07-25-16-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

AGENDA ITEM – 8A City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for July 25, 2016 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2016\PC 16-016 - Land O'Lakes - Final PUD Phase 2\Memos_Reports_16-016 Page 2 of 13 1. Project Description The applicant is requesting approval of a major addition to their campus that would allow the company to consolidate their Arden Hills and Shoreview locations into one headquarters facility at their existing Arden Hills property. The proposal includes the construction of a four-story, approximately 155,000 gross square foot office building just to the north of the existing principal buildings. Land O’Lakes is incorporating sustainable best practices into the design of the building and will seek a minimum of LEED Gold certification for the project. Other site improvements would include the expansion of the surface parking lots to provide approximately 1,677 parking stalls along with the installation of extensive native landscaping areas to enhance the overall character of the site. Land O’Lakes currently leases office facilities in Shoreview at the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue North and County Road F. Approximately 900 employees now work at this location and would be relocated to the Arden Hills campus with the completion of the new building. The company estimates that 2,100 employees will work on the site after consolidation in late 2018. Land O’Lakes will be completing the new office building and site improvements over two phases. Phase I was approved by the City Council on June 27, 2016, and includes the expansion and reconfiguration of the visitor parking lot on the south side of the existing buildings. This phase is expected to be completed by late summer 2016. Phase 2 of the project would consist of the remaining components of the expansion project, including the new office building and the expansion of the employee surface parking lot on the north side of the buildings. Construction on Phase 2 is expected to be complete by December 31, 2018. In Planning Case 16-016, Land O’Lakes is requesting City approvals for the Final PUD for Phase 2 of the project. The applicant has submitted a project narrative explaining the proposed Land O’Lakes expansion project in further detail, where flexibility is being requested, and why the overall proposal is within the public interest (Attachment A). A complete plan set (Attachment B) has been submitted for the Final PUD for Phase 2. The submitted plan set includes the site plan, tree preservation & landscaping plan, circulation plan, parking plan, photometric plan, grading plan, utility plans, and proposed building elevations. 2. Planned Unit Development (PUD) Process: The Planned Unit Development process is a tool that provides additional flexibility for development that an underlying zoning district would not otherwise allow. For example, a PUD may make exceptions to setbacks, lot coverage, parking requirements, signage, building materials, or landscaping requirements. It is intended to overcome the limitations of zoning regulations and improve the overall design of a project. While the PUD process allows the City to negotiate certain aspects of the development, any conditions imposed on the PUD must have a