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Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA PLANNING COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 6:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL C. Planning Case 14-035; Site Plan Review – 1203 County Road E – Not a Public Hearing Associate Planner Bachler stated that Frattallone’s Hardware Inc. recently purchased the property at 1203 County Road E with the intention of remodeling the former furniture store building on the site for use as administrative offices for their retail hardware chain. The existing building is a one story split-level with 23,155 square feet of space on the main level and an additional 18,661 square feet in the basement area. Frattallone’s is proposing to renovate 12,770 square feet on the main floor for general office space and an additional 8,746 square feet of space in the basement area for use as storage for off-season items for the hardware store operations. The remaining 20,300 square feet of space in the building would remain unoccupied at this time. The proposed renovations do not include any significant alterations to the exterior of the site other than resurfacing and restriping the existing parking area. A total of 26 parking spaces would be provided. A fifteen foot wide one way traffic lane is proposed with vehicles entering at the eastern access driveway and exiting at the west end of the parking lot. Associate Planner Bachler indicated that the applicant has requested a Site Plan Review for a reduction in the number of required parking stalls for the proposed use of the building. Under the City Zoning Code, the number of spaces required for a specific use may be reduced through the Site Plan Review process if documentation can be provided that a lesser number of spaces will actually be needed. Based on the proposed mix of uses 60 parking stalls would be required, 34 more than the number provided on the site plan. Associate Planner Bachler reported that Frattallone’s intends to have only 13 administrative staff working at the site and does not foresee growing their office staff to more than 25. The applicant also does not expect the proposed accessory storage use to have an impact on the parking needs for the site. This area in the building will be used for storing winter materials in the summer months and lawn and garden equipment during the winter. Loading and unloading of materials will only occur seasonally with little or no freight traffic for the remaining part of the year. Frattallone’s would not maintain a regular warehousing staff on the site; therefore, off-street parking for this use in the building is not needed. Site Data Future Land Use Plan: Community Mixed Use Existing Land Use: Commercial Zoning: B-2 General Business District Current Lot Sizes: 1.3 acres