Agenda - Council - 10/16/2012 - Special

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CC Special Session Meeting Date: 10/16/2012 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development 4.1. Title: Request for Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit Approval for Motor Fuel Sales and Car Wash for a Super America Located in the COR TWO Subdivision; Case of West Real Estate and Management Inc. Background: The City has received applications for site plan approval and a conditional use permit for a proposed retail convenience store with motor fuel sales and an accessory, commercial car wash. The subject property is zoned COR -2b in which retail uses are permitted and motor fuel sales and accessory car washes are conditional uses. Notification: A public hearing is not required for the site plan review. However, in accordance with State Statute and City Code, Staff attempted to notify all property owners within 350 of the Subject Property of the Public Hearing for the conditional use permit via Standard US Mail. A Notice of Public Hearing was also published in the Anoka County Union. Observations: The site is approximately 1.25 acres and is located at the southwest corner of where Sunwood Dr turns from east/west to north/south (near the roundabout). The proposal includes four (4) motor fuel islands with a total of eight (8) individual fuel dispensers. The fueling area will be located underneath an overhead canopy that, per City Code, cannot exceed twenty (20) feet in height. The Applicant has requested that the operation be permitted twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days a week. The Design Framework for The COR states that buildings should front the street to create a more urban feel. However, the COR -2b Sub -District is more auto -oriented and this standard creates some difficulty in site layout. The proposed building fronts the interior of the lot, as will the future buildings on Lots 3 & 4 and potentially the existing buildings south of the site (due to the realigned Sunwood Dr). Conceptually, Lots 3-5 Block 1 will act as one site even though they are comprised of individual lots. Each of the lots face the interior, creating more of a campus type of layout. While the accesses are all private, they will function much like public roads do and in that sense, the building faces a street. The private accesses will be encumbered by shared access easements. The Applicant has submitted revised elevations that strive to enhance the street presence on the rear of the building (facing Sunwood Dr) by incorporating additional windows to meet the intent of the Design Framework. At least forty percent (40%) of the building facade is required to be within the build -to line (thirty [30] feet along the east/west stretch of Sunwood Dr or fifteen [ 15] feet along the north/south stretch of Sunwood Dr based on the street hierarchy designations). However, the Design Framework allows for landscaping, decorative fencing and other certain features to be used in conjunction with the building facade to meet this standard. The Applicant has submitted additional detail regarding the decorative fencing and shrubbery and has also provided calculations that verify the combination of building facade, decorative fencing and landscaping exceed the forty percent (40%) threshold. The exterior finish of the building is proposed to consist of face brick, brick accent bands, clear tempered glass and dark bronze metal panels. The columns of the overhead canopy for the fueling station are proposed to also be face brick with brick accent bands. The waste enclosure appears to consist of these same materials but will have a gate that consists of a wood composite material. The revised plans also indicate red LED accent lighting outlining the base of the roof as well as the overhead canopy.