HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/22/2008
MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Olson called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
Boardmember John Demko
Vice-Chairperson Matt Ledvina
Chairperson Linda Olson
Boardmember Ananth Shankar
Boardmember Matt Wise
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Staff Present:
Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Boardmember Demko moved to approve the amended agenda, adding item 9.d. Board Chair and
Vice Chair elections.
Boardmember Wise seconded.
The motion passed.
Ayes - all
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. February 12, 2008
Boardmember Shankar moved to approve the minutes of February 12, 2008 as presented.
Boardmember Demko seconded
Ayes - Demko, Olson, Shankar
Abstentions - Ledvina, Wise
The motion passed.
b. March 11, 2008
Boardmember Wise moved to approve the minutes of March 11, 2008 as amended changing
"Wise" to "Ledvina" in the second to the last paragraph.
Boardmember Ledvina seconded
Ayes - Demko, Ledvina, Olson, Wise
Abstention - Shankar
The motion passed.
V. DESIGN REVIEW
a. Trail's Edge Townhomes (2675 Larpenteur Avenue East)
Planner Shann Finwall presented the staff report for design plans for the proposal for the 48-unit
townhome development located on the Sl. Paul's Monastery property at 2675 Larpenteur Avenue.
City staff is recommending approval of the development with several conditions.
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Boardmember Ledvina asked for clarification on the replacement of the parking lot with two new
parking lots.
Planner Finwall responded that the existing Monastery building's parking lot will be removed for the
Trails Edge development. This parking lot will be replaced with two parking lots, one will be
located on the north side of the building and will have 33 parking spaces and the other one will be
located on the south side of the building and would have 89 parking spaces, for a total of 122
parking spaces. This would exceed the existing 108 parking lot spaces. Ms. Finwall said there will
also be two spaces per unit within the townhouse development, including one parking space
outside of the one-vehicle garage, as well as 25 guest parking spaces on the site.
Boardmember Wise asked whether the city's portion of the trail to Sterling Street might be
completed as part of this project.
Planner Finwall responded that the city plans to begin the public improvement part of this project,
which includes the trail, this summer.
Boardmember Wise asked what the length might be of the fence proposed by the neighbor along
the Century Avenue right of way.
Ms. Finwall responded that this fence request should be reviewed closely by the board for
aesthetic reasons, but the neighbor was requesting that the fence run along the entire length of the
Century Avenue property line, which appears to be over 400 feet.
Boardmember Wise said he is concerned that the south parking lot might be used by Hill Murray
students, since their parking is limited. There was discussion regarding why the students were
parking in front of the school on Larpenteur Avenue when the size of the school parking lot was
increased in the last year or two.
Boardmember Shankar questioned the plan for storm water ponding.
Planner Finwall responded that the plan for storm water ponding was approved previously by the
city council as part of the overall planned unit development on the property including these
townhomes.
Paul Holmes of Pope Architects has been working with the applicant, Common Bond Communities.
Mr. Holmes said that they are in agreement with installing the fence along Century Avenue, but do
have some aesthetic concerns with it. Mr. Holmes said they feel the best location for the fence is to
have it run from the northern most townhome south to just before the community center.
Mr. Holmes also addressed the proposed lighting saying the fixture style has been changed, but
the light height and lumens have remained the same.
Mr. Holmes said the south parking lot plan has changed from the original planned unit
development approvals. The current plan places the parking lot higher on the hill and in a more
circular design. The 122 proposed spaces proposed in both new parking lots is what was required
with the city council approvals of the overall project. Mr. Holmes explained that Tubman Family
Alliance will be doing a parking use study for their use of the old Monastery building to find how
much parking is necessary. These parking space requirements can be reviewed when the board
reviews the Monastery remodel proposal.
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Boardmember Olson asked how many handicapped parking spaces are planned.
Travis Bernard of Pope Architects said there will be two handicapped parking spaces in front of the
community center and three of the townhomes and their garages are handicap accessible.
Boardmember Demko asked whether elevations will require privacy fences between the units.
Amanda Novak of CommonBond Communities said that in their experience, for these type of units,
privacy fences are not necessary and may take away from the aesthetics of the building.
Mr. Holmes said that the materials used for the townhomes are in harmony with the materials
previously approved for the new monastery, creating a harmonious project. It is their intention to
have the lighting fixtures on the townhomes and monastery sites match.
Mr. Bernard gave a presentation of the materials and colors proposed for use for the exterior of the
townhomes.
Boardmember Shankar asked where the utility meters would be located.
Mr. Holmes responded that they will be installed on the side of the building and screened with
landscaping.
Boardmember Demko asked about the oversized garage door shown on the plans.
Mr. Holmes explained that this garage door is in a handicapped unit and allows for van
accessibility.
Boardmember Wise questioned the plans for location of the fence and landscaping along Century
Avenue.
Mr. Holmes responded that they have been able to move 12 trees and their proposed landscape
plan will be 30 trees in excess of the required tree replacement plan. For this reason, they have
some flexibility on the placement of the fence. It would appear that the best location would be
along the property line.
Richard Anderson, 1667 Sterling Street, said he is the neighbor who suggested that a fence be
installed along Century Avenue. Mr. Anderson said that due to the downgrade off of the rear
townhouse patios, the fence should be installed along Larpenteur Avenue also.
Mr. Anderson explained that the Hill Murray students are parking on Larpenteur Avenue which is
supposed to be a bike trail. Mr. Anderson said there are issues with city lighting requirements on
Larpenteur Avenue, since this is no longer a rural area, there is really more lighting needed.
Boardmember Olson asked Mr. Holmes how he feels regarding Mr. Anderson's suggestion that the
fence be extended on the Larpenteur Avenue side of the project also.
Mr. Holmes responded that the fence only seems necessary on the Century Avenue side down to
the community center. At this location there is a large expanse of lawn. Then on the Larpenteur
Avenue side the townhomes are located farther away from the street, and the ground flattens out in
this area. In addition, there will be a trail and a ditch before the pavement, so he does not feel that
the fence is warranted along Larpenteur for safety reasons.
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Richard Anderson said that when he suggested a fence be built he did not suggest any specific
kind of fence. Mr. Anderson said he believes that the fence at the corner would have to be angled
to comply with the city's sight triangle requirements. The issue with the fence is the safety of the
children. Why would safety be less important for children on Larpenteur than on Century?
Boardmember Ledvina complimented the applicant on the overall design of the project. Mr. Wise
said the one area he feels is awkward is the switch from the ledge stone to the board panel above
the garage doors for the gable and that the stone should continue to the gable. Mr. Ledvina said he
agrees with the applicant regarding not extending the fence on Larpenteur Avenue due to the
street and bituminous trail and he feels the landscaping plans could address this issue. Mr.
Ledvina also suggested the applicant provide more variation in accent colors subject to staff
approval, and lighting fixture design be complementary to other fixtures used throughout the site.
Boardmember Olson asked for Mr. Shankar's opinion on Mr. Ledvina's comments regarding the
wainscoting fayade extension.
Boardmember Shankar responded that he is comfortable with the applicant's design plan for the
area where the stone is terminating and that he understands why they did it that way. Mr. Shankar
said the height of the van accessible garage does not match the other garages and that looks out
of place. Mr. Shankar suggested that the applicant treat each unit's color scheme differently for
variation.
Boardmember Demko said he feels this is a very nice design, but he agrees that color variation is
needed on the buildings. Mr. Demko said he prefers decorative lighting rather than shoebox
lighting for this project, but he does understand there are cost concerns. Mr. Demko said he has
concerns with the limited parking planned in front of the community center.
Amanda Novak responded that there will be additional parking across the street and some parking
to the north of the center.
Boardmember Olson commented on the landscaping plan saying she felt the trees planned for the
corner area could be relocated to the north to avoid vision problems for drivers at the corner.
Mr. Holmes explained that the wainscoting planned for the back of the buildings had to be removed
from the plan due to value engineering and will be installed only on the front of the buildings.
Boardmember Olson said regarding value engineering and cost concerns that she agrees with Mr.
Demko regarding concerns with the lighting and explained that cheap shoebox lighting is available
but will not hold up, but that good quality products are also available and requested that staff
review this item carefully.
Mr. Holmes responded that since Common Bond Communities owns, maintains and manages
these rental properties they are interested in durability and ease of maintenance also.
Boardmember Olson said she agrees that variation in color is needed for the buildings.
Mr. Holmes responded that this would be easy to do, but that the variation should be somewhat
limited to provide visual composition with the other buildings.
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Boardmember Shankar asked the applicant if it would be possible to replace the wainscoting on
the back of the buildings with a trim board of the same height, possibly three feet off of the ground,
and a different color siding below the trim board.
Mr. Holmes said this would be easy to do and is a good idea.
Boardmember Shankar said this is what he would recommend.
Boardmember Olson said she feels fencing might be needed on Larpenteur Avenue on the school
side of the site for the end unit on the southwest corner for the protection of children living in these
units.
Board member Shankar noted that there is a ditch behind the townhomes.
The board asked what the retaining wall material will be for the Century Avenue side.
Mr. Holmes said it will be a keystone product and will be two to three feet high.
The board felt that a fence on the retaining wall would be a good idea.
Mr. Holmes suggested that a compromise might be that one piece of fence be installed on the
closest units on Larpenteur rather than a continuous fence along the entire corner.
Mr. Holmes said it may be possible to install a second piece of fencing up the hill of the property
line behind the trees so it is not as visible to shield those units. Mr. Holmes said there is the
complication of a sign, the landscaping and fence to be located at this point and they would like to
work with staff to find the right layout for these things to work together.
Boardmember Olson asked what their plans are for the signage.
Ms. Novak responded that a sign is being considered for the corner of Monastery Way and
Larpenteur Avenue. Ms. Novak explained that the sign has not yet been designed, but when it is it
will be within the city's required standards
Boardmember Wise questioned where the bus stop is now located and if that location will change
with this development.
Mr. Anderson responded the bus currently stops at Century and Larpenteur and is not in a good
location. Mr. Anderson said the advisory committee planned to ask the bus company to consider
moving the bus stop.
Boardmember Wise said it is known that many renters generally use public transportation and this
would be a safety issue.
The issue of parking during the day in front of Hill Murray School was further discussed. It was
noted that no overnight parking is allowed on Larpenteur Avenue.
Boardmember Wise moved approval of the plans date-stamped April 3, 2008 for the Trail's Edge
Townhomes, subject to the applicant doing the following:
1. Repeat the review in two years if the city has not issued a building permit for this project.
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2. Before getting a building permit, the applicant shall provide cash escrow or an irrevocable letter
of credit in the amount of 150 percent of the cost of completing exterior improvements like
landscaping, in-ground lawn irrigation, parking lot striping and the like.
3. Meet all requirements of the building official, assistant fire marshal, police and city engineering
staff.
4. Comply with the May 14, 2007 city council conditions.
5. Provide a site and design plan for the screening of any trash and recycling containers if they
would be kept outside. Should a trash enclosure area be proposed in the future, it shall not be
placed in any parking space.
6. The new parking lots for the existing monastery shall be constructed as early as possible to
replace the parking lost by the town home development. These parking lots shall have concrete
curbing. The parking stalls shall be at least 9.5 feet wide as code requires and there shall be
enough handicap-accessible parking spaces provided to meet code.
7. The applicant shall provide the retaining wall details for design approval by staff. Retaining
walls or wall sections that are four feet tall or higher shall have a fence on top. Staff shall
approve the design. Retaining walls over four feet tall must have a building permit.
8. The internal private roadways within the town home development shall be posted for "no
parking" on both sides.
g. The applicant shall provide a 3.5-foot-tall ornamental fence 420 feet along the Century Avenue
right-of-way. The exact placement shall be subject to staff approval.
10. Provide in-ground lawn irrigation as required by the city code.
11. The community design review board shall review major changes to these plans. Minor changes
may be approved by staff.
12. The applicant shall resubmit the landscaping plan to show the increased landscaping for the
rear of the unit at Monastery Way and Larpenteur Avenue and also shall work with staff to
demonstrate an adequate site triangle at the intersection of Larpenteur Avenue and Century
Avenue.
13. The elevations of the buildings shall be modified to add a trim board at the height of the stone
wainscoting for the sides and rear of the building. The material below the trim board shall be
complementary colors to the stone wainscoting.
14. The design of light fixtures shall be similar and/or complementary to other fixtures utilized
throughout the site development.
15. The applicant shall provide for staff approval a plan that shows a variation in accent colors for
the various units.
Seconded by Boardmember Ledvina
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Boardmember Wise explained that not to diminish the safety concerns about fencing in the rear of
the unit at Monastery Way and Larpenteur Avenue, increasing the landscaping in this area to
create a living fence would suit the site design better than having a constructed fence there.
The board then voted:
The motion passed.
Ayes - all
Boardmember Wise moved to request that staff review the lighting standards in the public right of
way along Larpenteur Avenue and to evaluate transit access as it exists today and moving the bus
stop to either the northeast or northwest corner of Larpenteur and Benet.
Boardmember Demko seconded
The motion passed.
Ayes - all
VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
VII. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
None
VIII. BOARD PRESENTATIONS
None
IX. STAFF PRESENTATIONS
a. Comprehensive Plan Update - Review of "Design" Provisions
Planner Finwall presented the staff report regarding the update of the city's comprehensive plan.
Ms. Finwall explained that staff is requesting the CDRB review the design-related sections of the
current plan. Planner Finwall explained that the comprehensive plan technical committee has
recently discussed adding more sustainable elements to the comprehensive plan. Ms. Finwall said
that although this is not a requirement by the Metropolitan Council, those involved in the update
believe that it would send a strong message that the city is looking at what is done in a sustainable
manner.
Boardmember Ledvina suggested possibly incorporating the sustainable elements concepts under
the Urban Design Goal section. Mr. Ledvina also suggested that energy efficiency be made a
priority through building code improvements, retrofitting city facilities with energy efficient lighting
and practice and promote sustainable building practices using the U.S. Green Building Council's
LEED program or a similar system.
Boardmember Olson suggested that in the last sentence of the Transportation Goal, "options"
might be a better choice and that "opportunities" is not a strong enough word and she would like to
see coordination between the city and MTC to facilitate bus transportation and maintaining of
sidewalks and paved trail surfaces.
Boardmember Ledvina moved to table consideration and review of changes to the comprehensive
plan.
Boardmember Ledvina seconded
The motion passed.
Ayes - all
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b. Discussion - City Attorney's Proposed Ordinance Amendment for Televised Broadcasts of
City Meetings
Planner Finwall presented the memorandum from city attorney Alan Kantrud requesting comments
from the board regarding the proposed Broadcast and Recording Ordinance amendment.
Boardmember Olson questioned if this ordinance is adopted, if a violation occurs what might the
penalty be and whether the city will be obliged to penalize itself if they are unable to broadcast a
meeting.
Boardmember Wise asked what prompted the review of this issue and whether there is a need for
this ordinance revision.
Boardmember Demko said it appears to be a current city policy that is being proposed as an
ordinance.
Planner Finwall responded that she is not knowledgeable of whether this is currently a formal city
policy, but it is being proposed as an ordinance. Ms. Finwall explained the city council wants each
committee to comment on how this will affect their meetings.
Boardmember Olson said she does not see this ordinance affecting the board meetings in any way
and she feel this should be a city policy rather than an ordinance.
Boardmember Shankar said he feels the city is boxing itself in a corner by requiring this, but that
this may be a legal issue.
c. Representation at the May 12 City Council Meeting
Boardmember Ledvina will attend this city council meeting for the dynamic display sign
ordinance discussions.
d. Board Elections for Chair and Vice Chair
Boardmember Ledvina moved to nominate Linda Olson as Chair.
Boardmember Demko seconded
Boardmember Wise moved to nominate Matt Ledvina as Vice Chair.
Boardmember Olson seconded
The two previous seconds were withdrawn and the two motions were then withdrawn.
Boardmember Wise moved to nominate Linda Olson as chair and Matt Ledvina as vice chair of the
community design review board for the coming year.
Boardmember Shankar seconded
The motion passed.
Ayes - all
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x. ADJOURNMENT
Board member Shankar moved adjournment of the meeting at 7:55 p.m.
Boardmember Demko seconded Ayes - all