CCP 05-29-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — APRIL 30, 2001 ' 2 No public comments were made. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Planning Cases 1. Planning case 01-02 Guidant Corporation, 4100 Hamline Avenue North, Planned Unit Development (PUD) Amendment, Site Plan Review Ms. Chaput explained the applicant is requesting an amendment to Guidant's Master Planned Unit Development for a change in the location of a parking ramp to the west of where it currently exists on the Master PUD, and the addition of Building 1, a two level office building. She stated the application has also been made for site plan review for the parking ramp in its new proposed location. She noted the Planning Commission tabled it in February and reheard it in April. She added the ramp is 10 feet higher than the zoning district permits. She stated it is within the PUD application, which allows flexibility in zoning. She noted the Planning Commission looked at tradeoffs to the entire campus. She added action must be taken tonight since the application has already had the sixty (60) days extended. She stated staff and the Planning Commission recommend approval of the parking ramp with the conditions listed. She reviewed the conditions. Mr. Dave Reimer, Director of Facilities for Guidant Corporation, stated they had 2.5 billion sales worldwide last year and currently have 9,000 employees worldwide. He noted the campus along Hamline Avenue is the headquarters for the cardiac division and has close to 2400 employees. He added they are growing at 24 % a year and with the purchase of the Control Data site they have a million square feet. He stated the Councilmembers were all invited to come and get a tour of the facility. Mr. Judd Brash and Mr. John Larson from RSP architects gave a brief presentation. Mr. Brash showed photographs and diagrams to indicate the location of the current building and the revised plan. He stated that with the acquisition of the Control Data property they added a lot of surface parking. He noted they would like to work with the city on the heights of the buildings in the conceptual plan. He added in the master PUD they would reach full capacity in 2020. Mr. Larson stated the center of the site is a natural place for the taller structures. He noted they would maintain a lower profile around the perimeter. He added the parking structures would be at the four to five level range. He stated they would maintain 30% of greenspace. Mayor Probst stated that he had an opportunity to tour the facilities and he stated Arden Hills essentially has its Medtronic in Guidant Corporation on this expanded campus. He noted that hopefully they have a mutual interest in working on these issues. He added it is an exciting opportunity for the city. He asked about the vertical treatment of the ramp given the horizontal nature of the campus. Mr. Larson responded it is an attempt to provide a rhythm of material behind the trees that picks up the vertical nature of what people are looking through. He stated at this corner it is a logical approach, but not every ramp would necessarily look that way.