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01-24-05 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission . January 24, 2005 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, January 24, 2005. Chair Keysser called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Commissioners Eck, Hackett, Keysser, McAleese, Rasmussen and Schmidgall. Also present were Director of Planning and Development, Mark Grimes and Administrative Assistant, Lisa Wittman. Commissioner Waldhauser was absent. e I. Approval of Minutes January 10, 2005 Planning Commission Meeting MOVED by McAleese, seconded by Hackett and motion carried unanimously to approve the January 10, 2005 minutes as submitted. II. Informal Public Hearing - Conditional Use Permit CU-11 0 Applicant: PRISM Address: 730 Florida Avenue S. . To allow vehicle repair at the proposed PRISM facility. PRISM is a non-profit agency that provides primary emergency and support services for families in Golden Valley, Crystal, New Hope, Robbinsdale, Plymouth and Brooklyn Center. PRISM services include a food shelf, PRISM Express transportation service, a clothing thrift shop, car donation and auto repair for PRISM clients and PRISM vehicles. e Grimes stated that the applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit in order to use a portion of the office/warehouse/industrial building located at 730 Florida Ave. S. to repair vehicles for their clients and PRISM vehicles (buses). He stated that the property is zoned Industrial and it is also designated Industrial on the Comprehensive Plan Map. He added that PRISM provides many othertypes of services but that the Conditional Use Permit is for the auto sales and auto repair portion of their business. Purpose: . Grimes said that staff's main concern with the property is the parking. He referred to a survey of the property which showed the parking arrangement for the entire building and explained how he analyzed the parking needs. He said that PRISM would occupy approximately 16,000 square feet of the building and that 6,000 square feet of that will be for the auto repair area. He explained that PRISM has stated that they have a need for 42 parking spaces and that there are 100 total parking spaces on the site and that he feels that there is adequate parking for all the uses on the site. He discussed the access and egress on the site and said he has a concern about the number of vehicles being stored outside on the site especially if they are not in good shape. . e . e . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 24, 2005 Page 2 He said that PRISM has said they would have up to 10 donated vehicles on site, six would be waiting to be repaired for clients and the remainder would be for their employees, clients or staff. He said that PRISM has said that they are very selective about the cars they accept through their donation program and they don't want to accept cars that they feel can't be repaired easily. Grimes explained that PRISM is currently located at St. Margaret Mary's church on Zenith Ave. in Golden Valley, which is adjacent to a Residential zoning district. The location on Florida Avenue has car dealers and car repair uses all around it so he doesn't have a real concern about the car use proposed by PRISM in this location because this is where this type of use should be and it is consistent with other uses in the area. Grimes stated that the Public Works Department has added one condition of approval related more to the owner of the building than with PRISM. He explained that the City will be upgrading Hampshire Avenue as part of the 2005 pavement management program and that Borton Volvo's access is solely off of Hampshire. In order to provide access to Borton during construction of Hampshire, the City will be asking the building owner for a temporary easement to allow access for all Borton Volvo traffic to go through this parking lot. Grimes reviewed the ten factors of consideration listed in his memo. He stated that PRISM will need to meet the requirements of the City's Sign Code and the conditions listed in the Deputy Fire Marshal's memo. He added that the owner has talked about installing a fence on the property and that he doesn't have any issues with that as long as they follow the City's fence ordinance. Rasmussen referred to the easement being requested and asked if it really has anything to do with this proposal. Grimes said it is a separate issue and that the request is being made by PRISM, but the property owner also has to sign the Conditional Use Application and it really involves the whole site so staff feels it is an appropriate time to ask for the easement. Rasmussen asked how the easement would affect the parking. Grimes said that is something the City Engineer will work out with the tenants of the building and unfortunately, there is really no other alternative that would allow Borton Volvo to stay open during the street reconstruction. Rasmussen asked if the City has talked to the owner of the building about the easement. Grimes said the City has not talked to the building owner yet, but that is something the City Engineer will be doing. Keysser asked if all of the car repair work will be done inside the garage. Grimes said that is something that should be added as a condition of approval because it is not acceptable to do car repair outside. Keysser asked if a fence will be installed once the easement has passed or if it will be kept as an open border. Grimes said the City doesn't require fences, but that if either property owner wants to put in a fence they could. George Walker, Board Chairman of PRISM, thanked the City's Foundation for being a supporter of PRISM. He introduced some of the PRISM staff members that were present and said he didn't have much to add to Mr. Grimes' presentation. . e . e . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 24, 2005 Page 3 He said this would be a better, more suitable location for PRISM and for the community. He added that the car repair services will not be available to the general public, only to PRISM clients. Keysser asked if repairing cars is a new service for PRISM. Walker explained they have existing transportation programs and that repairing cars is a new phase of their current transportation program. Hackett asked Mr. Walker to expound on how PRISM works and how the car operation and loan programs work. Walker explained that PRISM is a broad spectrum public service agency. They provide food, clothing, housing support, financial support, lifestyle and financial counseling to their clients. The transportation service is something that sets them apart and that is something they are proud of. Hackett asked Walker to explain the process a client goes through, more of the coming and going in the neighborhood. Walker introduced Transportation Manager, Pat Rowan and Executive Director, Liz Johnson. Johnson asked Hackett to clarify his question. Hackett said he is not quite clear what happens to the cars that come in for repair and how the clients come in to obtain those cars and the traffic involved in picking up the cars. Johnson explained the criteria that families have to meet in order to be eligible for the Project Family Car Program. She explained that the case workers work with the families, setting them up for car ownership and making sure they understand the responsibility of car ownership. She said that PRISM provides the cars to families at a zero interest loan because they feel that families have a greater sense of pride and accomplishment if they are actually purchasing something. Rowan explained that the cars that come in through donations are currently assessed and repaired through a third party mechanic and garage. He said that a large portion of their emergency financial assistance goes to subsidizing auto repairs for their clients and that is also done by another third party garage. He said that having the facilities all at one location would help eliminate the inconvenience to the families and would help PRISM get more cars to their clients that need them. Hackett asked about the loan program. Rowan said there are two programs. One is a zero interest loan for the donated vehicles which would be repaired at PRISM. The other program is a financial assistance program. Johnson explained that having the ability to be able to assess the vehicles in house will cut their costs by about 60% and it will also provide some assurances through their certified mechanics about whether a car is worth repairing or not. Rasmussen said it sounds like a great car program because people that donate their vehicles can be sure that the cars actually go to families, unlike other car programs where the cars go to auction and the money is then used by the agency. Johnson said that currently about 60% of their donated cars go to auction and 40% stay and are suitable to go to a family. She said that they will be able to increase the percentage of cars that go to families by doing the work in-house. . e . e . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 24, 2005 Page 4 Rowan explained that PRISM's philosophy is to take in quality vehicles that are less that 10 years and are still in operable condition. He said each vehicle is assessed for reliability and safety before it is given to a family through their zero interest loan program. Keysser asked if PRISM is planning to move all of their services to this new location. Johnson said yes and it appears to be a wonderful building for them to expand into. Keysser asked how much traffic they would expect to get per day. Rowan said they expect about 65 vehicles coming and going a day. Keysser asked if all of their funding is in place. Johnson said they have some pending funding that will come through once the building and the Conditional Use Permit are approved and they will use that funding to get the auto shop set up. McAleese referred to the applicant's narrative and asked how they came up with the precise number of 1,251 vehicles that could be repaired each year. Rowan stated that number reflects their shop working at capacity. Grimes asked if PRISM has any plans for the 8,000 square feet of vacant space located in the same building. Johnson said they have talked to the building owner, about possible future use, but they don't need it currently. Keysser asked Grimes if he feels comfortable with the amount of parking available given all of the cars being parked, and traffic going in and out. Grimes said it seems to be more than adequate and that Florida Avenue has parking on both sides. He said there are two good driveways in and out of the site, there are about 80 parking spaces on their side of the building. He added that PRISM can have some control about when their clients come to the site by having appointment times for them. Johnson said that 90% of their clientele comes by appointment. Rowan said the traffic they are experiencing at their current location is approximately 24 to 28 cars per day without the auto repair services. Grimes asked how large of meeting they could have on this site. Johnson said the largest meeting would have would be about 25 people and if they need a larger space, they go to one of the churches they work with and use their space. Keysser opened the public hearing. Teresa Sit, 1455 Bridgewater, Golden Valley, stated that she is a new board member for PRISM and that they are quality people that run a quality organization that doesn't just give handouts, but helps to give people a hand up by helping them be responsible and get on their feet. She said she is truly in support of this move for PRISM and it will give them many opportunities to help many more people and will be a great resource in this community. Keysser closed the public hearing. Hackett said he is in favor of the proposal. He thinks it's a great program and seems like an appropriate use in the area. Eck said this proposal seems to be a win-win for everybody and MOVED its approval. . e . e . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 24, 2005 Page 5 Rasmussen said she is also in favor of the proposal but is troubled with the condition regarding the easement because it really doesn't have anything to do with this Conditional Use. She said the City should be in the habit of giving a courtesy call to the owner of the property regarding easements. Keysser asked what would happen if the building owner would refuse to give the easement to the City. Grimes said that City could probably condemn the easement because there is a public purpose and it is needed. McAleese said he is also concerned about making the easement a condition of approval but that he has no objection to the Planning Commission passing it on to the Council with it left in and let them decide how they want to handle it. He questioned if it makes sense legally and from a development perspective to require the owner to grant the City this easement in order to get this Conditional Use Permit. Grimes said that the City Engineer will be speaking with the property owner before this proposal goes on to the City Council for approval. McAleese said this is a good fit for this building and a better fit than where they are now. He explained that the City has to look at ten considerations when evaluating a Conditional Use Permit request and he thinks this proposal meets those requirements. He said he thinks there is enough parking capacity and that traffic is not a concern to him with this proposal because it is an area that gets lots of traffic and it's designed for lots of traffic and PRISM is not adding as much traffic as other uses could potentially add. He stated that another concern of his has to do with the fire code and fire safety and that PRISM will have to address those i~sues. Grimes explained that is why the City requires a code analysis. McAleese referred to condition number six in Grimes' memo regarding the striping of the parking lot and said that the City will have to be flexible with that condition depending on how the easement situation turns out. He referred to condition number eight and clarified that when it talks about repairing other vehicles that that number is included in the 1,251 count. He referred to condition number 11 and clarified that the City is not requiring a fence. Eck asked if they presently have a greater demand for vehicles than they are able to supply. Rowan said yes, there is a waiting list for families that are waiting for cars. McAleese stated that a condition number 15 needs to be added regarding not allowing the repair of cars outside. Hackett seconded the motion and upon a vote, the motion carried unanimously to recommend approval for a Conditional Use Permit to allow vehicle repair at the proposed PRISM facility located at 730 Florida Avenue South with the following conditions: 1. No parking shall be allowed within any existing landscaped area. 2. All signage shall meet the requirements of the City sign code for the Industrial zoning district. . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. e . e . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission January 24, 2005 Page 6 The recommendation of the Deputy Fire Marshall Ed Anderson, as found in his memo to Mark Grimes dated January 5, 2005 shall become a part of this approval. The outside dumpster must be screened from view and made of material compatible with the building. No outside music, loudspeakers or public address system will be allowed. The parking lots shall be striped so as to provide approximately 100 parking spaces as illustrated on the survey dated 1/23/03. A maximum of ten passenger vehicles shall be stored outside that have been donated to PRISM and going through the process of being repaired for purchase by one of PRISM's clients. There shall be no sales of vehicles to the general public-- only to PRISM's clients that meet their income guidelines. All cars shall be currently licensed and be in operating condition. 8. Repair of vehicles shall be limited to PRISM vehicles (buses and minivans use to transport clients), donated cars being repaired to be sold to income qualified clients, and repair of other vehicles for low income persons as defined by PRISM. 9. No more than six passenger vehicles waiting for repair shall be stored outside. All passenger vehicles waiting for repair shall be currently licensed and be in operating condition. 10. Vehicles may be stored inside the building. 11. A fence may be constructed along Florida Ave. S. as long as it meets the requirements of the City's fence code. 12. All repairs of vehicles shall take place inside the garage and not in the parking lot. 13. All other applicable state, local and federal requirements shall be met. 14. Failure to comply with one of more of the above conditions shall be grounds for revocation of the CUP. III. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings Keysser reminded the Commissioners of the Council meeting with all of the Boards and Commissions being held on January 25, 2005. IV. Other Business Grimes told the Commissioners that staff is in the process of working on several ordinances and they will be brought to them in the near future. V. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 pm.