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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL MINUTES 08181981 Meeting Sheet 100223 IIIIIII VIII VIII VIII VIII VIII III III BOK: 15 Folder: Document: VL MINUTES .08181981 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES August 18, 1981 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Bjorklund at 7 :30 P.M. Present for roll call: Enrooth, Sopcinski, Bjorklund, Jones and Peterson. Absent: Bowerman and Makowske. Also present: David Childs, City Manager; Ron Berg, Administrative Assistant; and Clarence Ranallo, City Councilman. The minutes for the Planning Commission' s July 21st meeting were amended as follows: Page 3 , para. 6 : Correct Mr. Domalik' s address to 3226 Roosevelt. para. 7 : Same correction. para. 8 : Substitute "width" for "setback" in the first sentence and add "single family home" following "construct" in the last line. In the same line "according" should be. eliminated and a period added after "planned" . • Page 4 , para. 1 : Eliminate "to" and capitalize "the" in the first line. para. 3 : Substitute "as a single" for.;,:"for a" in line #12 . Motion .by Mr. Sopcinski and .seconded by Mr. Enrooth to approve the minutes as amended for. the Commission- meeting held July 21, 1981. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Sopcinski agreed to represent the Planning Commission at the August 25th meeting of the City Council. Mr. Berg. introduced the new City Manager, David Childs , to the Com- mission. members. Mr. Childs stated his background in planning will prompt his attendance at as many Commission meetings as possible. John Martens, who leases a third of the former Wards. Automobile Center at 3808 Silver -Lake Road . for his Qwik Car Care facility was present to discuss his application for a 15 foot variance to the City Sign Ordinance to permit an identification of his business on the west side of the building. Although his application was for signage advertising steam cleaning of auto upholstery and his business telephone number , he agreed his sign might better be designed to identify. his entire business as a means .of "letting people know where we are" . Mr. Berg confirmed that the 165 square feet of existing signage on the north and east sides. of the space he occupies is the limit .he is permitted for the square footage he occupies and Mr. Martens told the Commission members it had been a condition of his lease with the C. G. Rien Co. that he retain the signage used by the previous tenant, Mr. Battery. -2- He also told the Commission members that the entrance to his facility is on the west side facing the Apache mall and the two .bays which open to the east are not used at present other than for .his storage space. Mr. Berg cited the sign ordinance provision for signage for the build- ing with the addition of new businesses and Bob Dougherty, a former City Councilman, who was present regarding another matter, questioned whether existing signage would have to be reduced .to- conform to the total signage limits provided for. the building by the ordinance. This was a point the Commission agreed should probably be addressed in the new sign ordinance. Mr. Jones said- .he was willing to do all he can to improve the economic health of Apache Plaza but believed a rectangular sign would be more visually pleasing that the configuration proposed in the sketch and recommended the variance size be increased by three feet to provide a 6 X 3 sign. However, Mr. Martens agreed with Mr. Enrooth that with the decreased lettering for the business identification, 15 feet should provide ample signage and he suggested cut out letters might further improve the visual appearance of the sign. Motion by Mr. Sopcinski and seconded by Mr. Enrooth to recommend Council approval of fifteen additional feet of signage for the Qwik Car Care Center located in the northern portion (two stalls facing west) of the former Apache Plaza automobile service center building at 3808 Silver Lake Road, with the sign located on the westerly exterior of the building, as shown in the exhibit presented by Mr. . Martens with his application. As agreed to by Mr. Martens, the wording • for the 3 foot by 5 foot sign will be changed from that originally proposed to identify the "Qwik Car Care" center and its business phone number. The Commission finds the existing signage , which the applicant was forced to utilize, did not provide identification of the business on the west side of Apache where most of the traffic is generated; the signage will not be detrimental to the public welfare; and the building location- in the middle of a parking lot can be considered unique to other properties in the same area. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was recessed at 8: 10 P.M. and resumed at 8 :25 P.M. to discuss the latest developments on the proposed rezoning of the Clark station property at. the corner of 33rd Avenue N.E. and Stinson Boulevard. As he reported in his August 12th memorandum, Mr.. Berg stated contacts with the Clark company officials indicate a sale of the property to Mr. Fisher is still anticipated. The Council had tabled the Commission' s recommendation of rezoning approval during their July 21st meeting when they learned the ownership of the property was in doubt. Motion by Mr. Jones and seconded by Mr. Bjorklund to request staff to inform Duane Fisher that the Commission has set a period of 100 days as the time in which he must consummate his agreement with the Clark company or be required to appear before the Commission to reactivate his request for rezoning. Motion carried unanimously. -3- Mr. Berg's August 12th letter to Mr.- Craig Morr"is. regarding the condi- tions set for .operation .of his barber-beauty shop at 3909 Silver Lake Road was included in the Commission packet as was a draft of the letter to be . sent to Gordon Hedlund, Mr. Morris , and the First State Bank of New Brighton, regarding the irrevocable letter of credit issued by the City to assure compliance with the remodeling and land- scaping agreements for that property. The latter was to be sent after Mr. Burlingame' s directorship for the bank is confirmed. Staff was requested to notify Mr. Morris that if he does not immediately remedy the non-conformance of the revolving barber sign on his building, he will be cited for non-conformance with the City Sign Ordinance and a possible penalty imposed. At 8: 32 P.M. , the Chairman opened the informal hearing on the possible redevelopment of the Walbon property along Old Highway 8 to which all property owners within 200 feet of the site had been invited. Seven persons were present including the owners of the property, Irving Walbon, 196 Windsor Court, and Harland Walbon, 3225 Skycroft Drive. Mr. Berg had included a copy of the redevelopment feasibility study from Westwood Planning and Engineering Co. , which had been authorized by the City Council , in the agenda packet. In addition to this there was included a memorandum recommending that the Commission consider the compatibility of the suggested 50-70 condominium units at $63 , 000 each (or some correlation of units with price, such as 25 townhouse units at $126 ,000 each) with the existing surrounding . usage and density. He told those present that the 2 .3 acre site is . zoned R-1, single family dwelling, with a legal non-conforming commercial usage and it would be necessary to rezone the property to permit the density necessary to make the project feasible for tax increment financ- ing. He asked the owners whether they saw any other method of developing the land which might involve the City to .a lesser extent, such as housing revenue bonds. The Walbons responded by saying they have become frustrated trying to find an acceptable redevelopment of the property over the years and the existing economic conditions have discouraged them even further. Irving Walbon pointed out the excessive costs they anticipate for relocating the buildings and business even if they could do the demolition work themselves. Vi Dorumsgaard, 3612 33rd Avenue N.E. (lot 3) was concerned with the development of the triangular outlot which the County had given back to the Walbons which adjoins her $106 ,000 home built right on the property line.. She said when she bought the home in 1974 she had been assured by City officials that the outlot would never be developed for anything other than perhaps a City park. She felt it was the responsibility of the City that her property was plotted with, "crooked lot lines, and her house built closer to the lot line than is legal under the City ordinance" , and wanted the City to provide a remedy. Mr. Jones told her the City can' t do anything with private property, and a remedy will have to be worked out with the Walbons. She was also reminded that if the City should acquire the land through the HRA, something could probably be worked to her satisfactions. -4- Mrs. Dorumsgaard asked how the City could integrate the density considered feasible for the Walbon property with the expensive homes in that area, and questioned whether the City was "being pressured by other governmental agencies to provide moderate income housing which she believes will adversely affect the valuation of her home. Mr. Jones indicated, although he knows the Metropolitan Council is recom- mending building codes be relaxed to allow more affordable housing, he believes the City is in substantial compliance with the number of low income to middle income families who are housed in the. apartment buildings in the northern section of the community. When Mrs. Dorumsgaard asked the Commission members to speculate as to what a -real estate appraiser would tell her about the effect she could expect on her home valuation if the density proposed is permitted, the Chairman told her, as an appraiser, he believes she would be told that unless the project was developed with adequate barriers and in an attractive manner, her property value might well be lowered. She was also reminded that if the City does nothing about the Walbon property, any enterprise which has existed on the site, including production of gravel and blacktop, excavating, trucking, and -even a restaurant and a filling station, might legally be repeated by the Walbons . Robert Williams, 3125 Croft Drive, (lot 4) who lives on the south side of the Walbon property, said he will be inclined to oppose any develop- ment which exceeds an R-1 zoning because he sees increasing the density will significantly affect the quality of the .neighborhood, principally as related to the noise and traffic which will be generated. His main objection -to the Walbon-' s existing usage is the noise generated by refrigerator trucks which are left running all night.. Mr. Dougherty • recalled that when he was on the Council the Walbon property had been considered for single family development and with the necessary cul de sac, estimated only five or six homes could be built on that site. When Mrs: Dorumsgaard was asked what her reaction was to� the Executive Manor, which is only 300 feet from her property, where units are priced from $50 , 000 to $60 ,000. She pointed out the ample grassy areas around the building and said the parking is all located on the highway away from the adjoining single family dwellings . She then cited the Fudali townhouses - which sold for as much as $100 ,000 before they were ever built, which she believes were constructed in an attractive manner. Councilman Ranallo told Mrs . Dorumsgaard the City' s HRA was spearheaded for the Kenzie Terrace revitalization but was intended to provide a redevelopment tool anywhere in the City. The hearing was closed at 9 :50 P.M. after the Chairman -had assured the residents present that no action was to be taken that evening and their comments would be very helpful to both the Commission and Council in making a determination. Mr. Enrooth indicated he did not believe the Commission had sufficient information to make an informed decision regarding a recommendation at this time. Mr. Peterson commented that, although he perceived the residents might have been confused regarding the purpose of the hearing and the develop- ment itself, he believed their perspectives might change if an - attractive development were offered. However, he doubted whether they -5- would accept as many as 70 units, if. that is the number which will make tax increment financing feasible. iMr'. Sopcinski did not believe the questionof excavation costs had been sufficiently addressed in the study, considering the 25 foot embankments which may require expensive retaining walls to protect the adjoining properties from embankment erosion. Mr. Childs requested the consideration be tabled to give him an opportunity to discuss with the consultant whether a lower density might be feasible. Motion by Mr. Peterson and seconded by Mr. Jones to table until the next Commission .meeting a recommendation. related to the redevelopment of the Walbon .property,- with adjoining .property owners notified that the project is being reconsidered. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Dougherty then addressed his request for a concept review by the Commission of a gazebo he would like- to build near -his swimming pool at his residence at 3101 Armour Terrace. He suggested they disregard the sketch of the backyard improvements because it was not drawn to scale and he now- believes the gazebo can be .built three feet from the property line rather than right up to the six foot stockade fence which is built on the property line. He showed photos of his back- yard with one taken from his neighbor' s yard which indicates his back- yard is hardly visible to that neighbor who, incidentally doesn't use that .portion of his own .backyard for recreational purposes but rather parks- his trailer against the fence. Mr. Bjorklund left the meeting at 10 :15 and Mr. Jones took over as Chairman Pro Tem. A poll of the Commission members indicated to Mr. .Dougherty that, although there would probably be opposition to the proposed structure being built right up to the property line, he could expect to have a more favorable reaction to his request for a two foot variance to build the gazebo three feet from the fence , since even garages are permitted to be built within three feet of the lot lines in the City. It was the general consensus that the pie shaped topography of his backyard restricts the recreational potential of Mr. Dougherty ' s property and the Commission members accepted- the petitioner ' s state- ment that he wasn't building the gazebo "to increase the economic value -of my property but, rather, so I can enjoy my pool while escaping the mosquitoes" . Mr. Dougherty thanked the Commission members for their helpful sug- gestions regarding the project and said he will investigate the possibility of runoff from the deck he proposes to build next to the pool, draining into the pool. He agreed to return with a site plan with elevations delineation. • Mr. Jones then suggested staff should prepare for Commission considera- tion a letter to be sent to Minneapolis Alderman Walt Dziedzic protesting the excessive signage on the Champion Auto store and garage at the intersection of 37th Avenue N.E. and Stinson which is "almost a -6- traffic hazard for drivers who try. to. read the listing of all the services. offered- on the site" . Mr. Berg had researched the validity of proxy votes being accepted by the Commission and reported that such voting is not allowable . Mr. Enrooth drew the Commissionmembers ' attention to Mayor Haik' s comments, as reflected in . the minutes for -the Council' s last meeting, relative to points made by Mr., Sopcinski regarding. the Danelski variance approval, which the Commission member perceived .as supporting the independence of the Planning Commission. Staff will make reservations for any Commission member who indicates an interest in attending the Minnesota Main Street Conference, September 11th. Motion by Mr. . Enrooth and seconded by Mr. Sopcinski to adjourn the meeting at 10 : 40 P.M. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Helen Crowe • Secretary