CCP 09-24-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . Case #01-25, Guidant Corporation September 17, 2001 Page 3 b. The sign adjustment will allow a sign of exceptional design or a style that will enhance the area or that is more consistent with the architecture and design of the site; And, c. The sign adjustment will not result in a sign that is inconsistent with the purpose of the zoning district in which the property is located. Freestanding Signs The particular hardship is the restriction of one freestanding sign in the physical surroundings of a large multi-tenant campus with multiple entrances on major parallel roadways like Lexington and Hamline. While Hamline Avenue has been the traditional access to the campus, the expansion means Lexington, with its interchange with 1-694, will be the approach of many visitors to the Guidant facility. In addition to marking the entrance from Lexington for these visitors, the proposed signs will also mark the presence in the City of a major employer, which, like the presence of Land 0' Lakes, is not otherwise apparent from the roadway. Water Tower Logos This water tower by its height, placement at the rear of the site, the arrangement and height of the existing buildings on the site, the mature vegetation along both Lexington and Ham1ine, and the steep change in grade to the east and west, is for the most part visible only to those already on the Guidant campus. The view from the nearest residence, the apartments across Lexington, is buffered by the mature trees on the perimeter of the Guidant site, as well as the orientation of the apartments, and the berms on plantings on that site. Along Hamline, the effected residences are at the end ofthe Indian Oaks Circle cul-de-sac. At this distance, approximately one-half mile, the two-foot letters will appear as a dark smudge on the tower. The Guidant tower is not seen from Wynridge Drive or Wynridge Court, where the:: larger and closer City water tower is part of the horizon. The view from Cummings Park is blocked by the change in grade and vegetation in the Park. The unique opportunity, internal to the campus, offered by the existing tower to establish the Guidant presence on their expanded site can be realized with no material deleterious effect on the surrounding parcels. ODtions 1. Reconnnend approval as submitted. 2. Reconnnend approval with conditions. 3. Reconnnend denial with findings or conditions. 4. Table for additional information.