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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-16-15-WS 'It -SIQEN HILLS Approved: April 27, 2015 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MARCH 16,2015 5:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council work session at 5:03 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Robert Woodburn Absent: Councilmember Brenda Holden(excused) Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; City Planner Ryan Streff; Associate Planner Matthew Bachler; Planning Commissioner Andy Holewa; Planning Commissioner Clayton Zimmerman; and Planning Chair Roberta Thompson Mayor Grant requested Item B be discussed prior to Item A. 1. AGENDA ITEMS B. Planning Case 15-005 Concept Review Caribou Coffee Drive-Thru City Planner Streff explained that the property is located at 3673 Lexington Avenue North within the Shannon Square Shoppes. The site is positioned north of the railroad tracks owned by Canadian Pacific, south of Cub Foods, east of the Transwestern property occupied by Taylor Corporation, and west of Lexington Avenue North. Other tenants within the retail center include Subway, H&R Block, Great Clips, and UPS. City Planner Streff indicated that Caribou Coffee Company is proposing to create a drive-thru and pickup window along the eastern side of their building which fronts Lexington Avenue North. The purpose of the drive-thru addition is to improve the overall customer experience, accommodate different types of customers, and stay competitive within the market. This addition would allow customers to come and go more quickly from the site without having to always enter the store to make a purchase. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 2 City Planner Streff stated that the creation of the drive-thru will involve the reconfiguration of the parking lot in order to accommodate the drive-thru lane and the stacking of vehicles in this area. Eleven (11) parking spaces would be eliminated from the site to accommodate the stacking of approximately nine (9)vehicles in the drive-thru lane. City Planner Streff reported that in addition to the drive-thru window location on the outside fagade of the building, the plan also includes the installation of a menu board and speaker for placing customer orders. As depicted on the site plan, a new landscaping island would be installed along with additional landscaping within former parking stall areas not utilized by the driving lane. A new sidewalk connection and curbing would be provided along the southern portion of the drive-thru area. City Planner Streff reviewed the zoning code requirements associated with this proposal. Jerry Roper, Caribou Coffee Corporate, introduced himself to the Council and discussed the proposed drive-thru. He explained that the cities of Eagan and Apple Valley have been approached to add a drive-thru as well. He noted that he has spoken to the landlord and hoped that the City would be supportive. He believed that the shoe repair tenant might be relocating his business to another location within Shannon Square. He then discussed the plan for the Arden Hills site and reported that the food offerings at Caribou may be expanded. Paul Meyer, Paul Meyer Architects, explained that Caribou was pursuing a drive-thru at this location due to the fact that it has an end cap location. He commented that the drive-thru would offer a great convenience to its customers. Councilmember Holmes believed that the site was too small to accommodate a drive-thru. She questioned if there would be more room for vehicle stacking if the triangle portion of landscaping were removed. Mr. Roper stated that enlarging the drive-thru area would also mean the loss of additional parking, which may be a concern to the City. He reported that the proposed drive-thru was pretty typical compared to other locations. Mayor Grant questioned if there was enough stacking space available to allow for the timely delivery of orders. Mr. Roper believed that the proposed plan would allow for a five car stack and noted that this would allow for the timely delivery of orders. Planning Chair Thompson asked if the new food offerings would cause delays in order delivery. Mr. Roper did not anticipate that this would be a concern and noted that customers with large orders may be asked to pull ahead to allow for other orders to be filled. Once the large orders were ready, Caribou staff would walk them to the car. Mayor Grant believed that the plan was visually pleasing. He understood that drive-thrus were becoming increasingly popular and that the City may need to reevaluate its Code language. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 3 Councilmember Woodburn stated that he understood that Caribou was providing a service to the public and that Caribou knows what is best for its customers. He supported the request. Councilmember McClung believed that the drive-thru was extremely tight and he had concern with how emergency vehicles would access the site. He agreed that the City Code language regarding drive-thrus should be reevaluated. He commented that he was neutral on the request at this time. Councilmember Holmes supported the drive-thru request and noted that Caribou knew their business. Her only concern was with the landscaping triangle as she thought it should be removed to allow easier turning movements within the drive-thru. Mr. Meyer commented that the landscaping island offered a pedestrian connection that may be able to be shifted. He stated that it would make more sense to align this with the sidewalk along the front of the retail center. Mayor Grant encouraged Caribou to consider this option along with where snow would be stored in the winter months given the fact that the space was tight. Mr. Meyer thanked the Council for their input. A. Joint Meeting With Planning Commission City Planner Streff stated that the City Council has asked the Planning Commission to join the Council for a joint work session to discuss the 2015 Planning Commission Work Plan and other planning-related items. He noted that the Planning Commission reviewed the draft work plan at a work session following their regular meeting on March 4, 2015. City Planner Streff indicated that the City Council was being asked to provide input and feedback on the draft work plan, and to discuss other planning-related items. Planning Chair Thompson thanked the Council for their time. She stated that she believed that the Commission has had great conversations with staff about the Planning Commission's goals and objectives. It was her opinion that feedback from the City Council would be valuable in order to provide proper focus to the group. Mayor Grant suggested that the Commission discuss the Planned Unit Development (PUD) amendment process. He wanted to see this process become more guided. Councilmember McClung agreed and believed that the City was often giving more than it was getting in return with PUD amendment requests. Councilmember Holmes discussed a potential 10% rule for PUD amendments and noted that each request was unique. Further discussion ensued regarding the PUD amendment process. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 4 Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that the PUD process allows staff to consider the City's Zoning Code in a variable manner with respect to a development site. Mayor Grant commented that he did not object to PUD's but rather wanted the City to further review the PUD amendment process. Planning Chair Thompson agreed that this process should be further discussed. She encouraged staff and Council to keep the PUD amendment process consistent. Councilmember McClung stated that he had requested earlier this year that the Planning Commission address window coverage. Councilmember Woodburn asked if review of the City's fee schedule was necessary. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that this was being done in light of the development that would take place on TCAAP. Staff wanted to be assured that fees and escrows were set to cover staff and City costs. Planning Chair Thompson thanked the Council for their input. C. Bethel University Master Plan Discussion Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed the numerous staffing changes that have occurred at Bethel University. She stated that Patrick Brooke, Chief Financial Officer, and Joe LaLuzern, Vice President of Planning and Research, from Bethel University were in attendance to provide information on Bethel's Master Plan process; occupancy of 2 Pine Tree Drive; and plans for the former library site and the County Road F office building. Steve Strom, CRESA, indicated that he was working with Bethel University on their real estate needs. Joe LaLuzern, Bethel University, discussed the campus master planning process with the Council. He stated that the two most important points were that Bethel University no longer had use for the County Road F property or the former Ramsey County Library site. He reported that the focus has been how to properly use the 3900 Campus along with the Pine Tree Drive site. He discussed how the Pine Tree Drive site was being used by Bethel University. He commented how Bethel University was partnering with the Minnesota-Iowa General Conference to ensure this organization has office space. Mr. LaLuzern indicated that Bethel University was addressing how to strategically address its space in order to provide guidance for future campus master planning. He provided the Council with a handout and discussed the potential vision for the seminary, main campus and Pine Tree site. He stated that the Pine Tree site affords Bethel University the opportunity to eliminate a number of previously planned building projects. He noted that the trail from the main campus to the Pine Tree site has yet to be completed. Mayor Grant questioned when the campus master planning process would be completed. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 5 Mr. LaLuzern hoped to have this process completed in 2015. Mayor Grant requested that the Council be kept in the loop when this information is finalized. He asked for further information on the County Road F and library properties. Mr. Strom noted that both of these sites were for sale and that one already had a proposed redevelopment. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that the Council would be considering the Valentine Bluff Subdivision on March 30th which was being proposed by Landmark of Arden Hills LLC. She noted that the Planning Commission recommended approval of this subdivision which includes seven single-family custom-built homes. Mayor Grant asked if these homes would be constructed in 2015. Mr. Strom stated that this was the case. He reported that the County Road F property was under contract and the purchaser was going through due diligence. The closing for this site was scheduled for July I". A new business would be coming to Arden Hills to occupy one-fourth of the site and the remainder of the site would be rented to third party tenants. Mayor Grant thanked the Bethel representatives for the update. E. Residential Recycling Carts Discussion City Planner Streff stated that on February 23, 2015, the City Council approved a five (5) year contract with Republic Services for Residential Recycling Services. The new contract indicates that the City will purchase recycling carts for each single-family dwelling to be distributed by Republic Services prior to the start date of the recycling contract. The contract with Republic Services is set to begin on May 4, 2015. City Planner Streff reported that the City applied for a Public Entity Innovation Grant (PEIG) through Ramsey County for assistance with the purchase of residential recycling carts. On February 25, 2015, the City received notice that a grant in the amount of$100,000 was approved by the PEIG Review Committee to assist in the purchase of recycling carts for the Arden Hills Recycling Program. City Planner Streff explained that staff has since obtained recycling cart quotes from four (4) cart companies including Cascade Cart Solutions, Otto Environmental Systems, Rehrig Pacific Company, and Toter Waste Equipment. The quotes included 2,700 sixty-four (64) gallon carts, 200 thirty-two (32) gallon carts, and delivery to Arden Hills. Based on the quotes obtained, Cascade Cart Solutions was the lowest provider at $106,530. The recycling cart package from Cascade includes a black cart made from recycled materials and a green lid. An embedded stamp of the City's logo will be included on the two (2) sides of the cart along with an embedded "Recycling Only" stamp on the lid with graphics that depict the accepted recyclables. City Planner Streff indicated that the proposed purchase includes 2,700 sixty-four (64) gallon carts and 200 thirty-two (32) gallon carts. The proposed number of carts was based on the current ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 6 number of single-family homes (2,560) within the City and on the expected number of residents that may decide to exchange their larger cart for a smaller thirty-two (32) gallon cart. The industry standard is to order an extra 5% to 10% of the main cart size (64 gallon) to accommodate City expansion, residents that need an additional cart, and warranty exchanges. It is also advised that the City plan for approximately 5% of the carts to be exchanged for a different size (32 gallon). City Planner Streff stated that residents who request a smaller thirty-two (32) gallon cart will be able to exchange their sixty-four (64) gallon cart after a 60-90 day trial period. During the cart roll-out all single-family dwellings will receive a sixty-four (64) gallon recycling cart. Staff envisions that additional carts will need to be purchased in the future as the City expands or as additional smaller carts are requested. Mark Broderick, Cascade Engineering, introduced his company to the Council noting that it is a manufacturing company based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan that has been in operation since 1989. He stated that his containers come with a 10 year warranty. He noted that Waste Management and the City of Shakopee were two of his clients in the metro area. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed. Councilmember McClung supported the Option 1-1 cart with the pictures of approved recyclable items as this would assist residents with recalling what items can and cannot be recycled. Councilmember Holmes agreed that Option 1-1 for the carts should be selected. Mayor Grant asked if the Arden Hills logo was stamped on one or both sides of the cart. Mr. Broderick reported that the Arden Hills logo would be stamped on both sides of the cart. Mayor Grant and Councilmember Woodburn also supported Option I-1 for the recycling cart. Mayor Grant questioned what color lid should be selected for the recycling cart. There was consensus of the Council to select the color that was similar to Arden Hills green for the recycling cart lid. Councilmember Holmes inquired if the size of the recycling cart had been determined. She feared that residents would not have enough room in their garage for both a garbage and a recycling cart. Mayor Grant stated that this has yet to be decided. Mr. Broderick encouraged the City to consider a larger sized cart in order to avoid residents from disposing of recyclable materials in their garbage container. City Planner Streff discussed staff's rationale and industry standards for the cart sizing and believed that the 64 gallon cart would meet the needs of the majority of residents in Arden Hills. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 7 Councilmember Holmes suggested that staff consider purchasing more than 200 32 gallon containers to keep this option available to empty nesters and the elderly. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that additional containers would need to be purchased for TCAAP so, if a lot of 64 gallon containers were returned for smaller containers, these could be reused in TCAAP. Councilmember McClung believed that the majority of residents would fill a 64 gallon cart on a weekly basis and would be happy with the weekly service. Mr. Broderick indicated that Cascade could always provide more carts in the future, after Arden Hills better determined its needs. Councilmember Holmes recommended that the amount of 64 gallon containers be reconsidered. Mayor Grant reported that residents may find that after recycling each week with their new container that they may actually need to reduce the size of their garbage container. He questioned why staff was proposing to purchase more containers than single-family residents in Arden Hills. City Planner Streff indicated that based on industry standards a 5 %2 % overage was written into the quote to allow the City to have additional containers on site to accommodate City expansion, residents that need an additional cart, and warranty exchanges. Mayor Grant recommended that only 2,600 64 gallon containers be purchased along with 200 32 gallon containers. He stated that this would allow for the City to purchase another 100 containers in the near future after needs are better understood. The Council supported this recommendation and that this purchase be formally approved by the Council on March 30th City Administrator Klaers commented that ordering now would ensure that the new recycling carts were in place by May 1St Mr. Broderick encouraged the City to do a two to three month "no swap" time period as this would allow residents to get used to using their new recycling cart. After that time, a call could be made to the City if a change was necessary. City Planner Streff indicated that the City would support a 60-90 day trial time period. The Council supported a 90-day trial period. D. Planning Case 15-002 Preliminary and Final Plat and Master PUD Amendment— Arden Plaza Associate Planner Bachler stated that the City Council reviewed Planning Case 15-002 for a Preliminary Plat, Planned Unit Development Amendment, and Conditional Use Permit Amendment for the Arden Plaza retail center at their Regular Meeting on February 23, 2015. The Council voted to ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 8 table this request to allow the applicant time to provide the City with additional information on the business plan for the Frattallone's Ace Hardware Store and to address alternative options for exterior storage and seasonal outdoor displays on the property. Associate Planner Bachler explained that staff has since met with Frattallone's Ace Hardware to discuss the operational needs of their business. The applicant has provided a letter to the City Council describing the current operations of the garden center, including the specific areas used for storage, displays, and sale of different seasonal products. In consultation with staff, Frattallone's has prepared a Site Plan indicating where they propose to locate exterior storage, outdoor displays and sales, and trash and recycling collection on the property. Staff has provided recommendations to the applicant on what locations and parameters may be appropriate for these uses based on the comments provided by the City Council at the Regular Meeting on February 23, 2015. Associate Planner Bachler reported that the following operational requirements for exterior storage and seasonal outdoor sales on the property are depicted in the Site Plan: • West side of Frattallone's Hardware store would be restricted to trash and recycling collection only. Materials would be required to be collected within seven days. No exterior storage or seasonal sales would be permitted in this area. • South side of Frattallone's Hardware store would be designated for short-term exterior storage of seasonal materials and products only. This storage area would be restricted to 12 feet in width. • Seasonal sales would be permitted along the north and east side of the garden center fence. These areas would be restricted to 5 feet in width and a height limit would be placed on the east side display area. A customer access aisle has been provided adjacent to the parking stalls along the north and east side of the garden center to facilitate customer pick-up of materials. • No exterior storage or sales would be permitted within the fenced garden center during the months of January and February. Winter sales would continue to be permitted under the existing canopy area in front of the Frattallone's Hardware store. Associate Planner Bachler commented that staff is expecting to bring Planning Case 15-002 to the March 30, 2015, regular meeting for City Council consideration. The applicant is requesting feedback and direction from the City Council on the proposed Garden Center/Outdoor Seasonal Sales Display Site Plan. Based on the comments provided by the City Council, staff will work with the applicant to update the Site Plan prior to the meeting on March 30, 2015. Councilmember Holmes requested further information on the concerns with the request. Associate Planner Bachler stated that the Zoning Code does not permit exterior storage in the B-2 Zoning District. He stated that an existing Conditional Use Permit allows Frattallone's to have an outdoor sales/garden center. Councilmember McClung indicated there was storage located at the rear of the building, which was also a concern to the Council. Councilmember Holmes stated that there has been outdoor storage at this location for as long as she has lived in Arden Hills and it has not been a problem. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 9 Associate Planner Bachler reviewed the request before the Council noting that the garden center was being proposed to be expanded and that it would have a six foot fence. He noted that a PUD Amendment is required due to the proposed parking lot modifications to accommodate the expansion. Councilmember McClung questioned how the City allowed the garden center to get beyond the 3,500 square feet, which was allowed within the 1997 Conditional Use Permit. City Administrator Klaers stated that this Conditional Use Permit was approved many years ago, and that this was an enforcement issue that would have to be dealt with internally by staff. Mayor Grant commented that he would allow for the expansion of the garden center before he allowed the outdoor storage. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that staff has spent a great deal of time talking with Frattallone's and learning how their business works. She discussed how the purple area on the site plan was used as a staging area. Tom Frattallone, Frattallone's Ace Hardware, indicated that mulch and topsoil was stored on the site during the months of April and May, which accounted for 20% of his sales. He provided further comment on the purchasing trends of his customers. He discussed the proposed height of the bags of topsoil and mulch. Councilmember Holmes asked why Mr. Frattallone was requesting the changes to his site. Mr. Frattallone reported that he wanted to purchase the building and parking lot where he is currently leasing and noted that the expanded garden center would assist him with expanding his business. He stated that he was asking that the mulch and topsoil pallets be allowed to be located on a six inch curb. Community Development Director Hutmacher reviewed how the outdoor storage on the site was currently being managed by Frattallone's. She reported that the items in the back were mainly trash and recyclables, and that these items are regularly picked up on a weekly basis. Councilmember McClung suggested that the Zoning Code be amended to allow for outdoor storage as he would not support handling this request through a PUD amendment. Mr. Frattallone discussed the area on the south side of his building that has been used for exterior storage. He did not believe that anyone would be able to see the pallets stored in this area given the location of the berm and pine trees. Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed the adjacent condominium building noting that the residents could see into the storage area as it was built up higher than the retail space. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 10 Councilmember Holmes stated that she believed that this was a unique business that required pallets, and that it has had outdoor storage for years. She indicated that she would like the City to work with its businesses to ensure their success. Councilmember McClung reiterated that the exterior storage should not have been allowed at any time. Mr. Frattallone commented that he was willing to buy the site and improve the property. Mayor Grant understood that Frattallone's was a long standing successful business in Arden Hills. He supported the garden center. He wished that the site was larger in order to allow Mr. Frattallone more options. He too struggled with the outdoor storage on this site. Councilmember Holmes questioned when the outdoor storage would be at its peak. Mayor Grant was in favor of the Council continuing to work with Mr. Frattallone. Mr. Frattallone commented that his busiest time for outdoor storage was April and May; however, he noted that the garden center would have items through the end of November. He asked if the storage area could be treated as retail space associated with the garden center. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that City Code does not distinguish between outdoor storage and outdoor sales display. She explained that a garden center was both outdoor storage, display and sales. She believed that staff could figure this language out. Councilmember Holmes suggested that staff request an opinion from the City Attorney on this item. Further discussion ensued regarding an outdoor sales area. City Administrator Klaers concurred with Councilmember Holmes and stated that staff would discuss the concerns of the Council with the City Attorney. Mayor Grant requested that staff also speak with Councilmember Holden regarding this Planning Case. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Mayor Grant indicated the Energy Resiliency Task Force met last week. The group will be presenting a final white paper to the JDA in April, and the information will also be shared with the Council and staff. Mayor Grant commented that the City was reactionary in terms of its code enforcement. He believed that this was appropriate for residential properties, but not for commercially zoned properties. He suggested that the City be more proactive on the business side. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 16, 2015 11 Councilmember McClung indicated that as the residential housing ages, the City may want to become more proactive with residential enforcement. He stated that he believed that this was a broader issue that would need to be addressed. Mayor Grant recommended that staff speak with neighboring communities regarding how they address maintaining housing stock and home values. Community Development Director Hutmacher reminded the Council of the EDC interview which would be held on Wednesday, March 18th at 5:30 p.m. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council work session at 8:20 p.m. I ti Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor