AGENDA EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, July 13, 2020 - 7:00 P.M. PLANNING COMMISSION John Kirk, Ann Higgins, Andrew Pieper, Ed MEMBERS: Farr, Michael DeSanctis, Carole Mette, William Gooding, Rachel Markos, Lisa Toomey STAFF MEMBERS: Julie Klima, City Planner; Rod Rue, City Engineer; Matt Bourne, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE -- ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA IV. MINUTES A. Approval of the Minutes for the June 22, 2020 meeting V. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. THE LOFTS AT ANDERSON RESERVE (2020-02) Request for: • Guide Plan Change from Medium Density to Medium High Density on 2.85 acres • Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 2.85 acres • Planned Unit Development District Review with waivers on 2.85 acres • Zoning District Change from Rural to RM-2.5 on 2.85 acres • Site Plan Review on 2.85 acres • Preliminary Plat to create 1 lot on 2.85 acres VI. PLANNERS’ REPORT VII. MEMBERS’ REPORTS VIII. ADJOURNMENT UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Ann Higgins, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr, Michael DeSanctis, Rachel Markos, Carole Mette, Lisa Toomey, William Gooding CITY STAFF: Julie Klima, City Planner; Matt Bourne, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – ROLL CALL Commission member DeSanctis was absent. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Farr to approve the agenda. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. IV. MINUTES MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Markos to approve the minutes of May 26, 2020. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS EP HIGH SCHOOL SIGN PUD AMENDMENT (2020-05) Request for: • Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 66.6 aces • Planned Unit Development Amendment with waivers on 66.6 acres Eric Taucheck, from Spectrum Sign Systems, Inc., displayed a PowerPoint and explained the application. He displayed the layout of the proposed face- illuminated signage for the Performing Arts Center and showed its location with day and night views. He displayed the street view as well. Taucheck explained the Performing Arts Center currently had only one sign that was not visible from the road or the entrance. Eden Prairie Schools wished to install a permanent sign to PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES June 22, 2020 Page 2 add visibility and help visitors find the Performing Arts Center, which would decrease vehicle confusion in the parking lots. The existing PUD would be amended to increase the total amount of square footage allowed for signage along with the total number of signs permitted. This meant an increase of the total allowable sign area from 268 square feet to 371 square feet, and an increase of permitted wall signs from six signs to seven signs. The proposed Performing Arts Center sign would be 102.8 square feet. Taucheck displayed the inventory of existing signage with their locations. Farr asked what triggered the application, the applicant or the City. Taucheck replied he was contacted by the School District, so he did his due diligence and research, and concluded this PUD process as most appropriate. Klima presented the planner’s report. Currently on the site was a temporary banner which was not permitted by Code. The School District and its representative contacted the City to find out what was permitted and what process to go through. Back in 2001, the District received approved for a PUD waiver for six signs totaling 268 square feet in size. This proposal was a change to seven signs at 371 square feet for permanent signage. This application, as Taucheck stated, also addressed traffic confusion. Staff recommended approval. Mette noted the staff report mentioned the Code allowed 50 square feet of wall signage per frontage and asked where this restriction came from, the Zoning Code or PUD restriction. Klima replied this was part of the Public Zoning District. Alison Roberts, resident at 7314 Hames Way in Eden Prairie Commons across the street from the high school, spoke for herself and on behalf of neighbors about the concerns about possible light wattage and the possible intrusiveness of the sign in a residential neighborhood. She gave the Vikings stadium in Eagan as an example of signage that triggered complaints after installation, and added the residents were not necessarily against signage at the Performing Arts Center. Taucheck replied there were two ways to control the sign: hardwire it to a timeclock or utilize a photo eye. He stated a timeclock would be more appropriate; streetlights could possibly trigger a light-sensitive hardwire sign to illuminate inappropriately at night. He offered to provide the specific metric of illumination later. Farr asked for and received confirmation the sign was an internally illuminated behind a diffused, translucent panel, not a direct line-of-sight of LED diodes. Mette asked if the other signage on the building of the high school was of the same style. Taucheck replied it was in a cabinet form, whereas the new sign would be a channel letter set rather than cabinet signage. The fonts, however, would match. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES June 22, 2020 Page 3 MOTION: Gooding moved, seconded by Toomey to close the public hearing. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. Mette expressed support for the application, but added the square footage increase proposed for the new sign compared to the current square footage allowed was too large compared to the existing signs. She stated it was not necessary to include the school text since the logo was included. The text could be shortened it to “EPHS,” since this was the Performing Arts Center sign. Since the school text letters were taller than those of the Performing Arts Center on this new and largest sign, she was not clear if this was a school sign or an Arts Center sign. Kirk replied Eden Prairie had a reputation of being difficult to navigate and expressed approval for the largest sign, given the size of the facility and of the campus. Gooding agreed with Kirk that Eden Prairie needed wayfinding signage. In addition, the Performing Arts Center did not operate every night of the week, so the sign did not need to be illuminated all of the time, and it did not seem to be a sign for the school. Farr noted he drove by this site twice a day and wayfinding was indeed a problem for residents, as well as for visitors from out of town. He thought signage was important, and agreed with Gooding it, being event-driven, was appropriately served by a timeclock. He approved of the text letter height, but also agreed with Mette that the sign did not also have to include the Eden Prairie High School text. Farr stated the applicant could have come to the commission with a sign that would identify the fork in the road to arrive at either the Performing Arts Center or the school. Mette agreed with Farr that the size of the Performing Arts Center font was appropriate but the school’s text was not. She did not, however, find this a reason to deny the application, and emphasized it was not the commission’s role to redesign the sign. Mette suggested if the commission approved the signage as is, the applicant could make the sign smaller and omit the school text. Farr concurred there was no compelling reason to object to the size or illumination of the sign. Higgins agreed with leaving the final decision up to the School Board in continuing communication with staff. She added she also found the site a challenge to navigate when she visited with her grandchildren. Mette asked if the PUD application allowed for the redistribution of square footage, such as reducing the size of the largest sign and then adjusting the rest of the square footage of the total 103 feet for the other signs accordingly. Klima replied the PUD specifically allowed the stated number of signs and square footage, did not allow the redistribution of dimensions, unless an existing sign was not large enough to reach the 103-foot total. Pieper stated he understood the overall concerns but this was a large building and the sign was appropriate for it. Mette replied she would make the motion, and reiterated her thought the School Board could make the final decision to modify the size and/or the text or not. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES June 22, 2020 Page 4 MOTION: Mette moved, seconded by Kirk to recommend approval for a Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 66.6 aces and a Planned Unit Development Amendment with waivers on 66.6 acres based on plans stamp dated June 5, 2020 and the staff report dated June 2, 2020. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. VI. PLANNERS’ REPORT VII. MEMBERS’ REPORTS Farr stated he found, while driving around the City, many non-conforming signs. He reiterated the Planning Commission was an advisory committee and not an enforcement committee. He noticed a number of banner signs not in compliance with the City ordinance, evidently to increase business visibility during this time of the Covid-19 outbreak. While he agreed the commission should support Eden Prairie local businesses, he wished to know if there was leniency being granted or if the commission could inform the businesses and vendors these signs were non-conforming. Klima replied that the City Manager had issued an order to loosen temporarily signage, parking requirements and outdoor dining during the pandemic. The businesses would be expected to again be compliant with Code after the emergency was over.