Planning Commission - 01/08/2024APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 2024 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Frank Sherwood, Andrew Pieper, Ed
Farr, Carole Mette, Robert Taylor, Dan Grote,
Charles Weber; Phou Sivilay
CITY STAFF: Jeremy Barnhart, City Planner; Carter Schulze, City
Engineer; Matt Bourne, Manager of Parks and
Natural Resources; 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
Commission member Mette was absent.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: Grote moved, seconded by Taylor to approve the agenda. MOTION
CARRIED 7-0.
[Sivilay arrived 7:01 p.m.]
IV. MINUTES
MOTION: Taylor moved, seconded by Kirk to approve the minutes of December 11,
2023. MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. PRESERVE VILLAGE CHIPOTLE
Request for
• Planned Unit Development Planned Unit Development Concept
Review on 9.08 acres
• Planned Unit Development District Review with waivers on 9.08 acres
• Site Plan Review on 9.08 acres
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
January 8, 2024
Page 2
Brady Musselman, civil engineer with Sambatek introduced Ben Schultes,
representative of the owner, Jerry’s Enterprises, and Kendrick Booth, architect for
Wilkus. This was an application in an infill site for a Chipotle restaurant. This was
an underutilized site and the restaurant would be located at the northeastern area
of the site and result in a net decrease of 38 parking stalls. Musselman displayed a
sketched overlay on the aerial view and stated the applicant worked with the
traffic consultant a year ago. A parking study was completed at the end of 2022.
Peak parking was evaluated over the holiday season, when the study was
conducted; peak usage was on December 20, in which 50 percent of stalls were
used. With the proposed reduction, the peak utilization would be approximately
70 percent of the parking stalls.
There would be a sidewalk connection similar to the one to the south installed
with the Starbucks building. Musselman displayed a site plan including the drive-
through lanes and the trash enclosure. The grading plan would mimic the existing
drainage patterns and water would continue to drain from the west to the east into
the existing drainage structures. Ultimately, there would be a net decrease in
impervious surfaces. This would meet water quality and Riley/Purgatory Creek
Bluff watershed treatment requirements and has been approved in the watershed’s
board meeting in December 2023.
The landscaping plan would continue the theme established at the Starbucks site
but three trees would be removed. Musselman displayed elevations with refined
Chipotle brand colors to match the theme of the surrounding buildings. The glass
areas were focused inward, and there would be brick articulation on the east and
north sides. The floor plan proposed 35 interior seats and 16 seasonal exterior
seats. Chipotle would have an online-order only function, with no speaker box or
order board. Customers would order at window, then park, or order online then
get back in queue, after being given a 15 minute window to pick up their order.
Chipotle would cap the number of order pickups at 10. The estimate was 140
customers/day, the average would be 25, capped at 40. He estimated a 2.5 minutes
average service time. A maximum of four cars would queue 98% of the time, and
it would be rare to exceed that, but there was room for six cars to queue.
Barnhart presented the staff report. The applicant was requesting PUD concept
and district reviews with no waivers. The PUD was requested because one had
already been approved on site and this would amend the original approval. The
siting and landscaping would not impact Eden Prairie residents, who would be
shielded from the site by the shopping center. The building materials were
different from Chipotle’s standard color scheme to match those established at the
shopping center. There would be a loss of 38 parking stalls, but staff determined
the site could support this while accommodating the new fast-food site. A parking
study was completed, and engineering staff did visit the site to confirm it. In
summer of 2023 the Code amendment allowed the reduction of the parking
requirement up to 20 percent under certain conditions, such as shared parking
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
January 8, 2024
Page 3
with another business, especially a shopping center, which was an advantage to
this site.
The Code identifies four standards in which this was allowed and the applicant
met these. Parking could be reduced from 410 to 328 stalls under this allowance;
the applicant would provide 341 stalls, above the 20 percent reduction, and less
than the 378 under the previous approval. The 341 number was supported by the
parking study. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions outlined in the
staff report.
MOTION: Grote moved, seconded by Weber to close the public hearing. Motion
carried 8-0.
Taylor asked for and received from Booth information that the normal operating
hours would be between 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Taylor noted there seemed to be a
pedestrian walkway in the middle of the asphalt between the parking lots, and
asked how this would be delineated. Musselman replied there was a tactile
difference in pavement that would make the crosswalk clearer to see. Barnhart
stated it was a similar treatment to the crosswalk at Lunds & Byerly’s, being a
stained concrete pathway, rather than just a painted line. Sivilay suggested
including a solar powered flashing stop sign.
Kirk stated he found this proposal very workable and desirable, adding he parked
in that very row at Lunds & Byerly’s and found the visual differentiation very
clear. He commended the project.
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Sherwood to recommend approval for a
Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 9.08 acres; Planned Unit
Development District Review with waivers on 9.08 acres; and a Site Plan Review
on 9.08 acres as represented in the January 8, 2024 staff report and based on plans
listed in the January 8, 2024. Motion carried 8-0.
PLANNERS’ REPORT
MEMBERS’ REPORTS
Kirk noted an article in Star Tribune re fairly large cities in Minnesota that were
doing away with all parking requirements. He found this surprising and
interesting.
VI. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Weber moved, seconded by Farr to adjourn. Motion carried 8-0. The
meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.