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| Information |
| Title |
| Adopt Resolution #22-030 Approving a Site Plan and Development Agreement for the Property Located at 7912 Sunwood Drive NW (Project No. 22-101); Case of Northstar Marketplace Station LLC |
| Purpose/Background: |
| The City has received an application from Northstar Marketplace Station LLC (the "Applicant") for Site Plan review for a new multi-tenant, retail building at 7912 Sunwood Drive NW (the "Subject Property"). The proposal also included a request for a Variance to the build-to requirement along Sunwood Drive which the Planning Commission approved in January. |
| Notification: |
| Notification for Site Plan consideration is not required. However, a Public Hearing was held on January 27, 2022 for the variance and the City did attempt to notify all property owners, as reflected in the Anoka County Property Records, within 700 feet of the Subject Property of said Public Hearing by U.S. Mail. The Public Hearing notice for the January 27, 2022 meeting was also posted in the City's Official Newspaper, the Anoka County UnionHerald. |
| Observations/Alternatives: |
General Project Overview
The Applicant is proposing construction of a 7,200 square foot, multi-tenant building on the southern portion of the Subject Property. The building could have up to six (6) tenants and does include a drive-thru along the western (non-street facing) side. This project would result in the full build-out of the Northstar Marketplace retail node. The Subject Property is located in the COR-2 zoning district and is guided as Mixed Use in the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed uses, retail and restaurants, are permitted based on both the zoning and land use designations.
Parking
As a stand-alone project, a minimum of fourteen (14) parking stalls would be required and a maximum of twenty-eight (28) stalls would be permitted (based on retail uses). However, the Subject Property is part of a retail 'campus' that shares a large parking lot. There are currently 468 parking stalls serving this retail node, which includes four (4) existing buildings, plus this proposed building. This project would actually decrease the parking from 468 stalls to 452 stalls. Looking back at the initial review of the Ramsey Town Center 3rd Addition Site Plan, a minimum of 440 parking stalls were required (this included the build-out of the Subject Property). The project proposes to provide nine (9) parking stalls abutting the south elevation of the building.
Architecture
The proposed building will have an exterior finish consisting of a combination of facebrick, integral colored rockface CMU, glass, aluminum, and EIFS. This design is very similar to the exterior finish of the other buildings within this retail node. While the south elevation, which faces the parking lot, will serve as the front entrances for these units, the north (street facing) elevation will essentially match that same look, including ingress/egress doors.
The Site Plan includes a twenty foot by twenty foot (20' x 20') fenced in patio off the northwest and southwest corners of the building. This would provide an outdoor eating space for prospective food tenants in the end cap units, something that the Applicant has noted as being important, especially considering the impacts the pandemic has had on the food service industry. The Applicant has noted that the fencing material would be a decorative aluminum.
The project does include an exterior trash enclosure near the northeastern corner of the building. The Applicant provided an elevation that confirms the exterior finish of the enclosure will match that of the building.
Variance
The COR-2 zoning district does not have minimum required setbacks from the side or rear property boundaries. However, there is a build-to requirement from the building front to the public road right-of-way of no more than fifteen (15) feet (Sunwood Drive is designated as a Destination Street). As proposed, no part of the building meets the build-to requirement. The northeast corner of the building (the portion nearest to Sunwood Drive) is about seventeen (17) feet from the right-of-way boundary.
Sunwood Drive was realigned circa 2012-2013 to accommodate the Armstrong Boulevard overpass. While the road was realigned, the existing utilities, including trunk sewer and trunk water lines, remained in place, as they were serving the western most building within this retail node. These utilities, as well as the existing drainage and utility easement that encumbers the northern half of the Subject Property, prevent the building from meeting the build-to standard. Furthermore, not just the drainage and utility easement, but the utilities themselves, create barriers to a knee wall or other decorative means to create the desired street presence. Even as proposed, a small portion of the building encroaches into the drainage and utility easement. Staff is working with the Applicant to address this with either a partial Easement Vacation or an Easement Encroachment Agreement (this aspect will be brought back to a future City Council meeting for action).
The Planning Commission conducted on Public Hearing on the variance request on January 27, 2022 and there were no written or verbal comments received. The Planning Commission approved the variance request. |
| Funding Source: |
| All costs associated with this request are the Applicant's responsibility. |
| Recommendation: |
| The Planning Commission recommended approval of the Site Plan. |
| Action: |
| Motion to adopt Resolution #22-030 approving the Site Plan and Development Agreement for Northstar Marketplace Station LLC |
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