HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/09/2005
AGENDA
CITY OF MAPLEWOOD
COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Tuesday,August9,2005
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: July 26, 2005 Minutes
5. Unfinished Business: None scheduled
6. Design Review:
a. Best Buy -1765 County Road D
7. Visitor Presentations:
8. Board Presentations:
a. August 8, 2005, City Council Meeting
9. Staff Presentations:
a. Sign Code Revisions
b. CDRB Representation at the August 22, 2005 City Council Meeting
10. Adjourn
MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA
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 neon lighting on the
Ashley Furniture building to be added as discussion under Board Presentations.
Board member Olson moved to approve the agenda as amended.
Board member Ledvina seconded.
Ayes - Hinzman, Ledvina, 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, 2005, on page 5, 2nd
paragraph, changing 120,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet.
Chairperson Longrie moved approval of the minutes of July 26, 2005, as amended.
Board member Hinzman seconded.
Ayes --- Hinzman, Ledvina, Longrie, Olson,
The motion passed.
V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
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2
VI. DESIGN REVIEW
a. Best Buy - 1765 County Road D
Ms. Finwall said Mr. Tim Palmquist, representing Best Buy, is proposing to construct a new
45,243 square foot store 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 planning commission recommended denial of the building setback and parking count
reduction at the July 27, 2005, meeting. City code requires five parking spaces per 1,000
square feet of retail space. There are currently 487 parking spaces located 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. After completion, Best
Buy and the property owner proposes to have a total of 522 parking spaces, 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.
The planning commission, however, recommended denial of this reduction 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 nonconforming existing
width of nine feet. This rationale, of course would reduce the parking count reduction further.
Ms. Finwall said the building elevations for Best Buy must be revised and resubmitted to the
CDRB for approval. The revised elevations should reflect additional design features to help
break up the large expanse of the walls. Staff would like to add a condition for the elevations
of the west wall for the remaining Town Center shopping center. Once the Frank's Nursery
building is removed staff wants to ensure the finished wall is compatible with 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 existing Best Buy space
once the building is vacated?
Ms. Finwall said the applicants have stated that the property managers would attempt to lease
the building to a large retailer or possibly subdividing the space to smaller retailers.
Chairperson Longrie asked if there was the potential to plant additional trees along County
Road D?
Ms. Finwall said because of the requirement for the sidewalk staff doesn't know if the existing
trees will be affected. City staff is recommending the applicant show the sidewalk in relation to
the existing trees and if any of those trees are removed staff would like to ensure they maintain
a row of trees at least 30 feet on center the entire length of the property.
Board member Hinzman asked if the proposed landscaping conditions were consistent with
some of the other new construction in the area such as for Ashley Furniture and The Myth
night club?
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Ms. Finwall said staff's proposed landscaping conditions were not based on Ashley Furniture's
landscaping. She didn't review that proposal but she is aware they have extensive
landscaping.
Board member Hinzman asked if those landscaping standards were based 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 Best Buy buildings that
were built in the metropolitan area that might give the CDRB some guidance in terms of
various building designs?
Ms. Finwall said the City of Eden Prairie recently approved a Best Buy store in their city and
theye-mailed her the plans for her review. Staff spoke with the architect regarding the design
of the Eden Prairie building and the special conditions under which that building was built.
Chairperson Longrie 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 Maplewood. The Eden
Prairie Best Buy building was a project that he had worked on since he started working for
Best Buy 10 years ago. Best Buy projects are worked on ahead of time and some people
would never know the work that is put into projects and the time it takes to put a project
together. He brought building elevation changes to show the board which were handed out
and displayed on the monitor for review. One change was with the building, they moved the
building back five feet to meet the 30 foot building setback. The size of the building was
reduced and they flipped the truck docks so they are located closer to the building and the
trash compactor is moved farther away from the building. This also moved 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 inbound and outbound lanes
which will allow for stacking of 15 to 20 cars. They added a parking stall at the north end of the
drive for merchandise pickup so that wouldn't conflict with the front door area. When the lease
is up for the Pannekoeken Restaurant, Best Buy has the option to use that space if they need
more parking.
Mr. Palmquist said the light poles are shown at 40 feet in height but they can lower the light
pole height, they just want a light pole that provides enough light for safety to their customers.
He said they have no problem with the landscaping conditions. Mr. Palmquist said they were
surprised at the staff report stating Best Buy needed to bring revised building elevations back
for review with additional building design elements. Best Buy thought they had presented an
acceptable building design and did not know there were requirements they had to meet. They
felt the proposed building was compatible with the buildings in the area.
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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?
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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 glass 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 building. 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?
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Mr. Palmquist said they have a roof that slopes one direction and the drains are on the outside
of the columns on the Wests ide 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.
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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.
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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 D 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 fac;:ade 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 CDRB, 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.
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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. Best
Buy has 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
plan 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 30-foot setback from both right-of-ways
(County Road D and Interstate 694).
3) The South lawn 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:
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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-foot-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 2Y:z 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-of-way.
f. Watershed district approval.
Q.." Elevations of the west wall of the remaininq Town Center shoppinq center (after
demolition of the Frank's Nurserv Center) to ensure the finished wall is
compatible to the existinq buildinq
h. g. 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.
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d. Install all required outdoor lighting.
e. Install the required sidewalk along County Road D.
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 CDRB meeting
Tuesday, August23,2005.
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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 CORBo 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 councilmember 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
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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.