Planning Commission

CITY OF WOODBURY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES August 2nd, 2021 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting was held at Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road on the 2nd day of August 2021. CALL TO ORDER Chair Shannon Olsen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Upon roll call the following members were present: Jennifer Nowacki, Richard Johnson, Shannon Olsen, John Jarrett, Ryan Christenson, Avin Kallenbach, Francisco Andruet and Jefferson McGough. Absent member: none Council Liaison Present: none Staff Present: Eric Searles, City Planner; Gina Gore, Associate Planner and Dan Krumwiede, Planner I DEVELOPMENT ITEMS ITEM 1: Project Belle, Rezoning, Preliminary Plat, Site and Building Plan, Project No. 01-2021- 00457 Eric Searles, Senior Planner, said Ryan Companies US, Inc. has submitted an application for Rezoning, Preliminary Plat and Site and Building Plan for an approximately 517,250 square foot office and warehouse building. Mr. Searles said the internal floor plan includes approximately 18,750 square feet of office, 498,500 square feet of warehouse as well as additional mezzanine mechanical space. Mr. Searles said the property is located at the southwest corner of Hudson Road and Manning Avenue. Mr. Searles said the proposed warehouse and office facility is identified as a permitted use in the BCD, Business Campus District and would serve as a consumer goods distribution center for satellite facilities within the metropolitan/suburban Minneapolis/St. Paul region. Mr. Searles said the facility is intended to operate multiple employee shifts staggered throughout the day with a total non-seasonal employment of approximately 500 people. Mr. Searles said the facility will have approximately 125 dock positions split between inbound and outbound traffic. Mr. Searles said trucks will enter the truck court through a secure gate on the south end of the site and will exit through a second secure gate on the north end of the site. Mr. Searles said the northeast area is over 400 acres of contagious, mostly undeveloped land located along the I-94 corridor. Mr. Searles stated that in 2009, the City adopted the AUAR as the appropriate planning document for evaluating the cumulative environmental impacts of development within the area. Mr. Searles said the AUAR was updated in both 2014 and 2019. Mr. Searles said the AUAR included multiple traffic studies which identified the needed traffic mitigation necessary to accommodate the additional vehicle trips generated by development. Mr. Searles said as part of this development review, an updated traffic study was conducted which utilized user specific data to identify transportation impacts to surrounding roadways. Mr. Searles said the study identified roadway improvements were required along Hudson Road and Manning Avenue as follows: 1. Construction of Hudson Road to a two lane divided section with turn lanes from approximately ¼ mile east of Settlers Ridge Parkway to Manning Avenue. 2. Intersection improvements and signal modifications at Hudson Road and Manning Avenue. 3. Signalization of the private access drive which serves the proposed development site and the parcel to the west. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 2 4. Need for interconnectivity between the subject parcel and future development land to the west. Mr. Searles stated to address the transportation needs of the proposed use that the current roadway network does not adequately and safely provide the roadway improvements shown in the exhibit below. Within the Planning Commission packet, the improvements are proposed to be constructed and funded privately by the Applicant to address the site prematurity from a transportation infrastructure perspective. Mr. Searles said the previously mentioned traffic studies also identify the potential need for Hudson Road to be a four lane roadway following full buildout in the northeast area. Mr. Searles stated the proposed development application will facilitate the potential construction of the four lane divided sections by providing the required ROW, grading, and necessary subgrade corrections. Mr. Searles stated the grading and subgrade corrections will occur via private construction by the Applicant. Mr. Searles stated the proposed site is required to be served by City sewer and water which is currently available to approximately ¼ of mile east of Settlers Ridge Parkway. Mr. Searles stated the Applicant is requesting to extend sanitary sewer, water and storm sewer to the east via private construction to allow the site to be served and developed. Mr. Searles stated the exhibit shown within the Planning Commission packet, identifies the location and extent of the public infrastructure extensions. Mr. Searles stated these extensions will allow for additional land area within the northeast area to be served by City utilities, which will be a catalyst for future warehouse, distribution and light industrial business development. Mr. Searles stated as part of the adoption of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the eastern half of the subject property was re-guided from Places to Shop to Places to Work. Mr. Searles stated the 2040 Comprehensive Plan identifies the following regarding the Northeast Area: “With more than 400 acres of contiguous land guided for Places to Work, the Northeast Area offers a unique opportunity to diversify the City’s job and tax base. This diversification will occur by creating a business environment that will ultimately provide office/showroom, warehouse, distribution and light industrial business that are currently underrepresented within the City’s tax base. Located adjacent to I-94, land uses in the Northeast Area will likely include businesses that benefit from proximity and access to a major freeway distribution corridor which also will provide the ability to capture a wide variety of labor from Woodbury residents, the east metropolitan area and Wisconsin. Land absorption will likely take many years due to the sheer size of the Northeast Area, which will require the City to monitor economic trends and conditions in order to deliver the high quality and diverse business environment that this Chapter envisions.” Mr. Searles stated due to the approved land use change, the modification from B-3, Planned Shopping Center to BCD, Business Campus District is warranted and required by State Law which requires zoning and land use classification to be consistent. Mr. Searles stated the proposed Preliminary Plat creates one lot and one future development outlot as identified on the chart showing on the Staff Report. Mr. Searles stated the proposed pedestrian network is designed to provide access to the trail network to be built with the upgrades to Hudson Road and a connection to the public open space to the south of the proposed use. Mr. Searles stated due to high needs for site security and control, employees of the user would access the trail network via the sidewalk system highlighted in blue on the provided graphic located in the Staff Report. Mr. Searles said the graphic provided on the Staff Report shows the creation of access point A at Hudson Road to serve the proposed use. Mr. Searles said the graphic further identifies site circulation for the proposed office and warehouse use. Mr. Searles said the areas circled in red are the proposed August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 3 guardhouses which will provide site security for trucks entering and exiting the site. Mr. Searles said both employees and the trucks will enter and exit the project at access Point A. Mr. Searles said the Zoning Ordinance identifies the minimum required parking for uses. Mr. Searles said in many cases these minimums are exceeded due to the needs of the specific user. Mr. Searles said the Zoning Ordinance identifies a minimum of one space for each employee on a maximum shift or one space for each 2,000 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater for the warehouse component and one space per 200 square feet for the office use. Mr. Searles said in this case, both of the calculation methods for the warehouse portion deliver a requirement of 250 spaces and an additional 92 spaces for the office use for a total of 342 spaces. Mr. Searles said however, the standard does not meet the business needs of the user related to shift changes and peak hiring times. Mr. Searles said due to this specific business need, the Applicant is requesting to construct 508 stalls. Mr. Searles said staff is supportive of the additional stalls as it addresses the business needs related to shift changes and also allows for flexibility in the future if the user were to change and additional office square footage were to be added as part of a conversion to a multi-tenant use of the structure. Mr. Searles said the proposed site plan contains significant areas for truck loading and staging with parking for over 450 trucks onsite. Mr. Searles said to mitigate the visual impacts of this portion of the warehouse and distribution use, the Applicant and City staff have developed a robust screening plan which includes berming and landscaping to address the visual impacts of the truck/loading areas from public view. Mr. Searles said the graphic shown on the page six of the Staff Report shows the proposed grading plan with the location of the extensive site berming highlighted in green. Mr. Searles said to ensure the trucks parking and loading areas were adequately screened by the 15-20’ onsite berms, the following graphic simulations were prepared which can be viewed in the Staff Report. Mr. Searles said in 2010, following the adoption of the AUAR, the City entered into a Pre-Development Agreement with Dale Properties. Mr. Searles said the agreement identified the acquisition of the land for Prairie Ridge Park through a combination of pre-development parkland dedication and open space acquisition. Mr. Searles said via the same agreement, the City also preserved a 13.57 acre parcel for tree preservation and wetland protection in the southwest corner of the northeast area adjacent to the multi- family area to the south of Hudson Road. Mr. Searles said due to the previous transaction, the parkland dedication requirement for this application has been met. Mr. Searles said industrial and warehouse buildings not located immediately adjacent to the interstate shall be constructed of 65 percent Class I and II materials. Mr. Searles said the design of the building can be broken into the two functions, office and warehouse. Mr. Searles said the office area is located along the western elevation and is designed with storefront windows and differing form liner panels to provide visual interest. Mr. Searles said the warehouse portion of the building uses differing colors and textures of precast to break up the length and scale of the structure. Mr. Searles said furthermore, the precast panels include shallow recesses to create addition variation and shadow lines along the exterior facades. Mr. Searles said the proposed Class I and II materials exceed the ordinance requirements. Mr. Searles said the City Code requires stormwater management be provided to meet water quantity, infiltration, and water quality requirements. Mr. Searles said the application identifies the construction of multiple stormwater basins to serve the proposed site as well as the needed public roadway infrastructure to serve the project. Mr. Searles said a neighborhood meeting was held on July 22, 2021 with three (3) residents in attendance. Mr. Searles said questions were raised regarding the following topics: August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 4  Timeline for improvements  General project information Mr. Searles said Staff recommends approval of the Rezoning, Preliminary Plat and Site and Building Plan, Project No. 01-2021-00445, for Project Belle subject to the following conditions outlined in the Staff Report. Chair Shannon Olsen asked if the applicant or anyone from the audience would like to speak on this item. The Applicant, Dan Mueller was in the audience. Dan Mueller, Vice President with Ryan Companies thanked the Commission and added a few bullet points about what is happening inside the facility and operation. Mr. Mueller advised details on Project Belle regarding details inside the building and said he was happy to answer any questions. Chair Shannon Olsen asked if there were any questions received virtual or in person. There were none. She then opened the discussion to the Commission. Commissioner Jennifer Nowacki asked about the fencing around the site and asked if it was on the low side of the berm and how tall it was. Mr. Searles stated it was located on the bottom side of the berm and reached a maximum height of eight feet. Ms. Nowacki asked if there were any trees on the site that are remaining or replanted. Mr. Searles stated on the southern portion there will be an area where trees will be preserved. Mr. Searles said in the middle portion there unfortunately will be an area where trees will need to be removed as part of the construction but the city’s ordinance does have tree replacement calculations that will have to be met. They will attempt to replant them onsite but is more likely be unable to fully meet the ordinance requirements and therefore the ordinance allows for either payment in lieu and there is a calculation identification within where those dollars go to the city and the city can use those on future tree planting projects or there is an opportunity to plant them which is potentially some of the other public infrastructure projects within the area including the Hudson road project. Mr. Searles said overall they will need to meet the tree replacement requirements as identified within the code. Ms. Nowacki asked about the eastern side of the property because there’s a homestead there currently some plans state it will remain and others do not. Ms. Nowacki asked the status on the homestead. Mr. Searles said that homestead is under contract so it is anticipated that it will be included as part of the overall development and will not remain. Ms. Nowacki asked overnight parking and if there would be truck parking on site. The Applicant stated that it is a 24 hour operation so there would be activity in the truck court and employee parking as well. Mr. Muller said they did a nice job with screening to buffer that disruption the best that they can. Ms. Nowacki asked if there would be trucks there with overnight sleeping for an eight hour time period or will they come unload and move out right away. Mr. Mueller stated it would be a short window from the time they come and when they go so there will not be overnight sleeping or anyone staying on site. Ms. Nowacki asked about the plans showing smoking shelters on the north south and west side and asked what they will look like. Mr. Searles explained that the appearance would be similar to a bus shelter. Ms. Nowacki asked if there were just glass. Mr. Searles said they were just glass. Ms. Nowacki if the three guard center would be in the overall class one requirement. Mr. Searles said that those would be viewed as accessory structures and by code those are required to have August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 5 complementary materials as the principle building but they would not be counted as part of the wall area. Richard Johnson asked about conditions 12 and 15 and asked if there was a difference between the use of the word shall or the word should or is it the same thing. Mr. Searles said generally speaking we do use the word shall in the back part of 12 and over four feet in height that is a requirement within the building and city code so that “should” is not as critical but generally speaking you will see within our conditions a “shall” if it is a requirement. Mr. Johnson asked if Mr. Searles saw anything there that needed to be addressed tonight. Mr. Searles stated he did not. Mr. Johnson asked about the rezoning and it affecting the eastern portion of this and does this conclude the need to rezone for a while or will there be more of these. Mr. Searles said this quadrant is business campus district on the west side and on the east side it is B3 so as you move to the west of this application those properties are BCD so they are set up for the types of uses that are contemplated within the comprehensive plan. Mr. Johnson asked to what degree has the Commission talked and coordinated this with Afton to the east of this development plan. Mr. Searles said Afton was notified as part of this application and we have not had conversations with the City. Mr. Johnson asked about the water side of this project and stated this was one of the larger projects that he had been a part of since on the Commission and we have something which is a half a mile east to west as a development and he knows we have really good guidelines on infiltration basins and those kinds of things but is curious about overland water movement and how would that be affected by putting a building there. Mr. Searles said the property is regulated by the City of Woodbury and also the Valley Branch Watershed district and said this is an area with significant standards as it relates to drainage. Mr. Searles said the eastern side does include some nurp ponding as well as basins on the west side. Mr. Searles said generally speaking the water moves from west to east and at that point there is a sophisticated stormwater system that meters the flow out back into the drainage patterns to the east. Mr. Johnson asked about the trail connection and asked if that would be on the east or west side of the road. Mr. Searles stated that it would most likely be on the west side. Mr. Johnson asked for help understanding how trucks would move from the freeway onto this property and what the expected flow of traffic would be. Mr. Searles stated that within the staff report there was a traffic study which was conducted and predominantly the movement that is anticipated is coming from interstate 94 to Manning Avenue heading south along Manning Avenue and then heading west bound on Hudson Road into the facility. Mr. Searles said upon departure the trucks would go east bound on Hudson Road and the majority of the vehicles would go eastbound along Hudson road back to the interstate. Mr. Jarrett asked about the staff size and that it was said there would be 500 to 1000 employees and asked if that was three shifts or two shifts 24 hours a day is it two ten hour shifts and how does that workout. The Applicant, Mr. Mueller stated it would be two hour shifts during non-peak times and three during peak season. Mr. Jarrett advised that the parking could exceed if you had employees driving. Mr. Mueller said that there is not a hard shift change as they are staggered throughout the day. Mr. Mueller said the count is appropriate for the number of folks on site each day as this is a typical prototype they have built all over the country so there isn’t any over subscribing to the parking spaces. Mr. Jarrett asked if they rely on shuttle busses or buses from inter-mobile transportation of some kind as there isn’t a flow on this site if you are going to be providing shuttle buses how do they flow through the employee parking area in the front of the building. Mr. Mueller said there is a planned bus drop off August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 6 route on the west side which circles and has an in depth study for these sites that show movement for busses to come in and drop off and safe walking zones from the office space to the bus drop off areas. Mr. Jarrett asked if they were contemplating on whether the shuttle buses will not be dropping off immediately in front of the building or the office portion and would be dropped off in the parking areas. Mr. Mueller advised that was correct. Mr. Jarrett asked if there would be crosswalks marked or something for those employees. Mr. Mueller said the parking is laid out with safety in mind and separation from the semi traffic and bus traffic within the parking area as well. Mr. Jarrett asked if the shelters were constructed with the same as the smoking shelters. Mr. Mueller said they are constructed with a similar design. Mr. Jarrett asked what the lighting would be like during the evening. Mr. Mueller said there is a lighting plan within the packet that shows exactly the extent of where the light goes. Mr. Jarrett asked about an outdoor space for employees and are the employees allowed to have lunch breaks outside or a place for truck drivers to wait outside when being transitioned to another vehicle. Mr. Mueller said there is a robust indoor space for employees to take breaks and said there isn’t currently green space contemplated right now for lunch or break areas. Mr. Mueller said there are pathways that connect and a nice green space just to the south of the city preserve area. Mr. Jarrett asked about green services for this facility and they have substantial hard surface areas and wondered if there is an option to have solar be considered for the roof. Mr. Mueller said the roof is structured for future solar panels to be set up in the future. Mr. Mueller said there are a number of sustainability effort they are going through such as the internal operations being 100 percent electric, HVAC, forklifts etc. Mr. Mueller said there is reuse in the stormwater facilities. Mr. Searles stated one additional item that was meant to be provided as part of his presentation is that the site does offer over 60 electric vehicle charging stations for the facility and ten large vehicle charging stations which are significantly higher than we normally see. Mr. Jarrett asked if they were anticipating all vehicle, shuttle buses would be used or would there be any pedestrian activity for people arriving on bike or any other drop off sites that would handle this flow. Mr. Mueller said there is bike parking in storage for the facility but bus routes and car parks would be the main use for transportation to this facility. Mr. Jarrett said he is stuck on this outdoor space and due to the large size of the building and the city has worked very hard to recruit large employers who like State Farm have left us with a very large building for ten years with really no means to repurpose that. Mr. Jarrett said the outdoor and greenspace with all of these docks have the reuse of the building been considered long term. Mr. Mueller said it is a long-term tenant typically 10 to 15 years and the building would work quite well for muli-tenant purpose and showed a graphic in the plans showing how they would subdivide the space in the event the client no longer occupied the space. Mr. Jarrett asked what the long-term commitment between the tenant company and the city. Mr. Searles said there is no public financing with this project as part of the application so the city does not have a contractual obligation for jobs as it is privately funded as part of their infrastructure planning. Mr. Searles answered regarding the previous question Mr. Jarrett asked regarding the State Farm building and some of the challenges the city had leasing that building is the exact reason the graphic of repurposing was designed and prepared as we wanted to make sure some of the decisions we made in the Site Plan wouldn’t box us in if this were to change and said we are hopeful that this user is along for many decades but did this to prepare for the future as business uses and needs change. Mr. Jarrett asked about the potential solar for the roof and asked if the parapet would be high enough on this building to also be screened. Mr. Mueller said the parapet height is 45 feet so from a perspective August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 7 of angle the overlap from the building height would have fairly good angles blocking if from view and could certainly look into that further. Mr. Jarrett explained that there are some higher level residential buildings not far away so is trying to get a perspective on what is actually going to be seen on this rooftop. Mr. Jarrett said the screening from the road is fantastic but what would it look like if you go up a few stories. Mr. Jarrett asked if that precast was similar to the Home Furniture building. Mr. Searles said that is an early utilization on the Home Furniture and has been refined for many years. Mr. Searles said the Kindeva is a good example of what some of these materials can do, also the Healtheast Sports Center is another good example of the texture but would be a different color. Mr. Searles said by exposing aggregate and by doing different finishes and different reveals you can change the shadow lines and views to provide visual interest. Mr. Jarrett thanked the staff for the hard work. Avin Kallenbach asked about the minimum parking required for the city and if there was a maximum parking. Mr. Searles said that there is not a max parking established in code but would anticipate that during our next review of parking requirements that will be a dialog on whether there should be a maximum. Ms. Kallenbach asked how we have gone up in stalls for this project. Mr. Searles said some of the things Dan stated on the sustainability side and preparing for solar on this building is significant and the level that the EV facilities are provided would have conversations on increased number of parking spaces regarding sustainability or public benefits it would meet that future intent. Ryan Christenson asked what the sheer number of trucks will be seen going down Settlers Ridge and what it will look like. Mr. Mueller said based off of the per hour number it would be 120-140 a day. Mr. Searles said the vast majority of the trucks will be heading east. Mr. Christenson asked if Manning Avenue was a main corridor for Settlers Ridge and Dancing Waters residents to get to 94. Mr. Searles said we will see as Eastview Road is extended to Manning Avenue that will start to serve as a way in for the residential property owners within the northeast portion of Woodbury. Mr. Searles said we do anticipate that pattern changing over time which is a few years away before that extension occurs so in the meantime the signalization improvements at Manning Avenue and Hudson Road and others will provide adequate traffic infrastructure for a number of years. Mr. Christenson said given the number of trucks in related to air pollution and what the company was doing to ensure proper air. Mr. Mueller said they do have a significant time constraint from when the trucks are loaded and pulling in and out of the facility to try and eliminate some of that. Jefferson McGough asked about the berms and landscaping being used and was it decided by the company that berming was better to use and the reasoning behind that. Mr. Searles said there is a significant knoll on this site of material and that material will be used for the onsite berming surrounding the site and was a design goal to soften the visual impact of the significant truck parking and docks for the public view. Mr. McGough asked about Hudson Road and if that would be two lanes each way or one lane. Mr. Searles said it would be one lane and advised on future possibilities if expansion. Question from online viewer read by Eric Searles. When is Hudson Road expected to be expanded to four lanes given that is being graded to make that possible. Mr. Searles advised that it is unknown on whether Hudson Road would be extended to four lanes and that is really decided and driven by the development patterns of the northeast area and studies do show that sometime in 2035 or 2040 that may be necessary but there is a lot of assumptions. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 8 Mr. McGough asked with the increased workforce has the city discussed possible bus lines of any sort. Mr. Searles said that is something that is in discussion on the development side and as this type of employment center occurs transit does have historic practice of providing feeder routes and does anticipate that will be further discussed given this project. Mr. Andruet asked if the road extension was done, where would it stop and would it create a bottle neck situation. Mr. Searles provided a graphic showing the design to prevent a bottle neck situation. Ms. Olsen asked if this was a project that had to go through the environmental review process. Mr. Searles confirmed it did go through the environmental review process with the AUAR process in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Ms. Olsen asked what the speed limit was on Hudson Road. Mr. Searles said the speed is 50 mph. Ms. Olsen asked if the trucks that are exiting on the section marked A and if that would be a right turn only on green type of exit signage or will there be an acceleration lane. Mr. Searles said that is a full signalized access point and free right movement as traffic allows. Ms. Olsen asked with the distance between access point A and Manning would a truck be able to get up to a 50 mph speed limit in that distance. Mr. Searles advised that would be highly unlikely. Ms. Olsen asked if there could be some consideration of dropping the speed limit there as well. Mr. Searles said that one of the things you will see during peak times is the characteristics of the roadway network will likely drop. Mr. Searles said however as you’re decelerating in that area whether in a truck or a personal vehicle you are likely decelerating in that area anyway. Ms. Olsen asked if we could require the client to only have the trucks use Manning mandated. Mr. Searles said based on the travel time in and out on Woodbury Drive that it won’t be required and it would happen naturally. Ms. Olsen asked if road deterioration would be large in this area and if the tenant would be required to pay a portion of the street assessment. Mr. Searles said there is no contemplation right now within the process to speak about future repairs or future improvements but would be fully constructed to handle this type of traffic. Ms. Olsen suggested reconsidering the company being liable for some of those costs of the road repair as they will have significant impact on the road. Ms. Olsen asked if the large area for the employees would the larger lap around the facility be trucks only. Mr. Searles said yes. Ms. Olsen asked if they would be marked one way. Mr. Searles said they are not marked one way but the site will certainly route them back towards the exit. Ms. Olsen asked if the traffic study took into consideration different types of vehicles. Mr. Searles said the breakdown of the traffic study does identify the anticipated volume of larger vehicles, passenger vehicles and opportunities for transit are all components to those studies. Ms. Olsen asked about trucks idle while they are parked. Mr. Mueller said he would have to get back to her regarding that question. Ms. Olsen said she would recommend that trucks are not able to idle or we will see more oxford and ozone increase in those areas. Ms. Olsen asked if the berming was designed with the potential redesign of Hudson Road. Mr. Searles confirmed. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 9 Ms. Olsen asked what a middle mile facility was and what that meant. Mr. Mueller explained in detail the different names and meanings for the sites. Ms. Olsen asked how the construction on Manning impact the timeline of the construction for this site. Mr. Searles stated there could be a minor amount of overlap but the activity along Manning should be completed by the state shortly. Ms. Olsen asked if there has been discussion on noise pollution. Mr. Searles said we have toured a number of business parks and one of the things that we noticed as part of that is how quiet of a use they are. Mr. Searles said that we have spoken to staff from other communities the staggered times for these business uses are significant with shift changes that don’t occur at the same time. Ms. Olsen asked if there are any wetlands that they are going to take and if so what mitigation processes will be put in place to ensure the quality of wetlands. Mr. Searles presented a map showing the wetlands that would be preserved by the watershed district and said no other impacts are identified. Ms. Olsen asked when the sizing of the stormwater basins that are needed to serve this site are the more updated climate change and higher storm rates at a more frequent basis when designing these. Mr. Searles said the stormwater events were updated two years ago to reflect the one percent rain. Mr. Searles said the two-year rain event went up as well and we do track those closely and the proposal in front of you does reflect those new standards. John Jarrett had another question regarding the rezoning to the BCD and asked to refresh his memory and what would be happening to the east of manning and will it leave a checkerboard in different zones or should we look at a broader area having more flexibility in zoning. Mr. Searles stated as part of the Comprehensive Plan the entire northeast area was looked at for highest or best use. Mr. Searles said as part of that what was affirmed was continuing to have a B3 or planned shopping center retail type uses at the corner really sets up from the highest and best use opportunities for some service retail especially when we see additional places to work at this location. Mr. Jarrett asked if the future extension of Eastview Road is considered residential right now. Mr. Searles said that it was all R4 residential. Mr. Jarrett asked if we do have continuity of zoning throughout the quadrant there. Mr. Searles stated he believes so. Mr. Christianson asked about construction traffic and having the same pattern from 94 to manning to Hudson Road when going in and out. Mr. Mueller confirmed that was correct. Mr. Christianson asked if the land west and south was owned by Ryan Companies first development rights. Mr. Mueller said immediately to the west was not. Ms. Olsen asked if Mr. Searles wanted to address anything on the rendering. Mr. Searles said the same property owner owns the property in front of you today that will be transacted to the Applicant if this moves forward and closes so it was important to us to look at some of those opportunities for interconnectivity. Mr. Searles said it really allows for seamless function of both Hudson Road at that signalized intersection that is proposed in this location and the function works really well and how much public function is needed. MOTION: Jennifer Nowacki moved to approve Project Belle, Rezoning, Preliminary Plat and Site and Building Plan subject to the conditions as outlined in the Staff Report. SECOND: Ryan Christenson VOTING: All in Favor: All Voting Present Against: None Absent: None August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 10 ITEM 2: Famous Dave’s Redevelopment, Amended Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit, and Site and Building Plan, Project No. 09-2021-00454 Mr. Krumwiede said Launch Properties has submitted an application for an Amended Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit and Site and Building Plan for the redevelopment of the Famous Dave’s restaurant site. Mr. Krumwiede said the Applicant is proposing to remove the existing building at 1914 Donegal Drive and construct a new 2,164 square foot drive-thru coffee use and a 5,000 square foot multi-tenant retail/restaurant building. Mr. Krumwiede said the property is located east of Radio Drive and north of Valley Creek Road. Mr. Krumwiede said the property is zoned CC, City Center District and is guided as City Center on the Land Use Plan. Mr. Krumwiede said the existing building was constructed in 1995 after the Reliance City Center Planned Unit Development (PUD) was approved. Mr. Krumwiede said during the PUD process, the Applicant received approval for the general site design, building locations, building heights, parking, drive isles, green space and lighting. Mr. Krumwiede said Famous Dave’s vacated the building in 2021 and now leases space in the Cowboy Jack’s building off of Woodlane Drive. Mr. Krumwiede said the Reliance City Center PUD identified the type and number of permitted and Conditional Uses within the development. Mr. Krumwiede said the original PUD remains in full force and effect. Mr. Krumwiede said the modification within this proposal is to add two new buildings and a drive-thru use. Mr. Krumwiede said the existing findings of fact for the Reliance City Center PUD remain in full force and effect. Mr. Krumwiede said a Conditional Use Permit is required for all planned unit developments located within the CC, City Center District. City Code Section 24-43 outlines the guidelines for granting a Conditional Use Permit. Mr. Krumwiede said to please reference the attached draft resolution for the required findings of fact. Mr. Krumwiede said vehicular access to the site is provided by a private driveway from Donegal Drive, directly north of the signalized intersection at Valley Creek Road. Mr. Krumwiede said this access point serves the proposed site, the bank and the adjacent multi-tenant retail. It is anticipated that traffic generated by the proposed use will be more than the previous restaurant user with modifications provided at the intersection of Donegal Drive and the private drive as shown below. Mr. Krumwiede said the proposed improvements will mitigate the transportation impacts of the proposed use. Mr. Krumwiede said the Zoning Ordinance requires commercial buildings to be constructed with 65 percent Class I materials which includes brick, glass and stone. The Applicant is proposing to construct the Starbucks building out of 69 percent Class I materials and the multi-tenant building out of 71 percent Class I materials. Mr. Krumwiede said the two buildings shall have architectural consistency throughout the entire project by using complementary architectural features and materials on all buildings, which includes stone and brick. Mr. Krumwiede said the Applicant is proposing to remove 16 trees to facilitate drive-thru and stormwater improvements. Mr. Krumwiede said they are also proposing to add 34 trees and 70 shrubs as identified on the landscaping plan that complements the existing landscaping found onsite. Mr. Krumwiede said the stormwater basins have significant plantings, which will help soften the impact of a drive-thru. Mr. Krumwiede said low-level plantings along the drive-thru will also be required to soften the impact of the headlights, as shown in green below. Additional trees will be planted along the stormwater feature at the northern portion of the site. Mr. Krumwiede said for retail uses, the Zoning Ordinance requires one (1) stall per 185 square feet, or 27 stalls. However, additional parking is proposed to allow for the opportunity to market the multi- August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 11 tenant building to restaurant users. Mr. Krumwiede said for a class II restaurant, ordinance requires one (1) stall for every two (2) seats and one (1) stall per employee or 25 stalls. Between the two uses, 52 stalls will be required. Furthermore, a minimum of 10 stacking spaces are required for a drive-thru use. Mr. Krumwiede said the Applicant is proposing to provide 63 stalls with the redevelopment and the drive-thru has stacking space for 14 vehicles. Mr. Krumwiede said an island was also strategically located at the exit point of the drive thru lane to minimize conflicting vehicle movements. Mr. Krumwiede said stormwater management for the site will be designed to meet quality, quantity and rate control requirements. The applicant is proposing two infiltration basins. Mr. Krumwiede said the first one is on the west of the drive through and adjacent to Radio Drive and second one is south of the drive-thru. Mr. Krumwiede said the Applicant is also proposing to expand increase the capacity of the existing pond to the north of the building to meet quantity requirements. Mr. Krumwiede said these systems shall be fully reviewed and approved prior to the issuance of demolition and land disturbance permits. Mr. Krumwiede said staff recommends approval of the Amended Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit and Site and Building Plan, Project No. 09-2021-00454, for Famous Dave’s Redevelopment, subject to the following conditions outlined in the Staff Report. Mr. Krumwiede said staff and the Applicant are available for any questions. Chair Shannon Olsen asked if the applicant or anyone from the audience would like to speak on this item. Dan Regan with Launch Properties discussed the details about the project and background. Mr. Regan talked about the differences in restaurants due to COVID-19 and shifting to new ways of delivering food. Mr. Regan gave information on other developments that they have been working on for redevelopment opportunities. Mr. Reagan thanked the Commissioners and Staff and said he was available for any questions. Ms. Olsen then opened the discussion to the Commission. Jennifer Nowacki asked if there was a number of drive-through locations permitted per development area. Mr. Searles responded by stating generally Planned Unit Developments identify a maximum number of drive-through that serve class two restaurants. Mr. Searles said that doesn’t generally identify the number of drive-through overall. Ms. Nowacki asked if the entrance to the drive-through and the road to the north and where that comes from and if it comes from the banks drive-through. Mr. Searles said the entrance to the location is to the west of their drive-through. Ms. Nowacki asked if the buildings would be constructed at the same time or was one going to be first. Mr. Regan said it is their intent to build the vertical improvements at the same time just because a delay would prevent easy access. Ms. Nowacki asked if the trash location has been decided yet. Mr. Krumwiede pointed on the Site Plan where the trash area was located. Ms. Nowacki asked if the Starbucks in Kowalski’s staying. Mr. Searles said the use in Kowalski’s will remain. Ms. Nowacki said frequenting that area I don’t feel like the access on Donegal will solve the traffic situation but may help. Ms. Nowacki named the businesses in the area having similar time overlapping and asked if the city has looked into anything to upgrade Donegal Drive both from a visual standpoint as well as general upgrades to that area. Mr. Searles said there are a couple of physical restraints and also a couple things that under today’s development patterns you would see things looking different and right now seeing the two access points not lining up are site plans that are reviewed now have those line up of have them significantly separated. Mr. Searles said the access point to the north isn’t what we wanted to be but you can see there’s some existing vegetation and ponding that doesn’t allow us to re- orient that access point easily. Mr. Searles said he did look at some of the intersection components that August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 12 will provide additional stacking and hopefully some additional deliberate movements at the intersection that will allow the intersection to operate at a higher level. Ms. Nowacki asked if there was no way to make the access road straight instead of curving because of the ponding area. Mr. Searles confirmed. Richard Johnson asked how they make the parking lot more welcoming to pedestrians. Mr. Searles said they have the existing trail on Valley Creek Road into the parking area where there will be striping for pedestrians within the trash enclosure as well as other areas to ensure safe pedestrian movement. Mr. Johnson asked if we do any studies in the city that look at pedestrian and bike movement within areas of the city and how that changes over time. Mr. Searles stated absolutely. Mr. Searles said a few months ago the bike and pedestrian plan was brought to the Commission and also the Parks Commission and that was that exercise and a very thorough investigation asking residents where do they identify gaps and where are destinations they want to go to that they can’t currently get to. Mr. Searles said it does show other forms of transportation increasing over time as well. Mr. Searles said that is helping to change from a car parking lot into more innovative pedestrian movement. John Jarrett said he mirrors the concerns about pedestrian movements through here as the parking lot is awkward. Mr. Jarrett said it looks very disconnected as they have to walk all around to get to the area. Mr. Jarrett asked if it was possible to have two locations that connect to the sidewalk system and have one closer to the coffee shop off of Valley Creek Road. Mr. Searles said that is where they looked for an additional access point, at the back of the parking spaces and our concerns were that point was right at the pickup window and that is the point of the most distraction so we were not comfortable of delivering pedestrians to that conflicted area. Mr. Searles said we were comfortable putting it further to the east which is a movement stand point that will drive traffic with signage etc. to move traffic to the south. Mr. Searles said it is a distance of about eighty feet as you move through that site. Mr. Jarrett asked if they looked at possibly moving that island so that the exit of the driveline could continue straight instead of looping. Mr. Searles said they did and what they didn’t like was people driving straight instead of turning which is a calming method if the consumer follows the signage. Mr. Jarrett asked if there would be wayfinding on the island with an arrow pointing to the south directing traffic. Mr. Searles confirmed at the exit and within the island. Mr. Jarrett said he noticed in condition number twenty four to remove the ship ladder from the rear of the building on the coffee structure and asked if it was the size of the structure and not being able to put an interior ladder or access door or equipment that needs to be accessed from the roof and what is the intent of the ship ladder. Mr. Regan stated that the ship ladders are intended for maintenance technicians on the roof to do quarterly rooftop inspections. Mr. Regan said in buildings this size the ship ladders are usually on the exterior. Mr. Jarrett asked if the notch could be moved to the north side so that it doesn’t break the site line across the roof. Mr. Regan said the west side is more accessible but can look into that and come up with the safest place to put it where it is visually appealing. Mr. Jarrett asked about the shared patio area and asked if it would be two separate divisions or will the multi-tenant not need an outside space. Mr. Regan said it would be shared and they will have an operations maintenance plan in order as to how that area is maintained and utilized. Avin Kallenbach asked how access in and out of the site would be handled at construction. Mr. Searles said it is anticipated that site construction will come in off of Donegal Drive which is a controlled intersection that will provide controlled access and site control and safety on site during construction. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 13 Ms. Kallenbach asked if there was a plan on recycling after demolition. Mr. Reagan said it is standard practice today to utilize and separate materials for recycling. Ms. Kallenbach said there will be three Starbucks on Valley Creek Road. Mr. Searles said we have unique trade areas as the city continues to grow and the facility in Kowalski’s serves a different customer space. Mr. Christenson asked where the driveway exit is and being it is the exit of the banks drive-through and has the city looked into signage to prevent lines blocking the way out of the bank. Mr. Searles said the east west drive that goes into the private drive and generally we have seen private signage be placed where the entrances and exits are. Mr. Searles said in this case it could stack in peak times into that private drive but what we did like was that dedicated drive provided a lengthy stacking area before getting into the public street. Jefferson McGough asked what the advantages were in of having multiple buildings instead of just one. Mr. Regan said it is the ability to provide the commonly shared patio space is appealing for a wide universe of perspective tenants. Mr. Reagan said what they are designing these days is buildings that are appealing to the wide variety of tenants and end spots are appealing. Ms. Olsen asked how many cars can be stacked before it goes into the public area. Mr. Krumwiede stated fourteen. Ms. Olsen asked if it was wide enough to have a bypass lane. Mr. Krumwiede said it was not wide enough. Ms. Olsen asked if there were any cross street easements for parking on the neighbors parking. Mr. Regan said there is three separate owners and has had several meetings with them to coordinate things to get everyone on board. Mr. Regan said they do have shared parking arrangements to make sure things function properly. MOTION: Richard Johnson moved to approve the Famous Dave’s Redevelopment, Amended Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit, and Site and Building Plan Project No. 09-21-00454 subject to conditions as outlined in the Staff Report. SECOND: Avin Kallenbach VOTING: All in Favor: All Voting Present Against: None Absent: None ITEM 3: 748 Bielenberg Medical Office, Site and Building Plan, Project No. 05-2021-00453 Eric Searles stated MSP Commercial has submitted an application for Site and Building Plan approval to construct a medical office building within the Tamarack Hills development. Eric Searles stated the property is located at the northwest corner of Tamarack Road and Bielenberg Drive and is zoned GW, Gateway District. Eric Searles stated the property is guided as Gateway on the Land Use Plan. Eric Searles stated at their November 29, 2006, meeting City Council approved the Tamarack Hills II Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit and Preliminary Plat. Eric Searles stated during the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process the Applicant received approval for the general site design, building locations, building heights, parking, drive aisles, entrance locations, pedestrian connections, storm water facilities, green space, tree impacts and lighting. Eric Searles stated the approved PUD permitted 10 buildings on 32.1 acres totaling 288,122 square feet. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 14 Eric Searles stated the Applicant is proposing to construct a multi-tenant medical office building measuring approximately 30,000 square feet. Eric Searles stated the original PUD identified a 33,000 square foot office building on this site. Eric Searles stated this application is consistent with the original approvals. Eric Searles stated access points to this site were established with the Tamarack Hills II PUD. Eric Searles stated the primary access to the site is at the signalized intersection north of La Quinta. Vehicular access is provided via internal private driveways as shown in the graphic on the next page. Eric Searles stated these access points and driveways required a cross easement and access agreements to be filed for the development. Eric Searles stated pedestrian access to the site is provided by internal sidewalks that run in front of all the buildings starting at the La Quinta. Eric Searles stated due to parking requirements and stormwater management, there are no sidewalks on the main drive aisle. As part of the Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit project, a trail is proposed to be installed along the west side of Bielenberg Drive. Eric Searles stated upon installation, staff will work with property owners to determine the location of feasible sidewalk connections to this trail. Eric Searles stated parking for the development was reviewed and approved as part of the Planned Unit Development approval. Eric Searles stated office uses require one (1) stall per 215 square feet of floor area or 144 parking stalls. Eric Searles stated the Applicant is proposing to install 113 stalls in addition to the six (6) stalls that were completed with adjacent development. Eric Searles stated the remaining 36 stalls are achieved through cross parking easements with properties to the north and west. Eric Searles stated as a whole the Tamarack Hills II project is parked in accordance with ordinance requirements with cross easement agreements necessary to allow for the shared parking, as demonstrated by this graphic. Eric Searles stated the full size graphic is attached to the Staff Report. Eric Searles stated the PUD approval identified that all ten (10) buildings in the PUD will utilize complementary building materials to create a uniform development theme. Eric Searles stated it is further required for each of the buildings to be constructed of brick, glass and stone to meet the Class I material requirement on at least 65 percent of each building. Eric Searles stated the Applicant is proposing to construct this building of 67.4 percent Class I materials with stone to match the office building to the north. Eric Searles stated prior to the issuance of a building permit, the Applicant shall review EIFs, brick and stone colors to complement the restaurant to the west and other buildings within the PUD. Eric Searles stated initial stormwater management has been reviewed and approved with previous applications. Eric Searles stated site stormwater moves through two storm water ponds and two infiltration basins located on the western part of the site. Eric Searles stated the Applicant is also proposing to construct an underground infiltration system accompanied by a series of manholes and rain guardian drains in order to capture the additional volume that was modeled for the past stormwater requirements. Eric Searles stated the ordinance requires all commercial projects to install 25 percent canopy coverage. To meet this requirement, the Applicant is proposing to install 19 trees. Eric Searles stated the other landscape enhancements proposed are over 350 shrubs and 200 perennials, along the building and in parking median areas similar to what other projects within the development have done. Eric Searles stated prior to the issuance of a land disturbance permit, staff shall review and approve the final landscape plan and canopy coverage requirements. Eric Searles stated staff recommends approval of the 748 Bielenberg Medical Office Site and Building Plan, Project No. 05-2021-00453, subject to the following conditions outlined in the Staff Report. Mr. Searles said the Applicant is on hand for any questions. August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 15 Chair Shannon Olsen asked if the applicant or anyone from the audience would like to speak on this item. Alex Young with MSP Commercial thanked the Commission and gave information on the project and other developments they have in the area. Mr. Young said he was happy to answer any questions that anyone may have. Ms. Olsen then opened the discussion to the Commission. Avin Kallenbach asked about the parking stalls and if it were correct. Mr. Searles said he would have to recalculate and said if his memory serves the 233 number sticks in his head. Mr. Searles said the important part is the parking involved would meet the requirements. Ms. Kallenbach asked if the traffic would be affected due to the lane size. Mr. Searles stated all of the existing and future uses that are identified and the three new buildings were a part of the initial traffic projections for the Tamarack interchange and for Bielenberg Drive. Mr. Jarrett said he had the same concern about the parking stalls and thanked Mr. Searles for the clarification. Mr. Jarrett asked if this Planned Unit Development has been reviewed many times and was it necessary to be reviewed again. Mr. Searles said the Planned Unit Development is not in front of you tonight but the Site Plan is. Richard Johnson asked what the specifics of the Gateway District drives. Mr. Searles said the presence of stone for material also enhanced landscaping and green space. Mr. Johnson asked if the East and the South side had windows and doors and asked if they were functional. Mr. Young said it would be up to the tenants but thinks some of them would just be used for trash disposal. Mr. Johnson asked where the building relates to the stops on the bus line. Mr. Searles said the closest site stop would be just to the north. Mr. Johnson asked about the shared parking and what the peak time of usage for the three uses. Mr. Searles said the happy hour peak for the restaurant around 4 pm time period. Mr. Searles said when they are under parked they are normally five to ten percent of the spaces and nothing more than that on a normal site so adding more stalls to the east and north the experience seen by The Tavern will be normalized. Mr. Nowacki asked if The Tavern parking been normalized with the reserve parking and when this is built would it normalize further. Mr. Searles said the site perform better and the operations improved. Ms. Olsen asked about the trash enclosure area and how would you access that from the trash pickup truck point of view. Mr. Young said there was a small utility drive between the two buildings and that was the way it was intended. Mr. Young said his dumpsters will be rolled out of a climate controlled area. MOTION: Jennifer Nowacki moved to approve the 748 Bielenberg Medical Office, Site and Building Plan, Project No. 05-2021-00453 subject to conditions as outlined in the Staff Report. SECOND: Avin Kallenbach VOTING: All in Favor: All Voting Present Against: None Absent: none August 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Page 16 APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Jennifer Nowacki moved to approve the minutes of the Planning Commission held on July 12th, 2021 meeting as submitted. SECOND: John Jarrett VOTING: All in Favor: All Voting Present Against: None Absent: None ADJOURNMENT TO WORKSHOP The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.