Variance Letter 03-17-16March 17, 2016
Community Development Department
City of Chanhassen
7700 Market Boulevard
Chanhassen, MN 55317
RE: Chick-fil-A
Variance Letter Request
HR Green Job No.: 86150413
Dear Distinguished Community Development Department Staff
On behalf of our client Chick-fil-A, we would like to formally introduce the proposed
project as well as identify the lot coverage variation to the City's Code of Ordinances that
is being requested along with justification for the variance request.
The subject lease property is located at 445 West 79th Street which is generally located at
the northwest corner of the intersection of State Trunk Highway No. 5 and Great Plains
Boulevard. The property will be leased through Solomon Real Estate Group and the overall
leased area is approximately 1.32 acres. The site is currently developed with a 9,684
square foot one-story commercial retail building and associated parking lot. The subject
property is zoned BH -Highway and Business Services District. The project will consist of
razing the existing building and parking lot within the parcel and constructing the proposed
restaurant which will contain approximately 4,775 square feet of floor area, will be
attractively landscaped, and will feature an outdoor seating area adjacent to the STH No. 5
frontage. A drive-thru service facility is also proposed which will feature two stacking lanes
up to the order points that will merge into one lane leading up to the pickup window.
Vehicular access to the proposed restaurant will be provided by two existing driveways to
West 79th Street. Seventy-three off-street parking spaces will be located within the subject
property which includes three handicap spaces. Although the site layout is providing more
parking than the required 60 stalls, Chick-fil-A requests each location to provide for at least
70-75 parking spaces in order to promote efficient operations at each restaurant. The
request for more parking limits the amount of pervious area that can be provided throughout
the parking lot.
One of the challenges for Chick-fil-A in determining a site layout for this property were
implementing a plan that would fit a building and drive-thru facility within the lease property
while providing for sufficient parking for the new restaurant. Additionally, locating the
building such that it could be visible from STH No. 5 was important from a brand recognition
standpoint and for potential customers to easily identify where we are located. As such, the
Chick-fil-A building is proposed to be located at the southeastern corner of the lease parcel.
The majority of the area that will be occupied by the building and a portion of the drive-thru
lane is currently all pervious surface. This reduction of pervious surface causes the
proposed Chick-fil-A development to be unable to meet the lot coverage requirements as
stated in Section 20-715 of the City Code.
Phone 815.385.1778 Fax 815.385.1781 Toll Free 800.728.7805
420 N. Front Street, Suite 100, McHenry, IL 60050
Community Development Department
City of Chanhassen
Chick-fil-A— Variance Letter Request
HR Green Job No.: 86150413
March 17, 2016
Page 2 of 4
In order to provide for adequate parking, and sufficient drive-thru lane vehicle stacking to
efficiently operate the Chick-fil-A restaurant, and locate the building to provide for visibility
from adjacent roadways, we are requesting a variance to the City Ordinance:
Allow the proposed development to exceed the maximum lot coverage of 65 percent.
To further support our request for the variance noted above, we will examine it as a whole
as it relates to the six main variance criteria and provide information as to how we feel we
satisfy these criteria.
1. Variances shall only be permitted when they are in harmony with the general
purposes and intent of this Chapter and when the variances are consistent with the
comprehensive plan.
Chick-fil-A is requesting a variance to exceed the maximum lot coverage with
in a commercially zoned parcel. According to the City of Chanhassen's
Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the subject parcel is proposed to remain
commercially zoned in 2030. The properties neighboring the Chick-fil-A
parcel have also been planned to retain their zoning classification. The
requested variance does not alter the goal or intent of the City's
comprehensive plan.
When there are practical difficulties in complying with the zoning ordinance.
"Practical difficulties," as used in connection with the granting of a variance, means
that the property owner proposes to use the property in a reasonable manner not
permitted by this chapter. Practical difficulties include, but are not limited to,
inadequate access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems.
a. Chick-fil-A is requesting a variance to exceed the maximum lot coverage
requirement in order to provide a site layout that provides for efficient
operations for the development. Chick-fil-A typically requires 70-75 parking
spaces at each store location in order to provide enough parking for their
team members and customers. In addition to this, Chick-fil-A at a minimum
needs a drive-thru stack of 24 vehicles (9 from the pickup window to the order
points and 14 from the order points to the entry). Being able to meet these
design criteria will improve traffic circulation throughout the site and to reduce
any impact to adjacent arterial roadways. Adhering to the City minimum
parking requirement will compromise Chick-fil-A's ability to provide ample
parking for their customers and team members resulting in traffic congestion
within the plot. Chick-fil-A typically also provides a dual stack drive-thru lane
to minimize customer wait times and to reduce chances of creating a vehicle
que within the parking lot drive aisles. Reducing the drive-thru to a single lane
could potentially have adverse effects to the traffic circulation within the
associated and neighboring parking lots. To maximize the efficiency of the
drive-thru facility, Chick-fil-A has found that the following should be provided
in each drive-thru layout: A nine vehicle stack between the pickup window
and order boards and a sixteen vehicle stack between the drive-thru entrance
and order board locations. Although the proposed layout exceeds the
Community Development Department
City of Chanhassen
Chick-fil-A— Variance Letter Request
HR Green Job No.: 86150413
March 17, 2016
Page 3 of 4
maximum lot coverage, Chick-fil-A would not be able to operate at an efficient
level without the increased parking spaces and dual drive-thru lane.
3. That the purpose of the variation is not based upon economic considerations alone.
The request to allow the development to exceed the maximum lot coverage is
not based upon economic considerations. The request has been made in
order to propose a site layout that provides for efficient operations for the
restaurant. The increased parking stalls and dual drive-thru lanes, although
increase the overall lot coverage, are important factors in creating a desirable
layout for Chick-fil-A and to reduce the chance of traffic congestion
throughout the site and adjacent roadways.
The plight of the landowner is due to circumstances unique to the property and not
created by the landowner.
a. The request for the lot coverage variance can be directly related to the size
and shape of the subject parcel. The 1.32 acre property does not provide the
development with the opportunity to incorporate the open space required by
code after the building, drive-thru, and parking lot are configured. The layout
of the existing development to the west also affects the amount of open
space that can be provided. It is impractical to introduce green space along
the west property line since the parking lot and access drive connections
must be maintained.
5. The variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the locality.
The approval of allowing the Chick-fil-A development to exceed the maximum
lot coverage amount will not alter the essential character of the locality. The
properties adjacent to and within the vicinity of the subject parcel are all
zoned commercial. The added coverage within the subject property does not
affect the goal and intent of the commercial land use.
Variances shall be granted for earth sheltered construction as defined in Minnesota
Statutes Section 216C.06, subdivision 14, when in harmony with this Chapter.
a. The Chick-fil-A variance request does not relate to earth sheltered
construction, and as such, this item has been determined to not be
applicable.
Overall per code, this project would be allowed a total lot coverage of 65 percent. The
request before you proposes a Chick-fil-A development with a lot coverage of 77 percent.
We are very excited about this store as well as becoming a part of the City of Chanhassen
and look forward to presenting the project in greater detail at the Plan Commission Meeting
on April 19th, 2016.
Community Development Department
City of Chanhassen
Chick-fil-A— Variance Letter Request
HR Green Job No.: 86150413
March 17, 2016
Page 4 of 4
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
HR GREEN, INC.
Joseph F. Vavrina, P.E. LEED AP
Project Manager
JFV/ech
Attachments
HrgmhnasVO L06150413VDesignACon ltr 03141 Flmpervious Cover Van ance LeHerdoor