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PL 12/22/1982 - 30587,� � CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, DECEMBER 22, 1gg2 CALL TO ORDER: Chairwoman Schnabel called the December 22, 1982, Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: - Members Present: Ms. Schnabel, Mr. Oquist, Ms. Gabel, Mr. Svanda, Mr. Goodspeed, Mr. Kondrick, Mr. Saba Members Absent: None Others Present: Bill Deblon, Associate Planner Robert H. Jessen, R. H. Jessen & Assoc. Architects, Palatine, I11. Jerome A. Jensen, Lyndale Terminal Co. Bill Brezinsky, Suburban Engineering, Inc., Fridley APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 8, 1982, pLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES: MO_ 4'_ION BY MS. GABEL, SECONDED BY MR. SABA, TO APPROVE TXE DEC. 8, Z982, PLANA'Z'NG COAtMISSION MINUTES AS WRITTEN. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CNAIR4�OMAN SCHNABEL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 1. PUBLIC HEARING: ubdivision No. 155, TI same A PRELIMINARY PLAT P.S. #82-0� IPANY: Being a replat of Lot 3, ng 250 - 57th Avenue N.E. A r's MO_ �'ION BY MR. OpUIST� SECONDED BY MR. SABA, TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON P.S. �/82-(02 SAGA SUBDIVISION, LYNDALE TERMINAL COMPANY. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE� CHAIRWOMAN SCHNABEL DECLARED THE PUBLIC X�ARING OPEN AT 7:33 P.M. Mr. Deblon stated the property is located on the corner of�57th & University. This plat is�going to subdivide about 1.76 acres (76�624 sq. ft.) from the existing parcel of lan�l, leaving about 17.34 acres. The lot split is for the even- tual development of a restaurant known as The Cattle Company Restaurant. He stated this restaurant is a very nice restaurant with entertainment, food, and alcoholic beverages. Mr. Deblon stated the only issue on the subdivision was the amount of parking. He stated he would give a brief history of the codes and requirements for parking in the City of Fridley. He stated Mr. Jensen of Lyndale Terminal Co, has also ^ applied for a variance to reduce the number of parking stalls and this was in the Appeals Connission minutes of Dec. 14. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, DECEMBER 22, 1982 PAGE 2 ,� Mr. Deblon stated the Holiday Warehouse was built in 1966. The building was 600 ft. x 270 ft, for a total square footage of 162,000 sq. ft. The city code in effect in 1966 called for off-street parking to be three times or more of the aggregate floor area and other area to be ultimately devoted to business purposes in C-1S and C-2S which the land was zoned at the time. According to that regula- tion, Holiday needed 486,000 sq, ft of parking spaces and aisles. Therefore, Holiday ended up with a sea of blacktop around it. He stated Staff evaluated this to see what would happen if they removed various parking areas for this subdivision, green area, and other things. The net result was that with the subdivision and its parking necessity for the restaurant and additional green area, there would still be enough parking for Holiday as it was calculated according to the 1966 code. Ms. Gabel stated she had checked the parking at Holiday Warehouse the last two Sundays in the afternoon during the holiday shopping traffic, and there was no one parking in the northeast corner where the restaurant would go in and very little in the aisle next to it. Most of the parking moves to the west because of the front door and the door on the west side. The first time, there were approx. 450 cars and the second time, there were approx. 550 cars. She stated she had checked the parking because the parking would be at its maximum during the holidays. Ms. Schnabel asked if Staff was satisfied that the parking was adequate for the Holiday Warehouse if this proposal was approved, Mr. Deblon stated Staff is trying to reduce thp park�ng requirements. The new code calls for one stall for every 150 sq, ft, of retail. That would require � Holiday Warehouse today to provide 1,080 parking stalls. That would still exceed what they really need. He stated his answer to Ms. Schnabel's question was "yes", but he would like to have the burden of proof swayed over to the applicant a little bit to provQ that they really don't need the parking. Ms. Schnabel stated that in all practicality, she agreed with Ms. Gabel. Every time she has been to Holiday Warehouse, there has been more than enough parking. It is not at all like other situations in Fridley where there is inadequate parking. Ms. Gabel stated the excess parking is also an eyesore. Mr. Deblon stated Staff feels the landscaping offered by The Cattle Company is very adequate and Staff is very pleased with it. They feel it would be very con- sistent to continue that landscaping theme along 57th and have calculated the reduction of those parking stalls for the green area. Ms. Schnabel stated that regarding the replat, did Staff feel there was any negative aspects? , Mr. Deblon stated Staff has a concern about the trailers in the south area next to 694. They feel that as Holiday continues to build up a greater clientele for foods, they may necessitate more trailers to bring in more goods, and possibly may have the need for a trailer storage area. There is a little concern regarding the refuse around the building. This is not really related to the subdivision, and other than these concerns, Staff had no other comnents. �"� �'� PAGE 3 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING DECEMBER 22 1982 Mr. Jerome Jensen, Lyndale Terminal Co. (Holiday Warehouse), stated they are very much in favor of this proposal. He stated they have had this property for quite a few years and have never really utilized it. A number of years ago, they had an opportunity to sell the northeast corner to another restaurant chain, but they did not feel it was a very good offer and was not something they wanted in front of their store. More recently, the SAGA Corporation or Stewart-Anderson's Cattle Company Restaurant approached them. He stated they have been very pleased and fee] this restaurant would be a good addition to their store and for the entire Fridley area. He stated they have worked with Staff on the rea7ignment of the driveway. Mr. Jensen stated they have just completed a redevelopment program with their Holiday Warehouse South in Bloomington, which is a]ittle larger than the Fridley store at 188,000 sq. ft. Their volume for the total store is slightly higher than the Fridley store. With their new development program, they have 611 parking spaces, and that seems to be adequate even at this time of year. They feel the number of parking spaces recommended by the Appeals Commission (950 parking stalls) on Dec. 14 should be more than adequate to service the area without creating a problem to the surrounding area. He stated they would not be selling this land if they felt it would jeopardize their store in any way. They have very adequate parking in just three areas--the west, west front, and east front. � Ms. Schnabel asked what Mr. Jensen's feelings were in terms of Staff's recommendation for the upgrading and landscaping by Holiday to be consistent with the Cattle Company Restaurant. Mr. Jensen stated that as far as taking out the additional parking stalls, it should not have any negative affect from a parking stand�oint. From a landscaping standpoint, they would prefer to see those remain as parking stalls. simply because the more green areas they have, the higher their maintenance costs and the harder it is to keep those green areas looking nice. From a visibility standpoint, he did not think there would be any problem; however, if the Commission feels this land- scaping is required to make it work, they would do what the City desired. Ms. Schnabel stated if the restaurant comes in and landscapes well, she would like � see Holiday carry through and upgrade the whole area. Mr. Jensen stated they have altrays tried to be a good neighbor to all the surrounding businesses and homes. Periodically, problems do come up, and they have tried to solve them. He felt their record with the City was one of cooperation. Ms. Gabel stated the Appeals Commission felt, from an aesthetic point of view,that the blacktop area was ugly and landscaping would break it up and make it look a little bit better. Mr. Jensen stated he did not know-how much land�ca�ae�� c����d even be seen, because the road is slightly higher than the grade. The landscaping wovl� siope away from ^ the road, so most of it would be invisible to anyone driving along 57th Ave. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, DECEMBER 22, 1982 � - PAGE 4 � Mr. Jensen stated he thought they would be willing to work with the City. They also have quite a bit of concrete curbing that is going to have to be put in which is going to be very expensive. Mr. Saba sLated he did not feel the City should lock Holiday Warehouse into any particular landscaping theme. Ne agreed that landscaping in this area does not serve any real useful purpose. If Holiday decides to do it, that was fine and the City could work with them; but he did not think it was fair to require Holiday to have a certain type of landscaping theme. He stated there is also a lot of vandalism in this area. Ms. Gabel stated she lives near the store. She believed there was a maintenance problem, and that maintenance has to be upgraded. Ms. Schnabel asked Mr. Robert Jessen to show the Comnission the restaurant plans. Mr. Robert Jessen, R. H. Jessen & Assoc. Architects, stated this would be a 9,200 sq. ft. restaurant which includes a 500 sq. ft, messanine area. He stated Stewart- Anderson restaurants cn the west coast are Black Angus Restaurants, and in the Midwest they are Cattle Company Restaurants. He stated this will be the first Cattle Company restaurant in Minnesota. They are presently worE:ing on one in Minnetonka and perhaps one in BloomingLOn. There are three open in the Midwest right now in Illinois, three under construction, and three on the drawing board, �. so there will be nine in Illinois. They also plan to expand in Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, east and south. There are 87 restaurants at this time,most of them located on the west coast and south in the Texas portion. Mr. Jessen stated SAGA is the parent company. The restaurant does not offer live entertainment. It has a disc jockey booth where they play the "top 20" record- ings and have a small dance floor. They want to cater to all age groups and offer a luncheon and evening menu at moderate prices. The restaurants have been very successful; hence, the expansion program. He stated the seating capacity is 266, plus 16 for waiting, totalling 282. Adding 30 employees makes a total of 312. Mr. Jessen stated they will provide a 20 ft. landscaped buffer strip along Univ. and 57th, a 25 ft. strip on the west side, plus numerous landscaped islands and an irrigation plan. The main entrance faces 57th with a secondary entrance facing University. Mr. Deblon stated Staff has noticed that this particular corner at 57th & Univ. has some foot traffic to the bus stop. Staff would recommend that a pathway or sidewalk be constructed in that 20 ft. of greenway. Mr. Jensen of Lyndale Termanal Co., stated he would be against a walkway in front of their store all the way to Main St. Their store is surrounded by comnercial except for a few homes that front on 58th Ave. He did not see that much foot traffic. Mr. Oquist stated the only kind of foot traffic is to and from Holiday on the east^ side, but there is no foot traffic all the way up and down 57th. He could see no need for a walkway in front of the praposed r�staurant. "'�, PLANNING COMMISSIGN MEETING,�DECE�BER 22, 1982 PAGE 5 Ms. Schnabel stated it did not make sense to ask the restaurant to provide a sidwalk to University Ave. when that is not city property. If the City feels a walkway is important, then the City ought to put it in. Mr. Kondrick, Mr. Svanda, Mr. Saba, and Ms. Gabel agreed. MOTION BY MS. GABEL, SECONDED BY MR. SABA� TO CLOSE TXE PUBLIC NEARING ON P.S. 1�82- 02, SAGA SUBDIVISION, LYNDALE TERMINAL CO. UPON A VOICE VOTE� ALL VOTING AYT.� CXAIRWOMAN SCHNABEL DECLARED THE PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED AT 8:53 P.M. Mr. Oquist stated the restaurant sounded like a nice thing for this area. It would dress up that corner and the landscaping ]ooked great. He had some misgivings about the greenway proposed for Holiday Warehouse as the land does slope away and because of the maintenance. MOTION BY lNR. OQUIST, SECONDED BY MR. KONDRICK� TO RECOMMEI�D TO CITY COUIJCIL APPROVAL OF A PRELIMINARY PLAT� P.S. #82-02, SAGA SUBDNISION, LYNDALE TERIfINAL COMPANY� BEING A REPLAT OF LOT 13� AUDITOR'S SUBDIVISION NO. 155� THE SAME BEING "l50 - 5�Z'B AVENUE N.E. � � Mr. Deblon stated he would like to see t�e following stipulations added to �he motion: (1) there be a 30 ft. (20 ft. additional) greentray area in front of Holiday Warehouse; and (2) Holiday Warehouse continue to work with Staff on various o�her things like the screening of the trailers on the south side. Mr. JensEn stated he questioned whether the things being discussed now really pertained to the pla�ting. He stated they have always tried to work with the City; and if they haven't, they are willing to sit down and discuss these types of things. To his knowledge, Lyndale Terminal or Holiday has not been informed of these things. If Holiday Warehouse was in violation of any code, he felt the code was strong enough to bring these things into compliance. MOTION '1'O AMEIJD BY MR. OQUIST� SECONDED BY MR. KONDRICK� TO RECOMI�9END TO CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF PRELIMINARY PLAT, P.S. #82-02, SAGA SUBDIVISION, LYNDALF.' TERMINAL CC�MP.�NY, BEING A REPZ�AT OF LOT 13� AUDITOR�S SUBDIVISION NO. Z55� THE SAME BEING 250- S�T� AVENUE N.E.� WITH THE STIPULATION THAT THE PEOPuE FROM HOLIDAY WAItEHOUS: WORK WITH CITY STAFF TO PROVIDE FOR A MINIMUM OF 10 ADDITIONP.L FEET OF GREENWAY ALONG 57TH AVE. (20 OR 30 FT. TO BE WORt:ED OUT BETWEEI,i THE TWO PARTIES) . Mr. Oquist stated he would recommend that the City Council discuss those other issues, but he did not feel they should be part of the motion. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CXAIRWOMAN SCHNABEL DEC:�ARED THE 1?OTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Ms. Schnabel state�: this would go before the City Council on Jan. 10, 1983, along n with the variance request. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, DECEMBER 22, 1982 PAGE 6 �' 2. RECEIVE DECEMBER 14, 1982, APPEALS COMMISSION MINUTES: AlOTION BY MS. GABEL, SECONDED BY l�t. RONDRICK� TO RECEIVE TXE DEC. 14, 1982, APPEALS COMMISSIDN MINUTES. UPON A VOZCE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE� CBAIRW01►IAN SCNNABEL DECLARED THE MOTIDN CARRIED f1NANIMOUSLY. Mls. Gabel Stated that regarding an earlier variance request by Burger King, when they went befo re the City Council, they said they had called City Hall and someone at City Hall had told them if they took down the small directional sign then had, it would be alright to put up the message sign. She stated this was not the store representatives from Burger King told the Appeals Comnission. She wanted the Planning Comanission members to know that Burger King changed thier story for the City Council. 3. RECEIVE DECEMBER 2, 1982, HUMAN RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION BY HR. GOOD�PEED, SECONDED BY l�i. OQUIST� TO RECEIVE TNE DEC. 2, 1982, HUMAN RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES. Ms. Schnabel stated she was very sorry to see Ms. van Dan resign as chairperson of the Human Resources Co�nission. She had enjoyed having her on the Planning n Co�rnission; however, she was very glad to see Ms. van Dan continue as a comnission member. UPON A VOICE VOTE� ALL VOTING AYE� CXAIRWOlNAN SCHNABEL DECLARED TNE MOTION CAJIRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. RECEIVE DECEMBER 14, 1982, COt�IMUWITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION BY 1�lR. OQUIST� SECONDED BY l�t. SABA, TD RECEZVE TNE DEC. 19, 1982� COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MZNUTES. Mr. Oquist stated that in going again into the work plan cycle, the Commission has felt a lot of frustration on what direction the Cortmunity Development Commission should be taking. He stated he felt they have lost one commission member because of the things that have happened. Mr. Oquist stated the Comnunity Development Commission members have often felt like they are no more than a mini-Planning Commission. The things they get involved with. the Planning Commission also gets involved with. They have asked for, but rerer received any direction. They have gotten some actior� items to discuss through Staff. They also tried the work planning process and did do a few things, nor�e of which were accepted by the Cfty Council. Mr. Oquist stated maybe part of a proposal would be that the Commission become a project cortmittee where the Comnission would be assigned a project with a starting n and finishing date, a goal and objective. The one problem would be in keeping the Commission members. As the cFiairperson, he personally did not like to have � ' PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, DECEMBER 22, 1982 PAGE 1 meetings with only one item on the agenda. The December meeting was the first meeting in six months, and he felt they had not even been missed. He stated there are good people on this Cor�nission and they want to do something that has some worth. Mr. Oquist stated th�t maybe the Planning Comnission should recommend to the City Council that the City Council take a good look at the commission system as it is today and decide what they expect from the commissions. Ms. Schnabel stated she would discuss this concern with Mayor Nee. UPON A VOICE VOTE� ALL VOTING AYE� CbTAIRWOMAN SCHNABEL DECLARED TXE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION BY MR. OQUIST, SECONDED BY MR. GOOASPEED� TO ADJOURN TNE MEETING. UPON A VOICE VOTE� ALL VOTING AYE, CXAIRWOMIIN SCXNABEL DECLARED THE DECEMBER 22� 1982� PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING AA70URNED AT 9:45 P.M. �Y Respectfully subm'tted, il �.�, ynne a a Recording Secretary �