CC MINUTES 06241986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-3- Greg Gustafson, Vice President of META Partnership, 7400 Metro Boulevard, Bloomington, MN and James F. Guttormson of Environmental Expressions, 5416-45th Avenue South, Minneapolis, project architect, gave the revised plans for the proposed structure which would bring it into conformance with the height requirements of the City ordinance and eliminated any alley access at all . Mr. Gustafson told the Council members and the 13 residents who were present the architect had reworked the project plans so as to modify the pitch of the roof down to a height of 35 feet which would bring it into conformance with ordinance requirements and to relocate the 48 parking spaces the City had allowed in December in such a manner as to avoid penetration into the alley. The META partner indicated the latter had been done to accomodate the concerns of the neighbors although he said he personally perceived the use of the alley had to have been legally "grandfathered in" by its use by abutting property owners over the last 25 years. Mr. Guttormson pointed out on the revised plans how the headers and windows had -been lowered to obtain a "modified pitch" on the roof which he indicated he personally perceived made the proposed structure less interesting". The architect added that the developers considered the pitch effect to be a "belfrey" which the ordinance con- sidered to be a part of the roof as long as it was not used as an -attic for storage. He said the pitch had been retained as much as possible to match the Kenzington next door. When Mr. Guttormson indicated the plan was only a preliminary sketch and inquired whether, if it should prove to be unworkable and it might be necessary to go to a height of 37 feet, the developers might be granted any leeway from the ordinance height limitation, the Mayor told .h.im another public hearing would have to • be called on the variance which would be necessary for that change. The architect then indicated on the plans how the proposed structure had been moved away from the alley and told Paul Wehr, 2616-27th Avenue N.E. , the lines on the sketch indicated plantings and curbing at the alley. line which would prevent drivers from using the alley to get to the proposed building. When Mr. Wehr expressed concern that the rear of the building might all be asphalt, Mr. Gustafson told him that "as one of the major property owners in the area, META would be just as interested as the other residents in having this site attractively developed" . He also said the type of tenants the developers are seeking for the proposed office space in the structure should dictate an aesthetically pleasing building and site would be developed. When Joe Schluender, 2708-27th Avenue N.E. suggested concrete rather than bituminous curbing would last longer, Mr. Guttormson agreed with him but said that plans were not finalized. The Mayor told Mr. Schluender he perceived the developers "were on the right track now, having made considerable changes in their proposal to accomodate the neighbors' concerns, and it should not be left to the City Manager and META to work out the finer details of how the project would finally be developed" . He said he "agreed with the elimination of the alley access" because he "recognized that, with the inevitable change of ownerships in that neighborhood to younger families, it would be very difficult to keep children from playing in that alley". Mr, Gustafson told Clarence Kemma, 2504-27th Avenue N.E ., the building exterior would • probably be mostly stucco with as much brick added to match the Kenzington as the type of tenants made economically feasible. When Mr. Kemma mentioned all the changes which the City had allowed to the original. Kenzington proposal , Mr. Gustafson reminded