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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – MARCH 16, 2015 2 <br /> <br />City Planner Streff stated that the creation of the drive-thru will involve the reconfiguration of <br />the parking lot in order to accommodate the drive-thru lane and the stacking of vehicles in this <br />area. Eleven (11) parking spaces would be eliminated from the site to accommodate the stacking <br />of approximately nine (9) vehicles in the drive-thru lane. <br /> <br />City Planner Streff reported that in addition to the drive-thru window location on the outside <br />façade of the building, the plan also includes the installation of a menu board and speaker for <br />placing customer orders. As depicted on the site plan, a new landscaping island would be installed <br />along with additional landscaping within former parking stall areas not utilized by the driving <br />lane. A new sidewalk connection and curbing would be provided along the southern portion of the <br />drive-thru area. <br /> <br />City Planner Streff reviewed the zoning code requirements associated with this proposal. <br /> <br />Jerry Roper, Caribou Coffee Corporate, introduced himself to the Council and discussed the <br />proposed drive-thru. He explained that the cities of Eagan and Apple Valley have been <br />approached to add a drive-thru as well. He noted that he has spoken to the landlord and hoped <br />that the City would be supportive. He believed that the shoe repair tenant might be relocating his <br />business to another location within Shannon Square. He then discussed the plan for the Arden <br />Hills site and reported that the food offerings at Caribou may be expanded. <br /> <br />Paul Meyer, Paul Meyer Architects, explained that Caribou was pursuing a drive-thru at this <br />location due to the fact that it has an end cap location. He commented that the drive-thru would <br />offer a great convenience to its customers. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holmes believed that the site was too small to accommodate a drive-thru. She <br />questioned if there would be more room for vehicle stacking if the triangle portion of landscaping <br />were removed. <br /> <br />Mr. Roper stated that enlarging the drive-thru area would also mean the loss of additional <br />parking, which may be a concern to the City. He reported that the proposed drive-thru was pretty <br />typical compared to other locations. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant questioned if there was enough stacking space available to allow for the timely <br />delivery of orders. <br /> <br />Mr. Roper believed that the proposed plan would allow for a five car stack and noted that this <br />would allow for the timely delivery of orders. <br /> <br />Planning Chair Thompson asked if the new food offerings would cause delays in order delivery. <br /> <br />Mr. Roper did not anticipate that this would be a concern and noted that customers with large <br />orders may be asked to pull ahead to allow for other orders to be filled. Once the large orders <br />were ready, Caribou staff would walk them to the car. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant believed that the plan was visually pleasing. He understood that drive-thrus were <br />becoming increasingly popular and that the City may need to reevaluate its Code language.