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PL 10/15/2003 - 30912CITY OF FRIDLEY ^ PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OCTOBER 15, 2003 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Savage called the October 15, 2003, Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Diane Savage, Dave Kondrick, Larry Kuechle, LeRoy Oquist, Brad Dunham Members Absent: Dean Saba, Barb Johns Others Present: Stacy Stromberg, Planner Mark Hansen, Mohagen/Hansen Architectural Group Sonia Feinberg, Columbia Park Medical Group Michael Juaire, 9814 Pin Oak Ave, Brooklyn Park David A. Cohen, Coldwell Banker Burnet Leanne & Matt Prater, 1215 Norton Ave NE Cindy Mabel, 1214 Norton Ave NE Pam Reynolds, 1241 Norton Ave NE ^ APPROVE PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER_1, 2003 MOTION made by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Kuechle, to approve the October 1, 2003, minutes as written. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of an S-2, Redevelopment District Project Plan Approval (Master Plan), MP #03-01, by Mohagen/Hansen Architectural Group, to amend the Master Plan for Columbia Park Medical Center Campus, to allow for future parking and building expansion, generally located at 6341 University Avenue NE MOTION made by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to open the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY AND THE PUBLIC HEARING OPENED AT 7:33 P.M. Ms. Stromberg stated that Mohagen/Hansen Architectural Group, on behalf of Columbia park Medical Group, is requesting an amendment to its Master Plan to allow for future parking and building expansions. � Ms. Stromberg stated that in 1982, the subject property, the City Hall property, and the property north of City Hall were rezoned to S-2, Redevelopment District. As a result of that rezoning, the finro-story medical clinic was constructed and exists that way today. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 2 Ms. Stromberg stated the petitioner is proposing to redesign the parking lot in order to construct ^ additional parking for the existing building and the building expansion. The current parking _ configuration involves land owned by both Columbia Park Medical Group and the City of Fridley. The petitioner is proposing to reduce the parking stall width from 10 feet to 9 feet to allow the construction of an additional 32 parking stalls. Redesigning the parking lot will not only provide additional parking opportunities, but will also reduce the access points on Formies Avenue from three to finro. Ms. Stromberg stated the petitioner is proposing to construct a two-story, 3,071 sq. ft. addition to the northwest side of the building. This addition will be used for a pharmacy, CT scan room, associated support space, and other clinic support services. The petitioner is also proposing to construct a finro-story, 7,450 sq. ft. addition to the east side of the building. This addition will be used for additional clinic space to include exam rooms, dictation space, lab area, and other clinic support services. Ms. Stromberg stated the Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) reviewed this conceptual plan at its October 2, 2003, meeting. The HRA does not have the authority to approve or deny this request, but was asked for its input as this project is within a redevelopment district. The HRA was supportive of this master plan amendment; however, the members did express concern about reducing the parking stall width from 10 feet to 9 feet. The HRA members would encourage the developer to consider reducing the stall width to 9 feet primarily for the employee parking areas. This concem has been conveyed to the Columbia Park representative. Ms. Stromberg stated City staff recommends approval of this Master Plan amendment with the following stipulations: ^ 1. The petitioner shall provide a landscape plan for the complex prior to the issuance of a building permit. 2. The petitioner shall obtain all necessary building permits prior to construction. 3. The proposed additions shall be architecturally compatible with the existing building and finished with complementary building materials. Ms. Savage asked if Fridley has any 9-foot wide stalls. Ms. Stromberg stated, yes, there are. The City recently granted a variance to 9-foot wide stalls at Totino Grace High School, mainly based on the fact that the students park for the day and are not coming and going. Other variances to the 9-foot stall width were granted for the Medtronic campus and for Van-O-Lite for employees parking only. Ms. Savage asked what the representatives for Columbia Park Medical Group thought of the suggestion to use the 9-foot wide stalls primarily for employee parking. Ms. Sonia Funberg, representing Columbia Park Medical Group, stated she believed they could facilitate that, and that would still give them the additional parking that they need. Mr. Mark Hansen, Mohagen/Hansen Architects, also representing Columbia Park Medical Group, stated they were simply trying to simplify the circulation of the employee parking area and take out the concrete befinreen the two parking lots. They had also planned to make 9-foot wide stalls on the east parking lot. The majority of people parking on this side are patients, but they were trying to reconfigure it so all the parking would be consistent at 9 feet. Based on the ^ fact that there is some precedence because of Medtronic and Totino Grace High School, they thought it would be possible to do that. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 3 � _ Mr. Kuechle asked if the clinic needed all those parking spaces as they are way over what the code requires. Mr. Hansen stated they are well over the requirement, but there is also clinic space in the office building to the north. Because this is a Planned Unit Development, all the buildings share the same parking component. Although all the staff uses the parking lot on the west, they were trying to maximize the parking around the facility so the patrons could park closer to the building, rather than having to use the other parking lot at the office building across the street and having to cross the street. Ideally, they would like to have all the stalls 9 feet, especially with the additional building expansion. Mr. Kuechle asked what the parking stall count would be if there were 9-foot stalls for the employee parking lot only. Mr. Hansen stated he would have to take a look at that to get an exact count. Mr. Kuechle asked if they would have adequate parking if it was done that way. Mr. Hansen stated he believed it would be doable. Everything to the west of the building would be 9 feet, and they would maintain 10 feet on the other side. They want to keep everything on the west side consistent, because any changing in the north/south direction from 9 to 10 feet would leave some odd stalls and some leftover space that can't be utilized. ^ Ms. Savage asked if the Columbia Park Medical Group had any problems with the stipulations. � Mr. Hansen stated they do not. MOTION by Mr. Oquist, seconded Mr. Kuechle, to close the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, AND THE PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED AT 7:55 P.M. Mr. Kondrick stated he had no problems with the Master Plan amendment. He stated the Columbia Park Medical Group has been a very good neighbor. He believed they are doing a good job in making the building more useful and as aesthetically pleasing as it is now. His only concem is the parking stall widths, and he would be in favor of 9-foot wide stalls for the employees only and 10-foot wide stalls for all other parking. MOTION by Mr. Kuechle, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to recommend to City Council approval of the MP #03-01 by Mohagen/Hansen Architectural Group with the following stipulations: 1. The petitioner shall provide a landscape plan for the complex prior to the issuance of a building permit. 2. The petitioner shall obtain all necessary building permits prior to construction. 3. The proposed additions shall be architecturally compatible with the existing building and finished with complementary building materials. 4. The 9-foot wide stalls are to be used for employee parking only. All other parking stall widths will remain at 10 feet. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 4 � Ms. Savage said this request will be heard by the City Council on October 27, 2003. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a Preliminary Plat, PS #03-07, by Michael Juaire, to construct a 4-unit town home development, generally located at 1215 Norton Avenue NE MOTION made by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to open the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, AND THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN AT 8:00 P.M. Ms. Stromberg stated that Michael Juaire, PMJ Group is requesting to �replat the properly located at 1215 Norton Avenue to create five separate lots from part of Lot 5, Auditor's Subdivision #89, to construct an owner-occupied town home development. This is fourth plat request submitted by Michael Juaire for a town home development on Norton Avenue. Mr. Juaire has told staff that this will be the last plat request. Ms. Stromberg stated the property is zoned R-3, Multi-Family, as are all surrounding properties. The existing home and garage were constructed prior to 1949, and both of these structures need to be removed to accommodate the proposed town home development. Ms. Stromberg stated that City Code requires that lots in the R-3 zoning district have a minimum lot area of 15,000 sq. ft. for a four-unit dwelling. The subject property is 17,419 sq. ft. � which exceeds the minimum requirement. The proposed town home development also meets all - setback and lot coverage requirements. Ms. Stromberg stated that at past meetings, there has been some discussion from neighbors regarding the zoning of Norton Avenue. The Norton Avenue block was rezoned from R-1, Single Family, to R-3, Multi-Family, on August 19, 1963. A public hearing was held at the June 13, 1963, Planning Commission meeting and was continued to the June 27, 2003, Planning Commission in order to deliver notices to the neighborhood. At the June 27, 2003, Planning Commission meeting, no one opposed the rezoning, and the rezoning request was approved by the City Council on August 19, 1963. Ms. Stromberg stated that it appears from past zoning decisions that the vision of the City Council was to allow higher density in this area. Mr. Juaire's requests are bringing the neighborhood closer to that vision. Mr. George Norton, the petitioner for the 1963 rezoning request, stated at the June 13, 1963, public hearing that this was the only remaining residential portion in the area, and he wanted to rezone it to obtain the full value of the property. Ms. Stromberg stated the Comprehensive Plan designates the 2020 future land use of this area as redevelopment. Redevelopment is described in the Comprehensive Plan as a form of community revitalization that transforms undesirable elements into desirable elements that reflect the community's collective vision. The purposes of redevelopment are to remove older blighted structures and to provide the opportunity for more efficient land uses and eliminate inefficient land uses and under-utilized parcels. Ms. Stromberg stated the Norton Avenue block is categorized under Redevelopment Area #1 in � the Comprehensive Plan which also includes the salvage yards. It states: "The multiple family properties located along Norton Avenue may be eligible for rental rehabilitation programs. The Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 5 � City should also pursue aggressive code enforcement to assist in eliminating any negative images resulting from illegal outdoor storage or other code enforcement problems. The redevelopment section for this area does not specify that this area should be used for anything other than multi-family. Ms. Stromberg stated that construction hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays and legal holidays. Construction is not allowed on Sundays. Mr. Juaire and a sheetrock contractor have been issued a citation for violating the construction hours, and additional citations will be issued if this law is violated again. Ms. Stromberg stated staff recommends approval of the plat request with the following stipulations as it provides additional housing opportunities: 1. The final landscape plan shall meet code requirements for number of and size of plantings and be reviewed and approved by City staff prior to issuance of a building permit. 2. All landscaped areas shall have irrigation installed. 3. Brick type and application on elevations and other extemal building materials shall be reviewed and approved by City staff prior to issuance of a building permit. 4. Columns shown on all elevations of the building plans shall be constructed using brick. 5. Shakes down on the front and rear elevations shall be wrapped around to the right and left elevations for a consistent four-sided appearance. 6. For architectural consistency, all windows on front elevations shall have shutters ^ installed. 7. A grading and drainage plan shall be submitted and approved by the City's engineering staff prior to issuance of a building permit. 8. A utility plan shall be submitted and approved by the City's engineering staff prior to issuance of a building permit. 9. Individual services will be required for each unit. 10. A 12-foot utility and drainage easement shall be granted along the entire northern edge of the property prior to final plat. 11. All elements of the building shall meet the current building code and be approved by the City Building Official. 12. The petitioner shall pay the applicable park dedication fee of $1,500 per unit prior to the issuance of any building permits. 13. The petitioner shall provide proof that any existing wells or individual sewage treatment systems located on the site are properly capped or removed. 14. A Development Agreement outlining the Developer's obligation to install utilities, etc., will be prepared by the City and shall be signed by the petitioner prior to final plat approval. Mr. Michael Juaire, PMJ Group, Inc., stated this is the last of the town home projects on Norton Avenue. He stated that all of the units will be owned on Norton Avenue. These town homes will be owned from the very beginning. The prior units will be owned after a five year rental period. They are rent-to-own units. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Juaire if he had any problems with the stipulations. � Mr. Juaire stated he had no problems with the stipulations. Mr. Kondrick cautioned Mr. Juaire to be c�reful and adhere to the construction hours. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Pa e 6 Ms. Savage stated it is very important, especially for the neighbors. Mr. Juaire stated he understood and has notified his contractors. Ms. Cindy Mabel, 1214 Norton Avenue, directly across the street from 1215 Norton Avenue, stated she has lived here for 32 years. What has made this progression of town houses bearable for her is that, visually, they do a lot of good for the neighborhood. Before this all started last February, they had 10 single family houses, 11 duplexes, and one 8-plex on Norton Avenue. Since last February, they have gone from 10 houses to 4 houses. There are now 18 town houses on this street and 4 houses. This proposal is to take out another house, leaving three houses. The Comprehensive Plan tells her that they will preserve the character of her neighborhood. The character of her neighborhood is like Mounds View—big lots, modest houses, set back on the lots with lots of trees. All these trees are coming down. It is tragic the number of trees that have come down for these developments. Ms. Mabel stated It has been very, very difficult on the neighborhood during the construction process since February. They have lost power a couple of times, have had their water shut off, lost phone service for four days, etc. It sounds like Mr. Juaire has only had one citation for what he has done, but there have been many, many violations. There have been many, many phone calls to the Police Department. People should not have to live like this. He already has 18 town houses. Why four more? The last house is a nice house. It is more affordable living than one of the town houses Mr. Juaire is building. � � Ms. Mabel stated that in the years 1999 and 2000, the City Council commissioned the ^ Comprehensive Plan to be written. She understands now that at that time, her neighborhood (Norton Avenue) was designated #1 for redevelopment. Since that time, in 2000, she put an expensive roof on her house, rewired her house, upgraded the circuit breakers, and spent over $6,000 on a high efficiency fumace/air conditioner. Why wasn't she notified that her house was going to be placed in this "redevelopment" category. Since she leamed about the latest town house proposal, she has talked to an attomey. The attomey agrees that the neighborhood should have been notified of this "redevelopment" category. She would never have spent $12,000 upgrading her property if she had known this was going to happen this year. Ms. Mabel stated that when 1215 Norton goes down, all she is going to see is a"sea" of garages, because all the town houses have garages in front with cars. She has a very nice house, and she has worked very hard to keep it nice. With only three houses on the street and all these town houses, she is going to have a hard time finding a buyer when it is time to sell. She is a single person, and this is her nest egg. She hoped that the Planning Commission was more than just about money, that they do show some compassion for the individual in this City. She feels very sad for the people along Mississippi Street and Old Central, and she hoped that the City is notifying those neighborhoods about the proposed senior housing so they are not putting money into their homes thinking that it is a good investment and that the neighborhood is not going to be deteriorating as a result. She thanked the Planning Commission members for listening to her. Ms. Pam Reynolds, 1241 Norton Avenue, stated she and her daughter at 1243 Norton own the property together so the duplex is owner-occupied. She stated they originally talked about the traffic on their street. In talking to Scott Hickok, Community Development Director, on one occasion, he told them they have no more traffic on their street than any other street. While the � construction has been going on, they have had large vehicles, dump trucks, dump trucks pulling trailers, large delivery vehicles, multiple vehicles that belong to construction employees, vans, Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 7 � pickup trucks, etc. She did not think that was normal traffic for a street. Granted, part of that will go away when the construction is done. However, with 18 current units, even with only two cars per unit, that adds 36 additional cars to this street. Most of those units will have three vehicles due to the rent amount. Ms. Reynolds stated there were stipulations regarding the retention pond on the first property. Mr. Juaire had asked permission to put a fence around it. Staff felt it should be just landscaped. She stated the pond is extremely deep, and she is concemed with the number of children on the street. The second addition at 1163 is using a rain garden affect which she is not familiar with. She is also concemed about two very large propane tanks hooked up at 1275. Ms. Reynolds stated Mr. Juaire has said he sent a fax to his employees on September 12, 2003, explaining all the rules to them. She said some of those employees must not be able to read, because on Saturday, September 13, it became necessary for her to call the police, because construction was started at 6:15 a.m. The police officer went to the job site, and one of the subcontractors told the police officer that he was "new" to the project. The Sunday construction started on September 28. Again, the police were called. It shouldn't be her job to police this construction. She believes it is the responsibility of the City to make sure these contractors are not in violation of code. She stated she is a little disheartened if Mr. Juaire has only received one citation, because there have been several violations of not only City codes, but also violations of State law. Ms. Reynolds stated she has been doing some research on the Comprehensive Plan, and she looked at the same statement made by Ms. Stromberg earlier. She believed what it was talking �--,, about was that the junk yards needed to be cleaned up, that this is the northern gateway, but it does not talk about tearing down houses. It is talking about rehabilitating homes and code enforcement. Ms. Reynolds stated that in looking over this information again, she found that the demographics in the Comprehensive Plan don't come anywhere close to what the U.S. Census Bureau says for 1990 and 2000. The Census Bureau shows a drop in population in Fridley between 1990 and 2000. It doesn't show the numbers that would justify these kinds of developments. It is now too late for Norton Avenue, but she hoped the City takes a closer look at the rezoning of S-2 to accommodate the Town Center development on Mississippi Street and Old Central, even though that is senior housing. She believed there is a lot of misinformation in the Comprehensive Plan, including what the City's forefathers thought would be good for Norton Avenue. Mr. Matt Prater stated he is currently the owner of the property at 1215 Norton Avenue. The property is zoned R-3. The nearest R-1 zoning is a quarter mile away. He has apartments behind him, a duplex to one side, and the other side is now town homes where before it was a single family home that was in great disrepair. His home is about 55 years old. It started out as a cabin with extensions added over the years. Basically, he feels the new town homes are good for the neighborhood. They look fantastic and are built better than his house. If he cannot sell his house for what it is zoned for, how can he sell it? He did not see it as a bad thing for the area. It is bringing up property values. Ms. Leanne Prater, 1215 Norton Avenue, stated the new town homes are beautiful. She was also skeptical when this new development started. But now, looking at the final product, the � street looks a Iot better than it did before. It has brought a new clientele to the neighborhood which is a good thing for Fridley. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 8 Ms. Cindy Mabel, 1214 Norton Avenue, stated she has spent time in the last few weeks looking � at houses in Fridley and leaming prices of what the houses are worth in Fridley. The Praters _ would have no trouble selling their house to someone else. She truly feels she is taking a huge hit by that house going down. Mr. Kuechle asked if the people who owned the property at 1215 Norton Avenue wanted to tear the house down and rebuild a single family home, would that be allowed? Ms. Stromberg stated, yes, it would. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to close the public hearing. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, AND tHE PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED AT 8:27 P.M. Ms. Savage stated the major point here is that the area was rezoned in 1963 to R-3, Multi- Family. She can understand the concerns of the people who might have not known that when they bought their houses. But, the reality is this is a multi-family area. Therefore, this redevelopment is permissible and encouraged. From what she can see, these are going to be very acceptable town homes which, as the Praters have said, would greatly improve the character of the street. She can understand the concern of those people who have had single family homes here for years and years, and that this new development is entirely changing the character of the neighborhood. But, as she said before, the reality is that this has been multi- family zoning since 1963. She can see no reason why the Planning Commission would deny � this request. She would recommend approval. Mr. Kuechle stated he agreed, even though he realized it is certainly causing some stress to the people in the neighborhood. It has been rezoned as R-3 for 40 years. The petitioner is meeting all the requirements, and, in good conscience, he could not vote no. Mr. Kondrick stated he recently drove down the street to look at the town homes that Mr. Juaire has already built, and he believed this new development will be another nice addition and an asset to the neighborhood. He would vote for approval. Mr. Oquist stated he agreed with what has been said. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to recommend to City Council approval of Preliminary Plat, PS #03-07. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Ms. Savage stated this item will go to City Council on October 27. 2. RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 4. 2003 HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING MOTION made by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to receive the September 4, 2003, �„� Housing & Redevelopment Authority minutes. Planning Commission Meeting, October 15, 2003 Page 9 � UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. APPROVE 2004 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE: MOTION by Mr. Kuechle, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the 2004 Planning Commission meeting schedule. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Oquist, to adjoum the meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SAVAGE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE OCTOBER 15, 2003, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:35 P.M. Respectfully submitted, � Ly e Saba !� Recording Secretary ��