Powers Crossing Professional Center Narrative SupplementDEVELOPMENT NARRATIVE SUPPLEMENT FOR POWERS CROSSING PROFESSIONAL CENTER CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA Submitted On April 1, 2009 ??
Powers Crossing Professional Center April 1, 2009 United Properties LLC 1 Introduction On July 3, 2008, United Properties LLC, on behalf of Powers Crossing Medical LLC, a joint venture
between Dawne and Timothy Erhart and United Properties Investment LLC, submitted a development application for a proposed medical office building located at the southeast corner of (new)
Highway 212 and Powers Boulevard in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The building, as proposed, will be a two-phase, 160,000 sq. ft., medical office building. The first phase will be a three-story,
72,000 sq. ft. building with a two-story, 16,000 sq. ft. link on the north end, providing a total building area of 88,000 sq. ft. The link will eventually serve as the connection point
to a matching three-story, 72,000 sq. ft. building in the second phase. Because the second phase depends on right-of-way along Highway 212 currently controlled by Mn/DOT, we request
approval to transfer density from the phase two building and add a fourth story to the phase one building if Mn/DOT is unwilling to turn back this right-of-way. The end result would
be a four-story, 112,000 sq. ft. building with parking built to City code requirements. On July 15, 2008, the City sent a written response to United Properties requesting justification
for the variance requests contained in the original application. The three variances requested pertain to the Bluff Creek Overlay District, building height, and signage. Below are the
justifications for each variance request addressing the criteria in Section 20-58 of the Chanhassen City Code for the first two variances and Section 20-1253 for the signage variance.
Bluff Creek Overlay District On-site, we request a variance to grade and construct a driveway surface within the secondary zone of the Bluff Creek Overlay District (BCOD). Off-site,
south of the access road, we request a variance to construct a storm water detention pond and site for the City’s lift station in the both the Primary and Secondary Zone of the BCOD.
• Enforcement causes undue hardship. Because this is the first development of its nature in this area, no comparable properties exist within 500 feet to meet the Code’s definition of
“undue hardship.” However, we believe this is a reasonable request given the somewhat arbitrary nature of the BCOD boundary line. • Conditions don’t generally apply to property with
same zoning classification. Throughout the City, properties with an Office and Institutional (OI) zoning classification which are not adjacent to the BCOD are not subject to the more
restrictive development requirements of the BCOD. Moreover, grading within the primary and secondary BCOD zones will be necessary to complete the City’s access road, and our plans are
similar to the City’s grading needs. • Variance is not driven by desire to increase value. We request this variance to effectively balance the needs of the City, the landowner, the developer,
and the anchor tenant. • Hardship is not self-created. We do not believe this hardship is self-created. • Variance is is not detrimental to public welfare. We believe the site studies
submitted with our original application show that the variance requested will not be a detriment to public welfare. • Variance will not impair surrounding property. We believe the site
studies submitted with our original application show that the variance requested will not impair surrounding property. Furthermore, the current landowner will retain ownership of
Powers Crossing Professional Center April 1, 2009 United Properties LLC 2 approximately 100 acres of undeveloped land. This landowner would not allow a development on 12% of the land
to impair the remaining 88% of the property. Building Height The proposed phase one and phase two buildings (principle structures) are three stories high, and the phase two parking garage
is three stories high with one additional level for proof of parking. As mentioned in the introduction above, we also request approval to transfer density from the phase two building
and add a fourth story to the phase one building if Mn/DOT is unwilling to turn back this right-of-way. The end result would be a four-story, 112,000 sq. ft. building with parking built
to City code requirements. The OI District allows for a maximum height of two stories for principal structures and one story for accessory structures. Because Community Development Department
staff recommended rezoning the current site to the OI District, we request a variance from from the height requirements. • Enforcement causes undue hardship. Because this is the first
development of its nature in this area, no comparable properties exist within 500 feet to meet the Code’s definition of “undue hardship.” In fact, precisely because no properties exist
within 500 feet, a height restriction could be seen as an undue hardship. • Conditions don’t generally apply to property with same zoning classification. Given the parcel’s fixed border
created by Highway 212, Powers Boulevard, and the Bluff Creek Overlay District, we cannot expand the site to reduce the height of the buildings. Sites with the same zoning classification
don’t generally face a similar inability to expand. • Variance is not driven by desire to increase value. We request this variance to create sufficient space for medical providers to
meet the demand for medical services from residents of Chanhassen and the surrounding area. • Hardship is not self-created. We do not believe this hardship is self-created. • Variance
is not detrimental to public welfare. We believe the plans submitted with our original application show that the variance requested will not be a detriment to public welfare. • Variance
will not impair surrounding property. We believe the plans submitted with our original application show that the variance requested will not impair surrounding property. The hills and
forests surrounding this property act as a natural buffer to neighboring parcels. Signage In lieu of providing two monument signs, one for each building, we request a variance for consolidation
to one monument sign with a combined area and height 95 percent larger than currently allowed in the OI District. As medical office buildings have signage needs more similar to retail
than traditional office, we feel this will provide for the signage needs of the tenants while still holding to the spirit of City’s signage requirements. The sign base will be constructed
of similar materials used on the building to compliment the architecture. With the natural hills surrounding this property as well as the man-made hills from the construction of Highway
212, we believe the modest signage allowed by the City causes hardship when viewed in a topographical context. Additionally, since we regard this variance request as a consolidation
of signage, rather than an upsizing, we believe our request does not
Powers Crossing Professional Center April 1, 2009 United Properties LLC 3 adversely affect the spirit or intent of the City’s signage ordinance. Finally, we believe the requested variance
creates the added benefits of reducing site clutter and enhancing public welfare by improving visibility for the elderly and medical patients in stressful, emergency situations
Powers Crossing Professional Center April 1, 2009 United Properties LLC 4 CONTACT INFORMATION Developer and Fee Owner Representative United Properties LLC As agent for Powers Crossing
Medical LLC 3500 American Boulevard West Minneapolis, MN 55431 Attention: Bill Katter 952.837.8525 | Phone 952.893.8206 | Fax william.katter@uproperties.com Architect Pope Associates,
Inc. 1255 Energy Park Drive St. Paul, MN 55108-5118 Attention: Paul Holmes 651.789.1582 | Phone 651.642.1101 | Fax pholmes@popearch.com Civil Engineer Westwood Professional Services
7699 Anagram Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Attention: Dan Parks 952.906.7435 | Phone 952.937.5822 | Fax dan.parks@westwoodps.com