HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.f. Request by Flint Hills for an IUP for Temporary Construction Workers Trailers and Warehouses 4ROSEMOUN1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLANNING COMMISSION
Planning Commission Meeting Date: November 26, 2013
Tentative City Council Meeting Date: December 17, 2013
AGENDA ITEM: Case 13-38-IUP Request by Flint Hills for an
Interim Use Permit for Temporary AGENDA SECTION:
Construction Workers Trailers and Public Hearing
Warehouses
PREPARED BY: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner AGENDA NO.
5.f.
' ATTACHMENTS: Site Map, Project Narrative, Module
Placement Area, Resolution 2012-53 APPROVED V'
Approving Thirty (30) BRMs. 1(J
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to recommend the City Council approve an
Interim Use Permit to Flint Hills Resources for up to Sixty (60) Temporary Blast
Resistant Modules (BRMs) and Two (2) Temporary Warehouses, subject to the
following conditions:
1. The Interim Use Permit expires 12/31/2016.
2. The placement of the BRMs is limited to the areas shown in red and green on
the attached map.
3. Each building and trailer requires a building permit and shall conform to all
applicable building and fire codes.
4. The applicant must obtain a grading permit prior to grading or installation of
the temporary buildings.
ISSUE
Flint Hills Resources LP (FHR) has applied for an Interim Use Permit (IUP) to install up to thirty
additional (30) temporary blast resistant modules (BRMs), construct a second temporary tent-like
warehouse building and slightly expand the area in which the BRMs can be installed. Flint Hills had
an IUP approved for 30 BRMs in August of 2012 and has had interim use permits (IUPs) for similar
trailers and the temporary warehouse since 2004. This request would permit a total of 60 BRMs
with all permits expiring at the same time on 12/31/2016.
BACKGROUND
The IUP is intended to permit the buildings (and trailers) with an exemption from certain zoning
standards associated with permanent buildings such as required materials, parking and landscaping.
The IUP process has been used in other situations when the use is expected to be temporary, and
the duration is either identified, or it is clear that improvements are of a temporary nature that will
not adversely affect or inhibit future re-use of the site.
11-4-16-1 E. Heavy Industrial; Interim Uses;Temporary Buildings Accessory to an Approved
Construction Permit exempts the temporary buildings from the following regulations:
11-5-2A: Building Type and Construction
11-6-1L: Off Street Parking Design and Construction Standards
11-6-3: Landscaping Requirements
11-4-16G: Site and Building Standards
SUMMARY
Flint Hills is beginning a multiple year investment in their facility that requires as many as 2000
contractors at their facility in addition to their full time staff. The investments are not intended to
increase gasoline production but will replace existing buildings and equipment as well as adding
equipment, shops and labs to produce a larger variety of petrochemicals. The investment in the
refinery is about$400,000,000. The contract employee parking for the workers will be located in the
existing employee parking lot located south of the new administration building, south of 117th Street
in Inver Grove Heights. From that parking lot, a bus takes the employees to the location of the
project they are working on. The buses travel at 15 miles an hour, the speed limit within the refinery,
and their worksite may be as far as one and a half miles from the parking lot. The distance between
the work site and the parking lot and administration building makes it time prohibitive to travel from
the work site to a permanent break room for either their 15 minute break or half hour lunch.
The sixty (60) blast resistant modules are similar to intermodal trailers. The BRMs are twelve (12)
feet wide by forty (40) feet long and are able to be trucked to a location near the workplace and
installed with a crane. The BRMs will be used as locker rooms and break rooms for about twenty
(20) construction workers and additionally will serve as a safe harbor in the case of an emergency.
The modules are designed to survive a five (5) psi blast. The BRMs will be relocated as the
construction projects progress, but the placement will always be within the module placement area
shown on the attached exhibit,which is at least one half(1/2) mile south of 117`h Street and a
quarter (1/4) mile west of US Highway 52.
The warehouse building consists of"sprung steel",a rigid metal frame supporting a white fabric
membrane shell. The structure resembles an oblong dome with a peaked roof. Overall structure
height is expected to be 26 feet, 1 inch. Flint Hills is requesting a second temporary warehouse to
house equipment being installed during the major turnarounds and improvements. The
specifications for the buildings have been reviewed by the Building Official for compliance with
code criteria relative to snow and wind load standards. The Building Official is satisfied that with
appropriate maintenance,the buildings will conform to building code performance standards. These
buildings will be required to conform to applicable building and fire codes, even if they may be
exempted from some of the zoning standards.
The doubling of the BRMs is due both to the number of contractors on site and to relocating old
shop buildings that will eventually be reconstructed to the edge of the refinery activity area. Don
Kern, the Flint Hills Facilities and Engineering Manager, has provided a letter (which is attached to
this Executive Summary) explaining the use of the BRMs and shop building. The letter states that
Shop One, Shop Seven,and several other small shops are being removed. The expectation is a new
shop building will be built in 2015, but the timing and funding is subject to corporate approval.
That shop will require a separate Site Plan approval. Mr. Kern expects that he may need to request
the installation of some short term blast resistant tents to accommodate some large turnarounds that
are planned. Mr. Kern has committed to developing a long range staffing plan with the site plan
request to include both temporary contractor workers and permanent staff. For these reasons, staff
is proposing to maintain the existing IUP expiration date of December 31,2016 for the sixty (60)
BRMs with the expectation that the long range plan will replace this IUP before then.
2
In 2010, Flint Hills installed their first permanent BRM for a control building. The HI: Heavy
Industrial zoning district requires building to have at least 40%masonry but does allow the business
to request a waiver from the building material requirements from the City Council. Flint Hills
explained how masonry buildings cannot meet the standards of a 5 psi blast that is the standard for
staff safety. At that time, Flint Hills requested a defined area within the refinery that metal blast
resistant buildings can be placed instead of getting separate City Council approvals for every single
building. This area is show in red on the map attached to this Executive Summary.
Flint Hills has requested a small expansion of this area to the southeast shown in green. This area is
located near Gate 9, one of two main entrances along Clark Road and close to the refining
equipment. The Clark Road frontage adjacent to Gate 9 has landscaped berms. Staff is supportive
of expanding the blanket area where the metal buildings are allowed to include the area shown in
green.
Findings for Interim Use Permits (Section 12.8):
1. The extent,location and intensity of the use will be substantially in compliance with the
Comprehensive Plan.
Finding The site is designated for General Industrial use in the 2030 Rosemount Comprehensive Plan.
The blast resistant trailers will be used to house temporary contract workers that support the refining of
petroleum, a permitted use in the Heavy Industrial toning district.
2. The use will provide adequate ingress and egress to minimize traffic congestion in the
public streets.
Finding: Access to the temporary buildings will be the existing gates for the refinery and the employee
parking access will be off of 117th Street in Inver Grove Heights and through Gate 9 along Clark Road.
3. The use will not be detrimental to the existing character of the development in the
immediate neighborhood or endanger the public health, safety and general welfare.
Finding: The refinery complex with its exposed equipment, storage tanks and pipe racks has a heavy
industrial character. Public health, safety and general welfare are served with conformance with building fire
codes and the IUP being visually screened from the US 52 right-of-way.
4. The use will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the
surrounding property for uses permitted in the district.
Finding: The construction projects that prompt the IUP are further development of the refinery complex as a
permitted use in the Heavy Industrial District.
5. The use shall,in all other respects, conform to the applicable regulations of the district in
which it is located.
Finding: The use is consistent with applicable Heavy Industrial District standards and the IUP does not
waive performance standards such as setbacks and utilising existing parking facilities.
3
RECOMMENDATION
Motion to recommend that the City Council approve an Interim Use Permit for up to sixty (60)
blast resistant modules and two (2) temporary warehouses, subject to the following conditions:
1. The date of expiration of the IUP shall be December 31, 2016.
2. The placement of the BRMs is limited to the areas shown in red and green on the attached
map.
3. Each building and trailer requires a building permit and shall conform to all applicable
building and fire codes.
4. The applicant must obtain a grading permit prior to grading or installation of the temporary
buildings.
4
Flint Hills Resources
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verification. Dakota County assumes no legal responsibility for the information contained in this data. 11/19/2013
FFLINT HILLS
r e s o u r c e s P.O.Box 64596
Pine Bend Refinery Saint Paul,Minnesota 55164
651.437.0700
Mr. Eric Zweber • 10/21/2013
Flint Hills Resources LLC Pine Bend is working on a short term and long term facilities plan that will likely include
a new multi-purpose shop that will hopefully be approved in 2014 and built in 2014 or 2015. FHR may also be
• looking at some Blast resistant tents in 2014 that can take on some of our surge capacity for break areas. A
separate request for tents will be submitted once we understand the time frames, logistics and technical details.
Over the next 6 months however we are looking to add a number of BRM's (Blast Resistant Modules). The BRM's
will be required to phase out most of the older break trailers and cover numerous work site break trailers.
BRM USE:
BRM's are a safe place for contractors to take breaks in. The BRM enclosure provides protection from over
pressure scenarios that could be associated with a refinery release and ignition (blast). The BRM enclosure
provides protection from high winds and storms and provides protection from gas releases with the built-in
automatic detection of gases along with an HVAC shutdown system. BRM's can be moved into areas that are
close to the work front thus eliminating significant travel time during breaks to and from the designated work
areas.
BRM's are already being used in a couple cases here at FHR. '
1. Permanent control buildings. These go through a separate but full building permit process. These are
100% fixed. These exist at several operating units with several more in the plans in 2015 and 2016.
2. Break trailers for the fluctuating work forces. These have the flexibility to be moved as needed for
different work fronts. (Interim use permit process)(This current request is for 30 more)
• Currently FHR has large turnarounds and base projects we can have as many as 2000 or more
contractors at Flint Hills.
• During these turnarounds we have historically used some of our larger shop buildings that can house up'
to 500 people for breaks. Some of these buildings are at the end of life and will be removed in the next
several years.
• We also have a number of conventional trailers that have been used for breaks, however we are phasing -
most of these out and replacing them with BRM's.
• We have approximately 26 BRM's designated for breaks which house approximately 15-20 workers each
(-409 to 520 workers).
• We would like to add these additional 30 BRM's to house up to an additional (-450 to 600) as needed.
• We have several shops here at Pine bend which are slated to be removed. The shops that we are
planning to remove are, Shop one, seven and several smaller shops.
• We are working on longer term plan which may include the addition of a new multi-purpose shop and
break area which may be a break area for as many as 500 workers.
• During large perk manpower times such as large turnarounds, we may seek the use of a break tent to
handle 300-500 or more workers. This request will be discussed at a later date when we have worked out
the logistics of these tents.
Don Kern ,
Facilities and Engineering Manager
Flint Hills Resources LP •
(651)-437-0762 ,
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CITY OF ROSEMOUNT
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2012-53
A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE INTERIM USE PERMIT TO FLINT HILLS
RESOURCES FOR UP TO THIRTY TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION WORKER
BLAST RESISTANT MODULES, A TEMPORARY COMMUNICATIONS TRAILER,
AND A TEMPORARY WAREHOUSE.
WHEREAS, the City of Rosemount received an application from Flint Hills Resources (FHR) for
the approval of an Interim Use Permit (IUP) to use up to thirty temporary construction worker blast
resistant modules, a temporary communications trailer,and a temporary warehouse at 12555 Clark
Road,Rosemount,Minnesota;and
WHEREAS, the IUP will allow the use of these temporary modules,trailer and warehouse during
construction projects and maintenance which is expected to continue until December 31, 2016;and
WHEREAS, on July 10,2012, the Planning Commission of the City of Rosemount held a public
hearing to review the IUP application from FHR for the temporary modules, trailer and warehouse;
and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission adopted a motion recommending that the City Council
approve the IUP for FHR subject to the conditions listed below;and
WHEREAS,on August 6, 2012, the City Council of the City of Rosemount reviewed the Planning
Commission's recommendation and the IUP for FHR.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Rosemount hereby
approves the IUP for FHR to use up to thirty temporary construction worker blast resistant
modules, a temporary communications trailer,and a temporary warehouse at 12555 Clark Road,
Rosemount, Minnesota, subject to the following conditions:
1. The Interim Use Permit expires 12/31/2016.
2. Each building and trailer requires a building permit and shall conform to all applicable
building and fire codes.
3. The applicant must obtain a grading permit prior to grading or installation of the temporary
buildings.
ADOPTED this 6th day of August,2012 by the City Council of the City of Rose ,ount.
Z etc
William H. Droste,Mayor
ATTF,1ST,
a L,L, L \ I
Amy Domeier, City Clerk