Planning Commission approves alternative landscaping compliance at 315 27th Avenue NE, requires minimum 50 canopy trees

The Minneapolis Planning Commission on Nov. 17 approved an alternative landscaping compliance for 315 27th Avenue Northeast, the industrial/recycling property operated by LRS of Minnesota, requiring a minimum of 50 canopy trees on site and directing staff to work with the applicant on siting and species.

Chair Chris Meyer opened the public hearing and asked staff to present. Aaron Hanauer, planning staff, said the packet’s original numbers reflected seven existing trees and 19 planted trees and noted that, given the lot and building size, the site would otherwise require 88 canopy trees under site plan review. Hanauer told the commission that staff and the applicant had since updated the inventory and that the applicant’s current proposal would result in 57 trees total, including roughly 46 canopy trees and the remainder evergreen or ornamental; staff recommended alternative compliance based on the retention of large mature trees and site constraints including a stormwater infiltration basin and underground utilities. "The plan's note and the staff report reflects 7 existing trees, and it states 19 planted trees... given the size of the lot, which is 6 acres and the size of building, there would be 88 canopy trees required," Hanauer said during his presentation, and later clarified the updated counts.

Kathy Osborne, representing the applicant LRS of Minnesota (formerly Atomic Recycling), explained site constraints that limit where new large canopy trees can be planted: buried utility conduits and outlets that serve winter plug-ins for trucks, a water vault and natural gas service lines, an existing stormwater infiltration basin with pipes and outlets, and space needed for snow storage and truck circulation. "We have to make sure that the lighting that is in here is also able to light the parking lot... we want to make sure that the underground electrical wires in between all that outlets" Osborne said, describing limits on dense plantings near truck parking.

Commissioners pressed on the goal of increasing shade and reducing urban heat island effects. Commissioner Conley noted alternative strategies and asked whether green roofs had been considered; Osborne said the applicant had been evaluating solar on the roof and had not pursued a green roof design to date. Commissioner Shepherd urged emphasis on shade rather than only screening, and Commissioner Baxley cautioned about narrow planting islands that may not sustain large trees.

After discussion, the applicant agreed to add four additional canopy trees beyond its then-current proposal. Chair Meyer proposed, and the commission adopted, the staff recommendation with a modification requiring a minimum of 50 canopy trees on-site and direction that the applicant shall work with staff on placement; if specific locations prove infeasible for four additional trees, staff and the applicant may resolve that administratively. "I think we can add 4 more," Osborne said when asked whether the applicant could accommodate the increase. The commission approved the condition on a recorded roll call vote, 5–0 (Commissioners Conley, Shepherd, Wagner, Vice President Baxley and President Chris Meyer voting aye).

The condition requires a minimum number of canopy trees but does not specify exact planting locations; commissioners and staff said placement, species selection and final planting design will be coordinated administratively to account for underground utilities, the infiltration basin’s maintenance needs, snow storage and truck operations. The commission’s approval carries the staff’s other recommended site plan conditions.

The commission moved on to the 2026 transition calendar and other business after the vote. The next regular Planning Commission meeting is scheduled Dec. 8, 2025.