Agenda - Council - 08/23/2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CC Regular Session Meeting Date: 08/23/2011 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Title: Site Plan Review for Ramsey Northstar Commuter Rail Station; Case of City of Ramsey 7. 6. Background: The recently approved state bonding bill included partial funding for a Northstar Commuter Rail Station in Ramsey. That, together with funding from the City, Anoka County Regional Rail Authority, the Counties Transit Investment Board and the Metropolitan Council, positions the City to proceed with plans for a commuter rail station across the street from the Municipal Center and municipal parking ramp. The City has received an application for site plan review of Ramsey's Northstar Commuter Rail Station. Notification: Observations: The proposed commuter rail station will be located mostly within BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) right-of-way and thus, is not being reviewed using traditional zoning standards (since it does not fall within a specific zoning district); rather, it is considered more as a transportation improvement, similar to a new bridge or interchange. Nonetheless, there are components that warrant review and consideration. The proposed rail station will have platforms on both the north and south sides of the tracks accessed by enclosed elevator/stair towers connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge above the tracks. While not included in the final design plans, the ultimate intent is to connect the rail station to the municipal parking ramp via a skyway. This feature is currently being designed and could be bid as an alternate. The exterior finish of the rail station (enclosed elevator/stair towers and pedestrian bridge) consists primarily of a combination of cast -in -place concrete, metal/aluminum paneling and glazed glass. A small portion of the southern elevator/stair tower and platform infrastructure does encroach onto a city -owned parcel. An appropriate mechanism will need to be implemented to account for this encroachment and Staff will be working with the City Attorney to determine the best course of action for this matter. It should be noted though that this parcel was acquired to accommodate the future expansion of Highway 10 and thus, a slight encroachment should not negatively impact it in terms of future development. The proposed landscaping plan has been reviewed and is generally acceptable with just a couple items yet to be resolved. The plan indicates the use of sod in limited areas with most disturbed areas being improved with a residential turf seed mix. Also, irrigation is only proposed within the areas improved with sod. Finally, while the depth of topsoil proposed is greater then required by code (proposing six [6] inches for turfed areas and two [2] and three [3] feet for the planting beds), the material doesn't meet the specification required by code. The areas to be established with turf and irrigation should comply with the current topsoil requirement, which is four (4) inches of Premium Topsoil Borrow (MN DOT spec 3877). While this project is not necessarily bound by specific zoning standards as previously noted, it will require a building permit, which triggers the topsoil requirement, and Staff believes that limited irrigation and extensive use of seed deviates enough from traditional zoning requirements that it should be subject to City Council review and consideration. The final design plans also include a sign package. Again, since the bulk of this project falls within right-of-way (both BNSF railroad and public road right-of-way), there are not specific sign regulations that are applicable. Furthermore, there is a desire to maintenance consistency among all the stations for the benefit of passengers. It