HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 11-07-2012Approved Minutes
City of Plymouth
Planning Commission Meeting
November 7, 2012
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair James Davis, Commissioners Dick Kobussen, Scott Nelson,
Bryan Oakley and Marc Anderson
MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioners Nathan Robinson and Gordon Petrash
STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager Barbara Thomson, Senior Planner Marie Darling,
Senior Planner Joshua Doty, Senior Planner Shawn Drill and Office Support Representative
Janice Bergstrom
1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. PUBLIC FORUM
4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION by Commissioner Kobussen, seconded by Commissioner Nelson, to approve the
November 7, 2012 Planning Commission Agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved.
5. CONSENT AGENDA
A. APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER 17, 2012 PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
MOTION by Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Oakley, to approve the
October 17, 2012 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved.
B. LUCKY'S 13 PUB (2012083)
MOTION by Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Oakley, to approve the
request by Lucky's 13 Pub for a variance to allow the size of a freestanding sign to be increased
from 15 square feet to 49 square feet for property located at 3000 Harbor Lane North. Vote.
5 Ayes. MOTION approved.
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS (2012080)
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November 7, 2012
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Chair Davis introduced the request by Wayzata Public Schools for a site plan amendment and
conditional use permit amendment for a building expansion and related site improvements at
Sunset Hill Elementary School located at 13005 Sunset Trail North.
Senior Planner Doty gave an overview of the staff report.
Commissioner Nelson asked if the chain link fence will run the length of the retaining wall.
Senior Planner Doty answered affirmatively, and said it is a common safety feature.
Commissioner Anderson asked who maintains the bio -filter in the rain garden.
Senior Planner Doty said the school would maintain the garden, and added the City collects a
financial guarantee before the project begins. The rain garden is monitored for a couple years to
ensure native plants establish properly.
Chair Davis introduced the applicant, Joe Matson. 17305 19th Ave. N.
Commissioner Anderson asked the time frame of construction, and if it is during the school year
how will the children be protected from the construction area.
Mr. Matson said construction would begin when the school board gives approval and the
contracts are processed. He said they are planning for December through August construction,
and a barrier fence would be placed to separate children from the construction site.
Chair Davis opened and closed the public hearing as there was no one present to speak on the
item.
Commissioner Anderson said it is nice to see an expansion at the school.
Chair Davis said he lives near Kimberly Lane, Plymouth Creek and Greenwood and hears how
crowded these schools are and commented that this expansion is at Sunset Hill Elementary
School, which is the furthest away.
Planning Manager Thomson stated that the Planning Commission will see two other school
expansions soon.
MOTION by Commissioner Kobussen, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, to approve the
request by Wayzata Public Schools for a site plan amendment and conditional use permit
amendment for a building expansion and related site improvements at Sunset Hill Elementary
School located at 13005 Sunset Trail North. Roll Call Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved
unanimously.
B. VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS (2012085)
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November 7, 2012
Page 3
Chair Davis introduced the request by Visual Communications for a PUD amendment to alter the
existing signage at the WestHealth Campus for property located at 3000 Campus Drive.
Senior Planner Darling gave an overview of the staff report and noted that the applicant will have
to keep one of the signs that the report indicates would be removed.
Chair Davis asked for more information about the change.
Senior Planner Darling said that the staff report divided the signage request into three categories:
1) consistent with the previous sign plan; 2) signage to be removed; and 3) signs proposed larger
than the existing signs. She explained that the sign at Location 18 (page L2) was previously
included in the signage to be removed, but will now remain due to agreements in place with the
other property owners. She indicated that the result is a decrease of 128 square feet rather than
168 square feet indicated in the table in the report.
Commissioner Nelson asked if in the future they could increase their signage on the site by 128
square feet because the previous approval allowed that much.
Senior Planner Darling clarified that the PUD amendment states that this is a replacement plan so
they would not be able to increase the signage in the future without formal approval.
Commissioner Anderson said the new sign at the main entryway is five feet deep and 12 feet
high, and asked how the 24 -square feet was arrived at.
Senior Planner Darling said the surface area calculation for a monument sign includes the most
regular geometric shape that encloses all of the text.
Commissioner Anderson asked if address numbers are included.
Senior Planner Darling said address numerals are required by city code and are not counted in
the total sign area.
Chair Davis introduced the applicant, Cheryl O'Donnell, Visual Communications, 475 Cleveland
Ave. N.
Chair Davis asked what WestHealth will be called after January 7, 2013.
Ms. O'Donnell said the sign will read, "Allina Health Abbott Northwestern WestHealth", but
will probably still be referred to as WestHealth. Ms. O'Donnell said the pylon and wall sign
have been reduced so the Allina Health logo isn't even on it and will include WestHealth and
Emergency.
Commissioner Kobussen asked which signs will be removed.
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November 7, 2012
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Ms. O'Donnell said some small directional signs within the campus will be removed. She said at
the main entrance vital signs are being added for Emergency and Urgent Care and you don't
need secondary signs for that. Ms. O'Donnell said 133.18 will be removed from the back side of
the building as that area will be primarily for employee parking, not public parking. Ms.
O'Connell said B3.14 and B3.16 are to be left in the plan in case they are needed for future signs
for the transitional care building that will hopefully be built on the site in the next couple years.
Commissioner Nelson said B3.13 signage for patient drop off and pickup will be removed, and
asked what would replace this.
Ms. O'Donnell said B3.6 is for the Urgent Care and Emergency entrance. She said in "way
finding" terms, A2.7 will be the main entrance signage for visitors. She said the majority of the
parking will be in the north parking lot. She said they added Emergency and Urgent Care to the
A2.7 sign to get people to go to northerly drive and not through an area of high pedestrian traffic.
Commissioner Anderson asked if we are approving two signs for something that is not built yet.
Ms. O'Donnell explained that the two signs already exist and their future would be determined
when the transitional care unit comes in. There will be separate drives and parking at that time.
Ms. O'Donnell said these two signs were to be removed but staff had the foresight to encourage
planning for the future. She said since they were already in the signage plan it seemed smart to
keep these signs in.
Commissioner Anderson said he assumes the building functions as a medical office, but with
transitional care and an emergency room it sounds more like a hospital.
Tracy White, representing Allina Health, said they are planning for the future and look at this
campus as a hospital without beds offering the right care at the right place at the right time. She
said if there are in-patient needs, those patients would go elsewhere. Ms. White said Allina
offers the same type of services since it was built in 1994.
Chair Davis said he thought this was a medical office building and asked if other businesses
would be forced out if they are not Allina businesses.
Ms. White said people may have perceived it as a business office from the outside, but it really is
a destination for many people for many services which include clinics, urgent care, pharmacy,
and same day surgery. She reiterated they are just adding to it.
Commissioner Anderson said there is certain zoning for a medical office building, and with the
slow addition of services we are turning this into a hospital. Commissioner Anderson questioned
if it is zoned and guided correctly for the direction it is going.
Senior Planner Darling said the zoning is PUD (Planning Unit Development), so it is a custom
zoning district for the uses proposed. She said the two primary buildings on site are still medical
office buildings. Same day surgery is frequently offered in a medical office setting, rather than a
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November 7, 2012
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hospital setting. Senior Planner Darling stated everything proposed is consistent with
Commercial Office designation in the Comprehensive Plan and with the PUD zoning district.
Planning Manager Thomson added same day surgery has been occurring at this location since
day one. She said the only change is the signage, not the services.
Chair Davis opened and closed the public hearing as there was no one present to speak on the
item.
Commissioner Anderson said it is great what they are doing here, and with the emergency room
expansion it is great for Plymouth. He said he just wanted to make sure we didn't have a
problem with the zoning down the road.
Commissioner Nelson said he is in favor of making sure signage on these large campuses is
efficient and functional as there is nothing more frustrating than not knowing where you are
going. He said this is a plan for now and for the future. Commissioner Nelson said he assumes
traffic flow will be monitored as you go forward and said he has no problem supporting this.
Chair Davis said it is important when looking for an emergency room to be able to find it quickly
and not have to navigate through that parking lot. He said it is a good thing to get to the second
entrance in a quick manner.
MOTION by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Commissioner Kobussen, to approve the
request by Visual Communications for a PUD amendment to alter the existing signage at the
WestHealth Campus for property located at 3000 Campus Drive. Roll Call Vote. 5 Ayes.
MOTION approved unanimously.
7. NEW BUSINESS
8. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION by Chair Davis, with no objection, to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 p.m.