01-25-2005 PC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . Planning Commission Minutes January 25,2005 Page 9 Commissioner Lemke asked what staff's recommendation would be. Mr. Harlicker stated that the plat meets the Gty's subdivision requirements, but they need to look at the amount of traffic that will be generated. He noted that the City Engineer did not recommend approval unless the Level of Service at the noted intersections could be reduced below an LOS of D. Mr. Harlicker stated that the property is zoned for Highway Commercial use, and that permitted uses do not require Gty Council approval, and would be reviewed administratively. He noted that it would be difficult to assess and control traffic impacts. Commissioner Lemke questioned why a decision was required from the Commission; given the fact that staff was uncomfortable with the traffic issues and potential congestion. Mr. Harlicker stated that from a technical standpoint, the plat meets the Gty's requirements, and that the issue is "how can we prevent a LOS F from occurring?" Stewart Schaeffer, representing Commonweal Development - Explained how the LOS was impacted by construction of the left turn lane on westbound Main Street. Mr. Schaeffer stated that this comer is an exceptional site for commercial use and warrants development. He stated that they are willing to develop the site responsibly and they realize that traffic is a big issue. He explained that the traffic study was done drawing very general conclusions, and that there may be things that could be changed to improve the traffic issues. Mr. Schaeffer stated that the only real issues are the left turn movements during peak hours. He stated that it is difficult to get commitments from potential tenants until city approvals have been secured, therefore, making it difficult to know what types of uses will be located there. He stated that they are willing to avoid uses such as fast food, gas stations/convenience stores because of the amount of traffic these uses generate. He did not feel that they should be expected to absorb all of the traffic density for this area and that the problems are not entirely caused by them. Mr. Schaeffer stated that the traffic will continue to increase and the Level of Service will deteriorate whether or not this site is developed. Mr. Schaeffer discussed issues regarding Great River Energy, the wetlands, and access issues. He asked that the Commission not to restrict development of the property and felt that the traffic issues could be dealt with. He felt that it was onerous to place the traffic problems for this area solely on them. Commissioner Stevens asked if the developer was willing to scale back the types of uses to lessen the traffic impacts. Mr. Schaeffer stated that they would like to include a pharmacy and felt that this type of use has more of a steady flow. He noted that general retail also has a flatter flow with less "peak hour" traffic. Mr. Schaeffer noted that they are also considering a national retail "drive-up" coffee type of business. Mark Urista, Coldwell Banker - Asked what the two outlots would be used for. Mr. Harlicker stated that one is non-buildable and the other would be used for storm water ponding. Ms. McPherson noted that the remainder of the piece on the north side could be used as green space, unless there were some type of agreement of the property owners to expand the parking lot. There being no further public comment, Chair Ropp closed the public hearing. Chair Ropp stated that he agreed with the property owner that it makes sense to develop the property for commercial use. He felt it would be difficult to make sure that at LOS of D or better was maintained. He stated that he was not prepared to vote against the request solely on the basis of the traffic study.