09-28-2016 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Planning staff would suggest that additional screening measures be taken to the north, as well as supplemental screening to the east, to retain a screening effect in the event the neighboring tree planting fails at some point in the future. Parking/Delivery/Circulation. To the south of the building, the existing parking area will be sectioned to include customer parking on the west side of the lot, and a sales delivery and service drop-off location on the east half of the lot. The site will retain its existing driveway access point from Minnesota Avenue. The remaining parking to serve the facility consists of 84 parking spaces. Combined with the parking striping within the enclosure, a total of 110 spaces are shown. The applicants proposed to add curb around the proposed parking areas per code requirements. The current condition of the parking area is an uninterrupted expanse of asphalt between the parking area and the shared access drive along the west side of the property. That drive is also utilized for Arby’s and extends to the Aldi Foods site to the north. For a building of this size and use, the zoning ordinance requires a parking supply of 115 parking spaces. However, it would seem unlikely that this facility would generate that level of demand. The site relies on access for customer passenger vehicles to enter from the common driveway along the west boundary, and park in the parking area to the west of the site. Trucks and vehicles with trailers that are either picking up equipment or dropping off equipment for service would utilize the Minnesota Avenue driveway, circulate into the staging area, then exit back out the same way to Minnesota Avenue. Two gates are proposed to the storage area from the parking lot – one in the northwest corner of the site, north of the building, and another just east of the front of the building. Staff Comment: As noted, there appears to be more than adequate parking serving the proposed use. One option would be to eliminate the west line of parking spaces that access the common drive aisle, and create a landscaped planting bed in this area as well. This would have the effect of eliminating traffic that would back into the main access drive, and there should be adequate parking on the site without these spaces. Landscaping and Grading. The improvements to the site also include significantly increased landscaping and an outdoor equipment display area along the south boundary of the site. The City Engineer notes that the landscaping has reduced the overall site impervious surface, and would not require changes to the property’s stormwater collection system, with one note – potential erosion areas to the north should be addressed to mitigate the current conditions. The applicants should work with the engineer to verify the improvements needed to accomplish this correction. The site is extensively landscaped around the exposed portions of the parking and storage area. The plan relies on existing mature spruce trees along the rear yards of the Cobblestone Village boundary to screen the views of the residential area toward the storage yard. The Tri- State site sits slightly higher than the Cobblestone site, which helps to ensure the screening of this area.