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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-10-93 CCMLAKE ELMO SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 10,1993 City Hall 5:30 p.m. Special Workshop to begin reviewing the code recodification 7:00 p.m. MEETING CONVENES I.AGENDA 2. Joint Meeting with City Council, Planning Commission, Parks Commission to Review Travel Plaza on County Road 19 and I-94. 3. Other 4. Adj ourn MINUTES APPROVED 9-7-93 LAKE ELMO SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 10, 1993 Mayor John called the special joint council/planning commission/parks commission meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed Travel Plaza on County Road 19 and 1-94 to order at 7:00 p.m. in the city council chambers. PRESENT: Mottaz, Conlin, John, Johnston, Johnson, City Planner Black and Administrator Kueffner: PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS: Thomas, Carlson, DeLapp, Schubert, Weeks.; PARKS COMMISSION: Blackford, Hansen, Leach, Knoblauch. FEDERAL LAND: Martin Colon, owner, T.Bell, Counselor; FLYING J TRAVEL PLAZA: Gary Tashima, Terry Wieser, Tom Wold. Terry Wieser, Director of Property Development, reported Flying J was incorporated in 1969, established first travel plaza in 1979, and have developed 70 travel plazas and are expanding at the rate of 15 per year. Some of their facilities have a fast-food and all have a 24 hr. family restaurant. About 30% of their facilities are on their own treatment plant and well and are self-sufficient. They will spend $60,000-$100,000 for landscaping and make an effort to keep up the landscaping once it is in place. Adjacent uses around other facilities are strip retail, additional motels, restaurants, office/warehouse installations, RV parks. Some sites have residential (Value of $75,000-$125,000) directly bordering their property where they actually built after the plaza was there. Flying J has exploration, production and refinery capabilities. In 1990 they joint ventured with Conoco and came in as partners for all the travel plazas. They were attracted to the site, located at the Intersection of County Road 19 and I- 94, because the elevation makes it visible from a long distance from the border and the outlet mall on the south side of the Interstate would help develop the site. If in the future sewer and water came along the freeway through this property, they would definitely not oppose to hooking up as long as there is a time frame to recognize some of their investment benefit. MOTEL: The motel will be a franchise motel, have from 80 to 100 rooms and be in the mid -class range and cater to the family traveler. Each room will have its individual heating and air conditioning unit and color television. It will not have a restaurant or lounge, but provide a continental breakfast. The exterior will be either brick or rock face, metal fascia, concrete type shingle. It will have an inside corridor, pitched roof, enclosed pool, spa and exercise room. They will meet our architectural, building standards and wetland setback requirements. The facility will be sprinkled by providing a holding tank and pump placed on an out piece near the motel. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1993 2 FUEL OPERATION AND CONVENIENCE STORE: As part of the same building that hous6the restaurant, there will be a 3,000 sq.ft. convenience store, fuel operation, driver's lounge, game room, TV room, showering faculties, laundry services and barber shop. USAGE OF PROPERTY: 60% of the vehicles that come on the property (average across the 70 Flying J Travel Plazas) will be automobiles, 40% will be trucks. Do not have any facility that caters more to trucks than automobiles. Projected average number of trucks per day: 600-700 trucks per day. There will be some trucks that will wait in anticipation of another load. NOISE: There is land around the facility so they would be able to buffer. They have had to do noise studies at some locations prior to building. In several instances the Interstate generated more noise than the idling trucks. PROPOSED PROJECT: Approx. 145 employees --some will be part time employees (of that total will pay out in salaries that will cost $90,000 per month.) 95% of the 145 employees are hired locally. Train maintenance people to serve as security. Security problems such as prostitution, drugs, drunks-- very minimal calls. ( Travel Plaza facility will cost $5 million and the Motel $2 million. Does not include land costs --they will own the land. Gross sales per year are $20-$25 million. Taxes paid: room tax on the motel, sales tax, fuel tax, property tax. It would generate from $400,000 to $500,000 of real estate taxes. Councilman Johnson expressed his concern on the city being saddled with extra security to take care of this development and asked if they would consider adding security and maintain a separate security force? Gary Taschima responded they would not object to adding security, but he would like the ability to take it away if not necessary. RESTAURANT: Thads Restaurant is not a franchise situation, they operate all of them. The restaurant will seat 160 at a combination of counter, booth, and dining room seating and will be open 24 hours a day. Telephones will be in the booths of the restaurants. The do have a Wendys or a Hardees on other sites. They don't have McDonald franchises, but have McDonalds that are on an out parcel of their site or a detached McDonalds franchised by a separate group. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1993 FUEL STATION: There will be separate fuel stations for recreational vehicles, trucks and autos. The RV area will have a dump station and propane dispensing areas as well as two fueling stations. There will be a separate fuel dispensing area for trucks that include 12 fueling stations. The tank farm will have three 20,000 gallon tanks for diesel and three 12,00o gallon tanks for gas. They do have an Emergency Preparedness Plan as requested by the PCA if you are storing more than 10,000 gallons of fuel. LIGHTING: Have areas where they install some center lights that shine down, some perimeter lighting, and where there is a concern for glare coming off the parking lot they use direct down light boxes. Require security lighting out to the parking lot. Don't use the lighting to attract people. SIGNAGE: One large sign which is out near the Interstate that captures the interested traveler. Where it is acceptable, like to put a message type center as a public service --post prices of fuel, specials in restaurants, weather conditions. A small price sign that advertise the price facing the highway where state requires to post the price of fuel on a fixed board. Directional type signs that states "cars only" or "trucks only". No sign clutter on the site. WASTE TREATMENT: The RV waste will be treated on site and located on the perimeter of the site. Treatment plant is all underground. Effluent is treated with air and bacteria, an aerobic system, approx. 60,000 gallon fiberglass tanks. discharge into a leach field. There will be ground water monitoring systems around both the tank farm and the treatment system. FUTURE DEVELOPMENT: They own (51 acres) and want to control what goes on it. If they were to sell it, they would have controls on what they put there, how they operate it, what it is going to look like. They could sell it, but don't have that preconceived notion. They would like to fully develop it. INSURANCE: They are large enough that they are self -insured so any problem at his facility they will have to take care of. Do not have environmental insurance. TIMELINE: 60-90 days to get engineering complete. 30-60 days to get permits. 5 months before they can start. Facility takes 6-7 months depending on the weather. Dakota Developments, a North Dakota partnership comprised of Tom Wold and John D. Adams would be the franchisee of this operation and would comply with the requirements of the franchise and finance and operate this plaza. Flying J has an operation staff that visits the site making sure they meet their standards and are a guarantor on any borrowed moneys. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1993 The Council and attendees had the following questions? What will Flying J's involvement be in the development ? Will they be an owner of the property or a franchiser. If a franchiser, who will be the owner, operator and franchisee of the property and project? How will such a franchise arrangement work? If an environmental casualty occurs, will there be insurance coverage to remedy the situation? Will "environmental insurance" be provided or available to pay for remedial measures? Who will carry the insurance, Flying J or a franchisee? Will Flying J commit to pay for an environmental clean-up? How long will Flying J stay involved in the project? What will happen if the franchise does not comply with the franchise arrangement? The city council is requiring that an environmental assessment worksheet must be prepared and submitted as part of the application review process. What is the location of other Flying J facilities which the city of Lake Elmo can visit and/or contact for insurance purposes? Mike Black and the City Administrator will prepare a report outlining procedures in order for Federal Land to proceed and submit report to council at August meeting. A public Informational meeting will be held after the city receives an application. M/S/C Mottaz/Johnson - to adjourn the council meeting at 9:30 p.m. (Motion carried 5-0).