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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/11/2008 MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA TUESDAY, MARCH 11,2008 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Olson called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Board member John Demko Vice-Chairperson Matt Ledvina Chairperson Linda Olson Board member Ananth Shankar Board member Matt Wise Present Present Present Absent Present Staff Present: Shann Finwall, Planner III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Board member Wise moved to approve the amended agenda, deleting item 9.b. to ensure that all board members are present for that item. Board member Demko seconded. The motion passed. Ayes - all IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. January 22, 2008 Board member Wise moved to approve the minutes of January 22, 2008 as presented. Board member Demko seconded The motion passed. Ayes - all b. February 12, 2008 The minutes of February 12, 2008 were tabled to the next meeting, due to lack of a quorum. V. DESIGN REVIEW a. Heritage Square 5th Addition Design Modification (Highway 61 and County Road D) Planner Shann Finwall presented the report of the proposal to redesign the Heritage Square 4th Addition housing development to incorporate a third style of town house in this project. Board member Ledvina asked what the changes to impervious surfaces from the old plan to the new plan would be. Planner Finwall responded that the current surface summary is 55% of hard surface for the two lots of the new plan. Shawn Siders and Kevin Clark of K. Hovnanian Homes, were present at the meeting and discussed the new plan and the differences from the previously Community Design Review Board 2 Minutes 03-11-2008 approved plan. Mr. Siders said that due to the downturn in the housing market, the housing previously planned for this site needs to be revised. Mr. Siders mentioned that the proposed housing will complement the surrounding community and is architecturally compatible with the area. Mr. Siders said that a neighborhood meeting was held with the surrounding community and the new plan was well received by those who attended. Kevin Clark explained that the impervious surface area of the new plan was evaluated by the engineering department as part of their review of the proposal. Mr. Clark said that it was found that the increased runoff of the new design will require an underground sand-filtration system, which will be located in the northeast area of the site. Board member Wise complimented the developer on the proposed revisions to the site, but said he has concerns with the east/west orientation changes and elevations of the eight buildings that would result in viewing the ends of the buildings from the north. Mr. Wise suggested there is a need to create as much interest to the east elevations as possible and suggested adding a condition requiring a bay window on the east side of four of the buildings. Mr. Wise suggested a condition be added requiring the city engineer's review of the impervious surface and runoff calculations. Board member Olson suggested that the city engineer also review the internal drive grading relative to the position of the garages. Board member Ledvina agreed with Mr. Wise's concern with the east elevation of the buildings. He said in the past the board has recommended wainscoting to create interest. Wainscoting might be considered for a few of the buildings' east elevations. Board member Wise moved approval of plans date-stamped February 1, 2008 for the Heritage Square 5th Addition. The developer shall comply with the following conditions: 1. Comply with the requirements of the city engineering department's report dated February 27, 2008. The applicant shall enter into a developer's agreement if required by the city's engineering department and shall be subject to their requirements. 2. The applicant shall provide escrow in the amount of 150 percent of the cost of completing the pedestrian trail connection between their northerly trail and the existing power line trail to the west. This escrow shall be a form acceptable to the city engineering department and shall be provided before the issuance of the next building permit. The applicant shall be responsible for building this trail, subject to the specifications of the city, by the end of construction season 2008. 3. Meet all requirements of the building official and fire marshal. 4. Obtain all required permits from the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District. 5. Any retaining wall that exceeds a height of four feet must be engineered and have a building permit. Retaining walls that are four feet tall or more shall also have a protective fence of black chain link fence on top. 6. Repeat this review in two years if the city has not issued a building permit for this project. 7. The applicant shall install an in-ground irrigation system for all landscaped areas. Community Design Review Board Minutes 03-11-2008 3 8. The landscaping plan shall be revised to provide a substitution for the barberry bushes since they are an invasive species. The landscaping plan shall also be revised for staff approval to provide a denser planting screen for the neighbors to the west. In particular, the areas west of driveways must have a thicker planted buffer. g. The applicant shall provide a lighting plan for staff approval before getting a building permit for the first building. 10. The planning staff may approve minor changes to these plans. 11. The city's engineering department should conduct additional analysis on the increased impervious surface coverage from the original plan to the proposed plan in order to ensure and require appropriate storm water management on the site. 12. The city's engineering department should conduct addition analysis on the g% private drive slopes to ensure and require that slopes are not too steep in relation to the driveways and garages. 13. The applicant shall submit revised building elevations showing that there are bay windows located on the east elevation on a minimum of four of the eight buildings. Board member Olson seconded The board discussed requiring improved landscaping and a friendly amendment was then accepted to add Condition 14: 14. Staff should consider requiring a higher vegetation screening for the west side of the buildings relative to the existing homes. The board then voted: The motion passed. Ayes - all VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. On-Site Dynamic Display Sign Code Planner Shann Finwall presented the staff report regarding the creation of an on-site dynamic display sign ordinance. Ms. Finwall mentioned that the board may want to consider amending the prohibited section of the ordinance to include prohibiting temporary signs that blink, flash or flutter regardless of messaging. Board member Olson said since MnDOT recommends eight seconds as the minimum for display change, she will not be in favor of anything less than eight seconds and she is comfortable with ten minutes. Board member Wise said he prefers that off-site advertising be prohibited on the signs and also that he favors between ten and twenty minutes as a minimum for display change. The board discussed adding language to the comprehensive sign plan to encourage and promote the use of shared signs among businesses. Community Design Review Board 4 Minutes 03-11-2008 Board member Ledvina moved the community design review board recommended approval of: 1. Amending the prohibited sign code at section 44-737 as follows: Signs that are not specifically permitted in this article are hereby prohibited. The following signs are specifically prohibited: (3) Signs that have blinking, flashing or fluttering lights. SiQn€ th3t Qivo ~utJlic €orvico inform3tion, such 3€ timo 3na tom~or3tum 3m oxom~t. 2. Amending the temporary sign code at section 44-807 as follows: (i) Temporarv siqns with blinkinq. flashinq. or flutterinq liqhts or with dvnamic displavs are prohibited. 3. Amending the comprehensive sign plan code at section 44-736 as follows: A comprehensive sign plan shall be provided for the followinq: (1) business premises which occupy the entire frontage in one or more block fronts or for the whole of a shopping center or similar development having five or more tenants in the project: (2) dvnamic displav wall siqns: and (3) shared sians. Such a plan, which shall include the location, size, heights, color, lighting and orientation of all signs, shall be submitted for preliminary plan approval by the city; provided that, if such comprehensive plan is presented, exceptions to the sign schedule regulations of this article may be permitted in the sign areas and densities for the plan as a whole are in conformity with the intent of this article and if such exceptions results in an improved relationship between the various parts of the plan. Comprehensive sign plans shall be reviewed by the community design review board. The applicant, staff and city council may appeal the community design review board's decision. An appeal shall be presented within 15 days of the review board's decision to be considered. 4. Adopt an on-site dynamic display sign code as follows (text underlined has been added to the proposed off-site dynamic display sign code amendment which was recommended for approval by the CDRB and planning commission): a. Findings. Studies show that there is a correlation between dynamic displays on signs and the distraction of highway drivers. Distraction of drivers can lead to traffic accidents. Drivers can be distracted not only by a changing message, but also by knowing that the sign has a changing message. In such a case, drivers may watch a sign waiting for the next change to occur. Drivers also are distracted by messages that do not tell the full story in one look. People have a natural desire to see the end of the story and will continue to look at the sign in order to wait for the end. Additionally, drivers could be more distracted by special effects used to change the message, such as fade-ins and fade-outs. Finally, drivers are generally more distracted by messages that are too small to be clearly seen or that contain more than a simple message. Time and temperature signs appear to be an exception to these concerns because the messages are short, easily absorbed by those observing them, and are only accurate with frequent changes. Despite these public safety concerns, there is merit to allowing new technologies to easily update messages. Except as prohibited by state or federal law, sign owners should have the opportunity to use these technologies with certain restrictions. The restrictions are intended to minimize potential driver distraction, to minimize their Community Design Review Board Minutes 03-11-2008 5 proliferation in residential districts where signs can adversely impact residential character, and to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Local spacing requirements could interfere with the equal opportunity of sign owners to use such technologies and are not included. Without those requirements, however, there is the potential for numerous dynamic displays to exist along any roadway. If more than one dynamic display can be seen from a given location on a road, the minimum display time becomes critical. If the display time is too short, a driver could be subjected to a view that appears to have constant movement. This impact on drivers would be compounded in a traffic corridor with multiple signs. If dynamic displays become pervasive and there are no meaningful limitations on each sign's ability to change frequently, drivers may be subjected to an unsafe degree of distraction and sensory overload. Therefore, requiring a longer display time on dynamic signs is in the public interest. A constant message is typically needed on a sign so that the public can use it to identify and find an intended destination. Changing messages detract from this way-finding purpose and could adversely affect driving conduct through last-second lane changes, stops, or turns, all of which could result in traffic accidents. In conclusion, the City of Maplewood finds that dynamic displays should be allowed on off-premise signs but with significant controls to minimize their proliferation and their potential threats to public health, safety, and welfare. b. Dynamic display sign means any sign designed for outdoor use that is capable of displaying a video signal, including, but not limited to, cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), light- emitting diode (LED) displays, plasma displays, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), or other technologies used in commercially available televisions or computer monitors. c. Standards for all dynamic display signs: (1) The images and messages displayed on the sign must be complete in themselves, without continuation in content to the next image or message or to any other sign; (2) Every line of copy and graphics in a dynamic display must be at least seven inches in height on a road with a speed limit of 25 to 34 miles per hour, nine inches on a road with a speed limit of 35 to 44 miles per hour, 12 inches on a road with a speed limit of 45 to 54 miles per hour, and 15 inches on a road with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or more. (3) Dynamic display signs must be designed and equipped to freeze the device in one position if a malfunction occurs. The displays must also be equipped with a means to discontinue the display if it malfunctions, and the sign owner must stop the dynamic display within one hour of being notified by the city that it is not meeting the standards of this ordinance; (4) Dynamic display signs must meet the brightness standards contained in subdivision f. below; (4) Dynamic display signs existing on (insert the effective date of this ordinance) must comply with the operational standards listed above. d. On-Site Dvnamic displav siqns are allowed subiect to the followinq additional conditions: Community Design Review Board Minutes 03-11-2008 6 (1) Located in the Business Commercial (BC) or Heavv or Liqht Industrial (M-2 and M-1) zoninq districts onlv. (2) The imaqes and messaqes displaved on the on-premise dvnamic displav siqn must be static and each displav must be maintained for a minimum of 10 minutes: and the transition from one static displav to another must be instantaneous without anv special effects: (3) Are allowed as part of a permanent freestandinq siqn. provided that the siqn comprises no more than 50 percent of the total square footaqe of said siqn face. (4) Must be located at least 200 feet from anv residential land use district on which there exists structures used for residential purposes or anv residential structure: or from anv park or open space land use district. (5) Must be located at least 100 feet from anv side propertv line. e. Off-Site Dvnamic displav siqns are allowed subiect to the followinq additional conditions: (1) A dynamic display sign is allowed by conditional use permit approved by the city council. (2) The images and messages displayed on the sign must be static and each display must be maintained for a minimum of 12 seconds, and the transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous without any special effects; f. Incentive. Off-premises signs do not need to serve the same way-finding function as do on-premises signs and they are distracting and their removal serves the public health, safety, and welfare. This clause is intended to provide an incentive option for the voluntary and uncompensated removal of off-premise signs in certain settings. This sign removal results in an overall advancement of one or more of the goals set forth in this section that should more than offset any additional burden caused by the incentive. These provisions are also based on the recognition that the incentive creates an opportunity to consolidate outdoor advertising services that would otherwise remain distributed throughout Maplewood. Reduction of Sign Surfaces (1) A person or sign operator may obtain a conditional use permit for a dynamic display sign on one surface of an existing off-premises sign if the following requirements are met: (a) The applicant agrees in writing to reduce its off-premise sign surfaces by one by permanently removing, within 15 days after issuance of the permit, one surface of an off-premises sign in the city that is owned or leased by the applicant, which sign surface must satisfy the criteria of parts (2) and (3) of this subsection. This removal must include the complete removal of the structure and foundation supporting each removed sign surface. The applicant must agree that the city may remove the sign surface if the applicant does not do so, and the application must identify the sign surface to be removed and be accompanied by a cash deposit or letter of credit acceptable to the city attorney sufficient to pay the city's costs for that removal. The applicant must also agree that it is removing Community Design Review Board Minutes 03-11-2008 7 the sign surface voluntarily and that it has no right to compensation for the removed sign surface under any law. Replacement of an existing sign surface of an off-premises sign with a dynamic display sign does not constitute a removal of a sign surface. (b) The city has not previously issued a dynamic display sign permit based on the removal of the particular sign surface relied upon in this permit application. (c) If the removed sign surface is one that a state permit is required by state law, the applicant must surrender its permit to the state upon removal of the sign surface. The sign that is the subject of the dynamic display sign permit cannot begin to operate until the sign owner or operator provides proof to the city that the state permit has been surrendered. (2) If the applicant meets the permit requirements noted above, the city will issue a dynamic display sign permit for the designated off-premises sign. This permit will allow a dynamic display to occupy 100 percent of the potential copy and graphic area and to change no more frequently than once every 12 seconds. The designated sign must meet all other requirements of this ordinance. g. Brightness Standards. (1) City staff shall approve the following brightness standards for all dynamic display signs: (a) No sign shall be brighter than is necessary for clear and adequate visibility. (b) No sign shall be of such intensity or brilliance as to impair the vision of a motor vehicle driver with average eyesight or to otherwise interfere with the driver's operation of a motor vehicle. (c) No sign may be of such intensity or brilliance that it interferes with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, device or signal. (2) The person owning or controlling the sign must adjust the sign to meet the brightness standards in accordance with the city's instructions. The adjustment must be made within one hour upon notice of non-compliance from the city. (3) All dynamic display signs installed after (insert the effective date of this ordinance) will have illumination by a means other than natural light must be equipped with a mechanism that automatically adjusts the brightness in response to ambient conditions. These signs must also be equipped with a means to immediately turn off the display or lighting if the sign malfunctions, and the sign owner or operator must turn off the sign or lighting within one hour after being notified by the city that it is not meeting the standards of this section. (4) In addition to the brightness standards required above, dynamic display signs shall meet the city's outdoor lighting requirements (section 44-20(1)). Board member Olson seconded Board members Ledvina and Olson amended the motion to add the following to the motion: Community Design Review Board Minutes 03-11-2008 8 "Prohibit an off-site sign that advertises a product, event, person, institution, activity, business, service or subject located on the premise." The board voted: The motion passed. Ayes - all Board member Ledvina volunteered to represent the board at the planning commission meeting in April regarding this item. VII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS Council member Nephew, council liaison to the board, thanked the board for their service and asked for any questions or comments. There were no comments. VIII. BOARD PRESENTATIONS None IX. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Community Design Review Board Appointments on 2/25: Matt Wise and Ananth Shankar b. Election of Chair and Vice Chair - Tabled to the next meeting until all members are present. c. Representation at the April 14, 2008 City Council Meeting: Items to be discussed include Heritage Square 5th Addition - John Demko X. ADJOURNMENT Board member Demko moved adjournment of the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Board member Ledvina seconded Ayes - all