Res 2014- 08 CUP Variances Visitation Signage PlanCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2014-08
RESOLUTION APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND VARIANCES AS
PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN AT 2455 VISITATION DRIVE
WHEREAS, Convent of the Visitation has applied for conditional use permits and
variances to accomplish a comprehensive signage plan at 2455 Visitation Drive [Legal
descriptions as described in Exhibit A], as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22; and
WHEREAS, the Mendota Heights Planning Commission held a public hearing on this
application at their regular meetings on December 16, 2013 and January 28, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve
conditional use permits for additional wall signage and a second nameplate sign; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve
variances for the number and area of signage and the height of entry and school gate signs.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a
conditional use permit to allow additional wall signage for a nonresidential use in a residential
zone as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22 is hereby approved, as compliant with the conditions
in Title 12- 1D- 15(H)(4), and with the following findings of fact:
1. The applicant for additional wall signage has property along Mendota Heights Road, a
major transportation corridor in the City.
2. Institutional uses predominate along this roadway, generating significant traffic from the
large facilities and mix of activities on the subject property.
3. The main buildings on the property, although fronting on Mendota Heights Road, are set
back significant distances without extensive visual exposure to the main entrance drive.
4. The applicant has proposed additional wall signage that meets the intent of the Zoning
Ordinance allowances for nonresidential uses in a residential zone, and (with specific
exceptions noted in the staff report) the particular requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
5. The proposed signage would have limited visibility from, nor compromise the character
of, the residential neighborhood that adjoins the applicant's property.
6. Where portions of the site signage may be visible, extensive setbacks and existing
vegetation make such signage unreadable to residential property.
7. Subject to consideration of specific variances processed concurrently with the
Conditional Use Permit, the proposed signage is compatible with the character, design,
and materials as intended for such uses.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a variance
to exceed the maximum sign number and square footage to allow fourteen (14) signs at three
hundred forty -two (342) square feet as proposed in Planning Case 2013 -22 is hereby approved,
with the condition that the comprehensive signage plan is amended to exclude the "entry gate
sign" and its proposed square footage, and with the following findings of fact:
1. Sign display for much of the signage on the property is only visible to internal site users,
and not to the general public.
2. Numerous sign locations are important to distribute and direct traffic within the site and
along the main entry drive.
3. Sign display that is visible to external traffic or property owners is within the allowances
of the sign ordinance.
4. Restricting sign numbers and square footage to just three signs with no more than 212
square feet, as required by the ordinance, would create a practical difficulty in malting
reasonable use of the property, which is comprised of large buildings and generates
different types of traffic.
5. Because only a limited portion of the proposed signage is visible to the general public,
the signage as proposed complies with the intent of the sign ordinance, which is to limit
traffic confusion and negative aesthetic impacts on surrounding property.
6. The sign plans as proposed (or as modified under the City's approval) facilitate
reasonable use of the property as a private school and monastery, uses which are
consistent with the zoning and land use plans of the city in this location.
7. The unique nature of the property is that it is a school and monastery in a residential
district and there are practical difficulties, including visitors and others in need of
direction, to justify additional signage.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a variance
to exceed the height requirement for the school gate sign as proposed in Planning Case 2013 -22
is hereby approved with the following findings of fact:
1. Sign display for much of the signage on the property is only visible to internal site users,
and not to the general public.
2. The proposed sign is significantly lower than the surrounding building height.
3. The message portion of the structure appears to meet the nine -foot height standard, and
only the architectural portion of the structure rises above that elevation.
4. Because the proposed signage is not visible to the general public, the signage as proposed
complies with the intent of the sign ordinance, which is to limit traffic confusion and
negative aesthetic impacts on surrounding property.
5. The sign plans as proposed (or as modified under the City's approval) facilitate
reasonable use of the property as a private school and monastery, uses which are
consistent with the zoning and land use plans of the city in this location.
Res 2014 -08 page 2
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Mendota Heights this eighteenth day of February,
2014.
CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
Sandra Krebsb
ATTEST:
Lf-
Lorri Smith, City Clerk
Res 2014 -08 page 3
Exhibit A
LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS
PID 27- 03500 -05 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S 3/4 OF S 1/2 OF NE 1/4 LYING W OF JEFFERSON HGWY EX N 600 FT & EX W 200 FT EX PT IN PARCEL
202 OF STH R/W PLAT NO 19 -53
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -75 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
N 198 FT OF SE 1/4 LYING W OF JEFFERSON HGWY EX W 200 FT & N 6 FT OF S 330 FT OF N 528 FT OF NE
1/4 OF SE 1/4 LYING W OF HGWY
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -76 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S 20 R OF N 32 R OF W 1/2 OF SE 1/4 EX W 200 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -77 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
W OF HGWY OF S 20 R OF N 32 R OF NE 1/4 OF SE 1/4 & EX N 6 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -78 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S48ROFN1 /2 OF SE 1/4 W OF DODD RD EX COM AT PT IN CEN OF HGWY 1668.4 FT N OF INT WITH S
LINE OF SE 1/4 W 725 FT N 174.6 FT E 772.4 FT TO CEN OF HGWY SW 180.9 FT TO BEG EX W 200 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -78 -020
PT OF SE 1/4 COM INT S LINE & CEN HGWY #88 N ON HGWY 1668.4 FT TO PT OF BEG W 725 FT N 174.6
FT E 772.4 FT TO CEN HGWY SW 180.9 FT TO BEG EX 0.29 ACS CONT IN PARCEL 2C OF STH R/W PLAT NO
19 -53
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
Res 2014 -08 page 4
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2014-08
RESOLUTION APPROVING A CONDITIONAL'USE PERMIT AND VARIANCES AS
PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNAGE PLAN AT 2455 VISITATION DRIVE
WHEREAS, Convent of the Visitation has applied for conditional use permits and
variances to accomplish a comprehensive signage plan at 2455 Visitation Drive [Legal
descriptions as described in Exhibit A], as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22; and
WHEREAS, the Mendota Heights Planning Commission held a public hearing on this
application at their regular meetings on December 16, 2013 and January 28, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve
conditional use permits for additional wall signage and a second nameplate sign; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve
variances for the number and area of signage and the height of entry and school gate signs.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a
conditional use permit to allow additional wall signage for a nonresidential use in a residential
zone as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22 is hereby approved, as compliant with the conditions
in Title 12-lD-15(H)(4), and with the following findings of fact:
1. The applicant for additional wall signage has property along Mendota Heights Road, a
major transportation corridor in the City.
2. Institutional uses predominate along this roadway, generating significant traffic from the
large facilities and mix of activities on the subject property.
3. The main buildings on the property, although fronting on Mendota Heights Road, are set
back significant distances without extensive visual exposure to the main entrance drive.
4. The applicant has proposed additional wall signage that meets the intent of the Zordng
Ordinance allowances for nonresidential uses in a residential zone, and (with specific
exceptions noted in the staff report) the particular requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
5. The proposed signage would have limited visibility from, nor compromise the character
of, the residential neighborhood that adjoins the applicant's property.
6. Where portions of the site signage may be visible, extensive setbacks and existing
vegetation make such signage unreadable to residential property.
7. Subject to consideration of specific variances processed concurrently with the
Conditional Use Permit, the proposed signage is compatible with the character, design,
and materials as intended for such uses.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a variance
to exceed the maximum sip numb . er and square footage to allow fourteen (14) sips at three
hundred forty-two (342) square feet as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22 is hereby approved,
with the condition that the comprehensive signage plan is amended to exclude the "entry gate
sign" and its proposed square footage, and with the following findings of fact:
1 Sip display for much of the signage on the property is only visible to internal site users,
and not to the general public.
2. Numerous sign locations are important to distribute and direct traffic within the site and
along the main entry drive.
3. Sign display that is visible to external traffic or property owners is within the allowances
of the sign ordinance.
4. * Restricting sip numbers and square footage to just three signs with no more than 212
square feet, as required by the ordinance,'would create a practical difficulty in malting
reasonable use of the property, which is comprised of large buildings and generates
different types of traffic.
5. Because only a limited portion of the proposed signage is visible to the general public,
the signage as proposed complies with the intent of the sign ordinance, which is to limit
traffic confusion and negative aesthetic impacts on surrounding property.
6. The sign plans as proposed (or as modified under the City's approval) facilitate
reasonable use of the property as a private school and monastery, uses which are
consistent with the zoning and land use plans of the city in this location.
7. The unique nature of the property is that it is a school and monastery in a residential
district and there are practical difficulties, including visitors and others in need of
direction, to justify additional signage.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the Mendota Heights City Council that a variance
to exceed the height requirement for the school gate sign as proposed in Planning Case 2013-22
is hereby approved with the following findings of fact:
1. Sip display for much of the signage on the property is only,visible to internal site users,
and not to the general public.
2. The proposed sign is significantly lower than the surrounding building height.
3. The message portion of the structure appears to meet the nine-foot height standard, and
only the architectural portion of the structure rises above that elevation.
4. Because the proposed signage is not visible to the general public, the signage as proposed
complies with the intent of the sign ordinance, which is to limit traffic confusion and
negative aesthetic impacts on surrounding property.
5. The sign plans as proposed (or as modified under the City's approval) facilitate
reasonable use of the property as a private school and monastery, uses which are
consistent with the zoning and land use plans of the city in this location.
Res 2014-08 page 2
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Mendota Heights this eighteenth day of February,
2014.
CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
Sandra
ATTEST:
Lorri Smith, City Clerk
Res 2014-08 page 3
Exhibit A
LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS
V PID 27- 03500 -05 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S 3/4 OF S 1/2 OF NE 1/4 LYING W OF JEFFERSON HGWY EX N 600 FT & EX W 200 FT EX PT IN PARCEL
202 OF STH R/W PLAT NO 19 -53
Lot and Blocic 35, 28, 23
Res 2014 -08 page 4
PID 27- 03500 -75 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
N 198 FT OF SE 1/4 LYING W OF JEFFERSON HGWY EX W 200 FT & N 6 FT OF S 330 FT OF N 528 FT OF NE
1/4 OF SE 1/4 LYING W OF HGWY
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
'
/PID 27- 03500 -76 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S 20 R OF N 32 R OF W 1/2 OF SE 1/4 EX W 200 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -77 -010
-.
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
W OF HGWY OF S 20 R OF N 32 R OF NE 1/4 OF SE 1/4 & EX N 6 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
PID 27- 03500 -78 -010
SECTION 35 TWN 28 RANGE 23
S 48 R OF N 1/2 OF SE 1/4 W OF DODD RD EX COM AT PT IN CEN OF HGWY 1668.4 FT N OF INT WITH S
LINE OF SE 1/4 W 725 FT N 174.6 FT E 772.4 FT TO CEN OF HGWY SW 180.9 FT TO BEG EX W 200 FT
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
✓PID 27- 03500 -78 -020
TO PT OF BEG W 725 FT N 174.6
PT OF SE 1/4 COM INT S LINE & CEN HGWY #88 N ON HGWY 1668.4 FT
FT E 772.4 FT TO CEN HGWY SW 180.9 FT TO BEG EX 0.29 ACS CONT IN PARCEL 2C OF STH R/W PLAT NO
19 -53
Lot and Block 35, 28, 23
Res 2014 -08 page 4
STATE OF MINNESOTA
COUNTY OF DAKOTA S.s.
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
I, Lorri Smith, being the duly appointed City Clerk of the City of Mendota
Heights, do hereby certify that the attached Resolution 2014-08: Approving
Conditional Use Permit and Variances as Part of a Comprehensive Signage Plan
at 2455 Visitation Drive is an exact copy of said Resolution on file in my
office adopted by the Mendota Heights City Council on February 18, 2014.
Signed and sealed by my hand on this 6th day of March, 2014.
yti
fF Lorri Smith
City Clerk
ter. (SE
k"A
3002264
Receipt# 317961
ABSTRACT FEE $46.00
Recorded on: 3/10/2014 12:00:04PM
By: DDW, Deputy
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CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
1101 VICTORIA CURVE
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN 55118 Joel T. Beckman County Recorder
Dakota County, MN