03-02-2020 PC MIN City of
0 Elk Special Meeting of the
River Elk River Planning Commission
Held at Elk River City Hall
Monday, March 2, 2020
Members Present: Chair Eric Johnson,Commissioners John Jordan,Jill Larson-Vito,
and Brad Thiel
Members Absent: Commissioners Perry Beise,Alexander Feinstein, and Robert
Rydberg
Also Present: Councilmember Nate Ovall (4:34 p.m.)
Staff Present: Planning Manager Zack Carlton and Sr. Admin.Assistant/Recording
Secretary Jennifer Green
I. Call Meeting to Order
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the special meeting of the Elk River
Planning Commission was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Chair Johnson.
III2. Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
3. ISD #728 —900 School St. NW
■ Conditional Use Permit for high school parking lot improvements, new
lighting, and relocation of existing traffic light, Case No. CU 20-0I
Mr. Carlton presented the staff report.
Chair Johnson indicated the public hearing was still open and invited anyone to
speak.
There being no one to speak, Chair Johnson closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Larson-Vito stated she felt the proposal seemed straightforward and
her questions and concerns regarding pedestrian safety were answered in the staff
report and comment letter.
Councilmember Ovall asked if there were any concerns with senior center attendees
crossing three lanes of traffic to enter the building,wondering if there should be
more parking in front of the multipurpose facility for safety reasons.
III Mr. Carlton stated staff evaluated this same concern as part of their review and
ultimately,they reviewed businesses people frequent such as Target,Wal-Mart,and
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March 2,2020
shopping centers that have traffic lanes in front of their entrances. He noted this •
parking lot will have a raised speed table to slow traffic in pedestrian areas.
Chair Johnson asked about traffic flow exiting the parking lot.
Mr. Carlton explained how most vehicles would exit and noted the identified
crossing located at the entrance of the facility.
Commissioner Jordan asked how many handicapped parking slots there were and
wondered if that was enough,noting Wal-Mart has more spots than this project.
Mr. Carlton stated there were six handicap spots in front of the multi-purpose
center, noting this item will also be reviewed at the City Council meeting later that
evening and he will look at how many spots are currently at the Activity Center and
compare those figures with Wal-Mart. He stated a portion of parking will be reserved
for multipurpose facility attendees and will be signed accordingly.
Councilmember Ovall asked if a commitment has been reached between the city and
the school district as to how many parking stalls the multipurpose facility will be
allocated.
Mr. Carlton stated there are a total of 75 parking stalls allocated for the multipurpose
facility.
Moved by Commissioner Larson-Vito and seconded by Commissioner Thiel
to recommend approval of the Conditional Use Permit request by ISD #728
allowing improvements and modifications to the Elk River High School and
Multi-Purpose Center Parking lot with the following conditions:
1. Staff approval of updated plans addressing comments outlined
in the staff comment letter dated January 15, 2020.
2. The CUP will not be recorded until impacted property owners
agree to required easement or right-of-way transactions.
Motion carried 4-0.
4. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 4:39 p.m.
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Planning Commission Page 3
March 2,2020
Minutes prepared by Jennifer Green.
Tina Allard
City Clerk
Eric Johnson
Planning Commission Chair
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