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landscaping, would result in over 212,999 sf. of perennial and shrub landscaping on the entire <br />project site for a total of 16.79%. This total % of perennial and shrub landscaping would exceed <br />the current zoning code by approximately 170%. This is a two Phased design and construction <br />project, so all proposed improvements will function as one landscape and should be reviewed <br />accordingly. <br /> <br />Zoning Action Item #2: The Land O’Lakes corporate headquarters expansion project will also be <br />requesting future flexibility thru the Final PUD planning process (for identified north project site in Phase <br />2) for Section 1325.05, Subd. 1, F. Minimum Landscape Requirements, Planting Islands. The <br />requirements state that planting islands shall be required to visually break up expanses of hard-surface <br />parking areas, to provide safe and efficient traffic movement, and to define rows of parking. Planting <br />islands shall occupy at least ten (10) percent of the parking area. Planting islands shall be edged with <br />concrete curbs. Parking lot planting islands shall be a minimum of 150 square feet in area, be of <br />appropriate width and length, and include at least one tree meeting the requirements of this ordinance. <br />Based on our proposed design, we estimate we will provide approximately 30,240 sf. of planting islands, <br />for a total of 5.9%. <br />The primary justification for flexibility thru the approved PUD related to Minimum Landscape <br />Requirements for Planting Islands are identified below: <br />1. The required number for parking (as identified in the Master PUD submission) to support the <br />overall campus expansion is 1676 stalls. This required parking stall count has caused hardship <br />related to providing the necessary amount of land needed to accommodate this parking while <br />trying to limit the impacts on the valuable natural features of the site. The current site is <br />approximately 47.37 acres, with the wooded areas comprising approximately 22.7 acres, <br />pond/wetland areas comprising 4.5 acres, and existing and proposed development <br />approximately 18.5 acres. Based on the need to provide 1676 stalls on the campus site to <br />support expansion, it has required the proposed parking expansion into the wooded area on the <br />west edge of the site, thus reducing this natural feature from approximately 7.5 acres to 4.2 <br />acres. Based on the impacts to the western wooded area, it has been determined that the <br />design will try and limit any additional impacts to natural site features by limiting some of the <br />landscaped islands at the outer edges of the parking areas. By creating landscaped islands <br />throughout the outer edges of the parking lots where they are not currently proposed, we <br />would effectively be removing parking stalls, which would require us to remove more of the <br />wooded area to the west to provide parking stalls that were removed to accommodate <br />landscaped islands. To mitigate the loss of the landscape islands, the site design has <br />incorporated a new east-west “green belt” (green belt is approximately 60’ in width and runs <br />the entire length of the proposed Phase 2 improvements) located directly north of the proposed <br />corporate building expansion. This wooded green belt will provide two site amenities; the first <br />being an enhanced entry experience for staff and visitors to the site (imagine exiting your car <br />and walking thru the woods to the front door of the new corporate building), and secondly, <br />provide a view into a natural landscaped area for users in the new corporate building (existing <br />buildings on the site have been designed to maximize views to natural areas and limit views to <br />the parking lots). <br />2. As part of the proposed work in Phase 1 (South parking lot), we have defined 18,172 sf. of <br />planting islands, which would exceed the current zoning code by approximately 150%. The