(a)

Purpose. To insure that the purposes of this Code are adhered to, it is hereby determined that a comprehensive review of site, building and development plans shall be made by the planning commission and approved by the city council prior to the issuance of any building permits by the building official pursuant to the procedure established by this section.

(b)

Approval required. None of the following actions shall occur and no building permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued unless such action shall be in complete accord with site and building plans that have been approved as provided in this section. Actions which shall require approval of building and site plans shall be:

(1)

Erection of a building or buildings.

(2)

Moving of a building or buildings to a location or locations within the city.

(3)

Changing the use of a building or parcel from one type of land use to another. Changes in occupancy envisioned by this section shall include office to retail, warehouse to assembly, retail to restaurant single occupancy to multi-tenant use and/or similar actions that result in a different intensity of use.

(4)

Modification of or additions or enlargements to a building, or buildings, accessory site improvements, and/or land features of a parcel of land that result in the need for additional parking or increase the gross floor area of the building by 25 percent or more.

(5)

Grading, site preparation, and removal or placement of soils, rock and concrete material.

(6)

Modifications to the facade of a building that change the building's appearance from a public right-of-way.

(7)

Any variation from the design guidelines adopted as part of the city's comprehensive plan.

(c)

Exceptions to review. The following shall be excepted from the foregoing requirements:

(1)

New on-site construction of detached single- or two-family residential structures, or uses or structures accessory thereto.

(2)

The following actions require an administrative permit and approval per section 4-31 of this Code. The city may require such improvements as deemed necessary to meet the intent and standards of this Code and to maintain the quality of the existing site or building plan:

i.

Modifications, additions, or enlargements which do not increase the gross floor area of the building by more than 25 percent and which do not involve a variance from the provisions of this zoning code may, at the discretion of the city manager be exempted from some, or all, of the procedures for building and site plan approval.

ii.

Modifications or alteration to a building facade that does not change more than 25% of the building facade facing a public right-of-way.

iii.

Changes in the use of leasable space in single or multi-tenant buildings where the change of tenant does not intensify the use of such space nor require additional parking or result in an inability to maintain the required performance standards.

iv.

Expansion or modification of parking not related to modification, addition or enlargements to the gross floor area of an existing building.

v.

Construction of structures or buildings accessory to a permitted or conditionally permitted use within the respective zoning district when such accessory use is also permitted in said district.

vi.

Modification to an approved landscaping plan.

vii.

Modifications that alter the outdoor use of the site.

(d)

Criteria. In making recommendations and decisions upon site and building plan review applications, the staff, planning commission and city council shall consider the compliance of such plans with the following standards:

(1)

Consistency with the various elements and objectives of the city's long range plans, including, but not limited to, the comprehensive plan.

(2)

Consistency with the purposes of this Code.

(3)

Preservation of the site in its natural state, insofar as practicable, by minimizing tree and soil removal, and designing any grade changes so as to be in keeping with the general appearance of neighboring developed or developing areas.

(4)

Creation of a harmonious relationship of buildings and open spaces with the terrain and with existing and future buildings having a visual relationship to the proposed development.

(5)

Creation of a functional and harmonious design for structures and site features including:

a.

Creation of an internal sense of order for the various functions and buildings on the site and provision of a desirable environment for occupants, visitors, and the general community.

b.

Appropriateness of the amount and arrangement of open space and landscaping to the design and function of the development.

c.

Appropriateness of the materials, textures, colors, and details of construction as an expression of the design concept of the project and the compatibility of the same with the adjacent and neighboring structures and functions.

d.

Adequacy of vehicular, cycling and pedestrian circulation, including walkways, interior drives and parking, in terms of location and number of access points to the public streets, width of interior drives and access points, general interior circulation, separation of pedestrian, cycling and vehicular traffic and arrangement and amount of parking so as to be safe, convenient and, insofar as practicable, compatible with the design of proposed buildings, structures and neighboring properties.

(6)

Creation of an energy-conserving design through design, location, orientation and elevation of structures, the use and location of glass in structures, and the use of landscape materials and site grading.

(7)

Protection of adjacent and neighboring properties through reasonable provisions for such matters as surface water drainage, sound and sight buffers, preservation of views, light and air, and those aspects of design, not adequately covered by other regulations, which may have substantial effects on neighboring land uses.

(e)

Procedure. An application for site plan review shall be processed pursuant to the provisions outlined in subsection 4-30(c) of this Code, except that no public hearing or notice to adjacent property owners is required.

(f)

Information requirement. The information required for all site plan applications generally consists of the following items, and shall be submitted unless waived by the zoning administrator.

(1)

Site plan.

a.

Name and address of developer/owner.

b.

Name and address of architect/designer.

c.

Date of plan preparation.

d.

Dates and description of all revisions.

e.

Name of project or development.

f.

A scaled plan or, for commercial or industrial properties, a certificate of survey, depicting the following:

1.

Scale of plan (engineering scale only, at one inch equals 50 feet or less).

2.

North point indication.

3.

Lot dimension and area.

4.

Required and proposed setbacks.

5.

Location, setback and dimension of all buildings on the lot including both existing and proposed structures.

6.

Location of all adjacent buildings located within 100 feet of the exterior boundaries of the property in question.

7.

Location, number, dimensions, and setbacks of existing and proposed parking spaces, including drive aisle width.

8.

Location, number, and dimensions of existing and proposed loading spaces.

9.

Location, width, and setbacks of all curb cuts and driveways.

10.

Vehicular circulation.

11.

Sidewalks, walkways, trails.

12.

Location and type of all proposed lighting, including details of all proposed fixtures.

13.

Location of recreational and service areas.

14.

Location of rooftop equipment and proposed screening.

15.

Provisions for storage and disposal of waste, garbage, and recyclables, including details for screening exterior trash/recycling enclosures.

16.

Location, sizing, and type of water and sewer system mains and proposed service connections.

(2)

Grading/stormwater drainage plan.

a.

Existing contours at two-foot intervals.

b.

Proposed grade elevations, two-foot maximum intervals.

c.

Drainage plan including configuration of drainage areas and calculations.

d.

Storm sewer, catch basins, invert elevations, type of castings, and type of materials.

e.

Spot elevations.

f.

Proposed driveway grades.

g.

Surface water ponding and treatment areas.

h.

Erosion control measures.

(3)

Landscape plan.

a.

Planting schedule (table) containing:

1.

Symbols.

2.

Quantities.

3.

Common names.

4.

Botanical names.

5.

Sizes of plant material.

6.

Root specification (bare root, balled and burlapped, potted, etc.).

7.

Special planting instructions.

b.

Location, type and size of all existing significant trees to be removed or preserved.

c.

Planting detail (show all species to scale at normal mature crown diameter or spread for local hardiness zone).

d.

Typical sections with details of fences, tie walls, planter boxes, tot lots, picnic areas, berms and the like.

e.

Typical sections with details of landscape islands, planter beds, and foundation plantings with identification of materials used.

f.

Note indicating how disturbed soil areas will be restored through the use of sodding, seeding, or other techniques.

g.

Delineation of both sodded and seeded areas with respective areas in square feet.

h.

Coverage plan for underground irrigation system, if any.

i.

Where landscape or manmade materials are used to provide screening from adjacent and neighboring properties, a cross-through section shall be provided showing the perspective of the site from the neighboring property at the property line elevation.

j.

Other existing or proposed conditions which could be expected to affect landscaping.

k.

Snow storage areas.

(4)

Other plans and information. (May be submitted in combination pursuant to approval by the zoning administrator):

a.

Legal description of property under consideration.

b.

Architectural elevations of all principal and accessory buildings (type, color, and materials used in all external surfaces).

c.

"Typical" floor plan and "typical" room plan drawn to scale with a summary of square footage for each use or activity.

d.

Fire protection plan.

e.

Extent of and any proposed modifications to land within the shoreland or floodplain district, as described and regulated in sections 4-25 or 4-26 of this Code.

f.

Type, location and size (area and height) of all signs to be erected upon the property in question.

g.

Sound source control plan.

h.

Snow storage or snow removal plans.

(g)

Plan modifications. An amended site plan involving major changes, as defined by the zoning administrator, shall be applied for and administered in a manner similar to that required for a new site plan, pursuant to subsection 4-35(e) of this Code.

(h)

Minnesota State Building Code. The review and approval of site improvements pursuant to the requirements of city adopted building and fire codes shall be in addition to the site plan review process established under this section. The site plan approval process does not imply compliance with the requirements of these building and fire codes.

(i)

Plan agreements. All site and construction plans officially submitted to the city shall be treated as a formal agreement between the applicant and the city. Once approved, no changes, modifications or alterations shall be made to any plan detail, standard, or specifications without prior submission of a plan modification request to the zoning administrator for review and approval.

(Ord. No. 07-10, § 8, 9-24-2007)