Minutes - City of Lakeville

CITY OF LAKEVILLEECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONMEETING MINUTESSeptember 25, 2012Chair Matasosky called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. in the Marion ConferenceRoom at City Hall.Members Present: Comms. Matasosky, Tushie, Longie, Brantly, Emond, Starfield,Smith, Schubert, Vlasak, Ex-officio member Chamber of Commerce Executive DirectorTodd Bornhauser, Ex-officio member Mayor Mark Bellows, Ex-officio member CityAdministrator Steve Mielke.Members Absent: None.Others Present: David Olson, Community & Economic Development Director; AdamKienberger, Economic Development Specialist; Daryl Morey, Planning Director; AllynKuennen, Associate Planner; David Edquist, Holiday Stationstores; Michael Cronin,Consultant to Holiday Stationstores.2. Approval of August 28, 2012 meeting minutesMotionComms. Smith/Emond moved to approve the minutes of the August28, 2012 meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously.3. Review of Proposed Zoning Ordinance Regulations for Electronic SignsMr. Morey reviewed the EDC memo outlining the proposed zoning ordinanceregulations for electronic signs. He noted that the Planning Commission is seekingfeedback from the EDC prior to making a recommendation to the City Council.Mr. Cronin complimented the draft zoning ordinance and discussed the requestfrom Holiday Stationstores included in the EDC packet to consider the rate ofchange for electronic signs in seconds as opposed to minutes. He noted thatHoliday utilizes the signage to encourage customers to enter the store instead ofpaying at the pump.Mr. Edquist added that Burnsville recently amended their electronic sign ordinanceadopting a rate of change provision of 30 seconds, which is a viable rate for HolidayStationstores. Shakopee recently switched to a 60-second rate of change.Comm. Smith stated that whatever standards are adopted should be the same forboth schools/public uses and the business community.Mr. Cronin added that Holiday Stationstores view electronic signs as a series ofstatic signs. They have no desire to utilize animation, scrolling, or other distracting

Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes, September 25, 2012 Page 2features sometimes employed by similar signs. Distractions are not good for theCity or the business community. He complimented staff’s comprehensive approachtaken in the preparation of the draft zoning ordinance to restrict these types ofdistractions.Comm. Starfield inquired about the reasoning behind the 15-minute rate of changeprovision of the proposed zoning ordinance.Mr. Morey explained that a comparison was made with other cities that have donestudies related to driver distraction. He also noted that in a commercial corridor,there is a cumulative effect if multiple electronic signs are located within closeproximity to each other as a driver passes through the area.Comm. Longie asked when Burnsville switched to a 30-second rate of changerequirement.Mr. Olson responded that the change was made recently after a multi-year trial atlonger rates of change, and this past year which was a trial period at the 30-secondrate of change.Comm. Tushie added that 30 seconds does not seem to be too short a duration tobe a driver distraction.Comm. Vlasak added that allowing electronic images on the signs could be anaesthetic concern for Lakeville. He asked if a shopping center could sell advertisingon these types of signs if they chose to build one on their property as allowed underthe sign ordinance.Mr. Morey responded that the City cannot regulate content, only height, size andperformance standards.Comm. Tushie summarized by stating that the proposed ordinance is a good base,but would recommend the Planning Commission consider a rate of change of 30seconds that can be reviewed annually.The EDC agreed and noted that the Planning Commission should also include aprovision to consider that the road elevation be used as the base of measurementfor sign height.Mr. Morey added that the EDC’s recommendation would be brought to the October4 th Planning Commission work session with a public hearing possibly in Novemberprior to City Council adoption in December.

Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes, September 25, 2012 Page 34. Review of Office Park (OP) Zoning District Allowed Uses and Exterior BuildingRequirementsMr. Morey reviewed the EDC memo outlining the proposed Office Park (OP) zoningdistrict allowed uses and exterior building requirements. He noted that the PlanningCommission is seeking feedback from the EDC prior to making a recommendationto the City Council.Comm. Tushie stated that the percentage of grade A materials needs to be muchstronger than the 15% recommended in the memo. There should be a clear visualdistinction between office and industrial park building standards. Office parksshould not look like industrial buildings and should include more brick and glass.He further recommended that the OP standards should be adopted at the currentcommercial standards of a 65/25/10 ratio of grade A, B, and C materialsrespectively.Chair Matasosky noted that many manufacturers are increasing the finish level oftheir buildings. He asked about the requirements for existing office park buildingswhen they wish to expand.Mr. Morey responded that existing buildings are grandfathered and able to expandup to 50% with similar materials used on the existing building.Comm. Tushie added that it can often be less expensive to meet grade A materialrequirements with glass, which is more appropriate for an office park. He furtherrecommended that the Planning Commission consider “architectural panels” andQuik Brik as a grade A material. Architectural panels and high-grade metal cansometimes be more expensive than traditional brick and have a high-quality finishappropriate for office buildings. He noted that the current definition of “architecturalpanels” is a good place to start and it should be clear that these are not the sametype of panels as prefabricated concrete panels, which are not appropriate for theOP District. Architectural panels could also be included in the grade A materialswith the provision “as approved by Planning”.The EDC concurred with Comm. Tushie’s recommendations of a 65/25/10 ratio ofgrade A, B, C materials respectively, with the provision that architectural panels,Quik Brik and certain types of high-grade decorative metal panels be considered agrade A material in the OP District.5. Update on Business Marketing Strategy Implementation ProjectMr. Kienberger reviewed the EDC memo outlining the recent recognition by MoneyMagazine naming Lakeville one of the “Best Places to Live”. He noted that thisdesignation was discussed with the marketing partners committee to help identifypotential joint marketing opportunities. Lakeville also recently became a member ofthe Minnesota Commercial Association of Real Estate (MNCAR) and will beattending their Fall Expo to promote the City of Lakeville and expand relationshipswith the commercial/industrial broker community.

Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes, September 25, 2012 Page 46. Director’s ReportMr. Olson reviewed the Director’s Report. He noted that the annual ManufacturersReception has been re-scheduled to Wednesday, October 24 th .7. AdjournMeeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.Respectfully submitted by:_____________________________Adam Kienberger, Recording Secretary