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10-27-97 PC Minutes-s ~~ a 1 Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 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, October 27, 1997. The meeting was called to order by Chair Pentel at 7pm. Those present were Chair Pentel and Commissioners Groger, Kapsner, Martens, and Prazak; absent were: Johnson and McAleese. Also present were Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, Beth Knoblauch, City Planner and Mary Dold, Recording Secretary. Approval of Minutes -September 22, 1997 1 MOVED by Groger, seconded by Prazak and motion carried unanimously to approve the September 22, 1997 minutes with the correction of several typographical errors and the following language change found. on: Page 8, First Line. Change "She commented that the. commission was aware of the solid wall" to "She commented that the commission was aware that the building would present a solid wall around the recreational space." II. Informal Public Hearing -- Minor Subdivision (Lot Consolidation) Applicant: LOGIS (Local Government Information Systems) Address: Tracts A and B, Registered Land Survey (RLS) No. 331 (Tract A address is 5800 Duluth Street) Purpose: To consolidate Tracts A and B which would allow LOGIS to construct atwo-story, 14,000 sq.ft. office building to be used as its headquarters. 1 Director of Planning and Development, Mark Grimes told the commission that LOGIS (providing computer and information services to a consortium of local governments) is looking to construct a 2-story, 14,000 sq.ft. building in a more centralized area in the Twin Cities. Grimes said the site which LOGIS has an option to buy is on Duluth Street, directly across from the Bassett Creek Office i-. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 Page Two Plaza and Byerly's. He reviewed the survey which showed the two lots, to be consolidated, and briefly talked about the properties abutting the site. Grimes told the commission that the proposed lots are currently zoned Business and Professional Office and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Map shows the proposed lots guided for Business and Professional Office. Grimes said that these lots would be a logical place for an office building(s). He continued to say that both of the proposed lots are very small and buildings placed on each lot would end up being quite small. He said that one building would create one driveway on Duluth Street which is an advantage over the existing two lots each having driveways. Grimes referred the commission to his memo of October 21 concerning "Conditions for Approval of Consolidation" and the recommendations. 1 Commissioner Martens asked staff if it would be appropriate to make recommendations concerning the required variances. He commented on condition one which states that the proposed subdivision must meet all the requirements of the appropriate zoning district. City Planner Beth Knoblauch said this condition is placed on subdivisions to ensure that new lots are capable of meeting zoning code requirements when a building is constructed. Grimes told the commission that the BZA addresses variances, which are not an issue with this body. Chair Pentel asked if the Planning Commission could place conditions on the recommendation that the commission makes. Knoblauch said that because there is a Planning Commission representative on the Board of Zoning Appeals, this body could pass concerns onto that representative. Martens said that he would like to pursue this avenue. Chair Pentel said that she visited the site and asked staff whether the grove of prairie oaks could be saved, which are located in the area of the proposed ponding. Grimes said City Forester, AI Lundstrom, confirmed that there was a very nice grove of prairie oaks on the western lot. Grimes told the commission that he would have discussions with City Engineer Fred Salsbury to see if the pond could be made smaller in order to save the stand of trees. Grimes noted that an issue arises on whether it is environmentally correct to protect the water quality of the creek or save the prairie oaks. Chair Pentel pointed out the cohesiveness of the trees which flow along the creek all the way down to St. Croix Avenue. Grimes told the commission that this was an issue that staff could review. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 Page Three Commissioner Kapsner asked if MnDOT, whose site is located to the northeast of the proposed site, has ponding. Grimes said no, that ponding is a recent requirement of the State. Kapsner asked staff if ponding could be tied to both sites and Grimes commented that an even bigger pond would be required. Pentel asked what elevation the parking lot would be constructed at and what elevation is the base of the building. Grimes wasn't sure if the applicant had figured that out. Grimes said that the parking area would be approximately five feet above the road and there is a concern to maintain a safe driveway due to elevation differences. Grimes commented on an additional condition concerning an easement for an existing trail along the west side of the property. He said that these 50 feet are in the shoreland area so it would not affect the proposed buyer of the property. Grimes also said that the City never had an easement for this trail and a dedication should be done at this time. Commissioner Martens said that the plans depict no dimensions and questioned whether 50 feet is sufficient for the way it is located. Grimes reviewed, on the survey, where the 50 foot line would be. Grimes said that he meant to say the easement would start 50 feet from the top of the bank of the creek and not from the property line which lies in the middle of Bassett Creek. He also reviewed the survey where the easement was located and said that Park and Rec Director Rick Jacobson felt that the area shown was sufficient for the trail. Martens had some question whether the trail would fit in this area and Grimes commented that the applicant may have shown preliminary estimates of where the trail would fit in. Grimes said that the City is not anticipating anymore right-of-way being taken by Hennepin County for the widening of Duluth Street. He talked about Tract E, which is located along Duluth Street on the east side of the proposed site. Mike Garris, Executive Director for LOGIS addressed the issue of the grove of trees saying that LOGIS would like to preserve as many trees on the site as possible. He said the building would be used 100% for office and it would be beneficial for esthetic purposes. Mr. Garris talked about the site being difficult to work with because of its size, shape and abutting Bassett Creek. He said that LOGIS would like to remain in the area and this location would put it centrally located to all the other cities which whom it works with. Garris believes this project would have a good impact on the community. 1 Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 Page Four Chair Pentel asked staff what the parking requirement is for this site. Grimes said that in the Business and Professional Office zoning district the parking requirement is one space for every 250 sq.ft. of office space. Grimes noted there would be more parking on the site than required, and LOGIS would like more parking because of the training sessions which they hold. Chair Pentel opened the informal public hearing, seeing and hearing no one, Chair Pentel closed the informal public hearing. Commissioner Kapsner informed the commission that his company, Rapid Graphics and Mailing does work with some of the cities that belong to the LOGIS consortium, but did not believe that there was any conflict of interest because of his work. Commissioner Groger believes that it makes sense to consolidate the two lots because they are virtually unbuildable by themselves. He also commented that he lives near the proposed site and has been a part of a neighborhood group who has cleaned up the area. Groger said he was happy to see a proposed development for this site, whether it be LOGIS or some other development. Commissioner Prazak commented on the setbacks noting that Bassett Creek would be a good buffer on the west and that there appears to be more green space along Duluth Street because of the right-of-way. Prazak is in favor of the proposal. Commissioner Martens believes that the plan is a good one and that the use is good and appropriate for the site. Martens said when taking into account Bassett Creek and the right-of-way issues, the variances being requested are appropriate and realistic. He did comment on a way to reduce the front setback along Duluth, and by cutting the curb back along the east side of the building the landscaping on the east side could be increased. He asked staff to take these comments into consideration. Chair Pentel also commented that the lot consolidation makes sense. She said that she would leave it up to the Board of Zoning Appeals to decide upon the variances needed to develop the site. Pentel would like to see a memo from the City Forester concerning his views on the grove of prairie oaks. She said she is aware that the City does not have a preservation ordinance for trees. 1 t, Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 2.7,1 997 Page Five MOVED by Kapsner, seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval to the City Council for a lot consolidation of Tracts A (known as 5800 Duluth Street) and B, Registered Land Survey No. 331 with the following conditions: 1. All necessary permits for.access to the site are received from Hennepin County. 2. If requested by Hennepin County, additional right-of-way be dedicated for Duluth Street. 3. At the cost of the owner, the City Attorney shall prepare a title opinion prior to final plat approval. 4. The City's forester shall submit a memo to staff regarding the grove of trees before the City Council meeting of November 18, 1997. 5. The applicant. will provide an easement, as necessary, to the City on the west side of the property for trail purposes. III. Informal Public Hearing -- Amendment to the Valley Square Redevelopment Plan City Planner Knoblauch told the commission that what staff is proposing is a "quick patch" to the redevelopment plan. She noted that Area B was the only major area of the Valley Square left to be developed. Knoblauch said that the preliminary plans are being completed so a developer can be found for the site. She also said that staff is requesting from the Legislature an extension of the Valley Square Tax Increment District, either by extending the time period for Area B itself for 10 years or the entire Valley Square area for five years. Knoblauch said that the extension would allow the City to acquire enough tax increment to pay off the amount of improvements being planned. Knoblauch explained that the existing plan says that there shall be no residential development in Area B; there are residential units being proposed for this area. She said that staff believes that it is necessary, at this time, to make some small amendments to the plan as an act of faith so that the necessary steps for development can continue. Knoblauch told the commission that the entire plan would need to be review next year. She reviewed minor changes to the Plan. Chair Pentel opened the informal public hearing; seeing and hearing no one, Chair Pentel closed the informal public hearing. __ ,-., Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 Page Six Chair Pentel noted that she is a member of the Area B Task Force and believes that it is appropriate to have the plan match what is being asked for on Area B. She also believes that extending the Tax Increment District would be a great benefit for getting the sort of benefit the HRA is seeking on this site. Commissioner Prazak asked if the HRA had made requests for submittal of proposals. Knoblauch said not at this. point. She continued to say that the HRA has submitted a grant application through the Livable Communities program to the Metropolitan Council and once the HRA knows that this will go through, and the district has been extended, then staff will be ready to go out and seek a developer for Area B. Chair Pentel said that there is another piece that will go before the HRA concerning what the Area B Task Force wanted to see regarding pedestrian connections, which is a bit out of Area B, but a way to bring cohesiveness to the whole district. Commissioner Kapsner asked staff if they knew the amount of funds that may be awarded to the HRA through the Livable Communities grant. Grimes commented that the application was for $750,000 which would be for a number of different elements, one of those being underground parking. Pentel said that some of the other elements were for amenities along Bassett Creek and pedestrian walkways to get people into Area B. MOVED by Groger, seconded by Prazak and motion carried unanimously to recommend to the City Council approval of the proposed amendments to the Valley Square Plan. IV. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority,, City Council and Board of Zoning Appeals Director Grimes briefly reported that the BZA requested that Hennepin County revised its plan to alleviate the variance on Nevada Avenue, which it did. Commissioner Groger reported on a City Council item from October 7, 1997 regarding Hennepin. County's proposal for an amendment to a C.U.P. for the property located at 7151 Madison Avenue West. d Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27, 1997 Page Seven V. Other Business A. Continued Workshop Session on Technical Background for the Land Use Plan The commission spent some time reviewing the section on "Plan Elements". Chair Pentel asked if the Water Resources Management section could mention sustainable development initiatives. Pentel briefly talked about resources to be considered for inclusion in the Comp Plan and questions whether there would be mapping of plan elements. City Planner Knoblauch responded that this would be done through the Water Management Resources section. The commission continued its review of the planning requirements discussing the ability to connect planning with zoning and the appropriateness of changing the Comp Plan to satisfy someone's good ideas. Commissioner Martens briefly talked about the I-394 corridor and minimum lot sizes. He also talked about the submittal of plans by developers and having them include as part of their submittal package elevation, landscaping and civil engineering drawings. Commission Groger commented that the review of landscaping and building plans are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Building Review and believes that the commission does receive enough information for review. Grimes asked if the commission would like staff to check with other municipalities to verify what plans are included for Planning Commission review. Groger commented that he does not feel inclined to add a burden of expense or additional paper work to those submitting plans for review. He does not believe there is any advantage to seeing building elevations, complete landscaping and engineering plans presented to the commission. Pentel commented that she believes that the commission did not have enough information, when reviewing Area C, regarding landscaping, elevations, required variances. Martens suggested that the commission keep an eye on future proposals. Knoblauch commented that in the past the commission has added, by conditions or recommendations, that applicants supply additional plans. The commission agreed that it would not need to review again the technical portion of the Land Use Plan. City Planner Knoblauch suggested that the Planning Commission hold another workshop session to continue its review. Staff set November 24, 1997 to continue review of the Land Use Plan update after any informal public hearings are held. '. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission October 27,1997 Page Eight B. Staff updated the commission on the following: • GBC Partners is pursuing another piece of property in Golden Valley, which would not require any City approvals • Len Frame, Fluil]yne, has contacted the City regarding the expiration of his approved variances for his vacant lot on the frontage road of Hwy. 55 • Covenant Manor will not be asked to help physically to clean up the park area to the west of its building • Hidden Lakes and the canoe launch and access to Twin Lake from the single-family lots • Minneapolis Crisis Nursery has not yet moved into its building on Glenwood Avenue because they lack. the funds, at this time to complete the update to the building. They are still planning to open at this site. VI. Adjournment Chair Pentel adjourned the meeting at 8: ,.. ilie Johr~s¢n; Secretary 1 1 1