12-12-2013 Planning Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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PALLET SERVICE CORPORATION November 25, 2013 Re: Developer Deposit Application (Description and/or Reason for Request) Pallet Service Corporation (Tenant at 3213 Country Drive), would like to formally request a review of the Planned Unit Development Permit that was issued for this property. Since taking ownership almost exactly 2 years ago, the growth in business at this location has surpassed the projections originally made. During this time our sales have well surpassed our projections and we are employing 30 full time positions, which is significantly higher than the 15 -20 positions we hoped to fill in 3 years. As we noted in our original application, we believe that our business provides a very good fit for this property and the Little Canada Community. Due to the less than desirable soil quality, it is not ideal for building, but provides a very suitable space for outdoor storage In addition, the products which we store are relatively uniform in nature and aesthetically pleasing. To facilitate a smooth flow of equipment and material throughout this operation, we wanted to request permission to use more of the unused space in our yard for a few specific reasons. Below is a brief summary of the changes we are requesting, which are also graphically displayed on the attached site map: • Use space on East Side of the Cold Storage Building as a Staging Area for outgoing loads. This area will be specifically used for this purpose, and as such will remain fluid. We define a Staging Area as a place where loads are staged for shipment within 24 -48 hours. Wood that is staged here is primarily lumber that we have processed in house. Having this designated area facilitates more efficient loading of outgoing trucks and minimized wasted time /effort associated with double handling these units and carrying them long distances across the yard via forklift. Since this area is more visible to cars traveling on Country Drive, we would be willing to install privacy slats to minimize the visibility from the outside, if this is preferred by the Council. • Permission to increase maximum stack height from 14 feet to 20 feet in those areas of the property that are shielded by permanent structures. The ability to stack higher further assists in our goal of fully utilizing our space as much as possible. Furthermore, this request still remains in compliance with Section 1909 of the Minnesota State Fire Code, as it pertains to "Storage of Finished Lumber Products" which states: "Exterior Lumber Storage shall be arranged to form stable piles with a maximum height of 20 feet ". Additionally, since this portion of our Yard is shielded by the 3 -sided canopy and the main office building in the center of the property, we don't believe it will have cause negative affect or visual disturbance on neighboring properties. • Request that the North West portion of the lot be considered for storage. This is the area west of the train tracks (roughly 30' wide) from the Northwest Corner of the lot, south to the gated fence where the train tracks enter the property. This area is all asphalted or concreted at the present time and is expensive, wasted space. We would only be able to put about 3 units deep. This entire area has almost no visibility from the frontage road / freeway to the North as it is blocked by tall buildings on the north, west (also 11201 90th Avenue North Maple Grove, MN 55369 -4048 Member NWCA %Or Phone: (763) 391 -8020 Fax: (763) 391 -8026 Toll Free: (888) 391 -8020 Email: Into @palletservice.com Website: www.palletservice.com