19064 - Tequila Butcher - Project Narrative7300 WEST 147TH STREETSUITE 504APPLE VALLEY, MN 55124-7580(952) 431-4433
August 22, 2019
Project Narrative: Tequila Butcher Restaurant .
The Tequila Butcher Restaurant is a proposed remodeling and patio expansion of the former
Applebee’s Restaurant at 590 West 79th Street in Chanhassen. The restaurant will be locally owned
and operated by the same family as Burgers & Bottles, Volstead House, Bourbon Butcher, and
Whiskey Inferno all popular restaurants around the south metro.
The project site is located in the Crossroads Plaza development accessed off West 79th Street just
east of Market Boulevard one block north of Highway 5. The property is a 1.24 acre existing
restaurant and parking lot site. The property is zoned BH – Highway and Business Services
District as are the properties surrounding the site. The current and proposed restaurant is an
allowed use within this zoning district.
The existing restaurant has a gross floor area of 5,792 square feet and will remain the same size
with remodeling of interior finishes and layout to create the new restaurant image. There will be
two proposed exterior patios added to the site to provide 132 seats of seasonal guest seating for
the restaurant, an amenity that is not currently provided with the former restaurant building. The
west patio will be at grade near the front entrance of the restaurant and will include a yard game
enclosure. The second patio will be attached to a portion of the south side of the building and will
be raised above grade level with the restaurant floor height in this area. This attached patio will
include a 630 square foot portion of the seating covered by a new canopy roof.
Parking for the restaurant and expanded seasonal patio seating calculates to a minimum
requirement of 124 stalls. The current parking provided, including the new stalls to be added along
79th Street, is a total of 136 stalls resulting in 12 stalls more than the minimum ordinance
requirement.
The new patios will all be constructed with wood deck framing and composite decking allowing
rainwater to flow through the deck in order to not increase the impervious surface of this overall
site. However, the new canopy roof and required added sidewalks provide a net additional
impervious surface of 946 square feet. This increase in impervious surface brings the site total
impervious surface to 73.1% which is slightly over the maximum allowed ordinance amount of
70%. The calculations indicate that the current impervious surface is already slightly over the
ordinance maximum by 375 square feet. The new canopy and sidewalk will add an additional 571
square feet of net impervious surface, still only 3.1% total area over the ordinance.
To address this slight additional impervious surface the project is requesting a variance to the
impervious surface maximum allowed by city ordinance. Initially the restaurant considered
removing four parking stalls to compensate for the additional impervious surface which would still
result in more parking stalls than ordinance minimums, however the consensus is that removing
parking stalls is counter-productive with the overall goal of adding parking for the Crossroads
Plaza center in general, especially when the overage is such a small percentage of the allowed
amount. The following items identify why this variance would meet the findings as required for
granting a variance.
a. This variance will remain consistent with the comprehensive plan and the general
purpose of the ordinance. Parking lot pavement will not be increased but only a
decorative canopy over a portion of the attached patio. Further the rainwater from this
canopy roof will be collected by a gutter and run into a rain garden area in the adjacent
landscaped area, not into the storm sewer system.
b. The practical difficulty is the intent to increase parking for the overall development. As
noted above, if the project offset the impervious surface overage by reducing parking
stalls, the project would be in compliance with both the impervious surface amount and
the minimum parking for the restaurant including seasonal patios. However, due to the
broader shortage of parking stalls in this overall area, the variance addresses the existing
conditions to increase total parking stalls in the district.
c. The variance is based on a broader parking availability concern, not on economic
considerations.
d. The shortage of parking is not based on this restaurant but is a result of the conditions
in the broader area.
e. The increase in impervious surface will not change the character of the locality, in fact
the project will enhance the neighborhood by expanding landscaping and providing
additional seasonal outdoor dining for residents of the region.
The existing building exterior is finished with brick, glass, prefinished metal standing seam accent
roofs, and a limestone clad entrance tower. The new attached patio will have a pre-finished metal
standing seam canopy roof, stained cedar colored wood deck framing, and a prefinished metal
picket railing to match the picket fencing added to the site. This canopy will fit well with the
existing building massing and enhance the south side of the building facing 79th Street as shown
in the provided colored elevation. New landscaping is also shown including overstory trees along
79th Street and extensive additional base plantings along both new patios including 100 added
shrubs and perennials.
The civil engineering drawings indicate the minor grading for this project. The stormwater
impacts were reviewed by the watershed district and the impacts are sufficiently minor to not
require a watershed permit. In essence, there is no change to parking lot stormwater impacts and
the minor stormwater addition from the patio canopy is directed to a rain garden area.
In conclusion, the proposed Tequila Butcher restaurant provides for an exciting new dining option
for the Chanhassen residents as well as guests from around the region. The added seasonal outdoor
patio seating provides a great location to enjoy dining outside and creates an upgraded image
between the new patios and extensive landscaping. On behalf of Tequila Butcher, we are pleased
to have this opportunity to bring this new restaurant to Chanhassen.
Sincerely,
Quinn S. Hutson, AIA, LEED AP
Principal
CNH Architects, Inc.