07-25-11 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
July 25, 2011
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,
July 25, 2011. Chair Waldhauser called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Cera, Kisch, Kluchka, McCarty, Schmidgall,
and Waldhauser. Also present was Director of Planning and Development Mark Grimes
and Administrative Assistant Lisa Wittman. Commissioner Segelbaum was absent.
1. Approdal of Minutes
June 27, 2011 Regular Planning Commission Meeting
Cera referred to the third sentence on page 2 and stated the first use of the word "to"
should be removed.
MOVED by Kisch, seconded by McCarty and motion carried unanimously to approve the
June 27, 2011 minutes with the above noted correction.
2. Informal Public Hearing — Conditional Use Permit Amendment— 9315
Medicine Lake Road — CU-68 Amendment#1
Applicant: McDonald's USA, LLC
Addresses: 9315 Medicine Lake Road
Purpose: To allow for the addition of a second drive-thru lane for property
located in the Commercial zoning district.
Grimes referred to a site plan of the property and explained that McDonald's is proposing
to remodel their store and add a second drive-thru lane. In order to add the second drive-
thru lane, McDonald's needs to amend their existing Conditional Use Permit which was
issued in 1997. He referred to the Deputy Fire Marshal's memo and noted that in order to
improve fire access on the site the drive aisles need to be increased to 20 feet in width
which will reduce the parking on site. McDonald's will be asking the Board of Zoning
Appeals for a variance from the parking requirements as well. Grimes stated that staff is
recommending approval of this request because new plan allows for better emergency
access and the drive-thru configuration will allow more capacity for stacking cars in the
drive-thru lanes.
Kisch referred to the proposed site plan and questioned if the Deputy Fire Marshal is
satisfied with the 20-foot drive aisle ending at the Mendelssohn access. Grimes said it is
his understanding that the Deputy Fire Marshal is satisfied with McDonald's plan and it
will be an improvement over the current conditions.
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
July 25, 2011
Page 2
Kluchka questioned why the Planning Commission reviews drive-thru proposals. Grimes
explained that the City's biggest concern with drive-thru requests is to make sure they
don't cause problems with traffic backing up on the public streets. He added that staff also
has concerns about potential speaker noise with drive-thru operations. Waldhauser added
that exhaust and smells could also be of concern.
Brian Johnson, Architect with Reprise Design, explained how they are meeting the
requirements of the fire code. He explained the proposed drive-thru procedure and
described the layout of the order kiosks and cash booth and how the layout will provide
faster service and allow more room for stacking cars.
Kluchka asked if there are any plans for enhancing the landscaping. Johnson said yes
there will be landscaping added to the site. Kluchka said he would also like to encourage
the addition of bicycle racks. Grimes stated that a condition of approval should be added
requiring McDonald's to provide a rack for 5 bicycles.
Kisch referred to the demonstrated need for use requirement in the City Code and noted
that the applicant's narrative states that the drive-thru volume is increasing but he
questioned if the overall sales have also increased. Ray Croaston, Applicant, explained
that when the restaurant was originally built the drive-thru sales were approximately 45%
of their business. Now the drive-thru sales represent approximately 65% to 70% of sales.
He stated that with the remodel they are anticipating the sales volume going up and they
are also reviewing their entire landscaping plan.
Waldhauser asked if there will be any change to the signage. Croaston showed the
Commission an elevation sketch of the proposed remodeled store and noted that there
will be slight changes in the signage.
Kluchka asked if there is currently a problem with cars stacking. Croaston said the new
drive-thru configuration will help with the flow.
Waldhauser asked if the playland area will remain. Croaston said yes and explained that
the demographic information shows that a playland makes sense in this location.
Kisch asked if the number of seats in the dining room will change. Croaston said the
dining room will be completely remodeled and there will probably be fewer seats.
McCarty asked if they will have enough parking spaces if their variance request is
granted. Croaston said yes and added that he has worked with other stores that have the
same sales volume that have 50 to 60 parking spaces.
Waldhauser opened the public hearing. Seeing and hearing no one wishing to comment,
Waldhauser closed the public hearing.
MOVED by Schmidgall, seconded by Cera and motion carried unanimously to
recommend approval of amending Conditional Use Permit CU-68, 9315 Medicine Lake
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
July 25, 2011
Page 3
Road, to allow for the construction of a second drive-thru land subject to the following
conditions:
1. All signage must meet the requirements of the City's sign code.
2. The site plan prepared by Reprise Design and titled "McDonald's Restaurant" shall
become a part of this approval.
3. There shall be a minimum of 78 parking spaces on the property.
4. All improvements to the building must meet the City's Building Code requirements.
5. All outdoor trash and recycling containers must be screened in a manner acceptable
to the Inspections Department.
6. A bicycle rack with space for at least five bicycles shall be installed and shall be
secured to either the ground or building.
7. An Infiltration and Inflow Inspection and required compliance rehabilitation identified
by the inspection must be completed prior to approval of the amended CUP by the
City Council. If the rehabilitation cannot be completed by the time of the approval of
the amended CUP by the City Council, McDonald's USA, LLC may post an escrow (in
a form approved by the Director of Public Works) of 125% of the estimated cost to
complete the rehabilitation work. The work must be done within 90 days of approval of
the amended CUP by the City Council. If the work is not completed by that time, the
City has the right to use the escrow to complete the work.
8. The requirements found in the memo to Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and
Development, from Ed Anderson, Deputy Fire Marshal and dated July 19, 2011 shall
become a part of these requirements.
9. All other applicable local, state and federal requirements shall be met at all times.
The Planning Commission bases its recommendation on the following findings:
• The proposed design will reduce the back-up of traffic onto the street.
• The proposed design will create better emergency access roads and driveways than
currently on the site.
--Short Recess--
3. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City
Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings
Kisch reported on the July 19 City Council meeting where the Council adopted the
amended Board of Zoning Appeals language and the language regarding Temporary
Uses.
Grimes announced that SuperAmerica is having a neighborhood meeting to discuss their
proposed Conditional Use Permit Amendment on August 4, 2011 at 7pm at Brookview
Community Center.
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
July 25, 2011
Page 4
4. Other Business
Kluchka questioned how to get the City Council to look at public health policies. He also
said he would like to creatively look at how the City approaches and promotes public
health and how the City can get businesses to support public health policies.
Kisch suggested staff review other communities parking requirements. Grimes agreed.
Waldhauser noted that the MnAPA state conference this year is being held in St. Cloud in
September. Commissioners Kluchka, Waldhauser and Kisch expressed interest in
attending. Grimes said he would review the budget for conference expenses and send the
Planning Commission the website information to register for the conference.
5. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
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David A. Cera, Secretary