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PL 07/18/1973 - 30378�, \ CITY OF FRIDLEY PLIWNIN� COMMISSION MEETING JULX 18, 1973 CALL TO ORDER: PAGE 1 Chairman Fitzpatrick called the meeting to order at $:10 P.M. RQLL CALL: Members Present: Members Absent: Others Present: Fitzpatrick, Blair Darrel Clark, Harris, I.indblad, Drigans Community Development Administratox APPROVE PL�vNING COhiMISSIUN MIKUTES: JUNE 20, 1973 MOTZON by Harris, seconded by Drigans, th3t the Planning Commission minutes of �Tune 10, 1973 be approved as written. Upon a voice vote, a11 Voting aye., the motion caz•ried unanimously. RECEIVE PARKS F, RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES: �f,4Y 21, 1973 MOTiON by Lindblad, seconded by Drigans, tl-iat the Planning Commission �1� �eCeive the Parks & Recreation Commission minutes of May 21, 1973. Upon �. A voice vote, a11 votinq aye, the motion carried unaninously. � f"1 REC�IVE BUIL1)ING STANDARDS-DESIGN CONTROL SUBCOMMITTEE MINUTES: JUNE 26, 1973 MOTION by Lindblad, seconded by Harris, that the Planninq Corrm�issiozl �CecQ.ive the Bvilding Standards-Design Control Subcorrmz.ittee minutes of Ju.ne 26, 1�73. Upon a voice vote, a11 votinq aye, the motion carried unaniraou�ly. RECEIVE BOARD OF APPEALS MINUTES: JUNE 26, 1973 MOZ'ION by Dr�gans, seconded by Harris, that the Planning Corrm�ission z'+�ce.�ve the Board of Appeals minutes of June 26, 1973. Upon a voice va��� a11 voting aye, the motion carried unanimously. �,. APPROVAL OF PROPOSED ANOKA COUNTY LIBRARY LOCATION AT MISSISSIPPI • STREET N.E. AND 5TH STREET N.E. (410 MISSISSIPPI STREET N.E.). Mr. Jerry Young, Director of the Anoka County Library, was present. Mr. Young said the Library Board and the County Board of Commissione3�� haVe been concerned for some time about the inadequacy of library facili���� in.vaxiou,s parts of Anoka County. About three years ago we did adopt som� 14ng rapge plans for a new building in Fridley and two other communitiss. Sinco last year, we have been searching for a site in Fridley. We have npW �ele�ted a site at the corner of Mississippi Stxeet and Sth Street. We are �eoking to acquire apprqxim�tely 1� acres frota two ownexs, the Wall Corpora- ��p� and px. Treaona, for the purpose of constructing a new branch libxary �� this �ocat�.on to re�1a�Q th� ��c���.�y in City Hall which we have outgrowr�, ' �" Rn. "hA- 9� • .. . Flanning Commission Meeting - July 1�, t973 Page 2 � n� Mr, Young c�nLinued that l.tley h��ped to add a full line of library services which we :annot q�rovide now because of limited spacc. We do not have an a�rchitect hired and have iio buildiiig plans to present as this was not our purpost in comi.ng to this meeting. Our purpose is to seek approval of the concept af a library located in tfiis location. Our studies indicate this is an excellent location, but N•e want ��pproval of the Planning Commission and other officials of the City hefore we proceed further. M�c. Young said we have drafted a preliminary working paper which we would like to leave with the Planning Commission members, which describes the site and sketches out what we hope to accomplish with this library location, This library would be approximately 10,000 square feet in size with adequate parking. It will be an architect designed building and house . approxzmately .:5,000 volumes. It will have an open schedule, much expanded over the present library facility. It will have an increased staff. It will include such facilities as a meeting ruom an�i many of the services provided by the Hea3quarter Library in Blaine. We conceive that this would serve the Central part of Fridley. The North end of FY�idle�� will be sexv�d � by the l,ibrary in Blaine, the South end by Columbia Heig}its, and the out�� edg�s by Bookmobile. As far as the time schedule is concerned, we would ho�e to have this in operation by the end of 1974. ` Mr. Lindblad asked what hours the proposed library would be open. Mr. n Xoumg said he thought it would be open approximately 60 hours a week. It ,.,., wquld be open 6 days a week and in the evenings Monday through Thursday. -� Mx. Fitzpatrick said that in selecting this site; they must havs baen +awar� o� the traffic problems in this area. � M�c. Yaung said we haven't actually made any drawings of the site, but wa have tried to acquire enough land to have the square footage we need for ths building and have a parking lot for 50 cars. Included in this stufly, rv�e have determined that the access will have to be off Sth Street, not Missis�ippi, 8nd keep the parking away from Mississippi Street. The pedestriari access tv�11 be at Mississippi. The main library in Blaine has 9i acres. At prasent, wq are only using about 2i acres. We have outgrown it and will be expand�n�. We have �arking £or SO cars at the present time at this site. ' Mr. Harris said that in the paper presented, it says the setbacks wi11 be 25 feet. Mr. Clark said the building would have to be set back 35 feet and the parking 20 feet, and 5 feet on the other lot lines, for parking. Mr.. Young said the estimate of SO cars using the lot was a high estimate fo7r peak library hours which woulci be after 7 o'clock P.M, on hfonday anfl Tuesday nights. Mr. Young said he had made a sketch of his own, and it does fit. Another problem for the architect is to provide a noise separation gnd e� buffex between the proposed library and the development of the Wall�� Corpoxation. Mr. Glark asked how they felt about being next to the Wall Corporation � Complex. Mr. Young said he thought it was delightful. He said we don't want n j, ��lbxary to look like another townhouse or an apartment building but it ��quld be designed to fit i�ta �hg area but still be an impressive bu�lding. ���d�et says the cost of the buildin� will be in excess of $300,000. �.w� �.� ., : " '. :^ . .� t � . _ ^1 � � ' �� � � � —� P1� Commission Meeting - July 18, 1973 page 3 Mr. Urigans asked how they determined the size library that was needed i� an area. Mr. Young said it was by population. This proposed l�br�xy was for a populat.ion of 25,OOQ to 30,000, taking into consiaeration that the North and South end of Fridley would be sea•viced by Blaine and Columbia Heights. According to National Standards there shuuld be 2 to 3 fe�t per capita �n Iibrary spacF� and a parking s�ace £or each 4 chair5. Mr. Dxigans asked if they would be duplicating the servi�.es provided by the Blaine Libray or eliminating some. Mr. Young said it ��u1d be d1�liCation, not eliminatior�. They would be able to expand on the � s��'v$Ces provided at the present library in Fridley now. According to these same National Standards, 2 hr,aks should be provided for e�ich person ro1� intend to serve. County wide ke have 14U,000 volumes,. We can meet -'khes� Standards by communication. Books are easily delivered to any b�anch that requests them. M�e. Dxigans asked how this branch would compare to the library in � Colu9t�bia fie i�ht s. Mr. Yo►.m� �a i d he w�� s not direct ly responsible for the library in Cu1un,1;.;; tieights �, this ws; awned by the City of Columbia Heights and Anoka �uunty �,:;t has an agreement with them. Because it is a loGal libxsry, they don't have the volumes or the staff tq provide the services a �ounty library can provide, At the present time ti►ere are about 1,000 peopl� outside of Columbia Heights who have library cards which are accepted by Col�t�a Heights . . _ _ ..-, ., ,,,,, � _ � . ('�� � Mr. Young said we are finding th��t people want to use the library ofl their schedule, not ours. The larger the building, the more people 1�0 ��. lKg. Harris said they wouldn't have any room to expand at the pro- pOBed location. Mr. Young said they are not planning to need any expansion. 8oe�use the area within 3 miles of this proposed library is so devel.oped at the present time, the population is more predictable that it would be if the Iibrary was further out in Fridley. Mr. Harris asked how this library would be paid for. Mr. Young �aid �t will be a County wide tax, but bec�use Fridley made up a large part o£ tho �ax base, we would be paying for a lot of it, but most of the money is already budgeted. M�. Clark asked if the property they want to use for the library could bQ included with the Wall Corporation property, so it could have a Iot snd bloek number in an addition, instead of a metes and bounds descriptio�, MT. Young said he would check into this with the County. Mra Clark asked Mr, Young if he needed a resolution fxom the Plannin,g Cotnmi�s�on. Mr. Young said he would need one alvng the same lines as tt�e on� passed by the City Cowncil. Chairman Fitzpatrick asked how soon they 1+ay�d need this resolution. Mr. Young said they would need it beiore the �14Xt Planning Commission meeting. Planning Commission Meeting - Julv 18, 1973 Pa�e 4 ^1 Mr. Dxigans asked Mx. Clark site. Mx. Clark,said he wasn't th�re w�re some problems in the barings. if he could fursee any problems with the familiar with this site in particular but area and there would have to be some soil Mr. Hari�is said as the Planning Couunission was being asked to apprpv� the location fo� the library, he thought the traffic problems in the area �h0uld be part of the consideration now before any plans were made. He w�� also concerned because there wouldn't be any roorn for expansion at this locat�on. He said it has been his experience that every one was op�imistiC about the availahle space when a building was constructed, but in a short tim�, evexyone needs a larger building and more space. Mr. Young said the peak traffic periods for the library were from after school until about 5:00 P.hi, and then between 7:00 to 9:00 P.M., so these periods would generally not be at the same time that traffic w�s �enexated by people going to and from work. The Planning Commission looked at the plan of the Wall Corporation and thought a common driveway onto Sth Street would help some of the problems. Other routes were di�cussed with no conclusions drawn. • Mr. Harris asked what size vehicle was used to transport books £rom one l�bxary to another. Mr. Young said it was an econoline type txuck. Any deliveries ma.de by large trucks are made at the main library in ���i��� � He s�id we would have a school bus coming in once in awhile but they � � ' g�AQrally came about 10 o'clock in the morning. � Mr, Young said that another thing that will generate traffic i� th� me�ting xoom. When this room was in use at the Blaine Library it was used about 1/3 of the time, one or two nights a week. � Chaixman Fitzpatrick asked where the other new branches would be. Mr. Young said they just opened a branch on Crooked Lake Boulevard in Caan Ra����A -�id the other two proposed locations were in Circle Pines and some �h�r� �x�und xhe Blaine City High Sch000l. NIx. Young said they would have preferred a larger site in Fxidley but they wanted �t located in the general axea of the proposed location and th�r� isn't a larger site available. Mr. Harris said this site would nat all�w fqr alterations or expansion. Mr. Young said he was awaxa af this but the popu�ation was 20,000 in the area the libray was to se�vs� and it wa� being built for a population of 25,000 to 30,000, As the arsa betwe�� RiCe Cresk and South to 694 was already so well developed, they fe�t t�p� wouldn't need expansion space. .Mx. Harris asked if they had considered the problem of snow remaval. M�. Young said he didn't think they had but he would bring this to the Libraxy Board's attention. Mr. Harris said he was in £avor o£ the libraxy but thought the drawbacks of this site should be brought out. ^ n r Mr. Drigans said he was i� favar of the location. He felt it would servic� an area that needs a library. The site is no� as large as �e w��� ���e ��� � thin� �t �� adequate based on the projected population. I th��� Mr. Yo4ng and the Anoka �ibrary Board have planned this well so far, Mr. p�i$a�� said his feeling was that�the Planning Commi�s�on should g�ve apprQVa� Planning Cammission Meeting - Jul� 18, 1973 Page 5 � ^1' t0 this request. MOTTQN b_y Drigans, seconded by Harris, that the Pianning Commissia� pa�� a tesolution favoring the proposed location of a branch library at ���si�sippi 5tr_eet and 5th Street N.E., following the resolution passed �y CounCil (85-1973) to be prepared by staff, making proper adjustments in the wq;dage (1-1973). U,pon a voice vote, a11 voting aye, the motion carr�ed tu�artiAqusl y . Mr. Harris said he would like to make the request that the I.ibrary BO�.�d 3rchitect work with the City Administration on tha traffic patter�}�� H� al�o wondered if we could get an agreement that they would never ask for expansion on this site. Mr. Clark said he didn't think they could be bound by any agxeement. Approval or denial would have to be made if �nd wh�n such a request was made. Nlr, Dxigans asked Mr. Young when the plans would be ready and what theix s�hedul�� was. Mr. Young said they hoped to be occupying the buildi.t�g �xipr to the end of 1974. 2. 'ARMORY REQUEST M�. Paul Bxown, Director of the Pa�ks � Recreation Department was /"'1� $r�geAt . "` Mr, �lark �aid that since the time that General Chees�man made his p���enta�ion to the Planning Connnission the criteria for th� land required 8� Ch�n$ed frc�m 5 acres to 350 feet x 350 feet ox appxoximately �.8 acreS fo� �luburban communities. For this reasan, the City Council was asking ' th� Planning Commission to consider again the request for t�e locatip�} �� �.s� a�aoxy �.n Fridley. In addition to this, some of the people on th� Cit�r S�af�, inGlud3,ng Paul Brown, were interested in how this armory could be , Q�' u�� to various departments.of the City and to the citizens. Mx'. Brown said there was a�eed for a facility for community us� whOther i�'s built by the Federal Government or not. He outlined th� th1Ag� such a facility could be used for. 1. Community Use � a. Used by City Hall for Public Hearings where a large nurn�px p$ people have to be seated. ' • b. Civic Groups, meetings of the Lions, J. C.'s, etc. c. Church Groups, for carnivals or pther fund raising efforts. d. Special Occasions, for large assemblies or special promotions. 2. Department Use �a. Indoor Spoxts such as basket ball, volley ball, and physical fitness programs, s� b. Class Rooms � �'1 1. Crafts � 2. Qance Lessons, Ballet, Tap, Baton c. Youth Needs, such as 4-H d. We can use it for storage of supplies. w� ��er�}��y. �Shows� Awards, Ainne�s f � Co�ces�i�ons � �� �'o�a���ts � � n,•1 � �� P].annin� Com�ni ssaon Meeting -•:tuly 1S, 1973 _ _ i`age 6 3. Aegional Use a. Promotions b. As�efibly i.n 4. Federal Use a. Guard Duties b. Guard I�eeds connection with a conference. S. Veterans Use a. American Legion � a r • � . n • Mr. Fitzpatrick said at the time the Planning Commission heard the px�s�ntat�an by General Che�seman, he got the impression that there wauldn't. b� to0 m�ny things the Paxk €� Recreation Department could use the armory �or. Mx. �rown said he didn't think we got enough answers. Mr. Drigans saia that the Natio>>al Guards that will use the armory will c�me �rom all different comrouniti�s. Vdho will have priority on the use of the axmory, Mr. Brc�wn said this was a question that could be asked of General °Chees�man, a�so. Mr. Harris said he has seen some of the newer armories and he didn't think they were as large as people think they are. He said the one in Hastings was approximately 75' x 120'. Mx, Brown said he thought some of the staff should meet with General iGh;ee�eman and ask some o£ these questions. � Ghairman Fitzpatrick said as there was almost a new �Planning Commission 110 t}t�ught General Cheeseman should be invited back to make a new pr�senta- tiot�. Mr. Clark said this could be done after he had met with interested m�mbers of the City staff. MpTTON BY HARRIS, seconded by Drigans, that Pau1 Brown arranqe a meetin� w�th �snera� Cheeseman to determine how many of the needs that he has dis- Cus�ed can be provided and what the pay ratio might be and discuss priorities. Upon $ voice vote, a11 voting aye, the motion carried unanimously. Chairman Fitzpatrick said the Planning Commission would like to have Gen�ral Cheeseman invited to make his presentation to the Planning Commission again� a� his schedule permits, and after his meeting with,Paul Brown and other interested.members of the City staff. 3. R�PORT ON SPECIAL USE PF.RMIT FOR AUXILLIARY BUILDINGS Mr, Clark said he didn°t have ariything in writing, but he was in the procsss� af taking a survey of other communities to see how they handle aux�llit%xy building�* The general feeling was that no one wants to get involved in a ��picat� 1Q' x 10' shed. Bloomington, for instance, doesn't care,how many �WCilliary buildings some one has as long as they meet the code. So fax, we are tho.only community that requires a Special Use Pexmi.t for the second auaciil�ary building. ' Planning Commission Meeting - July 18, 1�73 pa�7 � Chai�nan Pitzpatr�ck. said the Planning Commission wasn't objecting p�rtiCUlarly to our. controls or practices. It just seeme� that they �ould be fp�rqalized and some of these things could be handled by administration. M�. Clark said we require a verification survey after the foundatian i� �n. Ou� code says, for instance, tha� the structure should be 10 feet from th� property line, and the verificatian survey shows that it is 9 feet 10 inches. To $o stxictly by the code, we shotil3 hold up construction of the building tu�t�1 they have been to the Board of�llppeal� for a variance that has ta be a�graved by counci�. M�. Harris said there should be some way of streamlining our handling o� thi�$s such as this, to eliminate the lengthening of Council meetings �o� mfriqr things. � � M�. C1ark said he thought this was something that could be discussed at the dinner meeting with the Council. Some Councils have Iet the Boards and GOmmissions make the final decision on some uncontroversial items and som� Councils want every item to be decided by the Council, So this would dspend upon t}ie feelings of the present Cauncil.. Mr. Clark said sta�f would like more time to complete it's survey of oth�r cQmmunities before they make a formal report. � 4. APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHAIRMAN � Ch��rman Fitzpatrick said he would like ta appoint a Vice Chairma� LO talcq ovex the meeting if and when he was absent. He said he would �.ike AiChard Harris to be the Vice Chairman, and if this was agreeable tn everyone, �� would �ike to have this made as a motion. JKQ�'ION by Drigans, seconded by Lindblad, that Richard Harris be dB��g�ated Vice Chairmare of the PLanning Corraaission. Upon $ voice vote, $:tt'sis abs�tain.ing, the �tion cazried. Chairman Fitzpatrick adjourned the meeting at 10:30 P.M. Rospoctfully submitted, �-�t ; 3•Gn:�.�,/ orothy Ev�son, Secretary � �^ 0 T�--^ •-