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Page 2 of 7 <br /> <br />In 2017 and 2018, the City Council considered two Concept Plan Review applications for the <br />development of senior living housing which would have comprised of independent, assisted, and <br />memory care units on this same property. Both of those concept proposals had the placement of <br />the building on the south side of the property with the primary access to the site from Snelling <br />Avenue north of the intersection with Royal Hills Drive. At that time, the Council expressed <br />concerns about building height, massing, traffic, and the required property rezoning. <br />Additionally, the Council provided direction that the northwest corner of the property should be <br />considered for the development. The minutes from those two Work Sessions are included with <br />this report as Attachments E and F. The former Applicant evaluated this site and determined that <br />development would not be feasible due to the presence of several large wetlands and additional <br />construction costs. In the end, the former Developer made the decision not to move forward with <br />a formal land use application. <br /> <br />Discussion <br /> <br />Existing Conditions <br />North Heights Lutheran Church owns the approximately 41 acre parcel with an address of 1700 <br />Highway 96 West located on the south side of Highway 96 and directly east of U.S. Highway 10. <br />The church chapel and education wing are located roughly in the center of the property. The <br />chapel of the North Heights Lutheran Church was constructed in 1986 and the education wing <br />was completed in 1998. Two large surface parking areas are located on the north and east side of <br />the chapel and educational wing. The remainder of the site is wooded and includes wetland <br />areas and stormwater infrastructure required for the existing development. <br /> Aerial Map of Subject Property <br /> <br />The principal access to the site is from Highway 96 between Snelling Avenue and U.S. Highway <br />10. This access point is directly south of where the main roadway on the Twin Cities Army <br />Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) redevelopment site will be constructed. A secondary access is <br />located in the northeast corner of the site on Snelling Avenue. As part of the original approval <br />for the church campus, the City required that no right turns be permitted out of the Snelling <br />Avenue driveway so as to direct traffic to the north. Currently, the main entrance and the <br />Snelling Avenue intersection with Highway 96 are not signalized. A signal is planned for the <br />North Heights entrance with the construction of the main TCAAP roadway.