09-11-00 PC Minutes
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Regular Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
September 11, 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 September 11,2000. Chair
Pentel called the meeting to order 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.
I. Approval of Minutes - August 28, 2000
Hoffman, McAleese and Shaffer had changes regarding typographical errors and sentence structure.
Hoffman reworded page 6, Para 4 from "Hoffman noted to the Commission the article in the August 23,
2000 SunPost that the addition will be built, when this proposal is going through its public hearing
process." To "Hoffman noted to the Commission that 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." Hoffman also stated the paragraph should be
moved from after the motion to before the motion.
Moved by Rasmussen, seconded by Shaffer and motion carried unanimously to approve the August 28,
2000 minutes as amended.
II. Informal Public Hearing - Conditional Use Permit (00-86)
Applicant:
Brinks, Inc.
Address:
830 Boone Avenue North, Golden Valley MN
Purpose:
To allow Brink's Inc. to operate an armored car business (truck/van terminal)
By Conditional Use in the Light industrial Zoning District.
Dan Olson, City Planner, presented the Brink's Inc. request for a Conditional Use Permit ofthe building
for an armored car facility. Their business entails a truck and van terminal as well as currency counting,
coin wrapping and office use. The only change that would be made to the existing building is to put an
addition of an overhead access door to the north side of the building. This addition would eliminate two
existing parking spaces. Brinks will be converting about half of the existing garage space to warehouse
type uses, such as vaults and a currency counting room. Olson stated there would be 81 parking spaces
for Brink's and the existing tenants. This amount of parking spaces is adequate. Olson stated there is no
setback/code issues or environmental issues. Olson recommended that the permit be approved with 6
conditions.
Eck questioned the security in the neighborhood and building because ofthe nature of the Brink's
business in handling money. Olson stated that Brink's would put in security measures in the building in
the form of vaulted walls. Grimes stated he spoke with the city's Public Safety director, Bob Shellum,
regarding the
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Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
September 11,2000
Page 2
safety issues and Bob Shellum did not feel there were any issues because of the internal security
measures Brink's will have.
Stewart Ebner, Branch Manager for Brink's Inc. stated that Brink's has been in business for 30 years.
At their current location they have never had any issues regarding security.
Pentel asked what their current location was? Ebner stated it is located in NE Mpls. Pentel asked why do
they want to move? Ebner explained the current building is too small and they cannot expand it. Pentel
questioned if Brink's felt this site was big enough for their expansion and if trucks will be stored inside
the building? Ebner stated he felt it would be large enough and they would park trucks inside at the end
of the day and throughout the night. Pentel questioned ifthe truck make stops at the Federal Reserve
before coming in at the end of their routes. Ebner stated yes they do.
Ebner stated they would like to increase their truck fleet from 23 to 29 within the next 2 -3 years. Pentel
questioned if they had any concerns about sharing the building with other tenants? Ebner did not feel
there was any concern because of the internal security in the walls, the dual security alarms and motion
detectors
Rasmussen questioned the number of employees? Ebner explained they have about 40 truck drivers, 2
for each vehicle each route for security reasons, and 15 people working in the office or currency area.
Rasmussen asked if they understood the condition of traffic onto Boone Avenue. Ebner stated they would
be exiting the property on the North side (loth Avenue) and not onto Boone. Rasmussen asked if they
had any objection to the additional condition where the City reserves the right to limit access to or from
Boone Avenue during peak traffic periods if and when it appears that such access may be contributing to
congestion of the arterial street. Ebner stated they did not. Rasmussen asked if they had exterior
cameras? Ebner stated they would as well as interior ones.
Pentel asked what the turret is? Ebner explained that it is a secured room with closed circuit TV's that
monitor the building inside and out. They will also have TV's in the room that will monitor all of the
secure doorways. Pentel asked if the turret is a room inside or outside the building? Pentel question if the
turret will be at the main access door where the trucks come to the building. Ebner stated it would be on
that end of the building so that they can monitor the doors and the doors will only be opened when there
is someone at the doors.
Rasmussen asked if there was adequate lighting in the parking area? Ebner replied that he had only been
there during the daytime hours and didn't know. He continued to state that their trucks come in at night
around 5 to 6 P.M. and that after they close out for the evening it would be approximately 9 P.M. when
their business would cease for the day.
Eck questioned if they operate on the weekends? Ebner stated they do. They work a much-reduced crew
to service their commercial customers.
Pentel opened the informal public hearing. No one came forward. Public hearing closed.
Grimes questioned the recommended hours of operation as stated above. Pentel suggested we extend
those hours to lOP .M., and then questioned whether the condition was warranted because of the nature
of the business. Pentel requested one of the conditions be replaced with the Airborne Express condition.
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Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
September 11, 2000
Page 3
Schaffer moved to accept the plan with the change in conditions as discussed, removing the hours
condition and replacing it with the traffic on Boone Avenue condition.
Groger questioned if there were any lighting issues.
Hoffman seconded the motion.
McAleese questioned the need for future outside storage or parking. Pentel stated they should add a 6th
condition - no outside storage of Brink's vehicles.
Ebner spoke to the issue of trucks being outside. He stated that trucks wouldn't be stored outside but that
trucks could be parked outside when they are loading trucks in the mornings and some of them could be
parked outside during the summer time. Pentel questioned if they had any security concerns if the trucks
are parked outside over night? Ebner did not feel there was. McAleese stated he was not in favor of the
idea of trucks being parked outside as it is against the City's ordinances. McAleese was okay with a truck
parked in the bay but not over night. Ebner stated only a few trucks would ever be parked over night
outside and that most of the trucks are prepped for the next day in the evening and they would have to be
parked inside. The question was asked as to the location of the where the trucks would be parked if
outside? Ebner stated the trucks would be parked as close to the building as possible, some in the loading
dock area and another one around the backside of the building. Grimes stated that the ordinance states
that outside storage must have screening. Pentel suggested they consider possible screening of the trucks
from the street. Schafer felt that putting in screen would only raise security issues. Groger stated he felt
screening would not look much better. He understood the reason for concern but felt what was being
proposed was not a problem.
Richard Huffman, representative of the owners ofthe property, addressed parking outside. He felt the
campus looked good now and screening would take away from that. He said the current tenant has more
over night parking now than Brinks, and that screening was not a good fit for the landscaping. Pentel
questioned whether deliveries are made to the site. Ebner stated maybe 1 or 2 trucks deliver supplies
each day.
McAleese still favored a condition on the over night parking issue. He recommended that any overnight
storage of vehicles must be pre approved by the director of planning. That way if there were any
problems the city would have a way of working with them to resolve it. Pentel stated it would be added
as an additional condition.
No further questions were asked.
MOVED by Shaffer, seconded by Hoffman and motion carried unanimously to recommend Brink's Inc.
be granted the Conditional Use Permit with 6 conditions:
1. All plans for outside storage shall be approved by the Director of Planning and
Development.
2. Any signage for the building must meet the signage requirements of the City's
Inspection Department.
3. The site plan submitted by the applicant shall be made a part of this approved permit.
4. All other applicable local, state, and federal requirements shall be met.
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Minutes ofthe Golden Valley Planning Commission
September II, 2000
Page 4
5. Failure to comply with one or more ofthe above conditions shall be grounds for
revocation of the conditional use permit.
6. The City reserves the right to limit access to or from Boone A venue during peak traffic
periods if and when it appears that such access may be contributing to congestion of the
arterial street.
ID. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council,
Board of Zoning Appeals and Other Meetings.
Eck reported on the traffic study on LaureVWinnetka Ave done by the LaurellWinnetka committee.
IV. Other Business
V.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 P.M.
Richard Groger, Secretary