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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/02/17 - ADMIN - Minutes - Planning Commission - Regular OFFICIAL MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 17, 2016 – 6:08 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Lynne Carper, Claudia Johnston-Madison, Lisa Peilen, Joe Tatalovich MEMBERS ABSENT: Richard Person, Carl Robertson, Ethan Rickert (youth member) STAFF PRESENT: Sean Walther, Julie Grove, Gary Morrison OTHERS PRESENT: Jeff Miller, HKGi Planning Consultant 1. Call to Order – Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes of February 3, 2016 Commissioner Tatalovich made a motion recommending approval of the minutes of February 3, 2016. Commissioner Peilen seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 4-0. 3. Public Hearings A. Preliminary and Final Plat; Preliminary and Final PUD Arlington Row Apartments East Location: 7700 block, south side Wayzata Blvd. between Rhode Island and Pennsylvania Ave. Applicant: Melrose Company, LLC Case No.: 16-02-S and 16-03-PUD Julie Grove, Economic Development Specialist, presented the staff report. The requests are made to allow construction of a three-story multi-family residential building that includes a total of 27 units. Ms. Grove provided background on the site, noting that a “sister” development Arlington Row Apartments West was approved by the City Council in November, 2015. She stated that the Metropolitan Council awarded the Arlington Row West & East developments a $581,000 Livable Communities demonstration grant for stormwater, geothermal and solar/energy efficiency. Ms. Grove discussed utility easements and subdivision variance being requested as part of the plat request. She provided building and site analysis, zoning analysis, traffic study summary, landscaping, and designed outdoor recreation area analysis for the Planned Unit Development. Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 2 Ms. Grove spoke about the neighborhood meeting which was held on February 9, 2016 on the proposed development. She said the primary concerns regard increased traffic and parking along 13th Lane. Other concerns included height and scale of the building and negative impact on property values. Ms. Grove said since the meeting, planning and engineering staff have been working with the developer to explore potential ways to alleviate parking concerns on 13th Lane. Commissioner Peilen asked if construction had begun on Arlington Row Apts. West. Ms. Grove responded that phased construction is anticipated to commence on Arlington Row West in the spring. Commissioner Peilen asked what kind of progress is being made on parking concerns on 13th Lane. Ms. Grove responded staff is looking at several options. She said there will be a process but perhaps parking could be limited on only one side of the street. The potential for installing a parking bay on the north side had been ruled out. Commissioner Carper asked the maximum capacity on 13 Lane from corner to corner. Bob Cunningham, principal Melrose Company, applicant, responded that the capacity adjacent to the development is approximately 10 stalls. Commissioner Carper asked about guest parking. Ms. Grove responded that guest parking is incorporated into the required parking. Commissioner Carper asked about affordable housing. Ms. Grove said with the grant received from Met Council, the developer had indicated they would incorporate 6 affordable units total at the complete development (West and East) at 80% of area median income. Commissioner Carper asked about the sidewalk. Ms. Grove responded the sidewalk will just be along the property line. She said the hope is that eventually it will connect to Pennsylvania Ave. which does have a sidewalk. Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 3 Commissioner Carper asked if the Designed Outdoor Recreation Area (DORA) would be fenced off. He asked about south facing building materials. Ms. Grove responded the DORA will be an open design. She said there is less area of class I materials on the south primarily resulting from the building design and natural breaks in the façade. Mr. Cunningham, said apartment residents will be issued a parking sticker. Non- assigned resident parking and non-assigned guest parking will be inside the project. Two electric car plug-ins will be added. He said the development is 100% market rate apartments. In conjunction with the Met Council grant, Melrose agreed to 10% threshold over Arlington Row East and West together. That would be 6 units. He added that seventeen of the market rate units are affordable at 80% of the area median income without subsidy, rather on a market rate basis in the developers own pro forma. Mr. Cunningham said even though the sidewalk is just along the property line, a connection has been created from 13th Lane to Wayzata Blvd. on the west side of the property. He said the DORA will not be fenced. It will be a landscaped lawn. Raised garden beds will be included. The DORA is not a neighborhood type park, it is provided for residents of Arlington Row East. He said the development is being proposed at this location as it is one of the very few infill lots left in St. Louis Park and it is very well located less than 1,000 ft. away from a high volume transit facility. He spoke about indoor bike parking which will be available. Mike Engel, ESG Architects, further discussed the exterior materials and reasons for the selections. Chair Johnston-Madison opened the public hearing. Jana Agrey, 7611 13th Lane, has lived there over 25 years. She said she is disappointed. She didn’t expect the property would remain vacant but she didn’t expect to have a 3-story apartment building with tons of traffic on the street. She said there is already parking overflow from the building at Pennsylvania and Wayzata Blvd. She said getting onto the frontage road is already difficult. She spoke about a letter she received from a mortgage company recently soliciting to sell her property. She said neighbors are also getting similar letters and phone calls. She wonders if they are going to be pushed out or forced out. Joy Preston, 7621 13th Lane, said she shares the same concerns. Neighbors did not expect a 3-story building on the lot two stories higher than the one-story Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 4 single family homes. It is kind of shocking. She said her household has three cars and a shared driveway. During snow emergencies cars have to be juggled around. If there is parking on 13th Lane, one-side of the street, she will lose parking for her household. Curb to curb plowing does not occur. Space is lost on a narrow road and tight corner. There are concerns about school bus coming down there with parking on both sides of the street. Yvette Peters-Hutchins, 7721 13th Lane, discussed the plat drawing. She said 13th between Texas and Rhode Island goes straight into her driveway. She said she measured the street distance curb to curb which is about 26 ft. wide. With snow it is about 25 feet. Her truck is 8 feet wide, a standard Nissan Maxima is about 6 - 7ft. wide, a fire engine truck is about 8 feet wide not including mirrors and 24 ft. long, a garage truck is 8 ½ feet not including mirrors, and an ambulance is 8 feet wide not including mirrors. She said if cars are parked on both sides of the street on Rhode Island and in front of her property, emergency vehicles will not be able to get through. School buses often get stuck. She said it is alarming. Parking is a problem. In her front yard she will be looking at a building that will be 36 ½ ft. high. She said she has already contacted a realtor because she can’t look at that. She said it is a very quiet, great neighborhood with no crime and no issues. She spoke about an apartment complex on Pennsylvania which has weekly police calls. She said she’s concerned with Arlington’s lack of parking, high prices, no underground parking in the winter, that it won’t be desirable. What about fifteen years down the road when people don’t want to pay those prices without underground parking. She said residents will be encouraged to park on the street as it will be more convenient. She said she is alarmed about this area of St. Louis Park. She said it is a make it or break it project. Chair Johnston-Madison asked if the neighbors had any suggestions about parking. Ms. Peters-Hutchins responded yes, saying permit parking for residents on the street would be great. She said the residents of the apartment complex could park in their parking lot or not park at all. John Johnson, 7701 13th Lane, stated he agrees with his neighbors. He doesn’t want to look at the building. There are parking and emergency vehicle issues. He said the Texas/Wayzata intersection is already dangerous. It doesn’t need to become more dangerous. He wonders what the big picture is. Do they want to put in more apartments? Do they want to force the neighborhood out? He said he has a retirement plan and this does not work for his plan. He said he is very disappointed. He does not want the project to go forward. The neighborhood is a great place to live. They don’t need more traffic. They don’t need any more crime. Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 5 Anthony Hutchins, 7721 13th Lane, said he was concerned about taxes going up because the waste water system can’t support the additional load of the development. He said the schools are already over capacity. He said the schools will not acknowledge that there are drugs in the schools. He said if the new development brings in kids there will be problems. He said a lot of the kids in the Pennsylvania Ave. apartments are on drugs and sell drugs in the parks. He said there are drugs in that Section 8 apartment building all of the time. He said if the new development brings in Section 8, the same thing will happen. There goes the neighborhood. He asked if additional policing will be provided. Chair Johnston-Madison stated that the new development is not Section 8 housing. It is market rate affordable housing. Sean Walther, Planning and Zoning Supervisor, explained the Section 8, or housing choice voucher program, and explained that affordable housing does not equate to low income housing. Arlington Row Apartments is not subsidized or low income housing. The one bedroom unit rents at approx. $1,100 are market rate and affordable at 80% of the area median income. The median income means that half the households in the metro area make more than that and half the people in the metro area make less than that. He said in St. Louis Park and the metro area, 80% of the area median income is not low income. It is simply affordable. Sharon Desaimeaux, 7720 W. 13 ½ St., stated that last summer there was a drug bust in the apartment buildings on Pennsylvania. She said she doesn’t want to see that happen on 13th. She said she sees who lives in those buildings. They walk down her street. She said she is starting to feel uncomfortable. If you put housing like this in the next block she doesn’t want to live in fear. Mr. Cunningham said a lot of thought was given regarding parking for the project. He said the only point of ingress and egress for the parking lot is going to be off of Wayzata. Access is not on 13th Lane. Parking, ingress and egress, will be away from the neighbors. He said that isn’t to say that residents or guests will not be parking on 13th Lane, but it will be more convenient for residents to park in the parking lot. Mr. Cunningham commented on letters and calls residents received from mortgage companies. He stated that Melrose Company is not involved in that in any way. Regarding waste water and stormwater, he said the Engineering Dept. has determined there are adequate utilities to service the project. Stormwater cannot leave a site at any faster rate than it does now. No additional burden will be placed on the stormwater system. The Chair closed the public hearing as there was no one else present wishing to speak. Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 6 Commissioner Peilen and Mr. Cunningham discussed background checks that are conducted on rental applications. Commissioner Peilen discussed in detail background checks that are important to any responsible property manager. Chair Johnston-Madison discussed changes to neighborhoods. She spoke about the city task force that was created to review vacant lots, and she had participated. She said Arlington Row is a good project and she is very familiar with Mr. Cunningham and Excelsior & Grand. She said she knows the thought and care that has gone into his previous projects. She said Mr. Cunningham is one of the best developers. Commissioner Carper spoke about a property owner’s right to develop when city requirements are met. He said he routinely receives inquiries from realtors about his home. He said he had a tear down and rebuild on his street and is familiar with change. He said Arlington Row is a quality development and there isn’t any reason to deny the request. Commissioner Peilen said she liked the possibility of having permit parking for residents on 13th Street. She spoke about her own street where that occurred with a restaurant development. Commissioner Tatalovich said he agreed with Commissioner Peilen about permit parking. He made a motion recommending approval of the Preliminary and Final Plat with subdivision variance; and the Arlington Row East Preliminary and Final Planned Unit Development. He asked that staff and developer continue to work on the parking and traffic situation on 13th Lane. Commissioner Peilen seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 4- 0. B. Conditional Use Permit – Mister Car Wash Location: 8700 Highway 7 Applicant: Mister Car Wash (Sheldon Berg, DJR Architecture) Case No.: 15-51-CUP Jeff Miller, HKGi Planning Consultant, presented the staff report. The request is in connection with a proposed expansion of an existing carwash building. The applicant wishes to rescind the existing special permit to allow a carwash in the FEMA floodplain, and replace it with a conditional use permit to allow a carwash located in the FEMA floodplain. Mr. Miller reviewed conditions of approval. Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 7 Chair Johnston-Madison spoke about the new entrance at 37th. She remarked that she understands the elevation of the road will be changed at some point. Mr. Miller said the applicants are aware that the elevation will change in conjunction with the bridge replacement project. Commissioner Carper asked about flooding and the design of the building. Mr. Miller said the western portion of the site that is in the flood fringe overlay district needs to be able to flood internally. He said that is the case here. It would flood internally on the site, not the building, and not into the creek. Tim Vaughan, owner and applicant, explained that the proposal is a way to improve the efficiency and internal circulation of the car wash and the site. The Chair opened the public hearing. As no one was present wishing to speak, she closed the public hearing. Commissioner Carper made a motion recommending approval of rescinding the existing special permit and approving a conditional use permit to allow a carwash located in the FEMA floodplain with conditions as recommended by staff. Commissioner Tatalovich seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 4-0. C. Microdistillery & Microdistillery Cocktail Rooms – Zoning Ordinance Amendment Applicant: City of St. Louis Park Case No.: 16-04-ZA Gary Morrison, Assistant Zoning Administrator, presented the staff report. The amendment is being proposed in connection with the recently amended City liquor license ordinance creating a license for microdistillery cocktail rooms and an off-sale license for microdistilleries. Commissioner Carper asked about the definition of co-location. Mr. Morrison responded that co-location is addressed in a couple of ways in the liquor license amendment. No single ownership can have both a taproom and a cocktail room. A taproom can be operated by a brewery within the premises or an adjacent property and the same holds true in a microdistillery in that building or adjacent property. He looks at it as a multi-tenant industrial facility (two businesses next to each other). In co-location a taproom would not be able to sell cocktails in the same facility. Mr. Morrison spoke about ownership groups and Official Minutes Planning Commission February 17, 2016 Page 8 the liquor ordinance as far as who is getting a license. He said he would look at the ordinance to confirm this. The Chair opened the public hearing. As no one else was present wishing to speak, she closed the public hearing. Commissioner Peilen made a motion recommending approval of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment pertaining to microdistilleries and microdistillery cocktail rooms. Commissioner Tatalovich seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 4-0. 4. Other Business: None 5. Communications Mr. Walther reminded Commissioners about the February 22, 2016 boards and commissions’ annual meeting with City Council. Mr. Walther noted that the City Council appointed Torrey Kanne to the Planning Commission. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. A study session regarding proposed amendments to the subdivision ordinance began at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Sells Sr. Office Assistant