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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2003 MOUNDS VIEW PLANNING COMMISSION January 22, 2003 -- 7:00 P.M. REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approve Minutes: December 18, 2002 4. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda CITIZENS: BEFORE SPEAKING, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM, AND GIVE YOUR FULL NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE MINUTES 5. Continued Discussion Regarding Request to Restrict Parking Along the East Side of Greenfield Avenue, South of County Road I APPLICANTS: YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THIS MEETING IS REQUESTED. PLEASE NOTIFY THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AT 763-717-4020 IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND. 6. Next Planning Commission Meeting: February 5, 2003 7. Adjournment to Agenda Session AGENDA SESSION 1. Review Minutes from January 8, 2003 Planning Commission Meeting 2. Staff Reports 3. Chairperson and Planning Commissioners’ Reports PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting January 8, 2003 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chair Stevenson at 7:00 p.m., January 8, 2003. ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Roll Call Members Present: Commissioners Stevenson, Scotch, Zwirn, Miller, Hegland, Johnson and Song. Members Absent: None. Also Present: Community Development Director Ericson ________________________________________________________________________ Index to Minutes Page Election of Officers 2 Consideration of a Request to Restrict Parking Along the East Side of Greenfield Avenue South of County Road I 2 ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Approve Minutes a. December 4, 2002 MOTION/SECOND: Miller/Zwirn. To Approve the Minutes of the Planning Commission for December 4, 2002 as Presented. Ayes – 7 Nays – 0 Motion carried. ______________________________________________________________________________ Mounds View Planning Commission January 8, 2003 Regular Meeting Page 2 ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda None. __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Election of Officers Community Development Director Ericson indicated that according to the bylaws of the Commission, the Chairperson is to request nominations for chair and vice chair. MOTION/SECOND: Miller/Scotch. To Nominate Gary Stevenson as Chair of the Planning Commission. Ayes – 7 Nays – 0 Motion carried. MOTION/SECOND: Johnson/Stevenson. To Nominate Jean Miller as Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. Ayes – 7 Nays – 0 Motion carried. ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. Consideration of a Request to Restrict Parking Along the East Side of Greenfield Avenue South of County Road I. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that he had spoken to Mr. Farrell concerning the parking issue and Mr. Farrell has offered to add four additional spaces on site but that would require a revision to the variance to allow encroachment into the Greenfield right-of- way to gain the additional spots. He then indicated that revision of the variance along with a development agreement and a limited use agreement for parking in the right of way would need to be drafted and executed. Director Ericson indicated that Staff looked at the parking at Sam’s and Sam’s is either short of parking or at the minimum so there is not an option to lease spaces from them. Additionally, the property owner was not interested in leasing parking. Director Ericson indicated that Mr. Farrell has indicated he would add four stalls to bring him up to the 19 that would have been required but would like the Commission to agree not to post no parking signs on the street if he adds the parking stalls. He then said that the City would enter into a development agreement with Mr. Farrell binding him to providing the four spots when the asphalt plants open. Commissioners agreed that it was worth checking into the logistics of adding the four stalls to the site. Mounds View Planning Commission January 8, 2003 Regular Meeting Page 3 ________________________________________________________________________ Director Ericson indicated he would consult the City’s engineer as well as public works to see if there are any issues to be aware of with utilities. Commissioner Zwirn indicated he was not willing to give up the right to deny parking on the east side of Greenfield as he lives next door to the property and is not sure how the property owner could get the extra stalls without completely losing the green space. Director Ericson agreed that bringing the parking lot all the way out to the street would make it look a little overwhelming. Commissioner Johnson suggested utilizing the recommendation of the police from the last meeting to post a certain number of feet from the stop sign. He then said he has an issue with a property owner who purchases a building knowing he has 16 employees as well as an intention to rent out to other businesses. It should have been apparent that there would be an issue with parking and he should not have assumed that his business parking could be accommodated on the street. Director Ericson indicated Staff would go out to the site and do the measurements to see if it is feasible to add the stalls. He then said that there would need to be a minimum of 18 feet plus green space to make it work. He further indicated that Staff would provide the necessary documentation for Commission review at the next meeting. Commissioner Hegland indicated he would like to see a plan before voting on the matter. Director Ericson indicated he would provide a drawing of the proposed stalls so that the Commission could visualize the site. Commissioner Hegland commented that he thinks the property owner is over utilizing the space and he is not sure the City should allow that to continue by amending the variance and allowing additional parking. Commissioner Johnson commented that the business owner should have known how many spaces he would need based on his intentions for the building. Director Ericson asked for clarification of Commissioner Hegland’s comments concerning not amending the variance. The Commission indicated it would like to see the proposal for the solution before deciding whether to allow an amendment to the variance. Commissioner Johnson indicated he was not pleased with the comments of the property owner at the last meeting indicating that the City was trying to run new businesses out of Mounds View. He further commented that he is one Commissioner who does a lot for businesses in Mounds View and he takes exception to that comment. Mounds View Planning Commission January 8, 2003 Regular Meeting Page 4 ________________________________________________________________________ Commissioner Zwirn indicated he had not said much during the discussions because he has other issues with Mr. Farrell. He then said that Mr. Farrell has a lot of flowery things to say about working with the City but he has found that not to be true. He further commented that there are other issues such as the building not being maintained and those issues are not addressed though the property owner makes representations that he will resolve the issues. Commissioner Johnson indicated that is why he wants the development agreement and resolution for no parking if the additional spots do not work. Commissioner Zwirn indicated the State Farm office has two vehicles, the title company utilizes two or three spots and the property owner drives separately from his wife using two stalls and his business has sixteen employees. He then said that parking on the street is detrimental to him entering and exiting his driveway during the day as traffic flow has to stop because two cars cannot get through if there are vehicles parked on the east side of Greenfield. He further indicated that the neighbor to the south has issues getting in and out of the driveway as well. Commissioner Miller asked if any of the traffic could be attributed to the apartments. Commissioner Zwirn indicated that the vast majority of the vehicles are people going into the business property. He then said that rarely on weekends there are vehicles that park on the street but the police usually tag the vehicles so parking is controlled on weekends. Commissioner Hegland said he felt there should be other solutions to the situation such as limiting the number of employees at the facility at any one time and he has not heard any other solutions from the property owner. Director Ericson commented that, if street parking were eliminated, the property owner would be forced to be more proactive in working on a solution. Commissioner Johnson commented that in past years business owners were required to come before Council for a permit for their businesses and, if that practice were still in effect, this type of situation would not happen. ______________________________________________________________________________ 7. Next Planning Commission Meeting: January 22, 2003 ______________________________________________________________________________ 8. Adjournment to Agenda Session There being no further business before the Planning Commission, Chair Stevenson adjourned the meeting at 7:22 p.m. (The meeting immediately adjourned to the Agenda Session) Respectfully submitted, Mounds View Planning Commission January 8, 2003 Regular Meeting Page 5 ________________________________________________________________________ Jim Ericson Community Development Director Transcribed by: Joan Lenzmeier TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. Item # 5 City of Mounds View Planning Commission Report Meeting Date: January 22, 2003 Title: UPDATE REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF POSTING GREENFIELD AVENUE SOUTH OF COUNTY ROAD I “NO PARKING” Introduction: This issue was discussed at the Planning Commission’s meeting on January 8, 2003 and at meetings previous to that in 2002. Direction had been given to have the property owner of 2402 County Road I work with staff to come up with a suitable resolution to the parking issue. Prior to the meeting on January 8, Mr. Farrell contacted staff and indicated he would be willing to expand the parking lot by an additional four stalls toward Greenfield Avenue, although this would result in the loss of green-space and would necessitate a revision to the variance approved for the site. Furthermore, if expanded by an additional four stalls, the parking lot would encroach onto the Greenfield right of way, necessitating approval of a Limited Use Agreement. Discussion: As was discussed at your last meeting, the sharing or leasing of parking stalls from Tom Thumb (Now Sam’s Tobacco) has been eliminated as an option. The site, which supports the convenience store and a Laundromat, has barely enough parking to serve its own needs. Further, the owner of Sam’s Tobacco has indicated he would be unwilling to make spots available for lease on the site. Regarding the expansion of the parking lot, Mr. Farrell indicated that because the asphalt company would be coming out in the spring to lay the second layer of asphalt on his parking lot, it would not be cost-prohibitive to expand the lot at the same time. To expand the lot to accommodate four additional stalls, the lot would be extended 18 more feet toward Greenfield Avenue. There is currently 28 feet of green-space between the lot and the street; the expansion would reduce the green-space to 10 feet. It appears as though the parking lot is currently 11 feet off the property line. With the expansion, the lot would encroach 7 feet into the right of way. To allow for this expansion, three things would need to occur: First, the original resolution approving the setback variance would need to be amended to allow for a zero-foot parking lot setback. Second, Mr. Farrell would need to execute a limited use agreement which would allow him the “limited” use of the right of way. The agreement would also indicate that the City would not be liable for any damage to the parking lot in the event of a utility or street repair. Last, as discussed by the Planning Commission, Mr. Farrell would need to execute a development agreement regarding the expansion which would also contain language as to the building, its maintenance and operation. Greenfield Ave Report Jan 22, 2003 Page 2 The drawbacks of such an expansion are two-fold. From an aesthetic perspective, one could argue that the reduction of green-space and the encroachment of the parking lot toward Greenfield would amount to a degradation of the physical appearance of this site. (I was not able to manipulate photos to show what an expanded parking lot might look like.) The other drawback regarding this potential expansion is that the City would be deviating from its rules to grant a further expansion of the variance. The property owner caused the hardship in that he bought the property knowing full well the parking limitations. Recommendation: The Planning Commission needs to first determine if the on-street parking problems rise to the level whereby posting the street ‘No Parking” would be appropriate. Second, assuming that overflow parking will occur regardless, the Planning Commission needs to determine if an expansion of the parking lot would be warranted, given the above considerations. While an expansion has been shown to be physically possible, that does not mean it’s appropriate. The Planning Commission must address, weigh and balance the various interests of the residential property owners, the multiple-family residents and owners, the business owner (Mr. Farrell) and the safety of the general public using the street. Keep in mind that a recommendation to post the street or portion thereof as “No Parking” is just that—a recommendation. The City Council makes the final determination. If reducing the number of vehicles parked on the street is the ultimate goal, then considering a variance to expand the parking lot would be one way to accomplish this; however staff would recommend that any variance be applied for by the property owner through the normal process—it should not be initiated by the Planning Commission. Given all that, the Planning Commission may choose to act on the attached resolution, Resolution 718-03, recommending posting the east side of Greenfield Avenue north of the apartment complex driveway as “No Parking from Here to Corner.” James Ericson Community Development Director Attachments: 1. Resolution 718-03 MOUNDS VIEW PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 718-03 CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW COUNTY OF RAMSEY STATE OF MINNESOTA RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING INSTALLATION OF A “NO PARKING FROM HERE TO CORNER” SIGN ON THE EAST SIDE OF GREENFIELD AVENUE NORTH OF THE NORTHERNMOST ACCESS TO THE GREENFIELD ESTATES PARKING LOT, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSES WHEREAS, the Mounds View Planning Commission has reviewed the parking situation on Greenfield Avenue between County Road I and Bronson Drive in response to complaints from residents in this area; and, WHEREAS, the business located at 2402 County Road I consistently and regularly overflows its parking lot resulting in employees and customers parking on Greenfield Avenue; and, WHEREAS, the west side of Greenfield Avenue has already been posted as No Parking to control and restrict on-street parking on this block. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of Mounds View, finding there to be sufficient cause and in the interest of public safety, recommends that a “No Parking from Here to Corner” sign be installed on the east side of Greenfield Avenue just north of the northernmost driveway access to the Greenfield Estates apartment complex. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Planning Commission directs staff to forward this resolution to the City Council prior to approval of the minutes. Adopted this 22nd day of January, 2003. ____________________________________ Gary Stevenson, Chairperson ATTEST ____________________________________ James Ericson, Community Development Director (SEAL)