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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/23/2005 AGENDA CITY OF MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD Tuesday,August23,2005 6:00 P.M. Council Chambers - Maplewood City Hall 1830 County Road BEast 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes: August 9, 2005 Minutes 5. Unfinished Business: Best Buy - 1765 County Road D 6. Design Review: None Scheduled 7. Visitor Presentations: 8. Board Presentations: August 22, 2005, City Council Meeting 9. Staff Presentations: Sign Code Revisions 10. Adjourn i , , I DRAFT ~' MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOT TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2005 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Longrie called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Board member John Hinzman Board member Matt Ledvina Chairperson Diana Longrie Vice chairperson Linda Olson Board member Ananth Shankar Present Present Present Present Absent Staff Present: Shann Finwall, Planner Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Board member Olson had asked if the board could discuss the blue Ineon lighting on the Ashley Furniture building to be added as discussion under Board present~tions. i Board member Olson moved to approve the agenda as amended. I i Board member Ledvina seconded. Ayes - Hinzman, Ledvin" Longrie, Olson The motion passed. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the CDRB minutes for July 26, 2005. Board member Ledvina had a correction to the minutes of July 26, ~005, on page 5, 2nd paragraph, changing 120,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet. i Chairperson Longrie moved approval of the minutes of July 26, 2005, as ~mended. Board member Hinzman seconded. Ayes --- Hinzman, Ledvi1a, Longrie, Olson, The motion passed. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 2 VI. DESIGN REVIEW a. Best Buy - 1765 County Road D Ms. Finwall said Mr. Tim Palmquist, representing Best Buy, is proposi~g to construct a new 45,243 square foot store at 1845 County Road D (Town Center shppping center). The proposal includes the demolition of the existing Frank's Nursery store Iwithin the center and relocation of Best Buy's current store into the new building. ' ! The planning commission recommended denial of the building setba k and parking count reduction at the July 27, 2005, meeting. City code requires five par ing spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail space. There are currently 487 parking spaces locat d on the property, for an overall parking ratio of 4.48 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail space. With the redevelopment of the site city code would require 553 parking spaces. fter completion, Best Buy and the property owner proposes to have a total of 522 parking tpaces, for an overall parking ratio of 4.72 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail space. Therefore, a parking reduction authorization of 31 parking spaces is required. ' i I The planning commission, however, recommended denial of this redu~tion stating that they would be more supportive if the portion of the expanded parking lot had parking spaces which met the current city code required width of ten feet, rather than the n nconforming existing width of nine feet. This rationale, of course would reduce the parking court reduction further. I , Ms. Finwall said the building elevations for Best Buy must be revised ~'nd resubmitted to the CDRB for approval. The revised elevations should reflect additional d sign features to help break up the large expanse of the walls. Staff would like to add a cond tion for the elevations of the west wall for the remaining Town Center shopping center. Onc the Frank's Nursery building is removed staff wants to ensure the finished wall is compatible fNith the existing Town Center shopping center and that wall elevation should be submitted for approval by the CDRB. Board member Olson asked staff if there were any proposals for the e~isting Best Buy space once the building is vacated? . Ms. Finwall said the applicants have stated that the property managers fould attempt to lease the building to a large retailer or possibly subdividing the space to small~r retailers. i Chairperson Longrie asked if there was the potential to plant addition~1 trees along County Road D? · ! Ms. Finwall said because of the requirement for the sidewalk staff doe~'t know if the existing trees will be affected. City staff is recommending the applicant show th sidewalk in relation to the existing trees and if any of those trees are removed staff would like t ensure they maintain a row of trees at least 30 feet on center the entire length of the property. i Board member Hinzman asked if the proposed landscaping condition~ were consistent with some of the other new construction in the area such as for Ashley F~rniture and The My1h night club? Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 3 Ms. Finwall said staffs proposed landscaping conditions were not basedjon Ashley Furniture's landscaping. She didn't review that proposal but she is aware 'hey have extensive landscaping. ! Board member Hinzman asked if those landscaping standards were ~ased on the overall development of Best Buy and the Town Center? . Ms. Finwall said that's a fair analysis. , Board member Ledvina asked staff if they had any examples of other B~st Buy buildings that were built in the metropolitan area that might give the CDRB some puidance in terms of various building designs? ! , Ms. Finwall said the City of Eden Prairie recently approved a Best BUyttore in their city and they e-mailed her the plans for her review. Staff spoke with the architec regarding the design of the Eden Prairie building and the special conditions under which that b i1ding was built. Chairperson Longrle asked the applicant to address the board. Mr. Tim Palmquist, Project Development Manager for Best Buy, 7601~penn Avenue South, Richfield, addressed the board. He said they have been working on this project for quite some time and they are excited to be bringing this proposal to the City of aplewood. The Eden Prairie Best Buy building was a project that he had worked on since e started working for Best Buy 10 years ago. Best Buy projects are worked on ahead of tilme and some people would never know the work that is put into projects and the time it fkes to put a project together. He brought building elevation changes to show the board w ich were handed out and displayed on the monitor for review. One change was with the bu Iding, they moved the building back five feet to meet the 30 foot building setback. The siz of the building was reduced and they flipped the truck docks so they are located closer t~ the building and the trash compactor is moved farther away from the building. This also movEjd the entryway farther away from the drive aisle entrance which allows for safer pedestrian movement across the parking area. They also added a median that separates the inboun~ and outbound lanes which will allow for stacking of 15 to 20 cars. They added a parking stall ~t the north end of the drive for merchandise pickup so that wouldn't conflict with the front door larea. When the lease is up for the Pannekoeken Restaurant, Best Buy has the option to use that space if they need ~~~~~. . I Mr. Palmquist said the light poles are shown at 40 feet in height but t ey can lower the light pole height, they just want a light pole that provides enough light for saf ty to their customers. He said they have no problem with the landscaping conditions. Mr. Pa mquist said they were surprised at the staff report stating Best Buy needed to bring revised b i1ding elevations back for review with additional building design elements. Best Buy thought hey had presented an acceptable building design and did not know there were requirements t~ey had to meet. They felt the proposed building was compatible with the buildings in the area. I Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 4 Mr. Palmquist said they did bring some other building elevations for the board to review but they aren't as elaborate as the Best Buy Eden Prairie building elevations. Eden Prairie is a separate site and has a lot of history to it. Eden Prairie has a requirement in its code that Best Buy knew about ahead of time and could plan for which was 60% of the building must be glass and brick and that all sides of the building act as a front elevation due to the location of the building. For these reasons you see considerable building details on all sides of the building which was a real challenge for Best Buy. Because this is a small site the parking is under the building which makes this a tall building. There is also a considerable change in grade here. This building required an extensive screening process so the truck dock and trash compactor had to be completely enclosed including a roof over those facilities. When Best Buy plans to build a store in a particular city, they take into account what the ordinances and requirements are, what the building would be adjacent to, and what the other retail areas in the city are doing in terms of building materials and signage. It seems a little extreme to expect Best Buy to build a building such as the Best Buy building in Eden Prairie. Especially after seeing the new and existing buildings that have been built in this particular area of Maplewood. This would create a monetary hardship for Best Buy as well. Mr. Paul Anderson, AlA, WCL Architects, 1433 Utica Avenue South, Suite 162, Minneapolis, addressed the board. He displayed the original Best Buy proposal and then handed out the different combinations of building products proposed for the elevations and displayed them on the monitor as well. They reviewed the differences in the plans with the board members. He said a lot of the materials listed are what they see in this existing neighborhood. The Slumberland building is a painted concrete block; the Circuit City building is a painted rock face block, the Ashley Furniture building being the newest store in the neighborhood has brick up the store front, a glass door and entry, white stucco and a blue awning across the top. The Myth night club building appears to be metal panels. The existing Best Buy building is painted concrete block so it seems to be the prevalent building material driving down County Road D. Chairperson Longrie asked what the life expectancy for the fabric canopy they propose to use will be? Mr. Palmquist said he was involved in a Best Buy project in Chicago where they used a fabric awning and he believed the life expectancy was about 10 to 15 years. Chairperson Longrie asked if there was an operation agreement with regard to design elements that are allowed at this particular shopping center? Mr. Palmquist said they have been working with the landlord, Timco and there are no operation agreements that they have encountered. There are cross access agreements between all the shops and the shopping center is owned by one owner. Chairperson Longrie asked when the lease for the Pannekoeken Restaurant is going to expire? Mr. Palmquist said the lease is still good for several more years. Chairperson Longrie asked how many parking spaces per square feet does Best Buy require? Cornmunity Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 5 Mr. Palmquist said Best Buy requires 5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. If they were on a stand alone site they would require 6 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. At peak periods the parking lot may be full and they could use the Town Center shopping center parking if necessary. Board member Hinzman asked if they considered using quick brick in place of some of the CMU units? Mr. Palmquist said he's not been satisfied with that look and would prefer to use real brick. He said he doesn't have much experience using quick brick. Board member Olson asked if the windows were functional or decorative? Mr. Palmquist said he believed the windows would be blank spandrel glass but they have done windows with seasonal graphics in them which changes the look. Any gllass on the building is a large security issue for Best Buy or any other electronics retailer. People try to break into the store and can make away with electronics very quickly. The glass they do have is secured with roll down interior grills for security. The other problem is the inside of the store has racks up against the walls and it doesn't look good from the outside looking at racks through the glass. Chairperson Longrie asked if there would be mechanical units on the roof of the building? Mr. Palmquist said there are mechanical units on the rooftop of this buillding. They designed the building so it has a four foot parapet wall to screen the rooftop units. Chairperson Longrie asked if Best Buy had any problems or issues with the landscaping recommendations made by staff? Mr. Palmquist said they have no problems with the staff recommendations. Board member Olson asked about the screening fence on the roof of the second elevation that was presented to the board tonight? Mr. Palmquist said it is more of a decorative element on the building. Chairperson Longrie asked what color that decorative fence would be? Mr. Anderson said they think the fence would be black. Board member Olson said on the rear elevation they show some white linear objects and she asked if they were roof drains? Mr. Anderson said they are roof drains. Board member Olson asked if the roof drains were enclosed in the columns? Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 6 Mr. Palmquist said they have a roof that slopes one direction and the drains are on the outside of the columns on the Westside of the building only. Board members asked why that wasn't shown on the original plan? Mr. Anderson said that was an oversight on their part. Once the building is finalized they try to update the rendering so it's as true to form as possible and that is where the roof drains come in but some of the doors probably shifted a bit and got further apart. The plan the board is looking at is probably as accurate as they can make it. Chairperson Longrie said with the Pannekoeken Restaurant being the next largest business next to this proposed location, and a restaurant has a higher parking need, is Best Buy concerned their customers will be competing with the Pannekoeken Restaurant customers for some of the shared parking spaces? Mr. Palmquist said because of the type of restaurant that Pannekoeken is the peak time is in the morning and afternoon and Best Buy's peak business time is late afternoon and evening hours of business. Board member Ledvina asked staff what their reaction is to the new building elevations. If Ms. Finwall doesn't care to answer that question that is fine too but the board would appreciate the feedback. Ms. Finwall said she noticed there is additional building design elements called out on just the corners, other than that there are no extreme changes to the building designs and staff finds that highly inadequate. It may be unfair to compare this building to what was built in Eden Prairie but she finds the rational that the Eden Prairie building has the elaborate design detail is because it is in a visible location is unfair because this is a highly visible location as well. It is in the city's newest and highest density areas for Legacy Village and this should be a nicely designed building with different design elements to it. The Eden Prairie building has many breaks in the building elevations with things like cornices and jogs in the building elevations. So much more could be done to the Maplewood building design. The city should strive for something better than what has been proposed by the applicant. Board member Ledvina said in his opinion he thinks the modified design that was presented to the board tonight is a step backwards. There is something wrong with the look of this building. He doesn't like the window awning combinations, the clustering of the windows in terms of how they are spaced, the scale of the building, the fence on the roof of the building is totally inadequate and he doesn't care for the white stripe around the building. The previous design had a matching stripe and was better coordinated, the white drain liters should match or blend into the building as opposed to standing out and should not be focused on as a design element. He agrees with staff that there is a lot of work to do on this building. Board member Olson said she echoes the comments made by board member Ledvina. She feels like Best Buy is designing to the lowest common denominator in the surrounding area. To mimic the building that T-Birds bar and restaurant is located in isn't appropriate considering the amount of construction and development that is going on in this area. Best Buy needs to look forward and not backward. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 7 Board member Olson doesn't like the fake windows or any of the elevations and she expected quality architecture from a company like this. Personally she would like to see something more modern and high tech. Chairperson Longrie said she agrees with some of what has been said but she also respectfully disagrees with some of the comments as well. She likes option C the best because it seems more symmetrical. One of the reasons she doesn't like the first option was because there wasn't enough much of a difference in texture, color, or building materials. The drain liters shouldn't be white or stand out, they should blend into the building. The white stripe doesn't fit in with the look of the building. The style of the Best Buy sign doesn't blend in with the style of the building. Maybe they could add more of the blue color that is on the Best Buy sign into the design of the building somewhere. Board member Hinzman said the Best Buy building designs aren't the worst plans he has ever seen. He thinks the left elevation of the building is the most crucial to him. In the future County Road D is going to have more pedestrian traffic with the Legacy Village development and he feels the building elevations need to be brought down more to the pedestrian level. He likes the colors of the original building plan better than what was presented tonight. He doesn't like the white stripe on the building and suggested adding some additional design elements and building materials to the building design to improve the appearance. Board member Olson said she agrees with staff's comments and recommendations in the staff report. She too wants to see planting beds along County Road D, she wants to see the sidewalk installed and she agrees with Board member Hinzman regarding the left building elevation and bringing the level of the building materials down so it's more pedestrian friendly. Mr. Palmquist asked for clarification. He said they are confused regarding what the City of Maplewood wants built here. The staff report calls for a certain percentage of materials which isn't in the code anywhere. He asked are they to take that at face value and adhere to that requirement? Are they to look at what was recently built in this location with Ashley Furniture and the Myth night club? Ashley Furniture's level of pedestrian friendliness includes no windows and a few awnings. There doesn't seem to be a consistent theme in this area. There is the furniture store, the night club and a new residential neighborhood called Legacy Village which he hasn't seen yet. Comments have been made to have a more modern building, use warmer colors and add more building design elements. They are confused about what direction they are supposed to go to satisfy the requests of staff and the board and still fit into the community. Board member Hinzman said his opinion is to improve the left elevation on County Road D to break that down to a smaller scale because of its close proximity to the roadway and to the visibility to that roadway. The other elevations of the building are not as critical as this but he would like to see more changes down at the pedestrian level. Board member Hinzman said maybe they could add some variation in the piers as far as the elements along the roof go. Try to break the big box up so it looks less like it is stuck on piers. He understands the quandary the applicant is in, that area of Maplewood has older existing buildings and new buildings that have recently been built and there doesn't seem to be any consistency between them. As a board member, he would like to see something similar to the new buildings that were built in the east metro area and the new shopping centers. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 8 Board member Hinzman said those buildings and shops have varied architectural design elements and other various building materials used in the building of those stores that make them architecturally pleasing. Board member Ledvina said the staff report highlights the difficulty with this site in that you have 230 feet of building along County Road 0 and the building is 28 feet tall. There are other options that Best Buy can do to break up the expanse of the building in a more geometric way as opposed to looking across a 230 foot wall. Look at the example of the Eden Prairie Best Buy store. It's a large structure with various breaks in the building fa9ade in that the Eden Prairie building doesn't have a long expansive wall; it has several breaks in the building fac;:ade and has a lot of architectural and visual interest. Ms. Finwall said the struggle with many applicants that come before the CDRB is that the City of Maplewood doesn't have set design standards that state you must use a certain percentage of building materials, however, the city has the CORB, which many communities don't have and while it may be subjective, the city has five appointed individuals who serve the city to ensure quality development is built in Maplewood. She feels it's unfair to look at the existing buildings in the area. This is an older community and there are many older big box retailers built ten to fifteen years ago when perhaps Maplewood wasn't looking towards the high quality building design that the city is seeing now. The city is seeing a lot of redevelopment so it's unfair to compare the older big box buildings that were approved years ago to what the city wants to see built now. The City of Maplewood is trying to better the community. City staff feels just because Eden Prairie has written language that states you have to have 60% brick and glass on a building and other standards that is unfair to come to Maplewood and propose a concrete masonry building. The city would like to see the expanse of the building broken up to ensure it's not just a large wall. In Oakdale Best Buy recently built a new store which is all brick. Another example of a new big box retailer is the new Wal-Mart store in Woodbury where they did a nice job breaking up the expanse of a huge building. She recommends getting away from the very linear aspect of the building design. Mr. Palmquist said he hates to pick on Ashley Furniture but it seems like that's the most recent project and he assumed the CDRB had a hand in approving that project. He believed the brick on that building goes up to around 8 feet and the building has brick and stucco on it. On the county road elevation it is broken up by four piers. That building doesn't seem to have much architectural interest or building materials used on the building so for those reasons it almost feels like there may be some backlash to what was done with that building and therefore Best Buy has to pay the price. Board member Olson said the board is struggling with how they would like this building to look. She isn't an architect and she isn't going to tell Best Buy how to design this building and she doesn't feel that's her responsibility. The board doesn't get to select the businesses that are coming into the neighborhood and the CDRB has to work with a footprint of the building and the board is fairly limited to what they can ask the developer to do, especially when it is a prototype that is built the same across the country. To deal with the old Slumberland building, a new Ashley Furniture building, the new Myth night club that isn't complete yet, the deteriorating Frank's Nursery building and the other residential buildings in the area has been a real challenge. Trying to bring any kind of cohesiveness to the area is extremely challenging and the board is limited to what they can do. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 9 Board member Olson said the city doesn't have strict guidelines set yet. The city would like to see something more upscale and a better quality product out of Best Buy that reflects some architectural thought and design. Because the board members are not architects they cannot tell you to use certain building materials and design the building so it looks a certain way. You need some professional resources to call upon to come up with some better solutions to the challenges that are being presented by the board. Mr. Palmquist said the team that put this presentation together is the same team that did the Eden Prairie Best Buy store. Board member Olson said personally the Eden Prairie Best Buy store is too much "wedding cake" for the City of Maplewood and you could comfortably scale the plan back for Maplewood but what has been presented tonight is unacceptable to the board. Board member Ledvina moved to approve the plans date-stamped June 15, 2005, and the site olan submitted durinq the Auqust 9. 2005. CDRB meetinq showinq the widened drive aisle and curved sidewalk for the Best Buy store to be located within the Town Center shopping center at 1845 County Road D. Approval is subject to the following conditions: (changes to the motion are underlined and deletions are stricken.) 1. Repeat this review in two years if the city has not issued a building permit for this project. 2. Prior to issuance of a grading or building permit, the applicant must submit to staff for approval for the following items: a. Revised engineering and grading plans. These plans shall comply with all requirements as specified in the city engineering report dated August 4, 2005, which requires, among other items, 12-foot wide pedestrian and utility easement along County Road D, and a letter of credit authorizing and/or levies the final assessment and financing plan for a traffic signal improvement at the intersection of Southlawn Avenue and County Road D. b. Revised site plan showing the following: 1) A 6-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along County Road D as determined by the engineering department. 2) The building maintaining a 3D-foot setback from both right-of-ways (County Road D and Interstate 694). 3) The Southlawn Avenue entrance widened to 40 feet to allow for two exit lanes and one entrance lane. 4) The landscape islands should be revised to reflect a consistent 10-foot- width. c. Revised landscape plan showing the following: Cornmunity Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 10 1) Arborvitaes located in front of the wing wall should be at least 6 feet in height at planting. 2) Several landscape planting beds located on the south side of the building, along County Road D. The beds should include low maintenance shrubs and perennials planted within rock mulch. 3) The location of the 6-toot-wide sidewalk along County Road D and any trees which will be preserved with the construction of the sidewalk. The plan must reflect a row of deciduous trees (either existing or new trees) along the entire south side of the property along County Road D. The trees must be at least 30 feet on center and all new trees must be at least 2% caliper inches in size. 4) All existing landscaping on the entire Town Center property to ensure all previously required landscape is still living. 5) An underground irrigation plan to ensure all landscaping on the site is watered as required by city code. d. Revised lighting and photometrics plan which ensures all freestanding lights maintain a height of 25 feet or less, shows all proposed building mounted lights, and ensure the light illumination at all property lines does not exceed .4 foot candles. e. Obtain a permit from Minnesota Department of Transportation for any use of or work within or affecting the Interstate 694 right-ot-way. f. Watershed district approval. ~ Elevations of the west wall of the remainina Town Center shoppina center (after demolition of the Frank's Nurserv Center) to ensure the finished wall is compatible to the existina buildina !1. 9. A cash escrow or an irrevocable letter of credit for all required exterior improvements. The amount shall be 150 percent of the cost of the work and will be used by the city in the event the required exterior improvements are not complete. 3. The applicant shall complete the following before occupying the building: a. Replace any property irons removed because of this construction. b. Provide continuous concrete curb and gutter around the parking lot and driveways. c. Install all required landscaping and an in-ground lawn irrigation system for all landscaped areas. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 11 d. Install all required outdoor lighting. e. Install the required sidewalk along County Road O. 4. If any required work is not done, the city may allow temporary occupancy if: a. The city determines that the work is not essential to the public health, safety or welfare. b. The above-required letter of credit or cash escrow is held by the City of Maplewood for all required exterior improvements. The owner or contractor shall complete any unfinished exterior improvements by June 1 if occupancy of the building is in the fall or winter, or within six weeks of occupancy of the building if occupancy is in the spring or summer. 5. All work shall follow the approved plans. The director of community development may approve minor changes. 6. Building elevations are not included in this design review. Revised building elevations must be submitted to the community design review board for approval. The revised elevations should reflect additional design features to help break up the large expanse of the walls. 7. Signs are not included in this design review. Prior to issuance of sign permits for the new Best Buy store the applicants must submit all proposed signs to the community design review board for an amendment to the Town Center shopping center's comprehensive sign plan. 8. The applicant and the enqineerinq staff shall review the possibilitv of establishinq a third curb cut as a riqht in and riqht out onlV onto Countv Road D. Board member Olson seconded. Ayes - Hinzman, Ledvina, Longrie, Olson The motion passed. Board member Olson said she is comfortable with the parking space reduction on this site. Chairperson Longrie agreed and she likes the sidewalk in front of the store where it bows out because it's more welcoming for people coming to the store. She likes the additional landscaping. She understands the applicant's concern that it is difficult to design a building without building standards. Ms. Finwall said this item goes to the city council Monday, August 22, 2005, and if the applicant is prepared they could bring the building elevation changes to the CORB meeting Tuesday,August23,2005. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 12 VII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS No visitors present. VIII. BOARD PRESENTATIONS a. Board member Olson was the CDRB representative at the August 8, 2005, City Council Meeting. This is a shortened version of the city council meeting. The discussion included the Maplewood Business Center for St. Paul Pioneer Press which was passed by the city council with the condition to install the fence as recommended by the CDRB. The Maplewood Toyota parking ramp, sales facility and storage lot, which was passed by the city council. The Woodlands of Maplewood for a 28-unit development off McMenemy Street north of Kingston Avenue, was tabled by the city council and will be brought back in 1 month for review. Walgreen's at the northeast corner of Beam and White Bear Avenue was denied. City council member Rossbach recommended this item be denied and recommended the applicant and the property owner work their differences out and bring this proposal back to the city council at a later time. b. Ashley Furniture's blue neon lighting on the building Board member Olson said she isn't pleased with the finished Ashley Furniture building. She has a problem with the blue neon lighting along the top of the building. The blue neon lighting doesn't fit in with the style of the building. The blue neon lighting is very contemporary, is extremely bright and visible and really sticks out. As a board member she doesn't remember approving the blue neon lighting on this building. At the very least she would like something added to the sign code stating neon lighting should be shut off when the building is not open. The building is very visible and has a classic presence and the blue neon lighting is totally out of place and is inconsistent with the design of the building. The obtrusive blue neon color may be jarring for the new residents in this area of Legacy Village. Ms. Finwall said this building was approved when she was on maternity leave so she checked with the Senior Planner, Tom Ekstrand, to see if the blue neon lighting was approved as part of the design element. He couldn't remember anything about the approval of neon lighting therefore she checked the file and could not find anything in the file regarding the neon lighting on the building or in the photometrics. Buffalo Wild Wings had asked for neon lighting on their building and the board denied it. The Myth night club asked for neon lighting and the board agreed that it was in keeping with the design of the night club and approved the neon lighting. Neon lighting should be part of the design review and it should be reflected in the photometrics. The current sign code doesn't call neon lights out as part of the signage but could be included in the revised sign code. Board member Ledvina said if it wasn't shown on the building elevation or shown on the plans, essentially the neon lighting wasn't approved. That is a specific design element of the building and if it wasn't shown on the plan, it should not be there. Community Design Review Board Minutes 8-09-2005 13 Board member Olson said at the "very least" Ashley Furniture should shut off the blue neon lighting when the building is closed. It's a very bright neon blue color and it stands out for several blocks, you can see the blue neon lighting from Beam Avenue and from Highway 694. Ms. Finwall was happy to hear comments from the board regarding the lighting because staff felt the neon lighting was inappropriate on this building. It's especially inappropriate adjacent to residential homes as this will be in the development of Legacy Village. Staff will address the issue and follow up on the matter further with Ashley Furniture. IX. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Sign Code Revisions Ms. Finwall had asked the board members to review the sign code revisions and bring their changes back to tonight's meeting. The board members had some additional comments to add so Ms. Finwall asked the board to return their comments to her by Monday, August 15, 2005, via e-mail or by mail. She would like to get the sign code revisions completed and given to the City Council by the end of 2005, so the board can move onto the next task, which staff believes should be design standards for the city. Board member Hinzman said revising the sign code is a very difficult task and he appreciates the time staff has put into this project and for checking with the business owners in the city, and working with the board members. Ms. Finwall said the city appreciates the board's efforts on this project as well. b. CDRB Representation at the August 22, 2005, City Council Meeting - Board member Ledvina volunteered to represent the CDRB at the August 22, 2005, city council meeting. The only board item to discuss is Best Buy, 1845 County Road D. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 p.m. MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: LOCATION: DATE: Richard Fursman, City Manager Shann Finwall, AICP, Planner Best Buy Elevation Revisions 1845 County Road D August18,2005 INTRODUCTION Project Description On August 9, 2005, the community design review board (CDRB) reviewed plans for Tim Palmquist, representing Best Buy, for a new 45,243 square foot Best Buy store to be located at 1845 County Road D (Town Center shopping center). The proposal includes the demolition of the existing Frank's Nursery store within the center and relocation of Best Buy's current store into the new building. The CDRB approved design review of the proposal, excluding approval of the elevations, which were tabled for revisions. The CDRB requested that the applicant revise the building elevations to add design features to help break up the large expanse of the walls and include the use of more quality building materials. Since the meeting, Mr. Palmquist's architects, WCL Associates, Inc., have revised the elevations to address these concems. Requests The applicant is requesting that the CDRB approve the revised building elevations. In addition to design review, the applicant is requesting approval of a parking reduction authorization. The city council is scheduled to hold a final hearing on the design review (excluding building elevations) and parking reduction authorization on August 22, 2005, a day before the CDRB's review of the building elevations. City staff will update the CDRB on the city council's final motion on the proposal during the August 23, 2005, CDRB meeting. DISCUSSION The original building elevations showed the building constructed of predominately two colors of split face concrete masonry units (CMU) (Attachment 2). Also proposed were brick piers and custom blue dryvit elements on the sides and front of the building. The height of the building is 28 feet, with a maximum of 36 feet to the top of the blue "ticket" element above the front door. City staff and the CDRB agreed that this design lacked design elements to help break up the large expanse of the walls. The applicant and architect are now proposing four revised elevations (Attachment 3.a., 3.b., and 3.c.). All four include the use of exterior insulation finish system (EIFS) (three colors), metal profiled panels on the top and comers (two colors), split face CMUs as a wainscot, brick piers, and the blue dryvit ''ticket'' element above the door. All four elevations are more modem in design, which staff finds is in keeping with the blue dryvit "ticket" that is Best Buy's signature emblem. The modem design is also in keeping with several new buildings or remodeled buildings the CDRB approved within the last year including the Myth nightclub, Buffalo Wild Wings, and TGI Fridays. City staff finds the elevation variations that include the parallel vertical EIFS bands and the motif EIFS design to be the most appealing. City staff would recommend a few revisions to these elevations as follows: 1. The front door on the elevation does not appear to match the true location of the front door on the site plan. The front door was proposed further to the north to accommodate the drive aisle and crosswalk. The elevation should be revised prior to issuance of a building permit to reflect the true location of the front door. 2. The applicant and architect should consider using an altemative material to the CMUs for the wainscot. City staff recommends brick. However, the applicant states that the CMUs will add texture to the building. City staff recommends the CDRB discuss the alternatives. 3. The screening wall for the loading dock should include design elements similar to the building. Staff recommends adding brick piers to the wall. 4. In staff's estimation, the top of the building still appears box-like. To help soften this, staff recommends a cornice element. This element could be carried throughout the top of the building or just on the corners. RECOMMENDATION Approve the building elevations date-stamped August 16, 2005, for the Best Buy Store to be located within the Town Center shopping center at 1845 County Road D. Approval is subject to the following revisions to the elevations prior to issuance of a building permit: 1. Location of the front door must reflect the true location of the door as specified on the site plan. 2. Removal of CMU material and replacement with brick. 3. Brick piers added to the loading dock screening wall. 4. Cornice elements on top of the building. 5. All roof scuppers must be built into the brick piers and not be on the exterior of the elevation. P:\com-dev\sec34-30\best buyl8-23-05 PC report Attachments: 1. Location Map 2. Onginal Elevation 3. Revised Elevations: a. Horizontal Banding b. Angled Vertical Banding c. Parallel Vertical Banding d. Motif Design 2 Best Buy 1845 County Road D Attachment 1 o 0'0 o 0 ~ I~an lfi::J N W*E S D o M plewood M II ~ 0 '[FO 0 0 ~ '" Location Map 3 Attachment 2 c: - J;!"8c c 015 ~ ~~ -Ql o.c: .. c.;; .. ::;:::;: ... c: o '6 E - S! .s o CI) "2 "- '" u.:v.i .", "'0 "'.. .. - ",'" -'" ell) .. " .. Cl .... c: <I., ~:~ Cl '" c .!: 1;; E ~~~ " '" c " .:( 1: .. " c E <I') e en a. Q) <I.. CD .Qo~o ~oU)o Q)~ ~~ c......a:lO :gcO't;~ ~ ~ c " o U '" Cl .,; c: 0 ~~g ~g:: :>-c.Ql ,,~c. "''''0 "t;~lt:i " '" c c: " ,. E ~ c. 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C " 0 '5 "'''' <( '" E .c "'0 0 0. '" E "'... c <; u '" 0 '" ~tO " .n a; .n ~ E.., ~ 0> , ,g .'" 0 c: 0 >- 0 ~. 1j c: - 6"l:t .. g."<( !!? ~:n8 " c: ill 8 "C .E Q'" :: u~ ~- .2 00 i!! ~ g> _u.mo go_ 000.... :;:u ~.. '"" c ~o < >-- ~OcnO ~ ",oS 0_ c: u 8. - ~ 8J!2Q) 0>'" 0 ~ +. > +. >0.& ~ "''''''' '" 0 1:0>08- .f:-;;E - c: ~ o.c: 0' ...."'0 "''''0 032....1.0 CD o~ ~~& oa::i1;;~ 1;;N . E - '" . 0: ::;:::;: .s: '" ~ ~ " ".." Q)ON""=f '" '" '" ",<>- 8 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: APPLICANT: DATE: Community Design Review Board Shann Finwall, AICP, Planning Sign Code Revision City of Maplewood August 18, 2005 After several months of sign code revision input from the Community Design Review Board (CDRB), city staff presented the board with a revised draft sign code during the June 28, 2005, CDRB meeting. City staff requested that the CDRB review the draft code and submit individual comments regarding issues that still need to be addressed. Following is a summary of those comments: 1. Prohibited Signs: Signs attached or supported on a permanently parked vehicle or semi-trailers intended to advertise a business, product, or service. This could be vel}' difficult to enforce; we may want to make the distinction that the semi-trailer is in use for construction of the building and in close proximity to the construction site (to avoid semi-trailers clearly parked for only advertising purposes). 2. Prohibited Signs: Signs that advertise a product or service not sold on the property, except for billboards or other off-site signs where specifically permitted in this chapter. Some business owners will rent out changeable sign space to other businesses. Do we want this? 3. Wall Signs for Multi-Tenant Buildings: For each occupant of a building, one wall sign is allowed for each street upon which the property has frontage. The total number of wall signs may be increased by one for each clearly differentiated department of a business or enterprise. We should clarify which frontage the additional signs can be placed. 4. Sign Definition: Any structure, device, advertisement, advertising device or visual representation intended to advertise, identify or communicate information and to attract the attention of the public for any purpose. A sign includes any symbol, letter, figure, illustration or form painted or otherwise affixed to a building or structure. A sign also includes any beacon or searchlight intended to attract the attention of the public for any purpose. For the purpose of removal, signs shall also include all sign structures. Architectural lighting, such as neon that has no sign copy, shall not be considered to be a sign. We should consider including neon or other striping as part of the sign. 5. Mixed-Use Zoning District - Projecting Signs: Projecting signs are allowed as part of the overall signage. Projecting signs may not extend more than four (4) feet over a public right-of-way and a private road or sidewalk, and must not project out further than the sign's height. We may want to set a minimum sign height above the right-of-way/street. 6. Sign Height: The height of a sign shall measure the vertical distance from the ground grade to the top of a sign. We may want to consider allowing decorative caps on top of monument signs to be able to exceed the required height by 10 percent for a more decorative finish. 7. Can the allowable sign allocation from one frontage be transferred to another frontage? The ordinance does not appear to clarify this. 8. Garage Sale Signs: Garage sale signs not exceeding (3) square feet or (4) in number are permitted on private property or in the public right-of-way. No part of such sign shall be closer than (5) feet to the street pavement or (1) foot to a sidewalk or trail. All signs shall display the actual dates of the sale and may be erected (1) day prior to the sale and must be removed within (1) day after the sale. Clarify the one foot from sidewalk or trail language so that it is clear that we are not talking about the space between the sidewalk and/or trail and the street pavement. 9. Off-Site Real Estate Signs: Off-site real estate signs not exceeding (3) square feet in area may be placed on the public right-of-way. No part of such sign shall be closer than (5) feet to the street pavement or one foot to a sidewalk or trail. Real estate signs are limited to (1) per intersection for each separate real estate listing and are only allowed from 2:00 p.m. on Friday until 8:00 p.m. on the last day of a weekend. It was the consensus of the group that these off-site signs need to be visible to potential home buyers throughout the week so they can plan what open houses they wish to attend during the weekend. It is also important to promote the business of real estate property sales in Maplewood. City staff will be prepared to discuss these last remaining concems with the CDRB during the meeting. After conclusion of these items, staff will begin the next phase of the code revision which will include a public relations campaign to inform, educate, and gain feedback from the public on the proposed changes. 2