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PL 02/19/1997 - 30837� CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COr�IISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 CfiLL TO ORDER : Chairperson Savage called the February 19, 1997, Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:27 p.m. ROLL CALL• Members Present: Diane Savage, LeRoy Oquist, Connie Modig, Larry Kuechle Members Absent: Dave T{ondrick, Dean Saba, Brad Sielaff Others Present: Barbara Dacy, Community Development Director Scott Hickok, Planning Coordinator Michele McPherson, Planning Associate Glen VanWormer, SEH Consultants Councilmember Billings R. A. Stinski, 1612 E. Berne Circle John Gustafson, 5841 West Moore Lake Drive David Kipp, 761 - 58th Avenue N.E. � Ann Williams, 5760 Hac]Qnann Avenue N.E. Virginia Ostlund, 5770 Hackmann Avenue N.E. Richard Kealy, 5771 Central Avenue N.E. Dorothy Seaberg, 5685 Jackson Street N.E. John Thayer, 5843 Central Avenue N.E. Cheryl Kerner, 941 Hillwind Road Jeanne White, 475 - 57th Place Bob Gilstad, 930 Hackmann Avenue N.E. Ralph Wedgewood, 5871 West Moore Lake Drive Alice Benson, 640 - 58th Avenue N.E. Dewey Flaten, 5750 Hackmann Avenue N.E. Laura Ingebrigtsen, 5831 West Moore Lake Drive Jeanne Ingebrigtsen, 5811 West Moore Lake Drive Kay Zngebrigtsen, 5811 West Moore Lake Drive Tim Nelson, 2665 Long Lake Road, Roseville, Minnesota APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 5, 1997 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded by Mr. Kuechle, to approve the February 5, 1997, Planning Commission minutes as written. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED T� MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 1. INFORMATIONAL HEARING: I-694 AND HIGHWAY 65 INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ^ PLANNING CONIl�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 2 Ms. Dacy stated, as part of the staff presentation, she will cover where they have been in the last year with this intersection issue and review the purpose of this part of the Planning Commission meeting on this topic. Then the consultant, Mr. Glen VanWormer from SEH, will review the plans. SEH is a consulting and engineering firm under contract with the HRA to complete the preliminary engineering plans for the Lake Pointe, West Moore Lake Drive, and Central Avenue intersection. Ms. Dacy stated the last time that the Planning Commission and the public saw plans regarding this issue was about one year ago. MEPC American Properties is under contract with the HRA to market the Lake Pointe site for corporate office development. MEPC has until August, 1997, to see if they can find a corporate office user for the facility. However, since the master plan approval, the City has taken a number of steps to start the process to make the intersection improvements at this location. Ms. Dacy stated one of the steps taken by the City was to make an application for Federal funding to pay for up to 800 of the costs of the intersection, and the City was successful in accomplishing ^ that. The City took the plans shown to the public and at the neighborhood meetings, the Planning Commission and the City Council, which were essentially the same plans as 10 years ago, and submitted that to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) along with an updated traffic analysis. The MnDOT staff has spent a number of months evaluating the analysis, looking at the design of the intersection plus the design of the ramps as you enter and leave I-694, and have had a number of concerns. They suggested some improvements in addition to the intersection changes that the City has discussed over the last 10 years. Ms. Dacy stated the City is now at a point where they are nearly completed with the preliminary engineering plans, MnDOT has reviewed and is comfortable with the proposals they have put together, and the City Council asked staff to hold an informational hearing to bring the Planning Commission and the public up to date on the intersection improvements. The next step is the final construction drawings. They are potentially looking at going out for bids this fall for construction in the spring of 1998. Ms. Dacy stated the purpose of the meeting is to bring you up to date with where the City is at. These are essentially the same plans as 10 years ago. Mr. VanWormer will go over some modifications that MnDOT has added to the I-694 ramps and review the schedule for carrying that out. If inembers of the public have �'"'� questions or comments, the purpose of this hearing is to ask those - questions and/or make comments. The Planning Commission is not �` PLANNING CON�IISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 3 taking formal action. Comments and questions will be part of the record which will be passed on to the City Council. The City Council ultimately has to approve the final plans. Mr. VanWormer stated the project is more than 10 years old. In the mid-1980's, there was much concern about the operation of the intersection of Highway 65, Old Central and West Moore Lake Drive. At the time the plans were being prepared, there was a series of public meetings, meetings with neighborhoods, it got approval, plans were prepared, approved by the City Council, sent to MnDOT where they got signatures but the project was shelved. As part of the follow-up to that, MnDOT was to do some work on the ramps in conjunction with the reconstruction of I-694. That has taken place, but none of the changes that were part of that plan have taken place. Now, the project is back through a revised funding source and money is available for the project. The plan went through an evaluation process and came out with a high enough priority so there is money available for it. Mr. VanWormer stated the intersection does have some operating problems. One of the concerns is the operation and congestion on Central at Hac]rnlann. There is concern about getting out of � Hackmann because there are site and distance restrictions. As you come down Hillwind to Hackmann, traffic takes a shortcut through the service station. There is also confusion as you come down Central to make a left turn. If this is your first time through there and you want to make a left turn to go west on the interstate, you have to do some jockeying to get into position. There are a number of operating problems such as these. Mr. VanWormer stated the original concept as approved and the plans from 10 years did take care of a lot of those concerns. The plan they have today is very similar especially in the area of Central, Haclanann, Hillwind, etc. One of the concerns is that when you come out on existing Haclanann, it is fairly close to the intersection on Highway 65. They moved this as far east as they could go to allow more room between someone coming around the corner and where you are when trying to pull out. It also provides a distinct left turn lane if you are coming down Central to make a left turn to go south on Highway 65. This plan has a painted median which you can drive across to provide access to houses. There is a painted left turn lane for those who are turning into Hackmann. There is a raised island from Hacl�nann all the way to Highway 65 which also provides a sheltered left turn. There are two left turn lanes to go south on Highway 65 and one lane to go across the roadway. The people who are cutting through the service station will have a direct route and eliminate some of the circulation problems and conflicts at the service station. Mr. VanWormer stated, on the west side, one of the concerns is �, PLANNING CON�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 4 that the development of Lake Pointe will generate traffic that might, under the existing conditions, go up West Moore Lake Drive. They have reversed it so that Lake Pointe is directly connected to Highway 65. That should have traffic coming from the development go directly out to the highway. The plan has tried to provide specific lanes for movement. There is a through lane, a left turn lane and a right turn lane. Mr. VanWormer stated they have also made some changes on Highway 65. They have added a southbound lane so that as you come into the Lake Pointe/Central intersection, there would be a third southbound lane which will continue all the way through to the south of the south ramps. Northbound, there is an added lane which will continue through and ends as a right turn lane at Central. Mr. VanWormer stated the biggest change comes from MnDOT. They have evaluated the intersection and decided that the movements onto the freeway if you are going westbound on I-694 and turning south on Highway 65, you have to weave through the traffic that is coming up the ramp. They will remove that loop to go south and instead put in a ramp similar to the one at University or Silver ^ Lake Road and make it a right or a left turn. There will be two left turn lanes and two right turn lanes which should provide capacity on that ramp. The same thing would be done for east bound traffic. Mr. VanWormer stated the benefit is that it separates the on movement from the westbound and northbound ramp under a stop condition from signal lights and will be diverted further away from the Lake Point intersection. In the report for application of funds, this section of Highway 65 from Moore Lake south has had 123 accidents in three years. This particular project has been submitted to MnDOT who reviewed it and has come back with some changes they suggested to the ramp. They have redesigned it and sent it back through for approval. It is now there for formal staff approval which means they are reviewing it is some detail. The County also has a copy of the plans which they will be reviewing. They are in the process of reviewing the plan with different agencies - the state historical society, wetlands, etc. Mr. VanWormer stated that is the current status. The next step, if they continue to be approved, is to make adjustments, take into account any comments that are received, and submit the final plans. The City Council will approve the final plans before getting bids. Ms. Modig stated she did not see how to get onto I-694 going east �''� as you going north on Highway 65. � � �, PLANNING CO1�Il�SSSION 1�ETING, FEBRVARY 19, 1997 PAGE 5 Mr. VanWormer stated that access is the same as it is today. Ms. Savage asked if these plans would go forward no matter what happens with the Lake Pointe development. Mr. VanWormer stated yes, he believed it would because the funding is separate from any development and the problems have been identified prior to any development. Ms. Dacy stated, even without development at Lake Points, the traffic analysis showed that by the year 1999 the intersection of Central, West Moore Lake Drive, and Highway 65 would move from a level of service of D to an F. The Federal funding helped the City in making the intersection project proceed because the City will conceivably get that done in 1998. Mr. Oquist asked who would be responsible for the project. Mr. VanWormer stated the City has applied for the money. The Federal government pays 80s of the construction costs. There will be a cooperative agreement between the City, the County, and MnDOT for the project. The City will manage the project. Ms. Modig asked if any more houses would be affected by this. Mr. VanWormer stated the houses that were removed were on the west. They are affecting some driveways of houses nearby but not the houses. On the east side, the area previously obtained for that connection will be used. No further houses will be taken. Ms. Modig asked how they have addressed the problem of coming across Lake Pointe to Old Central. Now, you take your life into your hands because the drivers turning left do not observe the right of way for on-coming going straight. Mr. VanWormer stated he would have to check with MnDOT to be certain of the plans for signalization and how it operates. This is set up to have separate turn lanes for the westbound/southbound type of turn. If the left turn lanes are on a left turn signal and then stop that traffic, the traffic going ahead can then proceed. Mr. Kuechle asked what kind of time line they were looking at. Mr. VanWormer stated this should be done in one construction season. It will be done in 1998 so they can start early in the year and�construct for the year so they are done. They are also coordinating this with the I-694-University area so they do not have two projects going at the same time. ,-� PLANNING COI�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 6 Ms. Savage opened the meeting for public comment. Mr. Stinski stated he owned an office building on Hillwind. He thought this was a great improvement for that corner. People from his office building go through the service station. He thought that was the reason the road was around there. When coming off the ramp, is that the same route to get to Hillwind? Mr. VanWormer stated it is the same route. Instead of having to merge into traffic, you will come down to a signal, make a right onto Highway 65, and another right turn. Mr. Stinski asked how you would get to eastbound I-694 when driving south on Highway 65. Mr. VanWormer stated that will be the same. You would take the loop to go to the east. Ms. Williams stated she lived on Haclanann on the corner and asked if they would be changing the elevation on that corner or changing the landscaping. ^ Mr. VanWormer asked he did not think they are planning to make many changes in road elevation. He did not know which specific trees will be affected. The roadway will be widened but he did not know how that would affect the trees. He had a bigger set of plans available and could check those after the meeting. They are planning to complete the trail which would be on the west side and completed over to the north side of Central Avenue, come across, and connect into the trail along Moore Lake. � Mr. Oquist asked if there would be a bridge or a walkway. Mr. VanWormer stated there would be a signal with walk and don't walk lights. Mr. Oquist asked Ms. Williams if she had a concern about the elevation. Mr. Williams stated the original plans showed landscaping. Her property is right at the hill. They took a piece of her property and changed another driveway. It was all supposed to be landscaped but nothing was done. It is a concern. Mr. Kipp asked if, on the drawings, there was still a way to get through coming from the high school going south on Highway 65. Mr. VanWormer stated yes. Mr. Kipp stated that right now there is a yield right of way to ,-� PLANNING COHIl�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 7 turn right to go south on Highway 65. The people coming across have the right of way when they make a left turn. Mr. VanWormer stated traffic coming east from West Moore Lake or Lake Pointe making a right turn, when the left arrow is on, they will have to yield. When the left turn arrow is off, you can pull out. West Moore Lake Drive will still come down to a stop sign to go east on Lake Pointe. Jean Branstrom asked if it was correct that from Old Central and Highway 65 to 53rd and Highway 65 there would be four stop lights. Mr. VanWormer stated yes. Mr. Gilstad stated he was the first house in from the gas station. Since this proposed road is coming in, it will basically be right across the street from his house. He works at home and has people who come over. How long will construction be? He will not be able to get out of the driveway and his customers will not be able to come in. He also has small children at home. Mr. VanWormer stated, although they don't have a detailed plan, he � did not know what the staging will be. In cases like this because the whole neighborhood is dependent on this connection, they try to keep the existing connection open, build a new connection, and then reroute traffic. It will not be as convenient as it is now. There will be some staging and construction but there will be an opportunity to get in. Mr. Gilstad asked if they would be landscaping the boulevard. Mr. VanWormer stated another concern about landscaping is the headlights shining in. He does not have a details landscape plan. Mr. Gilstad asked if they would be leaving the live oak trees. Mr. VanWormer stated they try to leave what they can. Mr. Gilstad asked if there would be three lanes to Highway 65. Mr. VanWormer stated yes. There would be two left turn lanes and a through lane. Those turning right would use the through lane. Mr. Gilstad asked what the distance was between the stoplights to the proposed intersection. The traffic backs up way back and there is often a 10-minute wait to get out. Mr. Van�nTormer stated this will get you a little further away so � there is more opportunity to enter traffic. At certain times of the day, traffic backs up. With the way they should be able to � � � PLANNING CONIl�lISSION NN�EETING, FEBRLTARY 19, 1997 PAGE 8 move traffic through the intersection, you should be able to get out to the back of the traffic. It is still close, but it is the best they could do. You may still have to wait. Mr. Oquist asked if the timing of the lights would change or stay the same. Mr. VanWormer stated MnDOT is working on coordination of all signals along Highway 65 from Columbia Heights to Bethel. He did not know what the final scheme would be. They will likely be a long signal. Mr. Oquist stated the long signals tend to back things up. Mr. VanWormer stated he thought it would be the same. With two left turn lanes and a long cycle, you may have to wait one cycle. Mr. Oquist stated another problem is that afternoon traffic from such places as Medtronic and Onan creates heavy traffic. He has had to wait for two or three lights before getting off Old Central. Has there been any consideration to diverting this traffic? Mr. VanWormer stated thought was given to that. As far as this project, nothing is being done further north. There will be some back ups. Ms. Modig stated she has noticed recently that there seems to be a great increase in traffic going north on Old Central between 5 and 6 p.m. She was not sure where it was coming from because Medtronic and Onan traffic would be traveling the other direction. She thought some of that was caused by the fact that Highway 65 is stop and go from 57th on out so they think they can go faster by getting off on Old Central. Mr. VanWormer stated he did not know what would cause a recent increase. When traffic backs up, commuters try to get around it. In trying the longer cycles at the signals, you may wait for a longer time but then move through a number of signals without stopping. Mr. Wedgewood stated, at one time, someone mentioned putting in another right turn lane or extending the right turn lane north of the intersection into Moore Lake because traffic trying to get on I-694 was backing up onto Highway 65. If that turn lane was made longer, it would be faster to get onto I-694. Is that turn lane going in? To turn south onto Highway 65 from Lake Pointe, it is hard to get going in the winter time. Will the elevation of Lake Pointe Drive be brought up to the same elevation at Highway 65 so you don't need a running start to get up there in the winter. /'1 PLANNING CO1�Il�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 9 Mr. VanWormer stated the answers to the questions were yes and maybe respectively. The south bound right turn lane will become another south bound through lane so there will be three through lanes going south through the intersections. That right lane would basically serve as a back up for the ramp going west. People who want to turn right into Lake Pointe or West Moore Lake Drive will have another turn lane so they will widen that point about 12 feet. As far as the elevation, he did not know. He knows it is up hill to get to the intersection. He would like to take care of it but it is a matter of whether the grades can fit. Ms. Modig asked if any of that construction on that southbound lane gets into the lake itself. How far will that right turn lane go onto Highway 65 along the lake on the west side? Mr. VanWormer stated one option is to push everything out 12 to 14 feet to get the extra lane which gets into the lake. You can also do a wall. There is a meeting next week with the DNR to look at what will cause the least impact. The same process was proposed 10 years ago and the DNR gave a permit to the City for the work. They were renewed for a number of years. There is also some water � on the east side of the lane. Instead of the drainage ditch, they will probably put in a culvert. That should help with the water quality because no sand, etc., would be going into the lake. Mr. Wedgewood stated he objects to going into the lake to build the right hand turn lane. Over the last 20 years, there has been a reason to fill in something on Moore Lake. The area of Eisenhower Park was filled in. When building the recreational fields north of the beach, that was substantially the result of filling in. Wherever there was cattails or mushy soil, it has been filled in to improve it. Now the City is possibly filling in a bit of West Moore Lake for a right turn lane. If three lanes are heading south, at a future juncture, how far do those three lanes continue across the lake? Does that mean there is no shoulder any more all the way down? Does this then become a six lane road and then an eight lane road? Mr. VanWormer stated there is no attempt to go further north than is necessary. The area of the lake affected is at the corner and another area near the corner. It goes back about 500 feet. The shoulder that is there will be continued to the point of the right turn lane. They are trying to minimize the impact on the lake and still provide a right turn lane. There is no intention to carry the northbound lane through. That lane will stop at the intersection. ''�i Ms. Savage stated, if a wetland is filled in, you must comply with the wetlands statutes. � PLANNING CONIlKISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 10 Mr. VanWormer stated no one wants to harm a wetland for ecology reasons and because the rules are so strict that it is difficult to comply. He shares these concerns and will try to minimize the impact. Ms. Modig asked if the majority of that lane would be on the south portion. Mr. VanWormer stated the additional lane is to provide stacking at the intersection. The problem they have in the morning when traffic starts to pick up is that people drive under the green light fast, cars are stopped, and then they are in the intersection. Ms. Thayer asked if they are going to be widening Old Central and taking away parking lanes. Mr. VanWormer stated the widening is anticipated south of the new connection. There will be some to the north. The intent is to try to retain the parking to the north. He could not say where the parking will be and will not be. They are removing parking � from the end of the lake to Highway 65. The summer parking would have an ending. There may be some problems for the first few houses. Ms. Laura Ingebrigtsen stated she liked the intersection plans but she tended to side with Mr. Wedgewood about the lake. She thought the lake was important for the wildlife. She lives on the lake and enjoys the wildlife. She is not the only one that feels that way. Ms. Jeanne Ingebrigtsen asked how close they intended to get to the lake along Lake Pointe Drive. When coming into Lake Pointe Drive, do they need to come into where the homes were? Mr. VanWormer stated behind where the houses were located were trees and shrubs. They will stay. The road is to the south of the brush. The roadway will extend approximately 20 to 30 feet. That will be about 10 feet closer than they are now. Ms. J. Ingebrigtsen stated she thought she had been told at one time that the road would go straight and she was concerned it would be within 15 feet of the lake. Mr. VanWormer stated they have tried to stay as far away from the lake and the homes as they could. �� Ms. J. Ingebrigtsen stated she did not like the change to Lake Pointe Drive. It is confusing when giving directions. She asked �� � PLANNING CO1�Il�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 11 if the approach to the ramps for the interstate would change. Mr. VanWormer stated the ramps will follow basically the same alignment but just adjusted somewhat. Ms. J. Ingebrigtsen wondered if this would be going through Lake Pointe. Mr. VanWormer stated they have not changed any of the volumes so there should be no change in the noise. Ms. J. Ingebrigtsen stated they get drainage into the lake. With more roads there is more drainage. The City fertilizes the park which goes into the lake and muddies up the lake. They need the drainage but have conflicts about the use of fertilizer by the City. They were told they should notify their neighbors not to use fertilizer but the City fertilizes the park to keep it looking nice. She has lived here since 1955. In the beginning it was I- 694. Over the years it has gotten bigger and bigger and also . noisier. She does not like that and that is why she was wondering about the approach. She is about the tenth house in and she does not like the noise. This is something that they have to try to live with. She did not like to have the intersection into Lake Pointe. Mr. VanWormer stated the way the intersection is today there is no traffic coming from Lake Pointe. They will end up with a number of cars coming out, but they will have to wait. With an office development, there should be gaps in the traffic but it will be more difficult early and late in the day. The intersection was set up as it is to try to keep traffic out of the neighborhood. No further public comment was received. Ms. Dacy stated what staff will take back to the final design process is to look more closely at the landscape features of the landscape plan. What was mentioned was Mr. Flaten's home, Mr. Gilstad's home, and Ms. Ingebrigtsen mentioned headlights as you enter Lake Pointe Drive at Highway 65. They can take a look at landscaping to prevent lights. There were also at least two concerns regarding the impact to the lake from the southbound Highway 65 lane improvement. They will take a close look at what needs to be done there in terms of accommodating lane expansion. The Wetland Conservation Act is law. They will need to comply with that law. If a replacement wetland needs to be constructed, that will have to be done. Ms. Dacy stated the next step is to prepare the final design. This then goes to the City Council in the latter part of this year for approval. �...� PL�iI�TNING CONIl�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 12 Ms. Savage asked if there would be another public hearing at that time. Ms. Dacy stated staff would be happy to notify the public. Mr. VanWormer stated a public hearing is not required, but the public has the opportunity to comment. If there are controversial issues, then another meeting would be held to provide information. Ms. Dacy stated, regarding some of the individual lot owners comments, she would be happy to contact them directly. Mr. VanWormer stated they now have the comments. When going into the final design stage, they can take those into account. He appreciated the comments and questions. 2. INFORMAL DISCUSSION ON RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ZONING CONTROLS FOR MULTI-BAY WAREHOUSE OR SIMILAR TRUCKING-BASED PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES Ms. McPherson stated her presentation will include a brief review ^ of the memo included in the agenda packet; a discussion of the purpose, the problem, and describe the study areas; review a video; and present their recommendation to the Planning Commission. Ms. McPherson stated the City Council established at its January 27 meeting a moratorium on the construction of warehouse and distribution facilities with more than 10 docks. The purpose of the moratorium was to provide time for staff to: l. Examine the industrially zoned properties in the City and determine the compatibility of warehouse facilities with other allowable uses in the vicinity, and 2. Review the number and location of the existing warehouse and distribution facilities and determine if the zoning on remaining vacant land should be amended or changed to another zoning classification. Ms. McPherson stated the problem is that the City has recently seen the development of approximately 500,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution facilities in the last 18 months. Along with that development has come the increase of resident complaints regarding truck traffic, parking of trucks parallel to adjacent streets and the public right-of-way, and noise and odor problems. n Ms. McPherson stated, in 1996, the City established the ,--� PLANNING CONIl�IISSION N�ETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 13 neighborhood south of 53rd Avenue as no truck through traffic routes. In addition to the physical impacts of these facilities, there are only about 90 acres of vacant industrially zoned land left in the City. There is about 1,040 acres of industrially zoned land which is about 170 of the City's land area. Looking at the remaining vacant land and determining what is the best use for these properties is also the goal of looking at the City in terms of what types of industrial uses the City wants to encourage. Manufacturing uses tend to increase job creation as well as valuation on the sites thereby increasing the tax base for the City. Ms. McPherson stated, in terms of what staff looked at, the City was divided into three planning areas. The first area is south of 61st Avenue, straddling the railroad tracks stretching from East River Road to Main Street and south to the City border. The second area is the northeast part of the City from University to the easterly City borders and north to Osborne along the Highway 65 corridor north of Locke Park. The third area is north of 73rd Avenue from University Avenue to East River Road and north to 83rd. It includes some light industrial properties along the railroad tracks. It picks up the Onaway district and areas next ,—� to the Springbrook Nature Center. Ms. McPherson showed a video which shows some of the warehousing facilities in the City. Ms. McPherson stated the goals of any potential ordinance amendment would be as follows: 1. Reduce the impact of warehouse and distribution facilities on residential properties from truck traffic by: a. controlling their location in the City; and, b. by implementing site design controls. 2. Encourage uses which provide a significant amount of job opportunities and which require more complex building systems (buildings with a mixture of uses tend to have higher building valuations than warehouse construction). 3. Promote "clean" uses which do not produce fumes, odors, or require outside operations which may cause noise. 4. Eliminate uses which require significant amounts of outdoor storage, display, or are already permitted in other zoning districts (i.e. repair garages are permitted in commercial districts). � Ms. McPherson stated staff looked at the three study areas, the „--� PLANNING CONIl�SSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 14 number of existing warehouse or distribution facilities, whether they would have possible expansion opportunities on site, the amount of vacant land adjacent to the facility, and who would be affected by the facility (i.e. if there was residential property across the street or nearby). Staff also looked at the average floor area ratio. The average ratio of docks to floor area which is approximately 1:5,000 in a warehouse distribution facility versus 1:14,000 in a manufacturing facility. Ms. McPherson stated, once staff completed this analysis, they identified five ordinance amendment options: 1. Do nothing. 2. Amend district requirements for existing industrial zoning districts. 3. Amend the M-1, Light Industrial, and M-2, Heavy Industrial, to allow warehouses and distribution facilities as special uses only. 4. Amend the M-1, Light Industrial, district to eliminate �� warehouses and distribution facilities as permitted uses. 5. Create a new district entitled "M-4, Manufacturing Only”. Ms. McPherson stated each option has its advantages and disadvantages which are outlined in the staff report. The first option has no advantages while there are a number of disadvantages. The City does not have any control over the physical impacts of warehousing and distribution facilities on � residential properties. Any remaining vacant land would then be subject to the existing standards of the current ordinance. Ms. McPherson stated the second option has the advantage of reducing or eliminating the physical impacts on the remaining vacant properties as well as any future redevelopment opportunities the City may realize as properties become blighted and the City needs to encourage other industrial development. Ms. McPherson stated options 3 and 4 have really no advantages to the City and have disadvantages in the fact that a number of existing facilities would become nonconforming and, with the special use permit option, the burden of proof is on the City to deny the special use permit. The amendments do not address the aesthetic or physical impacts of warehouse and distribution facilities. /"1 Ms. McPherson stated option 5 has several advantages and with no disadvantages identified. The advantages are that it limits the � PLANNING CONa�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 15 locations of warehouse and distribution facilities to those existing, promotes uses which have less truck traffic, promotes uses which have higher job generation and building valuation, and establishes standards to limit outdoor activity or noise, fumes, and odors. Ms. McPherson stated staff reviewed the remaining vacant land inventory of approximately 90 acres of industrially zoned land. Staff selected seven sites which they felt would meet the need to be rezoned M-4. This totals about 33.5 acres or about 370 of the remaining inventory. Ms. McPherson stated staff's recommendation is to recommend to the City Council pursuing the following actions: 1. Amend the existing industrial zoning districts to establish stricter standards for corner lots and lots adjacent to residential districts. 2. Establish a new industrial district entitled "M-4, Manufacturing Only", and rezone parcels as appropriate. ^ Ms. Savage asked if staff were recommending both of these actions. Ms. McPherson stated yes. Staff determined that the best approach is a two-prong approach - one, to amend the existing standards in the current districts to encourage stronger standards for corner lots and lots adjacent to residential districts, and two, to establish the M-4 district to create a manufacturing only district, and place some properties within that district to encourage the development of manufacturing facilities. Ms. Modig asked, if you did the M-4, Manufacturing Only, district, does that then allow or have a chance of being spotty all over and among other types of zoning in the area. Ms. McPherson stated it is possible. The sites selected out of the vacant land inventory are within existing M-1 and M-2 districts. The parcels are not contiguous parcels so there could be "spot" zoning. Mr. Kuechle asked what kind of manufacturing staff envisioned coming into the City. Mr. McPherson stated they envisioned uses similar to what is currently here. Just down the road from the site at 61st Avenue is Sheet Metal Connectors, a manufacturer, tool and die companies, small furniture companies, etc. � Mr. Kuechle asked if M-4 allows heavy manufacturing. Can you � PLANNING CONIl�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 16 envision saying making them strictly manufacturing and end up with something worse than a warehouse? Ms. Dacy stated staff discussed that at length. On Main Street is Kurt Manufacturing and a timber finishing use have from time to time an odor and the City receives complaints from the residential area. While the language is not yet developed for the district and because of the location across from a residential area in some of the cases, staff wants to be very careful about the exterior impacts. They would encourage uses that have no outdoor fumes and a small amount of outdoor storage. The types of impacts that will not cause problems. Staff will need to take a look at the uses and perhaps make some exceptions or prohibitions. Mr. Kuechle stated he also thought the idea of restricting existing ones would be helpful. If you look at the ones on Main Street, you can identify those that are problems. Mr. Oquist stated he is concerned about the present owners of these properties. If you rezone and put on further restrictions, that makes it more difficult to develop. Also, if this is changed to M-4, the City will probably within the first year have a � request for rezoning. There may need to be controls on that to prevent that option. Ms. Dacy stated this gives the City the greater amount of control and forces evaluation of the proposed use. While it sounds as if this is manufacturing only, when looking at the uses in the other districts, some of the special uses are really not industrial. With 90 acres left, she thought the Planning Commission and the City Council have to look at what they want to see there. Mr. Oquist stated he has a tendency to look for businesses and allow rezoning. It could be putting the burden on the present owners, and the City should consider that as it goes through this. Ms. Dacy stated they do need to sit down with the owners of the properties that are affected. Ms. Savage stated this sounds as if this is very much in the preliminary stage. Ms. Dacy stated this was correct. Staff are convinced the owners will come back and provide specific information about how the language should be worded. The City objectives are clear that it wants to control exterior impacts and the volume of traffic. The owner's experience can help to write the ordinance. � Ms. Savage stated she agreed with the goals. She felt the proposal was going in the right direction. She was in favor of PLANNING CONIl�IISSION N�ETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 17 adopting the recommendation. Mr. Wedgewood stated, when the City alters zoning and possibly impairs the value of that property, what liability does the City have to compensate the owner for that decreased value. Does this amount to taking? Ms. Dacy stated the City has authority to change zoning on property. A taking technically occurs when there is no reasonable use of the property. You would hear that in the case of an industrially zoned property being rezoned as residential. There are questions of value there but there has been a history of case law which says that, as long as there is a legitimate public purpose behind the rezoning action and there is some reasonable use of the property, the courts have tended to find favor with the municipality. It is the same uses, same zoning. The only properties affected are those across from a residential areas. There is a public purpose established to protect the residential areas. In her opinion in this case she did not believe that this was a taking. Mr. Kuechle stated, in most cases, the property would be of higher n value as a manufacturing facility than as a warehouse. There are perhaps fewer potential customers for it because of the limited uses. Mr. Oquist asked how long the moratorium would be. Mr. McPherson stated the moratorium is for 120 days. It expires at the end of May. Mr. Oquist asked how long it would take to get this proposed amendment in place. Ms. McPherson stated staff is proposing that, assuming the Planning Commission concurs and the City Council concurs, staff would come back at the end of March with the proposed ordinance language for the M-4 and also the amended language for the M-1 and M-2 and complete the process by the time the moratorium expires. Mr. Kuechle asked if the Keller proposal would be affected by the moratorium. Ms. McPherson stated it is a distribution activity but it is under the 10 dock limit so it is not affected. Mr. Oquist stated, other than being concerned about the present property, etc., he liked what this is attempting to do. � MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded by Mr. Kuechle, to recommend the ^ PLANNING CONa�SSSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 18 City Council pursue the following actions: 1. Amend the existing industrial zoning districts to establish stricter standards for corner lots and lots adjacent to residential districts. 2. Establish a new industrial district entitled "M-4, Manufacturing Only", and rezone parcels as appropriate. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. REVIEW 1997 CODM�lUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Ms. Dacy stated, in response to the previous meeting, staff has provided the Planning Commission with a copy of the 1997 goals and objectives for the Community Development Department. Also attached is a copy of the survey taken of the City Council members and the HRA and the results of that survey. The comment from the Commission to the City Council is that you want to get involved in ^ some of the bigger things and look at the big picture for the community and participate in that decision-making process. Each department is now working on their 1998 goals and objectives. Any comments received at this meeting will be incorporated into the process to recommend that to the City Council. Ms. Dacy stated she gave the Commission the 1997 goals and objectives because Councilmember Bolkcom has talked about the exercise that staff put the City Council through last February. Staff asked them to imagine driving down University Avenue and Highway 65 in the year 2000 and asked what they wanted to see. They identified 12 or 13 items they wanted to see accomplished by the year 2000. In order to accomplish some of those�objectives, staff backed those into current years to see what staff needed to do in order to accomplish that. Ms. Dacy stated, in general, their priorities from the City Council have been Lake Pointe, the southwest quadrant, and housing. Staff have accomplished a significant portion of those priorities. At Lake Pointe, MEPC is under contract, they have the indirect source permit, and they are moving on the intersection. On the southwest quadrant, half of the units are under construction and they hope that next year will be better. In the housing area, the City has a very successful revolving loan program. The Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) is providing one-stop service for home owners wanting to improve their homes. � The City has also started a dual track process where the HRA has allocated funds for a focus neighborhood. The Hyde Park area was ^ PLANNING CO1�Il�lISSION MEETING, FESRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 19 where they decided to start first. That was the neighborhood that has the highest number of poorer condition housing. The goal is to get people out improving their properties. Ms. Dacy stated staff has a busy 1997. The priorities are to continue with the redevelopment projects, evaluate a point of sale ordinance, and to try to get off the ground a more aggressive systematic code enforcement program. Ms. Dacy stated, in 1996, the City adopted the junk vehicle ordinance. Mr. Schneider places a placard on the vehicle. The owner then has five days to get rid of it. For this year, the plan is to systematically inspect half of the City. They are trying to team code enforcement with the fire department, police department, etc. Ms. Dacy stated staff has enough work for 1997 to take them through 1998. A State statute mandates to complete a new comprehensive plan by the end of the 1998. The City Council and Planning Commission need to find what the right mixture of citizen participation for planning is to get a vision of what you want to accomplish for the City asking the questions what do you want and � how does it get there? Ms. Savage stated, as she looks through the goals and objectives, this looks excellent. She likes the idea of a beautification grogram which improves the image. All the goals are moving in the right direction. Ms. Dacy stated the beautification was also a part of the goals and objectives for 1996. Because there are other issues that come up, some of these things do not get done. Mr. Oquist stated they needed to look at programs long term. A garden is fine for beautification as long as people are there to maintain it, but there must be some things the City can do for the long term. He felt these goals and objectives were aggressive for 1997. Ms. Modig stated, when they talked about making some rules regarding paving driveways, she thought the Planning Commission decided to leave it as it is. Is that correct? Ms. Dacy stated the City Council did adopt the ordinance for the first reading to require those who have gravel driveways to pave their driveways. At first they had a five-year timeframe. The attorney stated to make it a part of the law now and the City can choose not to enforce it for the agreed upon timeframe. The City � has notified affected owners that the City will agree not to enforce or prosecute under the ordinance for a period of five � PLANNING CO1�lISSION N�ETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 20 years. The City Council was willing to pass it for first reading. One councilmember was concerned about the financial impact for some of the owners. The City hired CEE to try to contact each owner that is affected to try to determine that. Some owners have completed their driveways, others will wait the five years. Others have not responded. CEE submitted a report last week about the status. The next step is for staff to prepare a report for the City Council. Staff recommendation is that they adopt the ordinance for final reading. Many seniors stated to the City Council that they could not afford this. Mr. Kuechle asked how many driveways in the City are not paved. Ms. Dacy stated staff thought it was about 250 to 300. Some areas have more than others, but they are scattered across the City. Mr. Oquist asked if there was notification to potential property buyers. During that five-year period, homes could be sold and the new owner may not realize that this is a requirement. Ms. Dacy stated they are not required to do so under the law. That is an issue for staff to evaluate. Administratively, staff � were planning to sent a letter to the people on the list on an annual basis to remind them. Mr. Kuechle asked what they thought the costs would be. Ms. Dacy stated there is a range of costs depending on the length of the driveway. The typical cost for asphalt was $1,000 to $1,200. Staff was trying, as part of CEE's work, to get a list of people willing to go into a volume contract in order to get a better price. However, the response is not as good as they had hoped. Ms. Savage asked what their idea was for the trailer parks. Ms. Dacy stated the City manager prepared that part. There is no staff objective to redevelopment trailer parks. She thought the City manager was trying to give the City Council and HRA a series of options on different types of housing. Mr. Oquist asked if they were planning to do anything about the junkyards. Ms. Dacy stated that was identified in the winter of 1996 to evaluate in 1997. What came up between that time and now is there has been more attention now in Hyde Park. They had Home Depot coming in and the traffic analysis. The Appeals Commission will � be seeing a request for a strip mall west of the former Dick's Wheel on the north side of 57th Avenue. The developer is putting �, � ;� PLANNING CONa�lISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 21 together his own redevelopment plan. The spotlight has shifted to Hyde Park and 57th. She did not think staff would be able to touch the issue of the junkyards this year. Ms. Modig stated Crysteel truck company have tall storage racks. The City gave Menards a hard time because they were putting their storage racks above the fence line. Crysteel has racks about 10 feet higher than the fence. That area is becoming an eyesore and they keep adding to it. Ms. Dacy stated perhaps staff should add that as an item. The industrial land moratorium and the telecommunications moratorium have thrown off their schedule. That is another reason why it takes longer than we expect. Ms. Dacy stated Ms. Modig raised a good point about the appearance of that particular area. Perhaps staff should put on the list to be more aggressive on the code enforcement. Ms. Modig stated, when the offices were first built, that area looked quite nice. Now there is cardboard or similar materials covering the inside of the front doors of the building. The area of 73rd and Central is starting to get worse. Ms. Savage stated perhaps one of the reasons it is not a high priority is because it is not as visible. When you have occasion to go there, it is a mess., Ms. Modig stated she drives by there everyday. This is not a good image for the City. She liked the ideas that are included in the list. Ms. Modig asked, regarding the intersection at Highway 65 and Central, when talking about implementation and affecting the wetland, there is a drainage ditch to the east side. Is that affected by the wetlands law? Ms. Dacy stated, on the west side, they will have to address the wetlands act. She was not sure about the east side. Ms. McPherson stated, under the 1991 Wetland Conservation Act, drainage improvements are one of the activities that are exempt from replacement. They may have an issue with the watershed district because they have more stringent requirements. In terms of the State law, that is an exempt activity. In this case, it may be more beneficial to the lake because not as much silt or sediment will be dumped into the lake. Mr. Oquist stated he assumed that, as staff are going through these things, they will be coming to the Planning Commission for �—,, PLANNING CONIl�lISSION N�ETING, FEBRUARY 19, 1997 PAGE 22 assistance. Ms. Dacy stated they would be doing that. She is to be meeting with the City Manager to discuss the 1998 goals and objectives. After that is drafted and put together, she will instruct staff to put that on the agenda for review. 4. RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 6, 1997 MOTION by Mr. Kuechle, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to receive the minutes of the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting of January 6, 1997. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED T� MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 5. RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 21, 1996 MOTION by Ms. Modig, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to receive the minutes of the Environmental Quality & Energy Commission meeting �,.� of January 21, 1997. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CEAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Kuechle, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to adjourn the meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED TSE MOTION CARRIED AND THE FEBRUARY 19, 1997, PLANNING COr�lISSION MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9:16 P.M. Respectfully submitted, V V��"1 l,�/ Lavonn Cooper Recording Secretary � S I G N— IN S H E E T /"� PLANNING COMMISSIaN.MEETING, February 19, 1997 � �