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08-28-00 PC Minutes . . . Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 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, August 28,2000. The meeting was called to order by Chair Pentel at 7:00 P.M. Those present were: Chair Pentel and Commissioners Eck, Groger, Hoffman, McAleese, Rasmussen and Shaffer. Also present were Director of Planning and Development Mark Grimes and City Planner Dan Olson. (Minutes were transcribed from videotape.) 1. Approval of Minutes - August 14,2000 McAleese and Eck had changes regarding typographical errors and sentence structure. They also recommended the following changes: Page 2, Para. 6 should be changed from "He added that a condition cannot be contingent on a rezoning but. . ." to "He added that a rezoning cannot be contingent on a condition, but ...". Page 2, Para. 6, 2nd sentence, the quotation should end after homes (homes"). The next sentence should be changed from "McAleese questioned how Olson came up with this criterion..." to "Olson had stated this criterion ...". Page 8, Para. 3 delete existing language of "McAleese said that this... meet these requirements." The following language should be added in its place as follows: "McAleese said the PUD Ordinance permits variances from Chapter 11 (the Zoning Code) but does not expressly allow variances of Chapter 12 (the Subdivision Code). A variance of street width must proceed under the requirements of ~ 12.54. Moved by McAleese, seconded by Shaffer and motion carried unanimously to approve the August 14, 2000 minutes as amended. II. Informal Public Hearing - Rezoning - Residential to 1-1 Institutional (Churches & Schools) Applicant: IDS No. 270 and the Golden Valley Housing and Redevelopment Authority Address: Lot 1, Block 1 Meadowbrook School 2nd Addition and the east half of vacated Turners Crossroads North lying north of Glenwood Avenue and south ofthe Canadian Pacific Railroad Line (Northeast comer of Xenia Avenue and Glenwood Avenue) Purpose: Rezone pieces of Residential property to I-I Institutional. This rezoned property would be the location for a Community Center, Recreation, and for Early Childhood Pre-School Education Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, told the Commission that the rezoning of the subject property is a request by ISD 270 and the Golden Valley HRA to co-develop the community center. The rezoning request is to change the existing single-family zoning and right-of-way to I-I . . . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 2 Institutional that includes "Churches and Schools". Grimes reviewed the General Land Use Plan Map noting that the designated use of the subject property is for Churches and Schools. Grimes next reviewed the map that indicated the existing and proposed rezoning of the subject property. Grimes told the Commission that before the extension of Xenia Avenue single-family and two-family homes were situated on the subject property. This rezoned area would be added to the Meadowbrook campus to be used for a community center. He recalled that the Planning Commission recommended and the City Council approved an amendment to the General Land Use Plan Map in 1999 from a low-density use to churches and schools knowing that there may be an interest with the School District to expand the school facility. Grimes commented that it is believed that this is the best use of the vacant property. Pentel asked when the designation for this property was reviewed it was along with several other changes to property in the City. She asked if there was not a general clean up ofthe Plan Map at that time. Grimes said yes there was and the entire City was looked at during this review. Pentel opened the informal public hearing. Seeing and hearing no one Chair Pentel closed the informal public hearing. Pentel said the request for rezoning seems very straightforward. MOVED by McAleese, seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval to the City Council for the rezoning of the subject property from single-family residential and right-of-way to 1-1 Institutional (Churches and Schools). He added that this land is no longer appropriately zone for single family and given that the General Land Use Plan Map has been updated, this is an appropriate rezoning of the property. III. Informal Public Hearing -- Preliminary Design Plan - Meadowbrook School3rd Addition, P.U.D. No. 90 Applicant: IDS No. 270 and the Golden Valley Housing and Redevelopment Authority Address: The Northeast Corner of Xenia Avenue and Glenwood Avenue and 5430 Glenwood Avenue (Meadowbrook School Site) Purpose: The P.U.D. would allow for the construction of a Community Center, Recreation, and for Early Childhood Pre-School Education. This building would be attached to the existing Meadowbrook School by a walkway. Chair Pentel noted that she is a parent of a child at Meadowbrook and did sit in on the initial planning meetings trying to decide the needs on the school. This was not a decision making group, but more of an information gathering. She added that the City Attorney had assured her that because she had no financial interest in this project she could remain as Chair for this item. Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, review the Preliminary Design Plan for the proposed community center. He told the Commission this proposal is a P.U.D. because there will be two separate platted lots (one owned by the City and one by ISD 270). He said there would be the main campus building and the proposed community center that would be connected by a link. He added because the Commission recommended approval of the rezoning, the P.U.D. could then be reviewed. . . . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 3 Grimes showed a site plan of the project. He noted the land use in the area being single-family homes to the north, along with a county Park, Hwy. 100 to the east, a pond to the west and a church and single-family homes to the south and southeast. Directly abutting the property to the east is the Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. He noted that the school district at one time owned this property and maintained an easement on the east side of the Crisis Nursery to access the school. Grimes noted there is a 73 space parking lot to the east of the building and directly to the north there is a bus drop off area that can be converted to a parking area at off school times. This area would allow for approximately 60 to 70 cars when the buses are not present. He added at this time there is a small amount of parking to the front of the school for drop off because of the temporary nature of the front of the building. Grimes said there is about 60,000 sq.ft. of school space and 550 students enrolled (which can vary), 75 employees on site, and an average of 8 volunteers on site. The proposal is for a 23,000 sq.ft. building with a link to the main campus building. The City of Golden Valley would rent space from the school district for the City's recreation programs. Along with the construction of the building there will be some landscaping also. A concern is for adequate parking for this addition and for the existing school. The applicant is proposing 40 parking spaces to the front of the building. This includes a design for bus drop- off and pick-up of students. There are also parking lots to the east (73 parking spaces) and north (65 parking spaces) of the existing school. Grimes commented that he believes adequate parking is being provided. He believed that the parking area to the west and north of the existing school would be used for after school activities in the school and proposed community center. Grimes told the Commission that he had spoken with the City's Engineer about adequate access into the site on Xenia A venue regarding design and the number of trips coming and going on the west side of the school. Staff believes there is adequate egress/ingress from the site during non-peak hours when the community center would be used. Grimes said setbacks are an issue when looking at a P.D.D. He noted there were previous variances granted for the school for a small pump house that is now used for storage and variances for the school and east parking lot. The new construction of the proposed building will require variance on the south side to Glenwood Avenue. The parking lot would need a variance from the Xenia right-of-way on the west side. Another variance will be required where the common property line is located. Grimes added that staff does not believe that Hennepin County will ask for any more right-of-way along Glenwood Avenue. Grimes told the Commission that staff is recommending approval of the Preliminary Design Plan. He noted that there are several conditions and that the Commission may want to add additional ones. Commissioner Eck asked Grimes in the case of a large event using the parking lots to the west, north and east, is there a concern that people would use the Crisis Nursery parking lot to park in. Grimes commented there are signs on the Crisis Nursery property because there has been a parking problem. Grimes said he believes people using the community center will use the west and north parking areas first because the only access into the center will be on the north end. He indicated that the school would not be open for people to cut through if the east parking lot is used. Grimes said the Crisis Nursery may have to "sign" their lot better to eliminate people who want to use the community center. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 4 Commissioner Hoffman stated a concern that the driveway along Xenia Avenue will be able to handle oncoming and vehicles leaving the area. Hoffman noted that he has used Xenia A venue and seen larger trucks having to use almost the entire roadway to make the turn into the school area. Grimes said buses and delivery trucks would be entering the site during the school day. The 40 cars that would park in the west parking lot would not necessarily come at one time. Pentel asked if the proposed parking lot was constructed to handle emergency vehicles, i.e. fire trucks. Pentel noted that truck deliveries usually occur before school. Grimes said there is a lane in the west parking lot for dropping off and picking up. . Hoffman said conceptually the width of the driveway bothers him, especially if there are 20 cars leaving at one time. He also asked about the turning radius of 45 feet and would this be expanded. Grimes said no that the design incorporated the required radius. Shaffer said the existing entrance is different that what is being proposed. Pentel added the entrance is in a slightly different location than the present one and the way the entrance is configured now is slightly different than what is being proposed. Grimes added that the opening into the proposed parking lot is fairly large. He added that a traffic engineer and the City's engineer did look at this entrance to see that it would work. . McAleese asked for clarification on the lot that will house the community center will be owned by the City's HRA and the other lot by the School District. McAleese asked ifmore than one sheet that states "Preliminary Plat" was supplied. Grimes said there was a plat showing the proposed plat of the 3rd addition that does not show the entire plat to Hwy. 100. Grimes said there would need to be a plat presented that shows the entire plat, not just the 3rd addition plat of the lot that will contain the community center. He added that he believes that the application did supply the materials required to make a decision. . Pentel asked if there could be more parking, such as proof of parking, in the east parking lot along the south property line. Grimes noted the topography in the area and added there possibly could be additional parking put in this area. Grimes did indicate that additional parking could replace some of the playground area. Commissioner Shaffer commented that according to the City Engineer's memo ponding is not a requirement because this is an institutional use. He asked how this differs from other districts. Grimes said that he did not believe that ponding was not required because it was institutional, but because it is in a redevelopment area. McAleese noted the Engineer used the wording institutional redevelopment. Shaffer said he had concerns with Xenia Avenue parking lot being too small in that people using the community center will not want to walk around the school to get to the north entrance. He said people would probably come and go from this lot causing a lot of additional trips in this area. He said in 1996 when a variance was granted for the pump house, which is now a shed, one of the things mentioned by the school district that the garage would be taken down. A concern was that the garagewas falling apart and still is today. Shaffer also talked about the trash enclosure and its closeness to the school. Groger asked about the dumpster along the west side of the school. He asked if it would be moved noting its close proximity to the driveway. He also noted that the dumpster is unenclosed. . . . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 5 Kathryn McFadden, Landscape Architect for the Cunningham Group, added a few points regarding the site. She noted on the south side of the proposed building, she believed that the new bituminous walkway would have to be disturbed. The building has not been modified so this will not need to occur. She added that the vegetation along Xenia Avenue was done for the Xenia Avenue project. McFadden said two trees would have to be transplanted due to the project. McFadden talked about the grade change and stepping down the parking lot. She showed an interior floor plan. Hoffinan asked about weekend access and how the gym would be accessed and asked where other fire exits were located. McFadden reviewed these locations on the plan. McFadden noted that the proposed exterior brick would match the existing school brick quite closely. Pentel asked if there would be a movable wall between the two gymnasiums. McFadden said yes. Grimes added there would be times when the School District is using one side of the gym and the City using the other. McAleese asked about the preliminary plat and asked if the required information as described under Subd. 1 of ~ 12.11 (i.e. location by section, township, range or by other legal description; names and addresses of the owner, subdivider, surveyor and designer of the plat, etc.) was included in the submitted materials. McFadden said she did not have this information available at the meeting but would make a note of it. Grimes said when the proposal goes to the City Council it should include the entire proposal for the P.D.D. that includes the existing Meadowbrook School and the lot for the proposed community center. Pentel asked about the location of the playground for the early childhood program. McFadden noted on the plan where children would enter the playground from the building. She said it was entirely fenced and was designed as a naturalistic area. Pentel asked about the courtyard to be created. McFadden said that was outside Cunningham's scope. Pentel asked where outside spigots are located so outside plantings can be maintained. McFadden said the spigots have not been marked on the plan. Hoffman referred to the plan and asked where the berms are located in the front setback along Glenwood and Xenia and questioned whether there was a utility box in the vicinity. McFadden said there is a utility box in this area and plantings would be done around the box. Groger asked about the trash bin and would it be left in its current location by the driveway. McFadden said that had not been addressed, but is on her list of items to be reviewed. Groger said his concern is that it's a fairly tight driveway in this area. Grimes talked about overflow parking and suggested signage be erected to indicate where overflow parking is located. Pentel noted that the sidewalk from the bus lot up to the school has steps, but does not have any hand railings. McFadden noted this as a good point. Pentel said she would like to see some additional lighting standards along the path along the two parking lots on the west and north. McFadden noted this. Grimes noted that handicap parking and early childhood parking would be accommodated in the west parking lot. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 6 Pentel opened the informal public hearing. Hearing and seeing no one, Pentel closed the informal public hearing. Groger asked about the current attendance of Meadowbrook School and asked if 550 students are what the school can hold. Ted Sauer, Director of Community Education for the Hopkins School District, stated that the current plans for the addition do not increase the capacity of students at Meadowbrook but increases the capacity of programs to be provided. Pentel noted that there are quite a few proposed homes in the Wesley Commons development at the comer of Winnetka Avenue and Golden Valley Road that lies within the boundary of Meadowbrook School. She indicated the school enrollment could possibly increase. Sauer added there are a number of students who attend through open enrollment who do not live in the school district and indicated there is some control in the number of students enrolled at Meadowbrook. . Shaffer asked Sauer about the existing garage. Sauer said there has been discussion about the garage and whether it would be tom down for additional parking or stay. He said he has noted the condition of the building and would pass this along to the appropriate persons to review. Hoffman noted to the Commission the an article printed in the August 23,2000 issue of the SunPost mentioned that the Meadowbrook School addition will be built for $4 million when this proposal is still going through its public hearing process. He still is concerned about the safety issue. . MOVED by Eck, seconded by Groger and motion carried by a vote of 6-1 to recommend to the City Council approval of the Preliminary Design Plan for Meadowbrook 3rd Addition, P.U.D. No. 90 that includes the following conditions: . 1. The plans submitted by the School District and City with the preliminary design plan application shall become a part of this approval. These plans include the following prepared by Cunningham Architects: Existing conditions map dated 7/7/00, Site Plan dated 7/17/00, Planting Plan dated 7/17/00, Tree Preservation Plan dated 7/17/00, Grading, Drainage and Utility Plan dated 7/17/00, Property Line Map dated no date, and Building Elevations dated 6/14/00. These plans indicate the construction of a 23,800 sq. ft. community center building connected by a link to the existing 60,000 sq. ft. school. 2. The memo dated August 23, 2000 and prepared by City Engineer Jeff Oliver shall become a part of this approval. 3. The memo dated August 16,2000 and prepared by Deputy Fire Marshal Ed Anderson shall become a part of this approval. 4. All signs for the new school campus shall meet the sign requirements for a school in an 1-1 Institutional zoning district. 5. Final approval ofthe General Plan of Development shall not be given until an agreement regarding the development and use of the community center is reached between the School District, HRA, and City. 6. The landscape plan submitted with the preliminary design plan shall become a part of this approval. However, the plan must be submitted to the Building Board of review for final approval. 7. The site plans have been submitted to both Hennepin County and MnDOT for comments because the PUD is adjacent to both a County Road (Glenwood Ave.) and a state highway (TH 100). The 8. . . . Minutes ofthe Golden Valley Planning Commission August 28, 2000 Page 7 comments from these agencies will be taken into consideration as the approval process goes forward. 9. The existing trash enclosure be enclosed or screened in some fashion. 10. The existing garage in the east parking lot be repaired. 11. Signage and lighting for the north parking lot be provided, as well as the egress from the north parking lot be reviewed that may include a new sidewalk or hand rails. 12. A complete preliminary plat be submitted to the City Council that includes the required information as found in the Subdivision Chapter of the Code. McAleese stated that parking on the site may be inadequate but because the HRA is a party to this P.U.D. the City can step in and make some changes. Grimes asked Director of Park and Rec, Rick Jacobson, whether there are some nights that one side of the gym could be closed because of certain school events. Jacobson said yes. Grimes told the Commission a notice was sent to residents up to Hwy. 55 and did expand the hearing notice area. Hoffman acknowledged this saying that he did talk with his neighbors who received the notice. IV. Reports on Meetings ofthe Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and Other Meetings. No reports were given. V. Other Business Pentel asked the Planning Commissioners to be thinking of how to develop the Olympic Printing site. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M. Richard Groger, Secretary