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03-28-05 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission . March 28, 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, March 28, 2005. Chair Keysser called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Commissioners Cera, Eck, Hackett, Keysser, Rasmussen, Schmidgall and Waldhauser. Also present were Director of Planning and Development, Mark Grimes, Planning Intern, Aaron Hanauer and Administrative Assistant, Lisa Wittman. Chair Keysser welcomed David Cera as the newest member of the Planning Commission. I. Approval of Minutes March 7, 2005 Planning Commission Meeting MOVED by Rasmussen, seconded by Waldhauser and motion carried unanimously to approve the March 7, 2005 minutes as submitted. II. Informal Public Hearing - PUD No. 91 Amendment #1 - Rudy Luther Toyota Applicant: The Luther Company Limited Partnership . Address: 8801, 8909 and 8989 Wayzata Blvd. Purpose: To allow for the demolition of the five existing buildings and the construction of a new 70,000 square foot Toyota/Scion building and a 45,000 square foot Jaguar/Landrover building. Grimes explained that the applicant is requesting an amendment to their existing PUD for their property located at General Mills Blvd. and Miller Street. He stated that in May of 2001 the applicant had a PUD approved for their existing property in order to rebuild their Toyota site. He added that as part of those plans, the right of way to the south was vacated. He explained that their original plans were put off for a period of time because Toyota's plans and products had changed. He stated that Luther Corporation has purchased all the property from General Mills Blvd. over to Flag Avenue and their plan is to completely demolish the existing Toyota building and the old school building, move those operations temporarily to the other existing auto buildings while they construct a new facility. Once the new facility is built they would tear down the other buildings and create a new building for the Jaguar/Land Rover sales and services. . Grimes referred to the site plans and discussed the setbacks. He noted that there will be no setback to the parking lot along the north property line. He explained that this issue was addressed when their original PUD was approved. There is still a 40 foot green area between the north property line and the freeway wall so it seems to make sense to allow them to have their parking lot go right to the north property line. However, there are still easements along that north property line that would still need to be maintained. He . . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 2 referred to the southeast corner of the property and stated that they are proposing less than the required 35 feet of green area setback space but that they are improving the existing setback conditions because currently there are parts of the parking lot that go right up to the property line. He stated that this is a fairly narrow site for a car dealership and it has streets on two sides, but with a good landscape plan, it will be a good design for this area. He referred to the western portion of the site, in front of the proposed Land Rover building and stated that there is a display area for vehicles that goes into the 35 foot setback a little bit. He said the City also allowed the Audi dealership to the west to have a small amount of display area, similar to this proposal. He referred to the west property line and said there is a substantial green area however, they are planning to build a small climbing hill feature that people would use when test driving the Land Rovers. He stated that there has been some discussion between the applicant and the Porsche/Audi dealership next to them about the landscaping and how it can be done and stay sensitive to their needs. Grimes discussed the parking on the site and noted that there are about 1,000 parking spaces shown on the plans. He said the spaces can be used for displaying cars, employee parking and customer parking or for cars waiting to be fixed. He said his concern is that cars are parked in designated spaces, not in fire lanes or setback areas. He said that the applicant feels they have adequate space to allow for customer parking in front of their dealerships, adequate space for their employees and adequate space for their inventory. Grimes stated that the City Engineer's concerns regarding the use of MnDOT's pond to the east have been addressed and that the applicant does have permission to use that pond for water quality and rate control purposes. Schmidgall referred to the City Engineer's concerns about the trash enclosure and the lighting fixtures being in the MnDOT right of way. Grimes said that he has talked to the architect about not locating the trash enclosure on the utility lines. Keysser asked Grimes to discuss the access to the site. Grimes said the main access will remain on General Mills Blvd. at the signal and that there are three driveways along Miller Street. He said that staff has also talked to the applicant about having a sidewalk system into the site. Hackett asked Grimes to clarify what the City's guidelines are regarding green space for the total development. Grimes stated that the PUD ordinance states that in commercial developments at least 10% of the property needs to be green space. He stated that this proposal is approximately 88% hard space and approximately 12% green space, so they do meet the requirements. Keysser stated that he didn't see any reference to excluding loudspeakers in this proposal. Grimes said that is one of the standard requirements for car dealerships and . that he will put language in the PUD Permit regarding loudspeaker use. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 3 . Eck asked if people would be coming in toward the back of the building when they enter from General Mills Blvd. Grimes said people would actually be looking more at the side of the building when they enter from General Mills Blvd. Keysser asked if people would be driving into residential areas when they test drive cars. Grimes said that there haven't been any complaints from people in that area. He added that most people probably get on 1-394 or stay on the frontage road when test driving cars. He said if it were to become a problem, he would talk to the applicant. Cera asked if the fire department issues have been addressed. Grimes said yes. Keysser asked if there are any underground fuel tanks on the site. Grimes said he didn't think so, but that is something the applicant could address. . Jon Baker, Architect for the project, gave a brief history of the project and talked about the design goals of Toyota and Land Rover/Jaguar. He stated that back in 2001 when the PUD was approved the plans were done in anticipation of the frontage road adjacent to 1-394 being turned back to the property owners and it was the plan at that point to demolish the small used car building, add a lot of service and showroom capacity to the existing Toyota building and to remodel the third building for used car sales and storage. He said shortly after the PUD approval they were informed by Toyota that they were embarking on new image program that would have significant changes to what had been done in the past. He stated the original PUD worked, but it was less then ideal, so they waited until Toyota came out with their design guidelines, acquired the other properties to the west and now they've got what they consider to be a very good master plan. Baker discussed the dealership design overview and stated that the idea is to create an entirely new retail automotive experience and that the design of the Toyota building expresses Toyota's core values of quality, dependability and reliability. He said the result according to Toyota is a comprehensive design bringing comfort, warmth, innovation and authenticity to the Toyota selling, buying and servicing business. He stated that in addition to the significant design work prepared and provided by the manufacturers, the history, experience and depth of operational knowledge that the Luther Companies and Baker Architects assures that this project will result in thoughtfully designed and well constructed buildings. Baker referred to the site plan and stated that it has been updated from the one Grimes was referring to earlier. He pointed out the new location of the fire hydrants and the trash enclosure and showed several elevations of the building interiors and exteriors. He discussed the landscaping plan and the Land Rover test course and stated that there will be a significant increase in the yard space around the buildings and a lot of energy and illumination will be put into the entrance point at General Mills Blvd. . Schmidgall referred to the applicant's narrative and asked about the term "bullpen". Baker explained that the "Bullpen" is the area where the sales people have their own personal work space and desks. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 4 . Keysser asked if there are any underground tanks currently on the site. Baker said no, all of the tanks that were there have been removed and they are in the process of doing some environmental testing and that all the new tanks will be above ground. Cera referred to the landscaping on the Audi dealership side of the test course and asked what is going to happen in that area. Baker stated that the owners of the Carousel owners did have some concerns about the test course being close to their property line. He said that they have had conversations with them about putting some type of landscaping between the test course and their property but that they have said they are in support of this proposal. Cera asked about the lighting on the site. Baker said the intention is to light the site similar to the Carousel Audi property. He said they are hoping to do some more decorative or architectural lighting at the entrance on General Mills Blvd. to delineate it as something more exciting. Cera asked if they have looked into energy efficient lighting. Baker said they are looking into that and that they will use the most sophisticated available technology reasonable for this type of project. Grimes stated that the cell tower currently located on the site will remain for the duration of the lease. . Rasmussen asked if the access to the Land Rover test track is only from the interior of the lot. Baker said the only access to the test track would be from the inside of the lot. Cera asked if the lot is secured at night. Baker said it would be blocked at night. Hackett asked how pedestrians would get to this site and if there are sidewalk connections to other areas in and around the site. Baker explained that there will be an access connection from the park and ride adjacent to their property and there is a sidewalk that goes all the way around the site. Grimes stated that the sidewalks in that area are well used and suggested a connection to the sidewalk to the north on the General Mills property. Baker said that it would not be a problem to do something with the sidewalk connections. Keysser opened the public hearing. Seeing and hearing no one, Keysser closed the public hearing. Waldhauser stated that this proposal meets the criteria for a PUD and fits nicely with what they are trying to accomplish. Rasmussen agreed and stated that is a well thought out plan. . Eck stated that that this proposal is a significant improvement over what was originally proposed and he would support recommending approval. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Schmidgall and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval of the request by The Luther Company Limited Partnership to allow for the demolition of the five existing buildings and the construction of a new 70,000 square foot . . . Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 5 Toyota/Scion building and a 45,000 square foot Jaguar/Land Rover building with the following conditions: 1. The Civil and Architectural Plan Packet (16 sheets) prepared by Baker Associates and dated 2/11/05 shall become a part of this approval (subject to revisions required by the City Engineer and Fire Marshal). 2. All recommendations and requirements set out in the Engineering Memo to Mark Grimes from City Engineer Jeff Oliver, PE, and dated February 28, 2005 shall be made a part of this approval. The Plan Packet must be revised in a manner consistent with Mr. Oliver's memo prior to the plans going to the City Council for Preliminary PUD Plan approval. 3. All recommendations and requirements set out in the memo from Assistant Fire Marshal Ed Anderson to Mark Grimes dated February 22,2005 shall become a part of this approval and the Plan Pack must be revised in a manner consistent with Mr. Anderson's memo prior to the plans going to the City Council for Preliminary PUD Plan approval. 4. The Building Board of Review, as part of the building permit process, must approve the landscape plans. 5. All signage must meet the requirements for auto dealers in the Industrial zoning district. 6. The existing cellular tower on the site may remain. 7. No outside speaker systems shall be used on the site. III. Informal Public Hearing - Z011-11 Property Rezoning at 2548 Douglas Drive North Applicant: Amain Homes, Inc. Address: 2548 Douglas Drive North Purpose: To allow the property to be rezoned to R-2 (Two-Family Residential) in order to construct two twin homes. IV. Informal Public Hearing - SU11-Q7 Minor Subdivision at 2548 Douglas Drive North Applicant: Amain Homes, Inc. Address: 2548 Douglas Drive North Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 6 . Purpose: To allow the property to be subdivided into four lots in order to construct two twin homes. Grimes stated that these two agenda items are requests by Amain Homes to rezone and subdivide the property located at 2548 Douglas Drive North. He stated that the applicant was before the Planning Commission several months ago with a similar request but that they withdrew their application when Hennepin County stated that they did not want to see direct access to this property from Douglas Drive. He stated that since then, the applicant has acquired the entire property and would like to construct two double homes on this property. He referred to the Comprehensive Plan Map and stated that the property is designated low density or less than five units per acre and that this proposal would meet that requirement. He said he feels that the owner-occupied twin homes being proposed would be appropriate for this area and a vast improvement over what is there now. Grimes referred to the site plans and pointed out that the garages will be located in the back. He stated that these units will produce approximately 40 trips per day and that there is plenty of capacity on the streets in that area for this use. . Eck asked if the garages are single stall garages. Grimes said they are three stall garages. Eck asked if there is any parking available for guests. Grimes said there isn't any parking space designated for guests and that they would have to park in the driveways because there is no parking on Medicine Lake Road or on Douglas Drive. Waldhauser asked if guests could park along the access driveway. Grimes said that would depend on if the driveway is posted as a fire lane. Rasmussen said she didn't think there would be an issue with guest parking because each unit has a three car garage and there would also be room for three or more cars in the driveway. Grimes agreed and said he didn't think guest parking would be an issue. Waldhauser asked what assures that these homes will be owner occupied. Grimes stated that the developer is creating zero lot lines so that each unit can be sold individually but that the units could be rented out. Cera asked about the price range of the homes. Grimes said he didn't know and suggested he ask the applicant. . Keysser said he is concerned about adding more impervious surface and how that will affect the grading and the run-off toward the homes to the east. Eck said that the City Engineer's report said that shouldn't be a problem. Grimes added that the City Engineer has said that with proper grading the proposal will work. He stated that the developer will not be allowed to make any existing drainage conditions worse. Keysser stated that he is still concerned and not convinced that this development won't make conditions worse. Grimes stated that this development is not large enough to meet the requirements of the watershed district for on-site ponding. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 7 . Rasmussen asked if this development will have to have curb and gutter. Grimes said no. Waldhauser asked if the City knows what the homeowners to the east are experiencing regarding drainage. Grimes stated there is some minor ponding of water near the east property line, but all he can do is go by what the City Engineer has said. Eck stated that there are no neighbors present at this meeting so that tells him something. Greg Comer and Walt Donnay, Amain Homes, Applicants, referred to the site plans and explained that these proposed twin homes are going to be sold as single family homes for approximately $339,000 per unit. Comer stated that each until will have separate entrances on the side and private decks. Donnay added that the houses will be staggered a little bit for privacy. Keysser asked the applicants if there will be a homeowner's association. Donnay said there will be an association to handle maintenance issues. Keysser opened the public hearing. Kathy Bell, 2520 Douglas Drive North, stated that her property is located directly to the south of the proposed development. She said that the proposal sounds good to her and it will increase her property value. She stated that the owners of the shopping center across the street are real good about letting people park in their lot. . Jim Bell, 2520 Douglas Drive North, stated that they have severe run-off across their property every spring, but that he doesn't think this proposal will change much as far as drainage. Seeing no one else wishing to speak, Keysser closed the public hearing. Waldhauser stated that she thinks this proposal would be an improvement over what is currently located on the property. Eck stated he thinks this is an appropriate property for rezoning to R-2. MOVED by Hackett, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval to allow the property located at 2548 Douglas Drive North to be rezoned to R-2 (Two-Family Residential) in order to construct two twin homes. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Rasmussen and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval to allow the property to be subdivided into four lots in order to construct two twin homes with the following conditions: 1. The final plat will be consistent with the preliminary plat of Amain Addition prepared . by RLK and dated 2/11/05. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission March 28, 2005 Page 8 . 2. The comments in the memo from City Engineer Jeff Oliver, PE, to Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, dated March 23, 2005, shall become a part of this approval. 3. A park dedication fee shall be paid prior to approval of the final plat by the City council. The amount of the park dedication fee shall be determined prior to final plat approval by the City Council upon recommendation by staff. 4. The final form of the "Declaration of Covenants, Restrictions and Conditions" shall be submitted for approval by the City Attorney prior to approval of the final plat. The cost of review of the "Declaration" shall be paid by Amain. -Short Recess- V. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings Keysser summarized the ideas discussed at their Envision meeting held before this meeting and asked Grimes what they should be doing regarding identifying neighborhoods. Grimes said he would start researching various cities and how they identified their neighborhoods. . VI. Other Business Keysser reminded the Commissioners that there is a kick-off meeting planned for the 1-394 Corridor Study on April 25. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm. .