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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />, " <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - OCTOBER 2, 2002 <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />Staff reviewed their report dated September 26, 2002 and recommended approval of the <br />preliminary plat and planned unit master plan with conditions and recommendations as <br />outlined in their report. <br /> <br />Chair Sand invited applicant to make comment. <br /> <br />Dave Reimer of Guidant Corporation, and Judd Brasch, architect, presented the proposed <br />revised Master Campus Plan. <br /> <br />Mr. Brasch stated they had worked with the neighborhood reglj.rding this concernslj.nd <br />this new plan addressed many of those cOncerns. lIe stlitedthey had>elirninated 113,000 <br />square feet of office space and 452 parking spaces. lIe stated they had lowered building <br />heights at the perimeter of the site and increased heights at the center. He. stated they had <br />decreased some of the structure heights by placing some of the Parking levels below <br />grade. <br /> <br />Commissioner Bezdicek arrived at 7:23 p.m. <br /> <br />Mr. Brasch addressed the traffic issues that had been brought up. He noted they had <br />provided additional accesses and placed a tr'J,ftic control device at the intersection to <br />allow the residents to get onto the road easily. lIe stated Guidapt would rebuild <br />Cummings Park Drive (Guidant Drive North) prior to it being turned over to the City. <br />With respect to the lighting issues, he stated they had lllso revised tlle plan which would <br />allow for sufficient lighting for safety, but not have excess lighting. He stated they ""ould <br />be vacating Femwood Avenue to make it a campus drivelboulevard. He stated they <br />would be narrowing the street to reduce speed and the residents would still be lj.jJle to use <br />the road, except Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. lIe illdicated Guidant had <br />purchased the Nestle property, and during the process o[ acq\lisition of this property, the <br />40 foot high batch tower was removed and sorne of the \I11used bituminous was turned <br />ipto green space. lIe reviewed the Guidant's sched\lle aIld indiCated they were On track. <br /> <br />Chair Sand asked when Guidant was planlling to mlJ.ke traffic iml1Iovements to Femwood <br />Avenue. Mr. Parrish replied traffic improvernellts to Femwood Aven\le were not <br />addressed in the phasing plan because Femwood Aven\le wO\lld not be a public street <br />once the preliminary plat was approved. lIe indicated what hlj.d been discussed was that <br />Femwood A venue would be maintained in its current state until the training center began <br />construction and then at that time, shortly after the improvements to Cummings Park <br />Drive, Femwood wO\lJd be narrowed doWl), b\lt it might be appropriate to rnlJ.ke this one <br />of the conditions. .. <br /> <br />Mr. Brasch stated they had not decided when they would be narrowing Femwood, but it <br />might be done around the same time as the training center construction. <br /> <br />Chair Sand asked if Cummings Park Drive would be done next year, if this was <br />approved. Mr. Brasch replied that was correct. <br /> <br />Chair Sand asked at which phase Fernwood Drive would be reconfigured. Mr. Brasch <br />replied there were several issues that needed to be addressed incl\lding electrical and <br />water issues, but they would not be restricting traffic on Femwood until the traffic lights, <br />