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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-03-00 work session Meeting Notes Planning Commission Work Session Thursday, August 3, 2000 Administration Conference Room Present: Chair Karl Drotning; Commissioners Dave Bellows, Sharon Kot, Bruce Skipton, Jerry Comer, and Wendy Wulff. Absent: Commissioner Laurie Rieb and ex-officio member Tim Knutson. Staff: City Administrator Robert Erickson, Acting Community & Economic Development Director baryl Morey; Associate Planner Frank Dempsey; Assistant City Attorney Andrea McDowell Poehler and Recording Secretary Donna Quintus. Chair Drotning called the work session. to order at 8:10 p.m. Acting Community and Economic Development Director Morey stated that the purpose of the work session was to give the Planning Commission an opportunity to informally discuss three proposals for Conditional Use Permits recently submitted to the Community and Economic Development Department staff for review. Each prospective applicant has been invited to this Planning Commission Work Session to informally discuss their proposal and gain input and direction from the Planning Commission regarding their specific request. Charter Communications Conditional Use Permit Amendment Application Darrin Helgeson, Technical Manager for Charter Communications, presented plans and drawings for a proposed expansion to the Charter Communications office building and revised site plan for the outside storage of satellite dishes at 16900 Cedar Avenue. He indicated that Charter Communications would like to construct a 7,600 square foot expansion onto the existing office building for additional office and warehouse space. In addition, Charter Communications would like to install a new "simulsat" satellite dish to replace six (6) of the existing nine (9) satellite dishes. currently located east of the existing office building. The proposed "simulsat" satellite dish measures approximately 27.7 feet wide by 20 feet in height. The existing satellite dishes measure 11 feet in diameter and are approximately 15 feet in height. Mr. Helgeson stated that the height of the new satellite dish can be reduced by excavating the satellite location by three feet. The resulting height would be 17 feet. City Administrator Erickson noted that the previous zoning ordinance allowed satellite dishes higher than 15 feet by Conditional. Use Permit (CUP) in any district. However, the newly adopted Zoning Ordinance does not permit satellite dishes larger than two. • meters in diameter in a commercial district. The Charter Communications site is zoned C-3, General Commercial District. Satellite dishes are allowed to exceed two meters in Plannuig Commission Work Session Meeting Notes August 3, 2000 • Page 2 diameter in an Industrial District by CUP. According to the new Zoning Ordinance, approval of a variance would be necessary to allow a satellite dish larger than two meters in a Commercial District. By consensus the Planning Commission indicated that the request from Charter Communications for an addition to the existing office building and the installation of the oversized "simulsat" satellite dish represents an opportunity to reduce the existing non-conforming status of the outside storage area. The proposed larger dish will replace six existing satellite dishes. Charter Communications is proposing to eliminate the six dishes that are located at the front of the outside storage area which will reduce the visual impact of the dishes from Cedar Avenue, as well as the abutting residential neighborhood. The Planning Commission concurred that a CUP Amendment should be considered in lieu of a variance because the request will reduce the non-conforming status of the existing site. The CUP Amendment proposal also provides for the residing of the existing office building with brick and additional landscape buffer to screen the use from surrounding residential neighborhoods. Community and Economic Development Department staff will receive a formal CUP Amendment application from Charter Communications and bring the request. before the Planning Commission for formal review and recommendation. Alden Miles Conditional Use Permit Application Mr. Miles stated that he lives at 12226168 Street West on Lot 2, Block 2, Weisners Lake Addition which is located in the Shoreland Overlay District for Orchard Lake. Mr. Miles indicated he is currently in the process of developing plans for the expansion of his legal non-conforming house. He stated his plan is to construct a 146 square foot addition onto the southwest corner of his house..The proposed addition will be in conformance with the side yard and OHWL setback requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Miles indicated he also wants to construct a stairway from his existing deck down to the rear yard which would include the construction of a 20 square foot landing for the stairway. Community and Economic Development Department staff have determined that the proposed 20 square. foot landing addition and stairs wouldbe located within the Shore Impact Zone and will be higher than 30 inches above grade. Therefore, the landing and stairway will require a variance, unless the landing is removed from the plan and the stairway is placed behind the deck. The Planning Commission suggested alternative deck landing and stairway designs that would eliminate the landing and direct the stairway away from Orchard Lake. Planning Commission Work Session Meeting Notes August 3, 2000 Page 3 They agreed that the elimination of the landing and. re-directing of the stairway does not intensify the nonconformity of the deck and removes the need for a variance. A conditional use permit (CUP) could be supported to allow the property owner to expand the living area addition as proposed. Associate Planner Frank Dempsey stated that the property survey indicates a second driveway access that leads to the lake shore. The Shoreland Overlay District requirements state that driveways shall meet structure setbacks and shall not be' placed within Shore Impact Zones. A considerable amount of the existing secondary. driveway to the lake and lower level garage is non-conforming. The Planning Commission suggested that Mr. Miles replace the bituminous driveway portion lying within the Shore Impact Zone with crushed rock. This would eliminate the impervious surface area of the driveway and decrease runoff into Orchard Lake. Mr. Miles responded that a hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: (DNR) was consulted when they were doing shoreline restoration work. At that time, the DNR representative stated that hard surface driveways for lake access were preferred because limestone contaminates the water. Staff was directed to seek input from the DNR regarding preferred surfaces for lake access. Staff will also request the DNR to complete an informal survey to identify the existing pervious surface/ impervious surface accesses to the .lake. Community and Economic Development Department staff will receive a formal CUP application from Mr. Miles and bring the request before the Planning Commission for formal review and recommendation at a future meeting. Craig Manson Conditional Use Permit Application Mr. Craig Manson presented his survey and construction plans for a proposed addition onto his legal non-conforming house located at 19839 Jersey Avenue. Mr. Manson stated he is proposing to construct a second floor addition onto his existing single story house and to replace an existing deteriorating deck on the lake side of the house. Community and Economic Development Department staff have indicated that a conditional use permit (CUP) for the addition can be supported. However, staff has stated that the replacement of the deck as it exists would require a variance and they could not recommend approval of a variance because the criteria for undue hardship is not met. Mr. Manson. stated he is not willing to remove the approximate 6 to 7 feet of the width • of the 13-foot wide. deck to meet the setback from the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL) for Lake Marion as recommended by staff. He requested input from the Planning Commission Work Session Meeting Notes August 3, 2000 Page 4 Planning Commission for alternatives that might be pursued that would be more agreeable to him, as well as the City. Associate Planner Frank Dempsey indicated that Mr. Manson s property is located in the Shoreland Overlay District for Lake Marion and the Zoning Ordinance requires a 75-foot setback from the OHWL. However, the Zoning Ordinance allows setback averaging to determine a permitted setback. The average minimum setback from the OHWL of the two houses abutting Mr. Manson s property to the north and south, the minimum setback from the OHWL was estimated to be between 61 feet and 68 feet from the OHWL. This eliminates the need for a variance for the house addition, but does not allow the deck to be reconstructed unless it is brought into conformance with the Zoning Ordinance or a variance is approved. Planning Commission members suggested an alternative deck design that would reduce. the non-conforming status of Mr. Manson s deck. The Planning Commission asked if Mr. Manson would be willing to reduce the width of his deck by approximately 3 feet and relocate the existing stairway to the south side of the deck. They agreed that the reduction of the deck width and relocation of the stairway does not intensify the S nonconformity of the deck and removes the need for a variance.. A CUP could be supported to allow the property owner to expand the living area addition as proposed. Mr. Manson indicated his willingness to pursue the redesign of the deck with his contractor as recommended by the Planning Commission. Community and Economic Development. Department staff will receive a formal CUP application from Mr. Manson and bring the request before the Planning Commission for formal review and recommendation at a future meeting. The work session was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, onna Quintus, R cording Secretary