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2011-02-22 Planning Comm MinutesPlanning Commission Minutes February 22, 2011 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 22, 2011 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, February 22, 2011, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve at 7:00 P.M. The following Commissioners were present: Chair Norton, Commissioners Field, Hennes, and Viksnins. Those absent: None. Those present were Assistant to the City Administrator Jake Sedlacek, Public Works Director /City Engineer John Mazzitello, and NAC Planner Stephen Grittman. Minutes were recorded by Carol Hamer. Approval ofAizenda Chair Norton noted the addition to the agenda: Appointment to the Traffic Safety Committee. Appointment to the Traffic Safety Committee Public Works Director /City Engineer John Mazzitello reported on the requirement to appoint a member of the Planning Commission to the Traffic Safety Committee to replace the appointment previously filled by Commissioner Povolny. Commissioner Field volunteered to fill the vacant position of representative to the Traffic Safety Committee. COMMISSIONER HENNES MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS, TO APPOINT COMMISSIONER FIELD TO SERVE AS PLANNING COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE ON THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 Election of Officers COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HENNES, TO NOMINATE COMMISSIONER NORTON TO THE POSITION OF PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 COMMISSIONER HENNES MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS, TO NOMINATE COMMISSIONER FIELD TO THE POSITION OF PLANNING COMMISSION VICE - CHAIR. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 Approval of Jan uary 25, 2011, Minutes COMMISSIONER HENNES MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 25, 2011, AS PRESENTED. * NOTE: Commissioner Viksnins suggested one minor change during commissioner comments. Planning Commission Minutes February 22, 2011 AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 Hearinjzs PLANNING CASE #11 -03 Michael and Julie Gerend 2155 Delaware Avenue Conditional Use Permit for an accessory building over 425 square feet Planner Stephen Grittman presented the request of Michael and Julie Gerend, 2155 Delaware Avenue, to accommodate an existing structure, currently being used as a second residence, as an accessory building. Because the accessory building larger than 1,000 square feet requires a conditional use permit (CUP), the conversion results in this application. Mr. Grittman displayed a map of the six -plus acre subject site. Staff recommends approval of the CUP to convert an existing residential building to accessory building with the condition that the building will not be utilized as a separate garage and the applicant will make changes to the building to accomplish the conversion per zoning and building code requirements, as well as engineering approval for grading changes to the parcel. Commissioner Hennes inquired about the current size of the accessory building and how much space there is between the buildings. Mr. Grittman replied that the accessory building is over 1,500 square feet, and that there is close to 200 feet between the buildings. Commissioner Hennes asked if the requirement for the second building on the site to be an accessory building is standard in other cities. Mr. Grittman replied that this is a common requirement. Commissioner Hennes verified with Mr. Grittman that the applicant would not be allowed to do any expansion work on the home if the other structure were to be rented out. Commissioner Field commented that in theory an alternative in this district would be for the property owner to subdivide the property and construct up to six homes. Chair Norton opened the public hearing. Michael Gerend, 295 Woodlawn Avenue, St. Paul, applicant, stated he has worked closely with staff on this application, and that they have tried to follow the path of least resistance. He stated this is a transformation with preservation in mind. There will be the single family home, but they still need to expand the current footprint by about 500 feet on one end and an additional garage stall on the other. Commissioner Viksnins inquired about the anticipated use for the accessory building. Mr. Gerend replied that it will likely be used for gardening and lawn storage type uses. There is nothing specific in mind. Commissioner Viksnins inquired about the current garage space. Mr. Gerend replied that the garage is currently a 22 x 26 foot two -stall garage. There will be an addition of approximately 50 %. Commissioner Viksnins asked if the applicant is comfortable with the condition that the accessory building not be used as a garage going forward. Mr. Gerend responded in the affirmative and stated this has been discussed. Commissioner Viksnins requested information on the history of the site. Mr. Gerend stated this property belongs to the Shepherd family. The second building was a barn at one point in time and is now housing a family member 0 Planning Commission Minutes February 22, 2011 that is caretaking for a senior member in the family residence. The home is 100 years old; they are trying to restore the home as much as they can and bring it up to modern day standards. Seeing no one wishing to speak, Chair Norton asked for a motion to close the public hearing. COMMISSIONER HENNES MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS, TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. AYES 4 NAYS 0 COMMISSIONER FIELD MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS, TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AS REQUESTED AND SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: 1. THE BUILDING WILL NOT BE UTILIZED AS A SEPARATE GARAGE. 2. THE APPLICANT WILL MAKE CHANGES TO THE BUILDING TO ACCOMPLISH THE CONVERSION PER ZONING AND BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS. 3. RECEIPT OF ENGINEERING APPROVAL FOR GRADING CHANGES TO THE PARCEL. AYES 4 NAYS 0 Chair Norton advised the City Council would consider this application at its March 1, 2011, meeting. PLANNING CASE #11 -04 Edward Trost, Schad -Tracy Signs, for Mendakota Country Club 2075 Mendakota Drive Zoning Ordinance Amendment and Conditional Use Permit for a Monument Sign Planner Stephen Grittman presented the request of the Mendakota Country Club to amend its existing conditional use permit (CUP) to construct an additional freestanding sign visible from the Dodd Road/110 intersection and to retain the current freestanding sign identifying the entry to the club along Mendakota Drive. Mr. Grittman explained that under the sign regulations, only one freestanding sign is permitted for any single use so consideration of this application would require an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Grittman stated the size of the proposed additional freestanding sign is 225 square feet in area. He reviewed the current sign regulations. Sign ordinance has been restrictive and size restrictions vary depending upon the zoning and use of the property. Mendota Plaza has the only sign that compares to this in size. However, Mendota Plaza is located in a mixed use PUD District and the current sign is a replacement of what was already on the property. He advised that the requested amendment is a policy decision and that staff does not necessarily offer a recommendation regarding the requested amendment. However, the sign proposed is out of scale with the other signs allowed by code or in the zoning district. If the Planning Commission considers an amendment they may want to consider how it might affect similar uses and the overall sign regulation approach. Commissioner Field verified with Mr. Grittman that the name of the country club that was previously displayed in the flowers on the northeast facing hill would have fallen under the sign ordinance. Commissioner Hennes questioned if the applicant has benchmarked against any other clubs that might have similar signage in similar locations. He commented that he understands the need for a larger sign due to the location on the busy highway. Planning Commission Minutes February 22, 2011 Chair Norton inquired about the zoning requirements for Mendota Plaza and The Village at Mendota Heights in relation to monument size. Mr. Grittman replied that the size limitation on these signs is not outlined in code, as they were negotiated as part of planned unit developments as the projects came forward. The Mendota Plaza sign located on Highway 110 is in the 200 to 250 square foot range. The Village at Mendota Heights has a monument marker located on Highway 110 /Dodd Road that is approximately 50 square feet. Commissioner Field noted if the applicant were to remove the monument at the entrance to the club it would reduce the request to an amendment on the size of the sign, alleviating the second request on the number of signs. Commissioner Viksnins inquired what the issues were with the recent signage request from Henry Sibley High School. Mr. Grittman replied that the focus of that discussion was more related to the electronic changeable copy than to the number of signs on the property. Chair Norton opened the public hearing. Edward Trost, Schad -Tracy Signs, representing the applicant Mendakota Country Club, stated that the country club has expressed an interest in having a sign similar to the sign at The Village at Mendota Heights. He explained that the sign becomes larger due to the length of the name to be included on the sign. He stated that the country club is fighting for members and for functions to host. The intersection of Dodd Road/Highway 110 is not residential at all, and in today's economy, especially at this type of intersection, it is important for the business to be able to promote what they do. Commissioner Hennes inquired about the planned location for the additional sign. Mr. Trost replied that the sign would be located in the planting area on the southwest corner. Commissioner Hennes suggested it would be helpful if the applicant were to provide a visual that superimposed the sign at 200 square feet in the proposed location. He inquired about the proposed sign materials. Mr. Trost discussed the proposed materials which include aluminum poles and reverse lighted channel letters. Commissioner Hennes expressed a preference for the natural look of a stone sign. Commissioner Viksnins inquired if it would be feasible to keep the general shape with raised letters proposed for the additional sign if the size were to be reduced to 100 square feet. Mr. Trost replied that this is something that could be considered, and that there is likely a happy medium that can be achieved. Commissioner Field stated it would be beneficial for the Planning Commission to be provided with a visual scaled comparison of the proposed sign in the proposed location in order to view the sign relative to the trees and open space. Commissioner Hennes suggested the applicant provide options at 100, 150, and 200 square feet in visual concept for the Planning Commission to review. Seeing no one wishing to speak, Chair Norton asked for a motion to close the public hearing. COMMISSIONER VIKSNINS MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HENNES, TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. AYES 4 NAYS 0 il Planning Commission Minutes February 22, 2011 COMMISSIONER FIELD MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HENNES, TO POSTPONE CONSIDERATION OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE SIGN REGULATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR A SECOND FREESTANDING SIGN FOR NON - RESIDENTIAL USES IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS AND TO POSTPONE CONSIDERATION OF A CUP FOR A MONUMENT SIGN; PLANNING CASE #11 -04. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS TO BE CONTINUED TO THE MARCH 22, 2011 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING WITH THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE PRESENTED BY THE APPLICANT BASED ON THE ABOVE DISCUSSION. Commissioner Hennes requested that the additional information provided by the applicant include an example of signage by another golf course located on a major highway. AYES 4 NAYS 0 Chair Norton advised the planning commission would further discuss this application at its March 22, 2011, meeting. Verbal Review Mr. Sedlacek gave the following verbal review: PLANNING CASE #11 -01 Mendota Heights Church of Christ Conditional Use Permit Approved by the city council as recommended by the planning commission. PLANNING CASE #11 -02 City of Mendota Heights Zoning Ordinance Amendment Approved by the city council as recommended by the planning commission. Mr. Sedlacek advised that 11 applicants responded to the Planning Services RFP. Four of the applicants have been recommended for interviews by the city council. Commissioner Viksnins noted a minor correction to the January 25, 2011 Minutes: Page 3, PLANNING CASE #11 -02: Acting Chair Norton advised the city council would consider this application at its Nevembe February 1, 2011, meeting. COMMISSIONER FIELD MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HENNES, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:19 P.M. AYES 4 NAYS 0 Respectfully submitted, Carol Hamer, Recording Secretary 5