CCP 08-28-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . -- 0/10 Highway 96 from Highway 10 to Old Highway 8 is planned for reconstruction in 1998. Although there is some discussion by Ramsey County that the bridge over Interstate 35W will be reconstructed in 1998 and the roadway will be reconstructed in 1999. The reconstruction plans (Exhibit D) include relocating the Round Lake Road intersection with Highway 96 as far east as possible at a full movement intersection (signalized when warranted). As with most things, in development timing is everything. As the Traffic Engineer has stated, in Exhibit A, page 12 of 47, paragraph 4, that "... the project will have no significant impacts on the signalized intersection at County Highway 96 and Round Lake Road...". However, the intersection of Round Lake Road and Highway 96 has not yet been relocated nor signalized. Therefore, linkage is required between the approvals granted in this request and the completion of certain minimum improvements on Round Lake Road to facilitate those approvals. 9. Building Design. The Zoning Ordinance in Section V, K, 5, d, (2), states that exterior building treatment (wall surfaces) shall be of brick, stone, glass, or any combination thereof, except trim and accessories may be metal. However, the exterior materials of the proposed structure do not consist of brick, stone, or glass. The proposed exterior consists of approximately 30 percent brick (on the bottom) and a painted smooth finish insulated concrete panel with architectural reveals (ie., saw cut into the panel to provide visual depth and delineation). The principal exterior colors of the building would be soft earth tones (ie., off-white, tan, browns, etc.,). The exterior of the Phase II, III, and IV buildings are similar to the Phase I building, with the addition of brick on the bottom and a slightly different entry element. The City Council when it reviewed the Phase I development of the Arden Hills Interstate Center in Planning Case 96-12, accepted a building exterior which was not consistent with the GB district requirements. The rationale was that there would be a increased aesthetic progression as one got closer to the intersection ofInterstate 694 and 35W. Also, that the first building would be the trigger for future development in the area. The Phase I building is now almost complete and the Staff would encourage the Planning Commission to visit the structure and to evaluate the relative aesthetics of the structure. The Staff is generally pleased with how the aesthetics of the Phase I building turned out relative to the "artists sketch" that was reviewed as part of Planning Case 96-12. The part that was most positive for Staff was the that the additions required by the Planning Commission to the west side of the building (facing Interstate 35W) improved the aesthetics of the building. Another positive aspect was that the dock doors in the loading area are not as massive or imposing as originally thought. The part that was not so positive for Staff was that the "finished exterior" should have wrapped further around the side of the building (southwest and southeast corners of the building) onto the rear of the building (close to the first dock doors).