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Attachment D Approved: February 10, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING JANUARY 13, 2014 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. AGENDA ITEMS A.Multi-Family Design Standards Associate Planner Bachler reported that the multi-family dwelling design standards were approved by the Council in September of 2012. Included in these standards are requirements for minimum unit sizes. At the Council work session on January 22, 2013, the Council requested that -family dwelling units. Currently, the standards require multi-family dwelling units to be a minimum of 600 square feet, with an additional 100 square feet required for each bedroom. The Council expressed concern that the standards could permit multi-bedroom units that do not provide adequate floor area per resident. Associate Planner Bachler explained that staff has collected information from seven cities in the metro region that have adopted similar minimum unit size standards for multi-family dwelling units. The cities include New Brighton, Blaine, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Fridley, Coon Rapids and Bloomington. An analysis was completed comparing the average square footage also looked at ten multi-family development projects that have been recently completed or that are under construction in outer- ring suburban communities to evaluate the average sizes currently being built. He reviewed the location of these projects and provided the Council with a summary on the data collected from these projects, along with the minimum size standards for the dwelling units. Associate Planner Bachler stated that based on the analysis, staff is requesting further direction from the Council on the following questions: 1.)Should the City increase the minimum area required for three-bedroom units in multi- family developments? 2.)Should the City also consider increasing the minimum additional area required for each additional bedroom? 3.)Should the City consider any other changes to the minimum area required for other units? Councilmember Holden supported the existing standards for efficiency and one bedroom units. However, she would like to see the two bedroom and three bedroom standards more closely match the sizes of those found in the study. She recommended that two bedroom units be a minimum of 1,000 square feet and three bedroom units be a minimum 1,300 square feet.