CCP 01-30-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - January 9,2006 2 \ Councilmember Holden asked if Aldi had a particular corporate look, Mr. Rukavina . responded Aldi did have a corporate standard with an all brick building, but they were willing to work with the community on this, Mr. Wellington stated he was not SUTe where the Aldi building would be located on the site, He indicated they would come back with some options and noted this was only a preliminary proposal. Mayor Aplikowski expressed concern with the increased traffic from the customers in this area and noted this was a very busy corner in the City. Mr. Wellington stated he anticipated they would need to do a traffic study of the area to determine where the best access points would be, He noted a grocery store was a balanced use much like the existing office building, He indicated they would probably also upgrade the exterior existing retail center to blend everything together. He asked if the City would consider a drug store on this site also, Councilmember Holdeu asked what the maximum height on the proposed office building would be. Mr. Wellington responded a three-story office building would be 38-42 feet. He noted they would work within the City's Ordinances. Couucilmember Graut stated he assumed they needed an anchor tenant and would tbat anchor tenant be Aldi, Mr. Wellington responded Aldi could be the anchor tenant, or a drug store could be the anchor tenant, He noted it was possible a medical facility could also be an anchor tenant. Councilmember Grant asked if it would be difficult to find an anchor tenant with today's economy, Mr. Wellington responded they were confident they would find an anchor tenant. . Councilmember Grant stated he wanted to see some modernization of the existing Frattalone building. He noted he was not opposed to redevelopment and he believed the space could be better utilized. Planning Commissioner Larson stated his initial impression was the two accesses were problematic. He noted the intersection of Lexington and County Road E backed up during rush hour and because of the lack of control on either access, he would recommended a traffic study, Hc stated the Commissioners were in agreement that Aldi's was an excellent choice for this corner instead of a drug store, He noted this area was somewhat outdated and the Commission would not be opposed to redevelopment. Planning Commissioner Thompson suggested they look at other ways to laying out the site to make better use of the parking, She also noted the access turn was very tight as it was set up now and suggested this be widened. Planning Commissioner David McClung indicated redevelopment of this area was positive considering this was a major intersection in the City. He agreed they needed to update the existing hardware store building to blend it into the remainder of the site, .