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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – January 7, 2015 8 Zoning: B-2 General Business District Current Lot Sizes: 1.3 acres Topography: The elevation is generally flat Associate Planner Bachler reviewed the surrounding area and the Plan Evaluation. Associate Planner Bachler provided the following Findings of Fact for review: 1. The property at 1203 County Road E is located in the B-2 General Business District. 2. The existing building on the property 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. 3. The owner is proposing to renovate 12,770 square feet on the main floor for general office space and 8,746 square feet of space in the basement area for storage use. 4. The remaining 20,300 square feet of space in the building will remain unoccupied. 5. The proposal does not include any significant modifications to the exterior of the site. 6. The proposal includes restriping the existing parking area with a total of twenty-six (26) parking stalls that are in conformance with the City’s dimensional standards. 7. The proposed site plan adequately addresses the Zoning Code requirements for internal traffic and circulation. 8. Based on the proposed mix of office and warehousing uses in the building, sixty (60) parking stalls would be required. 9. The proposed site plan has a deficiency of thirty-four (34) parking stalls. 10. Under the Zoning Code, the number of spaces required for a specific use may be reduced by the City Council if the property owner provides documentation that a lesser number of spaces will actually be needed than normally required. The difference in the number of spaces provided and those required needs be shown on the site plan as “proof of parking” and shall be constructed if and when the need for such additional spaces arises. 11. The applicant has stated that thirteen (13) administrative staff would work at the site and future staffing would not exceed twenty-five (25). The applicant also does not expect the proposed accessory warehousing use to have an impact on the parking needs for the site. 12. The proposed site plan does not include any proof of parking spaces. 13. The property is already developed and the required additional thirty-four (34) parking stalls could not be accommodated on the site. 14. In order to satisfy the Zoning Code parking requirements, parking stalls could be secured on a site within eight hundred (800) feet of the main entrance to the principal building. A properly drawn legal instrument between the parties would need to be executed and filed with the City and County, as determined by the City Attorney. Associate Planner Bachler stated that staff is generally supportive of the request for a reduction in the required number of parking spaces on the site. As a result of how the property was developed, the existing conditions pose a challenge for repurposing the former furniture store building. The total amount of building floor area is not proportional to the size of the parking lot and there are very few uses that could occupy the building and provide the number of parking spaces required by the Zoning Code. Staff believes it is reasonable not to require the nine parking spaces required for the proposed warehousing use given that the space will be used for seasonal storage. The request for fewer parking stalls for the office use is also reasonable considering the small number of administrative