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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-10-21 NAC Planning Report northwest associated consultants, inc. PLANNING REPORT TO: Oak Park Heights Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Brixius DATE: 21 October 1986 RE: St. Croix Mall PUD Amendment and Subdivision FILE NO: 798.02 - 86.17 BACKGROUND In 1979, the City approved the St. Croix Mall PUD. Swager Bros Realty is now proposing to expand the St. Croix Mall and relocate some of the existing satellite buildings. While the approved 1979 PUD made allowances for mall expansions, the current proposed change varies from the approved PUD with regard to building foot print, parking lot design and building placement. The difference between the approved plan and the new changes are significant enough to require a formal PUD amendment through the conditional use process. ISSUES AND ANALYSIS Land Use The site is zoned B -2, General Business District and the proposed uses for the PUD expansion are permitted within the B -2 District. In the original PUD commercial expansion was anticipated, however, with a different site design. The current proposal is consistent with the amount of proposed floor space and the direction of the expansion. Setbacks The mall with its proposed expansion exceeds all the required B -2 setback standards. The applicant does, however, propose to relocate the Action Rental building and Canelakes Restaurant into the southwestern portion of the PUD. The site plan reveals that these buildings have only a five foot setback from the lot line shared with the St. Croix Bowl. The B -2 zoning district requires side yard setbacks of 10 feet. As such, these relocated businesses must be moved south to comply with this 10 foot setback standard. 4820 minnetonka blvd., ste. 200, minneapolis, mn 55416 (612) 925 -9420 7 Oak Park Heights Mayolod City Council 21 October 1986 Page Two Grading and Drainage The site currently has a significant change in grade between the existing mall and Osgood Avenue. The applicant has submitted a grading and drainage plan that indicates that the proposed building will be designed with two levels to take advantage of the change in the site contours. The proposed grading plan indicates that the parking area will have a maximum grade that will not exceed 5 %, which meets standards. The grading and drainage plan indicates that a large portion of the site will be changed to parking area. This amount of impervious surface presents a concern for stormwater drainage, both during construction and after the project completion. The City Engineer should review the grading and drainage plan and comment on the acceptability of the project with regard to stormwater drainage and erosion and sediment control. Utilities The PUD requirements state that all utilities, including telephone,and electricity must be installed underground to the facility. The applicant is proposing to subdivide the property within the PUD into unit lots to allow separate mortgages and ownership for various portions of the PUD. In this instance, the water service to each lot should be provided by separate water connection with a shut off valve to allow the City to shut off individual service to a lot. The City Engineer should review the utility plans and comment as to the accept - ability of the utility system. Parking and Circulation The uses in the PUD will receive access through a network of private driveways and shared parking areas. The public street access points from Osgood Avenue and 57th Street remain unchanged from the approved 1979 PUD. The parking areas on the east and south side of the mall have been redesigned to accommodate the mall expansion. Parking Stall Size: The site shows a 60 angle double tier parking with oneway drive aisles. The City ordinance requires that 60 parking provide 62 feet wall to wall to provide sufficient area to accommodate two tiers of parking and a drive aisle. Architectural standards reflecting current national trends toward smaller cars indicate that 60 double tier parking lots today only require 56 feet from wall to wall to provide sufficient, area for both the parking stall and manuevering lane, provided the parking stall is 9 feet wide. The site plan indicates only 50 to 55 feet between parking rows which results in undersized parking stalls and driveway aisles. The City could impose the 62 foot standard, however, staff would recommend that the City recognize the national trend toward smaller cars and establish a minimum wall to wall parking dimension of 56 feet in this PUD. The applicant proposes to stripe no parking areas at the end of each tier of parking. To provide better definition and segregation of the parking area from the private roadways, the staff recommends the construction of concrete islands in place of the striped no parking areas.; 'Oak Park Heights Mayood City Council 21 October 1986 Page Three Private Roadways: The Zoning Ordinance requires that private roadways be designed to have a minimum width of 24 feet or more to accommodate fire trucks. The applicant's site plan complies with this standard. Parking The applicant has provided 1,630 parking stalls. This greatly exceeds his own parking standard of six stalls per 1,000 square feet of floor area, as well as the City's parking standard of one space per 200 square feet of floor area. It is anticipated that by enlarging the parking stalls and drive aisles, the amount of parking will be reduced. The City may wish to request any parking in excess of what is needed to remain as green space. Curbing and Surfacing The areas designated for parking must have a bituminous surfacing and perimeter curbing provided around the periphery of the entire parking area. In addition to the concrete islands, the parking areas should be striped to define parking stalls. Lighting The City Ordinance requires off - street parking areas be lighted. Any lighting used must be so arranged to reflect light away from abutting properties. This is specifically a concern on the southern parking lot because it abuts a single family neighborhood. The applicant should submit a lighting scheme for all parking area describing light locations and the type of lighting fixtures.. Shared Parking and Access The proposed PUD is intended to be subdivided into 12 lots to allow for separate mortgages and ownership of properties within the PUD. To accommodate these subdivisions, the development contract must establish a shared parking and access agreement between all current property owners. This shared parking and access agreement must be recorded with the county so that it is applicable for all future land owners, as well as existing businesses. The 1979 development contract addressed the shared parking and access. However, with the new subdivision changing the legal descriptions of the various parcels, the City may.wish to update the 1979 contract. The City Attorney should review the contract and comment on the need for an update. In addition to right of access, the shared parking agreement must address parking lot maintenance and snow removal. The maintenance provisions should establish that all parking areas are intended to be kept in good condition and outline who is responsible for parking lot repair in the case of deterioration. The site plan shows very little area for snow storage. As such, it is assumed that snow will be hauled off site. The Oak Park Heights Zoning Ordinance prohibits snow storage in areas required for off - street parking. The development contract must address snow removal from the site. Oak Park Heights Mayond City Council 21 October 1986 Page Four An alternative to hauling snow off site is to establish a larger amount of on- site green space. The site plan indicates 100 extra parking spaces. While this may be reduced when the parking and drive aisles are enlarged, the balance could be left as green space. The City may wish to impose the City's parking standard of one space per 200 square feet of floor area to further reduce the required parking and increase the amount of green space for landscaping and snow storage. Landscaping The applicant has provided a landscaping plan that shows extensive screening at the perimeter of the building and site. The plant types are accept- able, however, the landscape plan should indicate the number and size of the plant materials. This should be submitted for City review. The City should require some security to guarantee that the landscaping is completed within a year of the building construction. Signage. The applicant has an approved comprehensive signage plan for the mall (June 11, 1984). All signage for the mall expansion and the satellite buildings must comply with the established sign plan. Any changes from this approved plan will require the submission of a new signage plan. Loading Areas The applicant shows the mall will have access to four loading areas. These loading areas comply with City standards related to size and location. Subdivision. The applicant is proposing to divide the PUD property into 12 lots to allow for separate mortgage and ownership. Review of the subdivision indicates that it is acceptable, provided the development contract establishes provisions for shared parking and access. Development Agreement When the 1979 PUD was approved, a development agreement was entered into to ensure the project was developed and operated in conformance with the approved plans. The development contract should be updated to reflect the plan changes. The following items should be addressed in the new develop- ment contract: 1. Grading and drainage 2. Erosion control 3. Provision of utilities 4. Shared access and parking agreement 5. Parking lot maintenance agreement agreement 6. Snow removal 7. Landscaping and security for installation 8. Signage ' Park Heights Mayor,d City Council 40 21 October 1986 Page Five RECOMMENDATION Based on our review of the PUD, we would recommend that the PUD amendment be approved with the following conditions: 1. The satellite building in the southwest corner of the PUD maintain a 10 foot setback from the St. Croix Bowl lot line. 2. Approval of the grading and drainage plan by the City Engineer. 3. Approval of the PUD utility plan by the City Engineer. 4. All 60 parking areas be dimensioned to provide at.least 56 feet between tiers of parking. P ,s., 5. The applicant provide concrete islands at the end of the parking tiers to define and segregate the parking stalls from the driveway areas. y ~,... � 6. All on -site parking areas must have a bituminous surface, striped parking stalls, and curbing around the perimeter of the parking lot. Nc- f; 7. The applicant must submit a parking lot light plan that shows light location and type of lighting. o Y 8. The applicant provide a landscape schedule outlining the,number, type, and size of plant materials. h 9. Applicant provide a signage plan for the mall expansion. - 10. The applicant and the City enter into an updated development contract addressing the items outlined in this report. cc: Norris & Red Swager Joe Anderlik Frank Leier LaVonne Wilson Lyle Eckberg Mark Vierling L " ® Z I I old N A IS t ;I "� 1 1 •� l d.'A A te' r a 0 A im -w' - } t b S .y FIT w - - -- — x R II I I I� 4. y w' .y.W IL � �Dd F — .yo w whk y�M a u uwW a : koWh owo EXHIBIT A 1979 APPROVED PLAN - i. a o - m � ` I .Ili 1 --• o r n Cd CL Ii =V i 1 I w T ` � r u � � O w a v — = . tr v - O N Qo > fo cn :! • rt5 � ✓ r O 4-) R i e co O N O a 3 �. a � :.y a Zd r t' J.2 co r �s�aRs.sas J 2 s pEi ag s. EXHIBIT B PROPOSED PUD SITE PLA ., . I �N m z I a R m r ` "m i � � •� fff N Bgg'V r - a x II ! Al Et tA i �I m r ° y n� 4 4%-42 j z il _ _ — EXHIBIT C "� � GRADING & DRAINAGE PLAN " F co cn m M n i m Z � n € N O m - -- - D rn F f I i�f q - -- ' 6m�1 N r - - EXHIBIT D UTILITY PLAN Av t t T j I ai o IF '71 V z a n) i , It i �. � a i j I , i � Y L�ti j EXHIBIT E LANDSCAPE PLAN I Ix a, NdAa y� _ not _ =.�TA� — •a�44495�- --� —', _ ,� v+ If yy , — CV CL I w C N t I g U I - � II � - - - i I ti EXHIBIT F i PROPOSED PUB SUBDIVISION