Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL MINUTES 02151994 Meeting Sheet IIIIIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIIIIIIIII ioiisa Box: 19 Folder: PL MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1994 Document: PL MINUTES 02151994 • 1 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY 2 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES 3 February 15, 1994 4 Chair Faust opened the meeting at 7:00 P.M. with the Pledge of Allegiance. 5 Commissioners Present: Faust, Gondorchin, Franzese, Bergstrom, Makowske, Thompson, 6 and Horst. 7 Commissioners Absent: None. 8 Also present: Thomas D. Burt, City Manager 9 Sarah Bellefuil, Management Assistant 10 APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 21, 1993 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES. 11 Motion by Franzese and seconded, to approve the December 21, 1993 Planning Commission 4Vminutes as presented. 13 Motion carried unanimously. 14 DESIGNATION OF COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE TO THE MARCH 8, 1994 15 CITY COUNCIL MEETING. 16 Chair Faust will represent the Planning Commission at the City Council's March 8, 1994 17 meeting. 18 Chair Faust listed the sequence of Planning Commissioners to Council meetings as follows: 19 Gondorchin, Franzese, Faust, Thompson, Bergstrom, Makowske, and Horst. 20 Before the public hearing began, Chair Faust indicated the need for a Planning Commissioner 21 to belong to the Development\Redevelopment Task Force. Commissioner Madden had 22 previously represented the Planning Commission on the Task Force. This item will be 23 brought up later in the meeting. 24 PUBLIC HEARINGS 25 Chair Faust opened the public hearing for a petition for a sign variance from Russell Freed, 3055 Old Highway 8 noting that the hearing was published in the Bulletin on February 2, 1994. • 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 2 5 Staff Report 6 Management Assistant Bellefuil told the Commissioners that the applicant had put the sign up 7 and was later informed by the Public Works Director that the sign was not in compliance with 8 the sign ordinance. Mr. Freed, in his petition, requested approval for a directional sign. 9 However, after visiting the site, City Manager Burt and the Management Assistant Bellefuil 10 determined that the sign was not a directional sign becaise the sign was too big (the maximum 11 for a directional sign is 5 square feet, which would be 2-1/2 square feet per side if it was a 12 double sided directional sign); and, the sign did not provide ingress or egress information. 13 Mr. Burt and Ms. Bellefuil felt this was an informational ground sign However, it was not a 14 true ground sign either because the base is not solid and there is an opening under the sign. 15 They also looked at the size of the site, which is large and the building is also large. The 16 location has about 155,000 square feet and the building is about 90,000 square feet. The only Q7 other sign is a large ground sign on the corner. This, in essence, may be the hardship because 8 it has double frontage. The sign cannot be seen when travelling south down Old Highway 8. 19 Discussion 20 When asked how long the sign had been up, Mr. Freed said since October, 1994. The 21 applicant assured the Commissioners that the sign would not have installed had they been 22 aware of the ordinance. 23 Commissioner Franzese asked Mr. Freed if he had been involved with the installation of the 24 first sign and he indicated he had not. Franzese recalled that at the time the first sign was 25 installed the Planning Commissioners felt it could not be easily seen by Highway 88 travellers. 26 She indicated she feels that the additional signage is needed and asked if signage on the 27 building would be more appropriate. Mr. Freed said the second sign is even now obscured by 28 snow and that a sign on the building might be better. 29 Commissioner Franzese asked if StratigiCare pleased with the second sign. Mr. Freed 30 indicated they are happy with it and that the sign eliminated the problem they had with 31 delivery persons finding their location. 32 Commissioner Thompson said he doesn't believe nearby residents are bothered by the sign. Bellefuil indicated she had sent letters to all owners of properties in sight of the building and 40314, she only received one response which asked "What sign, are they putting up a new sign?" • 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 3 5 Chair Faust asked Mr. Freed if the building is 100% occupied and Mr. Freed indicated it is 6 not. In addition, Faust inquired if Mr. Freed considering future requests for variances for 7 more signs as the building fills. Mr. Freed responded no, and added that they had left a space 8 for additional tenants. He indicated he was comfortable with what they had in signs. 9 Commissioner Thompson inquired if the bottom of the current sign could be enclosed so that it 10 would be in compliance with the ordinance. Mr. Freed indicated that that could be done. 11 The public hearing was closed for the Commissioners to discuss the request. 12 Motion by Commissioner Bergstrom, seconded by Commissioner Makowske to grant the 13 variance request by Russell Freed for the existing sign located at 3055 Old Highway 8, with 14 the stipulation the base of the sign be closed, as recommended by staff. VCommissioner Franzese added the.following friendly amendments to the motion: 16 (1) That there was no opposition from the neighbors. 17 (2) That the sign complies with the three conditions for the granting of a.sign variance. 18 (3) That the property is unique in that it is surrounded by three different streets. 19 (4) That the base be enclosed so that it conforms to the City Ordinance for monument 20 signage by June 1, 1994. 21 Motion carried unanimously. 22 Chair Faust noted that this request and recommendation will be presented to the City Council 23 on March 8, 1994 and encouraged Mr. Freed or a representative be present at that meeting. 24 Chair Faust moved Agenda Item B, Outside Storage to be discussed before Item A, Permanent 25 Ground Signs. 26 Outside Storage 27 Management Assistant Bellefuil indicated that outside storage has increased in the City, 28 especially at places like the 7 Eleven. Bellefuil presented a draft for an ordinance amendment 29 pertaining to this subject and included storage of refuse containers as a separate amendment. .b Chair Faust asked who the Chief Code Enforcement Officer is. Bellefuil responded that the 31 Public Works Director usually enforces the ordinance. Faust felt it might be better for the • 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 4 5 zoning administrator (who is the City Manager) should have that responsibility because it 6 would be more consistent. There was general agreement from Commission members to the 7 suggestion. 8 Commissioner Gondorchin questioned how to distinguish different types of businesses relative 9 to screening. He wants to add that to the proposed language. Bellefuil said perhaps the 10 zoning of the property could be included or be even more specific by stating the type of 11 business. Bergstrom asked what criteria will be required to obtain the proposed permit for 12 outside storage. Chair Faust pointed out that only one business in St. Anthony is open for 24 13 hours. Other businesses usually bring outside items into their buildings when they close. 14 Commissioner Gondorchin felt there should be something in the proposed amendment which 15 would be a basis for enforcement, otherwise it would make no sense to have an ordinance for 16 this issue. 07 Commissioner Franzese asked how a special use permit differs from a temporary permit. 8 Bellefuil responded that a permit is temporary if it is only for a short span of time, i.e., selling 19 Christmas trees. If the City restricted the selling of an item from the outside, then a special 20 permit would be needed. The special use permit can be for any length of time for a specific 21 business. These are not grandfathered in the ordinance; new owners would have to obtain a 22 special use permit for the same business. Franzese felt this proposed ordinance amendment, 23 as presented, is very unclear and asked for more research. The Management Assistant said 24 she had contacted other cities' ordinances regarding this issue and found anywhere from a 25 short paragraph to a quite lengthy ordinance. 26 Commissioner Horst felt the word "storage" would have to be clarified. Chair Faust perceived 27 that storing items outside could evolve from storing one small item into storing large item(s). 28 He said staff should produce an ordinance which would be liveable and stays within the City's 29 perceived image. Faust indicated that the objective needs to be defined. 30 The zoning administrator could have the power to say what is in good or bad taste or what a 31 reasonable amount of time is. As presented, the amendment needs to be more specific. A 32 distinction between sales (display) and storage needs to be made. City Manager Burt felt the 33 proposed ordinance should be broader. He indicated that at some point there will need to be 34 administrative latitude and interpretation. Chair Faust asked about dumpsters being considered as storage. Burt indicated the problems with dumpsters would decrease if screening were addressed in this ordinance. Burt said 37 screening the containers will give St. Anthony a better image. If trash containers are in an • 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 5 5 an enclosure, typically rodents can be controlled. Many other communities require 6 enclosures. Burt noted that this building (Community Center/City Hall) is an example where 7 dumpsters give a poor impression of St. Anthony. Burt said it will take some finesse to get 8 the owners to agree to this ordinance because it will require some capital to do this, large 9 amounts, .to build enclosures. He suggested working with owners and giving them some 10 latitude. 11 Commissioner Bergstrom suggested a proposed ordinance be presented to an organization such 12 as the Chamber of Commerce to seek their input. 13 There are two issues which may require two different ordinances; the two issues being (1) 14 exterior storage; and (2) refuse enclosures. Burt said it could be either one or two ordinances Wdepending on how the City Attorney writes it. 16 It was asked how this ordinance will effect residential properties. Burt responded that 17 residences would need to be dealt with separately. 18 Permanent Ground Signs 19 At the December Planning Commission meeting, slides were shown to the Commissioners 20 depicting ground signs in St. Anthony. Since that time, City Manager Burt and Management 21 Assistant Bellefuil measured several ground signs. Bellefuil offered some changes in sign 22 surface area and sign height. The average height is about 5 feet 10 inches. For surface area 23 of one side, the average is 23 square feet; and for double sided signs the average is almost 56 24 square feet. Bellefuil also researched the definition of signs, especially directional signs, 25 noting that the ordinance mentions nothing about ingress and egress. If the ordinances does 26 not include ingress or egress for directional signage, it is then a definition of informational 27 signage. 28 Another item Bellefuil discussed is the definition of identification signs. Our present 29 ordinance only defines what identification signs do. Burt noted that the definition of 30 identification signs could possibly be removed from the ordinance. Burt indicated he and 31 Bellefuil reviewed the whole sign ordinance and discovered other flaws like this one, which 2 are open to interpretation. 33 City Manager Burt suggested the definition of ground signs should include requirements for 34 the height, size, and landscaping. He indicated that in checking various signs around the City, • I City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 6 5 he and the Management Assistant discovered many discrepancies. 6 Commissioner Gondorchin questioned the ordinance stipulating only one sign for some of the 7 larger buildings, i.e., Stratigicare and Apache Plaza. Chair Faust interjected with the 8 possibility of larger signage rather than more than one sign. Commissioner Bergstrom 9 recommended the majority of single sided signs are 32 square feet or less, and the majority of 10 double sided signs are 65 square feet or less. 11 Commissioner Franzese was in favor of having a lesser increment. Franzese recommended 30 12 square feet and 60 square feet for single and double sided signs, respectively. Commissioner 13 Bergstrom felt because so many of the signs were the larger size, that perhaps there was an 14 industry standard. He also felt this should be examined before the Commission proceeds. 15 Chair Faust requested staff to check into that. �6 The ordinance regulates the height of ground signs be five feet. Franzese suggested six feet. 7 Commissioner Gondorchin felt seven feet would be better. The general consensus was that the 18 total size of the sign and base must not exceed seven feet. 19 Chair Faust asked if the Commissioners wanted to add "ingress" and "egress" to the 20 directional sign language in the ordinance. It was agreed to add "ingress", "egress", and 21 "and/or traffic flow" to the ordinance. 22 Land Use Planning Workshop 23 Chair Faust indicated Commissioners Bergstrom, Makowske, and Horst have not attended the 24 basic planning workshop; and Thompson and Gondorchin have not attended the advanced 25 workshop. Faust and Franzese have attended both. The City will pay for the workshops and 26 Faust encouraged the Commissioners to attend. 27 Miscellaneous 28 Chair Faust introduced the newest Commissioner, Dick Horst. Faust reminded the 29 Commissioners that there will be a school election on April 19th and the meeting cannot begin 30 until 8:00 P.M.. Ol City Manager Burt spoke about the Development/Redevelopment Task Force. Commissioner 32 Makowske volunteered to attend the March 9th meeting of the Task Force. 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 7 5 Commissioners Comments 6 Commissioner Bergstrom discussed the Environmental Quality/Recycling Task Force's tour of 7 the HERC incinerator. There was a problem with the incinerator and the Task Force received 8 classroom presentation. 9 Commissioner Thompson inquired as to the status of CUB. Mr. Burt is still very optimistic. 10 SuperValu is rewriting the whole idea of independent franchise stores. They are very close to 11 concluding this work. 12 Motion by Franzese, seconded by Faust to commend John Madden for his nine years of 13 service to the Planning Commission. 4 Motion carried unanimously, 5 Miscellaneous 16 Commissioners were encouraged to attend precinct caucuses on March 1st. 17 The Pirino lawsuit, which involves the house on 33rd which has been unfinished for about 18 four years, has been settled. The low court was in favor of the Pirino's and allowed them to 19 build the garage forward and also set torte in the amount of$32,000 to be paid by the City. 20 The Court of Appeals, however, overturned that decision and said the interpretation was vague 21 but that the Pirinos could build the garage forward. The Pirino's appealed to the Supreme 22 Court of Minnesota. The Supreme Court would not hear their case. We are in the process of 23 a final settlement. This should mean that we will see a garage at that property sometime this 24 summer. 25 Mr. Burt told the Commissioners that effective March 4th he has resigned and that he has 26 enjoyed working with the Commission. He said he was hired as the City Administrator in 27 Rosemount. 28 Motion by Chair Faust, seconded by Commissioner Franzese to thank City Manager Burt for 29 the services he has given the City and the cooperation of he and his staff. Chairperson Faust 30 congratulated Mr. Burt on his new job. �1 Motion carried unanimously, 1 City of St. Anthony 2 Planning Commission Meeting 3 February 15, 1994 4 Page 8 5 Election of New Officers for the 1994 Planning Commission 6 Chair Faust opened the nominations for the position of Chair. 7 Motion by Commissioner Franzese to nominate Commissioner Jim Gondorchin as Chair. 8 Gondorchin responded by inquiring if he could nominate Chair Faust for one more year. 9 Faust stated he is concerned that if he would have the position for one more year, it would put 10 too much of his imprint of leadership and then it could become the way of doing business. 11 Mr. Gondorchin is concerned about time resource. He indicated he could come and lead the 12. meetings, but that's all he could do. 13 Voting on the motion to elect Jim Gondorchin as Chair of the St. Anthony Planning 14 Commission: 1015 Aye: Faust, Franzese, Thompson, Makowske, Bergstrom and Horst 16 Abstention: Gondorchin 17 Motion carried. 18 Commissioner Franzese recognized Jerry Faust's Chairing of the Planning Commission during 19 the last two years. Mr. Faust thanked her. 20 Chair Faust opened the nominations for Vice Chair. 21 Motion by Franzese to nominate Commissioner Faust as Vice Chair and that the nominations 22 be closed. 23 Voting on the motion: 24 Aye: Franzese, Gondorchin, Thompson, Makowske, Bergstrom, and Horst. 25 Abstention: Faust 26 Motion carried, WMotion to adjourn the meeting. 28 Motion carried unanimously.