5.3. PCSR 11-23-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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route and visitor path. The clerestory will be a translucent waII panel to reduce maintenance. All other glazed openings will include clear glass allowing views into and out of the building. Site specific strategies are also designed to preserve and maintain the environment. The project balances site excavation and fill to reduce the environmental and financial impact of trucking soil to and from the site. Native landscaping with prairie grasses is proposed at strategic locations around the building to promote biodiversity, provide support for native wildlife species and reduce irrigation needs. Onsite stormwater management is proposed using swales and biofiltration basins. Prairie grass plantings in and around basins will provide on-site storm water infiltration and percolation to recharge ground aquifers and wells. In turn, waterfrom these wells will be used for site irrigation purposes thus creating self-reliant,closed loop system. Following are the three specific variance requests to Elk River design standards: Sec.30-934 —Landscaping • Note(b)(3)outlines the minimum landscape/tree requirements. • Required number is 3 trees plus perimeter length in feet(2,380) divided by40. This equals 63 trees. • Native grass areas can credit up to 50% of required tree count,or 31 trees in the case of this project. The area of native grass (24,000 SF) provided could credit 48, but only 31 would be counted. • The result, 32 traditional trees required. Percentage breakdown of overstory,ornamental, and coniferous trees required would result in 16, 8, and 8 of those respectively. o The actual provided are:6, 14, and 23 (overstory,ornamental,and coniferous) o If considering the full credit provided by native grass and provided trees against the original required tree count of 63, the project is providing a value of 91 trees. However,the distribution is not aligned with the requirement. o The purpose of the discrepancy is to include a coniferous,year-round wind protection row,and the opportunityto have expansive areas of native grass. Sec.30-935 —Landscaped islands in off-street parking areas • The new employee parking lot with 70 stalls is the only location to which this would apply. • The code states a ratio of 1:15, which would require 5 stalls be landscape(fora 70-stall lot). • The project is requesting a variance to this for the following reasons: o Note(b)of the code highlights design discretion to promote larger green spaces where possible. o By eliminating islands, the parking lot size is consolidated to increase open,green spaces between buildings and other land-uses. o A parking lot absent of islands is entirely consistent within the context of this agrarian campus that has gravel roads, barns,silos, and rows of silage bags. o This parking lot is not visible to 165' Avenue and would therefore not offerany value to the public. Sec.30-901 —Curbing • The code states that 8612 concrete curb and gutter be placed at all driving and parking areas.