Agenda - Council - 03/24/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

CC Regular Session 6. 2. Meeting Date: 03/24/2020 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Information Title: Adopt Resolution #20-042 Postponing the Public Hearing for a Conditional Use Permit for a Ground Sign and Wall Signage at 7800 Sunwood Drive NW Purpose/Background: Due to Emergency Declarations at the local, State and Federal Level, the City is postponing this Public Hearing until further notice. New Public Hearing Notices will be provided. Staff will focus public hearings on projects with urgent needs. On January 17, 2020, New Horizon Real Estate Development 6, LLP (DBA New Horizon Academy) purchased 7800 Sunwood Drive (the "Subject Property"), former site of Stone Brook Academy. Subsequently, Spectrum Sign Systems, Inc. (the "Applicant"), on behalf of New Horizon Academy (the "Property Owner"), submitted an application on February 6, 2020 for a Conditional Use Permit to install an oversized ground sign and wall signage on the Subject Property. Notification: The City attempted to send a mailing via Standard US Mail to property owners within 350 feet of the Subject Property, as noted in the Anoka County Property Records, notifying them of a public hearing. The Public Hearing is being conducted by the City Council, rather than Planning Commission, because there was an error in getting the official notification to the Anoka Union Herald in time for the March Planning Commission meeting. Observations/Alternatives: The following was the background on the original case. The Subject Property is about 0.84 acres in size and is located in the COR-2 sub -district, slightly east ofNorthstar Marketplace (Coborn's anchored retail area). All of the surrounding properties are also in the COR-2 sub -district, with the railroad tracks and Highway 10 south of the Subject Property. Per the COR Design Framework, the COR-2 sub -district is where more conventional suburban development is expected, rather than the neo-traditional development planned for the other sub -districts. Most of the sign regulations for the COR-2 sub -district mirror that of the more standard B-1 and B-2 Business Districts, with only a couple exceptions. Ground signs may be up to 100 square feet in area but they are restricted to a height of six (6) feet (note that this would mean a ground that is five feet tall and twenty feet long would be permissible). Similarly, wall signage is based on fifteen percent (15%) of the front facade of a building (just like in the Business Districts), but at least fifty percent (50%) of the signage must be placed on the measured wall. Finally, under project signs in the Design Framework, it is noted that a project sign (as written, this would include ground signs) shall not be in addition to wall signage. If the COR-2 sub -district is indeed where the more conventional suburban development is expected, the differences in the aforementioned sign standards seem somewhat contradictory. Having a ground sign, as well as wall signage, is very typical for suburban commercial developments. Similarly, a twenty-five (25) foot tall ground sign (which would meet the standards of the Business Districts), near the southern boundary of the Subject Property and presumably visible from Highway 10, also seems very typical for conventional suburban development.