Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC 01-05-2005 . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA PLANNING COMMISSION . WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2005 7:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER Chair Sand called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. OATH OF OFFICE AND APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR Mayor Aplikowski swore in the Planning Commission members. The Planning Commission appointed David Sand as Chair and Clayton Zimmerman as Vice Chair of the Planning Commission for 2005. ROLL CALL Present were Commissioners Clayton Larson, Ken Bezdicek, Elizabeth Modesette, Fran Holmes, Clayton Zimmerman, and Chair David Sand. Absent: None. Also present were Mayor Aplikowski, Community Development Director, Scott Clark, . and Recording Secretary Kathleen Altman. A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON DECEMBER 1.2004. Commissioner Modesette requested the following changes: Page 3, paragraph 6, first sentence insert did not between they looked and change looked to look. Commissioner Zimmerman requested the following changes: Page 1, third paragraph under public hearing, change sit to site. Page 4, first paragraph, first sentence, change 24- hour to 24-hours. Page 4, 7th paragraph, third sentence from bottom of paragraph change a to at least.. . Page 5, second paragraph, change sated to stated. Page 5, last paragraph, last sentence should read, "He noted there would have to be some...". Page 6, first paragraph second sentence from the bottom of paragraph delete the word on. Page 6, Sill paragraph, should read: "Mr. Clark noted once the City decided what type of residential they wanted; they then could look at residential developers." Commissioner Zimmerman moved, seconded by Commissioner Holmes to approve the December 1, 2004 minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). . PUBLIC HEARINGS None. --~ ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5, 2005 2 UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS . A. PLANNING CASE 04-19: RAMSEY COUNTY. 1425 PAUL KIRKWOLD DRIVE; SPECIAL USE PERMIT AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A YEAR-ROUND USED OIL AND SEASONAL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION SITE AT THE NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF THEIR PUBLIC WORKS i FACILITY GROUNDS Mr. Clark stated the applicant had requested a Special Use Permit (2nd) Amendment to allow for installation of a year-round used oil collection site and a seasonal Household Waste collection site at the northwest comer of the applicant's property iniArden Hills. The applicant was also seeking a materials variance for the used oil collectioh building. He reviewed the Site Plan and noted staff had not yet received the architectural plans for the stmcture and therefore staff was recommending the Planning Commission take comments from the applicant and continue this to the February meeting. Terry Noonan, Environmental Services Supervisor of Ramsey County Public Works asked if the Commissioners had any questions. Commissioner Zimmennan stated he was not in favor of a 24-hour facility because of the opportunity for people to abuse the dumping of illegal items off. He noted if they were . adding a second camera and that might serve as a valuable feature and this addition would make a 24-hour operation palatable, but if thcy did not have this camera, he did not want to see a 24-hour operation. Mr. Noonan replied they had discussed the hours of operation and they had confirmed that there was an existing camera on the fuel line and what they wanted to do was put wiring in for a camera at so if there wasja problem a camera could be easily put in. He stated they were not proposing to put an additional camera in unless they had a problem. He also noted that the Public Works was not a 24- hour department and they did not have the staff avai]able to open and close the gates on the weekends. He stated they have not had any significant problems at their current facility. Commissioner Zimmerman expressed concern about hazardous waste being dropped off. Mr. Noonan replied they did receive some hazardous waste once in awhile and that was the reason they wanted a storage facility. Commissioner Modesette asked if staff would check that location everyday. Mr. Noonan replied during the week days it was checked on a daily basis. Commissioner Zimmerman expressed concem that the Sheriff Department would be concerned about people driving around the facility after hours. Mr. Noonan replied he believed having the Sheriff Department facility there would be a benefit. . Joe Wasniack, Ramsey County Househo]d Hazardous Waste, stated White Bear Lake had a used oil facility that was open 24 hours a day and since they took over operating it, there had been little hazardous waste dropped off. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION -JANUARY 5, 2005 3 . Commissioner Larson asked if eventually they would move the SpringlFall Clean up days that were currently at Shoreview to this facility. Mr. Wasniack stated they operated their Household Hazardous Waste Site concurrently with that event, but they had not thought about moving the site of the clean-up event. He indicated he was not sure if there would be enough room at the facility for this type of an event. Commissioner Larson stated he had warmed up to this request now that the Army was not concerned about security and he had no objection to this proposal. Commissioner Modesette stated she was in favor of a 24-hour drop off facility. Commissioner Bezdicek asked how many oil drop-off sites did Ramsey County currently run. Mr. Noonan replied they had one oil drop-off site, but municipalities within the County offered oil drop-off sites also. Commissioner Bezdicek asked why the County was reluctant to put in a security camera. Mr. Noonan replied he did not know the cost of a security system, but they did not have any problems at their current facility and they would put in the wiring so if there was a problem in the future, they could add a camera at that time. Chair Sand stated he would be in favor of an additional security camera and strongly urged the County to put a camera inside the building for safety reasons. He stated he was strongly in favor of having building materials that did not include metal panel walls, such . as the one that was eonstructed in Chanhassen. Chair Sand asked if the household hazardous waste facility was a seasonal operation. Mr. Noonan replied that was correct. Chair Sand asked what would prevent people putting something other than oil down the spout. Mr. Noonan replied when the vendor came and periodically emptied the tank, the used oil was tested and only the oil was evacuated. Chair Sand asked how often the vendor emptied the tank. Mr. Noonan replied the tank could be emptied up to a couple of times a week during peak times, but the vendor could also be called on an as-needed basis. Commissioner Zimmerman asked what would happen if the tank was full before the vendor picked up the oil. Mr. Noonan replied this had never happened in all of the years they had been running a facility and the vendor knew when peak season was and the tank was checked frequently during that time period. He noted the County's staff also monitored the tank. Chair Sand stated he would not support a building structure made of metal. Commissioner Zimmerman moved, seconded by Commissioner Larson to table Planning . Case No. 04-19, Ramsey County, 1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive, Special Use Permit Amendment to the February, 2005 meeting to allow applicant time tq submit the structural arehitectural drawings. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5,2005 4 e Mr. Clark requested Item 5C be held before Item 5B as there was a representative in the audience for that item. ! C. CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON BALL FIELD SIGNAGE Mr. Clark stated as discussed at the December Planning Commission meeting, Mounds View School District had inquired about using temporary banner signs that could be tied to the fences around the MVHS footballltrack stadium. He indicated the direction of the Planning Commission was to review what other communities had done to address similar requests and provide potential code language. He stated staff had contacted several metro cltJes and received responses from approximately six of these communities. Of the communities surveyed there were a range of responses to this matter. Two of the communities indicated that ball field signage was not allowed, and any change would require an amendment to the ordinance. He noted of those two communities, Shoreview did not allow athletic field fence panel signage however, they did allow one sponsor panel not to exceed 12 square feet to be attached to the bottom of a scoreboard. Two other communities responded ,that they did not have specific language to address ball field signage. Blaine was one of these communities; they indicated that the school districts regulated signage at school district sports fields; however signage at private fields would require a Conditional Use Permit. Roseville also indicated that they did not have any specific regulations for ball field e signage, but that a request for ball field signage would require the approval of the City Council. Finally, New Brighton did not have any specific language for ball field signage; however this was something that could be done through a Comprehensive Sign Plan. The Comprehensive Sign Plan was established through a process like a CUP/SUP/PUD and was prescriptive to the particular development what the sign standards should be for that development. This method may require other changes to the Zoning Code to enable the creation of Comprehensive Sign Plans. Unfortunately, due to just receiving an example of the Comprehensive Sign Plan the last week in December there was not time to create language in time for the January meeting. He noted staffs recommendation would be to bring this item back with more material to the February meeting as a continued discussion item. However, if the Planning Commission determines that one of the versions in their packet is the preferred method, then staff would schedule a public hearing for the February meeting and bring back the preferred language as amended. Nick Temali, Mounds View School District, asked if the Commission~rs had any questions. Chair Sand noted the original inquiry was that they wanted to have a plastic coated banner affixed to the outfield fence or perimeter fence. Mr. Temali stated they had spoken with a sign company to discuss different alternatives and one concern was wind e flow. He stated they would not be looking at a metal or wood sign. i Chair Sand asked if there was any current signage on the score board. Mr. Temali replied he was not sure, but he would check into this. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5, 2005 5 . Chair Sand requested Mr. Temali take some photographs of the field for ,the February meeting. Commissioner Larson stated he would like all of the suggested institutions be able to take advantage of this proposal and not just Mounds View School District. Commissioner Zimmerman noted version three was the only version that addressed all of the possible requests Mounds View School District had brought forward at the last meeting, such as naming rights and scoreboard advertising. Commissioner Zimmerman asked how far the City wanted to open the d06r when they created this language. Commissioner Larson stated he was in favor of this proposal as a revenue generator for the School District. Mr. Clark stated it was staffs intent to limit advertising sponsorship to the "institutions" only. , I Mr. Temali suggested they limit the advertising sponsorship to only fields qwned by the institutions, which would not include City parks. ' Commissioner Larson asked ifthere was a weekend tournament, would it still be possible . to get a permit for temporary signage at the City fields. Mr. Clark replied permits would still be available. Chair Sand stated he would be in favor of option 2, striking the Little League. Mr. Clark asked what type of a banner size the School District would be loqking at. Mr. Temali replied when they spoke with the sign company, they suggested a 3 x 10 foot banner. He stated each individual sign being limited to ten square feet wol\ld give them enough visibility. He stated an 80 square feet total would also limit them and he requested this be reconsidered. He noted the prime banner spot would probably be in front of the visitor stands, which would not be visible from the street. He stated the only possible place a banner would be visible from the street would be from the north end zone. He indicated he would like to present further information as to their needs for the size of the signs they needed at the next meeting. Commissioner Modesette stated she was in general opposed to advertising signage as this was incongruent with education, but she understood the need for additional school financing. Mr. Temali agreed with this comment and noted they had held off requesting this as long as they could, but with the financial times they were in, the School District had asked the schools to look at entrepreneurial options to bring in funds. , Chair Sand asked how would the City limit what type of advertising would be on the . banners without running into a Freedom of Speech issue. Mr. Temali replied the School District would draft policies as to what would and would not be allowed to be advertised on the banners. He noted there would be no tobacco or alcohol advertising allowed. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION ~ JANUARY 5, 2005 6 . Commissioner Holmes suggested wording be added to the Ordinance that the content of the signs be regulated by the institution owning the facility. Chair Sand agreed tlris type ofIanguage would resolve any Freedom of Speech issues. B. CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE AND HOME OCCUPATION PERMITS Mr. Clark stated at the December 1, 2004 Planning Commission meeting the Planning Commission discussed massage regulations and whether they should be revised. The general direction of the Planning Commission was that Therapeutie Massage was something that should be allowed in Arden Hills and should be considered as a suitable Home Occupation. Furthennore, the Planning Commission asked staff to check with surrounding communities to see how they handled regulating Therapeutic Massage. He rcviewed Home Occupation versus massage, rap, and sauna parlor regulations as well as a comparison of Other Cities' Therapeutic Massage regulation. He also reviewed the standards for Therapeutic Massage. He statcd staff recommended deleting the existing Section 330.03 and replace it with language from either the Shoreview or Falcon Heights Therapeutic Massage regulations. He noted if the Planning Commission determined that one of the ideas proposed was the preferred alternative, staff would schedule a public hearing for the Planning . Commission's February meeting. If however, the Planning Commission would want additional review, staff would schedule this item as continued discussion on the February Planning Commission Agenda. Commissioner Larson stated he favored the Shoreview ordinance. Chair Sand stated he believed all of the ordinances offered different things. He stated he liked the New Brighton policy language because it addressed this in a positive manner, but agreed the Shoreview ordinance read the best. Commissioner Zimmerman stated he agreed with the proposed language. Commissioner Bezdicek asked if legal counsel would review this language prior to it being brought back to the Planning Commission. Mr. Clark replied it would be approved by the City Attorney prior to the February meeting. i Commissioner Holmes asked under item i. why they had different hours ~or weekdays and weekends. She stated some of the other City ordinances did not have this distinction. She stated she believed the times should be the same for both weekdays and weekends. Mr. Clark replied the reason this was done was because this was a home occupation and more people were home on the weekends and therefore as a matter of c9urtesy, they opened later. . Commissioner Modesette stated she agreed with Commissioner Holmes an? she did not see why there should be different hours on weekdays and weekends. I ! ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5, 2005 7 . Commissioner Sezdicek stated he agreed with the language as presented. Commissioner Larson agreed with Commissioner Bezdicek. Chair Sand stated they should also add holiday hours to be the same as weekend hours. Chair Sand noted they should also add a percentage of space that could be used for this home occupation. Mr. Clark replied they could add that. Commissioner Larson stated this might be discriminating against smaller homes, but with the portable tables, this would not be a permanent space anyway. Mr. Clark noted what they were really talking about was the size of the table and he believed it would be more important to limit the number of employees. Chair Sand asked if they should limit the number of customers at a time. Mr. Clark replied staff could eliminate the need for a waiting room, which would basically limit it to only one customer. Chair Sand noted the resident at the previous meeting had indicated her intent was to eventually teach couple massage and asked if they wanted to limit it to only one customer at a time. Commissioner Holmes stated she did not want to have more than one customer vehicle at a time on the premises. However, she understood there might be some overlap of . customers once in awhile. Commissioner Sezdicek noted that this language gave the City the ability to inspect the property and asked if the City would know what to inspect. Mr. Clark replied this was a precaution in the event the City needed to inspect the premises, the busines~ owner could not keep them out. Commissioner Zimmerman asked if the resident who was at the previous meeting was given a copy of this report. Mr. Clark replied he was not sure, but it was his intent to come up with firmer language and then send it to her. D. DISCUSSION ON FRONT PORCHES/SETBACK EXCEPTIONS Mr. Clark stated staff had received several telephone calls from residents inquiring about adding porches onto their homes. Currently, porches would be permitted if they either met the front setback or did not extent beyond 3 feet into the front, side or rear setback. This setback exception currently applied to structural items like: Eaves, cantilevered areas, cornices, canopies, awnings, decks, balconies, steps, ramps, fire escapes and chimneys. Not only did this exception not allow much space for porches, on homes that currently meet the front setback, it barely provided enough space for people approaching a front door without having to back down the steps. . He stated recognizing that front porches can offer a welcoming presence for homes and better curb appeal, the City of Richfield created a mechanism within their codes to allow porches to be counted as setback exceptions, but required staff review and established specific design criteria. He asked if the City should pursue amending the Zoning ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5, 2005 8 . Ordinance to include setback exceptions for front porches and should the existing language be maintained and porches allowed only if they meet the current regulations. Chair Sand asked if they were going to go ten feet into the setback from the most extended portion of the house, they could go ten feet beyond the garage point. Mr. Clark stated this would be measured from the principal structure and not the garage. Chair Sand asked if it made sense to have a shorter encroachment for an open deck than an enclosed porch. Commissioner Larson noted steps, decks and ramps were considered a part of the principal structure. Chair Sand stated it did not make sense to have a 6 foot setback for an open deck and a 10 foot setback for an enclosed porch. Commissioner Larson stated a deck was not integrated into the primary structure, where an enclosed porch needed to be compatible with the existing :oofline. Commissioner Holmes believed New Brighton also had this type of a program and suggested staff check with that City as to what their ordinance said. E. PLANNING COMMISSION 2005 TENTATIVE MEETING DATES Mr. Clark presented the tentative meeting dates for the 2005 Planning Commission . meetings. Commissioner Zimmerman asked if they wanted to hold a Planning Commission meeting on July 6 or should they hold it the following week to avoid vacation conflicts. Mr. Clark asked if they also wanted to move the September meeting to the following week because of the Labor Day holiday and that start of school. Chair Sand also noted they might need to change the June meeting due to Memorial Day. F. PLANNING COMMISSION 2005 PC WORK PLAN Mr. Clark noted the Planning Commissioner 2005 Work Plan would be presented at the Febrnary meeting. REPORTS A. Planning Commissioners None. R. Staff . Mr. Clark updated the Commission on recent TCAAP developments and the old City Hall site. . ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JANUARY 5, 2005 9 C. Council Member . Mr. Clark updated the Commission on recent City Council actions. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Zimmerman moved, seconded by Commissioner Bezdicek to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (7-0). . .