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7.b1 Sandager Sign Variance CC staff report 03.10.20 Memorandum To: Scandia City Council Reference: Sandager Sign Variance Application Copies To: Brenda Eklund, Clerk Ken Cammilleri, City Administrator Greg and Andrea Sandager, applicants Project No.: 17722.000 Sandager Sign Variance From: Merritt Clapp-Smith, Planner Routing: Date: March 13, 2020 SUBJECT: Sandager Variance for Sign Size MEETING DATE: March 17, 2020 LOCATION: 20168 St. Croix Tr N, PID 19.032.19.33.0005 APPLICANTS: Greg and Andrea Sandager ZONING: Agricultural Core (Ag Core) 60-DAY PERIOD: April 18, 2020 ITEMS REVIEWED: Application and Survey received February 18, 2020 DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUEST: The applicants are seeking to install two business signs for Deep Roots Winery at the entrance to his new business along Highway 95. Since the signs are to be viewed by drivers passing by at 55 miles per hour, the signs are sized to provide clear visibility at that speeds. Recommended standards for sign legibility relate the size of signs to the angle and speed of people passing by. The proposed size of the signs was modified at the March 10 Planning Commission meeting from 2 one-sided signs up to 200 square feet each, to 2 one-sided signs up to 72 square feet Sandager Variance Staff Report Submitted March13, 2020 Scandia City Council Page 2 For meeting on March 17, 2020 each, which requires a variance from the 10 foot square foot maximum sign size limit in the Agricultural Core district. PROPERTY INFORMATION Parcel description: 20168 St. Croix Trail North is part of the Abrahamson Nursery property that sits on the west side of Highway 95. The image to the right has a red circle at the approximate location of the proposed business entrance and signs. Zoning: The parcel is located in the Agricultural Core District. Land use: The portion of the parcel on the west side of the road is vacant. Relationship of property to business: Deep Roots Winery will be located on parcel ID #24.032.20.44.0002. The business will have its entrance along Highway 95, on the 20168 St. Croix Trail North property that is owned by another member of the family. The two parties have signed an Access and Use Easement, which allows access to the Deep Roots Winery property from the parcel along Highway 95. The proposed business signage would be posted on each side of this entrance. The images below show a diagram of the entrance gate and signage location along either side (left image) and the general proportion on the sign relative to the gate (right image). Sandager Variance Staff Report Submitted March13, 2020 Scandia City Council Page 3 For meeting on March 17, 2020 EVALUATION OF VARIANCE REQUEST Sign Code Requirements SCANDIA DEVELOPMENT CODE, Chapter 2, Section 3.13 SIGNS The following standards for signs apply in the Agricultural Core District. The proposed signs are Deep Roots Winery meet these standards, as well as other applicable sections of the sign code, with the exception of (5)(A) below, which limits signs to 10 square feet. The proposed two signs will be up to 72 square feet each. (5) Signs in Agriculture – Core (AG-C), Agriculture Preserves (AP), General Rural (GR) and Village Neighborhood (VN) Districts. (A) The maximum area permitted for a single sign shall be 10 square feet per surface. Up to three signs that meet this requirement are allowed per parcel. (B) No sign shall be so constructed as to have more than two (2) surfaces. (C) Noncommercial signs shall conform to Minnesota Statutes 211B.045. (D) The top of the display shall not exceed ten (10) feet above grade. (E) Any sign over two (2) square feet shall be setback at least ten (10) feet from any property line. In no case shall any part of the sign be closer than two (2) feet to a vertical line drawn at the property line. Applicants’ Rationale for the Variance and Discussions with the City The applicants’ rationale for the variance indicates that: • The signs will be viewed from people passing in cars at 55 miles per hour, which makes sign visibility nearly impossible if the sign is only 10 square feet in size. • The signs would be across the street from the Abrahamson Nursery, which already has a sign of approximately 60 square feet. Therefore, the visual impact of larger signage already exists in the immediate area, and new signs of similar sign would fit in. Criteria for Variance and Findings Chapter 1, Section 6.0 of the Development Code includes the criteria and required process for considering variance requests. Each item to be considered for a variance is identified below in italics, followed by the Planner’s findings regarding the requested variance for sign size at 20168 Saint Croix Trail North. • Variances shall only be permitted when they are in harmony with the Comprehensive Plan and general purposes and intent of the official control. The Comprehensive Plan states, “The Agricultural Core District is established to protect and preserve land for long-term agricultural production. Over time, the nature of agricultural production in Scandia will most likely change from traditional dairy farms to Sandager Variance Staff Report Submitted March13, 2020 Scandia City Council Page 4 For meeting on March 17, 2020 specialty agriculture and agriculture production for local/metropolitan markets.” The proposed signage is accessory to supporting a specialty agriculture business, therefore, the proposed signage is in general harmony with the Comprehensive Plan and Development Code for signs. • The property owner proposes to use the property in a reasonable manner under the conditions allowed by official control(s). Signage is a permitted and therefore reasonable use in the Agricultural Core District. • The practical difficulties are not caused by the landowner and are unique to the property. The practical difficulties are created by the location of the business entrance and identification signs along Highway 95, a 55 mile per hour roadway. Signs along roadways are recommended to be sized in accordance with the speed of passersby, to make the signs readily legible without the driver having to take their eyes off the road for an unsafe amount of time in order to be able to read the sign. The practical difficulties are not caused by the current landowner and are unique to the property. • The variance would not alter the essential character of the area. The existing business across the street has signage that is around 60 square feet in size, and the proposed signs would be consistent with that. The existing sign has not created complaints or issues with people in the area. Granting the variance would not alter the essential character of the area. • Economic conditions alone shall not constitute practical difficulties. The practical difficulties are related to the location of the signs along a highway, where larger signage is prudent for safe and easy viewing by drivers. The practical difficulties are not only economic in nature. • The proposed variance will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property, or substantially increase the congestion of the public streets, or increase the danger of fire, or endanger the public safety, or substantially diminish or impair property values within the neighborhood. Granting the proposed variance for two, one-sided signs up to 72 square feet, attached to fencing, will not impair the supply of light or air to adjacent properties, increase congestion, endanger the public, or substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. • The requested variance is the minimum action required to eliminate the practical difficulty. The proposed sign size is consistent with the size of signs allowed at other pre-existing commercial businesses in the area -- Abrahamsons and Crabtrees Country Store. The Sandager Variance Staff Report Submitted March13, 2020 Scandia City Council Page 5 For meeting on March 17, 2020 recommended size of roadside signs in the transportation industry is not a precise science. There are recommendations based on a number of factors including road speed, alignment of the road (straight or curved), the angle of the signs to the roadway, and the color and style of lettering. Based on general recommendations with these factors in mind, a two hundred square foot sign is appropriate to provide safe legibility for drivers passing this location, and therefore is the minimum action required to eliminate the practical difficulty. • Practical difficulties include, but are not limited to, inadequate access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems. The variance is not related to a need for direct sunlight for solar energy systems. The findings support granting the variance. ACTION REQUESTED: The City Council should receive the Planning Commission recommendations and public hearing comments from March 10, discuss the variance request, and can recommend the following: 1. Approval 2. Approval with conditions 3. Denial with findings 4. Table the request PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: The Planning Commission recommends approval of the variance to allow two, one-sided signs, up to 72 square feet each in size at the entrance to Deep Roots Winery at 20168 St. Croix Trail North. The following conditions for the variance are recommended: 1. The location of the signs shall be consistent with the plans submitted to the city on February 18, 2020. 2. The applicants shall submit a sign permit application for the sign when final design and sizing is determined. 3. The applicants shall pay all fees and escrows associated with this application.