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01 Planning Commission Minutes 2 April 19, 1994 3 Page 6 4 5 front. There were earlier drawings with more than one sign,but the owner has now decided 6 to go with one sign, such as the one on the picture, with brick. Commissioner Horst asked 7 if the proposed sign complied with the City's ordinance, and Mr. Martin stated he was not 8 sure. Mr. Hamer stated that the sign had not been presented yet, but must be presented with 9 all measurements, and location, and if the sign was too big, they would have to come back 10 with a new plan. 11 12 Chair Gondorchin_suggested that Mr. Martin submit a short dissertation on the entire 13 concept, including traffic flow, hours of operation, etc.. Mr. Martin stated he thought that 14 the hours of operation would be 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.. Mr. Olson, according to Mr. Martin, 15 operates two other convenience stores. He also explained the request to close 2 existing 16 approaches, the need by today's standards for a canopy, sufficient space for traffic flow of 17 cars and parking. Chair Gondorchin asked the projected size of the new building. 18 Convenience stores today are starting at approximately 3,000 square feet, whereas this plan 19 will provide a bare minimum of 2,500 square feet (60 feet by 36 feet). Chair Gondorchin 20 stated that he and Commissioner Franzese had wondered about the proposed driveways, i.e., 21 would the driveway on 37th Avenue be a right turn only on exit, given the traffic from the stoplight at 37th and Stinson? Mr. Martin stated that part of the reason for changing the 3 driveways was to increase safety while maintaining flow, but that they had not considered 24 making the 37th Avenue exit a right turn only. Mr. Hamer stated that stations historically 25 are on corners and their driveways are close to the intersections. 26 27 Commissioner Makowske stated that he sees two issues,the conditional use permit and the 28 variance request. He thinks they can be taken together during the process. Part of the 29 requirement for recommending approval for a variance is that there must be a hardship due 30 to the land or to correct extraordinary circumstances, and the submitted documents address 31 the conditional use more than the hardship question. The only thing Mr. Martin can see as 32 far as hardship, is that the owner could operate with the existing building,which Mr. Martin 33 assumes is well within the setbacks, but the operation would not be profitable. Mr. Martin 34 again stated the layout must be directed by customer flow, and that the proposed plan is the 35 most convenient for a convenience store. 36 37 Commissioner Faust asked Mr. Martin how long Mr. Olson had owned the property. Mr. 38 Martin stated that he understood that Mr. Olson bought the station last fall and promptly 39 painted it. Commissioner Faust asked where Mr. Olson's other two stations were;Mr. Martin 40 answered that they are located on University Avenue N.E. in North Minneapolis, and 41 — Johnson Street.N. E.in North Minneapolis. Commissioner Faust confirmed that the name 42 of the store is Stop N Go, and asked what kind of gas they handled. Mi. Martin thought it 463 was Phillips 66, but Commissioner Thompson thought it was Conoco, in which case there 4 would be a competitor within a few blocks. Commissioner Faust wondered if more building 45 plans had been done.