CCP 03-26-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - MARCH 7, 2001 12 Chair Baker reviewed the "Lot Area, Lot Width, and Yard Requirements" section and asked if there were any concerns with the change to identify the lot area is one acre minimum, He asked ifthe number oflots can be reduced, Mr. McClure stated he cannot imagine more than two lots, Mr. Shardlow stated they would agree to a maximum of up to one lot. . Commissioner Erickson asked if Arden Hills considered parking decks to be accessory uses, Ms, Chaput stated the Code does not define parking structures, However, in the Guidantproject, parking structures were being looked at according to surface parking regulations, not as accessory structures,. She advised that the parking setback is 50 feet in the Gateway Business District but the accessory structure setback is only 10 feet and not permitted within front yards, Mr. Shardlow stated they need to know the City would agree to allow parking areas within the 50 foot front yard setback, Chair Baker asked if the City Engineer would address the issues related with drive-thru lanes, Ms, Chaput stated a drive-thru lane would require a SUP process so that would be reviewed anyway, even with a PUD. Mr. Dowdy estimated that an eight story high building would be approximately 100 feet high although he could not be certain as each story may vary between ten and twenty feet, depending on what type of tenant that the building is constructed for. Commissioner Galatowitsch stated she is concerned that an eight-story building would appear to be a "Goliath" since there is nothing like it for miles, She expressed concern that it would not . blend into the area and asked if there will be a similar project across the street. Mr. McClure stated their hope is to provide flexibility to users in the marketplace while keeping in mind the size constraints of this building envelope, He stated he would not be adverse to consider lower profile buildings with bigger floor plates if there were not so much wetland, However, the developable envelope of this project is very squeezed, Mr, McClure stated he thinks one ofthe strong appeals is that this site is at I-35W and 1-694 and the presence it would provide to the prospective user, He stated this site sits substantially below the road elevation, at least 15 feet, so the first floor elevation would be about the same elevation as Gateway Boulevard. Mr, McClure stated if they have to limit the height, they will not get the tenants they desire, Commissioner Galatowitsch stated it appears their concern is that it would cut into their profitability. Mr. McClure stated a tenant may request larger square footage to accommodate their entire business operation. He commented on the difficulty oftrying to anticipate all the issues that can come up once a tenant is identified, Mr. Dowdy stated the Normanpoint project is eight to nine stories high and on a similar site, He . noted the building shape depicted on the plan is only a concept. Mr. McClure stated a lot of the larger users of single-tenant buildings are between 200,000 and 250,000 square feet and the typical floor plates are 20,000 to 30,000 square feet per floor plate.