2013-01-02_PC_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – Wednesday, January 2, 2013 Page 4 Mr. Bartell concurred, noting that the neighbors were already experiencing the applicant not 148 staying true to their word of what they would or would not do, leaving them little confidence for 149 future promises. 150 Member Strohmeier arrived at this time, approximately 7:40 pm. 151 Chair Boerigter sought clarification from staff that boats and other items were currently being 152 stored on the parcel and what of those items was permitted if the Interim Use moved forward; 153 specifically the number of boats allowed stored on a parcel. 154 Mr. Lloyd advised that he did not have any formal knowledge of what is actually stored on site or 155 what of those items were or were not allowed to be there. Specific to ten (10) boats stored on 156 site, Mr. Lloyd advised that City Code restricted the types of trailers and location of the boats in 157 side, front or rear yards; however, it did not specify how many, only where they could be stored. 158 Regarding whether the boats would still be permitted if the Interim Use was approved, Mr. Lloyd 159 advised that they would be permitted to remain, unless the Commission put restrictions on the 160 Interim Use approval itself, which may not be appropriate, but within its discretion. 161 City Planner Thomas Paschke concurred, noting that a definition of whether or not the boats were 162 considered a nuisance or storage would need to be determined. 163 Further discussion clarified that this new proposed use for HostasDirect was not related to past 164 storage or potential future storage of boats on a portion of property that may be sharing a back 165 yard with the applicant. 166 Specific to the status of the hoop structures, Mr. Lloyd reviewed the preparations begun by Mr. 167 Linder and Mr. Carlson in October until they were made aware of a permit being needed, and as 168 soon as they learned of the approval process required, they had immediately stopped work and 169 left things as is pending the completion of the application process. Mr. Lloyd further clarified that 170 the applicant was not instructed by the City to remove the hoop structures, but simply to stop 171 further site preparation until completion of this process. 172 Simone Vuong, 1708 Saint Albans Street 173 Ms. Vuong specifically addressed Mr. Carlson in the audience regarding the height of the 174 proposed shade tents (3 feet high); height of the mobile shelves (80 inches); definition of pallets 175 (wood frames used for delivering material off a truck with use of a forklift, not proposed for this 176 application); and projected number of trips along Saint Albans per day and per week (two trips 177 per week); and type of fertilizer proposed for use, with Mr. Carlson noting that Hostas were low 178 maintenance, disease-free, and didn’t require significant use of chemicals. 179 Chair Boerigter asked that Ms. Vuong direct her questions and comments to the Commission, 180 rather than attempting a running dialogue with Mr. Carlson in the audience. 181 Ms. Vuong expressed concern with the potential impact and value of their home, based on 182 neighbor comments regarding the previous business on this site; stating that had they known 183 there was a potential for a business across the street from their home, they probably wouldn’t 184 have purchased their home, or recommend the home for future buyers and whether the home 185 would have resale value. Given the $45,000 already lost in their home’s market value, Ms. Vuong 186 questioned if they would be able to recover that loss; while not attempting to put down Mr. 187 Carlson’s operation or Mr. Linder’s property uses. Ms. Vuong reviewed other concerns, as 188 provided in her written comments, previously noted as a bench handout at tonight’s meeting. 189 Specific to safety concerns, Ms. Vuong asked that Mr. Carlson’s hiring process include criminal 190 background checks of his employees to provide additional security for the neighborhood and 191 those accessing the neighborhood during the day. Regarding aesthetics, Ms. Vuong noted their 192 ability to view the rows of boats in the yard, especially with the clearing of brush and vegetation 193 already done on the lot by Mr. Carlson, as well as the hoop. Ms. Vuong stated that, if the use was 194 approved, she would prefer trees planted to improve aesthetics, and her preference for parking 195 and access on Larpenteur Avenue versus Saint Albans. 196