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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/06/15 - ADMIN - Minutes - Planning Commission - Regular OFFICIAL MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA JUNE 15, 2016 – 6:00 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Lynne Carper, Claudia Johnston-Madison, Torrey Kanne, Richard Person, Joe Tatalovich, Ethan Rickert (youth member) MEMBERS ABSENT: Lisa Peilen, Carl Robertson STAFF PRESENT: Sean Walther, Gary Morrison, Jennifer Monson, Nicole Mardell, Phil Elkin 1. Call to Order – Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes of May 18, 2016 Commissioner Carper made a motion approving the minutes of May 18, 2016. Richard Person seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 5-0. 3. Public Hearings A. Perspectives – Conditional Use Permit Location: 3381 Gorham Ave. and 7008 Walker St. Applicant: Perspectives, Inc. Case No.: 16-21-CUP Gary Morrison, Assistant Zoning Administrator, presented the staff report. He explained that the applicant is requesting the conditional use permit to locate 39 required parking spaces to a parking lot located at 7008 Walker Street. He reviewed conditions required for off-site parking and noted that all conditions can be met. Commissioner Carper commented that there is no continuation of sidewalk up to Walker St. Mr. Morrison said Perspectives will construct a public sidewalk from the NE corner up to the sidewalk that leads to their front door. The city is also asking the applicant to construct a sidewalk on the west side of Gorham Ave. This is separate from the conditional use permit but tied to the redevelopment of the parking lot. Commissioner Carper asked about the crosswalk across Gorham. He asked why a private party would establish a crosswalk when it is implicit there is a crosswalk between any corners of a street. He asked why, if necessary, this wouldn’t be a city responsibility. Official Minutes Planning Commission June 15, 2016 Page 2 Mr. Morrison responded that this was reviewed with the Engineering Dept. He said it is correct that it is implied that there is a crosswalk even though it isn’t striped. There have been a few circumstances where a route of travel is unique and specific to a business and the city has asked the business to install and maintain the crosswalk. Commissioner Carper asked what maintenance of crosswalk entails. Mr. Morrison stated that it has to be installed and maintained to city standards. It will need to be repainted every 2-3 years depending on the wear and tear on the street. Commissioner Tatalovich asked if there is anything between the parking lot and the building to prevent jay walking. Mr. Morrison said the sidewalk is extended to the parking lot to direct people from the lot to the path. He spoke about a natural grade change at the north end of Gorham which will discourage cutting across. There is also some vegetation at the north end of Gorham to discourage cutting across. Cheryl Cochrane, CFO of Perspectives, said they are very excited to have additional parking adjacent to their building. They have evening programming and cars are parked pretty far down Gorham Ave. The parking lot will provide a safe spot for participants, especially in the winter. 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 the conditional use permit. Commissioner Tatalovich seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 5-0. B. Zoning Ordinance Amendment – Floodplain Districts Applicant: City of St. Louis Park Case No.: 16-23-ZA Jennifer Monson, Planner, presented the staff report. She explained the amendment’s purpose is to allow compensatory storage to be provided using accepted engineering practices to achieve the goal of eliminating any increase in flood stage as a result of a project. If amended it will apply to all properties located within Floodplain Districts and will provide more flexibility regarding where compensating flood storage is provided. Official Minutes Planning Commission June 15, 2016 Page 3 Ms. Monson discussed floodplains and flooding events. She discussed the responsible regulatory bodies involved in regulating floodplains. She discussed compensating storage and the proposed ordinance. Commissioner Person asked if the reason to amend the ordinance was to provide additional developable land in the city. Ms. Monson replied that the reason is this rule has presented an undue burden on properties when it is not required by federal or state regulations. It will also keep the floodplain district in the existing footprint of the floodplain. She said it does allow more developable land as well. Commissioner Person asked how often floodplain boundary districts change and how that occurs. Phil Elkin, Senior Engineer, said changes occur about every 20 years due to mapping and rain fall data. He said the map is built on a predictable model. Sean Walther, Planning and Zoning Supervisor, said the amendment is not altering the modeled floodplain district. FEMA is the agency that carries out map changes through its modeling. The proposed amendment is handling the issue of a project’s compensating flood storage volume. The amendment would provide more flexibility where storage could occur. Commissioner Kanne asked why the original language was in the zoning ordinance. Ms. Monson said perhaps it was added to be more conservative and go above and beyond the DNR’s model ordinance and watershed ordinance. Mr. Walther said staff researched the topic and there was no mention specifically why the language was included so staff can only speculate. Commissioner Tatalovich asked if staff explored the language that gave a preference to having storage outside of the floodplain. Mr. Elkin said for a number of future municipal projects, including future bridge replacement projects over Minnehaha Creek, the language would cause the city to buy private land for flood storage. Other projects include Methodist Hospital and Meadowbrook Golf Course where there is potential for increased disruption by going outside the floodplain for storage. Mr. Walther said it also seemed counter intuitive to convert upland that doesn’t flood into floodplain. He said this and several pending projects drove the decision to amend the ordinance. Official Minutes Planning Commission June 15, 2016 Page 4 The Chair opened the public hearing. As no one was present wishing to speak she closed the public hearing. Commissioner Tatalovich made a motion recommending approval of the proposed amendment. Commissioner Person seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 5-0. 4. Other Business Commissioner Carper mentioned conversation on the NextDoor internet forum regarding the absence of dedicated bike lanes in the West End project. Mr. Walther spoke about the city’s Active Living Sidewalk and Trails Plan which was rolled into the Comprehensive Plan and the Connect the Park! plan to build out citywide network over the next 10 years. The city is currently in year three of the plan. 5. Communications Mr. Walther said the July 6 Planning Commission meeting will be cancelled. A meeting will be held on July 20 and several applications are expected for that meeting. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m. STUDY SESSION The study session began at 6:40 p.m. 1. 10 West End Planned Unit Development Nicole Mardell, Associate Planner, introduced the item. Staff and representatives from Ryan Companies provided an overview of the office concept plan for Phase IV of the overall Central Park West Planned Unit Development. They will be submitting formal application to the city on June 20. Tony Barranco, VP Development, Ryan Companies, spoke about the building identity, image and design. The site plan has been advanced from concept to reality. He spoke about the partnership with Excelsior Group. Feedback on the plans from the market has been good. They have been meeting with DLC, Golden Valley and St. Louis Park staff. A joint neighborhood meeting was held Official Minutes Planning Commission June 15, 2016 Page 5 as well as a City Council study session. The office component will be developed in a two phase project. First phase to be built on the south side of Central Park West with the parking structure primarily in Golden Valley. The office building will be located exclusively in St. Louis Park. He showed access points. He discussed a shift in the parking ramp plan which took a hard edge off of the park. He described how the loading dock will be less intrusive than what was originally planned. Mr. Barranco said the 11 story office building will be LEED certified with focus on water usage, project irrigation and native plantings. Karl Drecktrah, architect, spoke about architectural details and materials. Commissioner Kanne asked how many people might occupy the building. About 1500 – 1700 people in the first phase and 3000 in both buildings. Typically a multi-tenant building has an anchor tenant and a wide range of smaller tenant sizes. Commissioner Carper asked about reflective glass. Mr. Krecktrah responded the glass will balance exterior energy performance with high visible light transmittance with a small amount of reflective. The material has a very low U factor with a lot of visible light. There was a discussion about lighting, bike improvements, trail connections, the park, and special events. Commissioners said they were appreciative of the opportunity to meet with the developers and view concept plans prior to the public hearing. 2. Updates Ms. Monson discussed the proposed Meadowbrook Manor Apts. club house and maintenance shed. The application has been submitted but is incomplete. There was a discussion about how the renovation will affect affordability for existing tenants, and the reason why the applicant is required to obtain a conditional use permit. Ms. Monson discussed the DNR’s new model flood plain ordinance to be considered by the city in the next few months. Mr. Walther stated that the city needs to adopt an update to the floodplain ordinance by early November, otherwise the city will not be able to participate in the flood insurance program. Official Minutes Planning Commission June 15, 2016 Page 6 Ms. Mardell spoke about the application for Parkway 25 development for 111 rental units and 8000 sq. ft. of commercial space at the Vescio’s and Valu Inn site. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Sells Recording Secretary