HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL MINUTES 02191991 Meeting Sheet
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Box: 19
Folder: PL MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1991
Document: PL MINUTES 02191991
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1 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
2 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
3
4 February 19 , 1991
5
6 I . CALL TO ORDER.
7
8 The meeting was called to order at 7 : 30 p.m. with the
9 Pledge of Allegiance led by Chairman Madden.
10
11 II . ROLL CALL.
12
13 Present : Madden, Brownell , Faust, Franzese , Gondorchin, _
14 Murphy (7 : 35) , Werenicz .
15
16 Also Present : Susan VanderHeyden, Assistant to the City
.17 Manager
18 George Marks ; City Council Member (8 : 12)'
19
20 AGENDA.
21
22 Chairman -Madden directed, that the word "appoint" in
23 agenda item IV be replaced with the word "elect" to
24 accurately reflect the action required.
25
26 III . APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER- 20 , 1991 PLANNING COMMISSION
27 MINUTES .
28 -
29 Page- 2 , Line 17 : Change "said" to "opined, " as Bill
30 Soth was not actually present at the meeting.
31 Page 4 , - Line 10 : Strike the word "not . "
32 Page 6 , Line 13 : Strike the word "or .
33
34 Motion by Brownell , seconded by Werenicz , to approve the
35 minutes of the November 20 , 1990 Planning Commission.
36 meeting as amended.
37
38 Motion carried unanimously.
39
40 IV. ELECT CHAIR OF COMMISSION FOR 1991 .
41
42 Chairman Madden duly asked three times for nominations
43 for 1991 Chairman of the Planning Commission. As an
44 aside , Commissioner Franzese.' asked Commissioner ,Faust
45 whether he would be interested in the position, but he
46 declined. '
47
48 Motion by Brownell , seconded by Werenicz , to elect John
49 Madden 1991 Chairman of the Planning Commission.
50
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PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 Motion carried unanimously.
2
3 Chairman Madden duly asked three times for nominations
4 for 1991 Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission.
5
6 Motion by Werenicz , seconded by Franzese , to elect Ted
7 Brownell 1991 Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission.
8
9 Motion carried unanimously.
10
11 V. - DESIGNATE COMMISSIONER TO ATTEND FEBRUARY 26 , 1991
12 - COUNCIL MEETING.
13
14 Commissioner Murphy will represent the Planning
15 Commission at the February 26 City Council meeting.
16
17 VI . PUBLIC .HEARING.
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19 A. 7 : 35 P .M. - SIGN VARIANCE REQUEST FROM MARQUETTE
20 BANK, 3928 SILVER LAKE ROAD.
21
22 The hearing was opened at 7 : 36 p.m. with no one present
• 23 reporting failure. to receive the notice of hearing or
24 objecting to its content .
25
26 Chairman Madden introduced the request by stating that
27 Marquette Bank of Minneapolis is requesting a. variance
28 to the St . Anthony sign ordinance to place two
29 additional signs at the bank located at 3928 Silver Lake
30 Road (formerly Midwest Federal) . Each sign is ,4 . 75 feet
31 by 25. 58 feet, or 121 . 5 square feet . The variance
32 request for the two additional signs totals 243 square
33 feet . The City sign ordinance allows for one
34 identification sign up to 150 square feet per commercial
35 establishment.
36
37 STAFF REPORT:
38
39 Assistant to the City Manager VanderHeyden reported that
40 Marquette Bank will automatically be allowed to erect
41 the one sign of 150 square feet allowed by ordinance .
42 She informed the Commission that the three Midwest
43 Federal signs along with their six tree logo signs were
44 allowed by former City Manager Dave Childs to be erected
45 as replacements for the pre-existing signs lost in the
46 tornado, and that no variance was required at that time ..
47 Marquette proposes to erect three signs in the same
48 locations as the Midwest Federal signs , but have
49 incorporated. their logo into the signs , so they will not
50 require additional logo signage. Commissioner Murphy
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 asked whether the Marquette signs would be the same size
2 as the Midwest signs , and Vand.erHeyden replied that the
3 size of the Midwest signs was unavailable in the City
4 records .
5
6 PUBLIC HEARING:
7
8 Chairman Madden opened the public hearing at 7 : 40 p.m. ,
9 and invited Kenneth Sheehan representing Marquette Bank
10 to speak on behalf of Marquette ' s petition.
11
12 Mr. Sheehan introduced himself to the Commission as the
13 president of Marquette Bank Northeast, regional
14 president , and responsible for the new Marquette Bank
15 Apache . The transaction between Midwest and Marquette
16 was begun in October of 1990 and was completed
17 approximately ten days before this hearing. He stated
18 that Marquette would like to serve the community as well
19 as Midwest Federal did in the past, and had decided to
20 designate the bank as Marquette Bank Apache in order to
21 identify the bank with the community it serves . The
22 signs themselves would carry the Marquette logo, with
23 the word "Apache" beneath the Marquette Bank name . He
24 .informed the Commission that Marquette Bank Apache will
25 have a full staff , including a president , and will
26 supply a broader range of services to the community than
27 did Midwest, and on a more decentralized basis .
28
29 Mr . Sheehan expressed his support of the St . Anthony
30- sign ordinance and its intent to ' keep signage clutter to
31 a minimum. He stated that, because of the building' s
32 shape and location, three signs are necessary in order
33 to make the bank visible to traffic heading both north
34 and south on Silver Lake Road, and also to shoppers at
35 the Apache mall . He told the Commission that he himself
36 had driven around the bank in order to determine that
37 from no location were two signs visible at once , and
38 felt, therefore , that three signs in their former
39 locations were justified and would not create a
40 cluttered appearance_.
41
42 Commissioner Franzese asked what the dimensions of the
43 Midwest Federal signs were . Steve Hirtz of Nordquist
44 Sign Company responded that the dimensions were unknown
45 but that he felt the new signs would be very comparable
46 in size to the former ones . Mr . Sheehan again
47 emphasized Marquette ' s desire simply to make the bank
48 visible from three angles , and stated that he estimated
49 the signage actually would be ' smaller because Marquette
50 would not be using separate logo signage like the
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 Midwest trees .
2
3 Commissioner Murphy asked for a description of the
4 construction of the new signs . Mr . Hirtz responded that
5 the new signage would be similar to Midwest ' s signage,
6 and that it would consist of individual neon letters on
7 the top band of the building. Mr . Sheehan added that
8 Marquette plans to repaint the building in a subtler
9 color .
10
11 Terry Boblit of Marquette Bank stated that he had been
12 with Midwest at its Silver Lake Road location for almost
13 ten years , and that after the tornado the bank sought to
14 upgrade the signs . He stated that the Marquette Bank
15 needs the signage in order to gain the community
16 recognition it needs to attain its goals . He predicted
17 that Marquette Bank Apache will become one of the
18 largest lenders in this area.
19
20 Commissioner Brownell asked what hours the signage would
21 be illuminated. Mr. Boblit answered that the signs are
22 normally lit from dusk to 1 : 00 a .m.
23
24 Commissioner Franzese asked whether Marquette Bank
25 Apache plans to install a cash machine . Mr . Boblit
26 responded that the bank needs to investigate whether or
27 not the cost of such a machine would be warranted by its
28 use . He stated that if a machine were installed that it
29 would probably be located in the entryway. Mr. Sheehan
30 noted that the Marquette Bank Apache will be the second
31 largest Marquette Bank, and thought it likely that a
32 cash machine would be warranted.
33
34 Commissioner Murphy asked for a further description of
35 the sign, and. Mr . Hirtz responded that the logo would be
36 red and the letters themselves would be white . Mr .
37 Sheehan added that the bank is willing to be flexible on
38 the hours of illumination of the sign in the interests
39 of being a good neighbor to the community.
40
41 Commissioner Werenicz asked VanderHeyden whether the
42 St. Anthony Townhome residents or assocation had
43 expressed any reaction to the illuminated signs .
44 VanderHeyden replied that the townhome residents had
45 been notified but had not responded. Discussion ensued
46 regarding hours of illumination of signage at various
47 locations in the city, and various Commissioners agreed
48 that hours of illumination were not standard but varied
49 depending on the location and nature of a business .
50
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 Commissioner Gondorchin enquired as . to whether an
2 additional sign would be required if an ATM is
3 installed. Mr . Sheehan said that another sign would be
4 needed, but that it probably would be located inside the
5 entryway in an attempt to identify the sign with the
6 machine , rather than outside the building in an attempt
7 to attract drive-by business . Mr . Hirtz informed the
8 Commission that the signs can vary from ten inches to
9 several feet in size .
10
11 The public hearing was closed at 7 : 58 p.m.
12
13 Motion by Franzese , seconded by Brownell , to grant the
14 variance request of Marquette Bank Apache , 3928 Silver
15 Lake Road, for two additional signs as described in the
16 Notice of Hearing; noting that no one appeared to object
17 to the granting of the variance; that the conditions
18 needed for approval of the variance request have been
19 satisfied; that the bank site is unique in that only one
20 of the three signs will be seen at a time; that the bank
21 will enhance the identity of Apache mall and might help
22 to draw customers to the area in general ; that the
23 simple architecture of the building will be enhanced by
24 the proposed signage; that the amount of signage will
25 not ber_ more than the pre-existing signage; and that
26' the hours of illumination be from dusk to 1 : 00 a.m.
27
28 Commissioner- Faust enquired whether it was appropriate
29 for the Commission to designate the hours of
30 illumination, and whether the Commission ' s consistency
31 in setting such hours might be called -into question.
32 Commissioner Werenicz replied that the Planning
33 Commission is empowered to set hours -of illumination as
34 a condition of granting a sign variance , and that such
35 hours cannot be the same for all establishments
36 depending on the location and nature of a business .
37
38 Chairman Madden expressed his desire to promote the
39 Apache mall business , and stated that the bank ' s
40 positive image and visibility would be an asset to the
41 shopping mall . Commissioner Gondorchin noted that the
42 lack of objection by the townhome owners was a positive
43 factor in the granting of the variance request .
44
45 No further discussion ensuing, a vote was then called
46 for by the Chairman.
47
48 Motion carried unanimously.
49
50 Chairman Madden informed the petitioners that their
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 request would be heard by the City Council at 7 : 30 p.m.
2 February 26 , 1991 .
3
4 VII . MISCELLANEOUS .
5
6 Assistant to the City Manager VanderHeyden drew the
7 Commission ' s attention to the absence of covers on their
8 information packets , and cited the absence as an example
9 of the City' s efforts to save money in every way
10 possible , primarily due to a reduction of $30 , 000 in
11 -money from the State of Minnesota, with further
12 reductions in funds anticipated.
13
14 She then presented to the Commissioners a Planning
15 Commission roster, and asked them to update their
16 addresses and telephone numbers if necessary. This
17 roster could then be used by the Commissioners to
18 contact each other directly, rather than using the City
19 offices as an intermediary.
20
21 VanderHeyden informed the Commissioners that all
22 Planning Commission matters would be heard by the City
23 Council at their second meeting following the Commission
24 hearing rather than their meeting immediately following
25 the Commission hearing. This will generally be the
26 first rather than the second Council meeting of the
27 month. The change is being made because of the
28 difficulty recording secretaries have experienced in
29 providing minutes on short turnaround time . This
30 schedule will commence with the next Planning Commission
31 meeting to be held. VanderHeyden presented the
32 Commission with a schedule of deadlines for submission
33 of matters to the Planning Commission and their
34 subsequent consideration by the City Council .
35
36 VanderHeyden informed the Commission that Autotrack had
37 chained a temporary sign to their building despite
38 requests by the City that the owner remove the sign and
39 apply for a variance in accordance with approved
40 procedures . She stated that she and City Manager Tom
41 Burt had recently met with owner, Dan Kogel , to discuss
42 his signage needs , and made it clear to Mr. Kogel that
43 he is hurting his changes for a variance request
44 approval by leaving the unauthorized sign in place. Mr .
45 Kogel expressed to Burt and VanderHeyden his need for
46 additional signage because his business is partially
47 obscured by the Berger Transfer building. VanderHeyden
48 stated that the police chief will issue a ticket to the
49 owner the day following this meeting if the sign is
50 still in place . The sign cannot be removed by the City
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 because of the risk .of damaging the building.
2
3 VanderHeyden informed the Commission that the matter of
4 the Pirino house has been turned over to the City
5 Attorney because the Pirinos have secured an attorney.
6 The City is attempting to maintain amicable negotiations
7 and avoid a lawsuit. The occupancy permit had been .
8 -granted by Public' Works Director Hamer because he felt
9 the house met the requirements for one .
10
11 VanderHeyden addressed the enquiry of Commissioner
12 Franzese regarding the cellular phone antenna issue .
13 Because the issue is not addressed in- City ordinances ,
14 it is prohibited. She added that the issue is more
15 serious in the outlying areas rather than inner city
16 areas .
17
18 VanderHeyden then reported that Mayor Clarence Ranallo
19 and Council Member George Wagner met unsuccessfully with
20 Dennis Cavanaugh of Apache mall in an attempt to
21 encourage Cavanaugh to promote tenancies in the mall .
22 Cavanaugh has asked for money from the City in order to
23 remodel the mall , but no such funds are available .
24
25 Commissioner Murphy asked whether it is possible to set
26 an advance schedule of Commission representation at
27 Council meetings . The rest of the Commission felt that
28 this would be a good idea, and Chairman Madden
29 volunteered to write a tentative schedule.
30
31 VanderHeyden announced that the City is . in the process
32 of recodification, and eventually will require the
33 Planning Commission' s participation, particularly in
34 zoning issues . The work is being done by the City
35 Manager ' s office in conjunction with City Attorney Bill
36 Soth and an organization by the name of CLEAR out of the
37 League of Minnesota Cities, which specializes in initial
38 editing of city codes . The work is being partially
39 funded by CDBG funds and is , therefore , being done on a
40 strict schedule , although it is a time-consuming task.
41 Commissioner Murphy asked whether the comprehensive plan
42 would be revised as part of this project, and
43 VanderHeyden said that nothing is currently planned in
44 that regard. Council Member Marks noted that the
45 comprehensive plan had last been revised twelve years
46 ago and is in need of updating.
47
48 Chairman Madden then welcomed new Commissioner James
49 Gondorchin to the Commission. He also thanked the
50 Commission for their confidence in electing him the 1991
PLANNING COMMISSION - February 19 , 1991
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1 Chairman. Commissioner Franzese expressed the thanks of
2 the Commission to Chairman Madden for his excellent
3 service . Although former Commissioner Hansen was not
4 present , Commissioner Franzese expressed on .behalf of
5 the entire Commission their thanks to Ron Hansen for his
6 years of service . to the community as a Commissioner.
7
8 VIII . ADJOURNMENT.
9
10 Motion by Franzese , seconded by Murphy, to adjourn the
11 Planning Commission. meeting at 8 : 25 p.m.
12 = -
13 Motion carried unanimously .
14
15 Respectfully submitted,
16
17
18 DORIS HOSKIN, Recording Secretary
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