12-12-2013 Planning Comm. Minutes

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION DECEMBER 12, 2013 outdoor storage area in order to improve the efficiency of their operation. Wenner indicated that the size of the property is approximately 7.6 acres. He also explained the nature of the business which includes both the distribution and remanufacturing of lumber products. Nick Wenner described the new outdoor storage areas that are being requested. The storage on the east side of Pallet Services most northerly building would be a staging area for product that will be shipped out within 24 to 48 hours. Wenner described that the current situation requires product to be brought from the southerly storage area and then loaded into trucks. The new storage area would allow the product to be brought out of the building and stored on the east side of the building to be picked up within 24 to 48 hours. Wenner noted that the storage on the west side of the property would be more convenient for product that is waiting to be picked up by rail car. Wenner noted that it is the area on the west side of the building that is of concern to the Fire Marshal and City Engineer relative to hydrant locations and required water flows. Wenner then noted that the additional storage area adjacent to the storage yard itself is an area where a fuel tank was removed. Given the tank is no longer there, the thought was to put this area to use for additional storage. Knudsen asked if the additional storage areas being requested were largely a function of improving efficiency and not necessarily for increased volume. Robert Wenner commented on the variation in the amount of product that they may have at any given time, noting that there are times when the additional storage is needed. Knudsen asked if the request for increased square footage was to improve efficiency, while the increase in pile height was to increase volume. Wenner replied that that may be a fair statement. The City Planner reviewed his December 5, 2013 report pointing out that the original permit for this use was approved as an interim use in 2010 for approximately 12,000 square feet of outdoor storage and a limitation of stack height at 9 feet. The Planner indicated that the applicant then took over the property and requested a significant expansion of their operation in 2011, expanding to 60,000 square feet of outdoor storage and 14 -foot stack heights. The Planner reviewed the conditions of the 2011 approval which were summarized in his report. He also noted that the rational for the 2011 approval was that the property had marginal soils, especially as you moved to the south. Additionally, the property abutted the railroad to the south and Ryan Industrial Park south of the railroad, therefore, was less likely to develop as a high -end commercial /industrial site. Another consideration was the screening that was in place for the storage area. -2-