Planning Commission - 09/13/2021APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Ann Higgins, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr,
Michael DeSanctis, Rachel Markos, Carole Mette,
William Gooding, Robert Taylor
CITY STAFF: Julie Klima, City Planner; Matt Bourne, Manager of
Parks and Natural Resources; Rod Rue, City Engineer;
Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary
I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER
Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – ROLL CALL
Absent was commission member Markos.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: DeSanctis moved, seconded by Higgins to approve the agenda. MOTION
CARRIED 8-0.
IV. MINUTES
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Farr to approve the minutes of August 9, 2021
amended to correct the language (provided by Klima) on page four in Item VA regarding
preferred and allowed materials, and to change the word “idea” to “ideal” in the phrase
“less than ideal, but this project...” MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. VARIANCE ALLINA HEALTH (BOA 2021-03)
Request for:
• Wall sign area of 150.7 square feet. City Code maximum is 50 square feet
• Cumulative building wall sign area of 200.7 square feet. City Code
maximum is 50 square feet.
Andrea Berg, Project Manager at Allina Health, 800 E 28th Street (Abbott
Northwestern Hospital) displayed a PowerPoint and detailed the application.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
September 13, 2021
Page 2
Allina Health was a not-for-profit health care system offering beginning to end-
of-life care that wished to bring appropriate care to Eden Prairie. Novel concepts
would be tried. The goal was to host the first clinic day on January 11, 2022. The
space would include 20 examination rooms, a TeleHealth room, a pacemaker
room, a vascular procedure room, and vascular ultrasound room, a stress testing
room, an echo room, an ultrasound room, a lab, and a CT scanner space with five
patient bays. Services would include internal medicine/primary care, general
cardiology, prevention, electrophysiology, advanced heart failure, valve and
structural heart, vascular medicine and surgery, advanced cardiovascular imaging,
patient education courses, lab, echo, stress testing, ultrasound, blood pressure
monitoring, halter/event monitors, vascular ultrasound, pacemaker device checks,
and continuous glucose monitoring.
The applicant requested a variance with two parts: a 150.7-square-foot wall sign
(Code was 50 feet) and 200.7-square-foot signage (Code was 50 feet) to serve an
older population who frequently use cardiology services. Also, the signage
seemed to align with similar Health Partners signage in the neighborhood. The
landlord (Flagship Corporate Center) was supportive of this design.
Mette asked what percentage of the building Allina Health would take up. Berg
replied Allina Health would take up approximately one-eighth of the building.
Klima presented the staff report. The variance would increase the individual and
the cumulative wall sign area. The site was zoned and guided office, and this
design did meet several criteria: it was in harmony with the purpose; this was a
unique circumstance because of the distance from Prairie Center Drive due to the
original PUD, which allowed parking along the frontage to screen it from
Purgatory Creek; and the building was allowed to be built at 60 feet in height
rather than the 30 feet which was Code. The LRT piers along Prairie Center Drive
could impact the sightlines of prospective customers. Other office-zoned
buildings existed in the site but they were much smaller and closer to the
roadway. Neighboring signage was similar to what was being proposed. Staff
recommended approval.
DeSanctis asked if the sign would be illuminated throughout the night or only
through business hours. Nathan Wendt, Facilities Project Manager, replied the
sign would be illuminated throughout the night but Allina could set timers. Mette
asked Klima what the commercial maximum signage dimensions were. Klima
replied there was a maximum of 300 square feet.
Farr asked Klima if there would be a complication due to the applicant being
tenant versus being the owner. Klima replied Allina would be one of several
tenants within the site. The variance request for the monument sign had clients to
be determined. This variance, if approved, would remain in effect for the life of
the property, even if the tenants changed. Farr asked if there was an overall limit
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
September 13, 2021
Page 3
being decided tonight should future clients, as opposed to a property
owner/landlord, also wished a similar sign. Klima replied Allina could swap out
the text for the new content. Another tenant could come to staff with a similar
proposal and pursue the same process, but the landlord had not asked for a
maximum sign limit tonight, and staff was not recommending that. Farr asked if
the commission was obligated by these circumstances to entertain future requests.
Klima replied the commission could do that but she had not seen that done.
Typically, an applicant requested an overall PUD sign plan for the entire building
or site. Staff fielded many signage questions during office hours, but very few
culminated in a variance requests from multiple clients. That conversation would
probably occur with the owner in the case of multiple requests.
DeSanctis concurred with Farr about setting a precedent; there was a dermatology
and a diagnostic clinic nearby that could wish a similar sign. He asked how much
surface area there would be with multiple medical clinics requesting similar
signage.
Brianna Nord Parrish, of Allina Health and an Eden Prairie resident, spoke in
support of the project.
MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Taylor to close the public hearing.
Motion carried 8-0.
Mette stated a vote of approval allowed the property to have this sign; another
tenant would have to come through the same process. The total volume of signage
was a private matter between the landlord and the client(s). She urged the
commission members to keep in mind the landlord would first be consulted and
the maximum volume would be 300 square feet whatever the circumstances. She
found this request to be fair. She agreed it would be better to have a plan for two
equal size areas or four equal size areas, et cetera, but that was not the purview of
the commission at this time.
Kirk agreed; this decision was up to the owner and he found this to be a
reasonable request. If the commission was indeed setting a precedent, future
applicants could come through the existing process as this client did. He admitted
some bias as a patient of Minneapolis Heath Institute and wished to bring that
level of care into Eden Prairie. He found this design not unreasonable for the
scope of the building. He supported the variance.
Gooding concurred with Mette and Kirk that the plan was reasonable and in scale
for the building and did not see a precedent set. Farr echoed these comments in
that the sign was in scale with the building. He supported good signage where it
was appropriate.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
September 13, 2021
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DeSanctis stated he was leaning in favor of the project due to the reputation of the
applicant and the services it would provide. He was satisfied that the two existing
multifamily buildings would see negligible impact. Taylor agreed this was a
realistic request. The night lighting design proposed a cool (as opposed to bright)
color scheme and would not be a big issue. Higgins concurred with the concerns
expressed. She stated the City could expect to see that particular area of the road
system become increasingly congested, at present due to construction, but also in
general in the future. It would be difficult to find without this signage due to the
setback and the complication of the site. DeSanctis noted residents would
inevitably have to adapt to the increased noise and traffic impacting the outer-ring
suburbs.
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by DeSanctis to approve Variance Request
BOA 2021-03 based on information outlined in the staff report dated September
13, 2021 and the findings in the final order numbered 2021-03 . Motion carried
8-0.
PLANNERS’ REPORT
MEMBERS’ REPORTS
VI. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Mette to adjourn. Motion carried 8-0. The
meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m.