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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-09-25 PC Minutes Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA PLANNING COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2025 6:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Chair Collins called to order the regular Planning Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Present were: Chair Joshua Collins, Commissioners Jessica Birken, Patrick Burlingame, Stephen Erler, Nancy Jacobson, and Ben Lindau Absent: Commissioner Brad Bjorklund. Also present were: City Administrator Jessica Jagoe, Senior Planner Elena Fransen, Council Liaison Kurt Weber and Jason Zimmerman of HKGi. APPROVAL OF AGENDA – JULY 9, 2025 Commissioner Erler moved, seconded by Commissioner Birken, to approve the July 9, 2025, agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES May 7, 2025 – Planning Commission Regular Meeting Commissioner Erler moved, seconded by Chair Collins, to approve the May 7, 2025, Planning Commission Regular Meeting as presented. The motion carried unanimously (6- 0). PLANNING CASES A. Planning Case 25-005 – 3529 Lexington Avenue North – Planned Unit Development Amendment – Public Hearing Senior Planner Fransen stated Brett Foss of Odds & Ends Again (“The Applicant”) is requesting a Planned Unit Development Amendment to allow for a Class I thrift store use in an approximately 6,943 square foot tenant space within the multi-tenant building at 3529 Lexington Avenue (“Subject Property”). A Class I thrift store use is allowed in the B-2 General Business Zoning District if the use does not have a drive through and there is no outdoor ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 2 collection/donation area or receiving and transferring of goods exterior of the business. However, a Planned Unit Development Amendment is required at this location to allow for a thrift store use due to the current permitted use in the Planned Unit Development Agreement is limited to retail sales and services. Senior Planner Fransen reported the City approved a Master PUD for the Arden Plaza retail center in 2009 (Planning Case 09-011). This site is situated at the southwest corner of the County Road E and Lexington Avenue intersection and is approximately 11 acres in size. The approved plans included the demolition of an existing office complex and the phased redevelopment of the site to be completed in three stages. A total of 97,035 square feet of retail and commercial building space was approved under the original PUD. The total square footage included the existing 35,647 square foot Building #5, where the Subject Property is located, and the original PUD established the building’s use as retail. Senior Planner Fransen explained the proposed use, Odds & Ends Again, a thrift store associated with the company Senior Life Management. Odds & Ends Again is a thrift store where items received through the moving and packing services component of Senior Life Management may be consigned for profit. Items at Odds & Ends Again are primarily sourced from clients of the moving and packing services. The operations of Odds & Ends Again fall under the City’s definition of Thrift Store. By definition in the Zoning Code, a thrift store use is defined separately from a retail sales and services use. Senior Planner Fransen reported that the Arden Plaza PUD establishes retail sales as the permitted use for Building #5. Due to this language in the PUD Development Agreement, a PUD Development Agreement Amendment is required to allow for other uses at the Subject Property. The Applicant is proposing an amendment to the PUD Development Agreement to allow for a Class I thrift store use within Building #5 of the PUD. Senior Planner Fransen provided an overview of the request, reviewed the Plan Evaluation and offered the following Findings of Fact: 1. Brett Foss has requested approval of a Planned Unit Development Amendment to the Arden Plaza Master PUD to allow for a Class I thrift store use at 3529 Lexington Avenue, located within Building #5 of the Master PUD. 2. The original Master PUD for the development was approved in Planning Case #09-011. Subsequent PUD Amendments were approved in Planning Case #11-016, Planning Case #15-002, and Planning Case #15-016. 3. The original Master PUD established retail sales and services as the permitted use for Building #5. 4. A Planned Unit Development Amendment is required to allow for a thrift store use in Building #5 of the PUD. 5. A Class I thrift store may be permitted if they meet the conditions for all thrift stores, conditions in the thrift store, Class I definition and the thrift store, Class I conditions. 6. The applicant has demonstrated that the proposed tenant space is located within a multitenant building and is under 7,000 square and less than 20 percent of the total multi- tenant building square footage, meeting the definition of a Class I thrift store. 7. The applicant has submitted materials with their request to demonstrate that the proposed thrift store use would comply with the Zoning Code requirements. 8. A public hearing for a PUD Amendment request is required before the request can be brought before the City Council. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 3 Senior Planner Fransen reviewed the options available to the Planning Commission for Planning Case 25-005 for a PUD Amendment to the Arden Plaza PUD at 3529 Lexington Avenue: 1. Recommend Approval with Conditions 1. The PUD shall continue to abide by the conditions of all previous Master PUD Agreements, permits, and reviews, except as hereinafter amended for Building 5. 2. A PUD Amendment shall be prepared by the City Attorney and subject to City Council approval for the Development. 3. Prior to issuance of the business license, the PUD Amendment shall be recorded with the Ramsey County Recorder's Office. 4. A violation of any condition set forth in the approval shall be violation of this Code, and shall be cause for revocation of the approval. 5. The PUD Amendment shall allow for a combination of retail sales and services and Class I thrift store use in Building #5 of the PUD, subject to the Zoning Code use definitions and requirements. Class I thrift store uses in Building #5 shall not exceed 7,000 square feet or 20 percent of the building square footage in the multi-tenant building, whichever is lower. 6. The project shall be completed in accordance with the submitted plans as amended by the conditions of approval. Any significant changes to these plans, as determined by the Community Development Director, shall require review and approval by the Planning Commission and City Council. 2. Recommend Approval as Submitted 3. Recommend Denial 4. Table Chair Collins opened the floor to Commissioner comments. Commissioner Jacobson asked if the building only had one loading dock and if so would the applicant have access to the loading dock area. Senior Planner Fransen deferred this question to the applicant. Chair Collins requested the applicant address this question during the public hearing. Commissioner Lindau explained he supported the request. Commissioner Erler commented he believed several of the conditions appeared to be redundant, including Conditions 1, 5 and 6. He asked if these conditions were necessary. Senior Planner Fransen explained Conditions 1 and 6 were standard conditions and were stated to ensure the proposed moved forward according to plans. She reported Condition 5 had language that explained Building 5 will have reached its capacity for the Class I thrift store use, noting 7,000 square feet was the maximum area allotted in a multi-tenant building. City Administrator Jagoe reported the intention of Condition 1 was to ensure the applicant and/or property owner understands that any previous approvals, would be memorialized or captured and there was no redaction to the previous approval. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 4 Commissioner Lindau thanked staff for the comments. He asked if a motion for approval as submitted would include all of the conditions as submitted by staff. Chair Collins explained the conditions were restating things to ensure the applicant understands all previous conditions will remain in place for the PUD. Commissioner Birken commented the proposed conditions as drafted by staff would provide the applicant with a customized checklist for how to comply with City standards. She stated she supported all conditions from staff remaining in place. Chair Collins agreed, noting the conditions were not burdensome for the applicant. Commissioner Burlingame questioned what would happen if the applicant’s business model were to change or expand in the future. Senior Planner Fransen commented Condition 6 would address any expansion or changes to the Class I thrift store and a review would have to take place at the City staff level. Chair Collins opened the public hearing at 7:01 p.m. Chair Collins invited anyone for or against the application to come forward and make comment. There being no comments Chair Collins closed the public hearing at 7:02 p.m. Chair Collins invited the applicant to step forward to provide comments. Brett Foss, Odds & Ends Again, reported the building had two loading docks and they were rather small. He explained one was used by Frattalone’s and the only time he would use the loading dock area would be to unload items into the store. He stated he had two moving vans that were used for the transit of goods. Commissioner Burlingame questioned if the vans were considered exterior storage. Mr. Foss commented nothing was stored in the vans, but rather the vans are used to transfer goods to the store. Commissioner Jacobson inquired if the other businesses in the strip mall use the loading dock areas. Mr. Foss reported the other businesses do not utilize the loading dock area, but rather only use the rear service doors for deliveries. Commissioner Jacobson stated she recommended approval of the PUD amendment with conditions as noted by staff. Commissioner Birken moved and Commissioner Burlingame seconded a motion to recommend approval of Planning Case 25-005 for a PUD Amendment to the Arden Plaza PUD at 3529 Lexington Avenue based on the findings of fact and the submitted plans, as amended by the conditions in the July 9, 2025, report to the Planning Commission. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 5 UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Update Discussion - HKGi Jason Zimmerman, HKGi, commented HKGi was selected by the City of Arden Hills to complete an update to the existing Zoning and Subdivision ordinances. The Planning Commission, as the body most involved with the application of the code, will help conduct a technical review of the proposed changes and provide recommendations to the City Council. The first two work sessions covered base zoning districts, use tables, required lot and site standards, and general development standards. Mr. Zimmerman explained at the second work session, the Planning Commission provided feedback on the lot and site standards for non-residential and mixed use districts, as well as thoughts on comments on a number of general development standards (parking and EV charging, signage, landscaping, exterior storage, and outdoor lighting). The City Council reviewed the recommendations for updates to lot and site standards and was generally in agreement. The Council has taken additional time to work through the use tables, as well as the general development standards, so these sections are still being revised. Draft zoning text for these topics will be forwarded to the Planning Commission once they are available. Following the second work session, HKGi received a few comments from Commissioners and worked to incorporate this feedback into the revisions. Commissioner comments mostly confirmed the direction of the recommendations that were provided, though asked a few additional clarifying questions or made minor suggestions for consideration. There are three topics that will be discussed at the third work session: • Use Specific Standards • Subdivision Regulations • Procedures Mr. Zimmerman stated Use Specific Standards are requirements associated with uses listed in zoning use tables. These standards are typically applied when uses are approved as Permitted with Standards or as Conditional Uses. The common theme is that the City has identified certain standards that should apply regardless of the circumstances surrounding a given application, and these are included in the text of the zoning chapter. If a use is Permitted with Standards, the requirements are evaluated by staff to determine if they are being met before issuing a permit. If a use requires a Conditional Use Permit, these same standards must be followed but there may be other requirements that would be determined as part of the public process. Mr. Zimmerman commented the Subdivision Chapter (Chapter 11) deals with how land is divided and platted, and includes minimum standards that dictate the design of streets, blocks, lots, easements, and other elements of land development. It also contains requirements related to public improvements that must be installed by the developer, such as streets, street trees, street lighting, utilities, sidewalks, etc. For the most part, the existing code is typical for a suburban community and does not need extensive modification. HKGi is proposing to reorganize some parts of the chapter and to simplify some of the language. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 6 Mr. Zimmerman explained the final major section of code to be updated involves the procedures for processing land use applications. As currently outlined in the zoning chapter, the list of applications that the City considers includes: • Zoning text amendments • Zoning map amendments • Interim use permits • Conditional use permits • Planned Unit Developments • Comprehensive Plan amendments • Variances (no public hearing required) • Site plan review (no public hearing required) Mr. Zimmerman reported HKGi evaluated the procedures for receiving, reviewing, and considering approval for each of these applications. He reviewed his recommendations for the City in further detail with the Planning Commission. It was noted following Work Session #3, HKGi will draft revisions to the zoning code text and review the proposed changes with staff. A summary of the session will be forwarded to the City Council. If there are topics or clarifying questions that need to be reviewed with the Planning Commission, additional work sessions may be needed. Once all questions have been addressed, the first complete draft of the new zoning and subdivision text will be shared for review and comment. Chair Collins opened the floor to Commissioner comments. Commissioner Burlingame explained he had created a list of proposed hours of operation and buffers, and passed this list along to Mr. Zimmerman. He read the list in full for the record. Commissioner Erler commented on the senior developments that had recently been developed in Arden Hills, noting not a single affordable unit had been included. He questioned how the City would incorporate into City Code some level of commitment to affordable housing. Mr. Zimmerman stated this may not be the place to do it, but explained PUDs could be the way to create an exchange in order to receive affordable housing units. He reported another option would be to require developers to provide a certain percentage of affordable housing units at a certain AMI. He indicated this was typically a policy the City would have in place and was not written into City Code. He explained the City could offer incentives for developers that work to provide affordable units. City Administrator Jagoe reported this was an area where staff would be seeking further direction from the City Council. Commissioner Jacobson suggested the code not have more lists of things to follow, but rather recommended the Code language be simplified. Mr. Zimmerman indicated the code language has been simplified, noting the idea was not to create standards for every use, but rather there may be certain uses where standards need to be built into the code. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 7 Chair Collins asked if there were categories or types of uses that were missing from those listed in the code. Mr. Zimmerman stated he did not believe there were categories missing. He believed the proper number of categories were included. Chair Collins inquired if tech language should be incorporated into City Code. Mr. Zimmerman commented this was very challenging because people have talked about it for years, but until something comes forward it was difficult to draft the language. He reported the City could draft standards in the future when the technology comes forward. Chair Collins questioned if environmental impacts were being drafted into zoning language in other cities. Mr. Zimmerman reported he saw this addressed most in landscaping and tree requirements, along with the amount of greenspace that had to be preserved. He stated if this were a goal or a priority of the City, natural resources and environmental impacts could be further addressed within the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Chair Collins asked if the City could zone against data centers, given the amount of natural resources they consume. Mr. Zimmerman indicated this use could be added to a performance standard list. He noted data centers were typically ending up in rural communities, but he understood there were environmental impacts from these uses. Commissioner Burlingame commented he was generally supportive of the current standards concept so long as there was the ability to redefine. He stated he also wanted to take a closer look at the neighborhood business zones. Commissioner Erler requested staff provide the Commission with a summary of the list that was provided to staff by Commissioner Burlingame. Mr. Zimmerman highlighted the changes that were suggested for the City Code regarding subdivisions and asked for comments or questions regarding this portion of code. Commissioner Lindau asked if the TCAAP guidance should be carried over into the remainder of the City for continuity purposes. Mr. Zimmerman reported the City’s Zoning Code was separate from the TCAAP Redevelopment Code. The subdivision chapter of the code applies citywide, anywhere that land would be divided with new lots created. It applies to both TCAAP and the rest of the City. Council Liaison Weber explained the Joint Development Authority would be taking a close look at the TRC in the near term and could take this under consideration. Commissioner Jacobson inquired if the park dedication percentage was typical. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 8 Mr. Zimmerman reported park dedication fees vary across the State. He was of the opinion the City’s park dedication fees were not out of alignment when compared to other cities. He commented on how some cities have been asked to justify their fees by the court system and have had to evaluate if their particular park system justifies the proposed numbers. Commissioner Birken stated she supported the proposed changes to the subdivision portion of City Code and appreciated how some City processes would be streamlined. Chair Collins asked if the Commission supported lot lines to be addressed by City staff. The Commission supported this adjustment within City Code. Mr. Zimmerman highlighted the changes that were suggested for the City Code regarding procedures and asked for comments or questions regarding this portion of code. Commissioner Erler explained he supported adding a statement into the PUD process that encourages developers to provide affordable housing where applicable. He questioned if this could also be done within site plan review projects. Mr. Zimmerman reported in both scenarios the City can ask or encourage this, but with site plan review, the City cannot pressure or hold an approval over a developer’s head in order to gain compliance. Chair Collins stated he supported Commissioner Erler’s recommendation and noted he would like to see the City incorporating affordable housing into future PUD/housing and site plan developments. Mr. Zimmerman indicated the City could benefit by having a broader policy in place when it comes to affordable housing. He stated he could provide the City with examples of affordable housing policies in other cities. Commissioner Lindau explained he supported staff being able to address minor issues as an administrative issue. Commissioner Erler agreed. Further discussion ensued regarding PUDs and the flexibility that should be offered within PUDs as well as a City list of priorities and identified public benefits for PUDs. Commissioner Birken indicated she supported the City having more language and standards in place when it comes to encouraging affordable housing. She stated she was curious to learn where a list of City priorities in a PUD comes from and if it should be driven by the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Zimmerman explained the list can be driven by the Comp Plan and natural preservation requirements. He stated this could also be driven by other values that Arden Hills has. Commissioner Birken reported she would recommend any changes to a lighting plan be brought back to the Planning Commission and City Council for review and that this not be addressed at a City staff level. ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – July 9, 2025 9 Commissioner Burlingame inquired if Arden Hills was overly heavy when it comes to procedures. Mr. Zimmerman stated he believed this was the case, noting Arden Hills required more CUP’s for uses which then also required extra public hearings and time. He reported this was what led him to suggest some matters be addressed at a staff level. Commissioner Burlingame indicated he could support streamlining minor changes if staff has a clear criteria and checklist to follow. Commissioner Jacobson asked where ADUs (accessory dwelling units) sit at this time. Mr. Zimmerman reported he had received feedback from the Planning Commission that this group supported exploring ADUs and this information was provided to the City Council. He commented the decision from the City Council was to not include this as part of the zoning code update, but rather to have this be a standalone matter that can be addressed in the future. Chair Collins explained he supported the City further addressing environmental impact and energy consumption issues within the Comp Plan. Mr. Zimmerman reviewed the next steps for the zoning code ordinance update project noting the comments from the Planning Commission would be brought to the City Council and he would be working on creating a draft zoning code document. REPORTS A. Report from the City Council Council Liaison Weber provided the Commission with an update from the City Council. He thanked the Commission for their robust discussion on the zoning code ordinance update. He noted the City Council was still working through the use table that was previously reviewed by the Planning Commission. He indicated the Council had approved the amended thrift store use zoning language with an amendment to remove Class II thrift store uses from the B-3 zoning district. He reported the Council was reviewing a chicken keeping ordinance that would be coming to the Commission at a future meeting. B. Planning Commission Comments and Requests None. ADJOURN Chair Collins moved, seconded by Commissioner Lindau, to adjourn the July 9, 2025, Planning Commission Meeting at 8:42 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (6-0).