Minutes 6/2/2006 •
•
Saint Paul Planning Commission
City Hall Conference Center
15 Kellogg Boulevard West
Minutes June 2,2006
A meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Saint Paul was held Friday,June 2,2006,
at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of City Hall.
Commissioners Mmes. Donnelly-Cohen, Faricy,Lu,McCall,Morton, Smitten
Present: and; and Messrs.Aligada, Commers, Cudahy, Gordon, Johnson,Kong, Kramer,
Mejia and Nelson.
Commissioners Mmes. * Porter, and *Trevino, and Messrs. *Alton, *Bellus, *Dandrea, *Goodlow
Absent:
*Excused
Also Present: Larry Soderholm,Planning Administrator;Allan Torstenson,Patricia James, Donna
Drummond, Shawntera Hardy, Jessica Rosenfeld,Yang Zhang, Casey MacCallum
(intern), Sarah Zorn(intern)and Carol Peshman,Department of Planning and
Economic Development staff.
I. Approval of minutes May 19,2006.
MOTION: Commissioner Johnson moved approval of the minutes of May 19, 2006.
Commissioner Morton seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
II. Chair's Announcements
Vice Chair Donnelly-Cohen chaired the meeting. She had no announcements.
III. Planning Administrator's Announcements
Lany Soderholm announced what planning-related items are on the City Council's agenda for
next week, and that nominations for the Downtown LRT Task Force were due today. He
introduced PED's new intern, Sarah Zorn,who will work on zoning and the Central Corridor
project.
Larry Soderholm also announced before the next Planning Commission meeting, at 8:00 a.m. on
June 16,2006,the chairs of the various comprehensive plan chapters will meet with Sean
Kershaw of the Citizen's League to discuss their participation process,which may have some
applications for us. This meeting will replace the normal Steering Committee meeting. At the
next Planning Commission meeting,we will have a forum on social and educational issues in the
city. This is the third forum in preparation for the Comprehensive Plan update.
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IV. PUBLIC HEARING:
East Grand Avenue Overlay District
Item from the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee
(Yang Zhang, 651/266-6659)
Yang Zhang gave a brief report.
Vice Chair Donnelly-Cohen read the rules of procedure for the public hearing and announced that
notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Legal Ledger on May 15, 2006 and
was mailed to the citywide Early Notification System list of recipients and other interested
parties.
The following people spoke:
1. Ms.Merritt Clapp-Smith, 785 Goodrich Avenue, Saint Paul,MN 55105. Ms.Clapp-Smith is
the past president of District 16 Planning Council and Chair of the Plan Steering Committee. She
said this overlay is good for the neighborhood,the avenue, and the city; it provides room for
change and growth that respects and reinforces the character and integrity of Grand Avenue.It
will ensure the community will retain its strong sense of place. One item has yet to be clarified,
which is that the three story height limit in the ordinance also applies to residential and
institutional buildings as well as commercial and mixed use.The language needs to be amended
to make this clearer. Their board is meeting on June 8,2006,and they will vote on this
amendment. The Board asked the Planning Commission to hold the public comment period open
until June 9,2006,to allow the board to file its comments.
2. Ms. Shannon O'Toole, 223 S.Avon Street Saint Paul,MN 55105. Ms. O'Toole was on the
Board of the Plan Steering Committee in 2001,and President when the process began. She
thanked Ms.Merritt Clapp-Smith for the hard work on the committee and also stated there were
two professional consultants hired,paid for by the District Council to assist with the plan. She
discussed how they got neighborhood and business input in the plan process. Ms. O'Toole asked
that the ordinance be passed as amended by District 16.
3. Mr.Mike Schumann, owner of Traditions furniture store, 1039 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul,
MN 55105. Many of the businesses on Grand Avenue support the overlay.Mr. Schumann does
not believe in restricting chain businesses,that some have been important and very helpful; this is
not an issue of chains verses small businesses; it is an issue of aesthetics and real estate values.
One of the largest threats to Grand Avenue is the change in the aesthetic look and feel of the
avenue which is the visual merchandising that makes the avenue appealing to people who come
from around the Twin Cities. In the last five years, larger developments have come to Grand
Avenue,have changed the look and feel here,and have had a negative impact. Mr. Schumann
stated that one thing that is missing from the ordinance is architectural design guidelines. The
second threat to the avenue has been real estate and property tax increases. There are many
vacancies because rent and property taxes are not affordable. The ordinance will have a side
effect, a major throttle on the escalating cost of real estate. One of the things the ordinance
provides is elimination of the"rule of five." The only protection for some small commercial
tenants currently is the parking ordinance and zoning code,which prevents converting buildings
to restaurants or other uses that have higher parking requirements. The ordinance will have a
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dramatic positive impact on many businesses on Grand Avenue that are renters who would
otherwise potentially face the threat of being displaced by higher-intensity uses.He strongly
supports and urges the Planning Commission to pass this ordinance.
4. Mr.Eduardo Barrera, 1083 Osceola Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105. Mr.Barrera is the
current president of the Summit Hill Association/District Council 16. Mr. Barrera thanked
everyone who worked on this plan. This plan was created with careful look into the current
situation of Grand Avenue and the neighborhood as a whole and the future. The plan provides an
opportunity to welcome the changes in the market place of the neighborhood and the use of land
along Grand Avenue,but also provides the opportunity to do that in a careful way, and to
preserve what Grand Avenue has been the last 25 years. Mr. Barrera urged that the Planning
Commission support the ordinance as to be amended by District 16.
5. Ms. Georgia Finnegan Amdahl, 2063, Iglehart Avenue, Saint Paul,MN 55105. Ms.Amdahl is
the president of the Grand Avenue Business Association and asked that the Planning Commission
vote to approve the overlay district.
MOTION: Commissioner McCall moved to close the public hearing and refer the matter back
to the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee, but to accept any written testimony
until 4:00 p.m. on June 9th, 2006. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion. The motion
passed unanimously on a voice vote.
V. Zoning Committee
NEW BUSINESS
# 06-079-048 Cingular Wireless—Conditional Use Permit for cellular telephone antennas
on an existing residential structure less than 60 ft. high. 218 Kipling St.,NW corner of Lower
Afton&McKnight. (Merritt Clapp-Smith, 651/266-6547)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the conditional use permit with conditions. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
# 06-075-591 Sinclair Marketing,Inc.—Conditional Use Permit for an auto convenience market
and accessory car wash. 373 Ruth St.,NW corner at Hudson Road.
(Merritt Clapp-Smith 651/266-6547)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton stated the case is laid over to the June 8, 2006 Zoning
Committee meeting.
#05-106-721 Lexington University,LLC—Rezoning from B3 (General Business)to RM2
(Medium-Density Multiple-family Residential). 1156, 1158 Fuller Ave,413 Lexington Ave.,
between Central and University Ave. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the rezoning. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
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#06-077-669 Episcopal Homes—Variances of front yard setback, side yard setback and density
for 50 units of senior housing. 400 Block—Dunlap St.,between Central&University Ave.
(Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the variance with conditions. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
# 06-079-367 Vu Le—Conditional Use Permit for 8-unit cluster development.
565 Annapolis St.,between Stickney&Concord. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the conditional use permit. The motion carried on a vote of 13-1 (Kramer).
Commissioner Morton announced the Zoning Committee Agenda for the June 8, 2006,
meeting.
VI. Comprehensive Planning Committee
Commissioner Donnelly-Cohen announced that, in addition to the meeting with Mr. Kershaw on
June 16,2006,the committee will meet on June 13,2006,at 4:00 p.m.
VII. Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee
Fitzgerald Park Precinct Plan Summary—Release the plan summary for public review
and set a public hearing on June 30,2006. (Lucy Thompson, 651/266-6578)
MOTION: Commissioner McCall moved on behalf of the Neighborhood and Current
Planning Committee that the Fitzgerald Park Precinct Plan Summary be released for public
review and that a public hearing be set for June 30, 2006. The motion carried unanimously on
a voice vote.
VIII. Long-range Planning Committee
Commissioner Aligada said the Long-range Planning Committee has finished its report. The
committee has edited and polished the report slightly from the version that was presented to the
commission in April,and added an executive summary.
MOTION: Commissioner Aligada, on behalf of the Long-range Planning Committee, moved
adoption of the resolution to send the report "A Lens for the Future:Saint Paul for the Next
25 Years"to the Mayor and the City Council and to use the report in the review of major plans
and projects. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
IX. Communications Committee
None
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X. Task Force Reports
Larry Soderholm gave a report on the Mississippi River Critical Area Task Force.
XI. Old Business
None
XII New Business
None
XIII. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:50 a.m.
Recorded by Carol Peshmen and prepared by
Kate Fleming, Planning Commission Secretary
Planning and Economic Development Department,
City of Saint Paul
Respectfully submitted, Approved "//0
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Larry odelrholm Mari n Porter
Planning Administrator Secretary of the Planning mmission
PED\Fleming\June2,2006
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