CY31-26

Request of ISG, on behalf of Mankato Surgery Center, for a preliminary and final plat review of Mankato Clinic Fifth Addition; for an amended planned unit development, PUD, to allow for a structure expansion and replatting of the existing planned unit development; and for a certificate of design compliance for a property located in the Highway Gateway Overlay District for an approximately 8,000 square foot addition to an existing structure. The subject property is described as Lot 1, Block 1, Mankato Clinic Third Addition, and Lot 1, Block 1, Mankato Clinic Fourth Addition, City of Mankato, Blue Earth County (1411 Premier Drive). 

The applicant is ISG on behalf of Mankato Surgery Center. 

The applicant is requesting a preliminary and final plat review of Mankato Clinic Fifth Addition; an amended planned unit development (PUD), to allow for a structure expansion and replatting of the existing planned unit development; and a certificate of design compliance for a property located in the Highway Gateway Overlay District to allow for an approximately 8,000 square foot addition to an existing structure.

The subject property is located at 1411 Premier Drive and is legally described as Lot 1, Block 1, Mankato Clinic Third Addition, and Lot 1, Block 1, Mankato Clinic Fourth Addition, City of Mankato, Blue Earth County. 

The property is currently in use as the Mankato Surgery Center, a medical clinic.

The property is zoned O, Office District.

There are no known environmentally sensitive areas on the current Mankato Surgery Center site, but multiple wetlands were delineated within boundary of the plat and approved for wetland replacement in 2023. These wetlands were/are located to the south of the Wickersham campus. 

The property is currently served by public utilities.

The applicant is seeking a preliminary and final plat review of Mankato Clinic Fifth Addition; an amended planned unit development, to allow for a structure expansion and replatting of the existing planned unit development; and a certificate of design compliance for a property located in the Highway Gateway Overlay District, to allow for an approximately 8,000 square foot addition to an existing structure.

Preliminary & Final Plat:
The applicant is seeking a preliminary and final plat review of Mankato Clinic Fifth Addition, a one-block, two-lot subdivision. Lot One contains approximately 4.37 acres and is currently home to the Mankato Surgery Center. Lot Two contains approximately 17.38 acres and is home to the Mankato Clinic Children's Health Center. 

The subject property is currently platted as part of Mankato Clinic Third Addition and Mankato Clinic Fourth Addition. The proposed replatting is being requested in order to properly illustrate the proposed interrelationship of the existing Mankato Clinic properties within the greater Wickersham Campus site. In simplified terms, the proposed plat realigns the southern lot boundary of lot 1, block 1, to better match the realistic use of the site and allow for the proposed expansion. As more than two lot lines would need to be modified to meet this goal, the property must be replatted. 

The applicant does not intend for any additional easements or restrictive covenants to be dedicated alongside the plat.

Note that the Mankato Surgery Center property, the location of the proposed improvements, would be platted as Lot 1, Block 1, of Mankato Clinic Fifth Addition. 

Amendment to Planned Unit Development (PUD):
The applicant is seeking an amendment to the current Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for an expansion to the Mankato Surgery Center. 

The current Mankato Surgery Center is a freestanding outpatient surgical facility within the Wickersham Health Campus that specializes in same-day surgical and procedural services. The Center currently operates on a 6:00am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday schedule and employs 51 staff. The applicant states that the proposed expansion to the facility is expected to support an increase to approximately 70 employees. 

The proposed project consists of five primary parts. The first is an 8,000 Sq. Ft. structural expansion, which is being sought to accommodate two new operating rooms, enhanced prep and recovery spaces, and additional clinic support spaces. The addition will occur in two segments, a smaller 932 Sq. Ft. off the NE corner of the building, and a larger 13,453 Sq. Ft. expansion to the west. The second is a 10,000 Sq. Ft. interior remodel of the existing Mankato Surgery Center to modernize existing areas to improve overall patient experience and functionality, as well as bring the facility in line with the currently understood best practices. The third aspect is the redirection of the existing frontage road from the northernmost Premier Drive Wickersham Campus entrance to the Mankato Surgery Center parking lot. The existing frontage road, which runs along the west side of the property parallel to Premier Drive, was constructed prior to that portion of Premier Drive and thusly served as the primary access to Mankato Clinic. With the extension of Premier Drive, the applicant feels that the frontage road is no longer needed to serve in such a capacity. Additionally, the applicant attests that rerouting the roadway would improve safety of the northern Premier Drive entrance by eliminating traffic conflict points and simplifying site circulation. The fourth part is the expansion of the parking lot westward to create 24 additional parking stalls within the north side of the old frontage road. The applicant further specifies that there is an easement recorded on the Mankato Surgery Center Property that allowed for future expansion of parking along the duration of the frontage road. The applicant intends to construct this area of parking as well. The fifth and final aspect is the installation of a 1,000-liter above-ground Permacyl bulk oxygen tank installed along the NE side of the building to serve the facilities' medical oxygen needs. The applicant hates that the tank will be enclosed by a security fence and protective bollards and will be supplied by a microbulk delivery truck on a regular basis. The material of the security fence/enclosure is stated as chain-link within the narrative and as a gray-colored bok modern screen panel in the material board. The applicant shall clarify the material with the understanding that the screen panels would better reflect the Highway Gateway Overlay Standards. 

Note that bulk oxygen stored in liquid (LOX) form is hazardous but is not considered a flammable or combustible liquid and thus would not be enforced under Sec.10-1503 of the Mankato City Code. 

The applicant states that, in total, the proposed project will result in less than one acre of new and fully reconstructed impervious surfaces, and therefore, no permanent stormwater management facilities will be constructed on site. 

The applicant has provided a partial site circulation plan that reflects turning movements for Mankato's largest fire engine. 

The applicant attests that all improvements that impact shared aspects of the Wickersham Campus have been agreed upon by all campus entities, i.e. the frontage road and parking modifications. 

Certificate of Design Compliance (CDC):
The applicant is requesting a Certificate of Design Compliance (CDC) to allow for expansion of an existing structure located within the Highway Gateway Overlay District. 

The applicant has provided exterior elevations, a floor plan, exterior renderings, and a digital material board. The proposed exterior materials appear to largely reflect the existing Wickersham Campus buildings. The proposed design shifts vertically in a few locations to allow for expanded window spaces, as the applicant seeks to increase natural light penetration into interior spaces in line with their desired best healthcare facility practices. 

Exterior materials include a combination of utility brick and EIFS to best match the existing facility, as well as glazing/glass, and aluminum composite metal paneling. The brick is proposed to differ in design from the existing brick of the campus, as they intend the brick to be banded in order to create a corbeling effect, which will increase the visual interest of the facade. The proposed design is punctuated with multiple areas of steel and glass canopies.

Of note, the applicant shows a large rooftop mechanical area with ribbed metal panels to provide screening. The ribbed metal panels largely reflect the look of a typical corrugated metal panel. 

As noted above, the applicant intends to reroute the existing frontage road and incorporate it into the parking lot. The applicant proposes to construct 24 new parking stalls north and west of the existing parking areas, as well as potentially construct an unspecified number of parking stalls along the frontage road, which would act as shared stalls with the Mankato Clinic facility to the SE. Note that the shared parking area was not included in the applicant's parking calculations, as a parking easement is already in place for this area. Additionally, the applicant shows the installation of seven bicycle parking stalls west of the building. 

The applicant proposes to install multiple areas of clustered landscaping on the Mankato Surgery Center property. In particular, the applicant proposes to install a line of trees and shrubs along the newly constructed parking area and to keep the existing trees along Premier Drive in place. The Mankato City Code requires that wherever a surface parking area faces a street frontage, like Premier Drive, the parking area must be screened from the street with a wall, fence, or hedge, to a minimum of four feet, not more than eight feet in height, nor less than 80 percent opaque. Proposed landscaping primarily includes commercial cultivars and non-native botanicals.

Multiple utility pads are shown along the SW extent of the building. The proposed plans show a small band of landscaping encompassing the public-facing elevations of the utility pads.

The applicant has provided a photometric plan and lighting fixture cutsheets, both of which appear to reflect conforming lighting levels/fixtures.