Planning Commission - 10/12/2020APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 , 20 20 7:00 PM —CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 M itche ll Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Ann Higgins, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr,
Michael DeSanctis, Rachel Markos, Carole Mette,
Lisa Toomey, William Gooding
CITY STAFF: Julie Klima , City Planner; Matt Bourne, Manager of
Parks and Natural Resources; Rod Rue, City Engineer
I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER
Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – ROLL CALL
Commission member DeSanctis was absent.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Higgins to approve the agenda. MOTION
CARRIED 8 -0.
IV. MINUTES
MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Gooding to approve the minutes of September
28, 2020 with the correction in Item VI A to change the word “gymnastics” to
“gymnasiums.” MOTION CARRIED 8 -0.
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS
VI. PLANNERS’ REPORT
A. TILLER CORPORATION PLANT 912 (2019 -24)
Request for:
Zoning District Change from Public to Industrial on 4.49 acres
Zoning District Change from Rural to Industrial on 1.09 acres
Site Plan Review on 13.21 acres
Preliminary Plat for approval on 13.21 acres
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
October 12, 2020
Page 2
Mike Caron, owner of Tiller Corporation, presented a PowerPoint and detailed the
application. He introduced Christina Morrison, Land Use and Permitting
Coordinator, and Kirsten Pauly engineer and geologist. Caron gave the
background for this family-owned corporation and its three ope rating divisions,
Barton & Gravel Company, Commercial Asphalt Company, and Barton
Enterprises. He explained Tiller Corporation was a supply only company.
He gave an overview of the history of Plant 912, which had been home to Asphalt
Plant and Construction Aggregates since 1960. The main focus of the application
was to improve storm water management, with plant and equipment updates also
being updated, along with increased safety features . He had approached City staff
in 2018.
He displayed the existing facility and pointed out Industrial Boulevard and Indian
Chief Road and the five different parcels , not all of which had access to existing
roads. He displayed and explained the existing plant layout. The proposed plant
layout would move the scale office next to the silos which stored the asphalt. The
AC tanks would be to the left, and the MCC (motor control center) would be
combined into one location. The mixer would be next to the MCC, with the
recycle bins and coal feed bins next to the mixer. All five parcels would be
combined into one. The cul-de -sac would become a City right-of -way. He
explained the proposed traffic circulation. He explained the locations of the two
storm water ponds to be built.
The rezoning: currently, parcel A was zoned public, and parcel B was zoned rural.
The proposed zoning would make both parcels A and B zoned General Industrial.
He showed a complementary example of Tiller Corporation’s asphalt plant in
Blaine which had a similar look to what was being proposed.
Mette thanked the applicant for his presentation. She stated her concern was dust
and dirt from relocating the stockpiles and asked what dust control measures
would be taken. Caron replied the stockpile was a “verb,” not a noun, because
stockpiles were constantly being rearranged, and the corporation was used to
doing that. An air quality permit was required for the plant as well as for the
stockpiles and recycling operations. There would a lways be a water truck on site
to keep particulates watered. Not all the roads were paved; paving would also
help, and the roads would be frequently swept.
Toomey stated she lived nearby and asked about noise. Caron replied most noise
from the drier would be kept inside the site. He did not expect many changes to
noise levels. Any change in noise would be expected to be a decrease due to
improved efficiencies with the new equipment. He showed on the site plan where
stockpiles were held. He explained the tree replacement plan included screening
at that site, which would also help with noise. Pieper asked if the truck route
would be kept the same, and Caron replied it would be substantially changed, as
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
October 12, 2020
Page 3
the routing was quite random currently, and the corporation wished for more
consistency to improve safety and efficiency.
Klima presented the staff report. Two parcels of land, one zoned public and the
other zoned rural, were coming before the commission to be rezoned General
Industrial, consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The five parcels would be
combined into one lot and an outlot (the wetland area with a conservation
easement). The site plan approval request met the performance standards. This
site has been in operation from the 1960s without any site plan approval in place.
Staff recommended approval.
Farr asked if the cul-de -sac would be made a more symmetrical, conventional
design from its current, offset, design and if staff approved of the nonconforming
frontage. Klima replied there were no additional nonconformities created with the
application; rather, conformity was improved. Rue replied there were title issues
with these parcels, so the design would actually clean up the cul-de -sac. Offset
cul-de -sacs were not unusual in Eden Prairie. There might have been some
changes between the preliminary and final plat that made Farr see a
nonconformity where there was not one in the actual application.
MOTION: Markos moved, seconded by Kirk to close the public hearing.
MOTION CARRIED 8-0 .
Kirk stated it sounded like the zoning and replatting were more housekeeping
issues in order to bring all of the land into a single zoned parcel and consistent
requirements. Klima agreed. Kirk added his understanding was the site plan was a
requirement whereas this property’s use predated it, and the intent was to make
the site consistent with City ordinances and allow the City input as to where the
equipment and buildings were located. Klima agreed and added the site’s
operation pre -dated the City’s first ordinances. City Code requires a site plan
process for the construction of structures on a site that does not have an approved
site plan.
Mette commended the addition of the cul-de -sac along with the streamlining of
the parcels. Kirk also commended the plant to update equipment and the owner’s
investment in Eden Prairie.
MOTION: Farr moved, seconded by Toomey to recommend approval of the
Zoning District Change from Public to Industrial on 4.49 acres , the Zoning
District Change from Rural to Industrial on 1.09 acres , the Site Plan Review on
13.21 acres, and the Preliminary Plat for approval on 13.21 acres based on plans
stamp-dated October 7, 2020 and the staff report dated October 12, 2020.
MOTION CARRIED 8-0 .
VII. MEMBERS’ REPORTS
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
October 12, 2020
Page 4
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Markos to adjourn. MOTION CARRIED 8 -0.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 p.m.