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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. 1 a 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 2 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. 3 #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 4 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 ( tAAAiYji(jt6a9\k— Larry odelrholm Mari n Porter Planning Administrator Secretary of the Planning mmission PED\Fleming\June2,2006 5