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Date: April 19, 2021 To: Arden Hills, MN - Planning Department From: Arden Hills RE, LLC RE: Comprehensive Plan Amendment - Request for Increased Density To the Arden Hills Planning Department, We are writing regarding our senior living development application (Planning Case # 20-022) that was approved by the City Council following the January 25th and February 8th, 2021 City Council Meetings. This letter is our formal to request increased density for this site. The land at which we have proposed our development is guided as a Community Mixed Use (CMU) in the Land Use Plan. CMU is designated for a broad range of retail, shopping, services, office and may include high density housing, up to 20 units per acre. This district is expected to have 10-50% of uses in residential. Currently, there is one residential use with 6.24 acres (1201 County Rd E W). Our proposed development would increase the total CMU acreage to 12.91%, which meets the intent of the district. Increasing density will not increase the CMU acreage that this development demands. The Comprehensive Plan outlines goals that are preserving the stability and quality of the city’s neighborhoods and encouraging life-cycle housing. Our proposed senior living development does just that and will provide quality housing options for residents of the community to stay within the community. Furthermore, our community will provide great partnership opportunities with local institutions and a variety of job and learning opportunities for residents of the Arden Hills community. At this time, we are requesting that our Land Use density be increased by 15%, to a total of 23 units per acre. This request is being made as there is a strong demand for additional units and operational efficiencies allow for economies of scale and greater service to additional residents. Due to many services, dining and care options being available on site, very little impact is made to the local traffic. This increased density is superior to the existing plan as it allows for the operational excellence of these types of communities looking to serve a greater portion of the population. This increased density compliments the city’s guiding plan for the B-2 district. Per the Land Use guideline, the 2008 visioning and planning session for the B-2 district acknowledges that this corridor (see attachment 1, figure 6.6 from Arden Hills Land Use Guidelines) should anticipate market-initiated development. Due to the restricted amount of available land for these types of communities, increased density allows for market participants to provide feasible projects that will help with the city’s guiding plan of increasing senior living options. Proposed Amendment to Comprehensive Plan Land guided for Community Mixed-Use east of Snelling Ave and south of County Road E (in area called out as “Guiding Plan for the B2 District” on figure 6.6, as shown in the Land Use Guidelines, Attachment A), density may be increased by up to 15% using the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process if the intent is to meet the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The City Code includes PUD regulations that allow for a higher quality and compatible development of property by encouraging reasonable flexibility from applicable standards, including at higher densities than would be allowed under the underlying zoning district and/or guided land use designation. The City has utilized PUDs and PUD Overlays for many residential and commercial developments, which is a trend that is likely to continue given the Attachment A