01-23-89 PC Minutes
MINUTES OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY
PLANNING COMMISSION
January 23, 1989
A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held in the Council Chambers of
the Civic Center, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota. The meeting
was called to order by Chair Prazak at 7:00 P.M.
Those present were Commissioners Kapsner, Leppik, Lewis, McAleese, McCracken-
Hunt, Prazak, and Russell. Also present were Mark Grimes, Director of Planning
and Development, and Beth Knoblauch, City Planner.
I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 9, 1989
It was moved by Commissioner McAle~se, seconded by Commissioner Leppik, .and
carried unanimously to approve the ,minutes of the January 9, .1989 Planning
Commission meeting as amended.
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II. SESSION WITH MAYOR ANDERSON'
Mayor Anderson said she chaired a subcommittee of the Association of Metropo t-
itan Municipalities Housing and Redevelopment Committee which was was looking at
group home legislation and reviewed some of the pending legislation.
Mayor Anderson went on to ask if Commissioners Lewis and McAleese, who are up
for reappointment this year, would be willing to serve again. They indicated
they would be.
Mayor Anderson reviewed the Council's reasons for denying the change in land use
on the northeast corner of Duluth and Douglas and asked the Planning Commission
to further study this area up to Medicine Lake Road to the north and Brunswick
Avenue to the east to determine the best use f or this area. A brief discussion
on updating the Comprehensive Land Use Plan fo llowed.
III. INFORMAL PUBLIC HEARING - AMENDMENT TO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
APPLICANT: F1uiDyne Engineering Corporation
LOCATION: 5828 Olson Memorial Highway
REQUEST: Change the Land Use Designation on the Comprehensive
Land Use Plan Map from Business and Professional
Uses to Industrial Uses
IV. INFORMAL PUBLIC HEARING - REZONING
APPLICANT: F1uiDyne Engineering Corporation
LOCATION: 5828 Olson Memorial Highway
REQUEST: Rezone the property at the Northeast corner of Zane
Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway from the Open
Development Zoning District to the Industrial Zoning
District
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 23. 1989
Page 2
Chair Prazak introduced this agenda item and asked. for a review of the staff
report. City. Planner Beth Knoblauch reviewed this request. She described the
parcel as a long narrow strip of land with an unusual topography which makes it
useless for a lot of things. She noted that F1uiDyne, across the street, has a
lack of parking for its employees, that they are parking on the street. F1uiDyne
currently own this parcel and would like to have it rezoned to allow for a
parking lot. Planner Knoblauch said it was staff's recommendation to rezone
this property.
City Planner Knoblauch also stated this would require a amendment to the compre-
hensive plan. The comprehensive plan lists the long range use as business and
professional which would not be economical because of the topography. She said
she felt the use as a parking lot would be appropriate.
Commissioners. asked if staff had received any reaction from the neighborhood and
if they had been contacted. Planner Knoblauch said .the surrounding property
owners had been notified but she had not received any calls regarding the
proposed rezoning.
Commissioner Kapsner asked if the property was presently used for parking and
staff said it was not.
Commissioner Leppik asked if there would be any landscaping between the parking
lot and the houses. Director Grimes stated that they would probably keep as
much of the natural vegetation that is there on the site and that there would be
requirements for sodding, etc. along the boulevard.
Commissioner McAleese said he felt Zane Avenue was quite wide and felt that
parking along. there was not a problem.
Staff commented that it is not legal for someone to use the street to provide
for their off-street parking and that F1uiDyne would be solving this problem by
creating new parking facilities on this empty lot.
Commissioner McAleese questioned whether there was another way to allow for this
parking other than rezoning and staff said there was not.
Mr. Doug Frame was present to represent the proponent. He agreed that the lot
would be unusable for almost any other purpose than a parking lot. Mr. Frame
also noted that Zane Avenue was a wide street but had a lot of truck traffic
which presented a problem when people parked along the street. He said that
with the addition of this new parking area, they would exceed the City code for
parking requirements. Mr. Frame said they prefer to put as little landscaping
on the back hill as necessary. He said they would have to remove some. trees to
allow for grading on the hill to avoid erosion.
Consensus of the Commission was that this was a unique lot and the best use of
this parcel would be a parking lot.
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Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 23, 1989
Page 3
Commissioner McAleese stated he was uncomfortable changing the comprehensive
plan in order to put in a parking lot but agreed this would be the only way it
could be done.
It was moved by Commissioner Leppik, seconded by Commissioner McCracken-Hunt and
motion carried unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the request to
change the comprehensive plan from open development to industrial..
It was moved by Commissioner Leppik, seconded by Commissioner McAleese and
motion carried unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the change in
the zoning from the Open .Development Zoning District to the Industrial Zoning
District on .the condition that approval by the BZA for the necessary waivers is
obtained.
V. INFORMAL HEARING ON AMENDMENT TO INTERIM ORDINANCE (MORATORIUM
Chair Prazak introduced this item which provides extension of the I-394
Development Moratorium until April 28, 1989, and Director Grimes reviewed the
need for the extension.
It was moved by Commissioner McAleese, .seconded by Commissioner Kapsner and
motion carried unanimously to recommend extension of the Interim Ordinance
(Moratorium) continuing development restrictions in the proposed Zoning Overlay
District.
VI. REPORTS ON CITY COUNCIL AND BZA MEETINGS
Commissioner Leppik attended the January 17, 1989 City Council meeting and
provided a report, and Commissioner McAleese reported on the January 10, 1989
BZA meeting.
VII. UPDATE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
It was moved by Commissioner McAleese, seconded by Commissioner McCracken-Hunt
and motion carried unanimously to set aside the second Planning Commission
meeting in February, February 27, 1989, as a working session and that staff take
no other business to be conducted at that meeting.
Commissioner McAleese requested staff to tell the Commission what the proper
schedule would be and what issues they see that ought to be addressed and their
priorities.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 P.M.
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