PC Minutes 10-07-2014Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
Aanenson: That’s fine. I think you’re technically tabling it for extend the 60 days, if I may.
Campion: Yes.
Hokkanen: Second.
Aller: Any further discussion?
Campion moved, Hokkanen seconded that the Chanhassen Planning Commission, acting as
the Board of Appeals and Adjustments, tables the hard surface coverage variance and
shoreland setback variance for 9015 Lake Riley Road subject to receipt of the waiver of the
60-day time allowance. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote
of 6 to 0.
Aller: Good luck Ms. Kelly.
PUBLIC HEARING:
CHANHASSEN SPECIALTY GROCERY: REQUEST FOR PRELIMINARY PLAT OF
2.71 ACRES INTO TWO LOTS AND ONE OUTLOT; AND SITE PLAN REVIEW WITH
VARIANCES FOR A 14,000 SQUARE-FOOT ONE-STORY SPECIALTY GROCERY
STORE ON PROPERTY ZONED PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) AND
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LOCATED ON OUTLOT B, VILLAGES ON THE PONDS 4 ADDITION.
APPLICANT: VENTURE PASS PARTNERS, LLC. OWNER: NORTHCOTT
COMPANY. PLANNING CASE 2014-29.
Aller: We have received some alternate pages.
Generous: Thank you Chairman Aller, commission. There’s pages and 5 and 18, there were
some minor changes. A strike through and bold format. There’s nothing really substantive to
them but it’s for accuracy and consistency in the report.
Aller: Thank you.
Generous: Planning Case 2014-29, Chanhassen Specialty Grocery is really a commercial retail
building that’s being proposed within Villages on the Ponds. The applicant is Venture Pass
Partners, LLC and the property owner is Northcott Company. As you said it’s located at the
northwest corner of Main Street and Lake Drive in Villages on the Ponds. If people go to the site
they’ll see the open field with a bunch of water in it and that was actually created because at one
time they dug up the lower level to put in an underground garage and that building never went
forward so. At the time they thought they would save some time and money but in the long run
it hasn’t worked out that way. Villages on the Ponds is a mixed use development. It permits
commercial, office, institutional, and residential uses. It’s zoned Planned Unit Development so
there are specific design guidelines. That’s the part of the reason why there’s a variance in the
request. Their request is for subdivision approval, preliminary plat approval for Villages on the
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Ponds 11 Addition and site plan review for Chanhassen Specialty Grocery with a variance to
the sign letter size. Under the PUD standards a 30 inch letter is the maximum size. The
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
applicant would like to put in 42 inch letters and we’ll get into that a little later. The subdivision
would create two lots. Initially Lot 1 would be platted and Outlot A would remain as an outlot as
Pond Promenade. That’s a private street within the development and it also contains parking
opportunities and Lot 2 as shown in this plan would be platted as Outlot B and come in in the
future and be final platted. There is a condition in the staff report that they remove the parking
lot from Outlot B or they’d have to pay stormwater fees so they will be revising this property line
slightly and it will, you know almost go straight across here and take out this little jog so remove,
add that parking area into Lot 1. It’s about 5,000 square feet approximately of area that would be
removed from Lot 2 and added to Lot 1 so staff is in favor, is recommending approval of the
preliminary plat subject to, there’s a few conditions in the staff report. The site plan review is for
a 14,000 square foot one-story commercial building. It would be a retail user on the site. Parking
within the entire area exceeds the minimum requirements under city code. Within Villages on
the Ponds there’s a requirement that a lot of parking be shared between different uses and so on
Pond Promenade they pick up Houlihan’s and Bookoo Bikes to the west would be able to use
some of the perimeter parking area. In the future they have a second building site on the south
side. They’ll come in, as part of their development they would add additional parking and access
onto Main Street but that would be a separate site plan review some time in the future and at that
time they would final plat that outlot into a lot and block. With this development the utilities are
available surrounding the property. They would just have to extend it onto the site. The biggest
improvement that they’ll have to make is a stormwater improvement. In the initial phase they’ll
create a ponding area that’s a sand system in there to treat and then discharge water into the
existing stormwater system which will then take it down farther through the City’s system and
discharge into the lake and stream to the south of this area. Sewer and water are available to the
site and they’ll have connections coming in. They’ll come in and re-grade the entire property as
part of the first phase including that stormwater area in the southeast corner of the site, and then
they will install the parking area for the retail space as well as asphalt some of the gravel parking
that’s developed over time along the north side of the lot and then they’d make parking stalls
along the west side of the property. As I said the building is one story. It has several materials
that they’re proposing to provide interest. The brick, it’s a lot of bases in browns and tans.
There are three colors and styles of block that they would be using on the building. Some of it is
for accent materials. Some of it is to create a base on it. The brick would primarily be by the
main entrance to the building. We believe that this is, it’s a very attractive building and it will
provide interest into the development. One of the things we require is that they incorporate 70
percent sloped roof elements. They’re doing this both at the top of the building and through the
use of canopies over the window areas and so they do comply with that ordinance. This picture
shows the west and north elevations. These are the two sides of the building that staff is
supporting the variance request for the signage. Whoops, went too far. On the east and south
elevation, on the east side of the building which would be on Main Street, this is going to be a
narrow area. There’s a building that has been approved just to the east of that and so there’s only
a 60 foot space of visibility for that signage and then this elevation we believe maintaining the 30
inch standards would be consistent with the overall development. It’s pedestrian scale. They
don’t need that big a sign there and so, and then on the south elevation, because they don’t have
frontage on a public street they don’t get to have a sign but they are providing additional
landscaping to help soften this building elevation. Their storage area for their trash and pallets is
in a little building that’s just on the very, what is it? This area in here and then trucks would be
in here and then with the landscaping we believe that will provide the nice screening for that
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
elevation. Back to the sign variance. This building has visibility from both Market Boulevard,
Highway 101 and Highway 5. The scale of signage for this needs to be a little larger to provide a
good image for people to see where it is. Staff is in support of the material that they have. We
actually came to the same conclusion separately for why to justify this variance request on those
two elevations. Again the pedestrian scale is not on either the west or north elevations but it will
be along Main Street and then again when Lake Drive comes in so this building would come in
under the PUD standards. Staff is recommending approval of the subdivision, the site plan and
the variances to the sign letters for the north and west elevations subject to the conditions of the
staff report and adoption of the Findings of Fact and Recommendation. With that I’d be happy
to answer any questions.
Aller: Anyone? Lighting.
Generous: Yes.
Aller: How is it being lit? Is it all up to code?
Generous: Yes, they would provide lighting standards, or typical standards within the parking
lot areas. They’re providing wall pack units on the building and then on the east elevation
they’re actually requirement that they preserve those acorn lights that are out there and after
they’re done constructing the site, make sure they’re put back in place to light Main Street.
Aller: Great.
Generous: And then that would be consistent with the lighting across the street and on other
areas. Parking lot lighting are the shoebox fixtures. While Villages has a few different
standards, that’s the predominant one that they’re using for parking areas so.
Aller: Thank you. And then the water drainage area. How is that going to work?
Fauske: Thank you Chairman Aller. The applicant did provide some additional information to
staff today that we’re still in the process of reviewing. That included in particular a question
about the infiltration abilities of the…soils so we will continue to work with the applicant to
ensure that the process that they’re going through is, is palatable with, as far as the requirements
go for these developments and the stormwater mitigation that can be done on the site.
Aller: Thank you. Questions? Thorough report. The eaves system. In here it looked like there
was something that, coverage percentage wise was or was not being in compliance. Somewhere.
Generous: Chairman, within Villages on the Ponds they may exceed any, the 70 percent
standard because we’re looking at the entire development.
Aller: Because of the PUD.
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
Generous: Theoretically they could have the entire north half of this site as hard cover and still
meet the requirements overall. However we are getting green space on each of the sites and
within the surrounding developments.
Aller: Great. Okay. We’ll have the applicant come forward if they’d like to make a
presentation. If you could state your name and address for the record sir, that’d be great.
Randy Rauwerdink: Good evening. My name is Randy Rauwerdink. I’m a Vice President with
Venture Pass Partners and also represented tonight we have the whole team here. Dave Carlin is
our President and Jim Ottensteen the Senior Vice President.
Aller: Welcome.
Randy Rauwerdink: Mr. Commission, members of the commission we’re glad to present the
project tonight and grateful for your review. Bob did a very thorough report. I think we’ve
worked very well with staff with both Kate and Bob and coming to some common ground and I
think an exciting project that we’re bringing forward to the community. I don’t think there’s a
lot that we have to add to what’s been presented this evening but we’re certainly available for
any questions that you want to put before us.
Aller: I don’t have any except for the one I always ask when it seems to be going so well. If
you’ve had an opportunity to read the report and review the report, and you’ve been working
with staff. Is there anything that you can foresee right now that you might run into a problem
with?
Randy Rauwerdink: No, I’ve got to tell you we jumped on the report kind of as soon as that hit
the desk and we’ve got both the civil engineers and the architects you know well on their way to
working through that. I think you mentioned that you’ve received some follow up from
Sambatek today and I think we’re going to come to a consensus on a system that works there.
It’s a challenging site. You know there’s no question. It’s been vacant for some time and there’s
maybe there’s a reason for that but you know we look at a site with very challenging soil
conditions and a lot of corrections and kind of an inordinate share of improvements I’m going to
call almost off site within the Pond Promenade roadways that are benefitting everyone but maybe
being born by this project so that’s been the biggest challenge and I think we’ve got a plan that
works. You know our challenge is going to be making the numbers come together as we see
these final specs but we’re excited to bring the project to Chanhassen and I expect it to be
successful.
Aller: Great, thank you. Anyone else? Thank you. Okay, we’ll open up the public hearing
portion of the meeting for this particular item so anyone wishing to speak either for or against the
item before us can do so. Come up to the podium and state your name and address. Hi.
Dale Woodbeck: Good evening. My name is Dale Woodbeck. I’m at 26475 Strawberry Court
in Shorewood but I’m the General Manager of Lakewinds Food Co-op at 435 Pond Promenade.
Aller: Welcome.
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
Dale Woodbeck: Thank you. Specific to the zoning variance request, I’d urge you to reject your
staff’s recommendation. If the purpose of a variance is to relieve a hardship, I don’t see that this
is a hardship. When we built our store very close by in ’04-’05 we complied with the 30 inch
letter height ordinance and we were not allowed to go above that. I mean we discussed I think
pylon signs and so forth at that time at least according to the property manager and have
struggled for years with signing and our, have complied with the 30 inch and I don’t really think
the City ought to be involved in picking winners and losers and giving another retailer a
competitive advantage or any kind of advantage at all through zoning variances. So I’d like to
say that. This is not specific to the variance request but I wanted to give the commission and the
City a heads up even though it’s not an exclusively a city matter but we have, from Northcott
Company when we had built our store, they gave a use restriction that prohibits the type of, that
prohibits a specialty grocery and a variety of other things on the exact site that’s in question here.
So we have that use restriction. I’ve presented that to Northcott. It’s the same individual that
signed our lease document. The use restriction document and I think the application for this and
I’ve informed the developer, I think that Northcott has too. That we intend to enforce that use
restriction and as I say, I know that’s not specific to the zoning but I just wanted to put that out
there so if that, if you’re looking for a snag, there it is.
Aller: Okay, appreciate it.
Dale Woodbeck: So thank you for your time.
Aller: Thank you. Sir, if you could come forward and state your name and address.
Christoph Leser: Yes, my name is Christoph Leser. I live at 8110 Marsh Drive which is about 2
blocks away from this property.
Aller: Welcome.
Christoph Leser: And I’m an avid shopper at Lakewinds. We enjoy this very much. I think this
is one of the best additions to the city of Chanhassen in the last few years. It’s a very wholesome
retailer and this was my first question, yeah. How does this signage compare to Lakewinds and
if indeed it was any bigger than Lakewinds then I would want to be against it.
Aller: Okay. I think it’s going to be bigger the way it’s set here.
Christoph Leser: Okay, then I would state my opposition to that.
Aller: Okay.
Christoph Leser: Thank you.
Aller: Thank you.
Aanenson: I’d like to make just a clarification on the signage.
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
Generous: Yes I checked into the signage on other buildings on it. He’s correct, the letters for
Lakewinds are, meet the 30 inch but they have a swoosh on their letter. Their total signage I
believe is 48 inches so.
Aller: Okay. Okay, anyone else wishing to come forward speaking for or against? Seeing no
one come forward I’m going to close the public hearing at this time and open it up for
commissioner comment.
Hokkanen: I’d like clarification on signage. So they’re asking for a variance to go to the 42
inches from 30 plus the site?
Aller: To go to, right.
Generous: That’s correct. Under the PUD standards they’re limited to 30 inch sign height.
Aller: Based on the sight lines to the roads.
Undestad: Was Lakewinds granted a variance for their sign?
Generous: No.
Undestad: If they’re over the 30 inch.
Generous: Their letters are at the 30 inches. It’s just they added a swoosh above it and there’s
two rows of it so they have overall the height of the signage is larger.
Tennyson: So it’s not actually about the letter size, it’s the sign in total?
Generous: No, well their variance request is just for letter size because they would be under
what would be permitted under the zoning regulations for total sign area. So if they wanted to
stack them they could have two 30 inch letters. Two rows of them.
Aller: It’s just the size of the letter.
Aanenson: Right. So it’s a way to achieve more visibility and that’s, as Bob said is to stack
them so we’re taking the narrowest interpretation and just making a single. A line but taller.
Aller: So there’s nothing in the ordinance right now that would stop them from stacking two half
letters?
Generous: No. And I believe under their plans they’re showing a box of signage and they
actually calculated they could get 217 square feet of signage on that elevation. On the east side.
Here’s where we’re looking at the variances. 201 square feet for signage so that would be a lot,
you could put a lot in that area.
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
Aanenson: That’s some of the rationale basis that we had for supporting the variance so.
Aller: And it’s only, it’s being restricted to the two long view sight lines so the walkable sight
line will still be restricted?
Generous: That’s correct.
Aller: And then I do agree, any of the use restrictions based on tenancy are not before us. Does
anybody have any comments or issues? I just don’t think that’s before us. It wouldn’t be proper
for us to discuss it any further so in looking at the actual requests, does anybody have any further
comments? Based on the report. Okay. Entertain a motion then if anyone wants to undertake
that.
Tennyson: I’ll make a motion.
Aller: Okay.
Tennyson: The Chanhassen Planning Commission recommends that City Council approve the
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preliminary plat for Villages on the Ponds 11 Addition and approve the site plan for
Chanhassen Specialty Grocery with a variance to the sign letter size on the north and west
building elevations subject to the conditions of the staff report and adopts the Findings of Fact
and Recommendation.
Aller: I have a motion. Do I have a second?
Undestad: Second.
Aller: I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion?
Tennyson moved, Undestad seconded that the Chanhassen Planning Commission
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recommends the City Council approve the preliminary plat for Villages on the Ponds 11
Addition and approve the site plan for Chanhassen Specialty Grocery with a variance to
the sign letter size on the north and west building elevations subject to the following
conditions and adoption of the Findings of Fact and Recommendation
:
Subdivision
1.The final plat shall include a 20-foot drainage and utility easement centered over the public
utilities within Outlot A.
2.The fees collected with the final plat are:
a.Surface Water Management fee: $46,377.06
b.Park Dedication fee: $33,875
c.GIS fee: $25 (plat) + ($10/parcel x 3 parcels) = $55
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
3.City water (WAC), City sewer (SAC) and Metropolitan Council sewer (Metro SAC) fees will
be collected with the building permit and will be calculated based on the uses within the
building.
4.Prior to issuance of the building permit the applicant must record a drainage and utility
easement, or other equivalent protection as agreed to by the city, over the Ecostorm and the
sand filter basin. This recorded easement must specifically address who is responsible to
own and maintain the system and must meet the requirements spelled out in Part III.D.5.(5)
of the General Permit Authorization to Discharge Stormwater Associated with Small
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems Under the National Pollution Discharge
Elimination System/State Disposal System (NPDES/SDS) Permit Program.
Site Plan with Variance
Building:
1.The buildings are required to have automatic fire extinguishing systems.
2.Building plans must be prepared and signed by design professionals licensed in the State of
Minnesota.
3.Detailed occupancy-related requirements will be addressed when complete building plans are
submitted.
4.The owner and or their representative shall meet with the Inspections Division as soon as
possible to discuss plan review and permit procedures.
Engineering:
1.The western portion of Pond Promenade shall be at least 26 feet wide to meet the City’s
minimum requirement for a private street serving two-way traffic.
Fire Marshal:
1.“No Parking Fire Lane” signs and yellow-painted curbing will be required. Contact Fire
Marshal for specifics.
Natural Resource Specialist:
1.The applicant shall install trees in the larger landscape peninsulas located along Pond
Promenade on the north and west sides of the lot.
2.The applicant shall re-submit a corrected landscape plan to the city prior to construction.
Planning:
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Chanhassen Planning Commission – October 7, 2014
1.The applicant shall enter into a site plan agreement with the City and provide the necessary
security to guarantee erosion control, site restoration and landscaping.
2.Install two benches east of the building on Main Street. The applicant should also consider
providing additional benches on site and along Pond Promenade. The applicant shall provide
benches similar to others used in Villages on the Ponds.
3.Change the design of the ECO mesh green wall to be slightly curved (in footprint) to help
break the monotony of the long, straight wall along the street.
4.The street/sidewalk lights along Main Street have to be preserved and operational when the
site construction is completed.
5.Additional landscaping shall be provided to the south of the building.
Water Resources:
1.The applicant must provide adequate evidence that there is no area on the subject property
suitable for infiltration. The discussion must include the practicality of altering the site
layout.
2.The applicant must provide volume control to the maximum extent practicable and must
provide a discussion of the feasibility of other methods of volume reduction.
3.The applicant must provide water quality modeling, acceptable under Section 19-144(a)(1)c.
of Chanhassen City Code, showing that the water quality treatment conditions are met for the
required water quality volume from all new impervious surfaces.
4.A comprehensive, stand-alone SWPPP document with all elements required by Part III of the
NPDES construction permit and Section 19-145 of city code shall be prepared and submitted
to the City for review and comment before any earth-disturbing activities, including but not
limited to dewatering of the pond, removal of any existing surfaces or structures, and
removal of vegetation.
5.Any dewatering of the pond must have a dewatering plan, approved by the city, prior to
executing. This plan must assure that no sediment-laden water leaves the site and shall be
incorporated into the SWPPP.
6.The applicant must comply with the requirements of all other jurisdictional agencies with
authority over the project area.
7.The applicant will be responsible for procurement of any permission required by any other
agencies with authority over the project.
All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 6 to 0.
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