CCP 04-26-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Approved (C) Bruce Thompson on behalf of Ramsey County Property Management requests consideration of a Site Plan and Special Use Permit to allow construction of a 19' x 77' building addition at 400 10`h Street NW (New Brighton Family Service Center) to accommodate a new 6,175 square foot Ramsey County branch library. The applicant is requesting Site Plan and Special Use Permit consideration to allow construction of a 1,463 SF building addition to the east side of the New Brighton Community Center (NBCC - formerly known as the Family Service Center or FSC) located at 400 10th Street NW. The proposed addition will accommodate a 6,175 SF library that will inhabit approximately 4,712 SF of existing NBCC space in addition to the 1,463 SF addition. The proposed improvements include sidewalk, curbing, and ADA accessibility on the east side of the NBCC and a drive-up book drop around the north end of the building. Site Plan consideration is required for any new commercial building construction and a Special Use Permit is necessary due to the existing B-4, Downtown Business zoning district regulations and the requirement of a General Development Plan. The City Manager and City Council have been in negotiations with Ramsey County for nearly ten months to relocate the Arden Hills library branch to the NBCC. Ramsey County has indicated a December 2011 opening for the library. Staff provided a detailed site plan analysis within the written Planning Report. The General Development Plan allows flexibility with development standards & staff finds the library use, setbacks,building height & exterior materials to be acceptable. The primary concern is parking. The Library is likely to demand approximately 38 stalls,NBCC likely to demand approximately 280 stalls. There is a combined parking need of 318 stalls, and the site currently contains 239 stalls. We do have the ability to build 55 additional stalls = 290 stalls (4 existing stalls are lost to connect proposed stalls to existing stalls) The general numbers suggest there may be roughly a 28 stall parking shortage. There is an existing 40 stall overflow lot is rarely used today&connecting this lot to the new lot will maximize its use. Additionally there are 12 proof-of-parking stalls are provided should they need to be constructed in the future. Existing parking lot has some functionality issues that require minor improvements with 2 parking lot islands. City staff is recommended that the parking Site access issues were examined,with special attention paid to pedestrian access in light of likely heavy use by the public. General site access, from two locations off 1 Om ST NW,will not change. Pedestrian access improvements are needed in the following areas: ■Sidewalk extension along north side of loth ST NW from Old Highway 8 NW east to the NBCC property. ■ADA accessibility on east side of building shall comply with current ADA requirements. ■Pedestrian connection from overflow lot to NBCC must be improved from a safety standpoint. 47 notices were sent, there were no inquiries. City staff recommends the City Council approve the request, subject to 12 conditions: 1. 55 stall overflow parking built prior to opening of the library. 2. 12 stall angled parking is approved as"proof-of-parking". 3. East entrance curbing meets current ADA requirements. 4. Drive-up book drop is coordinated w/City staff so that existing down spouts & catch basins are not negatively impacted. 5. A pre-construction meeting is held prior to construction. 6. A sidewalk is constructed from 10th ST NW, east along the north side of the road to the westerly side of the entrance to the overflow parking lot. 7. RCWD permits are obtained& submitted to City staff. 8. Devices are utilized in the "new planted area" to prevent an automobile from traveling through the glass striking occupants. 5