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Planning Case No.477-97 D.W. Jones PUD Project Ah April 2, 1997 11. Page 5 convenience markets, or car washes. (These are allowed in B-3 with approval of a conditional use permit.) The proposed zoning would include these uses. The Planning Commission can use marketing information as a reference point in deciding if the use is appropriate. The Commission can also use community goals and desires for the mix of land uses in Mounds View as a reference point. This is a somewhat subjective decision. Staff would advise the Commission to think in terms of putting uses where they will be successful, and working to realize the potential assets which parcels have based on their location, configuration, visibility and access. One of the overall objectives should be to create a thriving mix of land uses that fits into the overall community fabric and produces returns for the community and for property owners. The community fabric is woven from the location of other land uses, the street system, availability of access, natural features, and market dynamics. The applicant recognizes that their strong desire to include a gas station/convenience market/car wash in this development may be contrary to the Planning Commission's desires for the community. If there is no way to resolve this difference, they are asking for the Planning Commission to make its recommendation so they can proceed to City Council with their request. The applicant would like to know if there are any circumstances under which such a use would be acceptable to the Planning Commission. ip Encroachment into the Wetland Buffer. The placement of the senior citizen housing project away from Highway 10 is appropriate, especially as a complementary building to the existing Silver Lake Pointe project, and takes advantage of the amenity provided by the wetland. Staff is concerned, however, with the degree to which this building and the office building at the east end of the site encroach into the wetland buffer. The applicant has calculated that 45% of the buffer area is proposed to be in impervious coverage (either building or paving). Staff requests guidance from Planning Commission as to how such encroachments have been viewed in the past and whether it is a point of concern. From staff's perspective, this level of encroachment seems high. The only way to reduce the amount of encroachment is to either drop a use or reduce the size of the uses proposed. Staff is checking with the City Attorney on the implications of having a sizeable area of these parcels with restrictions on development because of the wetland buffer zone_ Access and On-Site Circulation. Staff supports the recent change made to the concept plan which relocates the private drive east of the gas station and north side of the restaurant. This will enable the restaurant to capture the natural amenity of the wetland and also allows for the addition of a walkway from the senior building to the restaurant. However, staff sees two places where there may be circulation problems. The first is at the driveway from Silver Lake Road into the gas station. Motorists will have to make a very quick decision how to enter the drive through-lanes for both the fast food restaurant and the car wash. Some motorists may stop, sometimes abruptly,just after they have entered the site, and cause problems for cars behind them. The second problem is the driveway entrance from the internal road which crosses the stacking lane for the car wash. This is not expected to be a problem in the summer, but may be on the winter on weekends when car washes can be very busy.