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Planning Commission - 07/28/2014 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION MONDAY,JULY 28, 2014 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Jon Stoltz, Travis Wuttke, Steven Frank, Ann Higgins, Mary Egan, Charles Weber, Andrew Pieper STAFF MEMBERS: Julie Klima, City Planner Stu Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources Rod Rue, City Engineer Julie Krull, Recording Secretary I. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE—ROLL CALL Chair Stoltz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Egan and Weber were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Frank, seconded by Kirk, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. MINUTES A. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON JULY 14, 2014 Higgins had a change on page 2, paragraph 2, second sentence; she would like the word "complimentary" changed to complementary. She would like the same thing done on page 2, paragraph 4, first sentence. Wuttke had an addition to page 4, under Streetscapes. He would like the following statement to read, "The other look that was appealing to Commission Members was the street separated by the paver looking bike path; Wuttke was not in approval of this. MOTION by Frank, seconded by Wuttke, to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried 4-0. Kirk and Stoltz abstained. IV. INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS V. PUBLIC MEETINGS PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES July 28, 2014 Page 2 VI. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. VARIANCE#2014-04 by Mike Gresser Location: 10611 and 10612 Cavallo Ridge Contact: Mike Gresser(612) 518-5380 Request: • To permit a 16 foot wall and fence along Riverview Road across Cavallo Ridge. City Code maximum height is 6 feet. Klima said the applicant is requesting additional time to review the proposal with the neighbors. He would like to continue this to the August 25, 2014 meeting. MOTION by Kirk, seconded by Pieper, to recommend a continuance to the August 25, 2014 meeting. Motion carried 4-0. Kirk and Stoltz abstained. VII. PLANNERS' REPORT A. TOD ARCHITECTURAL MATERIALS REVIEW Presented by Emily Osthus, Community Development Intern Ms. Osthus stated she is here tonight to talk about architectural materials. The question she stated that has come up in numerous meetings is how can Eden Prairie make sure it has the best materials for the building projects. She said the zoning codes need to be looked at to make sure the appropriate materials are being used. She stated the materials for review are composite fagade, wood, concrete, metal and panel curtain walls. The things to consider when picking a certain material would be;physical density, texture, color,pattern, weathering and the material life cycle. Aesthetic character also needs to be looked at. Ms. Osthus showed a PowerPoint presentation of the different materials and their use for exterior buildings. When she was done with the presentation she opened the floor for questions. Frank stated his basic understanding for doing this review is that there may be newer materials out there since this was completed before and to see how they will fit into our City. He asked if everyone was clear on the objectives before we jump into a discussion this evening. What do we need to get done here and what do we want the look of the commercial areas to be. Klima said that as it was talked about internally at staff level, they came up with the following, "what do we want Eden Prairie to look like in the future" and to focus on three things when looking at material; sustainability, durability and aesthetics. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES July 28, 2014 Page 3 Ms. Osthus said this presentation is specific but pointed out she was not looking for a decision tonight;but just wanted to start a conversation. Frank asked again if we are really clear when talking about comparability and grade durability. Klima said that we are looking for the Commission member's reactions to types of materials, and aesthetically what looks appealing to you and then move ahead with that information. Frank said as long as we end up with a set of expanded materials that is fine. Wuttke stated he is looking for substainability in materials and said to tailor it to standardized use in the TOD area. Ms. Osthus said there is not a best practice for materials in the TOD area,but rather standards in sub stainability. Wuttke said it would be great if they could come up with a standard for materials, and not just specific materials. Frank reiterated, stating we should first look at a set of standards and then evaluate the materials using those standards. Wuttke concurred. Kirk said he likes the 75/25 percent mix and views this as positive. He likes the way the City has developed it and does not really want to see this expanded too much. He stated he would like to see innovation in regards to accents,but that would be it. Ms. Osthus said the conversation she wanted this to go was; yes, I like how the City looks now aesthetically, or no, I don't like how the City looks. Higgins commented that Eden Prairie has been changing and she is a traditionalist and likes what she sees in the City. She pointed out it is possible to do new things but some of the masking may be a little jarring to some. Chair Stoltz said he agrees with the Commission Members in coming up with a standard and drop the materials into those standards. Frank said when you create standards you do create a huge project. And said if we could say what materials would make up grade and quality that could be a short cut. Chair Stoltz said when looking at the staff report are there any strong reactions of what should and should not be there. Frank said he does not think Stucco material looks good. Chair Stoltz concurred with Frank. Wuttke asked Rue if there was a code term to have something more specific for materials. Frank said there are words in the report that are specific in regards to materials. Kirk said it would be difficult to narrow it down much more than it is because we want developers to bring interesting ideas to us. Rue said he is not familiar with how this is interpreted, but in regards to engineering it has certain PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES July 28, 2014 Page 4 performance results it must pass and said that there are many variables in regards to materials. Kirk said in looking at the 75% list, composite is one that should be on the list. Pieper said most composite pictures look contemporary, and asked if there is anything more traditional. Ms. Osthus said most of the pictures she has gotten have been from larger projects going on now and that it is hard to find traditional pictures. Chair Stoltz asked Klima if she gets a lot of push back regarding the 75/25% guideline. Klima said she does not. Chair Stoltz commented the city staff has done a good job with keeping Eden Prairie uniform and likes the way it looks. Klima said in summarizing the comments tonight, she does not see any red flags in what was presented tonight to the Commission. And how we continue to see Eden Prairie flourish would be through good communication between City Staff and the Commissions. VIII. MEMBERS' REPORT No Members' report. IX. CONTINUING BUSINESS No continuing business. X. NEW BUSINESS No new business. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Higgins, seconded by Kirk, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m.