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STAFF REPORT To: Planning Commission Report No.: VI.2. From: Kim Moore-Sykes,Assistant City Manager l- Date: March 21,2006 Subject: S &T Development—Office Building Complex Requested Action: Variance to the City's Commercial Parking Requirements Property Address: Vacant Lot adjacent to Tires Plus,3XXX Silver Lake Road Zoning District: Commercial 60-Day Expires: April 21,2006 Background: Staff received a call from Todd Mohagen,VSI Construction about the possibility of building an office building on the vacant lot adjacent to Tires Plus. Mr.Mohagen advised Staff that the building will be leased as offices for realtors,insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, etc. Staff has also met with Brent Thompson, S &T Development,who is the lead in this project. The Zoning Code for the Commercial Zoning District calls for a minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet; this vacant lot is 36,892.31 square feet according to the plat. The proposed building has a footprint of 6,441.6 square feet,with two levels,main and lower levels. There also exists a storm water drainage easement to the south and east that significantly reduces the useable area on this lot. Parking requirements are based on a gross floor area of 12,883 square feet. The Zoning Code requires one parking space for every 300 square feet,which for this project equals 43 parking spaces. The sketch plan has 35 parking spaces planned,leaving a deficit of 8 parking spaces. Requested Action: Mr.Thompson, S &T Development, submitted an application for a variance to the City's parking ordinance. According to Staff calculations,he needs a variance for 8 parking spaces. He argues that other similar projects that he has constructed in Roseville and Vadnais Heights have provided 8 parking spaces per unit and he reports that this number has been sufficient for the tenant. He further states that Staff's calculations,while based strictly on the gross floor area, take into account the HVAC room, the stairway, restrooms or the elevator, areas that the applicant feels should not be included in the parking calculations. When these facilities are removed from the calculation of the gross floor area of the lower level, there is space for only 2 or 3 offices. This net floor area calculation reduces the number needed for parking on this project from 8 to 3. The City Ordinance (1650.05 Parking, (e)(6) requires that Uses in the C District must have at least one parking pace for every 300 square feet ofgross floor area. As stated above, this calculation indicated that 43 parking spaces are required by Section 1650.05. The applicant indicated also that there is no plan to share parking with Tires Plus. Another issue associated with this vacant lot is the storm water pond that is pre-existing and was constructed according to the specifications of the Rice Creek Watershed District. This storm water pond accommodates the water run-off from the Tires Plus site as well as any future development that might occur on the adjacent site. The pond is designed to slow water run-off and clean the storm water before it released from the pond. As 032106 S&T Development.doc