HomeMy Public PortalAbout10-12-2021 Planning Commission Packet POSTED AT CITY HALL October 8, 2021
PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2021
7:00 P.M.
Meeting to be held telephonically/electronically
pursuant to Minn. Stat. Sec. 13D.021
Call-in Information: 612-517-3122 (Conference ID 450 273 144#)
Electronic access (via Microsoft Teams): link available at https://medinamn.us/pc
1. Call to Order
2. Public Comments on items not on the agenda
3. Update from City Council proceedings
4. Planning Department Report
5. Public Hearing – SH Ventures, Inc. – south of Hwy 55, west of Pioneer
Tr. – Planned Unit Development Concept Plan for development of
approximately 258,000 s.f. privately owned auto condos on 31.5 acres
(PID 0511823220005)
6. Continued Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendment – Chapter 8 of the
City Code pertaining to Sign Regulations – Requested by Ditter Heating,
Cooling, and Electric – Proposed to increase size and height of dynamic
displays and signs in certain districts
7. Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendment – Chapter 8 of the City Code
pertaining to required distance from swimming pools to utility lines
8. Approval of September 14, 2021 Planning Commission Minutes
9. Council Meeting Schedule
10. Adjourn
Planning Department Update Page 1 of 2 October 5, 2021
City Council Meeting
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Martin and Members of the City Council
FROM: Dusty Finke, Planning Director
DATE: September 30, 2021
SUBJ: Planning Department Updates – October 5, 2021 City Council Meeting
Land Use Application Review
A) BAPS Site Plan Review – 1400 Hamel Road – Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam
Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), Minneapolis, has requested Site Plan Review for
construction of a place of assembly. The Planning Commission reviewed at the September
14 meeting and recommended approval. The application is scheduled for City Council
review on October 5.
B) Sign Ordinance Amendment – Ditter Heating and Cooling has requested that the City
consider amending its Sign Ordinance to increase the allowed height and size of
freestanding signs within the Commercial-General zoning district adjacent to a state
highway – The Planning Commission held a public hearing at the September meeting.
Following discussion, the Commission tabled for additional information and discussion at
the October 12 meeting.
C) Caribou Cabin CUP and Site Plan Review – 3692 Pinto Drive – Woodbury REI LLC has
requested a Site Plan Review and CUP for a small retail building including a drive-through
at the southeast corner of Highway 55 and Pinto Drive. Staff is conducting preliminary
review and will schedule a public hearing if complete, potentially at the October 12
Planning Commission meeting.
D) Life-Style Auto Condo – South of Hwy 55, west of Pioneer – SH Ventures has requested
review of a PUD Concept Plan for development of 12 buildings with approximately 258,000
square feet of space for privately owned garage condos. Staff is conducting preliminary
review and will schedule a public hearing if complete, potentially at the October 12
Planning Commission meeting.
E) Weston Woods Final Plat – east of Mohawk Drive, north of Highway 55 – Mark Smith
(Mark of Excellence Homes) has requested Final Plat for development of 76 twinhomes, 42
single-family, and 33 townhomes on the Roy and Cavanaugh properties. Review is
underway and the application will be presented to the Council if complete, potentially at the
October 19 meeting.
F) Marsh Pointe Preserve Preliminary Plat – 4250-4292 Arrowhead Drive – BPS Properties
has requested Preliminary Plat approval for a 38-lot subdivision east of Arrowhead Drive
south of Bridgewater. The application is currently incomplete and will be scheduled for a
public hearing when complete.
G) Ditter Heating and Cooling Site Plan Review – 820 Tower Drive – Ditter Heating and
Cooling has requested a Site Plan Review for an approximately 5,000 square foot addition
to its building. The application is incomplete for review and will be scheduled for a hearing
when complete.
H) Prairie Creek Preliminary Plat – 500 Hamel Road – Stetler Enterprises has requested
preliminary plat approval for a 17-unit villa development. The Planning Commission held a
public hearing at the August 10 meeting. The City Council adopted resolutions of approval,
on September 21. Staff will await final plat application.
Planning Department Update Page 2 of 2 October 5, 2021
City Council Meeting
I) Medina Townhomes – 1432 Baker Park Road (County Road 29) – Medina Townhome
Development LLC has requested a Planned Unit Development General Plan and Site Plan
Review for 23 rental townhomes on 2 acres north of Highway 12, east of Baker Park Road.
The City Council adopted approval documents on September 21. Staff is working with the
applicant to address the conditions of approval prior to construction.
J) 2832 Hamel Road – Solar Equipment CUP – All Energy Solar has requested a Conditional
Use Permit (CUP) for installation of a 112-panel ground mounted solar array with an area of
2,328 square feet. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on August 10 and
unanimously recommended approval. The City Council adopted resolution of approval, on
September 21. The application will now be closed.
K) Deer Hill Preserve 5th Addition – Deer Hill Road, east of Homestead Tr. – Property
Resources Development Corporation has requested final plat approval for eight of the lots
within the Deer Hill Preserve development. City Council approved the final plat at the
August 17 meeting. Staff will work with the applicant to finalize conditions of approval
before executing the plat.
L) Cates Ranch Comp Plan Amendment and Rezoning – 2575 and 2590 Cates Ranch Drive –
Robert Atkinson has requested a change of the future land use from Future Development
Area to Business, a staging plan amendment to 2020, and a rezoning to Business Park. The
application is incomplete for review, and the City has requested additional materials.
M) Adam’s Pest Control Site Plan Review, Pre Plat, Rezoning – Pioneer Trail Preserve –
These projects have been preliminarily approved and the City is awaiting final plat
application.
N) Johnson ADU CUP, Hamel Brewery, St. Peter and Paul Cemetery – The City Council has
adopted resolutions approving these projects, and staff is assisting the applicants with the
conditions of approval in order to complete the projects.
O) Hamel Haven subdivision – These subdivisions have received final approval. Staff is
working with the applicants on the conditions of approval before the plat is recorded.
Other Projects
A) IT Interviews – Staff met with three firms who responded to the City’s RFP for IT services.
B) Uptown Hamel – Council member Reid and I attended a meeting of Uptown Hamel property
owners on 9/23. Staff is drafting an RFP for a consultant to provide technical assistance on
implementation. Council member Reid is also working on the branding/marketing plan with
Uptown Hamel businesses.
C) Arrowhead Drive/Highway 55 intersection – staff met with representatives of Arrowhead
Holdings (property owner of OSI site) to coordinate the relocation of OSI’s driveway prior to
construction of improvements on Arrowhead Drive. OSI has agreed to complete their driveway
work in the first part of spring 2022 so that the City can contract for the street work in the summer of
2022.
D) Swimming Pool Ordinance-setbacks to utilities – staff has been reviewing current regulations which
require a setback of 18 feet from pools to any underground utilities, which a property owner has
raised as prohibiting construction of a pool on their property. Staff intends to propose a reduction of
this setback for the Planning Commission’s consideration at the October 12 meeting.
E) Implicit Bias Training – staff attended a training session related to implicit bias.
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jason Nelson, Director of Public Safety
DATE: September 30, 2021
RE: Department Updates
This past two weeks I have been preparing for a Minnesota Board of Police Officer Standards and
Training (POST Board) audit. This occurs every five years to ensure that agencies are complying with
all the requirements imposed by statute and rule. They will be conducting an onsite review on
Monday, October 4, 2021.
On September 20, 2021, I brought in Booker Hodges who is the Assistant Commissioner for the
Department of Public Safety to talk to all city employees about Implicit Bias. This is a topic that is
required for all police officers with their POST licensing, and we were happy to also offer it to all city
employees. This was good training and positive feedback was given by all departments.
I have been putting the final touches on our Lexipol policy and procedure manual. Over the past
month officers have been getting policies sent to them for review and we are slated to go live with
Lexipol on October 1, 2021. I can’t thank Sergeant Boecker, Officers Hall and McKinley enough for
all their hard work customizing this to our department’s wants and needs; this was truly a team effort.
I would also like to thank the Council for approving this purchase as I truly believe this will benefit
both the city and the employees in the future.
Medina Celebration Day was another successful community event. I only heard positive feedback
from the community members that were there to celebrate with us. It is nice to see our community
come out and have a great time. City staff did a great job with this, and it again ties in with our staff
adopted core value of teamwork. This is just another great example.
Patrol:
Patrol Updates 09-16-2021 through 09-28-2021
The following are updates from Patrol Officers between September 16, 2021, and September 28, 2021:
Officers issued 50 citations and 62 warnings for various traffic offenses, responded to 2 property
damage accidents, 4 welfare checks, 13 medicals, 1 suspicious call, 4 traffic complaints, 19 assists to
other agencies, and 17 business/residential alarms.
On 09/18/2021 around 0300 hours an officer responded to assist Corcoran PD on a weapon complaint
at the Maple Hill Estates. It was reported a male was walking around the trailer park waving a gun.
As officers were getting to the area a Hennepin Deputy did locate a male with a gun. Commands were
given for the male to drop the gun and he complied and was taken into custody without incident. The
male was found to be intoxicated and had in his possession controlled substances. He was arrested by
Corcoran Police.
On 09/18/2021 officer responded to the 400 block of Evergreen Road on a theft from auto report. The
officer learned that credit cards were stolen from a wallet left in a vehicle and that the cards were used
at the Medina Target. The suspects are believed to be same suspects from other theft from auto reports
at the same location.
On 09/24/2021 officer was dispatched to a welfare check in the 200 block of Cherry Hill Trail. A
subject called 911 to report he did not feel safe at home and requested to be sent to the hospital.
Officers were familiar with the subject who is known to have psychological issues. Officers contacted
the subject who voluntarily was transported to the hospital for evaluation.
On 09/24/2021 officer was dispatched to report of gunshots in the 1500 block of County Road 24.
Officer was able to locate the source of the gunshots and contacted a homeowner who was legally
target shooting a shotgun on his property.
On 09/25/2021 officer took a phone call regarding theft of funds from a bank account. A resident
reported a financial account was “hacked” and was missing nearly $53,000 from the account. The
case was forwarded to Investigations. On 09/27 our Investigator received a phone call from the victim
in the case who discovered that the funds were transferred to another account by accident and the
money was not missing.
On 09/25/2021 A vehicle was stopped by officer on Hackamore Road going 78 mph in the posted 40
mph zone. Driver said he was trying to “show off” to his passenger. Driver was cited for driving
more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit.
On 09/26/2021 officer stopped a vehicle for driving out of the traffic lane in the area of Highway 55
and Wichita Trail. The driver was found to have a cancelled driver’s license-inimical to public safety.
He was arrested for the offense. The subject was booked at our office and brought to Hennepin
County Jail. During a secondary search at Hennepin Jail, Deputies located a small baggie in his wallet
that contained a small amount of suspected heroin.
On 09/28/2021 officer was dispatched to a traffic complaint westbound on Highway 55 from County
Road 101. It was reported a driver of a gold sedan was swerving all over the road, screaming at other
drivers, got out of the car and exposed himself at another driver, and was driving reckless on the
highway. Officers were able to contact the driver, who officers were familiar with from other
contacts, at his residence in Loretto. He denied exposing himself to other drivers or driving reckless.
The case will be forwarded to the Medina Prosecuting Attorney for possible charges stemming from
the incident.
Investigations:
Received a call of a theft report. Victim stated that they had a large amount of money taken out of one
of their accounts. After further investigation, it was determined that the bank made an error, and the
victim was immediately refunded their money.
In August I drafted a search warrant to have numerous electronic devices forensically analyzed. The
case involved a sexual assault and suspected child pornography. I recently received some digital
evidence from those devices. I am currently in the process of going through the data. The victims and
suspect are known. The investigation is on-going.
Received a report from Hennepin County Child Protection in reference to a stepfather who was
possibly driving intoxicated while there were two teenagers in the vehicle. Investigation is on-going.
Attended a two-day conference for LELS in Brooklyn Park.
There are currently (14) cases assigned to investigations.
1
TO: Mayor Martin and Members of the City Council
FROM: Steve Scherer, Public Works Director
DATE: September 30, 2021
MEETING: October 5, 2021
SUBJECT: Public Works Update
STREETS
• The Highcrest Drive / Oak Circle paving project is complete and looks great.
• Pioneer Trail has been striped. Minimal maintenance should be needed on this
street for the next five-plus years.
• Public Works completed pothole patching near the business park on the east end
of Meander.
• Staff continues to work with Corcoran, Plymouth, Maple Grove, and Hennepin
County to coordinate the County Road 101 and Hackamore Road intersection
reconstruction effort.
WATER/SEWER/STORMWATER
• We will cut over to the new operating system at the Treatment Plant within the
next two weeks and plan to be fully on board by the end of the month. We are
currently running both systems parallel to identify any possible issues.
• Seasonal hydrant flushing will begin during the month of October to flush the
system after a long summer of use.
• By the end of the month all system water in the Hamel area will flow through the
treatment plant to lower the Manganese level to the MDH recommended standard.
We still need to develop a mitigation plan and notify the other smaller systems at
Morningside and Independence Beach.
PARKS/TRAILS
• We are back to work at Hunter Park installing the storm water piping for the new
tennis/pickleball court. The sub cutting and tile system has been installed and the
sand installation for the court is underway.
• Public Works will be seeding and doing recon work at Loram next week.
PERSONNEL
• Greg Leuer, our Water Operator, will be recognized for 15 years at this meeting.
• Our new Maintenance Worker, Jeremy Thorson, begins his career with the City
on Monday, October 11th.
MISCELLANEOUS
• Celebration Day was a success. A recap meeting will be scheduled soon.
MEMORANDUM
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 1 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Dusty Finke, Planning Director
DATE: October 7, 2021
MEETING: October 12, 2021 Planning Commission
SUBJECT: Public Hearing – SH Ventures, Inc. – PID 05-118-23-22-0005
Lifestyle Auto Condos – PUD Concept Plan
Summary of Request
SH Ventures, Inc. has requested review of a PUD Concept Plan for development of individually
owned auto-condos within twelve buildings with an aggregate footprint of approximately
258,000 square feet. The subject site is south of Highway 55, west of Pioneer Trail. An aerial of
the site and surrounding property can be found below.
MEMORANDUM
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 2 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
The subject site is currently farmed. There are lower lying areas along the west and east property
boundaries which may be wetland areas. Existing Rural Residential homes are located to the
east and southeast. Property to the west is currently farmed and designated as Future
Development Area. The City of Corcoran is north of Highway 55, with the property to the
northwest being zoned industrial.
Comprehensive Plan/Zoning
The subject site is designated as Future Development Area (FDA) in the Comprehensive Plan
and zoned Rural Residential-Urban Reserve (RR-UR). The applicant is proposing a rezoning to
Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for the development.
Staff has prepared a summary of relevant definitions, goals, principles, and objectives from the
Comprehensive Plan and the RR-UR and Rural Business Holding (RBH) zoning districts, which
is attached.
Staff has included some of the most pertinent information here as well.
The FDA land use is defined in the Comprehensive Plan as follows:
Future Development Area (FDA) identifies areas which could potentially be planned for future urban development in the City that will be provided municipal sewer and water services. This area will remain rural unless and until designated for urban services in a future Comprehensive Plan update. The purpose of the FDA designation is to communicate the future planning intentions to the community. This designation is tentative and depends greatly on future infrastructure improvements, including to regional highway capacity.
The following objectives of the Rural Residential/FDA land uses appear most relevant: 13. Protect property within the Future Development Area designation from subdivision and development by requiring ghost plats for subdivisions so that future urban expansion is not compromised. 8. Maintain a maximum density of one unit per ten acres for new development in the Rural Residential and Future Development Area land use. 5. Allow land uses, such as home-based businesses, hobby farms, horse stables, nurseries and other smaller-scale rural activities, which will not conflict with adjoining residential development. 6. Regulate noise, illumination, animals, and odors as needed to maintain public health and safety. 14. Reduce impervious surfaces where possible by applying low impact design standards and encourage innovative materials and plans that reduce runoff.
The City currently zones property within the FDA land use as RR-UR. The Planning
Commission and City Council could discuss whether the objectives of the Comp Plan support
allowing limited business uses in the FDA land use prior to the time the area can be developed
with urban services.
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 3 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
It is reasonable to find that allowing business development in the FDA in contrary to several of
the objectives. Staff is especially concerned with the possibility that development upon FDA
property will cause unforeseen issues with future development. Improvements may
inadvertently interfere with logical street and utility layouts in the future. Opportunities may be
lost to secure rights-of-way, easements, parkland and trail corridors, and similar requirements
which may be necessary to support nearby developments depending on the ultimate uses. Staff
also is hesitant to encourage new non-residential accesses onto Highway 55. These reasons are
why staff originally recommended the RR-UR zoning district for FDA property.
However, it may be reasonable for the City to allow limited business development within the
FDA land use, especially on property adjacent to Highway 55. Extension of urban services may
be decades in the future, and this would provide an opportunity for a more intensive use in the
interim.
PUD Concept Plan
The purpose of a PUD Concept Plan is to provide feedback to the applicant prior to a formal
application. Generally, the Planning Commission and City Council do not take any formal
action and the feedback is purely advisory.
Purpose of a Planned Unit Development
According to Section 827.25, PUD provisions are established to provide comprehensive
procedures and standards designed to allow greater flexibility in the development of
neighborhoods and/or nonresidential areas by incorporating design modifications and allowing
for a mixture of uses. The PUD process, by allowing deviation from the strict provisions of this
Code related to setbacks, lot area, width and depth, yards, and other development standards is
intended to encourage:
1. Innovations in development to the end that the growing demands for all styles of economic
expansion may be met by greater variety in type, design, and placement of structures and by the
conservation and more efficient use of land in such developments.
2. Higher standards of site and building design.
3. The preservation, enhancement, or restoration of desirable site characteristics such as high quality
natural resources, wooded areas, wetlands, natural topography and geologic features and the
prevention of soil erosion.
4. Innovative approaches to stormwater management and low-impact development practices which
result in volume control and improvement to water quality beyond the standard requirements of
the City.
5. Maintenance of open space in portions of the development site, preferably linked to surrounding
open space areas, and also enhanced buffering from adjacent roadways and lower intensity uses.
6. A creative use of land and related physical development which allows a phased and orderly
development and use pattern and more convenience in location and design of development and
service facilities.
7. An efficient use of land resulting in smaller networks of utilities and streets thereby lower
development costs and public investments.
8. A development pattern that effectuates the objectives of the Medina Comprehensive Plan. (PUD is
not intended as a means to vary applicable planning and zoning principles.)
9. A more desirable and creative environment than might be possible through the strict application on
zoning and subdivision regulations of the City.
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 4 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Usually, PUD requests have similar use/density as the existing zoning designation and use the
existing zoning as an “underlying” or “base” zoning. The City then determines whether the
development made possible through the PUD better meets City goals and objectives than a
development which meets the strict letter of the underlying district. The alternative is that the
developer proceeds with what is allowed with the standard zoning.
This request is a little bit different. The existing RR-UR zoning district would permit just a few
rural homes and would not permit non-residential uses such as auto-condos. Some type of
rezoning would be necessary to allow for any use beyond agriculture and a few rural homesites.
The City has a great deal of discretion when considering the PUD.
Proposed Site Layout
The following table summarizes the proposed development compared to the requirements of the
Rural Business Holding (RBH) zoning district. As noted above, in other PUDs, staff
recommends that the Planning Commission and City Council compare the requirements of the
underlying district.
However, staff does not believe comparing the proposed PUD to the specific dimensional
standards of the RR-UR district is sufficient in this case. Staff believes a comparison to a district
which allows business uses would be helpful. The RBH zoning district is intended to apply to
property which is planned for Business development (generally within the 20-year Comp Plan
timeframe), but which has not yet been developed with utilities.
Proposed RR-UR
Requirement
RBH Requirement
Minimum Lot Size 30 acres 20 acres/home 20 acres
Minimum Lot Width 1023 feet 300 feet 200 feet
Minimum Lot Depth 1229 feet 200 feet 200 feet
Front Setback 76 feet 50 feet 50 feet
Side/Rear Setback 64 feet (east)
76 feet (west)
50 feet 30 feet
Residential Setback 64 feet (east)
76 feet (west)
N/A
75’ from comm.
100 feet
75’ w/ 70% screen
Parking Setbacks
Front Yard 40 feet 35 feet
Side/Rear 28 feet (east)
20 feet (west)
20 feet
Residential 28 feet (east)
20 feet (west)
75 feet
50’ w/ 70% screen
Building Height 24 feet 40 feet 30 feet
Hardcover 20%-30% 60%
50% of suitable soils
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 5 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Limitation on Sanitary Sewer Usage
The RBH zoning district includes a limitation of sanitary sewage usage to a rate of 100 gallons
per day, per net acre, which would be approximately 3000 gallons/day for the subject site, or
approximately 11 SAC units. Generally, the City uses Met Council calculations for SAC units,
but adjusted the amount for this use based on data provided by the AutoMotorPlex. The City’s
calculation is 1 unit per 17,500 square feet + .08 SAC unit per condo. Using this calculation, the
RBH district requirement would limit this site to approximately 190,000 square feet of auto
condo building floor area (including mezzanine).
The applicant is proposing approximately buildings with a footprint of 258,000 square feet, plus
mezzanines, likely another 50% or so of the buildings with approximately 200 condos. This
would equate to approximately 37 SAC units proposed.
Architectural Design
Conceptual building elevations are attached for review. The proposed buildings are 80’ wide
rectangles with transparent overhead doors along the long sides of the structures for each unit.
Beyond the transparent overhead doors and windows, the proposed exterior material are a mix of
fiber cement, metal, and wood. The applicant has indicated that the architectural design is
conceptual, and they are open to recommendations from the Planning Commission and City
Council in terms of preferred materials and design.
The following are requirements of the RBH zoning district for context. Flexibility to the
standards may be provided or higher standards required as part of the PUD process.
Building Materials
The RBH district requires: “all
exterior building materials shall be
durable and meet the following
standards:
(a) A minimum of 20 percent of the building exterior shall be brick, natural stone, stucco (not
Exterior Insulation and Finish System or similar product), copper, or glass.
(b) A maximum of 80 percent of the exterior building materials may be decorative concrete, split
face (rock face) decorative block, or decorative pre-cast concrete panels. For buildings with
a floor area of 12,000 square feet or less, a maximum of 80 percent of the exterior building
materials may be commercial grade fiber cement lap siding installed per manufacturer’s
specifications. For buildings with a floor area of greater than 12,000 square feet, a maximum
of 20 percent of the exterior building materials may be commercial grade fiber cement lap
siding installed per manufacturer’s specifications. Concrete and fiber cement materials shall
be color impregnated in earth tones (rather than painted) and decorative concrete shall be
patterned to create a high quality terrazzo, brick, stucco, or travertine appearance.
(c) A maximum of 20 percent of the exterior building materials may be wood, metal (excluding
copper), or Exterior Insulation and Finish System or similar product, if used as accent
materials which are integrated into the overall building design.
Materials Required
Glass, stone, brick, stucco Minimum 20%
Concrete, (fiber cement if building <12,000 s.f.) Maximum 80%
Metal, EIFS, fiber cement Maximum 20%
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 6 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Building Modulation – minimum of one element per 100 linear feet of façade.
Fenestration/Transparency – “Building elevations which face a public street shall include generous
window coverage.”
Multi-sided Architecture – “Any rear or side building elevation which faces a public street or a
residential zoning district shall include design and architectural elements of a quality generally
associated with a front façade.”
Tree Preservation, Buffer Yard and Landscaping
No trees are located on the subject site and the applicant has not provided conceptual
landscaping plans.
The business districts include the following landscape requirements:
• Building Setting - At least 12 feet of landscaped area shall be provided adjacent to all
buildings except for walks, plaza space and approved loading docks. Walks within this
landscaped area shall be limited to where practically necessary to serve access points of
buildings
At the very least, staff would recommend landscaping areas at the ends of the buildings where no
garage doors will be located. The standard landscaping language would also require landscaping
within the areas along the long fronts of the buildings between doors.
• Minimum Planting
Requirement Required
Overstory trees 1 per 50’ site perimeter 92 trees
Ornamental trees 1 per 100’ site perimeter 46 trees
Shrubs 1 per 30’ site perimeter 153 shrubs
• Parking lot landscaping – minimum of 8% of parking lot area
Staff believes landscaping within the drive aisle areas and between buildings should be
maximized to soften and break up the appearance of hardcover and massing of the
structures.
• Landscaping islands every 20 spaces, wider separations for cells of 120 spaces
• Buffering. Landscaping is required to have an opacity of 50% adjacent to residential
zoning districts.
A landscaping screen with a minimum opacity of 0.5 adjacent to residential zoning districts
and allow a reduction of setbacks with a screen of 0.7. Staff would recommend substantial
perimeter landscaping.
Wetlands and Floodplain
The applicant has not submitted a wetland delineation and staff would recommend that a
delineation (or confirmation of no wetlands on-site) be completed prior to any formal
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 7 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
application. It appears that wetlands may potentially extend onto the property in the southeastern
and southwestern portion of the property.
No floodplain areas are identified on FEMA maps upon the property.
Transportation/Parking
The applicant proposes access to Highway 55, across from the Eley Auto. MnDOT has indicated
that left and right turn lanes would be required if this use is developed. The proposed access is
less than a ¼ mile west of Pioneer Trail, which is less than the ½ mile spacing recommended for
secondary intersections on principal arterial roadways in rural settings.
Staff generally recommends against creating new accesses to Highway 55 if at all possible.
Access needs to be provided for property, but staff believes the City has the opportunity to
reduce the impact of accesses through land planning. Zoning property which only has access
onto Highway 55 for less intensive uses is one strategy to reduce the impact of accesses onto
Highway 55.
If the City were to consider allowing more intensive uses within the FDA area along Highway
55, staff believes it may be beneficial to prioritize properties with the most practical access
options first. For example, properties along County Road 19 would have less impactful options
for access and could begin a system of frontage/backage roads for other properties. County Road
19 is constructed to handle trucks and more traffic volume then roadways such as Pioneer Trail
and Townline Road but provides safer options for access than Highway 55.
If the City were to rezone the property and permit more intensive development, staff believes it
is imperative that careful consideration be given to the layout so that improvements do not have
detrimental impact on infrastructure planning. Staff would recommend against any development
which does not provide flexibility in terms of right-of-way for future roadways. The applicant
has proposed providing right-of-way along the north of the property for a potential future
frontage road. Staff questions if this is the best option. A backage road along the southern
property line might provide more opportunity to serve lots fronting Highway 55 and also the
properties to the south in the future. It would also align better with the ultimate intersections at
County Road 19 and Pioneer Trail. Right-of-way along both the north and south of the property
would provide the most flexibility and would best overcome the risks of allowing premature
development which may impact future City infrastructure planning.
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 8 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Events
Staff recommends specific information and limitations on events if a formal application is to
proceed. Traffic and sewage usage would peak for car shows and other events well beyond the
day-to-day expected usage. With the limited infrastructure in the area, it will be important that
events are regulated.
Sewer/Water
No sewer or water infrastructure is located within a mile of the property and is not planned with
in the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The applicant proposes private shared septic and well systems. No information is provided on
the systems.
The City’s experience with the AutoMotorPlex has indicated that private auto condos do use a
comparatively low amount of water per square foot. Staff believes it would be possible to design
an appropriate private septic and well system for the site. Staff believes it would be important to
implement a series of protective sediment traps to reduce the likelihood of sediment for car
washing to impact the septic field.
No water service would be available for fire protection. The structures would need to be
sprinkled and supplied by a reservoir to provide adequate sprinkler flow. The fire department
could not supplement the fire suppression system through hydrants and would need to rely on
tankers.
The RBH district requires connection to the municipal sewer and water system when service is
available. The applicant should provide an implementation plan for connection to sewer and
water and determine how financial guarantees will be established for the cost of transition and
payment of relevant fees.
Stormwater/Grading Review
No information is provided related to grading or stormwater management. Any future
development would be subject to relevant City and Pioneer/Sarah Creek regulations.
Park/Trails/Multi-Modal
While the City’s park and trail plans do not identify improvements in the area of the subject site,
staff believes this is because the Comprehensive Plan does not anticipate intensive development
in the area within the planning horizon. Similar to the discussion related to transportation, staff
believes it is important that the City not miss opportunities or paint itself into a corner by
allowing a development which does not provide provisions for future park and trail
improvements.
When the adjacent properties are planned for development on urban services, there will be a need
for park and trail improvements. Staff believes the reservation of land for parks and trails in the
future serves the purposes of the PUD ordinance and Comprehensive Plan. Staff would
recommend that the applicant include provisions on any formal application.
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 9 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Review Criteria/Staff Comments
The purpose of the PUD Concept Plan is to provide purely advisory comments to the applicant
for their consideration whether and how to continue with a formal application. The City has a
great deal of discretion when reviewing a PUD because it is a rezoning, which is a legislative
action. A PUD should only be approved if it achieves the purposes of the PUD district
(described on page 3), the Comprehensive Plan, and other City policies.
The PUD process allows flexibility to the general zoning standards to result in a more desirable
development than would be expected through strict adherence to the requirements, which in this
case are the RBH requirements. The process provides flexibility which is ultimately at the
discretion of the City. Such flexibility often cuts in both directions, certain aspects of the
development may not meet the general standards while other exceed minimum standards. The
flexibility provides the opportunity for collaboration in site design because the City can request
adjustments which may be seen as preferred, but would not be required under general standards.
Staff believes a general discussion about how much the City wants to encourage development
within the FDA may be a good starting point of discussion. Staff believes it is reasonable to
assume that any development in the area may likely encourage development interest on other
similar properties.
If the Planning Commission and Council believes the proposed PUD meets the objectives of the
Comprehensive Plan and purpose of the PUD district, staff would strongly recommend that the
site layout provide substantial flexibility for future infrastructure planning, including streets,
utilities, and parks and trails. Doing so serves PUD purpose, including “encouraging a phased
and orderly development and use pattern” and “resulting in smaller networks of utilities and
streets thereby lower development costs and public investments.”
Staff has provided comments throughout the report to be incorporated into any future formal
application. These comments are summarized below:
1) Provisions shall be included in plans for future infrastructure including streets, utilities,
parks and trails.
2) The applicant shall submit evidence of adequate water supply for fire protection and
adequate provisions for sewage treatment.
3) If access is provided from Highway 55, the applicant shall construct left and right turn
lanes into the property.
4) The access to Highway 55 shall be closed when alternative access is available.
5) The applicant shall provide an implementation plan to connect the facility to municipal
sewer and water systems when available.
6) Site design shall provide increased separation and buffering to surrounding land uses.
7) Information on proposed events shall be provided upon formal application and
appropriate limitations and regulations shall be required.
8) A wetland delineation shall be provided at the time of formal application.
9) Additional landscaping shall be provided adjacent to and between buildings.
10) Right-of-way shall be provided for future expansion of Highway 55 and for future City
street network.
11) Except as explicitly noted within the Planned Unit Development, future applicants shall
abide by relevant City requirements.
SH Ventures – Lifestyle Auto Condos Page 10 of 10 October 12, 2021
PUD Concept Plan Planning Commission Meeting
Attachments
1. Comp Plan Info
2. Applicant narrative and supporting documentation
3. Concept Plan
4. Conceptual architectural design
EXCERPTS FROM COMP PLAN AND ZONING CODE
Chapter 2: VISION & COMMUNITY GOALS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Vision and Community Goals chapter is the heart of the Comprehensive Plan and provides
the foundation from which City officials make consistent and supporting land use decisions. This
chapter includes a set of general community goals that guided the creation of this Plan.
The concepts in this chapter are some of the few static elements of the Comprehensive Plan. If land
uses change or other infrastructure varies from the Plan, decisions will be founded in the goals set
forth below. The Vision and Goals were created with the involvement of the Comprehensive Plan
Steering Committee (the “Steering Committee”), City officials, and residents of Medina and are
broadly supported.
Land use designations are subject to strong social and economic pressures to change. Accordingly,
it is appropriate that such systems be periodically evaluated in light of changing social and
economic conditions. As development evolves, the Vision and Goals will provide the guidance for
accomplishing the vision for the future of the community even when changes are necessary to the
land use plan.
Detailed objectives and recommendations are contained within each of the subject chapters of this
plan.
Creating the Vision and Goals
The residents, the Steering Committee, City officials and staff participated in the planning process
for the Plan. A series of public participation meetings were conducted to introduce and solicit
information from the residents of Medina. The Steering Committee held work sessions that
focused on integrating the concerns and desires of the community together with accommodating
growth and regional impacts. An online forum provided additional opportunity for residents to
impact the Vision and Community Goals as they were formulated.
In addition to land use and growth planning, the City implemented open space, natural resources,
and infrastructure planning. The goals which guided this process are integrated into this chapter.
Each element of this plan was developed with assistance from city officials and a diverse group of
community stakeholders producing a truly representative plan. The City made a conscious
decision to emphasize natural resources and open space conservation.
Community Vision
The following statement provides a vision of the community for the future and the
resultant goals and strategies.
Medina is a community united by a common goal: to sustain and enhance the quality of life of its
residents. Medina will protect its significant natural resources and open space throughout the City,
while honoring its rural heritage and fostering safe and well-designed neighborhoods, places of recreation
and destinations for citizens to gather. Development within the City will be commensurate with
available transportation systems, municipal services and school capacity.
Community Goals
The following Community Goals are derived from the Vision Statement and inform
objectives and strategies throughout the various aspects of the Comprehensive Plan.
• Preserve rural vistas, open spaces, and wetlands in all parts of the community
to promote the rural character of Medina.
• Protect and enhance the environment and natural resources throughout the community.
• Encourage and incent innovative and environmentally friendly approaches to
planning, engineering and development.
• Expand urban services only as necessary to accommodate regionally forecasted
residential growth, desired business opportunities and achievement of other
Community Goals. Such development and growth shall be at a sustainable pace
proportionate with capacity of schools and transportation, water supply and
wastewater infrastructure available to the City.
• Spread development so that it is not geographically concentrated during
particular timeframes.
• Promote public and private gathering places and civic events that serve the
entire community.
• Preserve and expand trails and parks to provide community recreational facilities,
connect neighborhoods, and encourage healthy lifestyles of its residents.
• Provide opportunities for a diversity of housing at a range of costs to support
residents at all stages of their lives.
• Encourage an attractive, vibrant business community that complements the
residential areas of the City.
• Maintain its commitment to public safety through support of the City’s
police department and coordinate with its contracted volunteer fire
departments.
• Manage the City through prudent budgeting processes, retaining a skilled and
efficient staff and long-range planning and financial management.
Future Land Use Plan Principles
The Future Land Use Plan guides the development of Medina through 2040, and will be used
to implement the City’s goals, strategies and policies. The Plan is guided by the Vision and
Community Goals as furthered by the following principles:
Development Patterns and Neighborhood Form
• Encourage open spaces, parks and trails in all neighborhood developments. Surveys
indicate that a high quality of life is found when residents have visual access to green
spaces.
• Create neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that are well connected
with roads, trails or sidewalks.
• Maintain the integrity of rural neighborhoods and promote development
patterns consistent with existing rural residential development.
• Recognize neighborhood characteristics and promote new development compatible
in scale, architectural quality and style with existing neighborhoods.
• Stage residential growth to minimize the amount of adjacent developments which
occur within the same time period.
• Guide density to areas with proximity to existing infrastructure and future
infrastructure availability.
• Concentrate higher density development near service oriented businesses to help
promote walkability.
• Consider planned development in surrounding communities when making land use
decisions in the City.
Road Patterns
• Recognize regional highway capacity and planned improvements, along with use
forecasts, as major factors in planning for growth and land use changes.
• Establish collector streets with good connections through the community’s growth
areas.
• Promote trails and sidewalk access near roads and thoroughfares to encourage multi-
modal transportation choices.
• Consider opportunities to improve north-south travel within the City.
Open Spaces and Natural Resources
• Preserve natural resources throughout the community and provide educational
opportunities to residents to help them understand the value of natural areas.
• Preserve open spaces and natural resources.
• Protect wooded areas and encourage improvement of existing resources and
reforestation. Evaluate existing woodland protections and supplement as necessary.
• Support the guidelines identified in the Open Space Report to preserve the City’s
natural systems.
Business Districts and Commercial Areas
• Focus service businesses and development near urban residential densities and along
primary transportation corridors.
• Provide connections between residents and commercial areas and promote businesses
within mixed-use areas.
• Work to create job opportunities in the community for Medina residents to reduce
traffic and commuting demands.
• Emphasize service and retail uses which serve the needs of the local community and
provide opportunities for the community to gather.
• Support business development with a corporate campus style which provides
open and protects natural resources.
Rural Designations
Objectives:
1. Allow low-density development in the Rural Residential Area including innovative
arrangements of homes that preserve open space and natural resources.
2. Encourage conservation of open space, farms and ecologically significant natural resources
in the rural areas.
3. Enforce stringent standards for the installation and maintenance of permanent, on-
site sewage disposal systems.
4. Allow public facilities and services, such as parks and trail systems, if compatible with
rural service area development.
5. Allow land uses, such as home-based businesses, hobby farms, horse stables, nurseries
and other smaller-scale rural activities, which will not conflict with adjoining residential
development.
6. Regulate noise, illumination, animals, and odors as needed to maintain public health and
safety.
7. Maintain a maximum density of one unit per forty acres for property in the Agricultural
land use.
8. Maintain a maximum density of one unit per ten acres for new development in the Rural
Residential and Future Development Area land use.
9. Consider exceptions to maximum density standards for open space developments that
protect natural features and put land into permanent conservation. Within the
Metropolitan Council’s long term sewer service area (reference Map 5-5), these
exceptions will be allowed to result in development with a density in excess of one unit
per ten gross acres if consistent with the Metropolitan Council’s Flexible Residential
Development Guidelines.
10. Urban services will not be provided to the Agricultural, Rural Residential, or Future
Development Area land uses during this planning cycle.
11. Require preservation of natural slopes, wetlands, woodlands and other significant
natural characteristics.
12. Require that lots contain adequate soil types and conditions as defined in the City's
on-site septic system requirements.
13. Protect property within the Future Development Area designation from subdivision and
development by requiring ghost plats for subdivisions so that future urban expansion is
not compromised.
14. Reduce impervious surfaces where possible by applying low impact design standards
and encourage innovative materials and plans that reduce runoff.
15. Encourage and incentivize landowners to participate in the protection and conservation of
significant natural resources.
Section 826.25.1. Rural Residential-Urban Reserve (RR-UR) Purpose. The purpose of this
district is to provide a zoning district which is consistent with the area guided for future
residential or mixed-use development in the city’s comprehensive plan. The district includes
areas which are not currently served by municipal urban services but are planned to be at some
time in the future. Development within the RR-UR district shall be limited as specified in this
section of the ordinance in order to accommodate efficient future development.
835.2 - ZONING – RURAL BUSINESS HOLDING DISTRICT
Section 835.2.01. Purpose. The purpose of this district is to provide a zoning district which is
consistent with the area guided for business reserve in the city’s comprehensive plan. The rural
business holding zone includes areas of the community lying outside of the area in which urban
services are currently available to business uses but which will be added to the urban service
area in the future. Development within the rural commercial holding district shall be limited in
scale until municipal utility services are available and shall be designed in a way to efficiently
accommodate additional development in the future and also designed to protect and enhance the
natural environment.
Concept Stage PUD Application for a 31.5 Acre Parcel
Located on State Hwy. 55 in Medina for an
Upscale Life -Style Auto Condo Development
Proposed Concept PUD Application Summary:
Our proposed development by SH Ventures, Inc. is for a very upscale Life -Style
Auto Condo development bordering Hwy 55 in western Medina on an approximately
31.5 acre site. We are proposing to create approximately 240 units on the current
farmland.
There has been a strong demand for similar projects and our proposed development
aims to raise the bar and deliver a beautiful auto condo designed by award winning
ESG Architecture & Design. Our project as designed can be an option to the "up
north cabin" and a quick get -away as a "he-shed/she-shed" or perhaps to look at your
favorite automobile and send a couple emails from a superior setting to the kitchen
table that gets used to frequently as Covid has gotten many of us desiring to work
from home. The market is burgeoning and our proposed development may add north
of $50,000,000.00 to the local tax base, while not requiring municipal services of
water & sewer.
We have designed open space and a large setback from abutting properties to the
east, west and south. We are in discussions with MnDot about an access directly off
Hwy 55 and the trip generations are very low during the weekdays with trips
generally happening on Saturdays at other developments that we desire to
compliment. Trip generations are much lower with our proposed development than
the commercial use the city changed recently.
We propose to cluster the units in the northern 2/3 of the site. The property comes
with two outlots that provide site access and utility access from the eastern and
southern directions. We propose to widen Hwy 55 with City and MnDot approval
and have attached Exhibit -7 with road widening details. We further propose to only
use the existing site access from our eastern side as a secondary emergency vehicle
access.
This Narrative and accompanying Plans & Exhibits will further detail items as
requested by Zoning Administrator and City Ordinance.
Required Concept PUD Information per City Code Section 827.33:
(a) General Information: Names and addresses of existing landowner and
applicant found on City Application Form. Professional Consultants for our
proposed development include:
Architect: ESG Architecture & Design
500 S. Washington Ave. #1080
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Civil Engineer: Anderson Engineering of MN, LLC
13605 1St Ave. N #100
Plymouth, MN 55441
Traffic Engineer: Swing Traffic Solutions
4290 Norwood Land North
Plymouth, MN 55442
Attorney/Legal: Messerli & Kramer
1400 Fifth Street Towers
100 South Fifth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Title Company: Custom Homes Builders Title LLC
10850O1d County Rd 15 #100
Plymouth, MN 55441
Applicant and landowner confirm that valid purchase agreement exists, an
existing title commitment exists and title commitment is being updated from
Custom Homes Builders Title LLC of Plymouth, MN.
(b) Present Status: Address of vacant land is XXX Highway 55 with property
Identification Information and legal addresses located in attached Exhibit 1-
PID & Limited Legal Description of Property. The existing Zoning of
residential was recently changed from previous Commercial Zoning without
the existing landowners knowledge. The existing Zoning Map is attached per
Exhibit 2-Existing/Current Zoning Map. An existing survey by Sathre-
Bergquist, Inc. depicting this parcel is found in attached Exhibit 3 -Existing
Survey. A new survey is being obtained depicting both subject vacant
property and land within 1,000 feet of subject property per City requirements.
(c) Written Statement: Refer to above Proposed Concept Stage PUD
Application Summary.
(d) Site Conditions: Site conditions detailed in attached Exhibit 3 -Existing
Survey by Sathre-Bergquist, Inc. depicts a relatively flat site currently being
farmed as a corn field, with a small amount of wooded area on the far eastern
border. Our new survey on order will depict drainage patterns and significant
rock outcroppings if any, soil conditions, etc.
(e) Schematic Drawings of Proposed Development: Refer to attached Exhibit
4 -Schematic Concept Plans by ESG Architects depicting Upscale Life -Style
Auto Condo Plans & Renderings and Draft Site Plan.
(f) Statement of Number of Units & SF of Developed Land: At this early
Concept stage we are proposing up to approximately 12 separate buildings
with 20 units each for up to 240 total units. No area will be devoted to
residential use however unit owners will be able to customize their interiors
which may include bathrooms and mini -kitchens. All of the single -use space
will be devoted to auto condos with paving and parking area to be more further
defined by % in next PUD Application stage. A very large amount of open
space around the east and west sides and an even larger of open area will be
left vacant with this plan. An outdoor pavilion with picnic tables and play
area for youngsters is planned.
(g) PUD Staging: A Staging Plan will be forthcoming with next PUD
Application. Generally a project of this magnitude would be phased for three
construction seasons it is believed.
(11) Open Space Provisions: All individual owners in this development will be
required to be a member of an Auto condo owners association -similar to a
homeowners association with rules and regulations and a regular maintenance
fee to ensure all open spaces and roads are maintained on a regular basis.
(i) Restrictive Covenants: Restrictive covenants will be filed with title limiting
and regulating ownership regarding site use and maintenance, etc. as the City
desires and applicant believe an upscale development like this warrants.
Overnight living will be specifically prohibited in the forthcoming unit
owners association documents, similar to a homeowners association which
has rules and regulations specifying acceptable and non -acceptable uses.
(j) Schematic Utilities Plan: We have requested to provide the schematic
utilities plan during the next PUD Application stage. Our proposed
development will not be needed to hook up to municipal sewer and we desire
to provide subsurface sanitary sewage systems and well water at this site. Our
projects use will require very low water usage with some unit owners opting
to customize their units with bathrooms and/or mini -kitchenettes requiring
water and sanitary sewage needs. Additionally if our future planning
determines a unit should be dedicated to auto -watching we understand the
grey water storage/disposal needs to be addressed per City and State
regulations.
(k) Mailing Labels: Mailing Labels of property owners withing 1,000 feet of
the subject property have been obtained and found in attached Exhibit 6 -
Mailing Labels.
(1) & (m) Additional Information: Applicant will forward any additional
information as requested by Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission
and/or City Council as requested.
ATTACHED EXHIBITS:
1. PID's & Limited Legal Description of Property;
2. Existing/Current Zoning Map;
3. Existing Survey;
4. Schematic Concept Plans by ESG Architects;
5. Schematic Draft Site Plan by ESG Architects;
6. Mailing Labels for Properties within 1,000 ft. of Proposed Development;
7. Detail for Proposed Road Widening of Hwy 55.
File: Medina PUD concept Application
Concept Stage PUD Application SUPPLEMENT
Upscale Life-Style Auto Condo Application SUPPLEMENT:
Since our initial Application Medina’s Dusty Finke requested additional information
on a few items including the following we have recently conceptually addressed.
Much more discussion with Mr. Finke, our consultants and City Planning
Commissions & City Councils will help formulate our proposed development.
Attached please find information regarding:
1. Life Safety Fire Suppression Systems from Summit Fire Consulting;
2. Discussion of ROW Dedication along Hwy 55 & other;
3. MnDot Meeting Recap regarding access/egress directly off of Hwy 55;
4. Emergency Vehicle Access only from parcel C to our site; and
5. Park Dedication Brainstorming
1. At this time we believe our project will be a Group U occupancy with Type
5b construction. Summit Fire Consulting will design a sprinkler fire
suppression system accordingly for City Staff and Fire Marshall review.
Refer to Exhibit #1 for Summit Fire Consulting potential options.
2. At this time we believe in event the City requests us to dedicate road ROW
on south Hwy 55 boarder, we may be amenable to a dedication of 55-60 ft. to
city for future transportation planning. Refer to Exhibit #2.
3. Anderson Engineering and us had an overview meeting with four
representatives of MnDot last month. MnDot agrees that a development of
this stature would warrant both right and left turn lanes (not signals of course)
for access from Hwy 55. Refer to Exhibit #3.
4. We propose Emergency Vehicle Access only from Parcel C off of Pioneer
Trail to eliminate traffic from the residential area at this time and more
discussion will be held about City and neighbor desires.
5. Mr. Finke discussed land dedication for a potential park in lieu of a park
dedication fee. More discussion to be held on this relating to the access off of
Hwy 55 topic. Never the less our engineers are discussing this request, Refer
to Exhibit #4.
ATTACHED EXHIBITS:
1. Summit Fire Consulting Potential Options;
2. Anderson Engineering Notes about Hwy 55 ROW;
3. MnDot Meeting Minutes; and
4. Potential Pocket Park Discussion .
File: Medina PUD Concept Application SUPPLEMENT
EXHIBITS for
Medina Upscale Life -Style Auto Condo Development
SUPPLEMENT.
EXHIBIT No. 1 Summit Fire Consulting Potential Options
Mcdiiia Exhibits SUPPI..EMENT
From: Natalie Buckman [SFNG] nbuckman@SummitFireConsulting.com
Subject: water supply - Medina
Date: October 6, 2021 at 1:50 PM
To: bill@ibilLus
Bill -
Thanks for chaffing yesterday. Below I've snipped out the code section related to water supply options. Using the shared well will
not be an option for non -domestic type uses. The two options most realistic for your site are the tank (above ground tank/pump
is more cost effective; otherwise underground tank/vertical turbine pump) or potentially the pond/pump. The pond ultimately
may end up being just as costly/complicated. It needs to be large enough to supply the sprinkler system demand for a certain
amount of time (minimum of at least 20 minutes), needs that gallonage available without freeze concern, and then piping (with
straining devices) and pump to supply the building.
Let me know if you have some thoughts on direction or any questions related to this. We can help pull together design criteria,
etc for either option if needed and then this can be used for bidding purposes to contractors so you can get competitive pricing.
Thanks,
24.2 Types.
24.2.1' Water supplies for sprinkler systems shall be one of the following or any combination:
(1) A connection to an approved public or private waterworks system in accordance with 24.2.2
(2) A connection including a fire pump in accordance with 24.2.3
(3) A connection to a water storage tank at grade or below grade installed in accordance with NFPA 22 and filled from an
approved source
(4) A connection to a pressure tank in accordance with 24.2.4 and filled from an approved source
(5) A connection to a gravity tank in accordance with 24,25 and filled from an approved source
(6) A penstock, flume, river, lake, pond, or reservoir in accordance with 24.2.6
(7)*A source of recycled or reclaimed water where the building owner (or their agent) has analyzed the source of the water and
the treatment process (if any) that the water undergoes before being made available to the sprinkler system and determined that
any materials, chemicals, or contaminants in the water will not be detrimental to the components of the sprinkler system it
comes in contact with
Natalie Buckman
Fire Protection Consultant
SUMMIT
t i,ic CONSU6t ING
0 651.288.0781
C 651-402.7738
575 Minnehaha Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55103
Office: 651-251-1880
www.summitfireconsulting.com
This information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for the persons} or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or
privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities
other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.
Disclaimer
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From: Chris Leaver [SFNC] cleaver@SummitFireConsulting.com c3'
Subject: RE: [EXTERNALj Concept Site Plan
Date: October 1, 2021 at 7:15 PM
To: Bill Stoddard Bill@iBill.us
Cc: Dale Lindh [SFPH] dlindh@summitcompanies.com
Thanks, will take a look and touch base (me or someone in my group) first thing next week. This is fir sure something we can help
with. Have a great weekend.
Chris Leaver l PE
Consulting Manager
SUMMIT
1,1N{ CONSuerING
D 651-251.1872
C 612-387-7050
575 Minnehaha Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55103
Office: 651-251-1880
www. s u m m i tfi recon su lting. com
This information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or
privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities
other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.
From: Bill Stoddard <Bitl@iBill.us>
Sent: Friday, October 1, 2021 4:05 PM
To: Chris Leaver [SFNC] <cleaver@SummitFireConsulting.com>
Cc: Dale Lindh [SFPH] adlindh@summitcompanies.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Concept Site Plan
Chris attached is our concept site plan sure to change. It includes Hwy 55 road access from the NW corner of our property (as
that area is across from a north Hwy 55 existing access. The site currently has 12 buildings, each with about 18 or so individual
upscale automobile garage condo's (not for human habitation) on a full time basis. Site will require drinking water wells and
subsurface septic systems and we need a sprinkler system designed for a wood framed structure with drywall & possible metal
interior siding.
Please let me know your thoughts.
I have used Summit for about three of my townhome projects in the past thanks for your continued great service.
Have a great weekend.
Bill Stoddard
Stoddard
«m tam Stocdera c>:o
.r.4.1,11s1 Slum:
C.o.-Wow iON $S991
ar�dt'i 36416
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Disclaimer
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authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in
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From: Dale Lindh [SFPH] dlindh@summitcompanies.com CF
Subject: Sprinkler design
Date: October 1, 2021 at 2:28 PM
To: bill@lbill.us
Bill -
It was very nice to talk with you this afternoon. I have attached some general information that the
State of Minnesota put together on the use of wells as a water supply for fire protection systems.
I also attached a couple drawings of what I believe are similar projects that Summit has
sprinklered in the past.
I am assuming that your project will be heated to maintain at least 40 degrees F so a wet
sprinkler system can be installed. If this is true you will need about 400 gpm this would require a
12" minimum well size.
The other option would be to install a fire pump and water storage tank. The tank would need to
be about 24,000 to 36,000 gallons of water based on the fire sprinkler demand and if the
sprinkler systems are monitored.
The above number are based on that the fire sprinkler system water source does not need to
supply fire hydrants spaced around the site.
Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Dale
Dale Lindh
Design Manager
SUIVIIVIIT
COMPANIES
D 651-251-1846
C 651-248-3681
575 Minnehaha Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55103
Office: 651-251-1880
www.surnmitcompanies.com
This information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed
and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or
taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is
prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for
use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this
information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
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EXHIBIT►S for
Medina Upscale Life-Stvle Auto Condo Development
SUPPLEMENT
EXHIBIT No. 2: Anderson Engineering. Notes About Hwy 55 ROW
File: Medina Exhibits. SUPPLEMENT
From: Jeffrey W. Deitner JDeitner@ae-mn.com Pi
Subject: Medina Auto Condos - Right -of -Way
Date: October 6, 2021 at 6:21 AM
To: Bill Stoddard Bill@iBill.us
Bill —
Thanks for the phone call yesterday! In the event the City would like to consider a frontage road
along highway 55, 60 +J- feet would be adequate to account for the roadway and buffer needed
between the highway and frontage road.
Please let me know if you have questions or need additional information on this!
--Jeff
PLA
Project Manager
Licensed in: MN
D: 763-412-4016 M: 651-216-2133
ANDERSON
13605 1st Ave N, Suite 100
Plymouth MN 55441
ae-mn.com J send me files
EXHIBITS for
Medina Upscale Life -Stele Auto Condo Development
SUPPLEMENT
EXHIBIT No. 3: MnDot Meeting Minutes.
File: Medina Eahihits SUPPLEMENT
MEDINA AUTO CONDOS
Preliminary Turnlane Discussion (HWY 55)
Anderson Project Number: 16679
MEETING NOTES
To: Bill Stoddard
SH Ventures
440 Third Street
Excelsior MN, 55331
From:
Date:
Participants:
Jeff Deitner, PLA
Anderson Engineering
13605 1st Ave. N, Suite 100
Plymouth, Minnesota 55441
9/15/2021
Bill Stoddard, Stoddard Companies
Eric Lauer -Hunt, MnDOT
Tod Sherman, MnDOT
Timothy Donovan,MnDOT
Andrew Lutaya, MnDOT
Erik.Hedman, Anderson Engineering
Jeff Deitner, Anderson Engineering
A brief overview / introduction conversation was had regarding the possibility of incorporating turn lanes for the future
development located 250 Ln Ft. west of Pioneer Trail and Highway 55. The parcel consists 30.12 acres, with 1,120 Ln.
Ft. north boundary which is adjacent to Highway 55.
Further discussion topics were:
Preliminary Trip Counts (Traffic Volume):
Jeff. Deitner gave a brief description ofthe development indicating that peak travel times wouldbe on the weekend
with low weekday trip generations forecasted.
Access off Pioneer Trail:
Entrance to the property from Pioneer Trail was discussed as an alternate to turnlanes being incorporated off of
Highway 55. It is the projects intent to limit the amount of traffic on Pioneer trail as to not overwhelm the nearby
residential properties and only use Pioneer Trail as an emergency vehicle access point. Bill Stoddard brought to the
group'sattention that language in the easement documents to land owned by applicant limits the number vehicles
allowed for entering and existing on Pioneer Trail (see attached for supporting documentation).
Turnlanes:
M nDOT did recognize a development of this stature would warrant both right and left turn lanes for access off of
Highway 55. It was noted that additional internal discussion between. MnDOT staff would need to occur to determine
appropriate location and feasibility.
13605 lst Avenue North #100, Plymouth, MN 55441 P 763.412.4000 F 763.412,4090 ae-mn.com
MEDINA.AUTO CONDOS. TURNLANE DISCUSSION
September 1S, 2021
Zoning:
At the time of the call, toning to the north was not known. Upon further review, zoning to the north of the project site
was researched and found to be Light. Industrial per the: City. of Corcoran 2020 zoning map (See.. attachedfor reference)
Per the City of Corcoran's district regulations, light industrial has been established to provide warehousing and light
industrial development with limited amounts of truck traffic.
Next Steps:
Moving forward a level 2layout 'would ..be required per MnDOT's Local Government Guide, which outlines the.
submission process: If a preliminary review is requested, MnDOT would conduct a review prior to the official City
submittal which at that time would be MnDOT's official review period. At this time the projects point of contact is
Andrew Lutaya,
Jeff Deitner, PLA
Anderson Engineering.
Attached:
City of Corcoran Zoning. Map
Declaration of Covenants,. Conditions, Restrictions and Maintenance Agreement for a Private Road
21 Page
EXHIBITS for
Medina Upscale Life -Style Auto Condo Development
SUPPLEMENT
EXHIBIT No. 4: Potential Pocket Park Discussion.
File: Medina Exhibits SUPPLEMENT
From: Jeffrey W. Deitner JDeitner@ae-mn.com 9
Subject: Re: Application Supplement for Concept Life -Style Auto Condo Development
Date: October 6, 2021 at 10:02 AM
To: Bill Stoddard Bill@iBill.us
Bill -
One quick thought regarding the park dedication. May be a potential to offer pedestrian connections that are identified through
different pavement types, site amenities (benches, trash receptacles, etc...) and landscaping.
This could have the potential of improving the experience for the users of the condos as well as the city's requirements. of the City has
an idea on where a park would be preferable we could provide connections (strategic to not promote too much outside access).
Just throwing ideas out..,
P
Project Manager
Licensed in: MN
D: 763-412-4016 M: 651-215-2133
ANDERSON
13605 1st Ave N, Suite 100
Plymouth MN 55441
ae-mn.com I send me files
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
Scale:1" = 100'-0"
AUTO CONDO
09.09.2021
SITE PLANMEDINA MN
EMERGENCY EXIT -TBD
HIGHWAY 55
HIGHWAY 55
EXPANSION SPACE
25
0
'
-
0
"
POND
PICNIC/ PLAYGROUND AREA
ENTRY/EXIT
ENTRY GATE
OUTDOOR
PAVILION
BLDG //01
BLDG //02
BLDG //03
BLDG //04
BLDG //05
BLDG //06
BLDG //07
BLDG //08
BLDG //09
BLDG //10
BLDG //11 BLDG //12
18' -
0
"
GUEST PARKING
68' - 0"
10' - 0"
280' - 0"
80' - 0"
80' - 0"
40' - 0"40' - 0"
29' - 0"
10' - 0"
29' - 0"
240' - 0"
6
8'
-
0
"
34' - 0"
30' - 0"
30
0
'
-
0
"
280' - 0"
1" = 100'-0"MP1.1
1 ARCHITECTURAL SITE PLAN
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
SEPT 2021 PID: 0511823220005
Medina, MN
Ditter Cooling, Heating and Electric Page 1 of 4 October 12, 2021
Sign Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
MEMORANDUM
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Dusty Finke, Planning Director
DATE: October 8, 2021
MEETING: October 12, 2021 Planning Commission
SUBJ: Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendment – Sign Regulations
Ditter Cooling, Heating, and Electric
Summary of Request
At the September 14 meeting, the Planning Commission discussed changes to the City’s sign
ordinance requested by Ditter Cooling, Heating, and Electric. The applicant operates at 820
Tower Drive, west of Pinto Drive and the applicant’s property backs up to Highway 55. The
applicant is interested in installing a dynamic display to advertise its business but believes
existing City regulations may limit the effectiveness of such a sign. The primary changes pertain
to increasing the comparatively lower size and height allowances for signs in certain districts and
to allow larger dynamic displays adjacent to roads with greater speed limits.
The Planning Commission tabled the ordinance and requested information on ordinances from
other communities, especially pertaining to maximum size of dynamic displays and required
time that messages are required to be static.
Staff has attached the entire sign ordinance with the applicant’s proposed changes shown.
Generally, an ordinance will exclude subsections which are not proposed to be amended, but
staff thought it would be helpful to have the entire ordinance for context.
Size/Height of Signs Adjacent to Arterial Roadways
The applicant’s property is zoned Commercial-General (CG). The CG and certain other districts
are currently more restrictive in terms of signage than other commercial and business districts.
The reason for this is because the CG and Business Park zoning districts tend to be less
retail/service oriented (more warehouse/office) and are more proximate to residential areas.
However, there are situations, such as the applicant’s property, where the “front” of the property
may be internal to a smaller, less intensive development area, but the property also backs up onto
a major roadway.
The proposed amendment would allow the same size and height for signage along a principal
arterial roadway that is permitted in the more intensive commercial/business districts. This
language can be found on page 9 of the ordinance. The Planning Commission discussed at the
September meeting and staff believes the consensus was to limit this additional allowance to
principal arterials.
Staff believes it is reasonable for CG and BP properties along Highway 55 to have the same
signage allowance as the other commercial/business district. The Planning Commission and City
Council can discuss whether to open up to all minor arterial roads. Minor arterials with CG/BP
property would include CR116 and potentially CR19 near Highway 55 in the future.
Ditter Cooling, Heating and Electric Page 2 of 4 October 12, 2021
Sign Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
Dynamic Display Size
Current regulations limit Dynamic Displays (electronic message centers) to no more than 50% of
the size of any sign and limit to no more than 32 square feet.
The applicant proposes to increase the size of dynamic displays on roadways with higher speed
limits based on the following table. The proposed changes are on page 15 of the ordinance.
The applicant has stated that sign manufactures and the US Sign Council both advocate for sizes
in this range for safe and effective messaging.
For the sake of comparison, the following table describes the area of other dynamic displays
within the City. Some of these signs are larger than currently permitted, presumably because
they pre-dated the limitation currently in code.
Medina Entertainment Center 500 Highway 55 54 sq. ft.
Highway 55 Rental 225 Highway 55 38 sq. ft.
Okalee Senior Living 2225 Chippewa Ct. - on Hwy 55, west of Mohawk 26 sq. ft.
Holiday Gas Stations 200 Highway 55 or 1300 Baker Park Road 24 sq. ft.
Sharepoint Credit Union Highway 55/Sioux Drive 24 sq. ft.
Staff believes an increased allowance for dynamic displays along roadways with higher speeds
does seem appropriate. Staff had originally contemplated 48 sq. ft., but the applicant is
advocating for a larger allowance.
The Planning Commission had requested additional detail on other ordinances.
Dyanmic
Area
Total Sign
Area Max Height Timing
Plymouth 64 sq. ft. 100 sq. ft. 36 feet 15 minutes
Maple Grove 50% 80 sq. ft. 15 feet 1 minute
Corcoran 60% 64 sq. ft. 16 feet 6 seconds
Chanhassen 40% 80 sq. ft. 20 feet N/A
Eden Prairie 35% 80 sq. ft. 20 feet 20 minutes
Shakopee 32 sq. ft. 120 sq. ft.
40 feet along 169;
height of building 8 seconds
Rogers 25% 100 sq. ft. 15 feet 60 minutes
Current Medina
50% or 32
s.f. 80 sq. ft.
20 feet (10
dynamic) 1 minute
Proposed Up to 50 s.f. 80 sq. frt. 20 feet 30 seconds
MPH 30 35 40 45 50 55+
Maximum Dynamic Display Area
(In Square Feet) 32 36 40 45 50 55
Ditter Cooling, Heating and Electric Page 3 of 4 October 12, 2021
Sign Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
Dynamic Display Height
Current regulations state that “no portion of the Dynamic Display shall be located more than 10
feet from the ground…” This requirement generally requires a dynamic display to be located
lower than regular static signage may be permitted. It should be noted that there are exemptions
for alpha-numeric monochrome displays such as fuel prices and time/date.
The applicant proposes to remove this limitation. The proposed change is on page 15 of the
ordinance.
Staff has received other inquiries from property owners who desired to install dynamic displays
extending higher than 10 feet.
Staff does not oppose this proposed change. It appears most other communities did not have a
requirement that the dynamic display be lower.
Dynamic Display Message Timing
Current regulations state that: “A Dynamic Display must not change or move more often than
once every 60 seconds.” In addition, the ordinance requires:
“The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be static, and the
transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous and without
any special effects;
The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be complete in
themselves, without continuation in content to the next image or message or to
any other Sign;”
These requirements are intended to reduce distraction.
The applicant proposes to reduce the timeframe for changing messages from 60 seconds to 30
seconds. Flashing, scrolling, and drag-on messages would continue to be prohibited. This
change can be found on page 15 of the ordinance.
Staff does not oppose this change. Decreasing the time would make it more likely that a
message will change as a driver is passing a sign, but with a 30-second timeframe, only one
change is likely for a moving vehicle. The timing in other communities is summarized on the
table on page 2.
V-Signs
Current regulations state that, for a two-sided freestanding sign, only a single surface is counted
when measuring for maximum allowed sign area. The applicant proposes to add language
clarifying that “v-signs”, or a freestanding sign, where the surface is not exactly back-to-back,
should be treated similarly and only one surface should count. This change can be found on
page 3 of the ordinance.
The applicant states that V-Signs allow for better visibility for signs which are set further away
from a roadway. Staff does not oppose this change in concept, but recommends additional
details whether it is necessary to allow up to 45 degree separation. The intent is that both
surfaces will not be visible simultaneously, and 45 degrees seems like it may be too high.
Ditter Cooling, Heating and Electric Page 4 of 4 October 12, 2021
Sign Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
Residential Neighborhood Entry Signs
Current City regulations limit signs at the entrance to a neighborhood to six feet in height.
Monument signs are limited to 30 square feet.
The applicant’s sign consultant is recommending that these limitations be increased to allow
residential neighborhood signs to be eight feet in height, and for monument signs to be up to 32
square feet. These changes are on page 7 of the ordinance.
This change has no bearing on Ditter Heating, Cooling, and Electric, but was identified by the
applicant’s sign company as they reviewed the City regulations. The consultant noted that
drifting snow will tend to cover much of a sign if limited to six feet in height and that 32 square
feet size works better for standard sign materials.
Staff does not oppose these changes.
Sign Brightness Correction
The applicant’s sign consultant also pointed out an error in the City’s lighting ordinance related
to sign lighting. The lighting ordinance currently reads that “Internally illuminated signs shall
not exceed 500 nits of luminance from sunrise until sunset and shall otherwise conform to the
provisions of this ordinance.”
This language is backwards and should read: “Internally illuminated signs shall not exceed 500
nits of luminance from sunrise sunset until sunset sunrise and shall otherwise conform to the
provisions of this ordinance.” The intent of this language is to limit the brightness of signs at
night.
The proposed change is on page 20 of the ordinance. Staff supports making this change.
Staff Recommendation
The City has a high level of discretion when considering requests to amend its zoning regulations
because it is a legislative action. Staff believes that most of the changes seem reasonable and has
noted level of support behind each change.
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission and City Council discuss the maximum size for
dynamic displays, using some of the existing signs in the City for context. Staff also
recommends discussion on whether the increased size/height allowance within the CG and BP
districts should be for all arterial roadways, or just principal arterials.
Potential Action
If, following the public hearing, the Planning Commission finds that the proposed changes are
appropriate, the following action could be taken:
Move to recommend approval of ordinance amending regulations pertaining to signs.
Attachments
1. Ordinance (unamended subsections to be removed upon adoption)
2. Supplemental information provided by applicant
****NOTE: ENTIRE SECTION IS PRESENTED FOR CONTEXT. Unamended sections will
be removed from ordinance upon adoption
CITY OF MEDINA
ORDINANCE NO. ###
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO SIGNS;
AMENDING CHAPTER 8 OF THE CITY CODE
The City Council of the City of Medina ordains as follows:
SECTION I. Section 815 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina is amended by deleting
the struck through language and adding the underlined language as follows:
Section 815.01. Purpose. It is hereby declared by the city council that the aesthetic and safety
interests of the city are reasonably promoted by the provisions of this ordinance. Accordingly, it
is the intent and purpose of this ordinance to provide for the orderly and harmonious display of
signs within the city; to aid in the identification of properties and enterprises for the convenience
of the public; to avoid the erection of displays which produce deleterious and injurious effects to
adjacent properties and to the natural beauty of the environment; to provide for the safety of the
traveling public by limiting the distractions, hazards, and obstructions; to minimize visual clutter
and encourage a positive visual environment; and to promote the mental and physical health,
safety and welfare of the public. It is not the intent of this ordinance to regulate signage on the
basis of content.
815.03. Definitions. The following words and terms, wherever they occur in this ordinance, are
defined as follows:
Subd. 1. “Abandoned Sign” is a sign located on a property which is vacant and/or
unoccupied for a period of 90 days; or a sign which is damaged, in disrepair, or
vandalized and not repaired within 90 days.
Subd. 2. “Address Sign” is a sign which indicates the address, number and/or the name of
occupants of the premises. An Address Sign shall not exceed two square feet in area per
side for a residential single family property, eight square feet for a multi-family dwelling
building and 12 square feet for a commercial unit building, and shall not include any
other messages.
Subd. 3. “Billboard” is any structure or portion thereof on which lettered, figured, or
pictorial matter is displayed that has an area of 100 square feet or more.
Subd. 3.1. “Clear Vision Triangle” is the area to be left clear of signs and other
obstructions so as not to interfere with sightlines at intersections. The Clear Vision
Triangle is created by measuring 50 linear feet along the edge of each street or access
drive as depicted below.
Ordinance No.## 2
DATE
Subd. 4. “Directional Sign” is a sign which is erected for the purpose of guiding vehicles
and pedestrian traffic in finding locations on the property where the sign is located, such
as the shipping/receiving area, and is intended to be viewed from the right-of-way. The
Directional Sign shall be less than four square feet in surface area, consist of only two
surfaces and contain no illumination or additional messages.
Subd. 5. “Dynamic Display” is any characteristic of a Sign that appears to have movement
or that appears to change, caused by any method other than physically removing and
replacing the Sign or its components, whether the apparent movement or change is in the
display, the Sign structure itself, or any other component of the Sign. This includes a
display that incorporates a technology or method allowing the Sign face to change the
image without having to physically or mechanically replace the Sign face or its
components. This also includes any rotating, revolving, moving, flashing, blinking, or
animated display or structural element and any display that incorporates rotating panels,
LED lights manipulated through digital input, “digital ink” or any other method of
technology that allows the Sign face to present a series of images or displays.
Subd. 5.1. “Event Sign” is a Sign posted on a temporary basis meant to inform the public
of or guide the public to short term events such as garage/rummage sales or real estate
open houses.
Subd. 5.2. “Freestanding Sign” is a Monument Sign or Pylon Sign as defined herein.
Subd. 6. “Historic Sign” is a sign that memorializes an important historic place, event or
person and that is recognized by a governmental entity.
Subd. 7. “Illuminated Sign” is a sign which is illuminated by an artificial light source.
Subd. 8. “Incidental Sign” is a small sign, emblem or decal informing the public of goods,
facilities or services available on the premises (e.g. a credit card sign or a sign indicating
hours of business) and that does not exceed two square feet.
Subd. 8.1. “Internal Site Sign” is a sign which is not intended to be viewed from
neighboring property or the right-of-way and which does not exceed two square feet.
This include signs which guide internal site navigation and which identify handicap
parking areas, fire lanes, upland buffer zones, and similar site features.
Subd. 9. “Monument Sign” is a freestanding sign that is attached to the ground by means
of a freestanding support structure, solid from grade to the top of the sign structure and is
typically encased or supported by masonry materials.
Subd. 10. “Off-premises Sign” is a commercial speech sign which directs the attention of
the public to a business that is not on the same premises where such business sign is
located.
Ordinance No.## 3
DATE
Subd. 11. “Portable Sign” is a sign so designed as to be movable from one location to
another and which is not permanently attached to the ground or any structure, including
those on wheels. Portable Signs shall not include any flashing lights.
Subd. 12. “Projecting Sign” is a sign in which all or any part of it extends perpendicular to
and projects from a building face, wall or structure and which its primary purpose is other
than the support of the sign.
Subd. 13. “Pylon Sign” is a sign erected on a post or posts, or freestanding shafts, walls or
piers which is solidly affixed to the ground and not attached to a building.
Subd. 14. “Roof Sign” is a sign erected upon the roof of a structure to which it is affixed or
a sign painted on the roof of a structure. A sign located on a canopy, awning, or porch
shall not be considered a Roof Sign if the top of such sign does not exceed the height of
the adjacent wall of the structure to which the canopy, awning, or porch is attached.
Subd. 15. “Sign” is any letter, word, symbol, device, poster, picture, statuary, reading
matter, or representation in the nature of an advertisement, announcement, message, or
visual communication, whether painted, posted, printed, affixed, or constructed which is
displayed outdoors for informational or communicative purposes.
Subd. 16. “Sign Area” is that area within the marginal lines of the sign surface which
bears the announcement, name, advertisement or other message, or, in the case of letters,
figures, or symbols attached directly to any part of a building or wall, that area which is
included in the smallest rectangle which can be made to circumscribe all letters, the
figures, or symbols displayed thereon. For a two-sided freestanding sign, only a single
surface shall be counted when measuring the total and maximum Sign Area. Two-sided
signs may have a degree of separation at one end of the sign faces (a V-Sign
configuration). V-Signs beyond 45 degrees will be considered two signs.
Subd. 16.1. “Sign Surface Area” is the total surface area of a Sign, calculated by multiplying
the vertical width of the surface of the Sign times the horizontal height of the surface of
the Sign. Sign Surface Area shall not include the area of the post(s), shaft(s), or pier(s) on
which the Pylon Sign is erected.
Subd. 17. “Temporary Sign” is a sign which is erected or displayed for a limited period of
time, is not illuminated and not of a permanent nature, including banners, inflatable
devices or sandwich boards.
A
B C
D
Sign Area = A x B
Sign Surface Area = C x D
Ordinance No.## 4
DATE
Subd. 17.1. “Temporary Sign, Attached” is a Temporary Sign which is either attached to
a building or is located within the dimensional extent of an existing Freestanding Sign as
displayed below:
Image Credit: City of Minnetonka, MN City Code Subd. 18. “Vehicle Sign” is any sign that is attached, painted on or placed onto or inside a
parked vehicle that is used primarily for any purpose other than the sale or rental of the
vehicle itself. Vehicle Signs shall not include signs on trailers, buses, trucks, taxis or
other vehicles parked on the vehicle owner’s own premise while in the course of business
provided that the primary use of the vehicle is not for purposes outside of the premise’s
business.
Subd. 19. “Wall Sign” is a sign affixed to the exterior wall, awning or canopy of a building
or structure with the exposed face of the sign in a plane approximately parallel to the face
of said wall, not to project more than 12 inches from the surface to which it is attached.
Subd. 20. “Window Sign” is a sign that is affixed to or painted on the interior or exterior
of a window or glass door or otherwise displayed inside a building within three feet back
from the building’s window or glass door with its message intended to be visible from
rights-of-way or neighboring properties.
Subd. 21. “Zoning Administrator” is the officer or other person at the city charged with
the administration and enforcement of this ordinance, or his or her duly authorized
deputy.
815.05. Sign Permit Required; Exemptions; Prohibited Signs.
Subd. 1. Permit Required. It is unlawful to install, construct, erect, alter, revise,
reconstruct or relocate any Sign as defined in this ordinance in the city without first
obtaining a permit therefore as required by this ordinance, except as provided in
subdivision 2 of this Section.
Subd. 2. Exemptions. A Sign permit need not be obtained for the following Signs,
provided that all other applicable requirements of this ordinance are met:
(a) One Sign smaller than five square feet in area (excluding temporary signs) may be
posted on any parcel of land, except that such Sign may not be an Off-Premise
Sign;
(b) Signs posted by authorized government officials on public land or right-of-way;
(c) Signs within a business, office, mall or other enclosed area that cannot be seen from
the outside;
(d) Up to two Address Signs per property;
Ordinance No.## 5
DATE
(e) Incidental Signs;
(f) Flags. No flag on a flagpole shall exceed 40 square feet in area. No single property
shall fly more than three flags at one time. Flagpoles shall not exceed 40 feet in
height. If the total area of the flags exceeds 72 square feet, the excess area shall
be included in any Sign Area calculations for the property. Wall-mounted flags
shall be limited to one flag per property and shall not exceed 20 square feet in
area;
(g) Internal Site Signs
(h) Window Signs;
(i) Attached Temporary Signs posted consistent with Section 815.07 Subd. 3 below;
(j) Event Signs posted consistent with Section 815.07 Subd. 4 below; and
(k) Noncommercial speech signs exempted by Minnesota Statute 211B.045.
Subd. 3. Prohibited Signs. The following signs are prohibited in all zoning districts.
(a) Abandoned Signs;
(b) Billboards;
(c) Roof Signs;
(d) Mylar or metallic balloons displayed or flown outside;
(e) Vehicle Signs; and
(g) Signs posted within the public right-of-ways and public property, excluding
Directional Signs and Signs expressly allowed herein and by other governmental
agencies.
Section 815.07. Permitted Signs in all Zoning Districts. The following Signs are permitted in
all zoning districts.
Subd. 1. Signs on Construction Sites. Two Signs shall be permitted upon a construction
site in any zoning district. Each Sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area per surface;
shall be limited to a single surface; shall be located upon the subject construction site;
shall be set back 10 feet from the right-of-way; and shall be removed upon completion of
the construction site improvements and release of the financial guarantee. No permit shall
be required for these signs if posted consistent with the requirements of this section.
Subd. 2. Temporary Signs and Portable Signs.
(a) Duration of permits. No Sign permit shall be issued by the city for a Temporary or
Portable Sign for a duration of more than 14 days at one time.
(b) Permits per year. Sign permits for a Temporary or Portable Sign shall not be issued
for more than six periods in any calendar year. Permit periods may run
consecutively without interruption if approved by the city.
(c) Number of signs per lot. Only one Temporary or Portable Sign shall be allowed on a
property at one time. In cases of properties with multiple tenants, one Temporary
Sign per tenant shall be allowed at one time, but only one Portable Sign shall be
allowed on a property at one time.
(d) Maximum size. Temporary and Portable Signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in
Sign Area.
Ordinance No.## 6
DATE
(e) Setbacks. Temporary and Portable Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet
from all property lines and shall not be located within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(f) Illumination. Portable Signs may be illuminated, provided Freestanding Signs are
permitted to be illuminated in the zoning district in which the Portable Sign is
located and provided said illumination is not a nuisance to motorists or to adjoining
properties. Flashing lights, strobe lights, or lights which could be confused with an
emergency vehicle are prohibited.
(g) Inflatable Signs shall be considered Temporary Signs, shall not exceed the height of
the structure on the property, and shall be securely tethered and attached to the
ground or building.
(h) No Mylar or metallic balloons shall be permitted to be displayed or flown outside.
Subd. 3. Attached Temporary Signs
(a) No permit required. Attached Temporary Signs posted consistent with this section
shall not require a sign permit.
(b) Duration of posting. Attached Temporary Signs shall only be posted during the
timeframe when the message is pertinent.
(c) Maximum size. No Attached Temporary Sign shall exceed 32 square feet in Sign
Area.
(d) Location. Attached Temporary Signs shall be attached to a building or within the
dimensional extent of an existing Freestanding sign on the property as described in
Subd. 17.1 of Section 815.03 above.
Subd. 4. Event Signs.
(a) No permit required. Event Signs posted consistent with this section may be posted
without obtaining a sign permit.
(b) Duration of posting. Event Signs shall not be posted more than two days prior to an
event and shall be removed no more than one day following an event, but in no case
shall an Event Sign be posted for more than five days.
(c) Location. Event Signs may be posted within the right-of-way, but shall not be
located in a way which may interfere with traffic visibility or pedestrian circulation.
(d) Maximum size. Event Signs shall not exceed four square feet in Sign Area.
(e) Maximum height. Event Signs shall not exceed three feet in height.
(f) Required Information. The Event Sign shall state the day(s) of the event and also the
location of the event.
(g) Limit of one sign per intersection. No more than one Event Sign per event shall be
posted at a single intersection and no Event Sign shall be identical to another at a
single intersection.
(h) Responsibility for removal. The person posting the Event Sign shall ensure it is
removed within the timeframe described by this section. An Event Sign which
violates any provision of this ordinance may be removed and disposed of at any time
and without notice
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Section 815.09. Residential District Signs.
Subd. 1. General Provisions. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Residential Districts. A Sign permit is required for each
Sign. No Sign in a Residential District shall exceed six eight feet in height. If
illuminated, the Sign shall meet the applicable luminary requirements set forth in Section
829 of the city’s ordinances.
Subd. 2. Permitted Signs. The following additional types of Signs are permitted in
Residential Districts:
(a) Directional Signs. One Directional Sign is permitted for each property;
(b) Monument Signs. Monument Signs are permitted at the entrances of a residential
subdivision, institutional use or park, but shall be no greater than 30 32 square
feet in Sign Area and be landscaped around the perimeter of the base of the Sign.
The landscaping shall cover at least two times the total area of the Monument
Sign base. The Monument Sign shall be set back at least 10 feet from the curb or
right-of-way;
(c) Home Occupation Signs. Home occupation Signs may be approved by the city
council in conjunction with a conditional use permit for the home occupation.
The home occupation Sign shall be no greater than eight square feet, have only
one side, be set back at least 10 feet from the right-of-way. The home occupation
Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter of the base of the Sign. The
landscaping shall cover at least two times the total area of the home occupation
Sign base; and
(d) Pylon Signs. Pylon Signs are permitted at the entrance(s) of a residential
subdivision, institutional use or park, but shall not exceed 15 square feet in Sign
Area nor exceed 20 square feet in Sign Surface Area. The Pylon Sign shall be
landscaped around the perimeter of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall
cover an area equivalent to the width of the sign surface multiplied by two. The
Pylon Sign shall be set back at least 10 feet from the curb or right-of-way. The
Pylon Sign shall be designed to have a natural appearance, and the post(s),
shaft(s) or pier(s) on which the sign is erected shall have a combined width which
is at least 10 percent of the width of the Sign.
Section 815.11. Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial Highway-Railroad (CH-RR), and
Business (B) District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial Highway-
Railroad (CH-RR), and Business (B) Districts. All Signs shall be integrated with the
design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the property in terms of
materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1) Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a second
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sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one street. The
second freestanding sign may not be located along the same street frontage as
the first freestanding sign.
(2) Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 80 square feet of Sign Area.
(3) Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 20 feet in height.
(4) Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all
property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(5) Landscaping, The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter
of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least two times the total
area of the Sign base.
(b) Wall Signs.
(1) Maximum size. The maximum total Sign Area of Wall Signs shall be based
upon the area of the wall on which they are attached as described in the table
below. Additionally, no individual Wall Sign shall exceed 200 square feet of
Sign Area. For the purposes of a multi-tenant building, the maximum Sign Area
for Wall Signs shall be based on the frontage of the space leased or owned.
Area of Wall Maximum Total Sign Area on Wall
1000 square feet or less 8% of the area of the wall
Greater than 1000 square feet and
less than 5000 square feet
80 square feet + 4% of the area of the
wall in excess of 1000 square feet
5000 square feet or greater 240 square feet + 2% of the area of
the wall in excess of 5000 square feet
(2) Projecting Signs prohibited. No Wall Sign shall extend more than 12 inches
from the surface of a building face, wall, or surface.
(c) Window Signs.
(1) Maximum number. Only one Window Sign shall be permitted per structure,
except for multi-tenant buildings where one Window Sign shall be permitted per
tenant space.
(2) Maximum size. The Window Sign shall be limited to 50 percent of the window
in which it is located.
(3) No permit required. No permit shall be required for a Window Sign, but such
Sign shall meet relevant requirements of this ordinance.
(d) Directional Signs.
(1) Directional Signs shall be only permitted for properties utilizing a drive-thru or
that have loading or staging areas.
(2) Maximum number. Two Directional Signs are permitted for each property.
(3) Location. The Directional Signs shall be set back at least five (5) feet from the
curb or right-of-way.
Subd. 2. Illumination. If the Sign is illuminated, it shall meet the applicable luminary
requirements set forth in Section 829 of the city’s ordinances.
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Section 815.13. Commercial General (CG), Business Park and Industrial Park District
Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Commercial General (CG) District. All Signs shall be
integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the property
in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1) Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a second
sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one street. The
second freestanding sign may not be located along the same street frontage as
the first freestanding sign.
(2) Maximum size. No fFreestanding signs shall not exceed 64 square feet of Sign
Area except:
(a) signs along a frontage of principal arterial roadways shall not exceed 80
square feet,
(3) Maximum height. No freestanding signFreestanding signs shall not exceed 10 feet in
height from the adjacent roadway grade, except:.
(a) signs along a frontage of principal arterial roadways shall not exceed 20 feet
in height from the adjacent arterial roadway grade.
(4) Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all
property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(5) Illumination. Freestanding Signs shall not be internally illuminated unless they
are located along the frontage of an arterial roadway and greater than 200 feet
from residential property. External illumination shall be downcast and
otherwise conform with Section 829 of the City Code.
(6) Landscaping. The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter
of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least two (2) times the
total area of the Sign base.
(b) Wall Signs.
(1) Maximum size. The maximum total Sign Area of Wall Signs shall be based
upon the area of the wall on which they are attached as described in the table
below. Additionally, no individual Wall Sign shall exceed 200 square feet of
Sign Area. For the purposes of a multi-tenant building, the maximum Sign Area
for Wall Signs shall be based on the frontage of the space leased or owned.
Area of Wall Maximum Total Sign Area on Wall
1000 square feet or less 8% of the area of the wall
Greater than 1000 square feet and
less than 5000 square feet
80 square feet + 4% of the area of the
wall in excess of 1000 square feet
5000 square feet or greater 240 square feet + 2% of the area of
the wall in excess of 5000 square feet
(2) Wall Signs limited to one wall per street frontage. Wall signs shall only be
located on one building wall, except lots with frontage on two or more streets
may have Wall Signs on one wall per street frontage.
(3) Projecting Signs prohibited. No Wall Sign shall extend more than 12 inches
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from the surface of a building face, wall, or surface.
(c) Window Signs.
(1) Maximum number. Only one Window Sign shall be permitted along each
frontage of a structure, except for multi-tenant buildings where one Window
Sign shall be permitted per tenant space.
(2) Maximum size. The Window Sign shall be limited to 50 percent of the window
in which it is located.
(3) No permit required. No permit shall be required for a Window Sign, but such
Sign shall meet relevant requirements of this ordinance.
(d) Directional Signs.
(1) Directional Signs shall be only permitted for properties utilizing a drive-thru or
that have loading or staging areas.
(2) Maximum number. Two Directional Signs are permitted for each property.
(3) Location. The Directional Signs shall be set back at least five feet from the curb
or right-of-way.
Subd. 2. Illumination. If the Sign is illuminated, it shall meet the applicable luminary
requirements set forth in Section 829 of the city’s ordinances. Freestanding Signs shall
not be internally illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of an arterial
roadway and greater than 200 feet from residential property.
Section 815.15. Commercial Neighborhood (CN) District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Commercial Neighborhood (CN) District. All Signs
shall be integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the
property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1) Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a second
sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one street.
(2) Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 40 square feet of Sign Area.
(3) Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 10 feet in height.
(4) Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all
property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(5) Illumination. Freestanding Signs shall not be internally illuminated unless they
are located along the frontage of an arterial roadway and greater than 200 feet
from residential property. External illumination shall be downcast and
otherwise conform with Section 829 of the City Code.
(6) Landscaping. The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter
of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least two (2) times the
total area of the Sign base.
(b) Wall Signs.
(1) Maximum size. The total Sign Area of Wall Signs shall not exceed eight
percent of the area of the wall to which they are attached. For the purposes of a
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multi-tenant building, the maximum Sign Area for Wall Signs shall be based on
the frontage of the space leased or owned. Additionally, no individual Wall
Sign shall exceed 64 square feet of Sign Area.
(2) Wall Signs limited to one wall per street frontage. Wall signs shall only be
located on one building wall, except lots with frontage on two or more streets
may have Wall Signs on one wall per street frontage
(3) Projecting Signs prohibited. No Wall Sign shall extend more than 12 inches
from the surface of a building face, wall, or surface.
(c) Window Signs.
(1) Maximum number. Only one Window Sign shall be permitted along each
frontage of a structure, except for multi-tenant buildings where one Window
Sign shall be permitted per tenant space.
(2) Maximum size. The Window Sign shall be limited to 50 percent of the window
in which it is located.
(3) No permit required. No permit shall be required for a Window Sign, but such
Sign shall meet relevant requirements of this ordinance.
(d) Directional Signs.
(1) Directional Signs shall be only permitted for properties utilizing a drive-thru or
that have loading or staging areas.
(2) Maximum number. Two Directional Signs are permitted for each property.
(3) Location. The Directional Signs shall be set back at least five (5) feet from the
curb or right-of-way.
Subd. 2. Illumination. If the Sign is illuminated, it shall meet the applicable luminary
requirements set forth in Section 829 of the city’s ordinances. Freestanding Signs shall
not be internally illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of an arterial
roadway and greater than 200 feet from residential property.
Section 815.16. Mixed Use District Signs.
Signs within the Mixed Use zoning district shall be regulated based on the land use of the
property on which they are located. Signs which are part of Commercial development within the
Mixed Use district shall meet the requirements of the Commercial Highway zoning district.
Signs which are part of Residential development within the Mixed Use district shall meet the
requirements of Residential districts.
Section 815.17. Uptown Hamel (UH-1 and UH-2) District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Uptown Hamel-1 and Uptown Hamel-2 Districts. All
Signs shall be integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or structures
on the property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Monument Signs.
(1) Maximum number. One Monument Sign is permitted per lot.
(2) Maximum size. No Monument Sign shall exceed 40 square feet of Sign Area.
(3) Maximum height. No Monument Sign shall exceed 10 feet in height.
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(4) Setbacks. Monument Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all
property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(5) Limitation on internal illumination. Monument Signs shall not be internally
illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of a state highway.
External illumination shall conform with Section 829 of the City Code.
(5) Landscaping, The Monument Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter of
the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least two times the total
area of the Sign base.
(b) Wall Signs.
(1) Maximum size. The total Sign Area of Wall Signs shall not exceed eight
percent of the area of the wall to which they are attached. For the purposes of a
multi-tenant building, the maximum Sign Area for Wall Signs shall be based on
the frontage of the space leased or owned. Additionally, no individual Wall
Sign shall exceed 64 square feet of Sign Area.
(2) Wall Signs limited to one wall per street frontage. Wall signs shall only be
located on one building wall, except lots with frontage on two or more streets
may have Wall Signs on one wall per street frontage
(3) Clearance; Projecting Signs prohibited. If the Wall Sign extends more than six
inches back from the building face, wall or surface, the Sign shall provide a
height clearance underneath it of at least seven and one-half feet. No Wall Sign
shall extend any more than 12 inches back from the surface of a building face,
wall or surface.
(c) Window Signs.
(1) Maximum number. Only one Window Sign shall be permitted along each
frontage of a structure, except for multi-tenant buildings where one Window
Sign shall be permitted per tenant space.
(2) Maximum size. The Window Sign shall be limited to 50 percent of the window
in which it is located.
(3) No permit required. No permit shall be required for a Window Sign, but such
Sign shall meet relevant requirements of this ordinance.
(d) Directional Signs.
(1) Directional Signs shall be only permitted for properties utilizing a drive-thru or
that have loading or staging areas.
(2) Maximum number. Two Directional Signs are permitted for each property.
(3) Location. The Directional Signs shall be set back at least five feet from the curb
or right-of-way.
(e) Historic Signs. Historic Signs shall not be counted in the total Sign Area for the
property if the Historic Sign is less than five square feet in Sign Area.
(f) Porch Signs. No more than one porch Sign shall be permitted for each property.
Porch signs shall include signs within or on overhangs, canopies or arcades. All
Ordinance No.## 13
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porch Signs larger than two square feet in Sign Area shall be located on the
outside portion of the porch.
Subd. 2. Illumination. If the Sign is illuminated, it shall meet the applicable luminary
requirements set forth in Section 829 of the city’s ordinances. Freestanding Signs shall
not be internally illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of a state
highway.
Section 815.19. Public/Semi-Public and Rural Public/Semi-Public Districts Signs.
Subd. 1. General Provisions. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07, the
following Signs are permitted in Public/Semi-Public and Rural Public/Semi-Public
Districts. A Sign permit is required for each Sign. All Signs shall be integrated with the
design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the property in terms of
materials, style, color, and placement. If the Sign is illuminated, it shall meet the
applicable luminary requirements set forth in Section 829 of the city’s ordinances.
Subd. 2. Permitted Signs. The following additional types of Signs are permitted in
Public/Semi-Public and Rural Public/Semi-Public Districts:
(a) Monument Signs.
(1) Maximum number. One Monument Sign is permitted per lot.
(2) Maximum size. No Monument Sign shall exceed 50 square feet of Sign Area.
(3) Maximum height. No Monument Sign shall exceed 10 feet in height.
(4) Setbacks. Monument Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all
property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision Triangle of an
intersection.
(5) Limitation on internal illumination. Monument Signs shall not be internally
illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of a state highway.
External illumination shall conform with Section 829 of the City Code.
(6) Landscaping, The Monument Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter of
the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least two times the total
area of the Sign base.
(b) Pylon Signs. No Pylon Sign shall be greater than 15 square feet in Sign Area nor
exceed 20 square feet in Sign Surface Area. No Pylon Sign shall exceed eight
feet in height. The Pylon Sign shall be landscaped around the perimeter of the
base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover an area equivalent to the width of
the sign surface multiplied by two. A Pylon Sign shall be set back at least 20 feet
from all lot lines of the property, with the exception that the Sign may be set back
only 10 feet from the front lot line of the property if it is located at least 25 feet
from the side lot lines. The Pylon Sign shall be designed to have a natural
appearance, and the post(s), shaft(s) or pier(s) on which the sign is erected shall
have a combined width which is at least 10 percent of the width of the Sign.
(c) Wall Signs.
(1) Maximum size. The total Sign Area of Wall Signs shall not exceed eight
percent of the area of the wall to which they are attached. For the purposes of a
multi-tenant building, the maximum Sign Area for Wall Signs shall be based on
Ordinance No.## 14
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the frontage of the space leased or owned. Additionally, no individual Wall
Sign shall exceed 64 square feet of Sign Area.
(2) Wall Signs limited to one wall per street frontage. Wall signs shall only be
located on one building wall, except lots with frontage on two or more streets
may have Wall Signs on one wall per street frontage.
Section 815.21. General Sign Location, Design and Construction Requirements.
Subd. 1. General Requirements. All Signs shall conform to the requirements of this
Section whether or not a Sign permit is required. All Signs shall be constructed in such a
manner and of such material that they shall be safe and substantial. All Signs shall be
properly secured, supported and braced and shall be kept in good repair so that public
safety and traffic safety are not compromised. Signs visible from a street shall be
designed to be highly legible so as not to distract drivers. Attention should be paid to font
type, font size, and contrasts between the message and background.
Subd. 2. Maintenance. The area on the property around the Sign, including required
landscaping areas, shall be properly maintained and clear of brush, weeds, debris, rubbish
and other obstacles. All burned-out light bulbs or damaged panels on a Sign shall be
immediately replaced.
Subd. 3. Sign Copy. All Sign copy shall be fastened securely to the Sign face and
maintained on a regular basis. Any missing Sign copy shall be replaced immediately.
Any Sign copy that is outdated must be removed within 30 days.
Subd. 4. Location. No Sign shall be located so as to obscure any existing Sign. No sign
other than a governmental sign shall be erected or temporarily placed within any street
right-of-way or upon any public easement, except as explicitly permitted herein. No Sign
shall be attached or placed upon any building in such a manner as to obstruct any window
or door or fire escape or be attached to any fire escape. The minimum clearance of any
Sign from unprotected electrical conductors shall be not less than 36 inches for
conductors carrying not over 600 volts and 48 inches for conductors carrying more than
600 volts.
Subd. 5. Coordinated Site Signage. Sign Area for Freestanding Signs may be
transferred from one lot to another lot subject to the following conditions:
(a) The maximum aggregate Sign Area of Freestanding Signs shall not be increased.
(b) The maximum number of Freestanding Signs allowed on each lot shall not be
increased.
(c) Sign Area shall not be transferred to or from residential lots.
(d) A Freestanding Sign on a lot to which Sign Area is transferred may exceed the
allowed maximum Sign Area but shall not exceed 200% of the allowed Sign Area.
(e) The allowed Sign Area for Freestanding Sign(s) on a lot from which the Sign Area is
transferred shall be reduced by an equal amount.
(f) No more than 50% of the maximum Sign Area may be transferred to another lot.
(g) The lot to which Sign Area is transferred shall be located within 1000 feet of the lot
from which Sign Area is transferred or be within the same development.
Ordinance No.## 15
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(h) No Sign Area may be transferred between or among lots except pursuant to an
agreement among the property owners in a form and substance acceptable to the City.
The agreement shall be recorded against the lots, document the reduction of Sign Area
allowed on the lot from which the Sign Area was transferred, and describe maintenance
obligations.
Subd. 6. Interference with Traffic. A Sign shall not be located within 50 feet of any
street, traffic sign or signal, intersection, driveway or crosswalk. A Sign may be located
closer than 50 feet if it can be shown that the Sign will not interfere with the ability of
drivers and pedestrians to see the traffic sign or signal, intersection, driveway or
crosswalk, and the Sign will not distract drivers nor cause any interference with such
traffic sign or signal.
Subd. 7. Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be subject to the electrical requirements of
the electrical code of the State of Minnesota. Illuminated signs shall also be subject to
the requirements of Section 829 of the city’s ordinances.
Subd. 8. Dynamic Displays. Dynamic Displays on Signs are allowed subject to the
following conditions:
(a) RESERVED.
(b) No more than one contiguous Dynamic Display shall be located upon a single parcel,
except as described in clause (e) below. A two-sided Dynamic Display shall be
considered a single Dynamic Display for the purposes of this section.
(c) No Maximum Dynamic Display may exceed 32 square feet in area on a single Sign
face and shall not occupy more than 50 percent of the actual copy and graphic
area of the Sign face.be determined by the speed limit of the adjacent road shown
on the chart below:
MPH 30 35 40 45 50 55+
Maximum Dynamic Display Area
(In Square Feet) 32 36 40 45 50 55
(d) No portion of the Dynamic Display shall be located more than 10 feet from the
ground, except as described in clause (e) below
(e) Notwithstanding the limitations in clause (b), (c), and (d), an additional alpha-
numeric, monochrome Dynamic Display element may be included on a Sign face
provided that it can display no more than four characters and is no more than 16
square feet in area. This Dynamic Display element may be located higher than 10
feet above the ground.
(f) A Dynamic Display must not change or move more often than once every 60 30
seconds;
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(g) The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be static, and the
transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous and without
any special effects;
(h) The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be complete in
themselves, without continuation in content to the next image or message or to
any other Sign;
(i) Every line of copy and graphics on a Dynamic Sign visible from a road must be at
least seven inches in height. If there is insufficient room for copy and graphics
meeting these requirements, then no Dynamic Display is permitted;
(j) Dynamic Displays must be designed and equipped to freeze the device in one
position if a malfunction occurs. The display must also be equipped with a means
to immediately discontinue the display if it malfunctions, and the Sign owner
must immediately stop the Dynamic Display when notified by the city that it is
not complying with the standards of this ordinance;
(k) Dynamic Display Brightness Standards.
(2) In no case shall the luminance from a Dynamic Display exceed 500
NITS between sunset and sunrise and 5,000 NITS between sunrise
and sunset.
(3) All signs with Dynamic Displays shall be equipped with an ambient
light sensor and an automatic dimmer control that automatically
controls the brightness to comply with these requirements.
(4) In addition to these requirements, all lighting on the property shall
abide by maximum illumination requirements at property line as
described in Section 829. However, Dynamic Displays which
meet the standards of this section shall be exempt from the light
output and shielding requirements of Section 829; and
(l) Dynamic Displays existing on the effective date of this ordinance that do not meet
the structural requirements or operational standards above may continue as a Non-
Conforming Sign subject to Section 815.29. An existing Dynamic Display that
cannot meet minimum font size requirements as stated in subdivision 8(i) above
must use the largest size possible for one line of copy to fit in the available space.
Ordinance No.## 17
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Subd. 9. Brightness Standards.
(a) All Signs shall meet the applicable luminary requirements set forth in Section 829
of the city’s ordinances, unless otherwise exempted by this section.
(b) The person owning or controlling the Sign must adjust the Sign to meet the
brightness standards in accordance with the city’s instructions. The adjustment
must be made immediately upon notice of non-compliance from the city. The
person owning or controlling the Sign may appeal the city’s determination
through the appeal procedure as set forth in Section 815.27 of this code.
(c) All Signs installed after the effective date of this ordinance must be equipped with
a means to immediately turn off the display or lighting if it malfunctions, and the
Sign owner or operator must immediately turn off the Sign or lighting when
notified by the city that it is not complying with the standards of this section.
Subd. 10. RESERVED.
Subd. 11. Non-Commercial Speech Signs. The owner of any Sign which is otherwise
allowed by this ordinance may substitute non-commercial copy in lieu of any other
commercial or non-commercial copy. This substitution of copy may be made without
any additional approval or permitting by the city. The purpose of this provision is to
prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over non-commercial speech, or
favoring of any particular non-commercial message over any other non-commercial
message. This provision prevails over any other more specific provision to the contrary.
Section 815.23. Sign Permit Applications. The owner or occupant of the property on which a
Sign is to be erected, or the owner or installer of such Sign, shall file an application with the city
Zoning Administrator for a Sign permit. Sign permits must be acquired for all new, relocated,
modified, or redesigned Signs except those specifically excepted in this ordinance.
Subd. 1. Required Information. An application for a Sign permit shall include the
following information:
(a) The name, address and telephone number of the applicant;
(b) The legal description and address of the property to which the Sign is to be placed;
(c) A site plan complete with the description of the Sign, a scaled drawing showing the
Sign’s size, location, manner of construction, landscaping, color, construction
materials and lighting details;
(d) A blueprint or ink drawing of the plans and specifications and the method of
construction and attachment of the Sign;
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(e) A certified survey with the existing and proposed grading of the site location for
which the Sign will be placed if the Sign construction will disturb more than 50
cubic yards of earth. The certified survey shall show the existing and proposed
site elevations in two foot contours, drainage patterns and silt fence location for
erosion control for the proposed site;
(f) The name of the person or entity erecting the Sign, if not the applicant, or the name
of the person on whose property the Sign is to be located, if not the applicant;
(g) The written consent of the owner of the property, if not the applicant;
(h) A statement as to whether the Sign will be illuminated or not;
(i) A statement as to whether the Sign will contain any type of Dynamic Display;
(j) A statement as to whether the Sign will be single faced, double-faced or multi-faced;
and
(k) Such other information as shall be required by the Building Official and/or the
Zoning Administrator.
Subd. 2. Permit Fees. The application for a Sign permit shall be accompanied by the
required Sign permit fee and any applicable building permit fee. The Sign permit and
building permit fees shall be established by ordinance of the city council.
Subd. 3. Master Signage Plan. A master signage plan shall be included for any Sign
permit applications that involve any residential, mixed-use, commercial, business park
and industrial planned unit developments that include multiple structures and/or
substantial site area and/or mixed uses. The master signage plan must address the
visibility needs of the entire development area, while remaining consistent with the intent
of this ordinance to require high quality signage. The master signage plan shall also
include permanent Sign covenants which can be enforced by the city.
Subd. 4. Sign Permit Issuance/Denial. Provided that the Sign permit application is
complete and approved by the Zoning Administrator, all fees have been paid, and the
proposed Sign and the property upon which the Sign is to be placed are within the
requirements of the ordinance and all other ordinances, statutes and regulations, the
Zoning Administrator shall then issue the Sign permit. In the event that the Zoning
Administrator determines that all requirements for approval have not been met, he or she
shall promptly notify the applicant of such fact and shall automatically deny the Sign
permit. Notice shall be made in writing and sent to the applicant’s address listed on the
Sign permit application.
Subd. 5. Inspection. The Zoning Administrator or Building Official shall inspect the
property for which a Sign permit is issued on or before six months from the date of
issuance of the Sign permit. If the Sign construction is not substantially complete within
Ordinance No.## 19
DATE
six months from the date of issuance, the Sign permit shall be revoked. If the
construction is substantially complete, but not in full compliance with this ordinance,
other ordinances and applicable codes, the Zoning Administrator shall give the applicant
notice of the deficiencies and shall allow an additional 30 days from the date of the
inspection for the deficiencies to be corrected. If the deficiencies are not corrected by
such date, the Sign permit shall be revoked.
Subd. 6. Sign Permit Expiration. A Sign permit shall become null and void if the Sign
for which the Sign permit was issued has not been completed and installed within six
months after the date of issuance. No refunds shall be made for permit fees paid for Sign
permits that expired due to failure to erect a permitted Sign. If later an individual decides
to erect a Sign at the same location, a new Sign permit application must be processed and
another permit fee shall be paid in accordance with the fee schedule applicable at such
time.
Subd. 7. Revocation. Should it be determined by the city that a Sign permit was issued
pursuant to an incomplete application or an application containing a false material
statement, or that the Sign permit has been erroneously issued in violation of this
ordinance, the Zoning Administrator shall revoke the Sign permit.
Section 815.25. Enforcement.
Subd. 1. Notice. Any person who violates any provision of this ordinance shall receive a
notice of the violation by hand delivery or mail indicating that he or she must correct the
violation within seven days of the date of the notice. Signs posted within the right-of-way
or on public property which violate any provision of this ordinance may be removed and
disposed of at any time and without notice.
Subd. 2. Penalties. Any person convicted of violating this ordinance shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine or imprisonment as specified by state statute.
Each day in which the violation continues to occur shall constitute a separate offense.
Violation of any provision of this ordinance shall also be grounds for revocation of a Sign
permit by the city.
Section 815.27. Appeal. An applicant whose Sign permit has been denied or a permitee whose
Sign permit has been revoked may appeal the decision of the Zoning Administrator to the city
council provided he or she files written notice of an appeal with the Zoning Administrator within
15 business days of notice of the Zoning Administrator’s decision. Such appeal shall be
considered by the city council at its next regularly scheduled meeting held after the city’s receipt
of the written notice of appeal, provided that the notice of appeal is received by the city a
minimum of five full business days before the meeting. The city council shall conduct an appeal
hearing and allow the applicant and any of his or her witnesses to address the council and to
submit additional information. The city council shall make its final determination on the appeal
no more than 30 business days after the appeal hearing. The city council shall notify the
applicant of its decision and provide reasons for that decision.
Section 815.29. Nonconforming Signs. Any Sign legally existing at the time of the passage of
this ordinance that does not conform to the provisions of this ordinance shall be regulated by
Ordinance No.## 20
DATE
relevant City Code and statutory provisions regarding nonconformities.
Section 815.31 Variances. Variances from the provisions of this ordinance shall be reviewed
by the provisions of the City Code related to zoning variances.
Section 815.33. Severability and Conflict. This ordinance and its parts are declared to be
severable. If any section, subsection, clause, sentence, word, provision, or portion of this
ordinance is declared invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, this
decision shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole. All parts of this ordinance not
declared invalid or unconstitutional shall remain in full force and effect as if such portion so
declared or adjudged unconstitutional or invalid were not originally part of this section, even if
the surviving parts of the ordinance result in greater restrictions after any unconstitutional or
invalid provisions are stricken. The city council declares that it would have enacted the
remaining parts of the section if it had known that such portion thereof would be declared or
adjudged unconstitutional or invalid. If any part of this ordinance is found to be in conflict with
any other ordinance or with any part of this ordinance, the most restrictive or highest standard
shall prevail. If any part of this ordinance is explicitly prohibited by federal or state statute, that
part shall not be enforced.
SECTION II. Section 829.05 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina is amended by
deleting the struck through language and adding the underlined language as follows:
Section 829.05. Lighting for Signs.
Subd. 1. External illumination for signs shall conform to all provisions of this ordinance. In
particular, such lighting shall conform to the lamp source, shielding restrictions and light
levels of Section 829.04. All upward-directed sign lighting is prohibited.
Subd. 2. Internally illuminated signs.
(a) Portions of a Sign which do not include a logo or message shall be opaque or, if
lighted, shall be constructed with a colored (not white, off-white, light gray, cream
or yellow) background.
(b) Internally illuminated signs shall not exceed 500 nits of luminance from sunrise
sunset until sunset sunrise and shall otherwise conform to the provisions of this
ordinance. Neon signs, Light Emitting Diode (LED) signs, and other similar
devices shall be treated as internally illuminated signs for the purposes of this
ordinance and shall conform to all provisions of this ordinance.
(c) Other internally-illuminated panels, bands or decorations not considered to be signs
according to the sign ordinance, such as illuminated canopy margins or building
faces and neon/LED banding, shall not exceed 500 nits of luminance from sunset
until sunrise and shall be subject to the standards applicable to such lighting,
including but not limited to the lamp source, shielding standards and light level
requirements of Section 829.04. Internally-illuminated panels, bands or other
decorative lighting shall not be permitted upon building facades, canopies, or
Ordinance No.## 21
DATE
around signs within 500 feet of residential property, as measured from the
proposed lighting location on the site to the property line of the residential
property.
Subd. 3. Curfews. Illumination for signs and glass enclosed areas, shall be turned off at 11
PM or when the business closes, whichever is later. Illumination for signs and glass
enclosed areas shall not be turned on until 5 AM or when the business opens, whichever is
later. Signs subject to curfews are required to have functioning and properly adjusted
automatic shut-off timers. Light background (white, off-white, light gray, cream or yellow)
internally illuminated signs, installed legally before enactment of this ordinance, shall be
considered non-conformities but may continue to be used and illuminated so long as their
use conforms to the curfews as indicated. Notwithstanding the above, signs with light
backgrounds must be brought into compliance with this ordinance within the time periods
specified in section 829.03, subd. 3 hereof.
Subd. 4. Internally illuminated signs are not permitted in E1 Lighting Zones.
SECTION III. This ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption and publication.
Adopted by the Medina city council this _____day of ______, 2021.
______________________________
Kathleen Martin, Mayor
Attest:
___________________________________
Jodi M. Gallup, City Clerk
Published in the Crow River News on the ____ day of ______, 2021.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com1
Ditter Cooling & Heating
820 Tower Drive
Medina, MN 55340
Site Analysis
August –2021
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com2
Property: 820 Tower Drive, Medina, MN 55340
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Zoning District: (CG) Commercial-General
3
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Zoning District: (CG) Commercial-General
4
Section 815.13.Commercial General (CG), Business Park and Industrial
Park District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07,
the following Signs are permitted in Commercial General (CG) District. All
Signs shall be integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or
structures on the property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1)Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a
second sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one
street. The second freestanding sign may not be located along the same
street frontage as the first freestanding sign.
(2)Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 64 square feet of Sign
Area.
(3)Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 10 feet in height.
(4)Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet
from all property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision
Triangle of an intersection.
(5)Limitation on internal illumination. Freestanding Signs shall not be
internally illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of a
state highway. External illumination shall conform with Section 829 of
the City Code.
(6)Landscaping, The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the
perimeter of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least
two (2) times the total area of the Sign base.
Section 815.11. Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial Highway-Railroad
(CH-RR), and Business (B) District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07,
the following Signs are permitted in Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial
Highway-Railroad (CH-RR), and Business (B) Districts. All Signs shall be
integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the
property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1)Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a
second sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one
street. The second freestanding sign may not be located along the same
street frontage as the first freestanding sign.
(2)Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 80 square feet of Sign
Area.
(3)Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 20 feet in height.
(4)Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet
from all property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision
Triangle of an intersection.
(5)Landscaping, The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the
perimeter of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least
two times the total area of the Sign base.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Zoning District: (CG) Commercial-General
5
Section 815.13.Commercial General (CG), Business Park and Industrial
Park District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07,
the following Signs are permitted in Commercial General (CG) District. All
Signs shall be integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or
structures on the property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1)Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a
second sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one
street. The second freestanding sign may not be located along the same
street frontage as the first freestanding sign.
(2)Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 64 square feet of Sign
Area.
(3)Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 10 feet in height.
(4)Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet
from all property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision
Triangle of an intersection.
(5)Limitation on internal illumination. Freestanding Signs shall not be
internally illuminated unless they are located along the frontage of a
state highway. External illumination shall conform with Section 829 of
the City Code.
(6)Landscaping, The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the
perimeter of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least
two (2) times the total area of the Sign base.
Section 815.11. Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial Highway-Railroad
(CH-RR), and Business (B) District Signs.
Subd. 1. Permitted Signs. In addition to the Signs allowed in Section 815.07,
the following Signs are permitted in Commercial Highway (CH), Commercial
Highway-Railroad (CH-RR), and Business (B) Districts. All Signs shall be
integrated with the design and architecture of any buildings or structures on the
property in terms of materials, style, color and placement.
(a) Freestanding Signs.
(1)Maximum number. One freestanding sign is permitted per lot, except a
second sign shall be permitted if the lot has frontage on more than one
street. The second freestanding sign may not be located along the same
street frontage as the first freestanding sign.
(2)Maximum size. No freestanding sign shall exceed 80 square feet of Sign
Area.
(3)Maximum height. No freestanding sign shall exceed 20 feet in height.
(4)Setbacks. Freestanding Signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet
from all property lines and shall not encroach within a Clear Vision
Triangle of an intersection.
(5)Landscaping, The Freestanding Sign shall be landscaped around the
perimeter of the base of the Sign. The landscaping shall cover at least
two times the total area of the Sign base.
Subd. 8. Dynamic Displays. Dynamic Displays on Signs are allowed subject to the following conditions:
(a)Dynamic Displays are allowed only on Monument and Pylon Signs. No Dynamic Display shall be permitted on a parcel with less th an 400 feet of frontage upon a
public right-of-way. For the purpose of this requirement, the aggregate of all frontages shall be calculated, including frontage s on which the Dynamic Display is not
located.
(b)No more than one contiguous Dynamic Display shall be located upon a single parcel, except as described in clause (e) below. A two-sided Dynamic Display shall be
considered a single Dynamic Display for the purposes of this section.
(c)No Dynamic Display may exceed 32 square feet in area on a single Sign face and shall not occupy more than 50 percent of the actual copy and graphic area of the
Sign face.
(d)No portion of the Dynamic Display shall be located more than 10 feet from the ground, except as described in clause (e) below
(e)Notwithstanding the limitations in clause (b), (c), and (d), an additional alpha -numeric, monochrome Dynamic Display element may be included on a Sign face
provided that it can display no more than four characters and is no more than 16 square feet in area. This Dynamic Display element may be located higher than 10 feet
above the ground.
(f)A Dynamic Display must not change or move more often than once every 60 seconds;
(g)The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be static, and the transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous and without any
special effects;
(h)The images and messages displayed on a Dynamic Display must be complete in themselves, without continuation in content to the next image or message or to any
other Sign;
(i)Every line of copy and graphics on a Dynamic Sign visible from a road must be at least seven inches in height. If there is in sufficient room for copy and graphics
meeting these requirements, then no Dynamic Display is permitted;
(j)Dynamic Displays must be designed and equipped to freeze the device in one position if a malfunction occurs. The display must also be equipped with a means to
immediately discontinue the display if it malfunctions, and the Sign owner must immediately stop the Dynamic Display when not ified by the city that it is not
complying with the standards of this ordinance;
(k)Dynamic Display Brightness Standards.
(1)The illumination from a Dynamic Sign shall not exceed 0.3 footcandles above the ambient light level when measured at the closest of the following points: i) a
distance equal to_______________; or ii) the property line parallel with the sign face. The Dynamic Display shall be equipped so that it can be extinguished
immediately at any time during operation upon the request of the City to measure ambient light levels in order to verify comp liance.
(2)In no case shall the luminance from a Dynamic Display exceed 500 NITS between sunset and sunrise and 5,000 NITS between sunri se and sunset.
(3)All signs with Dynamic Displays shall be equipped with an ambient light sensor and an automatic dimmer control that automatic ally controls the brightness to
comply with these requirements.
(4)In addition to these requirements, all lighting on the property shall abide by maximum illumination requirements at property line as described in Section 829.
However, Dynamic Displays which meet the standards of this section shall be exempt from the light output and shielding requir ements of Section 829; and
(l)Dynamic Displays existing on the effective date of this ordinance that do not meet the structural requirements or operationa l standards above may continue as a Non-
Conforming Sign subject to Section 815.29. An existing Dynamic Display that cannot meet minimum font size requirements as sta ted in subdivision 8(i) above must
use the largest size possible for one line of copy to fit in the available space.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com6
MN DOT Traffic Data
Average Daily Traffic Count
Highway 55 19,900
Per Month:597,000
Per Year:7,263,500
Total Impressions Per Year:
(average 1.5 people/car)10.9M
Traffic and Impression Counts for:
Ditter Cooling & Heating: Highway 55
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com7
Sight Lines/Viewing Distances
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com8
Elevation Changes from Proposed Sign to Center of Eastbound lanes (5’)
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com9
Approximation –20’ High Overall, 8’x10’ V-Sign Heading West on 55
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com10
Approximation –20’ High Overall, 8’x10’ V-Sign Heading East on 55
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com11
Electronic Message Center –Sign Resolution
Minimum Recommended Viewing Distances
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Maximum Readable Distance
Readable For Maximum Letter
Distance Impact Height
100'30'3"
150'40'4"
200'60'6"
350'80'8"
400'90'9"
450'100'10"
525'120'12"
630'150'15"
750'180'18"
1000'240'24"
1250'300'30"
1500'360'36"
1750'420'42"
2000'480'48"
2250'540'54"
2500'600'60"
12
With letter height of 12” –15” you will be able to easily communicate to traffic on 55 with Impact. ~5-6 Seconds Travel Time (w/15” letters)
Good message design and contrasting colors will be essential for viewing and readability.
View Distances and Letter Size: 820 Tower Drive, Medina, MN 55340
MPH 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20
FPS 103 95 88 81 73 66 58.6 51 44 37 29
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Electronic Message Center
Resolution / Viewing Area Specifications
Cabinet Dimensions
Viewable Area
Dynamic Area
Area Containing LED Pixels
Pixel Pitch/Resolution
Distance between pixels
Red →Red
Blue →Blue
Green →Green
19mm, 16mm, (PT) 10mm, 8mm, 6mm (ST)
Smaller the number = higher resolution .
13
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Watchfire Modules –10mm & 16mm Comparison Each Module = 1’ x 1’ Square
14
10mm Surface (or Button) Technology (ST)16mm Push-Thru Technology (PT)
(with louvered screen removed)
900 Pixels Per Square Foot 324 Pixels Per Square Foot
FRONT
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Watchfire Modules –Back (All WF Outdoor Modules are 1’ x 1’ Squares)
15
Fully Encapsulated
(Front and Back)
With Silicon Gel
Automotive Grade
Power and
Communication
Connections.
Watchfire’s
“weatherproofing” is
second to none.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
19mm 16mm
10mm 8mm
6mm
16
Electronic Message Center –Sign Resolution
Images are an approximation
viewing from ~75’.
Zoom In to see
pixel pitch concentration.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Watchfire Electronic Message Center
Easy to Use: Ignite Sign Design and Scheduling Software
17
Powerful and Easy to use
Windows PC-Based (Ignite) or
OPx Cloud-Based Internet Software.
OPx Cloud-Based Software Solution
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com
Watchfire Electronic Message Center
Sign Communications
18
4G Wireless Broadband Communication:
•Fast Secure Internet Connection to Sign
•Simplified Sign Management
•Easy Installation
•Sign Updates are Quick and Easy
•Mobile Updates
•Watchfire Runs Daily Remote Diagnostics
Communication Agreement for
the Life of the Sign Included.
Mike Kasbohm 612-719-1990 ThinkDigitalSigns.com19
In order to help you and other important decision makers determine the appropriate sign size & resolution
and create enthusiasm for a new communication tool, we can arrange for a Watchfire demo truck visit.
Watchfire Demo Truck Visit
Swimming Pool-Utility Setback Page 1 of 2 October 12, 2021
Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Dusty Finke, Planning Director
DATE: October 7, 2021
MEETING: October 12, 2021 Planning Commission
SUBJECT: Ordinance Amendment – Swimming Pools, Utility Setback
Background
The City’s Swimming Pool ordinance (Section 800) currently requires:
“No pool shall be located within 18 feet (measured horizontally) from any underground or overhead
utility line of any kind.” A property owner recently contacted staff, attempting to install a
swimming pool at 1345 Elsinore Circle. An existing underground electric line is located along their
property line and serves their home from the rear rather than coming from the street.
Applying the 18’ setback from this utility line would result in essentially no practical location for a
pool to be located.
Staff consulted with Todd Geske, the City’s Building Official, and Dave Hucky, the state electrical
inspector who conducts inspections in Medina. Both acknowledged that the City’s zoning setback
from utilities is significantly larger than required by electrical or building code.
Electrical code permits underground electric lines to be much closer, depending on the type of wire
or conduit. Overhead wires are required to be 22.5’ from the pool deck (so could run over the pool
if located high enough).
In consultation with the Building and Electrical Inspectors, staff believed it was reasonable to
reduce the required setback for underground utilities and is recommending that the setback be
reduced to 5 feet for underground utilities.
It does not appear that a similar setback is common in requirements in other communities. Staff
reviewed a number of ordinances (Plymouth, Maple Grove, Orono, Victoria, Chanhassen) and a
general Google search and did not find a similar requirement beyond electrical code.
The attached ordinance would make this change. Staff is not recommending a reduction of the
setback for overhead utilities at this time.
Options
Make no changes
The 18-foot setback requirement ensures a large distance from a swimming pool to any utility
line. If the Planning Commission and City Council determine that this is preferred, the
ordinance could remain unchanged.
MEMORANDUM
Swimming Pool-Utility Setback Page 2 of 2 October 12, 2021
Ordinance Amendment Planning Commission Meeting
The property owner of 1345 Elsinore could consider a variance if the ordinance was not changed.
However, a variance can only be approved if consistent with the “purpose and intent” of the
ordinance. Staff believes it may be hard to argue that such a variance would be consistent. Staff
also believes that if the setback is overly conservative, the better path would be to amend it.
Remove Setback Requirement
The City could remove the zoning regulations pertaining to setbacks from utility lines. Relevant
electrical codes would still be required depending on the type of utility.
Staff does not recommend removing the setback requirement, because having some space
between the pool and the utility line seems in the interest of the property owner and utility
company. It makes it possible to expose the line if there were issues, and provides a bit of a
buffer to reduce impacts.
Same Setback from underground or overhead
The City could apply the same 5-foot (or other amount if deemed preferable by the Planning
Commission and Council) for both underground and overhead utilities. The 22.5-foot distance
from deck would still apply, but the 5-foot City setback would give a bit more space but not the
current 18 feet.
Potential Action
If, following the public hearing, the Planning Commission finds that the proposed changes are
appropriate, the following action could be taken:
Move to recommend approval of ordinance amending required swimming pool
setbacks from utilities.
Attachments
1. Ordinance
Ordinance No. ### 1
DATE
CITY OF MEDINA
ORDINANCE NO. ###
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING REQUIRED SWIMMING POOL SETBACKS FROM
UTILITIES; AMENDING CHAPTER 8 OF THE CITY CODE
The City Council of the City of Medina ordains as follows:
SECTION I. Section 800 of the code of ordinances of the City of Medina is amended by deleting
the struck through language and adding the underlined language as follows:
800. SWIMMING POOLS
Section 800.01. General Provisions. The purpose of this ordinance is to regulate the construction
and location of private swimming pools and to provide for certain safety features related thereto.
For the purposes of this ordinance, private swimming pools are defined as any enclosure, designed,
intended or used for the containment of water, whether constructed below ground level or above
ground level, having a surface area exceeding 100 square feet and a depth exceeding 18 inches
which is designed, intended, or used for swimming, wading, or other recreational use by the owner
or tenant of the property upon which the pool is constructed, or by the owner's or tenant's family or
invited guests without payment of a fee.
Section 800.03. Permit Required. No private swimming pool shall be constructed or established,
and no such pool construction shall be commenced without first obtaining a permit from the
building official.
Section 800.05. Application for Permit. Application for a swimming pool permit shall be made
to the building official upon forms provided by the building official. A fee set by ordinance shall be
submitted with the application to cover the costs of inspection. The application for the permit shall
include, without limitation, the following information:
Subd. 1. Complete plans and specifications for the construction of the pool, including a site
plan showing the location on the property of the proposed pool and surrounding deck or
patio and other improvements;
Subd. 2. A survey showing the location of all existing structures on the property, including the
house, garage, fences, trees, overhead or underground wiring, utility easements, and other
significant improvements or natural features;
Subd. 3. The location of proposed pumps, filters, electrical power source (if applicable),
flushing and drainage outlets, and other operational features;
Subd. 4. The location and specifications of the protective fencing or automatic pool cover; and
Ordinance No. ### 2
DATE
Subd. 5. Any other information necessary or convenient for review of the permit application
as determined by the building official.
Section 800.07. Application. The safety features, including electrical wiring and fencing or
protective pool cover as set forth in this Ordinance shall apply to all private swimming pools
constructed after July 17, 1979.
Section 800.09. Construction Set-back Requirements. Private swimming pools shall be
constructed so as to avoid damage to property and injury to the occupants of the subject property
and the occupants of adjacent property and shall meet the following minimum requirements:
Subd. 1. No pool shall be located within the following distances of utility lines and shall also
abide by relevant electric and building code provisions:
(a) Overhead utility lines: Swimming pools shall be located a minimum of 18 feet (measured
horizontally) from any underground or overhead utility line of any kind.
(a)(b) Underground utility lines: Swimming pools shall be located a minimum of five feet
(measured horizontally) from any underground utility mainline or service line, including
but not limited to electric, gas, telecommunication, fiber optic.
Subd. 2. No pool shall be located within any public or private easement intended for utility,
access or drainage purposes; any wetlands, floodplain or shorelands; or any other location in
which it might represent a threat to the natural environment; and
Subd. 3. Private swimming pools are accessory structures in all residential districts under the
zoning ordinance and must meet appropriate setback requirements.
Section 800.11. Safety Fence or Automatic Pool Cover Required.
Subd. 1. A safety fence meeting the following standards shall be required around all pools:
(a) Except as provided for in subd. 1(d), a safety fence at least 4 feet in height shall
completely enclose the pool. All openings or points of entry into the pool area shall
be equipped with self-closing gates or doors. All gates and doors shall have a self-
latching latch which is no less than 4 feet above the ground level and which shall be
constructed and placed so as to be inaccessible to small children. All gates and
doors shall be locked when the pool is not in use or is unattended by an adult with
demonstrated swimming ability. Any opening between the bottom of the fence and
the ground level shall not exceed 3 inches.
(b) Safety fences shall be constructed so as to inhibit the climbing thereof by any person. If
constructed primarily of wood, the fence shall be composed of vertical members
with spaces no greater than 4 inches between the boards. If constructed primarily of
other materials, the fence shall contain no spaces through which a sphere 4 inches or
more in diameter may pass.
(c) No wall of any pool constructed above ground level, regardless of the height thereof,
shall qualify as a safety fence.
Ordinance No. ### 3
DATE
(d) If the house or other structure provides all or a portion of one side of the pool enclosure,
all doors from the house or structure providing access to the pool area shall be
equipped with a pool alarm meeting the standards of F2208-02 of the American
Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), as such standards may be modified,
superseded or replaced by ASTM.
Subd. 2. As an alternative to a safety fence, an automatic pool cover may be utilized if it
meets the standards of F1346-91 (Reapproved 1996) of ASTM, as such standards may be
modified, superseded or replaced by ASTM.
Section 800.13. Miscellaneous Requirements.
Subd. 1. The conduct of persons and the operation of pools shall be the responsibility of the
owner or the tenant of the subject property and such conduct of persons and operation of the
pool shall be done in such a manner so as to avoid any nuisance or breach of the peace.
Subd. 2. All back flushing or pool drainage water shall be directed onto the property on which
the pool is located or onto approved drainage ways. Drainage onto public streets or other
public drainage ways shall require a permit from the public works superintendent.
Subd. 3. Any outdoor lighting of the pool or pool area shall be designed and installed so that
the fixture is enclosed on all sides except the bottom and no light shall shine directly on any
other property or right-of-way.
Subd. 4. All electrical installations shall meet state requirements.
Subd. 5. Filling pools from fire hydrants or other public facilities shall be prohibited without
prior approval of the director of public works.
Section 800.15. Penalties. Any person violating this ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION II. This ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption and publication.
Adopted by the Medina city council this ____ day of ____, 2021.
______________________________
Kathleen Martin, Mayor
Attest:
___________________________________
Jodi M. Gallup, City Clerk
Published in the Crow River News on the _______ day of ________, 2021.
1
CITY OF MEDINA 1
PLANNING COMMISSION 2
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 3
Tuesday September 14, 2021 4
5
1. Call to Order: Chairperson Nielsen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 6
7
Present: Planning Commissioners Peter Galzki, Ron Grajczyk, Beth Nielsen, Cindy Piper, 8
and Braden Rhem. 9
10
Absent: Planning Commissioner Justin Popp and Timothy Sedabres. 11
12
Also Present: City Planning Director Dusty Finke and City Planner Deb Dion 13
14
2. Public Comments on Items not on the Agenda 15
16
No comments made. 17
18
3. Update from City Council Proceedings 19
20
Reid reported that the Council met recently to consider the final plat approval for Deer Hill 21
Preserve and the preliminary tax levy and budget. She stated that the Council also reviewed 22
and approved three applications previously reviewed and recommended for approval by the 23
Planning Commission and provided a summary. She stated that the Council also met in 24
closed session to discussion the police contract negotiations. 25
26
4. Planning Department Report 27
28
Finke provided an update. 29
30
5. Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendment – Chapter 8 of the City Code 31
Pertaining to Sign Regulations – Requested by Ditter Heating, Cooling and 32
Electric 33
34
Finke presented a request from a property owner to amend the zoning code specifically 35
related to the sign regulations. The property owned by the applicant is located at 820 Tower 36
Drive. The applicant is considering a dynamic sign for advertisement and as they were 37
reviewing options, some of the regulations caused concern related to the effectiveness of their 38
potential sign because of the distance from Highway 55 and speed of traffic on the roadway. 39
He stated that the first amendment is related to the size and height allowances within the 40
different zoning districts. The applicant proposed to add additional allowances for height for 41
properties adjacent to arterial roadways. He stated that staff does not oppose this change as it 42
would seem to make sense along the highway and would be similar to other commercial 43
zoning district properties. He asked if that should be opened to all arterial roadways or 44
simply principle arterial roadways. He stated that the second proposal is related to dynamic 45
display signs, stating that currently the City allows no more than 32 square feet in area and no 46
more than 50 percent of the total sign. He stated that the applicant would propose to increase 47
the area for signs adjacent to roads with higher speeds and would link the square footage 48
allowed to the speed of the roadway; a 55-mph roadway would then permit a 55 square foot 49
area. He stated that most of the dynamic signs do not even reach the 32 square feet, outside 50
of the Medina Entertainment Center sign. He noted that the next amendment would relate to 51
2
the height of the sign, noting that the dynamic portion cannot exceed ten feet in height. He 52
noted that the applicant would propose to remove the height limitation and therefore the 53
height would default to the height allowed for a sign within the zoning district. He stated that 54
there has been interest from other property owners to have a dynamic display higher than ten 55
feet as well. He noted that the next amendment would be related to message timing and 56
stated that the City currently specifies that the message not change more than once per minute 57
while the applicant would propose to allow messages to change every 30 seconds. He stated 58
that the applicant proposes to clarify that signs that are not exactly back-to-back should be 59
counted as a single face. He stated that the next change would be related to neighborhood 60
development signage, specifically the allowed height and square footage. He noted that while 61
that would not apply to the applicant’s property, it was suggested by the consultant for the 62
applicant that commonly works with signage. He stated that the next change is related to 63
brightness, noting that an error was noticed by the consultant related to NITS. He stated that 64
the language within the code has the sunset and sunrise words in the wrong order, which then 65
allows much brighter displays than intended and therefore staff supports the change. He 66
stated that staff does not oppose most of the proposed changes but would like more 67
discussion on the dynamic display size and related to arterial roadways. 68
69
Nielsen opened the public hearing at 7:16 p.m. 70
71
No comments. 72
73
Nielsen closed the public hearing at 7:17 p.m. 74
75
Nielsen confirmed the consensus of the Commission to support the changes proposed for the 76
V-shaped signs and residential neighborhood signs. She asked if there is concern in making 77
these changes applicable to the commercial general and business park districts. 78
79
Galzki asked if there would be a way to open these allowances to properties that have 80
frontage along Highway 55 rather than opening it up to the zoning districts. 81
82
Nielsen asked if that would be achieved by using principal arterials rather than all arterials. 83
84
Galzki confirmed that could alleviate his issue. 85
86
Finke explained that is how the increased allowance would be intended. He stated that the 87
general rule for the subject property would limit signage in the current manner on Tower 88
Drive and the increased allowance would only be allowed on the Highway 55 frontage. 89
90
Galzki commented that he would simply want to limit the possibility of opening this up to 91
more properties than desired and noted that perhaps that language would provide that 92
limitation. 93
94
Finke estimated about 12 to 15 properties that would be allowed to follow the ordinance as 95
proposed. 96
97
Nielsen asked whether the Commission favored arterial roads or principle arterial roads. 98
99
Rhem replied that he would lead towards restricting to principal arterial in order to minimize 100
distraction and follow the intent of the zoning ordinance. 101
102
Grajczyk agreed and believed those areas would be more appropriate for that type of signage. 103
104
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Galzki agreed that the intent would be to ensure properties along principle arterial roads 105
could utilize that frontage for signage. 106
107
Nielsen stated that she would prefer to keep the message duration at 60 seconds. 108
109
Piper agreed. 110
111
Rhem stated that he could support either option. 112
113
Galzki stated that he also did not have a strong preference. He stated that depending on what 114
the message is, it could be helpful to be able to change the message more frequently. 115
116
Nielsen stated that she is not steadfast in her position but finds those signs distracting. 117
118
Grajczyk stated that there is a light near the subject property, therefore during rush hour times 119
increased messaging could be distracting for drivers. 120
121
Piper asked if changing the message duration to 30 seconds would increase income for those 122
that install signs. 123
124
Mike Kasbohm, Think Digital Signs, stated generally speaking, the more a company can 125
change its messaging, the more opportunity to has to get its messaging out. He stated that 126
some businesses are able to generate cooperative marketing dollars from their suppliers. He 127
used the example of a business advertising products it sells at its site. He stated that the sign 128
installer sells only the sign and does not make money off the messaging. He stated that the 129
trend that he has seen in cities has been long message duration because of the concern related 130
to safety. He stated that the studies completed have shown that done right, without video or 131
moving graphics, the signs are not a distraction to drivers. He reviewed the range in message 132
duration allowed by other communities from six to eight seconds to one minute or above. 133
134
Piper stated that as a driver she has noticed that her attention shifts to looking at the sign to 135
notice when the message will change. 136
137
Grajczyk used the example of multiple businesses within a corridor using digital signage and 138
asked if that creates problems for distraction of drivers. 139
140
Kasbohm stated that typically that is regulated by the distance between properties and 141
therefore not been an issue. He stated that in a corridor with multiple signs, a vehicle moving 142
at 70 mph is moving roughly 100 feet per second and therefore if passing a number of 143
properties, they would only see one or two messages from signs. He stated that typically eyes 144
gravitate towards what can be read and recognized and that is why they recommend clear 145
concise messaging with appropriate size of text. 146
147
Nielsen asked the timing allowed in Plymouth. 148
149
Kasbohm stated that he does not have that information with him but would be happy to 150
provide the City with a list of the allowed times of surrounding cities. 151
152
Nielsen commented that she would also be concerned with distracting drivers close to the 153
intersection. She asked for input on the maximum size proposed. 154
155
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Galzki stated that his only concern is whether the sign size should be dictated by speed or 156
roadway type. He stated that perhaps the size is dictated by principal arterial, minor arterial, 157
and collector roadway. 158
159
Nielsen commented that she liked that concept. 160
161
Finke stated that the theory in the increased size is to increase visibility when traveling at 162
higher speeds. He believed that speed would be a more direct link but acknowledged that the 163
concept proposed would be more straightforward. 164
165
Galzki stated that perhaps the regulations of surrounding cities are reviewed in terms of size 166
and message duration. 167
168
Finke stated that Plymouth has a message duration of 15 minutes and 64 square feet in certain 169
districts and 32 square feet in other districts. He noted that staff could review regulations of 170
other communities if desired. 171
172
Galzki stated that he would find that information helpful. He stated that he did not have a 173
huge problem with the change in height but would not want to remove the limitation but 174
allow a reasonable height. 175
176
Finke stated that the display portion would still be subject to the maximum sign height. He 177
noted that Medina tends to be more restrictive by and large compared to other communities. 178
He agreed that in terms of digital display signs, many communities adopted default language, 179
and many have amended it as time as gone by and more experience has been gained. 180
181
Motion by Piper, seconded by Rhem, to table the request to the next meeting requesting 182
additional information. Motion carries unanimously. (Absent: Popp and Sedabres) 183
184
6. BAPS Minneapolis – 1400 Hamel Road – Site Plan Review for Approximately 46,000 SF 185
Building Including Assembly, Classrooms and Ancillary Spaces – PID 1111823230003 186
(No public hearing – review only) 187
188
Finke reported that the subject site is located at 1400 Hamel Road and is approximately 20 189
acres in size, although about half of the site is wetland. He stated that the purpose of site plan 190
review is review a request against appropriate zoning regulations. He reviewed the zoning of 191
the property and adjacent property uses. He stated that the proposed use is permitted within 192
the zoning district. He stated that the tax-exempt status of the use is not an appropriate topic 193
of discussion of land use. He displayed the site plan noting that construction is proposed 194
along the northern portion of the property and identified the proposed parking and access 195
locations. He provided the draft elevations of the building and reviewed the proposed 196
building materials. He stated that the construction as proposed would meet the requirements 197
of the zoning district. He reviewed details related to stormwater management and stated that 198
the proposed wetland impacts may meet the de minimis requirements under the Wetland 199
Conservation Act (WCA) and therefore would not need to be mitigated for. He explained 200
that the applicant would use the average method for wetland buffering and provided 201
additional details. He stated that the City Engineer and Hennepin County reviewed the plans 202
and did not recommend transportation improvements as the peak usage of the proposed use 203
would be different than the peak use of Hamel Road. He stated that 250 parking stalls are 204
shown on the plan, but 25 parking spaces would be lost with the increased landscaping 205
required. He provided additional details on the parking calculation. He stated that staff 206
believes that the proposed parking would be sufficient, and that the applicant could provide a 207
proof of parking agreement in the case that additional parking is needed. He provided details 208
5
on the proposed landscaping increases suggested by staff. He provided details on tree 209
preservation and noted that staff supports a waiver of replacement as there are a number of 210
boxelders on the site and per code boxelders support a waiver. He stated that a lighting plan 211
would be required to ensure the lighting would not trespass onto adjacent properties. He 212
noted that staff recommends approval subject to the conditions noted in the staff report. He 213
stated that while this is not a public hearing, staff would recommend that the Commission 214
accept public comments as that follows the City’s typical practice. 215
216
Galzki asked if there would be other steps in the process which would dictate public input. 217
218
Finke stated that for formal public hearings, this would be the place for public hearing. He 219
noted that the City Council also entertains comments from the public at its meetings, 220
regardless of whether the matter is a public hearing. 221
222
Asit Waghani, President of local Chapter of BAPS, provided background information on the 223
spiritual society which believes in developing individuals in every aspect of their life. He 224
stated that they also have a social arm which is a global charity that focuses on volunteers that 225
dedicate a portion of their lives in dedication of others. He stated that they have been located 226
in Brooklyn Center since 2003 and highlighted some of the events they have hosted that 227
benefit other organizations and causes. He stated that they also participate in other events 228
that benefit the community and look forward to doing the same in Medina. 229
230
Piper stated that she spent quite a bit of time today looking at the organization and its 231
locations around the world. She stated that she visited the Brooklyn Center site but there was 232
no one at the site. She commented that site is small and asked if that operation would 233
continue or whether the new site would take the place of that location. 234
235
Waghani replied that their plan would be to eventually relocate to the new building in 236
Medina. 237
238
Piper asked the annual budget to run the organization in Minnesota annually, noting there 239
appear to be three locations in the state. 240
241
Waghani replied that they only have one location at this time. He stated that he does not have 242
the exact budget numbers but estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per year in terms of expenses 243
and operations. 244
245
Piper asked if fencing had been considered on the side of the Autoplex because of the 246
proximity. 247
248
Waghani replied that he would defer that question to the project manager. 249
250
Piper stated that there is a second-floor residence and asked if anyone would be permanently 251
living in the building. 252
253
Waghani replied that a priest would be onsite 24 hours per day to offer assistance. 254
255
Nielsen stated that Piper expressed concern that the building in Brooklyn Center is rather 256
rundown and not well kept. She asked if there is a reason for that. 257
258
Waghani replied that they comply with all city codes and do their best to keep the site clean 259
and tidy. He stated that he would be happy to provide a tour of the inside of the building. 260
261
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Grajczyk stated that the staff report mentioned off-peak traffic times and asked if there are 262
certain days and times when traffic would most likely occur. 263
264
Waghani replied that there would be traffic on Sunday afternoons. He stated that once per 265
year they host a large festival where traffic would come and go throughout the day. 266
267
Nielsen stated that she does not have a concern with traffic as anyone coming to this site 268
would use Highway 55 and then use roads that can support the traffic and would not be 269
coming through downtown Hamel. 270
271
Pete Moreau, Civil Engineer representing the applicant, stated that the building is designed 272
with the maximum building height and to meet the setbacks. He stated that the building is 273
roughly five feet lower than the Motorplex and noted that they would be happy to enhance 274
landscaping or add a fence on the west. 275
276
Nielsen asked if the building could be shifted to the east. 277
278
Moreau stated that the wetland buffer comes into play on that side. 279
280
Piper referenced a letter received tonight which suggested turning the building to go across 281
the property, rather than using the length of the property, and asked if that has been 282
entertained. 283
284
Moreau stated that they looked at multiple design options and the proposed design does the 285
best to minimize impacts to the wetland. 286
287
Nielsen asked the highest peak on the building. 288
289
Moreau replied that the second floor is designed to be 34 feet and the spires would reach 36 290
feet. 291
292
Piper believed that the spires would be much higher. 293
294
Moreau commented that there are two sets of dimensions shown on the plan. 295
296
Galzki provided additional clarity on the calculations for height. He asked the elevation 297
difference between the top of the spire and the top of the roof. 298
299
Finke provided the clarification on height. 300
301
Bruno Silikowski, 3600 Arrowhead Drive, stated that he is the owner of the AutoMotorPlex. 302
He stated that he wants to be a good neighbor but also wants the applicant to be a good 303
neighbor. He stated that his parcel is 20 acres in size and reviewed the taxes generated by the 304
property, noting that his site does not use City schools and rarely uses City services. He 305
stated that he is worried that if this development is not done right, it would impact his ability 306
to be successful. He stated that based on the plan this would be 60 feet from his building. He 307
stated that his business is an event driven facility and holds events on a monthly basis. He 308
stated that they have received tremendous feedback from the City that has been positive. He 309
stated that his concern would be that the church may not be happy with that noise generated 310
from events. He wanted to ensure that the applicant would accept his use just as he would 311
accept theirs. He stated that he considered purchasing the subject site himself. He 312
highlighted another area on the subject site that could house the building in a better manner in 313
his opinion and asked if the applicant has considered that location. He stated that would be 314
7
much more upland, therefore less impact to the wetlands, and would provide more privacy to 315
both parties. He stated that this would be a very different look than anything else in the 316
community and therefore screening may be helpful to reduce impact to the neighboring 317
properties. He stated that the report mentions youth activities and noted that his site is a 318
magnet for children, therefore he would recommend having a fence to separate the sites and 319
prevent children from spilling over the property line. He stated that he was confused with the 320
height of the spires mentioned as he believed that typically those protrude up to 50 feet into 321
the air which would be difficult to screen. He stated that a fence and tall landscaping would 322
help a lot in ensuring the uses could coexist. He understood the average used for height but 323
comments that seems to be cheating the system and seems odd in the spirit of the 324
neighborhood. 325
326
Keith Vogler, 1222 Hamel Road, asked if churches or temples need to be in business parks. 327
328
Finke replied that business park is one of various zoning districts that allow for religious 329
institutions. He reviewed the other zoning districts that allow that use. 330
331
Vogler asked how the size of this proposed temple would relate to any of the other religious 332
uses in the area. 333
334
Finke replied that it would be almost the same size as Woodridge Church and much smaller 335
than Holy Name as that also has a school. He stated that Saint Anne’s is probably about one 336
third of the size. 337
338
There were no additional public speakers. 339
340
Galzki stated that there are obviously other aspects playing into this case other than land use. 341
He stated that in terms of a site plan review and the zoning, the only concern that he would 342
have is related to the building height with the spires. He stated that everything else seems to 343
meet the requirements of zoning. He stated that he also did not see landscaping between the 344
two properties to provide screening. He understood the adjacent land uses and how this fits 345
in proximity to the adjacent site. He stated that he does not agree with using the method of 346
average height, because when you look overall you do not see the average height but the 347
highest point. He stated that the spires would exceed the maximum height in multiple areas. 348
He stated that he was unsure if there was an ability to reduce that height. He stated that he 349
does not like the proximity to the other property but recognized that this meets the setback. 350
351
Nielsen asked if there is an option to reduce the height of the spires. 352
353
Moreau clarified that there were two sets of dimensions within the drawings. He noted that 354
the total height of the occupied spaces is 34 feet. The parapet is four feet, and the spires 355
would have additional height. He believed that BAPS would be open to reducing the height 356
of the spires if that is a sticking point. He stated that originally there was a utility easement 357
for a looped watermain but through discussions with WSB it has been determined that 358
separate water lines could be run and therefore additional trees could be planted in that 359
easement area. He stated that they did look at the concept mentioned by the neighboring 360
property owner but that could not accommodate the needed parking. He stated that their 361
intentions down the line is to include a phase two development of the area south of the 362
wetland. 363
364
Grajczyk stated that currently the buildings at the MotorPlex, the end of the buildings would 365
be nearest to the layout of the building and asked if there is concrete drive aisle or parking 366
area on the side of the building. 367
8
368
Silikowski replied that there is not a drive aisle and advised that the building would be 369
setback 30 feet from the property line. He stated that there is greenspace between the 370
building and property line. 371
372
Finke commented that the most northeastern building of the MotorPlex sits 30 feet from the 373
property line which would be adjacent to the proposed parking area. He noted that there is a 374
looped road that goes along the property, about 25 feet from the property line, around the 375
pond. 376
377
Piper asked for clarity on the location of phase two and whether that would include housing. 378
379
Moreau noted that phase has only been high level concept discussion and the use would be to 380
be determined. 381
382
Finke explained that height under the zoning code is measured by the average grade around 383
the building. He stated that for a flat roof the measurement is to the roof, or for a peaked roof 384
the measurement would be to midpoint between the peak and the eve. He noted that a few of 385
the MotorPlex buildings have peaks between 35 and 40 feet, where the average would fall 386
under 35 feet. He stated that the architectural elements on the commercial MotorPlex 387
building are higher in height and similar to the height of the spires as proposed. 388
389
Silikowki inquired whether the City could require the applicant to show a plan for portions of 390
the site which not proposed to be constructed at this time. 391
392
Finke stated that any use would have to meet the requirements of code and the City could not 393
require plans for a conceptual and unknown future use. He stated that the caveat to not 394
making some plan would be the proof of parking area that would be set aside to ensure 395
additional parking could be constructed if the demand requires that. 396
397
Galzki stated that goes back to what has been said about being a good neighbor and finding 398
something agreeable to all parties. He believed it in the best interest of the applicant to look 399
at alternate options. He stated that it would go a long way to showing the ability to be 400
cooperative and respond to feedback. He stated that it would at least be good to see the other 401
option and see if that is a feasible and reasonable design. 402
403
Finke stated that there are implications to moving things as there is rural residential property 404
south of Hamel Road. He stated that there is a specific property owner with interest and 405
perhaps the other properties that could be impacted did not provide input because they were 406
further from the notification distance but would be impacted if the plan changes. 407
408
Galzki stated that he would still like to go through the exercise to see if the building could fit 409
in that location. 410
411
Nielsen stated that she struggles as they have seen this before, where the first person to build 412
gets to do what they want, and then additional things are desired for future builders. She 413
stated that she is fine with the request but believes it would be nice to have more of a barrier 414
to keep children from the MotorPlex site. She suggested a fence with plants growing on it. 415
416
Rhem agreed and stated that he would support the request with the additional fencing and 417
landscaping. 418
419
9
Nielsen asked if the applicant had considered other building locations before presenting this 420
option. 421
422
Moreau noted that he is unsure but advised that this was option H. He confirmed that a 423
number of different options were considered in order to ensure sufficient access could be 424
provided and minimize impacts on the wetlands. 425
426
Finke commented that there would be other viable locations for access but that could result in 427
the access being on the far east side in order to have sufficient spacing from other 428
intersections. 429
430
Grajczyk stated that he appreciated the feedback and noted that this would be another large 431
building in that area. He stated that it would be great to see more landscaping or separation 432
between the two sites to create a stronger barrier between the sites. He stated that it would be 433
better on all levels if the elevations were matched, or close to, those of the existing elevations. 434
435
Nielsen agreed. 436
437
Moreau provided additional input on the spacing, wetland buffer, and access location. He 438
stated that perhaps additional flexibility could be provided to the wetland buffer to provide 439
additional space. 440
441
Finke stated that 15 feet could also be reduced from the building width if they are playing 442
with numbers. 443
444
Grajczyk asked if the applicant has considered making the building longer rather than wider, 445
shifting some uses to provide more spacing. 446
447
Nielsen asked how the square footage of this proposal compares to Brooklyn Center. It was 448
noted that this would be almost triple the size. 449
450
Finke noted that the gymnasium adds a large amount of square footage. 451
452
McKenzie Mendez, Facility Manager of Loram, echoed the concerns with landscaping and 453
fencing. She stated that Loram owns the property to the west and the property south of this 454
site. She stated that fencing would be necessary as they are a manufacturing plant and the 455
property to the south has heavy equipment that would attract small children. She supported 456
fencing along the west side of the property and additional landscaping along the south. 457
458
Nielsen stated that it would be ideal for the applicant to consider more of the comments from 459
the neighbor. She stated that the Commission also expressed a desire for a fence, increased 460
screening, and a possible reduction to the height of the spires. 461
462
Motion by Galzki, seconded by Grajczyk, to recommend approval of the Site Plan subject 463
to the conditions within the staff report with the caveat of taking into consideration the 464
comments made tonight. Motion carries 4-0 (Piper abstained). (Absent: Popp and Sedabres) 465
466
7. Approval of the August 10, 2021 Draft Planning Commission Meeting Minutes. 467
468 Motion by Galzki, seconded by Rhem, to approve the August 10, 2021, Planning 469
Commission minutes with noted changes. Motion carries unanimously. (Absent: Popp and 470
Sedabres) 471
472
10
473
474
475
8. Council Meeting Schedule 476
477
Finke advised that the Council will be meeting the following Tuesday and Grajczyk 478
volunteered to attend in representation of the Commission. 479
480
9. Adjourn 481
482
Motion by Piper, seconded by Rhem, to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Motion carried 483
unanimously. 484