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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 06-19-20191 of 6 Approved Minutes Meeting of June 19, 2019 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting June 19, 2019 MEMBERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Bryan Oakley, Commissioners Donovan Saba, David Witte, Justin Markell and Jaspreet (Jesse) Narr MEMBERS ABSENT: Chair Marc Anderson, Commissioner Julie Witt STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager Barbara Thomson, Senior Planner Shawn Drill, Senior Planner Kip Berglund, Senior Planner Lori Sommers and Senior Engineering Technician Trevor Quast OTHERS PRESENT: Councilmember Ned Carroll 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Narr to approve the June 19, 2019 Planning Commission Agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 5, 2019 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Saba, to approve the consent agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. LANDFORM PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC (2019025) Vice Chair Oakley introduced the request by Landform Professional Services, LLC for a PUD amendment to allow an addition and related site improvements at McDonald's located at 2705 Annapolis Circle. Senior Planner Sommers gave an overview of the staff report. 5A 2 of 6 Approved Minutes Meeting of June 19, 2019 Commissioner Witte noted that McDonald's would lose one space under the proposal. He asked where employees would park and how many spaces they would take. Senior Planner Sommers pointed out the locations on the site where employees would park. Planning Manager Thomson confirmed that the number of employees would not increase under the proposal and noted that since there is not a parking problem currently, there should not be an issue with the loss of one space. Commissioner Witte asked about pedestrian access, noting that there was much less activity in the general area when McDonald's was first in operation. He questioned now that there is more activity, they don't necessarily need sidewalks, but asked whether we have looked at ways to walk to McDonald's without having to drive there. Senior Planner Sommers responded that there have been internal discussions with engineering and parks staff about this issue. She noted there is a sidewalk on the east side of Annapolis Circle, but staff was concerned that a mid-block crossing to access that sidewalk would be hazardous, and staff did not want to promote such a crossing. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Kevin Shay, representing the applicant, who stated he did not have any questions or concerns with the staff report and was there to answer any questions the commission may have. Commissioner Witte noted he was curious why McDonald's was proposing a play space when 70 percent of their traffic is using the drive through. Mr. Shay indicated he did not know the reasoning behind the request, as he is just the facilitator of their plans. Vice Chair Oakley opened the public hearing and closed the public hearing as there was no one present requesting to speak on this item. MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Narr, to recommend approval of the request by Landform Professional Services, LLC for a PUD amendment to allow an addition and related site improvements at McDonald's located at 2705 Annapolis Circle. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. B. ELAN DESIGN LAB, INC. (2019029) Vice Chair Oakley introduced the request by Elan Design Lab, Inc. for a PUD amendment to allow reconfiguration of the parking lots and other related improvements for properties located at 2955 Xenium Lane, 2800 Campus Drive and 2905 Northwest Boulevard. Senior Planner Berglund gave an overview of the staff report. Meeting of June 19, 2019 Approved Minutes 3 of 6 Commissioner Markell asked and answered his own question regarding the increase in impervious surface with the proposed increase in parking, noting it would increase from 512,000 square feet to 550,000 square feet. Commissioner Witte noted a potential concern with the height of the light poles and the distribution of light and the color of the lighting. Senior Planner Berglund responded that the applicant has supplied a lighting plan, but it is lacking in some of the details needed to determine whether it conforms to city requirements. He noted that the height of the poles was not in question, but rather details including the color temperature and color rendering of the proposed lighting. He confirmed that there is a condition in the approving resolution requiring these items prior to the issuance of a grading permit. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Steve Johnston, representing the property owner, who stated the intent of the project is to create more of a campus feel for the three buildings and provide more flexibility with parking between the uses. Regarding sidewalks, he noted they are looking at opportunities to bring crosswalks to front doors. He explained that the plans for storm water address rate control, with the increase in impervious surface. He added that they intend to comply with all the city's lighting requirements and just need to add more detail in that regard. Vice Chair Oakley opened the public hearing and closed the public hearing as there was no one present requesting to speak on this item. MOTION by Commissioner Saba, seconded by Commissioner Witte, to recommend approval of the request by Elan Design Lab, Inc. for a PUD amendment to allow reconfiguration of the parking lots and other related improvements for properties located at 2955 Xenium Lane, 2800 Campus Drive and 2905 Northwest Boulevard. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. C. DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP (2019035) Vice Chair Oakley introduced the request by Dorsey & Whitney LLP for a conditional use permit for the installation of an FM transmitting antenna at Fourth Baptist Church located at 900 Forestview Lane. Senior Planner Berglund gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Narr asked if there was a daycare on the site and if so, how would the antenna affect children that might be playing on the playground. Senior Planner Berglund indicated that the applicant could address that question, but noted that the playground is located further southwest on the property, away from the building. Commissioner Saba asked and staff confirmed that the antenna would be pointing away from Highway 55, facing instead toward the south portion of the property. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Dawn Koestner, representing the applicant, who stated there is no daycare at the church, but there is a Christian school for grades K through 12. She noted that the Meeting of June 19, 2019 Approved Minutes 4 of 6 building is parallel to Highway 55 and the antenna is pointing down Highway 55. Ms. Koestner stated they are in agreement with the resolution except for procedural concerns with wording of the resolution with respect to using Dorsey & Whitney's name as opposed to the church's name. With respect to condition four, she stated they have no issue with painting or galvanizing the antenna brackets, etc. but she indicated that the antenna itself cannot be altered in any way or it will not transmit effectively. Commissioner Witte asked about the impact of radio waves on children. Ms. Koestner indicated that the impact of radio waves was addressed in a study that was included in one of the attachments to their application. She referred to a drawing that showed the area of impact. She stated that given the extent of that area, a person would need to be on the roof of the building or in the rafters of the sanctuary to be affected, consequently there is no threat to children either inside the school or on the playground. Vice Chair Oakley opened the public hearing and closed the public hearing as there was no one present requesting to speak on this item. Planning Manager Thomson responded to Ms. Koestner's concern about wording in the resolution. She indicated that the language in the resolution is standard language, stating that the CUP is allowing for the installation of an antenna at Fourth Baptist Church and simply noting that Dorsey & Whitney is the requester. MOTION by Commissioner Narr, seconded by Commissioner Markell, to recommend approval of the request by Dorsey & Whitney LLP for a conditional use permit for the installation of an FM transmitting antenna at Fourth Baptist Church located at 900 Forestview Lane with the removal of a comma in condition four between "antenna" and "mounting bracket," so it now reads "The antenna mounting bracket...." Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. D. ROBBINSDALE AREA SCHOOLS (ISD #281) (2019040) Vice Chair Oakley introduced the request by Robbinsdale Area Schools (ISD #281) for a conditional use permit amendment pertaining to use of the outdoor stadium at Armstrong High School located at 10635 36th Avenue. Senior Planner Drill gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Narr referenced the lighting intensity and asked ifthere is information on the threshold to ensure that the lighting does not impact adjacent properties. Senior Planner Drill replied that the lighting intensity would not change. He noted that the existing stadium lighting was vetted when originally installed. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Kristine Wehrkamp, representing the applicant, who stated that the CUP amendment to allow additional use of the stadium is an opportunity to share a community asset, in that this is a public facility that could be shared for additional uses by the community. Meeting of June 19, 2019 Approved Minutes 5 of 6 She noted the amendment also matches what the school district is doing at Cooper High School in New Hope. Commissioner Narr asked if a sound survey has been done for the public address system. Ms. Wehrkamp responded that when it was installed in 2006, the system complied with all regulations of the city. She stated that the stadium itself is not changing, simply the use of the existing stadium and public address system. Commissioner Markell indicated he was unsure that the resolution stipulates limited hours on the public address system. Ms. Wehrkamp stated that the public address system would be limited by outside users to Saturdays between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. She referenced lighting and noted that the lighting would typically not be used during the summer hours because of the natural light available during those times. Commissioner Witte asked if this plan is similar to the system in place at Cooper High School and also used by Wayzata High School. Ms. Wehrkamp stated that this plan is similar to the one at Cooper High School. She noted that the difference would be that Cooper operates from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., while this request would be from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. She stated that other high schools operate similar programs, noting that high school sports take priority, but the asset can then be shared with other organizations in the community. Commissioner Witte stated that there are a lot of nearby neighborhoods. He asked if the school currently receives complaints from neighbors regarding noise. Ms. Wehrkamp replied that the school receives a limited number of complaints. Vice Chair Oakley opened the public hearing. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Sue Holtz, 10710 34th Avenue, who stated that she enjoys sitting outside and listening to the games going on. She said she believed that this would be a beneficial use that could allow the district to share its assets. She noted that the screening in pJace prevents the lighting from being obtrusive. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Lowell Holtz, 10710 34th Avenue, who stated that he too finds it entertaining to listen to the games. He stated that it also provides an opportunity for the district to raise funds outside of property taxes. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Patricia Wakkinen, 10535 34th Avenue, who stated there are times when the public address system is extremely loud. She stated she does not care to listen to that loud degree of noise in the summer when she is attempting to enjoy her yard. She stated it is her understanding that the public address system would only be used until 5:00 p.m. She referenced an event that took place in May that generated an extreme level of noise that she found annoying. Meeting of June 19, 2019 Approved Minutes 6 of 6 She stated she can tolerate most of the games and band noises, but there are times when the level seems higher or the music has a lot of bass. Vice Chair Oakley introduced Warren Solom, 3620 Trenton Lane, who stated that the noise and lights have never bothered him. He stated he is proud of the facility and only has positive feedback. He asked the process that would be used if the conditional use permit is approved and in the future a reversal of the approval is needed. He asked if there has been discussion or consideration that the use of the facility be limited to athletic events only, as he has concern with others that could rent the facility for rallies or other events. Vice Chair Oakley closed the public hearing. Ms. Wehrkamp stated that when the public address system was installed, it was approved by the city as within allowed regulations. She noted that this request would add eight Saturdays during the summer between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. She stated that perhaps another soundcheck could be done to ensure that the equipment is still operating within the allowed regulations. Planning Manager Thomson stated that the lower tones, such as bass tones, do not register as over the decibel limit and therefore are difficult to test for. She stated that perhaps the school district could provide the name of an individual for residents to contact if there is a noise issue. Ms. Wehrkamp confirmed that information is contained within the document and available on the school district website. She stated that the outside use would be available for more than just athletic events, but noted that the school district has thus far only received requests for athletic events or practice times. She said she would hesitate to add a limitation on the type of event as she would like the opportunity to be open to other community groups. Planning Manager Thomson confirmed that the city does have a reversal process for a conditional use permit, should issues arise. Commissioner Markell said that the resolution does stipulate limited hours on the public address system. MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Narr, to recommend approval of the request by Robbinsdale Area Schools (ISD #281) for a conditional use permit amendment pertaining to use of the outdoor stadium at Armstrong High School located at 10635 36th Avenue. Vote.· 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 7. NEW BUSINESS 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Vice Chair Oakley, with no objection, to adjourn the meeting at 8:11 P.M.