240 W Sycamore Auto Salvage

ZONING COMMITTEE STAFF REPORT FILE NAME: 240 W Sycamore Auto Salvage CUP FILE # 21-257-179 APPLICANT: Neil Ollarvez HEARING DATE: May 20, 2021 TYPE OF APPLICATION: Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 240 Sycamore St W, between Rice Street and BNSF Railroad PIN & LEGAL DESCRIPTION: 25-29-23-44-0019; Lot 2, Block 1, Apex Addition PLANNING DISTRICT: 6 PRESENT ZONING: I2 ZONING CODE REFERENCE: §§ 61.501, 65.843 STAFF REPORT DATE: May 13, 2021 BY: Menaka Mohan DATE RECEIVED: April 26, 2021 60-DAY DEADLINE FOR ACTION: June 25, 2021

A. PURPOSE: Conditional use permit for a motor vehicle salvage operation B. PARCEL SIZE: 40,075.20 sq. feet C. EXISTING LAND USE: Vehicle storage/salvage uses to other businesses D. SURROUNDING LAND USE: North: Industrial warehouse (I2) East: Industrial garage repair (I2) South: BNSF Railway (I2) West: Industrial, warehouse (I2) E. ZONING CODE CITATION: § 61.501 lists general conditions that must be met by all conditional uses. § 65.843 lists special conditions that apply to motor vehicle salvage operations. F. PARKING: Zoning Code § 63.207 requires a minimum of 1 space per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA or 1 space per 2,000 sq. ft. GFA if more than 50% of production floor space is occupied by automated machinery. G. HISTORY/DISCUSSION: The site has operated as an auto-recycling, auto-repair, vehicle storage and salvage use since the 1990s. The current operator is seeking a license to operate as a motor vehicles salvage dealer. As part of license review at the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) the applicant was informed that the use — motor vehicle salvage operation — requires a conditional use permit in the I2 zoning district. H. DISTRICT COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION: The North End Neighborhood Organization (NENO) District 6 Council recommended approval of this application at their April 27, 2021 Land Use Committee meeting. I. FINDINGS: 1. The applicant is proposing to operate a motor vehicle salvage operation. The site is surrounded by industrial uses to the north, west and east. The BNSF Railway is to the south of the site. The site plan submitted by the applicants demonstrates that the site is completely fenced in with space for a car reception area, salvage vehicle processing, a work area, a cargo and loading ramp, parking, and a small office area. 2. A motor vehicle salvage operation requires a conditional use permit in the I2 zoning district and must meet the special standards and conditions listed in § 65.843. § 65.843 states that motor vehicle salve operation must meet the standards and conditions for an outdoor recycling and processing center listed in in § 65.846. (a) Outdoor processing, salvaging and storage of the materials and motor vehicles shall be at least three hundred (300) feet from a residential or traditional neighborhood district boundary. The area used for the outdoor processing, salvaging and storage shall be behind an obscuring wall, fence, structure, or landscaped buffer at least eight (8) feet high providing for reasonable operation of the business. This condition is met. The current site is located within an industrial area and there are no residential or traditional neighborhood districts within 300 feet of the site. The area used for outdoor processing, salvaging and storage is behind a structure and an eight (8) foot tall obscuring fence. Zoning Committee Staff Report Zoning File #21-257-179 Page 2 of 2

(b) There shall be no outdoor open burning on the site. The use of cutting torches, furnaces and other equipment which produce a flame shall not be construed to constitute open burning. This condition is met. There is no outdoor burning on the site and the applicant does not own any materials that would produce a flame. (c) There shall be no stacking of material above the height of the obscuring structure, wall or fence, except that material set back three hundred (300) feet from the nearest residential zoning district may be stacked one (1) foot higher than the obscuring structure, wall or fence for every additional five (5) feet the material is set back from the nearest residential zoning district, up to a maximum of sixty (60) feet. This condition met. The site is located more than 600 feet from the nearest residential district (RT1) and none of the materials on the site are stacked above the height of the fence. 3. § 61.501 lists five standards that all conditional uses must satisfy: (a) The extent, location and intensity of the use will be in substantial compliance with the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and any applicable subarea plans which were approved by the city council. This condition is met. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan identifies this site as an industrial use in the Future Land Use map. The use is supported by Policy LU-6. (1) Foster equitable and sustainable economic growth by facilitating business creation, attraction, retention and expansion. The applicant is seeking to grow its current business by obtaining a motor vehicle salvage operation license. The site is surrounded by industrial uses and the future use will continue to be industrial. (b) The use will provide adequate ingress and egress to minimize traffic congestion in the public streets. This condition is met. The site has a rolling gate to bring cars and trucks into the site. The site is located on Sycamore Street, which is classified as a local street and also designated as an industrial truck zone by Saint Paul Public Works Department. (c) The use will not be detrimental to the existing character of the development in the immediate neighborhood or endanger the public health, safety and general welfare. This condition is met. The proposed use is compatible with the industrial uses that surround the site. This site is more than 600 feet away from the nearest residential use (R1) to the north. Additionally, if the conditional use permit is approved, the applicant must still apply for a motor vehicle salvage operator license, which has several requirements including keeping the property clean and free of vermin, noise, and fire hazards. As part of Saint Paul’s motor vehicle salvage operator license the applicant must also apply for other licenses such as a Ramsey County Hazardous Waste licensure which regulates disposal of hazardous waste. Additionally, the applicant must receive a DSI Fire Inspection Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) inspection approval. For a Fire C of O to be issued, the building must demonstrate that is in compliance with applicable fire, building, housing, and other codes. (d) The use will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the district. This condition is met. The proposed use, a motor vehicle salvage operation, is consistent with the development pattern in the area. The surrounding uses are also industrial and auto-oriented. (e) The use shall, in all other respects, conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which it is located. This condition is met.

J. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends approval of the conditional use permit for a motor vehicle salvage operation subject to the following additional conditions: 1. Final plans approved by the Zoning Administrator for this use shall be in substantial compliance with the plan submitted and approved as part of this application; and 2. The applicant must comply will all state, county, and city licensure requirements to ensure that the property does not pose any environmental and/or public health hazards.

Site Plan: Soowys Corp 240 W Sycamore ST W , St. Paul, MN 55117

We are a company that sells used auto parts to other businesses. We do not sell parts to individuals. We take out Wheels, Tires, Catalytic Converters, Alternators, Compressors, Starters, and Batteries. We divide the used auto parts into boxes, and they are sold to other businesses in boxes. We have our own truck to transport the company’s cars.

Parking: (Includes employee parking, customer parking, ADA parking)

Office Area: There are 3 rooms. One office, One utilities room, and one title storage rooms.

Car Reception: This area is to inspect the cars and to check that titles and paperwork is good so the car is marked and can be move to the salvage vehicles spot.

Location of Salvage Vehicles: Here are the vehicles that are ready to be process. They are move to the work area as soon as they are needed.

Work Area: In this are we take out Wheels, Tires, Catalytic Converters, Alternators, Compressors, Starters, and Batteries.

Cargo and Loading Ramp: The ramp is use by forklifts to load containers we the used auto parts boxes.

(IT IS NOT PART OF THE BUSINESS)

14.0 10.5 20.0 O ice 147 Sq. Ft.

O ice 5.0 290 Sq. Ft. Utility Restroom 5.0 30 Sq. Ft. 14.5 30 Sq. Ft. 6.0 8.0 12.5 Title Storage 8.0 132 Sq. Ft 36 Sq. Ft Lunch 4.5 x 8 Room 16.5

13.0 162.5 Sq. Ft 44.5

48.6

Photo of 240 Sycamore Street

Photos from Sean and Susan Murphy

Photo from May 12, 2021 North End Neighborhood Organization (District 6) 171 Front Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55117 651-488-4485 [email protected] May 4, 2021

Meneka Mohan, Planning & Economic Development Principal Planner

RE: 240 Sycamore Street Conditional Use Permit to allow a Salvage Yard

The North End Neighborhood Organization’s Land Use & Housing Committee met with the applicant on April 27, 2021 and discussed the requested permit. After review and discussion the committee recommends supporting the requested conditional use permit.

The North End Neighborhood Organization’s Board of Directors met on May 3, 2021 and agreed with the recommendation brought forth by the committee. Both votes were unanimous.

Thank-you for your consideration of our recommendation and if you have questions, please contact the office at the numbers above.

Regards,

Vito Sauro Chair North End Neighborhood Organization

Cc: Ward 1 Angel Contreras Neil Ollarvet

An AA/EEO Employer

Sycamore St W

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This document was prepared by the Saint Paul Planning and Application of Neil Ollarvez Economic Development Department and is intended to be used for reference and illustrative purposes only. This drawing is not a legally recorded plan, survey, official tax map or engineering schematic and Application Type: CUP is not intended to be used as such. Data sources: City of Saint Paul, Application Date: April 22, 2021 Ramsey County, Metropolitan Council, State of Minnesota. Planning District: 6

Subject Parcel(s) Outlined in Blue

Parcel Boundary Sycamore St W

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Subject Parcel(s) Outlined in Blue

Parcel Boundary Multifamily Industrial and Utility Railway Farmstead Office Extractive Airport Seasonal/Vacation Retail and Other Commercial Institutional Agricultural Single Family Detached Mixed Use Residential Park, Recreational or Preserve Undeveloped Manufactured Housing Park Mixed Use Industrial Golf Course Water Single Family Attached Mixed Use Commercial and Other Major Highway I1

Sycamore St W

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Subject Parcel(s) Outlined in Blue

Parcel Boundary RM3 Multiple-Family B2 Community Business F2 Residential Low RL One-Family Large Lot T1 Traditional Neighborhood B3 General Business F3 Residential Mid R1 One-Family T2 Traditional Neighborhood B4 Central Business F4 Residential High R2 One-Family T3 Traditional Neighborhood B5 Central Business Service F5 Business R3 One-Family T3M T3 with Master Plan IT Transitional Industrial F6 Gateway R4 One-Family T4 Traditional Neighborhood ITM IT with Master Plan VP Vehicular Parking RT1 Two-Family T4M T4 with Master Plan I1 Light Industrial PD Planned Development RT2 Townhouse OS Office-Service I2 General Industrial CA Capitol Area Jurisdiction RM1 Multiple-Family B1 Local Business I3 Restricted Industrial RM2 Multiple-Family BC Community Business (converted) F1 River Residential