030221 Planning CommissionCITY OF NEW HOPE
4401 XYLON AVENUE NORTH
NEW HOPE, MINNESOTA 55428
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 2, 2021
City Hall, 7:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER The New Hope Planning Commission met in regular session pursuant to
due call and notice thereof; Chair Clark called the meeting to order at 7:00
p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting was conducted
virtually using the Webex video media platform.
ROLL CALL Present: Scott Clark, Jim Brinkman, Chris Hanson, Matt Korkowski,
Heather Koshiol, Roger Landy, Matt Mannix, Tom Schmidt
Absent: Michael Redden
Also Present: Jeff Sargent, Director of Community Development;
Brandon Bell, Community Development Assistant; Stacy
Woods, Assistant City Attorney; Jessi Weber, Recording
Secretary
NEW BUSINESS Swearing in of new Commissioner Heather Koshiol .
PUBLIC HEARING
Planning Case 21-02
Items 4.1
Chair Clark introduced Item 4.1, Planning Case 21-02, PUD amendment
and site plan review for the construction of a 1,200 square foot drive-
through kiosk at Hy-Vee, Hy-Vee Inc., petitioner.
Mr. Brandon Bell, Community Development Assistant, gave
background information on Planning Case 21-02. The drive-thru kiosk
will include four grocery pick-up lanes with an overhead canopy and
new curbing and landscaping. Customers would purchase their
groceries online and drive to the kiosk to pick them up. Groceries would
be transferred from the grocery store to the kiosk via a crosswalk that is
to be installed on the west side of the main store. Upon arrival, customer
vehicles would enter from the south, park in one of the lanes, and an
employee would come from the kiosk and bring the groceries directly to
the customer’s vehicle.
Next, Bell reviewed the zoning analysis. The proposed overhang canopy
meets the 10-foot setback requirement from Xylon Avenue North. City
Code requires between 322 and 602 parking stall s for an 84,000 square
foot grocery store in the City Center district. After the construction of
the kiosk, there would be 492 parking stalls, meeting minimum zoning
code requirements. The proposed kiosk resembles the main Hy-Vee
grocery store in design. The building material will be modular brick
with fastener panels and grey metal panels to accompany the look of the
main building. However, the majority of the proposed materials is
classified as “secondary building materials” per the New Hope Design
Guidelines, and are limited to only 30% of the façade. The applicant will
have to revise the plans to indicate that no more than 30% of the façade
is covered with these types of materials.
Bell then reviewed pedestrian and vehicle traffic through the site. The
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main store attracts pedestrian and wheelchair traffic from the
apartments to the north. Pedestrians will frequently cut through the
west parking lot to access the store. During construction, the applicant
will provide signs directing pedestrians around the work zone. Since
this will be a high-traffic area once completed, it is anticipated that
pedestrians would continue to use the sidewalks and crosswalks to gain
access to the main store. To help direct traffic, signs will be placed to
indicate which side traffic shall travel (Aisles Online Building to the
west and main building parking to the east). “Do Not Enter” signs will
be placed on the north side so that traffic entering from the northern-
most driveway along Xylon Avenue will not attempt to drive the wrong
way through the Aisles Online drive-thru lanes. The applicant has
indicated that stop signs will be placed at the end of the drive-thru lanes.
The landscape plan includes a variety of plantings alongside the new
concrete curbing. This includes 18 evergreen shrubs and four canopy
trees. Additionally, sod and mulch ground covers are proposed. A
photometric light plan has not been submitted. The applicant must
submit a full lighting plan for the entire site indicating light level s,
fixture height, and 90-degree cutoffs. No sewer and water utilities will
be run to the kiosk and electricity will be the only utility run to the kiosk.
Grading will not be altered.
Bell concluded that property owners within 500 feet of the parcel were
notified by mail, a land use petition sign was placed on the property,
and a legal notice was published in the SunPost newspaper and on the
city’s website. Staff did not receive any inquiries about the project. Staff
recommends that the Planning Commission recommend approval of the
PUD amendment and site plan review
Chair Clark asked the developer to introduce himself. John Brehm,
Director of Site Planning with Hy-Vee, gave an overview of the project.
This will be Hy-Vee’s second attempt at navigating e -commerce with
Aisles Online. The kiosk would serve those not wanting to shop in the
store; currently, Aisles Online is serving about 10% of the stores
shoppers. The COVID pandemic has accelerated the need for this
service. They figured about 4-5 years ahead of their original projection.
Motion by Chair Clark, seconded by Commissioner Landy, to open the
Public Hearing. All present voted in favor. Motion carried.
No one was present to address the commission.
Motion by Commissioner Landy, seconded by Commissioner
Brinkman, to close the Public Hearing. All present voted in favor.
Motion carried.
When Chair Clark asked if anyone had any questions, Commissioner
Mannix asked if the proposed building is going to be refrigerated. Mr.
Bell replied there would not be refrigeration. Grocery items needing
refrigeration would be kept in cooler boxes until picked up.
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Planning Commission Meeting March 2, 2021
Commissioner Korkowski asked if in addition to having the drive-thru
lanes being one way, if making the entire area a one way would be a
safer option. Mr. Bell stated there was no discussion of making the entire
area a one way. The applicant wanted to give traffic flow the option of
using either entrance. Commissioner Koshiol stated she would like to
keep the one-way traffic flow in discussion. For safety, the northern
most entrance could be an exit only and the entrance just south of that
could be an enter only. The crosswalk going across the two-way traffic
may not be the safest situation. Mr. Sargent voiced that the northern
most entrance is for deliveries that semi-trucks utilize. They would need
to enter and exit that northern most entrance. It would be hard to
monitor the traffic flow at all times to ensure only deliveries are using
that entrance as a two-way traffic flow.
Chair Clark asked if the proposed kiosk area is primarily used for
employee parking. Mr. Sargent confirmed the parking lot is used for
employee parking and the parking row closest to the store is used for
liquor store parking.
Commissioner Brinkman also stated his concern with semi-truck
deliveries and the traffic through the site not being safe. Even with the
crosswalk marked, it still has the potential to be unsafe.
Motion
Item 4.1
Motion by Commissioner Landy, seconded by Commissioner Schmidt,
to approve Planning Case 21-02, PUD amendment and site plan review
for the construction of 1,200 square foot drive-through kiosk at Hy-Vee,
Hy-Vee Inc., petitioner, with the following conditions. It should also be
noted commissioners brought up concerns relating to pedestrian safety
and the potential for traffic congestion. It was suggested to look at making
all traffic within the kiosk area one-way traffic.
1. The kiosk shall be shifted to the east to allow all drive through
service lanes to have a minimum 12-foot width.
2. The proposed kiosk building shall resemble the existing
grocery store on site, utilizing similar building materials and
colors. Secondary building materials shall not exceed more than
30% of the façade and primary building material should cover
60% of the façade.
3. The site plan must include a ramp onto the kiosk island to bring
carts to the building.
4. Any outdoor mechanical equipment must be identified on
building plans and screened from Xylon Avenue North and
surrounding properties with compatible primary building
materials.
5. All new lighting shall have 90-degree cut-off fixtures.
Freestanding lights shall not exceed 25 feet in height. Applicant
shall provide a photometric plan showing that the site is
compliant with the light levels required by the city.
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6. Signs shall be installed directing pedestrians around the
construction zone during the term of the construction project.
Permits shall be obtained for any permanent signage.
7. Utility and storm water management plans shall be subject to
the review comments of the city engineer, deputy fire marshal,
and building official.
Voting in favor: Clark, Brinkman, Hanson, Korkowski, Koshiol, Landy,
Mannix, Schmidt
Voting against: None
Absent: Redden
Motion approved 8-0
Chair Clark stated the case will be brought to the March 22, 2021 City
Council meeting.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Design and Review
Committee
Item 5.1
The next potential meeting is on March 18, 2021. Staff is anticipating two
proposals for the pre-application meeting. If either of them submit an
application, staff will notify commissioners of the meetings.
Codes and Standards
Committee
Item 5.2
There currently is no meeting scheduled.
NEW BUSINESS Chair Clark brought up the discussion of sub-committee assignments.
After discussion among Mr. Sargent and commissioners, members were
assigned as follows:
Design & Review: Float: Commissioner Landy
Chair – Chair Clark
Commissioner Hanson
Commissioner Redden
Commissioner Schmidt
Codes & Standards:
Commissioner Brinkman
Commissioner Korkowski
Commissioner Koshiol
Commissioner Mannix
OLD BUSINESS
Approval of Minutes
Item 7.1
Motion by Commissioner Landy, seconded by Commissioner Mannix, to
approve the Planning Commission minutes of February 2, 2021. Motion
carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Schmidt asked for an update on Pocket Square Cocktail
Lounge. Mr. Sargent replied they are still planning to open in the spring.
Mayor Hemken asked for an update on C-Axis. Mr. Sargent replied the
COVID pandemic hit their company hard. They are still planning to move
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Planning Commission Meeting March 2, 2021
forward with their plan; the timeline is just pushed out.
ADJOURNMENT The Planning Commission meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:36
p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jessi Weber, Community Development
Administrative Specialist