The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2002-04-04 NAC Planning ReportPLANNING REPORT FILE NO: 798.02 — 02.09 BACKGROUND NORTHWEST ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS, INC. TO: Kimberly Kamper FROM: Cynthia Putz -Yang 1 Scott Richards DATE: April 4, 2002 5775 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 556, St. Louis Park, MN 55416 Telephone: 952.595.9636 Facsimile: 952 595.9837 planners@nacplanning.com RE: Oak Park Heights — Andersen /St. Croix Mali: Planned Unit Development Amendment SC Mali LLC have requested a planned unit development amendment to allow improvements at the St. Croix Mali. A reduction of two parking stalls from the required number has also been requested, which requires a conditional use permit. In 1999 the Kmart store space was converted to office space for Anderson at the mall. Except for Herbergers and limited retail tenants, the remainder of the mall is now proposed for Andersen office use. The following list describes applications that were previously approved for the St. Croix Mali: • 1979 City approved original mall PUD. • 1985 City approved a Conditional Use Permit for a temporary bank drive - through facility. • 1987 City approved PUD amendment to allow for expansion of the K -Mart and other mall and site changes. • 1989 City approved a PUD amendment for a major remodel of the center. Current facade and site plan was based on this approval. • 1990 Sign plan for the upper mall was approved and made effective on September 1. • 1992 City approved a PUD amendment to allow for the theatre expansion. • 1992 City approved a change to sign plan for a monument business sign on Osgood Avenue. O 2001 City approved a PUD amendment and Design Guidelines review for Lower St. Croix Mall to change facade and signage. Attached for reference: Exhibit A: Site Information Plan Exhibit B: Perspective Drawing Exhibit C: Partial Demolition Plan Exhibit D: Detail Plan of Courtyard Exhibit E: Elevations Exhibit F: Project Narrative ISSUES ANALYSIS Zoning. The property is zoned 13-2, General Business. Retail and office uses are permitted within the B-2 District. The St. Croix Mall was originally approved as a Planned Unit Development in 1979; therefore, a PUD amendment is required before any site or building changes can be made to the property. Proposed improvements. The following improvements are proposed: O 4,385 square foot enclosed computer deployment/receiving area O Exterior seating area for proposed interior employee cafeteria • Exterior courtyard • Partial covered parking and walkway canopy • New entry and maintenance area canopies O Entry signage at relocated facility entry O Demolition of existing retail exterior entry pavilions Phasing of Mali Improvements. Only the improvements listed above are ro osed at p p this time and a phasing plan for improvements has not been submitted. The City should work with Anderson Corporation on a phasing plan for future site improvements. City staff would like to see the following improvements made at the mall over time: O Parking improvements including new striping, curb islands, and landscaping. • Removal of the parking lot access to 57 Street. O Trail construction along the south property line and connection to Swagger Park to the west as identified in the City's Park and Trail Plan. O Removal of the pylon sign structure in the northwest corner of the site. O Removal of the monument sign on Osgood Avenue. O Bring parking lot light fixtures into conformance with City standards. Anderson /St. Croix Mali Report Page 2 Use Floor Area Ordinance Requirement Required Spaces Proposed Spaces Retail 85,700 x .9 = 77,130 1 per 200 square feet 386 Office 217,219 x .9 = 195,497 3 + 1 per 200 sq. ft. 980 Total 272,627 1,366 1,400 — 36 = 1 ,364 Parking. As shown in the following table, 1 ,366 parking spaces are required and 1 ,364 parking spaces are proposed. A reduction in parking may be allowed by conditional use permit. We recommend approval of the conditional use permit because the number of proposed spaces is very close to the number of required spaces, and the applicant has estimated that up to 700 Andersen employees will be located at the site, which is much Tess than 980 spaces required for the office use. Building Materials /Design Guidelines. The application narrative explains that proposed exterior building finishes are a mix of materials selected to reduce the mass of the existing structure and to complement the existing rockface masonry. Proposed materials are illustrated on the elevations and include pre - finished corrugated metal and Andersen "Fibrex" pre - finished cladding. Proposed canopies also help to break up the mass of the building and are consistent with the City's Design Guidelines. The canopy in the receiving area is mostly within an Xcel Energy easement and is therefore subject to review and approval by Xcel Energy. signage. The existing retail exterior entry pavilions are proposed to be demolished and new entry signage is proposed at the northwest corner of the building as shown on the elevations. Minor signage is also proposed for the new south employee entry. New signage is proposed to be pin-mounted black anodized aluminum and will not be illuminated. Overall, the signage area for the mall is being reduced. The proposed signage will be incorporated into the approved sign plan for the mall. Landscaping 1 Green Space. The area of green space is being increased and landscaping is being added by converting part of the parking lot south of the building into a landscaped courtyard. Lighting. Staff has identified a small number of nonconforming wall lights. The applicant has agreed to retrofit the building wakk lights to be full cutoff. Refuse. A trash area is currently in place and no changes are proposed. Additional dumpsters may be placed on site temporarily for construction purposes. Utilities. Any changes to existing utilities or construction over existing utility service lines is subject to review and approval of the City Engineer. Construction Schedule. The project narrative states that the improvements will be completed sequentially, in coordination with various interior construction phases. Completion of all proposed improvements is scheduled for December 2002. Anderson /St. Croix Mall Report Page 3 CONCLUSION 1 RECOMMENDATION The application generally complies with City regulations and is a reinvestment in an existing development, which is consistent with City goals. We recommend approval of the PUD amendment and conditional use permit to allow reduced parking subject to the following conditions: 1. The portion of the receiving area canopy within the Xcel Energy easement is subject to review and approval by Xcel Energy. 2. All mall building wall light fixtures must be retrofitted to be full cutoff. 3. Grading and drainage issues are subject to review and approval of the City Engineer and review of the applicable watershed authority if required. 4 Any changes to existing utilities or construction over existing utility service lines is subject to review and approval of the City Engineer. pc: Kris Danielson Anderson /St. Croix Mali Report Page 4 ;I! z O F I.L 2 0 o z W E �- J z Q u z w 111 a0 W L 'HMO t`3V J'z z k k ! C J ]! � f C' ; s t \jf , •,.ivd 'i�'U♦!'l:?L,! i _u J rF♦ 1 N11111111111111 za p4 4 A H x F. rf 1,1 q" Dia r_f ■ i :.I z F =� JE kJ 'E od A 1 ,$) w a" S ao co y 4 3 r N , \ 1 1 , // ; ,.„ // /1/ , I 1 I / , . y / / x 1 / / 1 -� �_ / , , I / a t J . 1/ / A- - 9 / 1 1 C , ), I \ j f 1 ,,, , ,_,-0 , _\\2::, ,4,,,, \ , ,,-...„,, \,,,„ ,,„ 1 . iv 1 1 \\\ \ ‘ --, \ . \ \\ \ \ \ \\\\\\\ \ \ \\ \ \ \ V , \\\ \ \ '<:\,., \ , ‘,...,\ „.„ \&.„. ,-:.' .„-I., ..1",„.„, \\.\\:„..,\,,,,,,,, , , \-\\ \,,,,\\\„ \--:,;;„ A 8 $`0. �' 1 E ! i ! _ 1'1C . 1 L'i z z.r,E i irj �f iu 'I! ' i 'I '? ? i ! )1 _ 3 1 t a. ILI !Pr: LAP ',id 1 c,, es Z N uJ z 0 N It 0 A40,, .140 [NU z 0 N riv L Li H 6, 1) tVVmd vud w w REQUEST FOR PUD AMENDMENT PROJECT NARRATIVE Meyer, Scherer, Rockcastle, Ltd. 21 March 2002 SC MALL LLC SHARED SERVICES CAMPUS / ST. CROIX MALL OAK PARK HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA ECIEDWEE MAR 2 2 2002 1 EXHIBIT F Applicant Information Owner: SC Mali LLC 100 Fourth Avenue North Bayport, MN 55003 -1096 Contact: Rebecca Maras 651.264.7856 rmaras@andersencorp.com Architect: MS &R, Ltd. 119 North 2in St. Minneapolis, MN 55401 Contact: Marc Partridge, AIA 612.359.3259 marcp @rnsrltd.com General Background Facing an urgent need for office space, Andersen Corporation commissioned MS&R to "reinvent" an existing Kmart retail store at the St. Croix Mali, converting it for office use in 1999. SC Mali LLC subsequently purchased the entire retail Mali. They are currently designing the remainder of the Mali for Andersen office use, creating improvements in efficiency, collaboration and identity in a Shared Services campus. Up to 700 Andersen employees will be located at the site; several retail tenants will remain at the Mali for the foreseeable future. • Current Zoning: Planned Unit Development, (PUD). B-2 zone. • Allowable use: Office and Retail are both allowed under the PUD. ▪ PUD Requirements: Requirements are the same as those in zone B -2 and City of Oak Park Heights general zoning code and design guidelines. • Acreage: 22.79 acres not including the Kmart parcel (3.88 acres) Proposed Improvements Exterior improvements to portions of the building and site, including: • 4,385 sf enclosed computer deployment /receiving area ■ exterior seating area for proposed interior employee cafeteria • exterior courtyard • partial covered parking and walkway canopy • New entry, maintenance area canopies ■ Entry signage at relocated facility entry; demolition of existing retail exterior entry pavilions SC Mali LLC PUD Amendment Page 2 These improvements, in conjunction with interior renovation currently ongoing, are expected to satisfy the requirements of Andersen Corporation for the foreseeable future. No additional modifications or changes to site, vehicular circulation or amenity are anticipated at this time. Construction Schedule The above improvements will be completed sequentially, in coordination with various interior construction phases; completion of all proposed improvements is scheduled for December 2002. Proposed Building Finishes New exterior building finishes are selected as a mix of materials to reduce the mass of the existing structure and to complement the existing rockface masonry, consisting of: ▪ Prefinished corrugated metal ▪ Andersen "Fibrex" Prefinished cladding See building elevations for distribution of materials. Proposed Landscaping Emphasis of the plan must be the perimeter of the site, the immediate perimeter of the building, and public boulevard areas. Landscape criteria shall meet OPH zoning code section 401.15.E.10 for plant size and spacing requirements. See Landscape plan for distribution and species. Proposed Signage Exterior signage, mounted on the building exterior, is proposed for the relocated entry at the northwest corner of the facility; minor signage is also proposed for the new south employee entry. New signage will be black anodized aluminum, pin mounted, non - illuminated letters. Correspondingly, existing exterior retail mall "pavilions" will be removed to provide an environment more consistent with an office facility, significantly reducing the overall signage area for the facility. See building elevations for sign location and extent. Watershed District Although no Watershed issues are anticipated, this submission is being sent concurrently to the Middle St. Croix Watershed and Washington County Soil and Water District for their review. SC Mali LLC PUD Amendment Page 3 Parking Summary Gross Sq Footage Parking Req'd Retail: 85,700 gsf 429 @ 5:1 000 Office: 217,219 gsf 1,089 @ 3 +1:200 Totals: 302,919 gsf 1,518 OPH Submittal Requirements Please see drawings for the following: 1,366 Schematic drawing (Perspective Rendering) Property Survey (flat Map) Grading and drainage plan Existing site conditions plan Site development plan Landscape plan Signage plan Lighting plan Building plans, elevations SC Mall LLC parking required w/10% reduction (exterior floor area dimensions of building minus 10%) 1,400 existing parking -36 parking stalls lost in proposed site modifications 1,364 parking remaining after modifications see A2 see Al see A4 see A3 see Al see A5 see A5 see A4 see Al, A4, A5 PUD Amendment Page 4