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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 2 Planning Commission Meeting March 2, 2021 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. 3 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. 4 Planning Commission Meeting March 2, 2021 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 5 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