Loading...
PC Packet 07.16.14 AGENDA HUTCHINSON PLANNING COMMISSION Wednesday,July 16,2014 5:30 p.m. 1.CALL TO ORDER 5:30 P.M. 2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3.CONSENT AGENDA A.CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES DATEDJune 17, 2014 4.PUBLIC HEARINGS A.CONSIDERATION OF CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND SITE PLANTO ADD A DRIVE-UP TO THE BANK FACILITY IN THE PARKING LOT LOCATED AT 210 HASSAN ST SE. Motion to close hearing –Motion to approve with staff recommendations –Motion to reject 5.UNFINISHED BUSINESS 6.NEWBUSINESS A.DISCUSSION TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE ZONING DISTRICTS IN WHICH MICRO-BREWERIES AND TAP ROOMS MAY BE PERMITTED. 7.COMMUNICATION FROM STAFF A.Upcoming Meetings 8.ADJOURNMENT MINUTES HUTCHINSON PLANNING COMMISSION Tuesday,June 17,2014 5:30 p.m. 1.CALL TO ORDER 5:30 P.M. Chair Christie Hantgecalled the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Members present: Jim Fahey,John Lofdahl, Bill Arndt, Dean Kirchoff,Raymond Nortonand Dave Johnston. Also present wasDan Jochum, Planning Director, Marc Sebora,City Attorney and Interim City Administrator, Kyle Dimler, Planning and Building Specialist. 2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3.CONSENT AGENDA A.CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES DATEDMay20, 2014 Motion by Commissioner Lofdahl, second by Commissioner Johnston to approve minutes as presented. Approved unanimously. 4.PUBLIC HEARINGS A.CONSIDERATION OF VARIANCE TO ALLOW 50% LOT COVERAGE ON TH A SHORELAND PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1260 7AVE. NW Chair Hantge opened the public hearing at 5:33pm. Planning Director, Dan Jochum, presented to the commission. Mr. Jochum described the location and current condition of the subject lot. Mr. Jochum shared the applicant’s request to approve the proposed 50% lot coverage, although as designed, the proposed structure and impervious surfacing would create 43% lot coverage. Mr. Jochum stated that the lot is in an R-1 zoning district and is within 1,000’ of a river placing it in the Shoreland Management area. Mr. Jochum shared with the Commission that variances are only to be permitted (a) when they are in harmony with the general purposes and intent of the ordinance and (b) when the variances are consistent withthe Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Jochum also explained that variances may be granted when the applicant establishes that there are practical difficulties in complying with the zoning ordinance. “Practical difficulties,” as used in connection with the granting of a variance, means that (a) the property owner proposes to use the property in a reasonable manner not permitted by the zoning ordinance; (b) the plight of the landowner is due to circumstances unique to the property not created by the landowner; and (c) the variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the locality. Minutes Hutchinson Planning Commission June 17, 2014 Page 2 Mr. Jochum shared that staff recommendapproval of this request as (a) Construction of a single-family dwelling in an R-1 zoning district is a reasonable use of the land (b) The subject lot is unique because it is the last remaining lot in its development to be built on. Further, the development was originally platted in 1979 and the Shoreland Management Ordinance was not adopted until 1989 and (c) the essential character of the neighborhood would be altered more if this last lot is required to conform to the ordinance as only one of ten neighboring lots currently complies with the lot coverage requirements. Commissioner Lofdahl stated he would be in favor of requiring the applicant to mitigate lot coverage in excess of the allowed 25%, possibly via rain gardens, pervious paving, etc. Commissioner Lofdahl also stated it is his understanding that a variance is not to be issued to circumvent the requirement of an ordinance. City Attorney, Marc Sebora, clarified that the issuance of a variance may not necessarily circumvent the purpose or intent of the ordinance. Mr. Jochum referenced an ordinance stating lots platted prior to 1989 would not be required to meet the lot coverage areas. Mr. Sebora affirmed this to be the intent of the ordinance. Chair Hantge asked if there would ramifications from the MN DNR which the City ought to consider if the variance were to be approved. Mr. Jochum stated he is familiar with one municipal court case in which the court ruled that the local authority having jurisdiction is able to grant variances but not able to change the ordinance itself. Mr. Sebora stated he had reviewed the letter submitted by the MN DNR addressing this variance request. Mr. Sebora shared the DNR’s main concern was run off water entering the municipal storm sewers and he believed the applicant’s proposed design plans appearto minimize this impact. The Commission discussed the proposed roof slope direction, proposed lot coverage of 43% as designed, and neighboring lot drainage direction and slope. Chair Hantge noted discussion appeared to indicate a split vote of the Commission. Commissioner Fahey moved to close the public hearing, second by Commissioner Arndt. Public hearing closed at 6:21pm. Motion by Commissioner Fahey, second by Commissioner Arndt to approve the variance request with staff recommendations. Commissioner Lofdahl dissented. Chair Hantge stated the request will not appear on the City Council consent agenda at the June 24, 2014 meetingdue to the lack of a unanimous vote. Motion to close hearing –Motion to approve with staff recommendations –Motionto reject Minutes Hutchinson Planning Commission June 17, 2014 Page 3 5.NEW BUSINESS 6.OLD BUSINESS 7.COMMUNICATION FROM STAFF A.Planning Director, Dan Jochum shared that there is one application submitted for the July Planning Commission meeting. B.City Attorney, Marc Sebora shared the City Council has recently held discussions regarding possible ordinances to allow micro-breweries and tap rooms in the City. Mr. Sebora stated he has had preliminary discussions with Mr. Jochum to consider appropriate zoning districts that may be proposed for this use. 8.ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Fahey, second by Commissioner Arndt to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:32pm. DIRECTORS REPORT –PLANNING DEPARTMENT To:Hutchinson Planning Commission From:Mike Schumann,Dolf Moon, Dave Hunstad,Lee Miller,Jeff Page,Jean Ward, Judy Flemming, John Webster,John Olson, Lenny Rutledge,Kent Exner, John Paulson,Marc Sebora,Dan Hatten,Brian Mehr,Dan Jochum, Andrea Schwartz,and Kyle Dimler(Persons in attendance at Planning Staff Meeting in bold) Date:July 7,2014, forJuly 16,2014, Planning Commission Meeting Application:SITE PLAN AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT A BANK DRIVE THROUGH Applicant:MIDCOUNTRY BANK,APPLICANT CITY OF HUTCHINSON, PROPERTY OWNER SITE PLAN AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMITTO CONSTRUCT A BANK DRIVE THROUGH– MidCountry Bank,is requesting asite plan review and aconditional use permitto allow the construction of a bank drive-throughon Lot 1 & 2 & N 18’ of Lot 3, Block 27, Townsite of Hutchinson, South Half, currently owned by the City of Hutchinson Theconditional use permitrequest is to construct a bank drive through with three service points in a C-3 Zoning District.A Conditional Use Permitted is required for the construction of a drive through window in C-3 Zoning Districtsas noted in Section 154.063of the Zoning Ordinance.This request would require a major change in traffic flow and parking in this area, as well as a land transaction, as the parcel being discussed is currently owned by the City.MidCountry has an option on land currently owned by the American Legion that would be conveyed to the City as part of this proposal.MidCountry is proposing to consolidate their Downtown and South locations if this request moves forward. Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 2 GENERAL INFORMATION Existing Zoning:C-3 (Central Commercial District) Property Location:210 Hassan St. SE Lot Size: 133’ x 150’ (19,950sq. ft.) Existing Land Use:Commercial parking lot Adjacent Land Use And Zoning:C-3(Central Commercial District) Comprehensive Land Use Plan:Mixed Use Zoning History: This parcel was acquired by the City of Hutchinson on 1/31/1983. No other zoning/permitting activity is recorded in this property address file. Applicable Regulations:Sections154.063 (C) (8) (a): 154.170 Site Plan: The City Council deems it is necessary and appropriate to require site plan approval of developments in certain zoning districts to preserve and promote attractive, well-planned, stable urban conditions. The following is an overview of site plan considerations. Structure: The proposed structure is approximately 25 x 40 or 1,000 square feet and will be a typical bank drive through structure with a roof and three drive through lanes. It should be noted that the transactions will be sent back to the main bank building through a tube vacuum system and there will not be any personnel staffing the structure. The height of the structure to the top of the roof is approximately 20 feet and the height of the opening to the drive through is approximately 12 feet tall. Refer to attached building elevations for a visual picture of the drive through structure. The proposed structureappears to meetall applicable setbacks, as well as all other Zoning Ordinance requirements. Traffic/Circulation Traffic, site circulation, and parkingare the most critical aspects of the proposed plan and need to be studied carefully. There is a memorandum attached to this staff report that was prepared by Mid Country Bank’s Engineer, SEH. Please refer to the memorandum for more detailed technical analysis.It should also be noted that there are no raised medians as part of the opposing one-way traffic flow. All of the pavement marking would be painted on and accompanying signage would direct traffic. According to the SEH memo, MidCountry is assuming an increase of approximately 5,000 visits per month to the Downtown location. This number is based on historical transaction counts at both facilities. The 5,000 visits per month would equate to approximately 192 trips per day, excludingSunday’s. It should also be noted Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 3 that Monday and Friday appear to be the busiestbusinessdays for banking according to table 1 in the SEH memo. The majority of the additional trips to the Downtown location are already served on the street network with many of them likely already passing through or doing other business in the downtown area. Therefore, the addition of peak hour traffic demands on the roadway network is not anticipated to be a concern. However, staff believes that the additional traffic being diverted to the existing alley and parking lot have the potential to cause some traffic congestion issues. The major feature of the site circulation of this plan is an opposing one-way street configuration. Ingress to the nd site from the north end would come off 2 AvenueSE. Ingress to the site from the south end would come off rd 3AvenueSE. Egress from the site is proposed to go Hassan St.SEfor the drive through, as well as other alley ndrd traffic that accessthe site from either 2or 3Avenues.The SEH memo suggests that the drive through traffic should have a right turn only onto Hassan St rather than having left hand turns so close to an intersection. Please see the attached site plan for more detailed information and a visual aide. It appears that the vast majority of the traffic entering the site from the north end would likely be using the drive through facility and therefore would exit the site on Hassan St. never really having entered the core of the site and theopposing one-way traffic configuration. However, there still will be bank customers, as well as customers of other Main St. businesses that wish to park in the City owned parking lot that will have to navigate, at least partially,the opposing one-way traffic configuration. City staff understands that the majority of the walk in bank traffic enters the building from the City owned parking lot/alley area. The biggest concern with any proposed drive through facility is “stacking” or “queuing” of vehicles both entering the drive through and exiting the drive through. The City Zoning Ordinance requires 80 feet for stacking of vehicles in a drive through. 80 feet allows for about four cars to be in line. The drawings submitted by MidCountry include 70 feet for stacking, however the SEH memo recommends moving the drive through canopy 10 feet further east to accommodate more stacking to get to the 80 feet stacking required.It should be noted that there are three drive through lanes and generally speaking,users do not want to wait in line so they will go to the shortest line, which in turn limits stacking/queue lengths. In addition, not having a drive through commercialbusinesslane will also make transactions occur quicker. Staff would like to note that there is the potential during peak times,for the stacking area to fill up, causing cars to spill out into the alleywayand nd possibly onto 2Ave.SE. It should be noted that the Post Office is another major traffic generator in Downtown Hutchinson. Many of the Post Office users are dropping off mail at the drop boxes located at the rear of the Post Office in the alley. City staff has watched the traffic flow near the alley Post Office drop boxes and it appears the majority of the traffic turns right and heads east and uses the American Legion Parcel to exit onto Hassan St, rather than continuing ndnd north and exiting on to 2Ave.SEThis is likely due to the difficulty of exiting onto 2Ave. SE because of nd the high volumes of traffic and stacking that occurs at the 2Ave. SEand Main St. stoplight. Because of this condition on the southern portion of the alley, the opposing one-way will likely not cause an issue for the Post Office traffic because the majority of the traffic is already making the movements that are shown in the proposed Plan. Also,as it relates to traffic circulation and alleyoperations, the SEH reportnotes that the opposing one-way configuration is the preferred operation for the MidCountry Bank proposal. It is also noted that the circulation patterns appear compatible for the other businesses on the block as well. Passenger vehicles and single unit trucks can successfully make the turning maneuver eastbound from the alley (see attached drawing). The SEH Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 4 report notes the ability for large trucks (including semi’s) to maneuver through the alley is a concern. In addition, City staff has concerns with this issue as well. As it relates to large trucks or semi trucks, it is a known fact that these vehicles regularly use the alley. In particular, Benny’s Meats and the Post Office utilize semi trucks quite frequently. The Post Office sees large semi-truck loading at its dock on a daily basis. The Post Office loading dock used by large trucks/semi’s is positioned slightly northeasterly from the north face of the building which is complimentary to the proposed alley exit route. Furthermore, postal trucks and semi’s already utilize the proposed alley route exiting to Hassan St. Based on the review by SEH and an on-site meeting with SEH and the Postmaster, the proposed changes by MidCountry Bank on the north end of the block do not appear to impact the Post Office operation on the south end of the block. Benny’s Meat Market has indicated they receive daily deliveries in the alley. The alley is commonly blocked to through traffic while unloading of trucks occurs. SEH notes that large semi’s/tractor trailer combinations will not be able to make the turn to the eastbound alley exit. Once in the alley, a large semi would need to continue against the flow of traffic to exit the alley, which would be a wrong way traffic movement. It should be noted that in many urban/downtown areas semi alley traffic is often problematic, yet a necessary function of deliveries. Oftentimes, these large semi’s and trucks have to go against the flow of alley traffic or block an alley for a period of time in order to make their deliveries. Parking Parking is also one of the main factors that needs consideration for this request.It should be noted that Downtown businesses are not required to provide “off-street” parking. This is very typical in downtown districts and the rationale is that municipal lots and on-street parking will accommodate parking.From Staff’s perspective the parking discussion really revolves around two items: 1) How many parking spaces are going to be lost in the City parking lot that the drive through is proposed to be located in? 2) Is there other public parking in the area that can offset the loss of parking spaces in the City lot? The SEH memo included a significant amount of information regarding parking and the amount of spaces in the area. Asstated above, Staff is concerned about the amount of spaces being lost in the City parking lot. The SEH memo indicates that there are currently 52 spaces in the City lot and between 36 and 39 of the spaces were utilized during their parking survey. The proposed MidCountry site plan includes31 spaces in the City parking lot or a reduction of 21 parking spaces. As noted previously, the City lot typically had 36 to 39 cars parked in it meaning that approximately 5 to 8 cars and possibly more at busy times would have to find parking in another location. The SEH report also notes that there is currently 7 parking spaces available in the American Legion north parkinglot and that there were no cars parked in these spaces when the parking survey was completed. It should be noted that businesses along the alley have told City staff that during busy times the public often utilizes the Legion Parking stalls, even though they are for the Legion only. The MidCountry proposal is to acquire the Legion North parcel and convey it to the City in some sort of land deal/swap and the parcel would be utilized for egress from the opposing one-way alley configuration and for parking. It is proposed that there would be 10 public parking spaces on this lot if this proposal goes through. The 10 spaces would, intheory, make up for the shortage of parking of the 5 to 8 vehicles noted above from the parking survey, however there still would be a net loss of 11 parking stalls from the current City owned parking lot. The Planning Commission and City Council will need to determine if a loss of 11 parking stalls from the City lot is acceptable or not. The SEH memo also looked at the on-street parking dynamics in the vicinity of the Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 5 proposed project and surveyed the amount of spaces available and the amount of spaces actually being used. From the SEH analysis, it appears there are 36 on-street parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of this project (see SEH memo for exact locations). Based on the parking survey, it appears that anywhere between 12 and 16 of the parking spaces are being used on the street meaning that there are approximately 20 open on street parking spaces at any given time. Theoretically, these 20 open parking spaces would at least partially make up for the 11 actual parking stalls being taken away. However, staff would like to point out that these stalls exist today, along with the 52 in the City owned lot, so there is still a net loss of parking spaces. Furthermore, using the parking survey data, it would appear that there still would be adequate parking in the area based on the percentage of existing stalls currently being utilized. It is also important to note that future parking demand is difficult to predict without knowing how the additional traffic that is proposed to be going to the Downtown MidCountry location is going to function. City staff feels that generally speaking there is more than enough parking in Downtown Hutchinson. The issue appears to be that downtown users want to park very close to their destination. City staff conducted an informal stnd parking survey on the municipal parking lot that sits just west of Hassan St. between 1Ave and 2Ave on thth July 7and 8. Each time this lot wassurveyed,over 50% of the lot was not being utilized for parking. MidCountry Bank has indicated to Staff that between 15 and 17 of their employees currently park in the City parking lot in question. MidCountry has also stated they would be open to requiring their employees to park either on the street or in a different City parking lot. If the Planning Commission feels that this projectshould move forward, a condition could be made to prohibit MidCountry employees from parking in the lot in question. This would free up approximately 15 spaces taking the parking demand generated from the survey from approximately 36 spaces being used to21 spaces being used. In addition, MidCountry is proposing adding 3 parking stalls adjacentto the back side of the bank building, near the current ATM, for customers to park in. In conclusion regarding parking, there is in fact a net loss of 21 parking stalls in the City Parking lot. This is something that was concerning to neighboring business during the open house that was held regarding this project in April. The loss of 21 parking stalls is concerning, however it appears that based on parking demand there will not be a shortage of parking spaces in the vicinity of this project. It is likely that the parking spaces in the area will be more fully utilized and there will be less open spaces. In addition, both the on-street parking stnd spaces, as well as the City lot on the west side of Hassan St between 1and 2Avenues will be more fully utilized. It is difficult to predict what the added traffic volume from the two bank facilities combining will do to circulation and parking in this area. Because of this there is always a risk that there could be a parking shortage in the immediate vicinity in the future.The Planning Commission should be aware of this risk. Staff doesn’t anticipate a major shortage of parking but it is difficult to predict howthis area will behave with the new traffic patterns associated with combining two bank facilities into one. The likely worst case scenario is users would have to park further away from their destination to find a parking space, especially when there areother activities occurring downtown that have parking demand. Conditional Use Permit: The Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required for the drive through. As noted above, the drive through is proposed to be a threelane drive through.Eighty (80) feet of stackingis required and the site plan should be modified as noted in the SEH memo in order to accommodate the 80 feet of stacking required by ordinance. If the Planning Commission feels the site plan is acceptable, the CUP should be approved. Ifthe CUP isn’t acceptable,then the CUP should be denied. If it is denied, items b and c below would likely not be able to be met and would be suitable reasons for denying the CUP. Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 6 The following are standards for granting a conditional use permit: (a)The proposed building or use at the particular location requested is necessary or desirable to provide a service or a facility which is in the interest of the public convenience and will contribute to the general welfare of the neighborhood or community; (b)The proposed building or use will not have a substantial or undue adverse effect upon adjacent property, the character of the neighborhood, traffic conditions, utility facilities and other matters affecting the public health, safety and general welfare; and (c)The proposed building or use will be designed, arranged and operated so as to permit the development and use of neighboring property in accordance with the applicable district regulations. Conclusion: It is difficult for staff to make a recommendation one way or another on this request. It appears there are both pros and cons associated with this project, much like there is with any redevelopment project, with the latest example in Hutchinson being the Walgreens project. Some of the pros that should be considered by the Planning Commission include: 1) more userscoming downtown to do business. 2)more jobs added to downtown area. 3) added tax base to the community.4)working with a business to expand their operation to be more efficient. Cons that should be considered include: 1) loss of parking in the City lot and how this affects other businesses.2) semi trucks not being able to navigate the eastern exit and having to drive against traffic to leave the site (Post Office semi’s would continue to exit eastbound, which is consistent with proposal). 3) potential traffic congestion at drive through facility due to added trips going to this areaat peak times. 4) possible driver confusion, at least initially, because of the change in traffic operations in this area. Recommendation: Staff recommends deferral of the approval or denial of this request to the Planning Commission due to the fact that the question at hand is not simply evaluation of an existing ordinance or statute. Rather, does the Planning Commissionbelieve the anticipated increase in traffic in the downtown areaand the do the positive benefits of more traffic provide a benefit to surrounding business and to thegreater community oris the loss of 21 parking spaces in this particular municipal parking lot and the potential traffic congestion/flow issues a detriment to the surrounding business and the greater community? If the Planning Commission recommends approvalofthe applicant’s request, staff suggests the following conditions be part of the approval: 1.A Developer’s Agreement that clearly defines the necessary infrastructure revisions/improvements and associated cost-sharing responsibilities (currently assumed to be 100% Developer funded) shall be executed between theCity and the Developer. 2.The Developer shallbe responsible for preparing infrastructure revisions/improvements plans and specifications per City standards/approvals for all necessary work,at their expense. 3.Approval of the conditional use permit must be contingent upon City Council’s approval of the proposed property transaction. 4.The implementation of timed/designated parking stalls within City lots or along City streets does not appear to be justified or in the best of the City at this time. Conditional Use Permit 210 Hassan St. SE –Bank Drive Through Planning Commission –7-16-14 Page 7 5.The functionality of the proposed three diagonal parking stalls along the east side of the bank (former ATM area) should be monitored relative to conflicting with alley traffic and, if safety concerns arise, the developer shall be responsible to potentially reconfigure or remove these stalls as directed by the City Engineer. 6.The feasibility of installing an underground conduit system (beneath the alley corridor) should be fully examined and considered by the Developer.Any conduit systems beneath or over the alley corridor shall be approved by the City Engineer. 7.Exiting from the drive through facility to Hassan Street will need to signed and configured for a right turn only movement. 8.The propertywill need to be platted by MidCountry Bank to ensure a developable parcel of property for the proposed project. MEMORANDUM TO: Craig Almquist and Megan Karg MidCountry Bank, Hutchinson Minnesota FROM: Mike Kotila, PE John Rodeberg, PE DATE: June 23, 2014 RE: MidCountry Bank Drive-Through Site Review SEH No. 127949 MidCountry Bank has been consolidating services at its two Hutchinson locations into the downtown facility. The south facility (905 Hwy 15 S) previously held agricultural related banking service offices as well as drive-through facilities. The offices have already been relocated to the downtown facility, and the potential for the future relocation of the drive-through facility to the downtown site is a primary driver of this review. This memorandum summarizes our review of proposed improvements to the MidCountry Bank site in Downtown Hutchinson (201 Main Street S). This review considers operational considerations for access to and from the site, alley operational issues, drive-through and ATM stacking, as well as impacts to neighboring sites and public parking supply and demand on the block. The site and alley configuration evaluated in this memorandum is represented by the attached drawing entitled: Proposed Alley & Parking Lot Reconfiguration. Existing Conditions MidCountry Bank is located in downtown Hutchinson on the southeast corner of Main Street (TH 15) and nd 2 Avenue SE. The main floor (street level) of the bank building includes teller windows and personal banking offices. The second floor consists of office space for approximately 10 personnel with negligible customer access. The basement consists of storage, vehicle parking and custodial space. There are no public spaces or offices in the basement. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is located in the rear of the building, accessible for walk-up customers or drive-through service. The drive-through approach to the ATM is accessible while traveling northbound through the alley. The drive aisle serves one vehicle at the ATM while one or two vehicles can be waiting without blocking the alley. The existing bank employs approximately 30 people, 75% of which are typically present during the busiest banking hours of a typical week day. Most bank employees utilize parking in the public parking lot east of the alley or on-street parking typically along the west side of Hassan Street, or other adjacent areas. The bank building includes a basement level garage with three parking stalls for staff. The basement originally provided parking for more vehicles, but the number of stalls has been reduced due to the need for storage and logistical issues with the parking space. Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., 10901 Red Circle Drive, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55343-9302 SEH is an equal opportunity employer | www.sehinc.com | 952.912.2600 | 800.734.6757 | 888.908.8166 fax MidCountry Bank Site Review June 23, 2014 Page 2 ndrd The public alley from 2 Avenue SE to 3 Avenue SE provides access to the bank, the US Post Office, Allied Insurance office, Crow River Eye Care Clinic, Benny’s Meat Market, the recently vacated American Legion building and a City owned public parking lot. The public alley right of way is 15 feet in width making one-way operation most desirable due to limited passing opportunities. The City has promoted southerly flow through the alleys on the east side of Main Street to be consistent with preferred direction of flow through alleys on the adjacent blocks, however existing uses on this block continue to generate primarily northbound flow (The US post office drop boxes and MidCountry Bank ATM are both set up for northbound flow). Proposed Improvements MidCountry Bank proposes to construct new, downtown drive-through services by adding two drive- through lanes with air-tube conveyance systems and an ATM drive-through lane. The drive-through stations would be located on the parcel immediately east across the alley from the existing bank building. This parcel is currently owned by the City of Hutchinson and operated as part of a public parking lot. MidCountry Bank has the option to acquire a parcel of similar size to the proposed drive-through parcel mid-block on the other side of the current City parking lot, and proposes a land swap to facilitate their expansion plans and replacement of the City owned property. The current ATM would be removed and relocated to the new drive-through site. Several concerns have been raised relative to the impacts that the proposed change may have including new traffic generated, site access and safety, traffic circulation, parking availability and potential impacts to operations of neighboring businesses on the block. Each of these topics is addressed in the following sections. Trip Generation The consumer banking business continues to evolve, with less demand for walk-in banking service and greater demand for on-line, drive-through and ATM service, although this trend is less clear in rural, outstate communities like Hutchinson. It is assumed that existing walk-in customers will continue to be served, most users of the current drive- through facility will adapt to the new location for drive-through operations, and new customers will be attracted because of the expanded service. The change is expected to result in a net increase in trips to and from the downtown site and corresponding decrease at the south location. MidCountry Bank staff has indicated that their studies assume an increase of approximately 5,000 total visits per month to the downtown site when the south location is eventually closed and all services are located at the downtown facility. This is based on recent historical transaction counts from the existing MidCountry facilities at north and south locations as shown in Table 1 below. The highest level of activity generally occurs on Mondays and Fridays with the highest hourly banking activity occurring on Friday afternoons and/or on Monday Mornings. It is estimated that the peak hours of drive-through activity correspond to peak hours of traffic demand on the roadway system. For roadways, 10% of the daily traffic demand typically occurs during the afternoon rush hour. Based on this it is estimated that 10% of the highest daily drive through demand would occur during the peak hour of activity on the street. From Table 1, the maximum number of daily transactions is 278 x 10% = 28 peak hour round trips; or, 56 one-way trips per hour; or, about 1 inbound or outbound vehicle per minute. MidCountry Bank Site Review June 23, 2014 Page 3 The majority of these trips are already served in the street network with many of them likely already passing through or doing other business in the downtown area. Therefore, the addition of peak hour traffic demands on the roadway network is not anticipated to be a concern. ğĬƌĻЊaźķ/ƚǒƓƷƩǤ.ğƓƉƩğƓƭğĭƷźƚƓ/ƚǒƓƷƭ WeekofMTuWThFƚƷğƌ {ƚǒƷŷ.ğƓƉ 3/17/2014231146153189259 ВАБ 3/24/2014212175187166278 ЊЉЊБ 3/31/2014227197200209230 ЊЉЏЌ 4/7/2024209144156164261 ВЌЍ 4/14/2014206200123171270 ВАЉ {ǒĬƚƷğƌЊЉБЎБЏЋБЊВБВВЊЋВБ ЍВЏЌ 5ƚǞƓƷƚǞƓ.ğƓƉ 3/17/2014183139123142188 ААЎ 3/24/2014226118160125262 БВЊ 3/31/2014224260228231226 ЊЊЏВ 4/7/2024343168161193268 ЊЊЌЌ 4/14/2014185234121176274 ВВЉ {ǒĬƚƷğƌЊЊЏЊВЊВАВЌБЏАЊЋЊБ ЍВЎБ ƚƷğƌƩğƓƭğĭƷźƚƓƭЋЋЍЏЊАБЊЊЏЊЋЊАЏЏЋЎЊЏВВЋЊ Site Access and Safety The drive through operation should be planned to be compatible with the long term one-way southbound operational scheme envisioned by the City. As other sites are redeveloped over time, they too can be adapted to the one-way flow condition. An interim condition which serves both directions of flow may be needed to facilitate all existing users. nd Egress from the site onto the public street system should be planned onto Hassan Street rather than 2 nd Avenue SE to avoid conflicts with traffic to and from the 2 Avenue traffic signal on Main Street. The driveway exiting to Hassan Street should be restricted to right turn only due to its proximity to the nd northbound stop sign on Hassan Street at 2 Avenue. Drive-Through Operations The drive-through bank or ATM stations should be positioned easterly on the site to maximize queuing for vehicles waiting for service while maintaining merging and queuing space for vehicles exiting the driveway to Hassan Street. A recent study entitled Drive-Through Queue Generation published by COUNTINGCARS.com (Drive-Through Queuing Study) compiled actual queue lengths at banks in Minnesota and Kansas. Maximum queues were typically observed at the commercial window or the ATM aisle while air-tube service aisles tended to experience shorter queues. Despite the apparent preference toward ATM or personal service, customers were observed to have a tolerance limit for waiting and MidCountry Bank Site Review June 23, 2014 Page 4 would change lanes to a shorter line. This behavior tends to naturally limit the maximum queue lengths that will occur. For the MidCountry Bank we expect queue length leveling to naturally occur also because there will not be a drive-through commercial window directly attached to the building. Based on these reviews and additional analysis completed by Overland Park, Kansas staff it appears that a queue length of about 4 cars, or 80 feet, is appropriate for both the air-tube and ATM drive-through lanes. Current City of Hutchinson requirements are also at 80 feet. The location of the drive-through service stations depicted on the drawings provided to SEH allowed approximately 70 feet of queuing. The concept site plan should be modified by moving the move the air tube and ATM stations 10 feet to the west. This appears to be feasible and would still allow space exiting vehicles to merge and wait before making a right turn to enter southbound Hassan Street. Traffic Circulation and Alley Operations The option being considered is for the public alley to be re-configured to operate one-way southbound ndrd from 2 Avenue and one-way northbound from 3 Avenue to the midpoint where both movements would turn east to exit through the existing North Legion Parking lot (which is proposed to be conveyed to the City for public use). This circulation pattern is compatible with the preferred operation of the MidCountry Bank site but also with the patterns utilized by other businesses on the block. Passenger vehicles and single unit trucks can successfully make the turning maneuver in the alley. See attachment entitled:Single Unit (SU-30) Turning Movements. The ability for large trucks to maneuver through the alley is a concern which is further discussed in the next section of this memorandum. Neighboring Businesses - Needs/Impacts Large trucks regularly use the alley to and from the Post Office and to deliver product to Benny’s Meat Market. Articulated tractor-trailer combinations (also known as semi-trucks) are commonly used for both businesses. A tractor-trailer combination with a 48 foot trailer is referred to as a WB-62 inferring a 62ft wheel base. The maneuvering capability of a WB-62 is an industry standard used for roadway and site design purposes. See attachment entitled: WB-62 Turning Movements. The US Post office has heavily utilized drop boxes located adjacent to the alley which are accessible from rd the driver’s window (left side), which induces significant northbound traffic through the alley from 3 Avenue. Mail delivery vehicles use the alley many times per day. The Post Office also receives WB-62 semi-truck loading at its dock on a daily basis. The Post Office loading dock used by large trucks is positioned facing slightly northeasterly from the north face of the building which is complimentary to the proposed alley exit route. In fact, postal trucks already utilize the proposed alley route through the Legion parking lot as they exit. Based on our review and an on-site meeting with Hutchinson Post Master Paul Johnson, the proposed changes by MidCountry Bank on the north end of the block do not appear to impact the Post Office operation on the south end of the block. Benny’s Meat Market receives daily deliveries in the alley. The alley is commonly blocked to through traffic while off-loading of trucks is in progress. Large tractor –trailer combinations (WB-62) however will not be able to make the turn to the eastbound alley exit. Once in the alley, a WB-62 would need to continue against the flow of traffic to exit the alley (a wrong way movement). Preliminary discussions with Hutchinson staff, including Police Services, indicate that this issue needs further review and discussion. MidCountry Bank Site Review June 23, 2014 Page 5 Parking A parking occupancy study was conducted on Thursday April 17, 2014 and Friday April 18, 2014. All on-street and off-street parking stalls on and around the block were inventoried at noon and at 3:00 pm each day. These times were selected to be representative of the busiest times on typical week days. Table 2 displays the results of the field observations. Also shown in Table 2 is the proposed number of parking spaces anticipated after the Mid-Country Bank drive-through facilities are constructed. The existing MidCountry Bank ATM drive aisle can be converted to angle parking spaces (see attached drawing: Additional Parking Options). These are anticipated as short term parking spaces (i.e. 15 or 30 minute maximum). Removal of the existing ATM driveway apron adjacent to the alley creates the opportunity for an additional on-street parking stall. The overall parking supply would be reduced from 95 parking spaces to 81 (reduction of 14 parking spaces). The parking spaces most relevant (closest) to the proposed change include the City Lot, Legion nd North Lot, 2 Ave (South Side) and Hassan St (West Side) with a total of 77 spaces available that will be reduced to 63 in the proposed condition (includes new spaces near existing ATM). Of those spaces, the highest demand observed was 46 vehicles. The proposed additional of drive-through lanes by Mid- Country Bank’s is not anticipated to result in an increase in parking demand, and may serve to reduce the parking demand. All new traffic generated by the drive-through service will not need to park. Some existing walk-in customers that currently park their car may change to become drive through customers resulting in a reduced parking demand. ğĬƌĻЋ aźķ/ƚǒƓƷƩǤ.ğƓƉ.ƌƚĭƉtğƩƉźƓŭ ParkingSupplyParkingDemand Thursday,April17Friday,April18 ParkingLot(oronstreetExistingProposed location)SpacesSpacesNoon3p.m.Noon3p.m. CityLot523139373636 1 LegionNParking7100000 2 LegionPrivatelot0000 5 2ndAveN(Sside)890443 3 HassanSt(Wside)10107345 4 3rdAveS(Nside)12124442 MainStreet(Eside)662342 5 MidCountryBankSite3 ƚƷğƌВЎБЊЎЋЎЊЎЋЍБ Notes: 1.LegionNorthParkingincludedinCityLot#,usually24cars 2.Neverobservedcarsparkedinthislot 3.Mostcarsparkedinangledstalls,w/averageof1carparallelparkednearLegion 4.Usually1caroneasthalfwithremainderonwesthalfclosetoPostOffice 5.3newstallsonMidCountryBanksiteareacurrentlyutilizedforATMdriveaisle;1new nd onstreetstallonthesouthsideof2AvenueSWimmediatelywestofthealley. MidCountry Bank Site Review June 23, 2014 Page 6 Other Information and Discussions The City and MidCountry Bank have been discussing the pros and cons of a buried versus overhead conduit to serve the drive-through bank. It is understood that an overhead conduit would need to have 16 foot minimum clearance, and could be visually unappealing. An underground conduit would likely be 24-36 inches in size and would need to fit between other underground facilities already located under the alley. The supplier of the system has noted that it has about a 300 foot length limit, which is not expected to be an issue in this case. Either option is likely feasible, but the location of existing infrastructure under the alley needs to be verified. Summary of Findings and Recommendations This evaluation results in the following findings and recommendations: Traffic Impacts due Trip Generation – Vehicle trips will be displaced from the south bank facility to the downtown location. Peak hour traffic demands downtown are expected to increase by about 1 vehicle per minute. This increase is not expected to require any mitigation beyond the site and alley. New Parking Spaces – MidCountry Bank should utilize the existing ATM drive aisle for parking. nd Up to three 60 degree angle stalls can be provided. An additional on-street space on 2 Avenue should also be considered with removal of the ATM driveway apron. Parking Impacts – There will be a net reduction of 14 parking spaces on and around the block. Based on observations, the existing parking demand would consume 73% (46 of 63) of the most convenient spaces on the north end of the block and 64% (52 of 81 spaces) for the whole block. Drive Through Configuration – The proposed configuration appears viable. The drive through should be planned to operate as a one-way flow to the east from the alley exiting with a right turn st only to Hassan Street. Stacking room for 4 vehicles (80 feet) should be provided (includes the 1 vehicle being served at the drive-through station. Alley operations – The proposed changes by MidCountry Bank are compatible with the City’s rd long term vision for one-way alley operation. One-way flow in the alley, northbound from 3 and nd southbound from 2, with both movements exiting easterly to Hassan Street is workable for passenger vehicles and single unit trucks. Large trucks in the alley may need to exit the block in the opposite (wrong way) direction. Management of this operation should be further studied by the City. Other considerations – MidCountry Bank should continue to work with the City to determine how the air tube conveyance system should be planned (underground versus overhead) Attachments: Additional Parking Options Proposed Alley and Parking Lot Reconfiguration Single Unit Trucks (SU-30) Turning Movements Semi-Trucks (WB-62) Turning Movements p:\\fj\\h\\hutch\\common\\mid country bank\\final midcountry bank memo 062314.docx