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PL 07/20/2005 - 30880� CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION JULY 20, 2005 � i"�, CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Kuechle called the meeting of the Planning Commission to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present: Members absent: Barbara Johns, Leroy Oquist, Brad Dunham, and Larry Kuechle David Kondrick, Diane Savage, Dean Saba Others present: Stacy Stromberg, Planner Rebecca Brazys, Recording Secretary Jay Lindgren, Dorsey and Whitney Joe Meyer, JLT Group Joseph Finley, Leonard, Street and Deinard Jerry Cormier, Longview Fibre Company APPROVE PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES — July 6, 2005 Chairperson Kuechle announced that the July 6'h minutes were not yet completed. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 1. Consideration of a rezoning, ZOA #05-03, by JLT East River Road, LLC, to rezone the property from M-2, Heavy Industrial, to C-3, General Shopping, generally located at 5601 East River Road NE. MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Johns, to open the public hearing. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECLARED THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN AT 7:33 PM. Ms. Stromberg explained that Joe Meyer of JLT Group, Inc., is requesting to rezone the property located at 5601 East River Road from M-2, Heavy Industrial, to C-3, General Shopping to market the site to potential commercial buyers. The petitioner, who is also the owner of the subject property, would like to actively seek commercial and retail users for this site. In order for that to be accomplished, the site needs to be zoned appropriately for those types of uses. Ms. Stromberg stated that it is the petitioner's intention to ask for the rezoning at this time and once a specific user or users have been identified for the site, they would come back for second reading of the rezoning ordinance at the City Council level with detailed site plan information and any other city requirements. The petitioner, at their request, has asked for ample time between first and second reading to negotiate with potential end users and develop site plans based on known user(s). Petitioner has also waived requirements of State Statutes 15.99 to allow them time as they have requested. Ms. Stromberg reviewed the site description and history stating the property has been zoned M2, Heavy Industrial, since the late 1950's. The property was developed in 1969 when an CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, JULY 20, 2005 Page 2 of 6 ,� office/warehouse building was constructed and served as the headquarters, research and production facility for LaMaur, Inc. Since 1969, several additions have been added to the original 200,000 square foot building. As a result of those additions, the existing building is approximately 450,000 square feet. In 1999, Tiro Industries, Inc., purchased the property from LaMaur, Inc. and were in business at this location until May 2005. Since the time it was known that Tiro Industries would be vacating the site, the owners have had no success in attracting industrial tenants to occupy the building and believe that, with industrial trends changing and manufacturing users few, the property would be more attractive to tenants as a commercial property. The building was constructed so industry specific (packaging of shampoo and similar products) that only a like industry would be able to make reuse of the building, thus the rezoning request. Ms. Stromberg stated the petitioner is seeking the rezoning despite the fact that they don't have a potential user for the site. The petitioner's intention is that once the property is rezoned to commercial, it will make it more appealing on the market. The petitioner has submitted a °concept plan" outlining what the site plan may look like with a commercial development. The "concept plan" shows a single tenant building of 200,000 square feet and a multi-tenant building of 73,600 square feet. This plan is just a"concept plan" to show what the City might expect to see if the existing building is demolished and the property is rezoned to commercial. Ms. Stromberg further explained that in 1999, the City approved a rezoning request by Home Depot for the property located at 5650 Main Street. The Home Depot site was rezoned from M2, Heavy Industrial and C2, General Business to C3, General Shopping. The Home Depot property is located directly east of the subject property beyond the railroad tracks. Rezoning the � subject property would be an extension of the existing C3, General Shopping zoning along the Interstate 694 corridor befinreen University Avenue and East River Road. Ms. Stromberg stated that the City's zoning ordinance and official zoning map are the mechanisms that help the City achieve the vision laid out in the Comprehensive Plan. The law gives the City the authority to rezone property from one designated use to another so long as the zoning is in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan's 2020 future land use map designates 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 collective vision. The purposes of redevelopment are to remove older blighted structures and provide an opportunity to build new facilities that meet current market demands and desires of the City. Redevelopment can also provide an opportunity to create additional job opportunities and create new tax base. All of the above purposes of redevelopment have the potential of being met with the rezoning of this property. Ms. Stromberg added that this request may seem a little awkward compared to the normal rezoning process, due to the fact that the petitioner does not have a tenant identified for the site. However, a commercial zoning for this property would be the highest and best use of the site. The property is highly visible and easily accessible from Interstate 694, which would be attractive to commercial and retail users. Rezoning this property is also compatible with surrounding development as it is an extension of the C3, General Shopping zoning along the no�th coRidor of Interstate 694 and is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Once the petitioner has identified a user or users for the site, the rezoning request would come back to ^ City Council for second reading. At the time of second reading an additional public hearing will be held which will allow for further review of the development. CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, JULY 20, 2005 Page 3 of 6 r--, Ms. Stromberg stated staff recommends approval of this request as the proposed rezoning is an extension of the existing C3 zoning along the Interstate 694 corridor and the proposed rezoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. If approved, staff recommends the following stipulations be attached: 1. Petitioner shall comply with the State of Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4410 for environmental impact review. 2. Petitioner shall submit user-specific site plans, including appropriate drainage and landscaping details, prior to the second reading of the rezoning ordinance (petitioner has waived 15.99 rights in order to comply with this stipulation). Commissioner Oquist referred to the letter submitted immediately prior to this meeting from Longview Fiber Company which raised several questions regarding this proposal. Chairperson Kuechle questioned if a property must be considered blighted before it can be redeveloped and whether or not the petitioner's property is blighted. Ms. Stromberg responded this property does not meet the definition of °blighted° but that is not a necessary condition for redevelopment. She added that the petitioner's property does meet other criteria for redevelopment. Jay Lindgren, land use attomey for the petitioner, stated they are in agreement with the staff s recommendations. He also received the correspondence from Longview Fiber Company right before the meeting and has not had the opportunity to review it carefully. As indicated in the staff report the petitioner requested the rezoning because the building on this site is very limited � and in order to remarket the property, they would like to have an indication that the City is supportive of the rezoning so commercial users can be considered. Once a potential client has been identified the petitioner will come back with a site plan that addresses the questions presented in Longview's letter. He added they petitioner is in kind of a°catch 22° position; the market wants to know that the City is supportive of this rezoning yet they have to give the City a specific tenant so they can address the rezoning. Each of the areas of concem raised in the Longview letter are ones that the petitioner is more than willing to address through the site plan review process. Commissioner Dunham asked if the petitioner believes he can satisfy the concems raised in the Longview letter. Mr. Lindgren stated he would have to further review the letter and would like time to meet with the Longview representatives to discuss their concems in detail and believed they could come to an appropriate resolution. Ms. Stromberg informed the Commission that staff received a call from Anoka County this week regarding this matter and they want to be kept informed about any issues regarding this development because they do have concems regarding the traffic signal and access to the site. Joseph Finley, land use attomey representing Longview Fiber Company, believed that this rezoning petition is premature. In a normal rezoning process it would be the Planning Commission who would review the physical aspects of what was going to happen on the site before it recommended approval to the Council. If the Commission votes to recommend �.,\ approval on this proposal as presented and the item moves on to first reading before the Council, it will be very difficult to unwind at that point if there are site plan concems. Rezonings are discretionary. What he didn't like about this particular rezoning petition is that CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, JULY 20, 2005 Page 4 of 6 ,� the Planning Commission will not have the opportunity to look at a real site plan, a real tenant and review issues like access, buffering, and other issues of concern. He explained that the Longview Fiber plant adjacent to the petitioner's property has been there almost 40 years and employs 150 people and pays just under $200,000 in property taxes. It is a 24 hour a day operation sometimes running up to seven days a week. There are 20 to 30 trucks going into the Longview location on a daily basis. The traffic to Longview shares the ingress / egress point with the petitioner's property to gain street access. He was concemed about the impact a retail use would have on the traffic to this site. He added, however, that he believed there could be a successful dialogue with Mr. Lindgren to address the issues raised in the Longview letter. He then asked that the Longview letter be entered into the record. Chairperson Kuechle questioned if the access to these two sites is a public street. Mr. Finley explained he contacted the Fridley Public Works department this morning and this is not a public street. The street enters on property owned by the petitioner and Longview has an easement across it for access. He'd like to see some tra�c studies done and some civil engineering work done as to access improvements. Jerry Cormier, Longview Plant Manager, explained there are 20 to 30 tractor-trailers coming into their facility on a daily basis anywhere from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The first and third shifts have 30 to 35 employees each and the second shift has 10 to 15 employees. There are also 40 salaried employees on the day shift. The first shift starts at 7:00 and, depending upon production needs, can end anywhere from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. � MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Dunham, to enter into the record the letter from Joseph Finley of Leonard, Street and Deinhard, on behalf of Longview Fiber Company. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Mr. Lindgren stated they would be agreeable to hold an additional review by the Planning Commission between the first and second reading to address the concems expressed by Mr. Finley. After some discussion, it was decided that this matter should be continued to the next regular meeting so that Mr. Lindgren and Mr. Finley have an opportunity to attempt to resolve the points of concern raised on behalf of Longview Fiber Company. MOTION by Commissioner Johns, seconded by Commissioner Oquist, to close the public hearing. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECLARED THE PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED AT 8:19 PM. MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Dunham, to table Rezoning ZOA #05-03 until the August 3`� Planning Commission meeting. ^ UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED, CITY OF FRIDLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, JULY 20, 2005 Page 5 of 6 � MINUTES: 2. Receive the minutes of the June 22, 2005 Appeals Commission meting MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Johns, to accept the minutes as presented. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 3. Receive the minutes of the June 2, 2005 Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting. MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Johns, to accept the minutes as presented. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 4. Receive the minutes of the May 17, Environmental Quality & Energy Commission meeting. � MOTION by Commissioner Johns, seconded by Commissioner Dunham, to accept the minutes as presented. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 5. Receive the minutes of the June 6, 2005 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting. MOTION by Commissioner Johns, seconded by Commissioner Dunham, to accept the minutes as presented. UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECARED THE MOTION CARRIED. OTHER BUSINESS: ADJOURN: MOTION by Commissioner Oquist, seconded by Commissioner Dunham, to adjourn UPON A UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE, CHAIRPERSON KUECHLE DECLARED THE ^ MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:20 PM. 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