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<br /> <br />Firm Ground Architects 612.819.1835 <br /> <br />275 Market Street, Suite 368 info@firmgroundae.com <br />Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405 www.firmgroundae.com <br /> <br />Site Plan Variance Request Narrative <br />Background of Lapham-Hickey Steel <br />Lapham-Hickey is a regional steel fabricator with multiple locations in the Midwest area. Founded in <br />Chicago in 1926 they are ranked as one of the top 30 Service Centers in the USA. They supply a variety <br />of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous materials. Over the years, they have added value added services such as cut <br />to length, Oxy Fuel/Plasma cutting and surface conditioning while continuing to look for opportunities <br />to better service their customers. Locally, Lapham-Hickey is proud to be a major supplier to Bobcat, <br />which has a sales location in Little Canada as well (as well as a future assembly line in Rogers). This is <br />just one example of how Lapham Hickey is committed to growing business for itself and others in Little <br />Canada, and looks forward to continuing this long term relationship with the community. <br /> <br />Lapham Hickey Expansion <br />Lapham Hickey seeks to expand 2 of 3 bays of their production floor to increase the volume of their <br />operations. In the past several years, the demand for steel fabrication has increased considerably in the <br />metro area and Lapham Hickey’s current space is inadequate in keeping pace with this demand. In the <br />existing warehouse there are three overhead cranes used for moving large steel pieces across the facility <br />to machinery for different processes. The proposed plan would be to expand two overhead crane bays to <br />extend the production floor 210 feet. In order to make this plan feasible, the proposed expansion needs <br />to utilize the existing crane infrastructure and expand it northwards so that the flow of the assembly line <br />remains continuous. This requires that the layout of the addition is calibrated in such a way that the new <br />crane rail and structure aligns exactly with the existing crane path. These rigid parameters result in the <br />proposed addition being located 6’ set back from the east property line as opposed to the required 20- <br />foot rear yard setback. <br />The applicant believes that these constraints provide for a practical necessity of a setback <br />variance: a 20’ building setback would impede the flow of production since the eastern crane runway <br />would no longer be able to be expanded and Lapham Hickey’s growth of production potential at this <br />property would be stunted indefinitely. By granting a 6’ rear setback variance, Lapham Hickey will be <br />able to expand their production line in such a way that improves not only efficiency, but worker safety <br />as well since cranes will run continuously without obstacle across the whole plant. Lapham Hickey has <br />long been a positive presence in Little Canada and it is their desire to grow in place rather than relocate <br />to a larger facility elsewhere- one of the primary reasons they started production on this site originally <br />was the growth potential within the parcel. The applicant respectfully requests that City staff, Planning <br />Commission and City Council support this variance request so that Lapham Hickey can continue to <br />realize this vision of growth in its current location. <br />These variances for Lapham Hickey Steel will have little impact on the surrounding area. The <br />objectives of the industrial zoning districts are about the efficient harboring of manufacturing. The site <br />in question is bordered on one side with industrial buildings and on the other side with a large wetland <br />that cannot be developed in the future. This proposal aligns with the industrial zoning code goals with <br />regards to making sure that established companies of the community continue to be prosperous.