the Wayzata Blvd. frontage road with a sidewalk and landscaping between the parking deck and the Wayzata Blvd. frontage road. The parking deck will be made of concrete panels that will match the office buildings. Grimes stated that one concern staff has about this proposed development is the effect it will have on traffic along the Wayzata Blvd. frontage road to the east. He said staff is working with Duke regarding traffic calming techniques, increasing pedestrian accessibility and improving access in and out of the Tyrol neighborhood. He added that these issues will have to be agreed upon prior to final PUD approval. He referred to an AUAR study that was done by St. Louis Park which showed traffic from this development will work with the existing street system and with the improvements that were proposed in the AUAR study. Grimes stated that staff is recommending approval of the proposed parking ramp with the following conditions: Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 3 1. The parking deck shown in the plans for The Towers at West End prepared by Duke and Walsh Bishop Architects and dated 12/12/08 shall become a part of this approval. 2. The parking deck will be phased with the first phase consisting of about 1200 parking spaces on seven levels. 3. The memo and recommendations found in a memo from City Engineer Jeff Oliver, PE, to Mark W. Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, and dated January 21, 2009 shall become a part of this recommendation. 4. The memo and recommendations found in a memo from Deputy Fire Marshal Ed Anderson to Mark W. Grimes, Director of Planning and Development and dated January 9, 2009 shall become a part of this recommendation. 5. The Preliminary Plat of The Towers at West End is acceptable with changes recommended by the City Engineer. Keysser referred to a map of the site and noted that there are two ingress/egress points onto what is being called a private road south of Wayzata Blvd. He asked where the private road leads to heading south. Grimes said the road leads to the HealthPartners building and goes all the way around the existing building. Keysser asked if the road will lead to another street or if it will dead-end within the complex. Grimes said the road will dead-end within the complex. He explained that at one time during the planning of this project there were four openings on the east side of the parking ramp. It was the City Council's opinion that it should be reduced to two openings so that is what the applicant has done. Grimes referred to the City Engineer's memo and noted that he is concerned about the tee intersection noted on the plans so that is something that will also need to be addressed by the applicant. Eck referred to the City Engineer's memo and noted that the concern is considerable from the neighborhood to the east about the amount of traffic that will be going along the Wayzata Blvd. frontage road. He asked Grimes to discuss what the traffic calming techniques will consist of. Grimes referred to a map showing some of the ideas from the AUAR. He explained that the map shows the intersections of the streets that come out onto the frontage road and the idea is to increase the sight distance at these intersections. Eck said that will do nothing regarding the amount of traffic on the streets, it will only help people get in and out of their neighborhood. Grimes stated that the AUAR and the analysis done by the city's traffic engineer shows that the streets have the capacity for the increased traffic, the idea is to improve the intersections. Eck said it is his understanding from the neighbors that the problem is going to be the sheer number of cars, not if they are going to be able to see better at the intersections. Grimes said no one is denying that there isn't going to be more traffic but with some. improvements people will be able to get in and out of the neighborhood safely. Cera asked if the AUAR considered the traffic when the previous small buildings were located on this property or if it only considered today's traffic figures. Grimes stated that there used to be 175,000 square feet of office space on this site and that the AUAR considered 1.1 million square feet of office space. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 4 Keysser asked if the hotel currently being constructed is a part of this project. Grimes said no. He referred to a site plan and noted the applicant's proposed hotel location. Waldhauser asked if there are any specific proposals for traffic calming on the frontage road. Grimes stated that part of the AUAR looked at ways to help people get on and off the street at each of the intersections within the South Tyrol and Kennedy neighborhoods which may include improvements that will slow traffic down as well. He reiterated that no permits will be issued by the City until the applicant submits plans for traffic calming that are acceptable to the City. Waldhauser asked if anyone has considered having fewer, but better controlled connections or access points from the Tyrol neighborhood to Wayzata Blvd. Grimes stated that the city's traffic engineer believes improving the sight distance at the intersections will be an improvement for everyone in the area. Waldhauser said she is concerned that if that plan doesn't work it will then be at Golden Valley's expense to come up with a solution. David Bade, Development Manager, Duke Realty, Applicant, showed the Planning Commission aerial photos of the site from summer 2007 before any work was started. He then showed an aerial photo of the current conditions of the site. He referred to perspective drawings showing three and four office buildings and stated that based on market conditions there may only be three office buildings with the same amount of square footage. Waldhauser referred to the shade study that was done and asked if that study was based on having three or four buildings. Bade said the shade study was based on having four buildings. He stated that if there are three buildings they would be taller and the shade study would change. Bade showed perspective drawings of the proposed buildings connected to the parking ramp and noted the pedestrian walk-through area that would provide a pedestrian connection and allow access to the large green space in the center of the site. He said he realizes that the City has some concerns about the pedestrian walk- through area and they are willing to change their plans if needed in order to provide a safe pedestrian connection. Waldhauser asked the applicant if they have considered splitting the parking ramp into two smaller ramps instead of having one gigantic ramp. Bade said that they are flexible with the design of the ramp but it will depend on the types of users in the office buildings. Keysser asked if the office buildings themselves will have any parking areas or if all of the parking will be in the proposed ramp. Bade stated that all of the parking for the office buildings will be in the ramp. McCarty asked the applicant if they end up with two buildings if they would still have one large parking ramp. Bade said they wouldn't necessarily have one large parking ramp. He reiterated that it is a phased development so it really depends on the type of users in the office buildings. McCarty asked the applicant if they have any potential Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 200~, Page 5 tenants. Bade said they are hoping the excitement from the retail portion of the project will draw in office tenants. He stated that construction of the first office tower could potentially begin late this fall and the buildings typically take 18 months to build. Keysser asked about parking for the potential hotel use. Bade said the potential hotel would have some parking under the building, some on.grade surface parking and maybe a small ramp. Bade referred to the AUAR and explained that there were certain improvements brought forward as a result of the AUAR. He discussed the improvements that have been made to Park Place Blvd. such as lane widening, extra lane capacity, extra turn lanes, traffic timing and park and ride adjustments. He stated that earlier this year SEH did a traffic calming study pertaining more to the east side of Highway 100. He referred to photos of many of the intersections in Golden Valley along Wayzata Blvd. and discussed some of the proposed improvements such as bump.outs, striping, shrub clearing and sidewalk extensions. He explained that they understand there are resident concerns and potential traffic issues. He said they are trying to help the issue by reducing the number of exit points from the ramp. They are also trying to promote traffic flow onto Utica which would then use 16th and Park Place and the improvements that are now in place. Bade discussed the stormwater management issues with this project and explained that they have been working with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District for two years. He talked about the below grade infiltration pipes they are using to direct water and reduce run.off by 87% compared to pre.construction conditions. He stated that they are reducing phosphorus by 65% and they have partnered with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to create small green roof areas and options for rain gardens, green walls and cisterns to capture run-off from the parking ramp to use as gray water for irrigation. Keysser opened the public hearing. Gary Cohen, 4530 Douglas Avenue, stated that he has attended many meetings regarding this and other proposals. He stated that January 29, 2008 was the last public meeting held on this topic where traffic calming options were discussed. He said after that time, Duke and the City of Golden Valley ceased discussions regarding the Golden Valley portion of this proposal. He said he is pleased that Duke has reduced the number of entrances and exits on the ramp from four to two. He said the design and quality of the proposed development have never been a concern to him but his paramount concern is traffic and how it will impact his neighborhood. He said he has the following requests to make of the Planning Commission and City Council as they consider this proposal: 1) reconvene a neighborhood meeting in Golden Valley to review the traffic calming measures, 2) continue traffic counts in the neighborhood both pre and post construction of the retail portion of the Duke development, 3) continue to confirm and produce formal documentation showing that there is no intention of ever extending 16th Street through the entire project allowing traffic to exit through the development into the Golden Valley neighborhoods, 4) continue to work Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26,2009 Page 6 with MnDOT on improving the existing frontage road. He said he has no doubt Duke will have a high quality project he just his trying to find ways to alleviate traffic problems that he knows are going to get worse. Joseph Lee, 400 Tyrol Crest, said his concern is traffic. He said right now on June Avenue visibility is one issue because of the winding roads, but the quantity of traffic is a problem as well. He said he would like to see a yellow blinking light or a stop sign installed. He referred to Mr. Bade's discussion of "bump-outs" as a traffic calming technique and asked how the bump-outs will help solve the traffic problems. Robert Lazear, 1519 Natchez Avenue South, said he wrote a letter to the City last year regarding this proposal and passed out copies of his letter. He said he also appreciates that Duke and the two cities have listened to the neighbor's concerns and have done some improvements. He said what it comes down to is that they are a land locked neighborhood and there are only two ways to get in and out their neighborhood, making it very difficult. He questioned once this development is done what can be done to make sure they can safely turn into their neighborhood. He said he is concerned about traffic from the development being pushed out onto Wayzata Blvd. rather than onto 16th Street and Park Place which have more capacity. He said he doesn't recall anyone from MnDOT ever attending any of the meetings regarding this development and asked if staff could make sure they are in attendance. He said he believes there is going to be a need for a traffic light on Wayzata Blvd. slightly west of Natchez Avenue. He referred to the timing of the construction and asked if the parking ramp will also be developed in phases or if a giant 4,000 space mega ramp is going to be built if the buildings are built in phases. He added that he would like a commitment on paper confirming that there will only be two, not four entrance/exit points from the ramp. He reiterated that his major concern is minimizing traffic and maximizing safety and agreed that the traffic counts should be revisited in a year or two from now after the retail space is open. Todd Shipman, 1510 Fairlawn Way, said it is important to understand that this is a special piece of street that warrants serious consideration because of the topography and changes in elevation. He said the City also needs to understand that this area gets a limited amount of daylight so there is a lot of additional ice and snow that doesn't get removed. He reiterated that they are a land locked neighborhood so there are no other alternatives regarding exiting the neighborhood. He said he takes the bus to work and there is a huge risk of getting hit on the frontage road so he thinks installing a stoplight is going to be imperative. He said he notices that there is a lot of commuter traffic that currently parks in the vacant ramps and he doesn't know where those cars are going to go. He said no matter what the AUAR says the City has to go a step further and understand the dynamics of the neighborhood. Betsy Zakrajsheck, 1425 Natchez Avenue South, said traffic and safety are her major concerns. She said Natchez is currently a major cut through street off of Wayzata Blvd. and there are no sidewalks on Natchez. She said walking along the frontage road is dangerous because of the speeding traffic. She is worried about her kids and the kids in the neighborhood with all of the speeding traffic on Natchez. She said she Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 7 fears that with the back-up of traffic along the frontage road more and more people will cut through on Natchez to get to Cedar Lake Road to make their way to Highway 100. James Murray, 1520 Natchez Avenue South, said he is concerned about the AUAR traffic study because since it was done MnDOT has added lanes along 1-394 down to the Dunwoody area so now people can cut through and go across to Penn Avenue to avoid the traffic on 1-394. He said MnDOT has got to have some participation in this because they've affected the outcome. He said he thinks the traffic study is no longer relevant to the traffic they are going to have after this proposed development. Seeing and hearing no one else wishing to comment, Keysser closed the public hearing. Pat Mascia, Senior Vice President, Twin Cities Operations, Duke Realty Corp., stated they've been working on this project for almost 5 years. He said this has been a very civil discussion and process and realizes it is in their best interest to make sure the traffic works in this development. He said parking and traffic have been the two biggest challenges of this project. They are trying to make the traffic situation better by having retail and office uses together because they generate different traffic patterns. He said the original environmental impact statement that was done on this site in 1989 assumed that there would be an additional million square feet of office space. He said there is no intention of extending 16th Street through the development. Mascia explained that there was a period of time between the original neighborhood meetings and today's meeting because the two cities had originally talked about having a Joint Powers Agreement but that did not come about, the ramp had to be re- engineered to change the number of exits from four to two and the market conditions changed. He referred to the question regarding the use of "bump-outs" as a traffic calming technique and explained that they are still in the process of figuring out what measures will work best. He referred to the concern about commuter traffic currently parking in the vacant ramps and noted that those cars belong to the construction employees currently working on site and are not commuters as suggested. He added that he also thinks it's a good idea to work with MnDOT. Keysser referred to the site plans and asked if any thought has been given to having all the exits from the parking ramp be on the west side and having no exits on the north or east sides. Mascia explained that there have to be exits on the north side to allow the ramp to function properly. He said that the site probably won't be fully developed for approximately 10 years and reducing the exits from four to two is the best they can do. Grimes added that the plans would be approved based on the plans submitted so there can't be any major changes from what has been submitted. Keysser asked what would happen if one large tenant came in and wanted a different parking ramp. Grimes explained that if the parking ramp design changes significantly from what is approved the applicant would have to come back to the City for approval. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 8 Grimes reiterated that there will have to be traffic calming measures approved prior to final plan approval so that when the office buildings open the traffic improvements will be in place. Grimes referred to the proposed pedestrian walk-through in the parking ramp and stated that staff has some concerns about the safety of it. He said staff would like to see a pedestrian connection and would like to suggest that language be added saying the pedestrian walk-through will be revisited at a later date rather than just saying no to the proposed walk-through at this point. Keysser asked if it is a reasonable request to do traffic counts in the area after the retail portion of the project is open. Grimes said traffic counts could be done fairly easily. He explained that MnDOT has reviewed these plans and they also have concerns about the frontage road. He said he is more than willing to try to get a representative from MnDOT to attend a meeting however he thinks they are going to want to hear a traffic proposal from the City first. He explained that traffic has to meet certain standards to warrant signs, traffic lights, etc. and that staff is open and willing to discuss all of the traffic calming techniques available. Waldhauser referred to the pedestrian walk-through area and said she would like there to be a condition of approval that there will be a safe and attractive pedestrian access route from the Tryol area through both the office buildings and parking ramp to the retail area. Grimes recommended that the Planning Commission specifically add that language as a condition of approval. McCarty agreed with the need for pedestrian access through the ramp. Schm!dgall said he thinks it could be safely done by separating the ramp into two crossover drives where cars don't come near pedestrians. Grimes said he would also like to add a condition of approval regarding having another neighborhood meeting to discuss traffic calming issues prior to final plan approval. Cera referred to the proposed bump outs on the frontage road intersections and said in his opinion they are hazardous. He said with the topography, curves and the ice in that area he feels the bump outs would be dangerous. He agreed that MnDOT really needs to be involved in this development. Eck stated that traffic is the number one concern and Golden Valley is being asked to come up with solutions to a problem that is not of our making. He said the Planning Commission is being asked to recommend approval of this proposal without having any valid idea of whether this traffic issue is going to be a serious problem or not or how it is going to be solved. He said he is in support of the proposal and hopes the traffic issues are taken seriously. McCarty said he is concerned about the size of the ramp. He asked if there is any accommodation in this ramp regarding the future of traffic such as electric cars, hybrid cars, smaller cars, etc. He asked if the ramp design is based on historical traffic data. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 9 He also asked about the parking ratio requirements and asked if those numbers are outdated and suggested maybe the ratio be decreased if possible. Grimes stated that one advantage in building the parking ramp in phases is that these types of items can be addressed in the future. Mascia said the ramp hasn't been designed yet. He explained that it will be designed in accordance with the market at the time it is built. Grimes noted that requiring 1 space per 250 square feet of floor area is fairly standard and he wants to be flexible depending on the type of tenant using the ramp. Mascia said they would like to build as few parking spaces as possible because each space costs money in structured parking. Grimes stated that many of these issues are addressed in the Traffic Management Plan. McCarty referred to the idea of recounting the traffic after the retail portion of the site is open and noted that retail and office use have different peak times so he questions if the retail counts would be valid for the office use. Keysser agreed that the trips are not equal but it would give the City more data. Grimes said he is most concerned about the am and pm peak trips. Cera said he is having difficulty making a decision about this proposal because he would like to see the traffic calming information and he would like to hear from MnDOT. MOVED by Eck, seconded by McCarty and motion carried to recommend approval of Planned Unit Development and Preliminary Plat for The Towers at West End with the following conditions. Commissioner Cera abstained from voting. 1. The parking deck shown in the plans for The Towers at West End prepared by Duke and Walsh Bishop Architects and dated 12/12/08 shall become a part of this approvaL 2. The parking deck will be phased with the first phase consisting of about 1200 parking spaces on seven levels. 3. The memo and recommendations found in a memo from City Engineer Jeff Oliver, PE, to Mark W. Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, and dated January 21,2009 shall become a part of this recommendation. 4. The memo and recommendations found in a memo from Deputy Fire Marshal Ed Anderson to Mark W. Grimes, Director of Planning and Development and dated January 9, 2009 shall become a part of this recommendation. 5. The Preliminary Plat of The Towers at West End is acceptable with changes recommended by the City Engineer. 6. There will be a safe and attractive pedestrian access route from the Tryol area through both the office buildings and parking ramp to the retail area. 7. A neighborhood meeting will be held to discuss traffic calming issues prior to final plan approval. --Short Recess-- Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 26, 2009 Page 10 4. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings No reports were given. 5. Other Business Hogeboom reminded the Commissioners that they are invited to attend the February 10, 2008 Council/Manager meeting where they will be discussing the Douglas Drive Corridor study. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 pm. ~.&J L ster Eel<, Secretary