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Home My WebLink About2001-12-06 NAC Planning ReportPLANNING REPORT TO: Kimberly Kamper FROM: Scott Richards DATE: December 6, 2001 BACKGROUND Attached for reference: Exhibit A: Exhibit B: Exhibit C: Exhibit D: Exhibit E: NORTHwEST ASSOCIATED Cc SULTANTS, INC. 5776 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 555, St, Louis Park, MN 55416 Telephone: 952,595,9636 Facsimile: 952.595.9837 planners@nacplanning.com RE: Oak Park Heights — Oak Park Ponds: Amended PUDNariance For Signage FILE NO: 798.02 — 01.16 ENCLOSURE 3 Keith Ulstad, representing KTJ Limited Partnership Eleven, has made application for an amended planned unit development (PUD) and variance to allow for an increase in signage for the Oak Park Ponds development. The request includes an increase in height and sign area for the existing pylon sign, placement of illuminated tenant signage on the south and west facades of the retail building that backs up to 58 Street and placement of an illuminated 150 square foot Rainbow Foods sign on the northeast corner of the building. The general plan approvals of the PUD granted specific allowances for signage at the Oak Park Ponds development. The amendment to the PUD and variance is required to increase or significantly change the allowable signage on site. Approvals for the Rainbow Foods and connected retail area as well as the retail center that backs up to 58 Street were granted in 1997. At that time the City granted a variance to allow for a 454 square foot Rainbow wall sign, two 60 square foot wall signs on the Rainbow facade and allowances for three, eight foot high monument signs. All of the other signs, including the pylon sign, were allowable under the sign requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Existing Pylon Sign Proposed Pylon Sign Existing Signage Rainbow Shopping Center Tenants Existing/Proposed Signage South Building Existingliposed Signage Rainbow Foods Existing Site Signage ISSUE ANALYSIS Proposed Signage Pylon Sign. The applicants have proposed a 310 square foot pylon sign that would be 45 feet in height. The sign has been designed to utilize the same base as the existing pylon sign. The appearance of the sign would be similar to the existing sign except that four tenant signs would be placed below the Oak Park Ponds and Rainbow signs. The increase in signage height is being requested in that recent construction in the area has made the existing signage not visible from the Highway 5 off-ramp. Rainbow Sign. The request includes the addition of a 150 square foot sign on the northeast corner of the Rainbow Foods store. The sign would be placed such that cars heading westbound on Highway 36 would see it before the Highway 5 off-ramp. Individual Tenant Wail Signs. The applicants have requested that additional wall signage be allowed for the building which backs up to 58 Street. Currently, each of the tenants are allowed up to 150 square feet in the sign area above the awning on the front of the building. This signage is not easily visible from any of the adjacent streets. The actual area for signage above the awnings is 125 square feet per building bay. Signs have been proposed for each of the tenants on the south facade. One additional sign for Wells Fargo Financial is proposed on the west facade. Variance Criteria Pylon Sign Monument Signs Rainbow Sign (Wall) Rainbow Tenants (Wall) Wall Signs Number 3 2 Sign Area _ 136 square feet 48 square feet each 454 square feet 60 square feet each Height 30 feet 8 feet Allowed 1 per tenant of 150 square feet each Section 401.15.G.11 of the Zoning Ordinance specifies criteria for the granting of sign variances. The criteria and analysis for the Oak Park Ponds request is as follows: • . That particular physical surroundings, shape or topographical conditions of the specific parcel of land involved exist. 2. That the condition involved is unique to the particular parcel of land involved. 3. That the purpose of the variation is not based exclusively upon a desire to increase the value of income potential of the business involved. 4. That the alleged difficulty or hardship is caused by this Ordinance and has not been created by any persons presently having an interest in the parcel. 5. That the granting of the variation will not be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to other land or improvements in the neighborhood. 6. That the proposed variation will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property, or substantially increase the congestion of the public streets or interfere with the function of the police and fire departments of the City. The applicants have indicated that the location of the shopping center and the new development around the site have significantly reduced the visibility of the center and the existing signage. They claim that competition from the other shopping center north of Highway 36, which has visibility from the major roadways surrounding it, has made the leasable spaces in Oak Park Ponds difficult to rent and keep tenants. Staff finds that the request for a larger (more square feet of sign area) pylon sign, the additional Rainbow sign, and the wall signage for the building that backs up to 58th Street is justified. The request for a variance to increase the height of the sign to 45 feet may be justified in terms of visibility, but could lead to a significant number of requests for sign height increases. The City has not allowed a deviation from the maximum height requirement of 30 feet. To allow for this variance may open the door for numerous other height variances along the Highway 36 corridor. The City will begin its work on revising the sign requirements in January of 2002. At that time, it may be suggested to increase the allowances for sign height, although staff may recommend that the maximum height limitation be lowered in the commercial districts. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS City staff recommends the following related to the request for a sign variance and an amended PUD for Oak Park Ponds. Approval of the request is also conditioned on the following: 1. The pylon sign shall be allowed to be increased in size to a maximum of 310 square feet and contain individual tenant identification. 2. The pylon sign must remain a maximum of 30 feet in height. 3. A 150 square foot Rainbow sign be allowed on the northeast corner of the Rainbow Foods building. 4. One added wall sign not to exceed 75 square feet shall be allowed for each tenant space on the building which backs up to 58 Street. 3 5. The wall light fixtures on the north side of the Rainbow Foods building shall be retrofitted to be compliant with Zoning Ordinance lighting requirements. 6. All other conditions of the Planning Commission, City Council, and City staff. pc: Kris Danielson 4 PROJECT: PROJECT Flo: SCALE: DATE: R5F Architects, Ltd. Copyright 2 001 30 FT. ..&, OAK PARK PONDS SHOPPING CENTER (EXISTING) 6340.001.11 1/4" = 11_0" 10/5/01 120 First Avenue North OAK PARK PONDS V ci>z MO MIME Milli NM= MMUS MIMI MIN MIN MOM OMNI IMMO= NNW NM INIMINIIIMINN NM= MEM MINN =MN NIONIIII•11•1•••• Unman NM= OMNI WM= -IMMO =I= MOM IMMO MUM M �. 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