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Home My WebLink AboutPL MINUTES 09201977 Meeting Sheet IIIIII VIII VIII VIII VIII VIII IIII IIII 105666 Box: 35 Folder: PL MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1977 Document: PL MINUTES 09201977 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY PLANNING BOARD MINUTES September 20, 1977 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Hiebel at 7: 39 p.m. Present for Roll Call: Marks, Cowan, Hiebel, Letourneau and new member, Dick Klick Absent: Bowerman and Rymarchick Also present: Jim Fornell, City Manager The following correction was made to the minutes for the August 16, 1977 Board meeting: Page 2, Paragraph 1: Substitute "center ownership" for "merchants" in the reference to apathy to renovation of the shopping • centers. Motion by Letourneau and seconded by Mr. Marks to approve the minutes for the August 16, 1977 Board meeting as corrected. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Letourneau will represent the Board at the next Council meeting. /The meeting was recessed from 7:40 p.m. to 8: 00 p.m. when Chairman Hiebel opened the Public Hearing on a Conditional Use Permit which is required under the City Zoning Ordinance for the drive-in facility included in the plans for a new State Bank of St. Anthony banking facility at 2401 Lowry Avenue N.E. Mr. Fornell confirmed that all requirements for a public hearing had been met by the applicants and the City and no one present reported not re- ceiving the required notification of the hearing. Mr. Rymarchick arrived at 8: 01 p.m. Wil Johnson of Bergstedt, Wahlberg, Berquist and Rohkohl, 400 Sibley Street, St. Paul, presented the bank's points of justification for the conditional use permit and the variance to the required parking space allowances which will be necessary for the new bank to be constructed in the manner proposed on the new location. Mr. Johnson introduced to the Board the President of the bank, Don Farber and its Senior Vice President, Jim Philpott who he said is also an officer of the bank's holding company, they joined in the dicusssion. Mr. Johnson told the Board that unsucessful attempts to negotiate a long term lease with the ownership of the St. Anthony Shopping Center had necessitated a move to the new location. However, the bank is going to retain its existing drive-facility at 2955 Pentagon Drive until such time as customers indicate a preference for using the new facility in lieu of fighting the traffic congestion in the shopping centers He felt these conditions and the favorable traffic conditions on 'abutting streets at the new location warranted a Conditional Use Permit. Mr. Fornell in his September 15th assessment of the proposal said he did not foresee a problem "with respect to the location, access and stacking aspects of the proposal" . The Board examined the site plans for the new facility discussed with the applicants the need they projected for the next ten years for an eight-lane remote drive-in operation. Mr. Johnson also discussed the plans for landscaping, snow removal, traffic flow patterns and methods of screening the mobile park area to the north from any noise or headlight annoyance associated with the banking facility. Owners of the trailer court, Lowry Manor Courts , Mr. and Mrs. Hobie Swan, 2501 Lowry Avenue N.E. , both expressed wholehearted approval for the proposal which Mr. Swan said "would lend itself to the area more • homogeneously than the previous business" . Mr. Swan also said the red- wood fence around the court would protect its residents from any visual annoyance. The Public Hearing was closed at 8: 40 p.m. Board members expressed some concern with the capability of Stinson Boulevard to handle the additional traffic generated by this operation during the peak traffic hours but took the following action: Motion by Mr. Cowan and seconded by Mr. Klick to recommend to the City Council that a Conditional Use Permit be granted to the State Bank of St. Anthony for a drive-in remote teller facility to be a part of the proposed new bank building to be construction on Plat 63507, Parcel 7010 , (approximately 2401 Lowry Avenue N.E. ) because the proposal seems to be compatible to the area and the abutting streets appear adequate to handle the anticipated traffic patterns . " Motion carried unanimously. The second Public Hearing on the same facility was opened at 8: 57 p.m. This hearing was required to consider a petition for a variance to the City Zoning Ordinance which requires that "general commercial" uses have at least one on-site parking space for every 300 square feet of gross floor area. • (2) • Mr. Fornell reported compliance with all conditions set for such hearings and again no one present reported not receiving the required notifica- tion. The Manager said the City had followed the established practice of notifying the planning department of any adjoining municipality (in this case, Minneapolis) of the hearing. The Board considered his September 15th assessment of the request and Mr. Johnson's September 16th letter which accompanied the petition in which he enumerated points of justification he saw for waiving the strict application of the single parking per square foot of the building re- quirement of the City Ordinance. He pointed out that one-third of the 31, 560 square foot three level building would be devoted to storage, filing and public relation/information space. The maximum of about 40 employees will only be required to staff the building if the 10 year projections are realized and the 6, 500 square feet of space on the top level will only be used for rental until the bank needs that space for its own use. Mr. Fornell said it would be up to the bank officials to seek low traffic generating tenants for that space and the architect agreed, saying it would always be to the bank 's advantage to provide enough parking spaces for its customers. He said negotiations, which up to now have been un- successful, are continuing to purchase additional adjoining land for automobile accomodations. Although the Board was concerned that there might not be enough parking • spaces if the bank should reach its projected potential , they agreed it made good business sense to assume the bank would be self limiting regarding parking of employees and tenants and felt the parking problems were far outweighed by the desirability of having the banking operation in that particular location where they might become a model for improve- ment of the entire Kenzie Terraces-area. They also saw the proposed Certificate of Occupancy as a possible vehicle for controlling parking needs. Motion by Mr. Cowan and seconded by Mr. Marks to recommend to the City Council that a variance to the City Zoning Ordinance requirements for off street parking spaces be granted to permit the construction of the pro- posed banking facility at approximately 2401 Lowry Avenue N.E. by the State Bank of St. Anthony on the conditions that (1) No on-street parking will,-be permitted on Stinson Boulevard or Kenzie Terrace and (2) There shall be no reduction in approved landscaping/green space plans to accomodate more parking spaces . �"Mo tion carried unanimously. .The meeting was recessed at 9 : 40 p.m. and reconvened at 9 : 44 p.m. to consider the basic guidelines for the Kenzie Terrace commercial area planning study as set forth by the Manager September 15th. Mr. Fornell reported that conversations with the owner of one of the shopping centers, Elliott Saliterman, led him to believe that the- owner was interested in • (3) some renovation of that particular shopping area. The Board indicated an interest in meeting with Mr. Saliterman to ascertain how his plans might fit in with the City's objectives for renewal of the area. The Board recognized that the $3, 500 grant money could not provide as detailed a .study as might be desired but hoped even a limited study might provide an impetus for some action towards improving the viability of the commercial area. Motion by Mr. Rymarchick and seconded by Mr. Klick to adopt the guidelines proposed by the Manager for a commercial area planning study to be made of the southern quadrant of the City with special emphasis placed on the study's providing various action-strategy alternatives. Motion carried unanimously. The Manager then discussed his September 16th memorandum and said he believed the City staff might be able to do much of the planning required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. He reported that Metropolitan Council staff people agreed with him that a community such as St. Anthony which is 95% developed does not require as much comprehensive planning as a developing community. Mr. Fornell suggested that, in view of the limited amount of funds available for such a study (a $3, 747 grant from the Metropolitan Council) and a tight budget, the quoted price of $36, 000 from a planner for such a study would be prohibitive. The Board agreed that such a planner could be used as an advisory source only and directed him to investigate further methods of providing a comprehensive plan which will conform to the Metropolitan Council requirements, with the limited funds available. Mr. Klick was then congratulated upon his appointment to the Board and Mr. Fornell for his selection as the new City Manager. Motion by Mr. Marks and seconded by Mr. Klick to adjourn the meeting at 10: 13 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Helen Crowe Secretary • (4) i