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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC 08.22.19Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of Thursday, August 22, 2019 Chair Kleissler called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. PRESENT: Arcand, Derr, Fry, Kleissler, Lessard, Luchsinger, Mulvihill, Tjernlund. ABSENT: None. STAFF: Rachel Juba, Community Development Director Emily Weber, Community Development Assistant Pledge of Allegiance. Approval of Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of June 27, 2019 Commissioner Arcand made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Tjernlund to approve minutes for the meeting of June 27, 2019. All ayes. Motion carried. Public Hearing: Minnesota Built Hugo Minnesota LLC — Site Plan and Variance for Gopher State Storage Juba provided background on the site plan and variance. The site is located in the Peloquin Industrial Park along Highway 61. The 3.24 acre lot is zoned general industrial and currently has four existing buildings on site. The applicant is requesting approval of a site plan to construct a building totaling approximately 16,600 square feet for a three-story climate controlled storage facility. The applicant is also requesting approval of a variance from the front yard setback requirements to construct the building 0 feet from the roadway easement on the west side of the property, where 30 feet is required by ordinance. The building will be 39 feet from the west property line, consistent with the other existing buildings on the property. In 2017, City Council approved a site plan approving the construction of 7 one-story buildings for a total of 21,700 square feet for a ministorage facility. The property was proposed to be developed in two phases. Four buildings have been constructed. The site is managed electronically with no on-site property management. The applicant would like to revise the original site plan and replace the remaining proposed 3 buildings with a three-story climate controlled facility. The proposed building is generally in the area where the three buildings and drive aisles were proposed and would contain approximately 400 units of vanous sizes. The applicant is proposing a drive aisles that will allow for large vehicles to turn around on site. The project is proposed in two phases, phase one is proposed to be 12,000 square feet and phase two is proposed to be 4,600 square feet. Staff recommends that the project be completed in one phase. The General Industrial zoning district has a maximum building height of 50 feet. The building height will be approximately 48 feet at the highest point. The existing buildings on the property are approximately 19 feet tall. Juba provided details on the architecture and building materials of the proposed building. Staff August 22, 2019 PC Minutes Page 2 compared the proposed building materials and colors with the existing buildings and the proposed colors and materials do not match. It is in staff's opinion that more work is needed on the building scale, architecture, and building materials in order for the project to be cohesive with the existing buildings and surroundings. Staff recommends adding the materials used on the existing buildings on to the proposed building. The proposed building meets all setback requirements, except for the front yard setback along Highway 61. The applicant is requesting approval of a variance from the front yard setback requirements to construct the building 0 feet from the right-of-way easement on the west side of the property, where 30 feet is required by ordinance. Staff provided criteria for approval on variance requests. The variance would not be in character of the surrounding area and it is in staff's opinion that there are not practical difficulties in meeting the ordinance standard. Staff provided recommendations for the Planning Commission to consider when reviewing the application. Staff continued to review streets and access, fencing and screening, landscaping, and parking. The applicant has constructed a stormwater facility and since the impervious surface on site is not changing significantly, staff feels that the stormwater facility will be adequate for the site. The plans will be reviewed more thoroughly upon approval of the application. City water and sewer services will be connected to the building. It is in staff's opinion that the project does not meet all the requirements necessary to approve the applications. While staff believes that there has been progress made on the architecture and an effort to design the building with quality materials and attractive details, it is not cohesive with the existing buildings on site in regards to building materials, colors, and proportion. Staff recommends the Planning Commission open the public hearing and take comments and that the Planning Commission provide comments to the applicant on the site plan and variance application plans. Staff recommends the Planning Commission table the requests until September 12, 2019, for staff to meet with the applicant and continue to work on items related to the architecture/building materials and revisions to the plans. Chair Kleissler asked if the Planning Commission had any questions for staff. Tjernlund asked staff to clarify what the variance request was asking for. Juba stated that the applicant is only asking for a variance from the setback requirements. Luchsinger asked if there are any other buildings in the Industrial Park of the same proposed height. Juba stated that the neighboring buildings are 33 and 37 feet in height. Arcand asked if there are future complications with the 0 yard setback. Juba stated that with expansion of Highway 61, the buildings will be required to remain out of the right-of-way. Chair Kleissler invited the applicant to come forward. Tim Jordan from CNH Architects addressed the planning commission. Jordan stated that materials can be adjusted to match the colors on the existing buildings. The materials of the proposed building are intended to be an upgrade in quality from the existing buildings, so materials were not intended to be exactly the same. David Heil, CEO, and Luke Doubler, equity partner, of State Storage Group, addressed the Planning Commission. Heil stated that phase one of the project experienced high demand and with phase two they would like to offer a high quality product that looks nice. They are willing to work on the architecture. August 22, 2019 PC Minutes Page 3 Commissioner Arcand asked what is the detailing on the corners of the building. Heil stated that the garage doors behind the windows are a visualization to act as advertisement. He also stated that the second phase is so they can grow with demand. Arcand asked how many units are with the first phase. Heil responded that there are around 300 units in phase one. Units are built on demand and can be different sizes. Arcand stated that phase one looks odd if phase two is never completed. Heil responded that they would like to see a complete project, but with phasing they can better manage upfront costs of the project. Commissioner Fry asked Heil if the proposed building is a way to maximize profits. Heil stated that the proposed building offers a new product with climate controlled storage. Commissioner Derr asked the applicant if there could be elements from the proposed buildings that could be incorporated on the existing buildings. Bill Beckford with Patriot Construction Services INC came forward to address the Planning Commission. He stated that the sample materials are a higher quality than the existing building materials. Beckford said the colors can be tweaked, but the materials will not be exactly the same. Heil stated that the proposed building will be served as a gateway to the Industrial Park. Juba stated that the proposed materials are quality materials. Staff is focused on the building blending in with the character of the area. Commissioner Fry asked what the buildings to the north are zoned and what the height restrictions are for that zone. Juba responded that the properties to the north are zoned General Business (C-2) and the height restriction for that zoning district is 35 feet. Chair Kleissler noted that there are a lot of flat, one-story buildings in the area. Commissioner Lessard asked staff to clarify if the property is located in the floodplain. Juba stated that there is a portion of property that was in the designated FEMA flood zone, however they did get a letter of map revision from FEMA for the existing site. Heil asked the Planning Commission if they like the architectural features of the building and if they were okay with the height. Commissioner Derr asked if the heating and cooling equipment will be stored on the roof. Beckford added that yes it is and that the architectural design is intended to hide that. Commissioner Luchsinger asked if the project is still feasible with only two stories. Heil responded that no it is not because price per square foot as you lower the building, increases significantly. Juba clarified that economics is not a criteria of approval. Chair Kleissler opened the public hearing at 7:52 pm. No one in the audience to come forward. Chair Kleissler closed the public hearing at 7:52 pm. The Planning Commission continued to have discussions on the character of the area and the architectural design of the proposed buildings. It was agreed upon that the Planning Commission wanted the project to be completed in one phase. August 22, 2019 PC Minutes Page 4 Chair Kleissler stated that the Planning Commission recommends that the proposed building be constructed in one phase, the parapets should remain on the plan as they add architectural integrity, and additional modifications should be made to make the project cohesive with the existing site. Heil addressed the Planning Commission to state that the variance request is to allow a variance in the setback requirements and is not based on the height of the building. Commissioner Luchsinger made a motion to table the requests until September 12, 2019, seconded by Commissioner Fry. All Ayes. Motion carried. Adjournment Commissioner Arcand made a motion, Commissioner Derr seconded, to adjourn at 8:15 pm. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Emily Weber, Community Development Assistant