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12-17-01 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission December 17,2001 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, December 17, 2001. Chair Pentel called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Chair Pentel and Commissioners Eck, Groger, Hoffman, McAleese and Shaffer. Also present were Director of Planning and Development Mark Grimes, City Planner Dan Olson, and Recording Secretary Lisa Wittman. Commissioner Rasmussen was absent. I. Approval of Minutes - November 26, 2001 Planning Commission Meeting MOVED by Hoffman, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to approve the November 26, 2001 minutes as submitted. II. Informal Public Hearing - General Land Use Plan Map Amendment Applicant: Carlson Brown Investments Address: Lots 1, 2, 3, and 4, Block 2 Spring Green South Addition (5411 Circle Down), Golden Valley, MN Purpose: The applicant is requesting to change the General Land Use Plan Map for 5411 Circle Down from Semi-Public Facilities to Office so that the building can be occupied by an attorney's office. III. Informal Public Hearing - Rezoning of Property located at 5411 Circle Down Applicant: Carlson Brown Investments Address: Lots 1, 2, 3, and 4, Block 2 Spring Green South Addition (5411 Circle Down), Golden Valley, MN Purpose: The applicant is requesting to rezone the property from Institutional (1-3) zoning district to Business and Professional Offices zoning district so that the building can be occupied by an attorney's office. Grimes showed the location on a site map and stated that the applicant would like to convert the vacant nursing home located at the intersection of Circle Down and Turners Crossroad to offices. He stated that in order for the applicant to do what they are proposing the General Land Use Plan Map has to be amended, the property has to be rezoned from Institutional to Business and Professional Offices and variances have to Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission December 17,2001 Page 2 be granted because the Zoning Code does not permit rezoning a parcel of land if it doesn't comply with the requirements of the zoning district it is proposed to be rezoned to. He stated that the Board of Zoning Appeals had already granted the requested variances as if the property were zoned Business and Professional Offices. Grimes discussed the history of the building and several of the additions that have been added to the building. He stated that the building is approximately 15,300 square feet in size with a small basement area, which will only be used for storage. He stated that the site is about 1.5 acres in size and has about 412 feet of frontage on Circle Down. He stated that the applicant is proposing to access the site primarily from the Turners Crossroad driveway into the parking lot and that there is access from Circle Down but he hoped the applicant would direct people by signage to use the Turners Crossroad access in most circumstances. He stated that the applicants would be making some changes to the site to add additional parking. Grimes compared the differences between the performance of an office building versus an institutional use and how the use would affect the residential neighborhood to the north and the apartments to the east. He stated that the traffic generation would be relatively little and would not create more traffic than when the building was a nursing home. He discussed parking for the site and stated that he has suggested to the applicant that there be no parking along Circle Down. Grimes discussed the permitted uses in the Institutional Zoning district and stated that any type of residential facility could go in at this site and that the type of clients on the site is a concern to the neighbors. He stated that this type of office use would blend in well with the neighborhood and from a performance standpoint it would have less of an impact on the area than the nursing home. He recommended approval of the Plan Map Amendment and of the Rezoning. Hoffman asked if the applicant is going to own the building or if they are going to be leasing it and if there was a need for any screening along Circle Down. Grimes stated he believed that the applicant would own the building and that the biggest complaint has been the traffic and parking on Circle Down and that there is a 35-foot green area in front that is well landscaped. Pentel asked if there would be a problem with accessing the dumpster in the area they are proposing. Grimes stated that would be a question for the applicant, but that the trash would probably only be picked up a couple times per week and not everyday like it probably was at the nursing home. Jeff Carlson, 8085 Wayzata Boulevard, applicant came forward. Pentel asked the applicant to discuss what types of tenants they would lease their additional space to. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission December 17, 2001 Page 3 Carlson stated that they intend to lease their additional space to a business with a similar office use and the same office hours. Pentel asked if there would be separate entrances for the tenants to use. Carlson referred to the site plan and discussed the area in the building that is going to be occupied by Brown & Carlson and stated there would be an entrance to the rear of the building or to the south of the building for the other tenants to use. Pentel discussed the parking variance that was granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals and referred to a letter the Planning Commission received from a neighbor who was concerned about the use of the building and the type of clients being served by Brown & Carlson. Carlson stated that they would occupy the majority of the building and that they can be very selective about who they lease the rest of the space to. He stated that they don't want to lease to a business that has a very high occupancy or a lot of traffic because that would affect their own parking use. He stated that it is their goal to eventually occupy the whole building and stated that they had a meeting with the neighborhood and that the feedback they received was positive. Pentel asked about the logistics of the trash enclosure. Carlson stated he believed that the way the trash enclosure was designed by the architects, and shown on the site plans is the easiest way for the trash company to remove the garbage, but if the City wants it configured differently he would be willing to move it. Pentel suggested he talk to the garbage hauler and get their input as to where they would like it to be. Grimes stated that the materials used to build the trash enclosure would have to match the existing building. Groger asked the applicant about the lighting on the site. Carlson discussed the existing lighting on the site and stated that any new lighting added would follow code. Groger asked if the Planning Commission could recommend that any new lighting be directed away from the apartments to the east. Grimes stated that recommendation could be made a part of the motion but it is a normal code requirement and the Commission is not really looking at the building itself as a part of this proposal. Pentel opened the public hearing. Seeing and hearing no one, Pentel closed the public hearing. MOVED by Hoffman, seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to approve the change to the General Land Use Plan Map for 5411 Circle Down from Semi-Public Facilities to Office so that the building can be occupied by an attorney's office. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to rezone the property from Institutional (1-3) Zoning district to Business and Professional Offices Zoning district so that the building can be occupied by an attorney's office. Approved with the conditions that are listed in City Engineer, Jeff Oliver's memo dated November 21,2001. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission December 17, 2001 Page 4 -- Short Recess -- IV. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings Eck reported he had attended the City Council Meeting on December 3,2001 and the Planning Commission was complimented on the good job they do. Hoffman reported he had attended the HRA Meeting on December 11,2001. Pentel reported she had attended the Board of Zoning Appeals on December 11,2001 where they discussed the variance requests for 5411 Circle Down. V. Other Business No other business was discussed. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm.