12-06-23 PC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – December 6, 2023 5 preliminary development agreement was approved by the JDA. His hope would be for the Planning Commission to approve the amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and TRC in order to allow the density within the project to be up to 1,960 units. He stated his next steps would then be to design the neighborhoods and to set the right size for the lots. He commented on how the need for housing was much greater than the need for office and industrial space. He described how he would work to make a diverse community that offered a variety of housing types for different age groups and family makeups. He was of the opinion the proposed Comp Plan and TRC amendments would meet the needs of the development. He stated his goal would be to have a groundbreaking in 2024. He thanked the Commission for their consideration and indicated he would be available for comments or questions. Chair Vijums opened the floor to Commissioner comments. Chair Vijums asked if there was a group that initiated updating the number of residential units from 1,460 to up to 500 additional residential units. Community Development Director Jagoe explained the JDA with Alatus prompted updating the number of units to up to 1,960 and Alatus brought this particular proposal to the JDA. Commissioner Weber thanked staff for the detailed staff report on this Planning Case. He commented on the executive summary of the AUAR and noted this AUAR was commissioned by the City. He explained the AUAR studied a range of housing units from 1,500 to 2,500 housing units and originally settled on a number lower than this. He stated he could not find any rationale for staying under the range that was commissioned within the AUAR. He anticipated one of the reasons for lowering the density may have been the concerns with traffic, especially at the County Road 96 intersection near North Heights Church. He understood this intersection had a D rating with 2,500 units and had a C rating with 1,500 units. He indicated the City would receive updated information on the intersection ratings when the AUAR was updated in 2024. He commented further on the high-density residential future land use for the North Heights Church property. He wondered how this development would further impact this intersection. Commissioner Blilie asked if the City had a plan in place for how the intersections would change, in terms of traffic flow. She questioned if there were any plans to smooth out the traffic flow. Community Development Director Jagoe reported at this time there were no plans in place to change the road design. She indicated the two access points would remain as previously planned, along with the location of the spine road. The engineering plans for the original design are about 60% complete. She stated alternative access points as part of the proposed residential design changes are not being considered. Commissioner Weber shared that the AUAR included a list of mitigation planned. Chair Vijums thanked Commissioner Weber for providing the Planning Commission with a summary statement from the AUAR. He stated many of these intersections were rated D or below. He explained at maximum peak, County Road 96 at North Heights Church was rated F. He stated this meant before the development even begins, with 1,460 units, the intersection had an F rating. He believed now the Commission had to look at traffic issues more in depth and had