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6.7. SR 04-16-2001MEMORANDUM Item # TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor and City Council Michele McPherson, Director of Planning April 16, 200 I Case No. CU 01-12 Request by Christopher Stokke for Conditional Use Permit for Landscaping Contractors' Yard 6.7. Request Consider a request by Christopher Stokke for a conditional use permit for a landscaping contractors yard. Location Southeast Corner of 219th Avenue and Highway 169 Zoning/Land use A1 (Agricultural Conservation) / A (Agricultural) Attachments · Location map · Site plan · Letter from applicant Overview The property is 2.9 acres in size and is located at the southeast corner of 218th Avenue and Highway 169. Greenscape Landscaping Company currently operates on the site. There is a 30' X 40' shop building on the site as well as a 30' X 40' concrete pad in front of the building and an 80' X 135' equipment and material storage area. The western part of the site is Memo to Mayor and City Council/CU 01-12 April 16, 200 I Page 2 developed while the eastern portion is undeveloped fields. To the north, on the other side of 218th Avenue, is a single family residence and a commercial kennel. The other surrounding properties are vacant. The surrounding properties are zoned A1 and are, with the exception of the single family residence/commercial kennel on the north side of 218th Avenue, included in the Mining Overlay District. The proposed landscape business will not be inconsistent with the surrounding uses. Site Plan The applicant is not proposing any significant changes to what is already on the site. The equipment and material storage area is currently Class V material and will stay that way. Staff is recommending that that some type of barrier be placed around the perimeter of the area to prevent the storage area from slowly expanding. The entrance to the site is also Class V and is not well defined. Staff is recommending that the area in front of the building, excluding the existing concrete pad, be paved. The perimeter of the paved area should be curbed. The entrance to the site should not exceed 30' in width. Given the nature of the business, it's location and the applicant's plans for future expansion, staff feels that bituminous curbing should be allowed around the perimeter of the paved area and the entrance. The existing building is a tan metal pole building with a green roof. The applicant is not proposing any changes to the existing building. Based on the parking requirements for a garden supply store, 4 parking spaces are required. Three of the spaces can be accommodated on the existing concrete pad, the fourth space will be adjacent to the pad. The City Engineer will be reviewing the drainage on the property. The natural flow is to the undeveloped portion of the site. The applicant is not proposing any additional impervious surface and will not change the existing drainage patterns. There is a cluster of mature pine trees east of the entrance along 218th Avenue. These trees provide screening of the outdoor storage area. The applicant is proposing to plant additional trees along 218~h Avenue. Because the site is significantly lower than Highway 169, it is not possible to screen the storage area from the highway. Landscaping is also proposed around the west and south sides of the building. The landscape ordinance requires that 21 trees be included on the site. The applicant will be able to meet that requirement. A final landscape plan will have to be approved by staff. Planning Commission Action The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing regarding the request at its March 27, 2001 meeting. No one spoke for or against the request. The Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the request to the City Council with a second driveway and no bituminous paving or curbing as had been recommended by staff. The Commission also added a condition prohibiting retail sales. S:\PLANNING\SCOTT~CCMEMMO\CU0 I- 12.DOC Memo to Mayor and City Council/CU 01o 12 April 16, 200 I Page 3 Recommendation Staff re,commends that the Planning Commission recommend approval of Christopher Stokke s request for a conditional use permit for a landscaping contractor yard with the following conditions: 1. THE OUTDOOR STORAGE AREA CONSIST OF CLASS V MATERIAL AND THE PERIMETER BE BOUNDED WITH RAILROAD TIES OR SOME OTHER BARRIER TO PREVENT THE AREA FROM GRADUALLY EXPANDING. 2. THE APPLICANT WORK WITH STAFF TO DEFINE THE PARKING AREA, ENTRANCE AND ACCESS DRIVE IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING, USING SOME TYPE OF NATURAL MATERIAL SUCH AS ROCKS OR TIMBERS. 3. ADDITIONAL EVERGREEN TREES BE PLANTED ALONG 218TM AVENUE AND THE FINAL LANDSCAPE PLAN BE SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BY STAFF. 4. ALL COMMENTS OF THE CITY ENGINEER BE ADDRESSED. 5. THE ENTRANCE BE NARROWED SO THAT IT IS NO WIDER THAN 30 FEET. 6. NO RETAIL SALES ARE ALLOWED. 7. A SECOND DRIVEWAY ACCESS IS RECOMMENDED, BUILT TO THE SAME SPECIFICATIONS AS THE PRIMARY ACCESS. S:\PLAN NING\SCO'I-I~CCM EMMO\C U01 - 12.DOC GREENSCAPE LANDSCAPING P.O.Box 250 ELK RIVER MN 55330 CHRIS STOKKE To: Planning Commission From: Chris Stokke, Greenscape Landscaping Date: March 20, 2001 Dear Planning Commission, I would like to start out by thanking all of you for taking the time to look into our situation at Greenscape. I am very thankful that you understand our need to use this property on 218th avenue to house a landscape business. It is essential for our growth and existence to be able to work out of a low overhead site that offers us everything we need at the current time. However, we have long term goals and plans of using our current site differently than it is right now. Within two years we would like to build a larger building placed more in the center of the property. When I bought the property in November of 1997 the existing pole building was already there and was used to store used hospital equipment. The current building and location of it is working fine right now, but as we grow, better use of the property can be made by having a building placed more in the center of the property. Our use of the existing property is a temporary one and we plan on having a new building within two years. Because the use of our current building is temporary I ask that we be able to use the site as it is with a few changes that don't involve a large monetary burden. Any improvements that we are required to make are temporary and I would like to limit these requirements to as few as possible and save time and money that could be used in the future for a permanent shop and office. Our long term plan will be much more pleasing for our company, neighbors, and anyone who comes into contact with it. Once again I would like the thank all of you for your interest in working with us on this issue. Sincerely, ..... Christopher J. Stokke Greenscape Landscaping LOCATION ~'/ "*""'~. LOCATION c~t~ ~~ MAP Ella'S-River I13065 Oro.o ?arkway-?.0. Box 490 CASE: CU 01-12 Elk River. MN 55330 N T. 33 N. R. 26 W. MINNESOTA 75-110-2101 75-110-2101 3,84=i: 75-110-2415 4.85± (APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF 218TH AVE. N.W.) ~ 2/~TN AVE NW. = 75---110-2410 75-110-4101 75--110-24.05 NOTE: ALL WATER F'F_.ATURES DI~Z~D FROM 1991 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS SHERBURNE COUNTY SURVEYOR'S OFFICE RIVER, blINNESOTA 1995 'R-IlS IS NOT A SURV~. TO BE USeD FOR R~.~ENCE PURPOSES ONLY. SHERBURNF COUNTY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INACCURACIES. /.~ l,' i, ,V ?T [V DA'r[: ~ - /I;- U/ REVISED ~ . /~. ~,!