Tuesday, February 5, 2008

 

Pursuant to adjournment, the City Plan Commission met in the Common Council Chambers of City Hall, 5909 North Milwaukee River Parkway.

 

Mayor Tepper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

Roll Call:  Present: Mayor Jerome Tepper, Commissioners Paul Conway, Izzy Goldberg, Joseph Colacino, Jacek Flejsierowicz, Larry Appel, and Dennis Noble.  Absent:  None.

 

Other Officials Present: Richard E. Maslowski, City Administrator, Todd M. Stuebe, Director of Community Development, and Kenneth J. Veriga, Planning and Zoning Administrator.  

 

In accordance with the Open Meeting Law, the Glendale Herald, the City's official newspaper, was advised on Thursday, January 31, 2008, of the date of this meeting, the agenda was posted on the official bulletin board in City Hall, copies of the agenda were made available to the general public in the Municipal Building and the Police Department, and those persons who have requested were sent copies of the agenda.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

 

The members of the Plan Commission, City staff and all those present pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

           

ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES.

 

Motion was made by Comm. Goldberg, seconded by Comm. Noble, to approve the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, January 8, 2008.  Roll Call:  Ayes:  Mayor Tepper, Commissioners Goldberg, Colacino, Appel, and Noble.  Noes:  None.  Abstain:  Commissioners Conway and Flejsierowicz.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION.

 

I.                    7:00 PM Conditional Use Hearing, Aston Martin Milwaukee (LFSC Milwaukee, L.L.C.), 5856-58 North Green Bay Avenue.  Review and approve proposed Aston Martin and Maserati new vehicle sales and service use and associated plan of operation as well as building and site modifications.

 

Mayor Tepper delayed discussion of this item due to the inclement weather conditions that delayed the arrival of the owner of the facility.  This item was discussed after the Asteri Motorsports Occupancy Review was completed.

 

 

Mr. Stuebe stated that the Staff Report was distributed to the Plan Commissioners and Applicant and is incorporated herein as follows:

 

Applicant, Aston Martin Milwaukee, seeks conditional use approval to make building and site modifications and to occupy 5856-58 North Green Bay Avenue (formerly Land Rover of Glendale) for the sale of new vehicles, more specifically Maserati and Aston Martin new vehicles, as well as servicing the vehicles.  The subject parcel is a continuation of a use that is no longer permitted as-of-right in the B-4 Office-Research-Service Business District and, under Section 13.1.37 and 13.1.60 of the Zoning Code, the continuation of the use is subject to conditional use review and approval by the Plan Commission.

 

The proposed use as an as an Aston Martin dealership is contemplated as a boutique scale operation.  Various building and site modifications will be made in order to tailor the design to the Aston Martin image and style.

 

The proposed typical hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed Sundays)  Aston Martin of Milwaukee anticipates a total and maximum of seven (7) employees at the site at any given time.

 

Building and site modifications include removing the metal awning on the west side of the building and installation of a new fascia band with an aluminum panel system, removal of the angled overhead drive-through canopy on the south side of the building and replacing it with a flat overhead canopy with the same aluminum panel system as on the fascia.  The existing three three-column canopy supports will be wrapped and clad with the same style aluminum panel system.  The existing tower feature will be modified for the Aston Martin of Milwaukee image using an EIFS system intended to have the appearance of travertine that will be incorporated into the interior floor of the building, and the Aston Martin of Milwaukee sign and logo will appear on the top of the tower.  The existing wood siding and trim on the building will be painted white in concert with the new dealership image.  A Maserati of Milwaukee sign and logo will appear on the aluminum panel system.

 

Proposed landscaping modifications include removal of the Land Rover test track and installation of new landscape plants.

 

Mr. Stuebe stated that Staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit for Aston Martin of Milwaukee and Maserati of Milwaukee of Milwaukee to occupy 5856-58 North Green Bay Avenue for new vehicle sales and service use, subject to the following conditions:  1) Subject to annual conditional use review; 2) Final landscaping plan subject to Staff review and approval; 3) All signs to conform with the Glendale Code of Ordinances (Signs are subject to a permit through the Community Development Department); 4) All landscaping and lighting features being maintained and replaced and/or replenished whenever necessary pursuant to tenant/owner lease responsibilities; 5) Dumpster location to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator; 6) Subject to obtaining a Code Compliance Inspection Certificate of Compliance; 7) All City of Glendale building and fire codes being carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector and North Shore Fire Department, and 8) Written certification by owner of compliance with State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce requirements for physically disabled parking prior to issuance of Occupancy Permit.

Steve Jeske introduced himself as the project architect working for Haag Muller Architects, and introduced the General Manager Ted Aydt, and the owner of the dealership, Rick Mancuso.  Mr. Jeske stated that they have read and accept the conditions of the approval, and stated that they do have a color change that they are asking for this evening, and they have brought in the material to show you the change and that he will explain quickly what the change they are asking for is.  Mr. Jeske stated that the soffit band, which is shown on the color elevations, is currently being proposed as gloss black, however the Aston Martin design department has requested that they change it to a silver metallic and the material color is this right here (material color sample indicated to the Plan Commission).  Mr. Jeske stated that the material itself has not changed, it is just the color they are asking an approval, which is the only difference in their submittal.

Mr. Maslowski asked Mr. Mancuso if he would like to talk about the dealership in Lake Forest as well as what you plan on doing here and a little background about yourself and your plan of operation.

Mayor Tepper asked Mr. Mancuso to use the microphone.

Mr. Mancuso introduced himself and stated that he has been in the car business for about 25 years, and that he used to work with his father who was a Chevrolet dealer in Skokie, outside of Chicago, and he worked with him for seven years.  Mr. Mancuso stated that he had two years experience three and one-half times because they kept fighting with each other so much and they could not agree on how to do things and so forth, and he suddenly discovered after a few years there that it was his father’s working capital, real estate, and his franchise and that he was not going to change at all so, if there was any change to be done, it would have to be him, so what he did at that point is that he resigned from the company and got involved in the used sports car business, and started developing that and developing some franchises over the years.  Mr. Mancuso stated that he was in downtown Lake Forest for 23 years and then relocated to a building in Lake Bluff which is two miles away and they have been there for the last four years, so that he has been doing this for 27 years.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they are very low volume, low impact car dealership, and sometimes kid themselves stating they are like the contrarian car dealer because they do not like bright lights, do not like allot of black top, do not like allot of signs, do not like allot of advertising, and that they just like low volume, like to have a good margin, like to have real beautiful facilities and a great layout, and have people go by and point at it and stop by and make themselves at home.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they have some great brands right now, and they are very interested in having these brands represented in this area, continuing that it is so hard, that they deal with the people from Europe that come over and have all their headquarters in New York, and they start talking to them about things in Chicago, and things in Milwaukee, and they look out their windows in New York and they look to the west and see Los Angeles, and they do not see anything in between.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they have to educate the Europeans all the time on what is going on here, especially in the Midwest, and over the years, for Ferrari it has become the sixth best market in the United States, for Aston Martin it is the fourth best, and so we see it growing very slowly over the years on a very controlled basis, so it is an exciting project for them to be involved in and to have Ted involved, and work with all the local guys here in the area as well.  Mr. Mancuso stated that this is kind of what they do, and he knows that you had a chance to visit their other dealership in Lake Forest, and they go to great lengths to control the atmosphere both inside the dealership and out so that gentlemen like yourselves can go by and say, yes we had a hand in determining how that looks and it fits the community and it adds to the community, and they would like to raise the bar as high as they can because then it makes it difficult for others to come into town as others will have to achieve the same standards that you will enforce for them.  Mr. Mancuso stated that in the long run it seems like a situation where everybody can win, and this is very typical as up until a couple weeks ago this was the corporate identification for all over the world for Aston Martin, and now someone obviously in the UK decided that silver is no longer the color, now it needs to be black.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they give them no financial support on changes like this of course, so they have come here to tell you exactly what they have to do to comply with their corporate identification elements.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they are excited about the area and hope that the City of Glendale shares excitement with them, continuing that they think it is a terrific location, and a great little campus, and they want to go all around it, clean it up, landscape it, and make it something all of us are real proud to look at.  Mr. Mancuso thanked the Commission and stated that he would take any questions.

Mayor Tepper asked if anybody had any questions.

Comm. Appel asked the Applicant if he knows if there is a brick ledge on that west wall of the service building and also the north wall to carry out that wainscot.   

Mr. Jeske stated that he believes that the wainscot is a surface-applied, so there is no brick ledge there.

Comm. Appel stated we do not show the north side so he does not know if they are doing anything there.

Mr. Jeske stated that the current proposal for the north side is to paint the existing material that is back there, and the package should have photos of all of the sides, if you go further back in the packet.  Mr. Jeske stated that it is a photograph shot from the northwest, so it is both the front and west corner where there is currently a patio there.

Mayor Tepper stated that he has no photographs.

Mr. Stuebe stated that he did not know if the photo sheet was in the packets as it came separately.

Comm. Appel asked if you will be painting the east wall where the doors are.

Mr. Jeske replied in the affirmative.

Comm. Appel asked if there was something they could do on that west block wall and the north dealership wall.

Mr. Jeske asked if Mr. Appel was referring to the parts area where currently the trash enclosure is located, if that was where he was asking.

Comm. Appel replied in the negative.

Mr. Jeske stated that there is an existing fence on the north side of the building, and that is a trash enclosure and, to the front, to the northwest, in the corner where the building steps back, there is actually a display patio that was originally used for the displayed vehicles, and that is the wall you are discussing right there.

Comm. Appel stated this wall, and this wall, and this wall (pointing to the plan sheet) and asked what is being done there.

Mr. Jeske stated that is proposed to be painted right now.

Comm. Appel stated that on this wall you show Hardie Board or something.

Mr. Jeske stated that is an existing CMU wall, noting that when they draw the CMU they do not show the vertical joints.

Comm. Appel asked if that is the condition that it is in currently.

Mr. Jeske replied in the affirmative.

Comm. Appel stated that it looks just like a block wall to him.

Mr. Jeske stated that it is.

Comm. Appel asked where the horizontal stripes come from.

Mr. Jeske asked Mr. Appel if he was referring to the black lines that you see there.

Comm. Appel replied in the affirmative.

Mr. Jeske stated that is the horizontal banding of the block itself, and that is your masonry joints.

Comm. Appel suggested that you put some material on there, siding, possibly on the north too, and possibly continue the wainscot band of stone as long as it is applied the same as siding, because that looks like an afterthought the way that sticks out to the north and west which is part of the service building.

Mr. Jeske stated that is correct.

Comm. Appel stated that it looks like it was built later and just plain block.

Mr. Jeske stated that he knows that there is nice landscaping in that area, and immediately to the north of that there is also the electrical transformer, and that is currently screened by landscaping, so that if they did that, unfortunately, it would probably end up being screened by landscaping anyways.

Comm. Appel stated that he looked at this and the landscaping, the arborvitae, are off the corner, except for one, and then there is some kind of tree, and that he does not know if it is a weed tree or not because it does not have any leaves on it now, sitting in front of it, but the wall is plainly visible.

Mr. Mancuso stated that he does not disagree with that, and that he does not think that they want to see any cinder block when you look at this building anywhere, and that they want to hide it every way they can, and that he agrees with that, so whatever your suggestions are or whatever you would suggest.

Comm. Appel stated that he would just continue the same look minimally.

Mr. Jeske stated that it would very easy for them to apply the same siding.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that he would have another suggestion, and that he has two major concerns or questions, one is a question and the other is a concern.  Comm. Flejsierowicz asked about the dealership of this type of car, and perhaps you did your homework when you said that the Midwest is a market for this kind of car, when you are talking about cars above $100 thousand to $250 thousand for a car, asking if that is correct?

Mr. Mancuso replied that that is the range.

Comm. Flejsierowicz asked if there really is a market for this type of car in this neighborhood.

Mayor Tepper stated that this is really the risk of the owner, and that this is not something that the Commission should be concerned about.

Mr. Maslowski stated that Commission can not get involved in that.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated the reason he is asking is because Land Rover did not last long and it disappeared.

Mr. Maslowski stated that the Commission would be treading a very thin line.

Mr. Mancuso asked if the Commission wanted some background to that.

Mr. Aydt stated that he managed the Land Rover store for seven years and that they did not go out of business, it was a strategic decision to reallocate resources to a much larger more comprehensive facility they built in Waukesha due to the fact that the manufacturer was not willing to heed to their demand to provide them with two additional franchises that would have made that location much more palatable.  Mr. Aydt stated it was not a question of economics as far as Land Rover not being there any longer.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that he had asked the wrong question and that he apologizes for that, and continued with a question regarding aesthetics, asking whether there is a wood siding.

Mr. Jeske replied in the affirmative.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that the way the building used to be, it was kind of an arts and crafts way and the canopy was on an angle with kind of a translucent wood which he used to like this building allot, and even the wall which is made out of concrete block was designed as an element, and that this is why he does not think that making a wainscot at the same height around the building is a good idea.  Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that if you would like to address this wall he would suggest covering it entirely with the same stone to make it an element and treat it as an element.  Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that the thing that is bothering him the most is that there is going to be high tech canopy against wood siding, and they are two things that fight each other and it is a totally different vocabulary.  Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that there is wainscot, then wood siding with corner trims, and then we have a very modern canopy which asks for a very different material on the building.  Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that it is taking from a totally opposite vocabulary and putting it together, and you are talking about having a client with a special taste because if someone is buying an Aston Martin, which is a very beautiful car, and Maserati is another beautiful car, a person with a special taste and he can pay for this taste, and concluded asking the architect if he is not afraid of that contrast.

Mr. Mancuso stated that they do not have allot of latitude when they talk with the manufacturers, and that they want a building that fits the area number one, and gives them some degree of corporate identification, and that is one of their identification standards that they use around the world.  Mr. Mancuso stated in a perfect world they would like us to have all Travertine marble surrounding the building and on the fascia of the building with that band identified clearly which is a worldwide trademark that they use, so we look at this and we say we would like to get in and get going and we would like to continually enhance the site.  Mr. Mancuso stated that he agrees with some of the things the Commission is saying and stated that he would not go out and design a building where you have elements fighting with each other and he would make it simpler and continue one theme because, if we make the site look as nice as we can and it is acceptable to the manufacturer and acceptable to the City, really what is important is what goes on inside and what they do inside the building.  Mr. Mancuso stated that their situation is that they do not have allot of choice on this, and that they have to present what they would like to see done and try to make it work as well as they can and the Commission likes.  Mr. Mancuso stated that the manufacturers do not particularly like the stones around the bottom of the building, and that they would like to see a Travertine look banding the bottom of the building, and they have even looked at some samples of that, which might be a good cover for some of the walls, which would probably update it a bit, and maybe we could talk to that a little bit and see what would entail going around the bottom of the building with that instead of the stones, and maybe something like that would make the look of the building more cohesive, and that is what he thinks they are asking for.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that he is really afraid of wood siding which is 3½ inch lap he presumes with the high end aluminum panels with this signage, and asked are you also introducing EIFS to this vertical element.

Mr. Jeske replied in the affirmative and stated that they are currently proposing on the branding tower that they would apply EIFS over that, continuing that it is not the standard EIFS that everyone is used to seeing, and that it is an EIFS that is a custom mix used to copy the Travertine look.  Mr. Jeske stated that they apply the EIFS and then they come back with a stain and an artist comes in and does the staining of the material to give it the Travertine look.  Mr. Jeske stated that instead of having a single color or single texture you get color and texture different than what most people are used to seeing in EIFS.

Comm. Flejsierowicz asked if you are doing this to save money.

Mr. Jeske replied in the negative and stated that the existing tower right now is just a concrete masonry unit tower painted dark green for Land Rover.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that he is talking about instead of covering it with the real stuff.

Mr. Jeske replied in the affirmative and stated that instead of covering it with Travertine which comes from Italy or the UK, it comes from overseas so it is not available here, and that would not be cost feasible on this project.

Comm. Flejsierowicz stated that if you are covering that you may as well cover the concrete block with the same type of material so at least you have an element that ties it together.  Comm. Flejsierowicz stated his biggest concern is this traditional, very arts and crafts look of the building with this canopy, concluding that you will discover that this does not go together.

Mr. Jeske stated that what they are trying to do also from a cost standpoint is to lower the cost risk up front, let the business get started and, as Rick said, as business develops make changes to the site, make changes to the building, continue to improve the building, continue to improve the site, and for those improvements and changes would have to come back to you before you to get approval on that.

Mr. Mancuso stated he wanted to give a three to five year overview on this, continuing that what he sees there is basically the first step in a series of developments on this campus, that they would call it, and that he would like to see them back at the Plan Commission in the very near future talking about adding a Maserati showroom element onto that side of the building which would address all of the walls, and they would find a way to connect all of the buildings somehow and build something separate for Maserati.  Mr. Mancuso stated that in the beginning they were looking at a shared facility, the next step would be to separate Maserati, the next step after that is to bring Ferrari up, and that would require a third addition onto the building.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they have been playing with some sketches already, but none of those are what they would try to initiate at this moment, but it is in the plans of steps that they would like to take and obviously come back to you each step of the way with this, so this is the first step that they are looking at to get the concept started.

Mr. Maslowski asked what are the current or future plans for the gravel parking lot area to the north.

Mr. Mancuso asked is that on the north side.

Mr. Maslowski replied in the affirmative.

Mr. Mancuso stated that they had talked about that and it would be whatever they needed to do to clean it up and make it look good because it needs to be fixed, and it needs to be fixed as fast as it can although right now it is covered with snow so it is fine, but as soon as the snow is gone they have to do something there to make it look great. 

Mr. Maslowski stated that if you pave it or used it for any type of vehicle storage the City requires the area to be paved and that would require storm sewer, which we would have to work with you and your engineers for drainage.

Mr. Mancuso stated that he would like to avoid paving it as long as he could, and that they would not need it for car storage, and if they were not accelerating some plans on adding showroom space on, they would like to make it some type of green area or something that would help add to the atmosphere on the whole site.

Mr. Maslowski stated that the City would prefer that, green rather than pavement.

Comm. Appel asked how far north this lot goes.

Mr. Maslowski stated that it goes all the way up to Silver Spring Automotive, and there is a vacant lot in between that is just gravel or a gravel paved lot where there used to be a house there.

Mr. Jeske stated that there is an addition 121 feet to the north of them that is also owned by Mr. Mancuso.

Mr. Mancuso stated that is where all the gravel is.

Mr. Jeske stated this is the lot we are discussing today (pointing to exhibit), adding that they have ownership of both of those lots.

Mr. Mancuso asked Mr. Jeske if he had any sketches with him of other showrooms, and asked if he would hold them up to give the Commission a better vision of where they see this developing and how we can work together on adding each type of element on as they build this up with different brand identification.  Mr. Mancuso stated it is not something they are looking to do next week or immediately, this is the first step right here for them to take.

Mr. Jeske showed the drawing and stated that this would be the potential proposed site.

Mr. Mancuso stated that would be if they fully developed everything in terms of what the City would approve and what the manufacturers would like, representing the three different brands with red indicating Ferrari, blue with Maserati, and beige with Aston Martin.

Mr. Jeske stated that another important thing to mention is that there is not going to be any outdoor vehicle storage, any new vehicles will be brought back into the building at night time, and that what they are proposing is that the parking area in the front will basically be green space up front.

Mr. Mancuso stated that in the very beginning they may have to have some cars outside for a short period of time until they find a way to keep them inside and house them.

Comm. Colacino stated he used to be in business with his father and that his father assured him that everything that he was doing was wrong also.  Comm. Colacino stated that he already answered one of his questions which was how many of these vehicles would be outside, and added that this particular District is his District and it is the highest concentration, if not all of the dealerships in the City, are located in this particular area, and we have raised the bar as far as what we expect from our dealerships, and especially on Green Bay Avenue.  Comm. Colacino stated that in the very fact that this is a very low impact dealership, he likes it very, very much, and the staff report refers to it as boutique sale which he assumes is a slow methodical type process because not everybody buys, or rents, or leases these kinds of vehicles on a daily basis.

Mr. Mancuso replied not at all.

Comm. Colacino stated that he liked the fact that it is very low impact and is going to be somewhat non-obtrusive.

Mr. Mancuso thanked Comm. Colacino, and stated that they agree with that, and that it seems to be a great business model as long as they have the right quality product and to brush up against the question the Commission was touching on earlier, the situation they have as dealers is different from most other dealers, for example in this City you have duplicate dealerships, you have more than one Porsche dealership, or more than on Audi dealership, and that in Chicago it is even worse than that, continuing that in the 1970’s when he was there, there were 110 Chevrolet dealers within the City of Chicago and now there are 50 such dealerships.  Mr. Mancuso continued stating that there are 50 dealers with the same brand there, and at this end of the market, with Aston Martin for example, they are the only dealer north to Canada, east to Detroit, south to St. Louis, and west to Denver, and they like it that way.  Mr. Mancuso stated that it is the same with Ferrari, except there is a dealer in Chicago with Ferrari and Maserati, but no one north to Canada, east to Detroit, south to St. Louis, and west to Denver again, so the areas tend to be bigger geographically which allows them to have a full margin when they sell a car, which allows them to operate without razor thin margins which pushes the volume of other operations higher in order to achieve the revenue they need in order to stay open.

Comm. Golderg stated that he just has one question, asking about the bay service area, will that be changed at all with the doors or the inside part, or is that going to be kept like it was with Land Rover.

Mr. Mancuso asked if he was referring to the doors themselves.

Comm. Goldberg replied the doors, the inside, the bay service area itself.

Mr. Mancuso stated that it would be a service area initially, and that after it has been cleaned he thinks they are going to use exactly the way it is other than they would have it repainted and toned down a bit, as they do not use the bright colors and he thinks that those doors are green right now.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they are sensitive to all views of the dealership because they have some thoughts on trying to build it from this single building that they are seeing to probably three or four buildings, and they are trying to get a handle on what fits where before they just randomly tear things out and replace them as the idea is to get in, get the site cleaned up, get it as close as they can to the corporate identification elements that are acceptable to the manufacturers and that you guys are enthusiastic about and, as they learn more about the market and the area, to start developing the further plans on that basis.  Mr. Mancuso stated that taking a good 360 degree view of the whole thing and addressing the areas like the lot which is gravel, addressing the doors, addressing the wall, addressing the covering, concluding stating that they are all on board with all of that and they are not going to argue with any of that.  Mr. Mancuso stated that he would not like to have to do it two or three times, he would prefer not to, and that he prefers to get in, get it as clean and sharp as they can make it, so that the Commission remains enthused about it, and then they improve it from there with every step that they do.

Comm. Noble stated that Maserati said now they are silver, now he is asking Maserati, what the text color is.

Mr. Jeske stated the text color will be blue.

Comm. Noble stated that he is somewhat familiar because they had some of the local car dealers come by and there was a point in time where there was a brand identification sign and someone somewhere at BMW or Mercedes says this is how it shall be, you shall have so many signs, they shall be this height, they shall, they shall, they shall, and apparently at some point in time the cities, much like ourselves, said that is enough of this, this is how it is going to be, it is our town, not yours, and it seems to have toned down.  Comm. Noble discussed that in the early 1970’s if there was a dealership the dealer had the sign that he liked, and they came with the brand identification, and this manufacturer had this and that manufacturer had that, and that way from a distance you could see from a distance the type of dealership, and everyone else followed suit, and there was a point when he felt sorry for the dealerships coming in because the manufacturer would be slamming their fist on the table saying this is how it shall be, and apparently enough of the communities said no, you are not pushing that on us.

Mr. Mancuso stated that is exactly what has happened because the areas where they want to be are the areas that have the opinion on how the signs should be, and he did not think that they would even be here talking to the Commission if they did not think that this area was suitable for their brands because they have done their own independent research, they have done their own market studies, they have done registrations, and just as their market is not three or four miles around like a high volume normal domestic dealer or high volume import dealer their relative market area is 300 to 400 miles around so it is different, and they say this is their target and this is where they feel has the highest and best chance of long term operations, and they know they have to go along with the signage that the City will accept.

Comm. Noble stated he just has one question for Mr. Maslowski, continuing that Johnson Controls is toying with the idea of putting that green parking lot in and asked if that would be something that is suitable.

Mr. Maslowski stated that Johnson Controls has seen these plans and they are excited because they gave an approval within a week.

Mr. Noble continued that the parking lot, instead of putting in asphalt, the stone that is put in is actually porous so that the groundwater can seep on through, and we do not have a hard surface, and he asked how that plays through, whether there has to be a drain or run everything as groundwater.

Mr. Maslowski responded that everything is groundwater at Johnson Controls.

Mr. Noble added that there is an idea.

Mr. Mancuso stated that they are looking at something similar in Lake Forest right now as they have a green area with no cars out there, and the City is putting a stop light on the corner, and what they want to do is keep it green but still have the option to aesthetically display some cars, sometimes out there, so they are using a series of paver bricks where the grass grows through them, and continued that he thinks that is a really great look, and that could be a real good suggestion for next door.  Mr. Mancuso stated that they would not be in favor of blacktop where they can avoid it, and that in certain areas it is necessary but it can be minimized.

Mayor Tepper asked if there were any other questions.

Comm. Appel stated he wanted to go back just to tie up the issue on the stone, and asked if they are saying that they want to leave it the way it is, or are they willing to look at replacing it and maybe tying it in.

Mr. Mancuso stated that he would like to look into tying it in.

Mr. Appel reiterated that he is looking at tying in that north wall too.

Mr. Mancuso responded in the affirmative and stated that he thinks that it would look better.  Mr. Mancuso stated that the Commission would feel more comfortable with it anyway at that point and they would not be feeling like they had a gun to their head to try and make something happen quick and fast to take care of all this.

Comm. Appel stated that he appreciates that they are dipping their feet in the water and that as things go along successfully they will enhance the site and that will be to their advantage and benefit and that is a good plan, adding that he thinks that they need to start with something a little bit brighter.

Comm. Colacino stated that he would like to make a motion but wanted to ask a question concerning Mr. Appel’s request, whether that could be handled by Staff, this item concerning the stone fascia.

Mr. Maslowski stated that they intend to come back to the City with the final landscaping plans in May or June or July, so at that time they could bring you up to speed as to what they are doing with the north wall consistent with what Mr. Appel is suggesting.

Motion by Comm. Colacino, seconded by Comm. Noble, to approve a Conditional Use Permit for Aston Martin of Milwaukee and Maserati of Milwaukee to occupy 5856-58 North Green Bay Avenue for new vehicle sales and service, subject to the eight recommendations by City Staff and to review any additional plans in the future based on landscaping and the other fascia issues.

Mayor Tepper asked Comm. Colacino if he wanted to include in his motion with the proposal modified based upon the discussion here this evening.

Mr. Colacino replied in the affirmative pertaining to Mr. Appel’s comments.  Roll Call:  Ayes:  Mayor Tepper, Commissioners Conway, Goldberg, Colacino, Flejsierowicz, Appel, and Noble.  Noes:  None.  Motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Mancuso stated that he wanted to assure the Commission that he wants them to be really proud of what they are going to do here, continuing that if the Commission has suggestions, ongoing suggestions beyond just what has been discussed tonight, that there ears are open to that all the time, and that he thinks that there are some good suggestions that came out of the discussion tonight and that, frankly, he thinks that the manufacturers will be very happy with, so they do not hold back, they want to make it as nice as they can as soon as they can, and build it up as soon as they can as well so that the Commission is pleased with it as well, and that he promises the Commission that he means what he says.

 

II.                 7:00 PM Conditional Use Hearing, Mark J. Goldstein Law Office, 7177 North Port Washington Road.  Review and approve proposed law office use and associated plan of operation.

 

                        Mr. Stuebe stated that the Staff Report was distributed to the Plan Commissioners and Applicant and is incorporated herein as follows:

 

Applicant, Mark J. Goldstein, proposes to locate the Mark J. Goldstein law firm in a tenant space located in the subject building.  The building and property is owned by Good Hope Management (AKA David Cunningham, Northland Development).  The site is zoned B-1, Sub-Area G1, Business and Commercial District and, under the requirements of Section 13.1.34, the proposed use and plan of operation are subject to review and approval by the Plan Commission.

 

Mark J. Goldstein Law Office will join Northland Development and the Malm & LaFave law firm as the tenants occupying the Northland Building.  Mark J. Goldstein anticipates a maximum of one to three employees working at the site.  Proposed office hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The subject office building has a total of 25 parking stalls, including one (1) handicapped accessible space. 

 

Mr. Stuebe stated that staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the Mark J. Goldstein law office to occupy 7177 North Port Washington Road, subject to the following conditions: 1) Subject to annual conditional use review; 2) Signs are subject to a permit through Community Development Department staff under the Glendale Sign Code; 3) All landscaping and lighting features being maintained and replaced and/or replenished whenever necessary pursuant to tenant/owner lease responsibilities; 4) Dumpster enclosure(s) to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator; 5) Subject to obtaining a Code Compliance Inspection Certificate of Compliance; 6) All City of Glendale building and fire codes being carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector and North Shore Fire Department, and 7) Written certification by owner of compliance with State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce requirements for physically disabled parking prior to issuance of Occupancy Permit.

Mayor Tepper asked if Mr. Goldstein was present and asked him to step up to the stage as it is harder for us to grill you when you are sitting way back there.  Mayor Tepper asked Mr. Goldstein to introduce himself.

Mark J. Goldstein introduced himself as the Applicant.

Mayor Tepper asked if there was a statement he wished to make.

Mr. Goldstein stated that there was nothing to add that was not supplied already.

Mayor Tepper asked the Commissioners if there were any questions they wished to ask Mr. Goldstein.

Motion by Comm. Goldberg, seconded by Comm. Colacino, to approve a Conditional Use Permit for the Mark J Goldstein law office to occupy 7177 North Port Washington Road for use as a law office, subject to the seven conditions.  Roll Call:  Ayes:  Mayor Tepper, Commissioners Conway, Goldberg, Colacino, Flejsierowicz, Appel, and Noble.  Noes:  None.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

III.               7:00 PM Conditional Use Hearing, Mark Faria Agency Farmer’s Insurance Group, 6025 North Green Bay Avenue.  Review and approve proposed insurance sales office use and associated plan of operation.

 

                        Mr. Stuebe stated that the Staff Report was distributed to the Plan Commissioners and Applicant and is incorporated herein as follows:

 

Applicant, Mark Faria, proposes to locate the Mark Faria Agency Farmer’s Insurance Group insurance sales office in a tenant space located in the subject building.  The condominium property is currently owned by Gibbs Investment, L.L.C.  The site is zoned B-4 Office-Research-Service Business District and, under the requirements of Section 13.1.37, the proposed use and plan of operation are subject to review and approval by the Plan Commission.

 

The Mark Faria Agency will join the Cohn Dental Office as the first two occupants of the subject building.  Mark Faria anticipates a total of five employees with a maximum of three employees working at the site at any given time.  Proposed office hours are weekdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  The subject office building has a total of 35 parking stalls, including four (4) handicapped accessible parking spaces. 

 

Mr. Stuebe stated that staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the Mark Faria Agency Farmer’s Insurance Group to occupy 6025 Green Bay Avenue, subject to the following conditions: 1) Subject to annual conditional use review; 2) Signs are subject to a permit through Community Development Department staff under the Glendale Sign Code; 3) All landscaping and lighting features being maintained and replaced and/or replenished whenever necessary pursuant to tenant/owner lease responsibilities; 4) Dumpster enclosure(s) to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator; 5) Subject to obtaining a Code Compliance Inspection Certificate of Compliance; 6) All City of Glendale building and fire codes being carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector and North Shore Fire Department, and 7) Written certification by owner of compliance with State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce requirements for physically disabled parking prior to issuance of Occupancy Permit.

Mayor Tepper asked the Applicant to introduce himself.

Mark Faria introduced himself and stated he was from Farmer’s Insurance.

Mayor Tepper stated that he will be his next door business neighbor and asked if Mr. Faria would be having any wild parties.

Mr. Faria replied in the negative.

Mayor Tepper asked if anyone had any questions for Mr. Faria; hearing none he asked if there was a motion relative to this application.

Motion by Comm. Colacino, seconded by Comm. Goldberg, to approve a Conditional Use Permit for the Mark Faria Agency Farmer’s Insurance Group to occupy 6025 Green Bay Avenue for use as an insurance office, subject to the seven conditions.  Roll Call:  Ayes:  Mayor Tepper, Commissioners Conway, Goldberg, Colacino, Flejsierowicz, Appel, and Noble.  Noes:  None.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

IV.              7:00 PM Conditional Use Hearing, DKC Real Estate Services, 5261 North Port Washington Road.  Review and approve proposed real estate sales office use and associated plan of operation.

 

Mayor Tepper delayed discussion of this item due to the Applicant representative not being present.  This item was discussed after the Aston Martin and Maserati of Milwaukee item.

                        The Staff Report was distributed to the Plan Commissioners and Applicant and is incorporated herein as follows:

 

Applicant, Jeffrey B. Harris, seeks conditional use approval for DKC Real Estate Services to occupy the Diane Building.  The building and property is owned by CJS Management, L.L.C. (Dr. Corey Schneider).  The site is zoned B-1, Sub-Area B, Business and Commercial District and, under the requirements of Section 13.1.34, the proposed use and plan of operation are subject to review and approval by the Plan Commission.

 

DKC Real Estate Services will join Goodyear Chiropractic Health Center, Brightstar Healthcare, and Jim Pamkow, Incorporated, as the occupants of the subject building.  Applicant anticipates a total of four employees with a maximum of four employees working at the site at any given time.  Proposed office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There are 27 parking stalls available at the subject building.  Based upon staff observations between February 11 and February 17, 2005, occupied parking stalls ranged between 15 and 19 spaces, leaving a range of 8 to 12 spaces available.  Accordingly, given that the parking guidelines are typically conservative, it appears that the subject use will likely operate acceptably.

 

Staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit for Jeffrey B. Harris to operate DKC Real Estate Services, a real estate sales office, subject to the following conditions: 1) Subject to annual conditional use review; 2) Signs are subject to a permit through Community Development Department staff under the Glendale Sign Code; 3) All landscaping and lighting features being maintained and replaced and/or replenished whenever necessary pursuant to tenant/owner lease responsibilities; 4) Dumpster enclosure(s) to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator; 5) Subject to obtaining a Code Compliance Inspection Certificate of Compliance; 6) All City of Glendale building and fire codes being carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector and North Shore Fire Department; 7) Written certification by owner of compliance with State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce requirements for physically disabled parking prior to issuance of Occupancy Permit.

 

Mayor Tepper asked if Mr. Harris is here.

Mr. Maslowski stated that this is a straight-forward office occupancy for real estate and, you can certainly defer it or lay it over until your next meeting if you wish to talk to the individual, but there are no changes in building appearance, no impact on parking, strictly an office occupancy.

Motion by Comm. Colacino, seconded by Comm. Flejsierowicz, to approve a Conditional Use Permit for Jeffrey B. Harris to operate DKC Real Estate Services, a real estate sales office, subject to the Staff recommendations.  Roll Call:  Ayes:  Mayor Tepper, Commissioners Conway, Goldberg, Colacino, Flejsierowicz, Appel, and Noble.  Noes:  None.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

V.                 7:00 PM Continuation of Conditional Use Hearing, Port Plaza, L.L.C. (Fast Signs Center), 5312-5336 North Port Washington Road.  Review and approve exterior building modifications and site plan modifications.

 

                        Mr. Stuebe stated we have a revised submittal for this item, and that the Staff Report that describes the features was distributed to the Plan Commissioners and Applicant and is incorporated herein as follows:

 

Applicant, Port Plaza, L.L.C. (Fast Signs Center), returns from the January 8, 2008, Plan Commission meeting with revised project plans.  The subject parcel is located in the B-1, Sub-Area B, Zoning District and, under Section 13.1.39(c)(3) of the Zoning Code, is subject to conditional use review and approval by the Plan Commission.

 

The present project involves the north end of the center, most recently occupied by 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment and previous to that Mattress Giant.  Applicant proposes to raise the roof height to better accommodate future tenants and to modify the building façade by adding a parapet wall and standing seam aluminum awning system across the front of the building.  Applicant is proposing to complete the north end portion of the project initially and commit to a two-year deadline to complete the improvements to the remainder of the façade, thus allowing time for new tenants to occupy the north end space.

 

The revised design removes some of the vertical articulations in the top of the parapet wall, and the building colors are now manor white (split-face block and EIFS), monastery brown (accent color on EIFS pilasters and cornice), with a colonial red (burgundy) standing-seam metal awning.  Materials include spilt-face concrete masonry units up to the awning and EIFS for the parapet wall.

 

Signs would be positioned as indicated on the concept drawing and are depicted in the same color as the awning.   Applicant will need to obtain Plan Commission approval of an updated Planned Sign Program (PSP) for the Fastsigns Center.

 

Other site modifications include pavement repairs.

 

Mr. Stuebe stated that the staff recommends approval of a Conditional Use Permit for Port Plaza, L.L.C., to make the proposed building modifications at 5312-5336 North Port Washington Road, subject to the following conditions: 1) Subject to annual conditional use review; 2) Improvements to the north building will be completed initially with the improvements to the remainder of the facade to be completed within two years from the date of issuance of the Occupancy Permit for the north building shell; 3) All signs to conform with a Plan Commission approved Planned Sign Program (PSP); 4) All landscaping and lighting features being maintained and replaced and/or replenished whenever necessary pursuant to tenant/owner lease responsibilities; 5) Dumpster enclosure(s) to be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Administrator; 6) Subject to obtaining a Code Compliance Inspection Certificate of Compliance; 7) All City of Glendale building and fire codes being carried out to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector and North Shore Fire Department; 8) Written certification by owner of compliance with State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce requirements for physically disabled parking prior to issuance of Occupancy Permit.

Robert Schmit introduced himself as the owner of the building and also a tenant within the building operating Fast Signs.  Mr. Schmit stated that to the left of him the Commission probably remembers Dave Strachota from the previous months Plan Commission meeting.  Mr. Schmit stated that he apologized for missing last months meeting because he was out of town, and stated that they changed the colors as there was some concern about that and brought it more up to date, and there was some concern as to the phasing, that is why he put two years as far as a time limit.  Mr. Schmit stated that his intention, depending on what the final numbers come in at, would be to do it all at one time if he can afford it.  Mr. Schmit stated that he does not know what the north end is going to cost at this particular moment because, not only is it going to be substantially remodeled, there is also some issues since the last time when Mattress Giant moved in with some plumbing underneath the floor that need to be addressed and, from all the cost estimates that he has received, that is $10,000 alone just to address those problems.  Mr. Schmit stated that there is some fear tha