HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 05-13-1970PUNNING COM ISSION rRUTES
SPECS MEETING
PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA
MAY 13, 11970
special, meeting of the planning Commission was called, to
order by Chairman Ed Egan on May 13 1971 at 7'130 p.m.
PRESHNTt Commissioners Prekker, 1icfner, Pollock, Chapman, Kroskin
Neils, June, Chairman .Egan, Engineer Dagen,
Planner Bergly
ABSENT= Commissioner Roth
Chairman Egan opened the public Hearing on the petition of RE:
Northwestern College to rezone property located near the: Northwestern
intersection of County Road 9 and Eernbrook Lane from lc -,0 College
to E.w4 for the purpose of construction of Northwestern
College. The petitioner also requested that a special
use permit be granted for the location of a radio tower on
the site,
Chairman Egan asked the proponents to explain their request.
Mr. Dahlgren of Midwest Planning & Research, who was retained
by Northwestern College as a consultant can the matter, pre-
sented the plans of Northwestern College for consideration,,
Mir. Dahlgren. explained the history connected with the develop-
meat of the Central Guide Plan and the college proposal.
He introduced the officers of Northwestern College who were
prese i.t at the hearing, and he then proceeded with his pre-
sentation by describing the location of the site and explain-
ing the v ri.ous features involved in the site development.
lie stated that there were approximately 117 acres involved
in the total site. Of this area it was proposed that 26
acres be reserved as public open space easement. He indicated
that it was proposed to locate. the 500` tall radio tower at
the southeasterly corder of the 11.7 acres. This proposed
tower would be in the, area proposed to be set aside for pub-
lic open space easement. Mr. Dahlgren explained the intended
use of .the college site stating that it was proposed to
have a three year liberal arts curriculum with a maximum
enrollment of 1„500 students. He stated that projected enroll-
ment nrollmenswouldreach900studentsinthethirdyearofoperation
with an anticipated 30% of the students being commuters and
the balance being resident students
Kr. Dahlgren indicated that it was planned to construct the
radio transmitter, tower, and temporary studio immediately
s FOC licensing has been obtained:.He indicated that the
Planning Com6is s ioa Minutes, - May 13, t5 7 0 Pg 2
i. administration building, of on approximate 12,800 square
I foot size, would be started taider construction in 1971.
He stated that the balance of the buildings in the complex
would be constructed as funds became available from
friends and constituency of the. college.
Mr. Daalgren indicated that the. 5OO' tall radio tower
would serve the 100, 000 watt KTlS-FM Stereo station
of the school. He pointed, out that it would be stabilized
by 21 cables attached to the tower and tied to 6 ground
anchors which are located in a radius up to 3351 from the
base of the tower.
Mr. Dahlgren: indicated that the quality of the archite: tare
involved in :the development of the college complex will be
unified as a 4ingle entity with basic exterior materials
of brick and epoxy bonded aggregate,,
lie indicated that the proposed easement for public open
space of approxim telt' 26.8 acres would be for the use of
the general public as long as the Village would continue
to designate it as open space and for parking purposes
He pointed out that this open spate easement would be cca-
tiguous with the proposed large central park plazanpd fer
this general area of the Village
Mr. Dahlgren :showed slides: of typical college campuses in
tae Metropolitan: area and also showed various. views of
radio towers that have been constructed;' in the Twin City
area. Mr. Dahlgren sated that the entire plan for the
Northwestern College ;could fit in with the Central Area
UI de Plan.
Mr. Dahlgren was questioned about the proposed location of
a parking lot near Fernbrook Lane. Re indicated with the
assistance of .an architect from Hirsch, ' Stevens & Samuelson,
Inc. that the parking lot would be located approximately
40' from the l=ernbrook Lane property line.
Mr. Dahlgren completed his presentation by requesting that
the Plannifig 'Commission favorably consider the application.
of Northwestern College to have the property in question
rezoned from RSO to Rµ4 for the development of the college and
that they approve the development of the radio tower facility
as pr. posed conditioned upon Northwestern College granting
a permaoent easement for public open space of 26.
3 acres sof land lying ;n the southerly portion of the site;
Mr. Dahlgren presented 'members of the Platinlng
Planning Commission Minutes May 131 1970 - Pg. 3
Commission with bound reports giving pertinent infor-
mation concerning the proposal, The report is entitled
Worthwestern College, Campus Development Information,
June, 1968 - May, 1970.
Chairman Egan then asked if any of the Commission members
had questions to ask of Mr. Dahlgren or of the proponents..
Comm.ss$.over Kroskin asked where expansier «ould take place
on the proposed layout.. Mr. Dahlgren ansT,sred by stating.
that with the planned layout of the college expansion
could take i,lace in any of a number of directions as felt
most desirable at the time the need arises. Commissioner
Neils asked 'the petitioners what requirements the FAQ. had
established as far as obstruction lighting on the tower.
Mr. (orneli.us from KTIS explained what tete requirements
were on the spacing of lighting and the type of lighting
which would be necessary.
there being no further questions from the Planning
Commission members, Chairman Egan asked for any comments
from the floor in favor of the proposal.. He requested that
comments be limited to ports in favor of the proposal which
had not been previously covered in the presentation.
i Members of the audience who spoke in favor of the proposal
included :Sam Marfield of Bel.garde :enterprises and Mrs.
Haldorson; a resident of Plymouth on Dunkirk Lane,, and
several others. Chairman Egan thereupon asked if there
were any people present who wished to speak against the
proposed rezoning. Mr. Ted 2ubekowski., 3816 Fernb;rook Lane,
asked about potential interference with TV and radio
reception which -ai.ght be experienced because of the pro-
posed tower. Mr.; Don Malley, engineer from KTIS, indicated`
that there should be very little difficulty experienced
from the proposed transmission' of radio signal from the
tower, since this transmission would be FU only. He said
that they would be willing' to attempt to help solve any
interference problems that they caused He indicated' that
the area of possible interference could extend as much as
400-500 yards from the tower. He also indicated that it
was his feeling that it way approximately 2200 feet from
the center of the tower to the nearest existing building
in the. area,
Mr., James Olson, Fernbrook Lane resident, asked what effect
the development of the college in the area would have on
the passible upgrading of Fernbrook Lane from its present
gravel road status. Mr. Dahlgren indicated that the college
took. the position that it was most willing to cooperate
and pay their share of the cost of the extension of
utilities and roads in the area..
Planning Commission .Minutes - May : 3, 1970 - Pg. 4
Mr. ,Dahlgren reiterated the request that the college,
was, asking for a proposed rezoning of the land in
question from R-Cto R-4 and that they were asking. that
tha zoning: ordinance be amended to allow for the con-
struction of a radio tower such as the one requester
in an R-4 zone, and that the proposed construction of a
radio tower be approved Chairman, Egan thereupon asked
for a show of hands of residents of the Village ,in favor
of the proposed rezoning whereupon the majority of people
in attendance raised their 'hands. ;Chairman Egan than i
asked if there Caere any other comments or questions from
members of the Planning Commission. There being none,
he directed the public hearing closed on the matter.
Chairman Egan opened the discussion on the petstion, of RE.
DeVao, Inc. to obtain a conditional use permit for the DeVaci, Inc.
installation of as temporary storage building between Storage
their present plant facility and the proposed new building Building
which was approved by the Planning Commission in March
of 1970. Mike Monteon and Mike Sell. of DeV'ac: were present
to explain the proposal. They indicated that the request
would be for the use of this temporary all -metal clad
building for a period of five years as a temporary shelter
for products constructed at the plant.
Several of the Planning Commission members questioned the
reasons for the application since at a hearing on the
conditional use permit for the building proposed in March
of 1976 there -was an expressed, desire oil the; part
of DeVac to be able to. cons tru6t addi tl ona.l, building
facilities on the same lot as the ,or-Lginal plant. The
petitioner stated that this desire would not be thwarted
since this was to be a temporary building. They expressed
the need for :the building to protect against vandalism
which could occur to their product stored outside. The
Planning Commission questioned the applicant about what
would happen at the end of five years --wondering if the
building would be removed at that time or if an extension
of the conditional use permit would be required. No
resolution was made of this question.
Several of the Planning Commission members also expressed
cor,zern over a precedent being set in the Village by
allowing metal buildings of this type to be constructed
stating that they would imagine that several buildings of
this same type would be requested to be allowed in the
Minneapolis Industrial Park and other areas of the Village.
Plauning Comtuissiou Minutes w May 13, 1970 - Pg - 5
This was felt by some to be contrary to the intent of
the Village ordinances which tend to try to upgrade the,
duality of construction in the 'Village
After considerable discussion, the motion was made by MOTION
Commissioner Chapman, seconded by Commissioner prekker,
recommending denial of the request. All members present
voted in favor of the motion.
Chairman E8an opened discussion on the requested site RE;
play: approval for Belgarde' s Flax Meadows Apartment Belgarde
Complex, mr,. Karring.tron and 1Nh% Marfield were present Pox Meadows
representing the petitioner. They presented their pre- Apartments
pared drawings which showed the detailed site plan and
buil ii1g elevations for the apartment complex. The
Planning. Commission recommended that action be deferred
on the matter until May 27 1970 so that they would have
time to review the. proposal. The drawings which were
delivered to the Village office on May 11th for reviewal
did not reach the Engineering Department or the Planner.
Inadvertently, these drawings had been supplied to the
Building Department. Motion was made by Commissioner
Pollock, seconded by Commissioner Krosl-, n., to refer the
plans to Planner Bergly for a reports ar- t, n May 27th
Planning Commission meeting,
The next matter discussed at the Planning Commission RE:
meeting was the feasibility, or the desirability, of Central
chan.gin? the Central Guide Plan in the area of the Guide Plan
Cavax a—vgh ,Addition. At the direction of the Village in regard
Council, this matter was brought to the Planning to the
Commission's attention for reconsideration. The question Cavanaugh
to be resolved was the status of the size of the. dedication Addition
which should be required ,from Belgarde Enterprises for
park purposes in the central area. This question has
implications regarding the possibility of the expansion
of the l,avanau h Addit . g an in the neighborhood. It Was.
stated that this entrapped area of single family homes
in the Cental Arca would not be able to grow larger if
the guide plan as accepted by the Planning Commission
for the Centra: Area were to be followed completely.
One of the Planning Commission members indicated that
he felt that any small enlargement of the area would not
be of great advantage to the residents since a total
connection with other,- residential areas -would appear :to
be almost impossi,';". Planning Commission members indi-
cated that they felt a great deal of discussion had
Planning Comission Mkalates - May 13, 1970 - Pg b
already taken place on what to ` do with the Cavanaugh
Addition and the central park area and how it should be
proteeted .from excessive traffic into the park when it
will be developed; henee, they felt no change should
be recommended
One of the residents in the audience asked if cash
could, be required in lieu of part of the proposed 40
acre dedication by Belgarde and if the cash rece ved in
this manner could be used for the development of the
central, park area. Representatives, of the Belgarde firm
indicated that they were not in favor of such a change
and that they preferred to see the large park area whJ..ch
would also benefit their development,
Motion was made by Commissioner Kroskin, seconded by MOTION
d Commissioner dune, recommending that; th.e Plymouth Council
should require, the dedicatior.of the full 40 acres- of land
by Belgarde D-"terpiFises in the central area.
Comissioner Chapman reported on zoning committee actiota RE:
regarding Minneapolis Irxdustrial Park`s proposed mini-park MIP MR41-
for warehouses, This was with, regard to their_ request for
a conditional
PARK for
use permit heard at the April 29t:h, meeting Warehouses
of the Planning Commission. He reported that the committee
recommended denial of the conditional use permit for the
following reasons:
1) Too many buildings were proposed on the lot:, which
i
tended to make the area look. overcrowded
2) The d'ir'e Chief recommended the need for the estab-
lishment of fi7,.e lanes through the complex,
Ther: are not enough parking stalls shown on the
plan if the proposed buildings are used for
light manufacturing rather than v.sreho Bing4) No staging area, or truck parking area, has :been
provided on the planar
They further stated that any modular system such; as the
one.. proposed would require a modification of the Plymouth
zoning ordinance in that the arrangement would have 'co be
much less dense than the one proposed.
QuesdWns arose as to the control of parking and traffic if
a misted use were to evolve in the area. Commissioner
Pollock suggested that the staff should: study the proposed
use concept.. Ile :Wade a motion that the matter be referred MOTION
Tanning Commission inu.tes May 13, 1970.Pg. 7
to the Planner for study and possible ordinance change,
suggesting that the matter be discvssed with `,Unneapolis:
Industrial .dark officials. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner June. All members present voted in favor
of tk-xe motion.
Chairman Egan explained to the Commission that he and RE".
Commissioner Pollock, along with Planner Bergly and Iatersection
Engineer Hagen, had visited the site of the proposed: of Co. Rias,
intersection of County Roads 15 and 61 and that they had 15 & 61
tentatively agreed on a .suggested relocation of this
intersection. This suggestion will. be brot ght to the
attention of the Planning Commission at their meeting
on May 27, 1970,
Upon inquiry of the P1• ntNing Commission members ` if RE
there were any other steins to be brought up for dis Northwes tern
cussion, Commissioner Neils suggested that the North- College
western College issue be discussed for possible action;
at this time. Some amount of discussion ensued concerning
the proposed rezoning of the lana in question. It was
pointed out that under the uses: by conditional use permit
section of the Plymouth zoning; ordinance in aa R--1 area
there is a statement which is similar to the one in the
R-4 section under which the college application is being
considered. Discussion centered around the possibi4t:y
that if the college was not: const octet' after the land
had bee;a rezoned R-4 that. ;apartments mi,gtat be constructed
oz, the site. Because of this it: was determined that it
would probably be better to rezone the land to R-1 and
allow the college use by conditional use: permit.
Motion was made by Commissioner Pollock, seconded by MOTION
Commissioner Hafner to recoTcrriLend the rezoning of the
site of Northwestern College from R- to R-1. Upon
calling for a vote on the matter, .seven commissliloners
voted aye. Commi.ss vn=er RrosM.n -,oted, against.
The meeting Baas adjourned at approximately 10-.30 p.m.