HomeMy WebLinkAboutPCExecSumm_SpectroAlloy_12092014
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Planning Commission Meeting Date: December 9, 2014
Tentative City Council Meeting Date: December 16, 2014
AGENDA ITEM: Case 14-62-CUP Request by Spectro Alloy
to Issue a Conditional Use Permit to Allow
AGENDA SECTION:
Outdoor Structures in Excess of 15% of the
Public Hearing
Gross Floor Area of the Principal Building to
Install a Custom Clean Charge System
AGENDA NO.
PREPARED BY: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner
ATTACHMENTS: Site Map, 2015 Sorting Investment Plan; APPROVED BY:
Planning Sketch Survey; CCC Sorter
Elevation
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to recommend the City Council approve a
Conditional Use Permit to Spectro Alloy to allow Outdoor Structures in Excess of 15%
of the Gross Floor Area of the Principal Building to Install a Custom Clean Charge
(CCC) System, subject to the following:
1. New outdoor structures shall not be closer than 40 feet from the bluff line.
2. The total aggregate area of outdoor structures shall not exceed 30% of the total
gross area of the principal building.
3. Outdoor scrap or waste storage shall not occur within 400 feet of the Minnesota
Highway 55 right-of-way.
ISSUE
The applicant, Spectro Alloy Corp (Spectro), requests a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow the
installation and construction of outdoor structures to process and recycle aluminum scrap without
smelting. This process is called Custom Clean Charge (CCC) by the industry. A CUP is required
because the CCC equipment and associated outdoor structures will result in the site having a total
aggregate area of outdoor structures in excess of 15% of the total gross area of the principal
building. If the gross area of outdoor structures and equipment was under 15%, the request could
be administratively approved. The Staff recommends approval of the request subject to conditions.
BACKGROUND
Applicant & Property Owner(s): Spectro Alloy Corp.
Location: Northeast of Minnesota Highway 55; south and west of the
Union Pacific rail line; and east of Doyle Path
Area in Acres: 15.5 Acres
Comprehensive Plan Designation: GI - General Industrial
Current Zoning: GI – General Industrial
Surrounding Land Uses: Northeast: HI – Heavy Industrial
Southeast: WM – Waste Management
North, South, East and West: GI – General Industrial
Legal Authority
City review of a conditional use permit application is a Quasi-Judicial action. As such, the City has a
set of standards and requirements. Generally, if the applications meet the ordinance requirements
they must be approved. The standards and requirements for each application along with staff’s
findings for the specific review criteria are provided below.
SUMMARY
Spectro’s principal operation is as a secondary aluminum smelter. A primary aluminum smelter
refines raw ore into aluminum ingots. A secondary aluminum smelter recycles existing aluminum
scrap into ingots that are shipped manufacturers. Spectro’s operation stores scrap aluminum
predominately behind (to the north of) their building. The scrap is normally shredded and sorted
through the hammer mill located on the far east side of the site adjacent to the railroad tracks. The
shredded scrap is brought into the building and smelted in one of their two smelters. The smelted
aluminum is poured into ingots.
This process produces a number of waste streams including air emissions of metals from the
smelting process. These air emissions are removed through a device called a baghouse which is a
metal box with a number of fabric socks or bags within it. The air travels through the fabric and the
small particles (including metals) are removed. This debris is collected in bags. The debris is tested
and is either disposed of as industrial or hazardous waste.
The CUP request will install a new process that recycles the aluminum without the need of smelting.
This process, called Custom Clean Charge (CCC), sorts shredded material into their separate,
different metals or alloys. The sorting process is similar to the non-ferrous metal recycling facility
that the City approved at SKB earlier this year. The shredded metal travels over conveys that
include eddy currents to sort the material. The manufacturers will accept this sorted and shredded
material instead of the ingots that Spectro now produces. The CCC does not need the smelters,
reducing the energy used in the recycling process and reduces baghouse waste.
The CUP is required because installation of the CCC equipment and bins that store the separated
material will result in the aggregate area of outdoor structures being greater than 15% of the total
gross area of the principal building. Spectro currently has a number of outdoor structures including
a scale, oxygen tanks, bins and hammer mill. These structures are about 13% of the area of the
existing building. The CCC structures would double the amount of outdoor structures to 26% of
the building.
Square Feet % of Principal Building
Principal Building 81,171 sq. ft. n/a
Existing Outdoor Structures 10,625 sq. ft. 13.09 %
CCC Structures 10,800 sq. ft. 13.31 %
Total Outdoor Structures 21,425 sq. ft. 26.39 %
Legal Non-Conforming Status
Spectro is non-conforming due to the development on the site, specifically the amount of outside
storage on the site. When evaluating a land use request with non-conforming status, two
determinations must be made. First, is the use legal, which means that the use had complied with
the City Code when it began, or is it illegal because it did not comply with the City Code standards
when it started operation? Spectro began operation in 1973. At that time, the City had a zoning
ordinance that did not limit outdoor storage in the general industrial district, did not require parking
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and maneuvering areas to be paved and the Mississippi River Critical Area Corridor did not exist.
Since 1973, the City has adopted zoning ordinances that included performance standards limiting
outdoor storage, requiring the paving of parking and maneuvering areas and requiring a 40 foot
setback from the bluff line. Spectro is a legal non-conformity and the use would be permitted by the
current ordinance. It is the development and site improvements that are non-conforming,
specifically the three items noted above.
Second, non-conformities cannot be expanded when new operations, processes, buildings, or
structures are installed. Spectro’s existing non-conformities include the gravel semi-trailer parking
area in the southern corner of the site; the lack of a 40 foot setback from the bluff line; and the
outdoor storage of maintenance equipment, scrap waiting to be processed, baghouse dust, and other
wastes waiting to be tested before disposal. The gravel parking area is not impacted by this request.
The CCC equipment and structures will be installed at least 40 feet from the bluff line. To prevent
the outdoor storage to be moved to some other location on the site, a condition is included that
prevents the outdoor storage of scrap or waste within 400 feet of Minnesota Highway 55.
Custom Clean Charge Process and Outdoor Structures
The CCC process will require four enclosures and conveyors connecting three of the four
enclosures. The enclosures will have three sides so that a front end loader or skid steer can transfer
material from the structures to trucks or other structures. The first enclosure will be constructed on
the north side if the existing building and will hold the raw shredded material before it is sorted.
The second enclosure will be located about 40 feet north of the first enclosure and will contain the
primary sorting machine. The third and fourth enclosure will be separated bins in which the sorted
finished material will be dropped. The material will be brought from the second enclosure to the
bins by a conveyor traveling over the bins. The conveyor will be covered to prevent the material
from falling off or being blown off.
The first two enclosures will have metal sides and either metal or fabric covers. The bins of the final
two enclosures will be made of cast-in-place concrete and the bins and conveyors will be covered by
a metal roof. All enclosures will be installed at least 40 feet from the bluff line. The northern three
structures will be installed about 40 feet north of the existing building to maintain maneuvering for
the trucks and facility equipment.
11-4-16: C. General Industrial Outdoor Structures Accessory Use
The GI: General Industrial Zoning Ordinance allows outdoor structures as accessory use. The City
Code reads as follows: Outdoor structures. Functioning structures such as conveyor belt systems,
cooling towers, storage silos, or the like that are accessory and integral to the principal use of the site
may be exempt from the requirements of section 11-2-9, "Outdoor Storage", of this title, subject to
the following:
1. The applicant shall demonstrate that the outdoor structure or equipment cannot be
integrated into a building design.
Finding: The current shredding and sorting of raw material occurs in outdoor structures along the eastern edge
of the site. The CCC proposal continues the shredding and sorting of material in the newly installed outdoor
structures.
2. The site and building(s) shall be designed to screen and limit the effects of the outdoor
structure or equipment (noise, vibrations, illumination, particulate, or the like) on adjacent
properties and public right(s) of way.
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Finding: The CCC structures will be located to the north of (behind) the existing building and will not be
visible from the Minnesota Highway 55 or Doyle Path right-of-ways. The conveyors and bins will be covered
limiting any adverse effects. The CCC structures will be installed 40 feet south of the bluff line as required
by the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area. The CCC structures will be about 350 feet from Pine Bend
Trail.
3. The outdoor structure or equipment shall be located on an approved surface in a remote
location that is not adjacent to any public right of way or nonindustrial use or district.
Finding: The CCC structures will be located in an area that is currently paved. The structures are located
north of (behind) the existing building and about 350 feet from Pine Bend Trail. The properties to the
north, east and west are industrial. The property to the south is waste management. The CCC structures
are not adjacent to the public right-of-way.
4. The aggregate area for outdoor structure or equipment shall be limited to an area equal to
fifteen percent (15%) of the gross floor area of the principal building and to a height not to
exceed seventy feet (70'). Larger areas or taller structures or equipment may be approved by
the city through a conditional use permit.
Finding: Currently, outdoor structures on the site (oxygen tanks, hammer mill, storage bins, and scale) are
about 13% (10,625 square feet) of the gross floor area of the principal structure. The CCC structures will
add 13% (10,800 square feet) of gross floor area to a total of 26%. To accommodate this request, the
Executive Summary’s recommendation would grant Spectro a CUP to exceed the 15% standard. The
highest CCC structure (covered storage bins) will be less than 50 feet tall.
5. The outdoor structure or equipment shall not take up, encroach upon, or interfere with
access to, any required yard, parking, loading, maneuvering, or pedestrian area.
Finding: The CCC structures will are separated from the principal building by about 40 feet to maintain
loading and maneuvering. The CCC structures will be located 40 feet from the bluff line maintaining the
required yard and setback from the bluff. There is no parking or pedestrian area to the north of (behind) the
building.
6. The city may exempt outdoor structure or equipment from the site and building
performance standards in subsection G of this section; however all such structures or
equipment must be functional and shall be made of high quality long lasting material
compatible with both adjacent properties and other buildings in the GI district.
Finding: The CCC structures will be concrete storage structures with metal coverings and metal and rubber
conveyors. The concrete storage structures do meet the required building materials. The conveyors and their
covers are long lasting materials.
Conditional Use Permit
The purpose of conditional use permits (CUPs) is to allow for those uses which may be suitable for
a given site under certain circumstances. The request is subject to the general CUP standards
outlined in Section 11-10-7. These standards evaluate the City’s land use and zoning performance
standards in the context of the proposed use’s potential impact on the surrounding properties. After
reviewing the applicant’s plans in comparison with the applicable standards, staff finds the proposed
use meets the conditional use permit requirements and recommends approval.
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1. Will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, or general welfare of the
neighborhood or the city.
Finding: The proposed use is consistent with the City’s land use and development regulations for general
industrial uses. The proposed use is not detrimental to the public health, safety, or general welfare of the
neighborhood or the City of Rosemount. Public health and general welfare will likely increase due to the reduced
energy use and air emissions through processing the material in the CCC process instead of being smelted in the
current process.
2. Will be harmonious with the objectives of the comprehensive plan and city code provisions.
Finding: The site is designated as general industrial and is surrounded by heavy industrial, general industrial,
and waste management uses. These uses allow or are similar to the metal processing use proposed by the CCC
outdoor structures. Staff finds that the CCC process is harmonious with the objectives of the City’s plans and
codes.
3. Will be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained so as to be compatible or similar in
an architectural and landscape appearance with the existing or intended character of the
general vicinity and will not change the essential character of that area, nor substantially
diminish or impair property values within the neighborhood.
Finding: The surrounding existing and planned land uses are heavy industrial, general industrial, or waste
management. The general industrial uses allow a minor amount of outdoor structures while heavy industrial uses
are predominately outdoor structures. The allowance of less than 30% outdoor structure for Spectro, most of
which are located behind building, does not change the essential character of the area.
4. Will be served adequately by existing (or those proposed in the project) essential public
facilities and services, including streets, police and fire protection, drainage, structures, refuse
disposal, water and sewer systems, and schools.
Finding: The existing site will be adequately served by essential public facilities and services. Access to the subject
property will come either directly from Minnesota Highway 55 or from Doyle Path. The site is served by City
water but has its own septic system located north of the Doyle Path cul-de-sac. This septic system is adequate for
the workforce of Spectro.
5. Will not involve uses, activities, processes, material equipment, and conditions of operation
that will be hazardous or detrimental to any persons, property, or the general welfare
because of excessive production of traffic, noise, smoke, fumes, glare, or odors.
Finding: The CCC system will reduce the amount of aluminum that is smelted resulting in lower air emissions
and waste generation. This will reduce activities and processes that would be hazardous or detrimental.
6. Will have vehicular ingress and egress to the property which does not create traffic
congestion or interfere with traffic on surrounding public streets.
Finding: The site has two accesses, one directly from Minnesota Highway 55 and on from the end of the cul-de-
sac at Doyle Path. This traffic pattern has occurred for decades without interference to the surrounding streets or
properties.
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7. Will not result in the destruction, loss or damage of a natural, scenic, or historic feature of
major importance and will comply with all local, state, and federal environmental quality
standards.
Finding: Spectro Alloy is located within Mississippi River Critical Area Corridor which intends to protect the
bluffs adjacent to the Mississippi River. The new CCC structures will not impact the bluffs and be located 40
feet from the bluff line. The CCC process will have less of an environmental impact than the existing smelting
process.
8. These standards apply in addition to specific conditions as may be applied throughout this
code.
Finding: The existing operation is a legal non-conforming use. The largest non-conformity is the amount of
outdoor storage on the site. Spectro has recently reduced the amount of outdoor storage and organize the different
types of outdoor storage. Staff is most concerned with the storage of the scrap used in the plant’s operation and the
storage of waste while it is being tested before it is sent off site for disposal. Spectro is currently storing the scrap
and waste north and east of Doyle Path. Staff has proposed a condition that requires that scrap and waste
storage occur more than 400 feet from the Minnesota Highway 55 right-of-way.
CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve the Conditional Use Permit to Spectro
Alloy to install the Custom Clean Charge (CCC) outdoor structures, subject to the staff
recommended conditions. This recommendation is based on the information submitted by the
applicant and findings made in this report.
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