HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL AGENDA 06211988 (2) Meeting Sheet
100020
IIIIII VIII VIII VIII VIII VIII IIII II
Box: 15
Folder:
Document: 0L AGENDA 06211988
C 2 TY OF S T _ ANTHONY
P LANN 2 NG COMM 2 S S 2 ON M 2 NUTS S
.?UNE Z1 1988
1 OPENING
2 The meeting was opened at 7: 30 P.M. with the Pledge of Allegiance led
3 by Chair Wagner.
4 CONSENT ITENS
5 Present for roll call: Brownell , London, Franzese, Hansen, Wagner,
6 Werenicz, and Madden.
7 Also present: David Childs, City Manager.
8 Motion by Hansen, seconded by Brownell to approve with the following
9 changes:
10 Page 5, line 32: Substitute "give" for "given" .
11 Page 8, line 29: Substitute "a triangular parcel about 1 acre"
12 for everything between "included" and "on the" .
13 Page 10, line 38: Substitute "of" for "to" .
14 Page 11 , line 19: Substitute "of" for "to" .
15 Page 12, line 30: Substitute "pond" for "vond" .
16 Page 12, line 33 : Substitute "aeration" for "generation" .
17 Page 15, line 20: Substitute "were" for "will be" .
18 Motion carried unanimously.
19 Commissioner Madden Will Represent Planning Commission at Council's
20 June 28 . 1988 Meeting
21 DISCUSSION ITE![
22 Commissioners Show Mixed Feelings About Wall Mural for Back of St.
23 Anthony Shopping Center
24 Rod Johnson, project manager for St. Anthony Shopping Center for the
25 Eberhardt Company, distributed three colored concept drawings for the
26 proposed mural indicating that:
27 *the suggestion for the mural to be painted on the wall behind the
28 Fun Center and Snyder , Bros. Drug Store to face the City fire sta-
t
1 tion and to be seen from Kenzie Terrace had come from the center
2 owners' New York representative when he was in town recently;
' 3 *three artists had been asked to make colored drawings and Mr.
4 Johnson indicated he personally preferred the colored version of
5 the drawing in the agenda packet which included the City's logo
6 against the backdrop of Minneapolis and St. Paul skylines and the
7 Mississippi River;
8 *including the logo would project the residents' preference to have
9 their community called a Village and would conform with the sug-
10 gestion the owners rep had made that the center name might
11 eventually be changed to "St. Anthony Village Shopping Center";
12 *the mural cost of $1 ,500.00 would be minimal and could be taken
13 from cash flows from the center as compared to what could cost
14 from $150,000.00 to $200,000.00 for the owners to provide stand-
15 ardized signage for the entire center;
16 *the mural in the agenda packet would be painted in muted, not
17 garish, colors to match the buildings' exterior brick because it
18 would retain a "residential" appearance which would not become
19 passe in a few years;
20 *the painting would be sealcoated to prevent fading;
21 *the center would be asphalting the back of the center just as soon
22 as the City completes its construction work in that area;
23 *Eberhardt has just recently sent all store owners a memorandum
24 telling them that if they don't keep these areas as well as their
25 sidewalks cleaned up, the center managers will hire someone to do
26 the cleaning and charge the store owners whatever it costs;
27 *if the City is not happy with the finished mural, the center
28 managers would remove it;
29 *he perceived the only variance which might be necessary would be
30 for the logo itself.
31 Staff Regg
32 Childs June 16th memo indicating uncertainty on how to handle re-
33 quest since the concept is not addressed in the City Ord-
34 inance and raising questions about whether murals could be
35 considered signs and, if so, whether a mural could be
36 considered appropriate signage for a commercial area;
37 perceived that adding the City logo might have brought
38 the mural more closely into the ordinance description of a
39 sign for which a variance might be necessary:
2
1 Commissioner Hansen questioned why, . when the City for years had
2 found it impossible to communicate at all with the center owners
3 regarding signage for the center, they, had all of a sudden come up
` 4 with a $1,500.00 mural instead of the uniform signage the center
5 really needed. He said he would rather see the $1,500.00 saved for
6 that purpose.
7 Mr. Johnson told him the center owners had never realized relations
8 with the City had deteriorated to the extent they had until after Joe
9 DiSanto replaced Irene Drumm,in New York last August. Since then ties
10 with the City had been renewed and $125,000 had been spent in
it improvements. The Eberhardt manager reiterated information he had
12 given at another meeting regarding the center owners' intent to
13 overfinance a Dallas property by $300,000.00 to pay for upgrading the
14 St. Anthony center to include standardized signage. Mr. Johnson said
15 store owners are currently responsible for paying for their own
16 signs and two of them, Don Leary and the owner of Kelly's Tots and
17 Teens are . examples of store owners who want to keep the signage they
18 have.
19 The center manager added that one indication that standard signage is
20 a real possibility is the fact that the prospective renters of half
21 of the vacant Penny's Supermarket space have indicated they wouldn't
22 sign any lease which didn't guaranty uniform signage would be
23 forthcoming. He conceded that the center managers were still waiting
24 for the go ahead on the standard signage which they had originally
25 thought would be given by this time.
26 Staff Requested to Provide Tax Increment Financing for Uniform
27 Signage
28 When the proponent reported his company's request, Mr. Childs
29 indicated his doubts whether new state legislation related to this
30 type of funding would allow the City to do this. He said the City
31 wants to help get the center upgraded and confirmed that there had
32 been more communication between the City in the last eight months
33 since Mr. DiSanto had taken over in New York than there had been in
34 the preceding 8 years. The Manager said he perceived Mr. DiSanto
35 seemed more than willing to do something to upgrade the center.
36 However, Mr. Childs agreed with Commissioner Hansen that standardized
37 signage would accomplish that better than a mural on the back of the
38 center.
39 The Manager agreed with Commission concerns about how the mural might
40 look after it was up and its maintenance after a few years. He said
41 he knew murals had been used effectively in other municipalities but
42 felt that the decision of just how professional the proposed mural
43 would look or how well it would fit into that area once it is up
44 should be made by the Commission and City Council.
45 Johnson Answers Some Concerns
3
1 When Commissioner Hansen said he still had a hard time understanding
2 why Eberhardt had chosen to put money into a mural rather than
1 3 towards the uniform signage the City had been requesting over the
4 years, Mr. Johnson reiterated that the $1,500.00 could be taken from
5 cash flow monies which are inadequate to cover both a large project
6 like uniform signage and the costs of getting stores ready for new
7 tenants.
8 Commissioner Werenicz commented that he perceived that when the
9 center manager had decided to put the City logo into the sign he had
10 created a "huge sign for which a variance the size of which no other
11 applicant had ever been granted" . He also anticipated future
12 applicants would see the mural as nothing more than a large sign
13 advertising the City which established a precedent for future signage
14 of the same size all over the City.
15 The Commissioner agreed with Mr. Childs that "beauty is in the eye of
16 the beholder" , but said he perceived a similarity with the
17 "atrocious" paintings on the side of buildings in the Cedar Riverside
18 area.
19 Commissioner Hansen drew a comparison between the mural and
20 billboards whose intent is to draw the public's attention and which
21 had been banned from the City because they diverted drivers'
22 attention. He questioned whether such diversion would be smart in an
23 area like this one where a lot of traffic converges onto Kenzie
24 Terrace from three different busy streets.
25 The Commissioner also wondered whether the City would have any more
26 control over the maintenance of this mural than had been demonstrated
27 over the "disgracefully deteriorated" pylon sign which identified the
28 other shopping center in the same area before it was torn down to
29 make way for the new senior building.
30 Commissioner London agreed with Commissioner Werenicz inference that
31 some murals were "low budget, stopgap measures to temporarily
32 brighten up run down neighborhoods." He told Mr. Johnson he thought
33 he should save his money for some real improvements in the shopping
34 center.
35 Commissioner Madden said he would favor adding the City's logo to
36 the mural as "a boost for the City" . He pointed to several "very
37 attractive" murals like the temporary one on the back of the WCCO
38 building and another on the Valspar building which he thought had
39 both been well done.
40 Mr. Childs told Mr. Johnson he could see where there was little
41 chance there would be a favorable consensus on the Commission for a
42 logo on the mural. He also said that as far as the City needing a
43 sign to boost it, $5,000.00 is about to be spent for a sign in
44 Trillium Park which would be similar to the entrance sign to Blaine.
45 The Manager said his own personal opinion was that having the City
4
1 logo on a mural so close to this sign might be perceived to be
2 "overdoing it" . The consensus of the Commission was that there was
3 little or no support for a logo.
4 Commissioners London and Werenicz are against a mural. Commissioners
5 Madden, Wagner, Franzese and Brownell are more in favor of a mural
6 and Commissioner Hansen might be in favor, but absolutely not with a
7 logo.
8 ACTION ITEMS
9 PUBLIC Ea ARINGS
10 Commissioners Like New Rapid Oil Plans
11 At 8:25 P.M. the Chair read aloud the Notice of the Hearing to
12 consider the variance request from Rapid Oil for 3 wall signs to be
13 erected on the new building the company proposes to construct on
14 their property at 3701 Silver Lake Road. No one present reported
15 failure to receive the notice which had been published in the June
16 8th Bulletin and sent to all property owners of record within 200
17 feet of the subject property nor did anyone object to its content.
18 Application for:
19 2 wall signs of 27 .5 square feet each, one facing southeast and the
20 other facing northwest;
21 1 wall sign of 33 square feet facing the southwest;
22 total signage of 87.5 square feet where the Sign Ordinance only
23 allows 1 wall sign totalling 80 square feet.
24 Staff Repot:
25 *Childs reiterated information contained in his June 16th
26 memorandum, including the change in plans to construct a new building
27 rather than to remodel the old one;
28 *indicated that because of the site restraints from the
29 drop off towards the NSP substation to the north and loss of 17 feet
30 of. land on the south to the County Road D reconstruction project,
31 and the need for better traffic flow for their operation, Rapid Oil
32 had decided to angle the new building in such a manner that they now
33 perceived they needed signage on three sides;
34 *perceived there might be justification for granting a
35 variance for a third sign because of these restraints and because the
36 City has traditionally allowed two signs on a corner;
37
5
1 *pointed out that even with the 3 signs, the proposal only
2 required a total of 87-1/2 square feet where the ordinance allows 80
3 square feet for one sign.
4 Proponents: Rapid Oil project managers, Robert Mikulak and Mark
5 Gilbertson.
6 *discussed various points in the letter attached to the
7 Petition for Sign Variance, including the fact that the Paul Revere
8 Pizza building obstructed. the buildings visibility from westbound
9 traffic on 37th Avenue N.E. ;
10 *Mikulak said the drawing in the agenda packet
11 demonstrated how the loss of the pylon sign on the corner had cut
12 down the operation's visibility from the north;
13 *reported the architectural barrel design shown on front
14 of the building in the colored photo which had been passed around to
15 the Commissioners would remain as part of the building whether
16 lettering was allowed or not;
17 *confirmed that there was a lot of money put into the
18 building prototypes which have been erected in several metropolitan
19 areas and nationwide;
20 *pointed to all the landscaping which was being added to
21 improve the site appearance, indicating at the same time that only
22 low growing shrubbery would be planted near the intersection so as
23 not to diminish what is already low visibility on that corner;
24 *told the. Chair customers could only go one way
25 through the building;
26 *explained that the company, which is owned by Ashland
27 Oil, is known nationally as Valvoline Instant Oil, hence the addition
28 of Valvoline logo in the front barrel sign;
29 *added that the logo size had been included in the total
30 square footage they were requesting.
31 Commission Reaction:
32 *Hansen told the proponents that he was very impressed
33 with both their presentation and the project itself;
34 *said he appreciated all the green space around the
35 building as well as many other aspects of their proposal which
36 fulfill requests the City typically makes of variance applicants;
37 *perceived the changes had made excellent use of a piece
38 of property which was hard to develop;
6
1 *stated that although he was usually "really tough" ,
2 when it came to signage he perceived they had made a good case for
3 being allowed three rather than the two signs the City usually
4 allows a corner lot;
5 *concluded by saying he believed that by squaring off
6 this building for two signs, the City would lose something.
7 *Wagner agreed that this parcel with the NSP distribution
8 center behind it was unique and needed three signs for
9 identification.
10 *Franzese questioned the need for 3 signs, however she
11 said she liked the symmetry of 3 signs on the building;
12 *agreed that the unique topography of the site and the
13 need for better traffic flow provided the justification for the
14 variances in this case.
15 *Werenicz indicated he was pleased with the overall
16 concept and believed by angling the building the need had been
17 created for three. signs;
18 *perceived all any driver approaching the facility from
19 any one direction would see would be only one sign;
20 *thought the 7-1/2 square foot total size variance was
21 minimal after taking into account that the signs are mass produced to
22 the same sizes.
23 *Madden agreed that angling the building necessitated
24 three signs.
25 *London thought this would be an attractive facility for
26 that unique corner and that the variance requests were quite
27 reasonable;
28 *said he was "very much in favor" of granting the
29 variances.
30 *Brownell echoed .what the other Commissioners had said,
31 indicating he perceived this would be an attractive use of a
32 difficult corner;
33 *agreed that three signs were justified because of the
34 location of the building and the traffic patterns.
35 When he had ascertained that there were no persons present who
36 objected to the variances, the Chair closed the hearing at 8:50 P.M.
37 for the following:
7
1 commission Recommendation:
2 Motion by Hansen, seconded by Franzese to recommend that the Council gran
3 the request from Rapid Oil, 3701 Silver Lake Road, for variances-for
4 3 wall signs as opposed to the one sign per business allowed by the
5 City Sign Ordinance with total square footage not to exceed 87-1/2
6 square feet where the Ordinance allows only 80, finding that:
7 1. All three conditions required by statutes to be satisfied
8 before these variances can be granted have been done so with
9 this proposal .
10 2. The variances are justified by the unique construction location
11 and architectural design of the building which best utilizes
12 the site and accommodates the traffic flow for the benefit of
13 the business and the safety of the customers and traffic
14 approaching that corner.
15 3. The proposal includes landscaping which is above normal for
16 this type of operation.
17 4. There were no expressions of opposition to the variances
18 either before or during the hearing.
19 In recommending the variances be granted, the Planning Commission
20 recommends the hours of building and site lighting be limited. to
21 those required of the neighboring businesses.
22 Notion carried unanimously.
23 The agenda sequence was then adjusted to hold the public hearing
24 listed for "C" ahead of "B" .
25 Commissioners Recommend Motor Cycle Sales and Accessory Shops be
26 Allowed in Zoning Ordinance as Conditionally Permitted Uses
27 At 8: 57 P.M. Chair Wagner opened the public hearing to consider an
28 amendment to the Zoning Ordinance which would allow the above uses by
29 amending Section 9 of Ordinance 1976-006 to add Motor Cycle Sales and
30 Accessory Shops to Subdivision 2 as Conditionally Permitted Uses.
31 The Chair read aloud the notice of the hearing which had been
32 published in the June 8th Bulletin. No one present reported failure
33 to receive the notice or objected to its content.
34 The Commissioners had been provided with copies of the Petition for
35 Amendment as well as the June 15th letter from Leo Kuelbs, .212 Arbor
36 Lane, Burnsville, owner of the Twin Cities Harley-Davidson franchise
37 in Savage, Minnesota, requesting the ordinance amendment which would
38 allow him to establish another dealership in the vacant space west of
39 B. J. Antique store in the St. Anthony Shopping Center. The agenda
40 packet also contained copies of Mr. Childs' June 16th advisory
8
1 memorandum on the request as well as copies of the September, 1982
2 Commission and Council minutes where a similar request had been made
3 for another location in the same center. The Commission at that
4 time had recommended the same type of business be included in the
5 ordinance as a conditionally permitted use under conditions which
6 would limit its potential for becoming an annoyance to the adjacent
7 residential neighborhood. However, the request was withdrawn by the
8 applicant before the Council could act on the request.
9 None of the current members of the Planning Commission served on that
10 body in 1982. When the proposed redevelopment of the center was
11 mentioned, Mr. Childs indicated that he had followed the same
12 procedure then as now of telling the applicant he should make his
13 plans as though he were going to remain in that location for a long
14 time.
15 Mr. Kuelbs provided the following information in response to
16 questions from the Commissioners:
17 *reported because of his success in Savage ($6,000,000.00 in
18 sales this year) and because the Harley-Davidson Company perceived
19 the need for a dealership in the northeast metro area after the
20 Blaine store had closed, he had been asked to select a location and
21 had chosen St. Anthony as being centrally located;
22 *said his was not a heavy traffic business and most of his
23 customers come in automobiles;
24 *only setting up and minor adjustments to cycles would be made
25 in the shop with all major maintenance done in his Savage store
26 where he had the necessary equipment;
27 *had never done any painting, welding, or chroming in that
28 facility;
29 *all services and displays would be provided inside the
30 building;
31 *test driving would probably be done along Highway 88;
32 *estimated his business to draw an average of between 200 and
33 300 customers weekdays and from 400 to 500 Saturdays. An open house
34 would probably draw 1 ,000;
35 *said he spends between $50,000 and $60,000 on advertising each
36 year;
37 *disputed the perception of motorcycle owners saying he has a
38 lot of judges, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals for
39 customers because of the cost of this type of bike;
9
1 *accessories would include boots, gloves, leather gear, tee
2 shirts, and many of these are mail ordered. All equipment would be
3 kept within the store;
4 *he would carry only Harley-Davidson new and used cycles for
5 sale.
6 When the proximity of his store to residential was mentioned, Mr.
7 Kuelbs said his Savage store was also that close to homes on Boone
8 Avenue and one property owner, who had at first vehemently objected
9 to him locating there, had after a short time come back to apologize
10 for the misconceptions he had. The Savage Police Department had also
11 been skeptical but had been .surprised to see no problems with even
12 the open house.
13 The applicant estimated his store to have a 60 foot frontage and to
14 be 100 feet deep. He perceived a need for a sign no larger than 14
15 feet long and 3 feet high, which would be lit only during hours of
16 operation which would probably be from 9:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M.
17 Monday through Thursday and from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Friday and
18 Saturday.
19 Mr. Childs indicated a sign that size would probably be less than the
20 120 square feet of signage the ordinance allowed for that size
21 frontage. The applicant concluded his report by saying if the
22 business in St. Anthony went as well as he expected, he would
23 probably have to move to a larger building. No one else appeared to
24 speak for or against the request and the hearing was closed at 9: 30
25 P.M.
26 Commission Recommendation
27 Motion by Franzese, seconded by Hansen to recommend the Council amend
28 the City Zoning Ordinance to add "Motorcycle sales and accessories"
29 as a "conditionally permitted use" in a "C" General Commercial
30 District. If approved, Mr. Kuelbs would have to apply for
31 conditional use approval and go, through that process.
32 Motion carried unanimously.
33 City Attorney's Wording Changes Accepted in Shopping Center Signage
34 Amendment
35 At 9: 32 P.M. the Chair read aloud the notice of the hearing which had
36 been published in the June 8th Bulletin. No members of the public
37 were present to provide input to the development of a definition of
38 the above which would amend the existing sign ordinance definition of
39 what constitutes a shopping center as related to signage in St.
40 Anthony.
41 Mr. Childs read the changes in draft language which had been proposed
42 by Mr. Soth which were accepted by the Commission after the City
10
1 Manager had told Commissioner Madden that the area comprised of
2 various businesses in the City's Stonehouse, liquor warehouse, fire
3 station and the barber shop was over 25,0.00 square feet and exceeded
4 the 18,000 square feet definition of a shopping center in the
5 amendment.
6 The hearing was closed at 9: 36 P.M. for the following:
7 Commission Recommendation
8 Motion -by Franzese, seconded by Brownell to recommend the Council
9 change the definition of "shopping center" in the Sign Ordinance to:
10 SHOPPING CENTER: any group of four or more retail stores or
11 service establishments on one or more contiguous tracts of
12 land in single ownership, comprising 18,000 or more square
13 feet of floor area and provide parking on the tract or tracts
14 of land for use in common by patrons.
15 Motion carried unanimously.
16 Mr. Childs advised as an example that because the building in which
17 the Country Store was located was owned by the Apache Plaza owners,
18 that building could not have a separate shopping center sign under
19 the amendment.
201,
21 Motion by Madden, seconded by London to adjourn the meeting at 9: 37
22 P.M. for an informal progress report by the Manager on various
23 ongoing projects throughout the City.
24 :,Notion ,camlid unanimously.
25 Respectfully submitted,
26 Helen Crowe, Secretary
27
28 :cjk
11