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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-27-14-WS '! t �-fiRQEN HILLS Approved: December 8, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION OCTOBER 27, 2014 5:30 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the special City Council work session at 5:32 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Associate Planner Matthew Bachler; City Planner Ryan Streff; and City Clerk Amy Dietl 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Discuss TCAAP Zoning Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that the City Council has had several discussions regarding density and the maximum number of residential units on the TCAAP site. If the City Council would like to establish a maximum number of residential units, it would be helpful to do so at the October 27 or November 3 work session. A decision now on the maximum number of residential units will give staff time to work with legal counsel on how to implement that decision in the Comprehensive Plan and/or in a separate agreement with Ramsey County. Community Development Director Hutmacher commented that if the City Council chooses to set a maximum number of residential units, then additional tools should be utilized within the Zoning Code so that the policy direction on maximum residential units can be implemented on an ongoing project-by-project basis. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that City staff, consultants, and the City Council have had discussions with residential developers regarding the types of units desired by the market. Following is a brief summary of some of the discussion points. 0 Private developers see demand for a range of product types. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 27, 2014 2 • There is demand in the market for upscale empty nester housing. These housing products vary in size but generally include a higher level of interior finishes. • Single-family homes targeted towards families with school-age children will be a desired product. Lots that are large enough for front-loaded garages will be predominant. • Private developers feel the Creek neighborhood is most suitable for upscale, large-lot single family and twin homes targeted towards families and empty nesters. Density would be in the range of 1 '/2 to 2 units per acre. • Developers see the Hill neighborhood as largely single-family homes on lots of at least 50 feet. According to Mattamy Homes, a 65x65 foot lot is their best seller which equates to a density of 3 units per acre. • Townhomes or row homes are usually developed as 3- or 4-unit buildings since the end units are most popular. Detached townhomes are generally around 5 or 6 units per acre. Row homes can be built at up to 10 units per acre. Developers suggested that an average of 7 to 8 units per acre for townhome products is reasonable. • Townhomes are most likely to be developed in the neighborhood transition area, but the market could also support a limited number of townhomes in the Hill or Creek neighborhoods. • Senior housing and apartment buildings need 150-200 units per building in order to support the common areas and amenities desired by the market. Apartment buildings would likely be 3-4 stories of apartments (3-5 acre parcels) above one story of underground or enclosed parking. • Senior housing and apartment development wants to be located close to goods and services. Density in new senior and apartment developments is approximately 40 units per acre. • There may be limited demand for upscale condominium units in buildings of approximately 50 units. Developers cautioned that there is limited and untested demand for this product type — maybe a maximum of one or two buildings in the Neighborhood Transition area in a location near both retail and open space. • In nearly every conversation, developers have stressed the need for flexibility to respond to changes in market demand and to allow for innovation and creativity in development style. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that in a previous City Council review of Chapter 4 (Definitions), Councilmembers suggested that definitions for housing types and products be streamlined. As a result, definitions for Cottage/Patio Home and Manor Home/Multi- Unit House were combined and the following new definitions were added: Single Family Use A building containing one or two primary living units and which may include twin homes and cottage/patio homes. Small Lot Single Family A single-family residential lot that measures less than fifty (50)feet wide. Small Multi-Family Use A building containing three to eight residential units and which may include townhomes, row homes, manor homes/multi-tenant houses, stacked flats, or triplexes/quadplexes. Medium Multi-Family Use A building containing nine to fifty multi family units which may include stacked flats, apartments, or condominiums. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 27, 2014 3 Large Multi-Family Use A building containing more than fifty residential units which may include apartments, condominiums, or senior housing. Staff explained that Table 5.1 (Applicability/Permitted Use Table) was revised to reflect the changes to the definitions. Use categories such as Cottage, Manor Home, and Stacked Flats were removed, and the use table was adjusted to be consistent with the new definitions. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that based on discussions with developers and the draft zoning text revisions reviewed tonight, the following assumptions can be made regarding residential development on TCAAP: • The Creek neighborhood will be developed with large-lot single family and upscale twin homes. • The Hill neighborhood will be developed with a mixture of small, medium, and large lot single family along with some townhomes. • The Neighborhood Transition area will be developed with small-lot single family, detached townhomes, attached townhomes, and possibly one or two small condominium buildings. • The Town Center will be developed with 3-4 story, large-scale apartment or senior housing developments. Projected Average Total Neighborhood Acres Density Units Creek 43 1.75 75 Hill 66 5.0 330 Neighborhood 46 10 460 Transition Town Center 15 40 600 Total 1,465 Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that the City Council has discussed setting a maximum number of residential units on TCAAP. While this is a policy decision that can be included in the Comprehensive Plan and/or in an agreement with Ramsey County, it becomes difficult to implement on a project-by-project approval basis. If the City Council desires to have greater control over the density or total number of units than what the changes to definitions and Table 5.1 provide, then the following tools may be considered: • Add overlays or districts that specify where types of housing, for example small multi- family, could be built. • Add densities to the definitions of housing types. For example, the definition of small multi-family could include a provision that they have a density range of 6 to 12 units per acre. • Add criteria to Table 5.2 within certain districts. For example, small multi-family buildings in the Neighborhood District could be required to be at a density of no more than 8 units per acre and/or have only 5 units per building. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 27, 2014 4 Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that while these tools would provide greater control over densities and types of housing in specific areas, they would decrease flexibility to developers and the ability to mix types of housing products within neighborhoods. Staff requests that the City Council weigh the benefits and challenges to each approach and provide policy direction. Mayor Grant stated that the Council has not talked to a condo or senior housing builder. He requested further clarification on the definition of a twinhome. Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated that a twinhome differed from a manor home. She stated that a twinhome was a duplex or home with two units. Mayor Grant recommended that staff make contact with a senior housing and condominium builder in order for the Council to have a conversation regarding these housing styles. He further discussed the current zoning for the Hill and Creek neighborhoods and expressed concern with the lack of control the City had on the number of units per acre. He wanted to see an upper limit for density to be set while still allowing future developers some flexibility. Joel Jamnik, City Attorney, suggested that the Council frequently "look back" and review the density and development of TCAAP. This way, if the Council was not satisfied with the progress after five or ten years, modifications to the zoning districts could be made. Further discussion ensued regarding potential development scenarios for the Hill and Creek neighborhoods. Mayor Grant wanted to ensure that the Council had some sort of structure in place to allow the City's vision for TCAAP to be reasonably realized. He liked the idea of flexibility; however, he wanted the City to be protected against "worst case scenarios". He was in favor of the Council further examining its vision in order to put zoning in place to realize this vision. Councilmember McClung indicated that the current zoning structure has created an imperfect situation and does not properly address the Council's concerns. Mr. Jamnik commented that even without the JDA, the City would take a reactive approach to future development. Mayor Grant suggested that the Council consider its vision for product mix and density within the Hill and Creek. Councilmember Holden wanted to see senior housing brought into the housing mix on the TCAAP site. Mr. Jamnik believed that senior housing needs would be driven by market demand. Councilmember McClung asked if staff thought the TCAAP Redevelopment Code (TRC) would be completed by the third meeting in December. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 27, 2014 5 Community Development Director Hutmacher did not believe that the TRC would be ready for Council approval by that time. Councilmember McClung stated that if that was the case, the Council could have further discussions to work through the intense and complex issues surrounding density and neighborhood designs. Councilmember Holden did not want to see separation created between the Creek and Hill neighborhoods based on home prices. Councilmember McClung suggested that the Creek and Hill neighborhoods be separated. Then the types of products allowed could be evaluated along with density as part of Table 5.2. The Council could require three distinct types of housing within each neighborhood to improve the variety. Mr. Jamnik stated that this may constrain the market substantially as a difficult housing formula will be established. This may also impact the marketability of the land with this type of regulation. He stated that leaving the Code "as is"would offer the City more flexibility. Mayor Grant wanted to see the Creek and Hill neighborhoods with a density of three or four units per acre with 65 foot lots. Michael Norton, JDA Attorney, suggested that the Master Plan address the vision of the Council that describes the plans for the Hill and Creek neighborhoods as being low density, high quality housing. Mayor Grant asked if language could be written into the zoning to provide the City with more firm footing. He suggested that the Council further consider its vision for the Creek and Hill neighborhoods and that this be clearly reflected within the Zoning Code. He wanted to see limited density and a variety of homes in these neighborhoods. Councilmember McClung stated that the City selected flexibility as its vision when it crafted the JPA and Master Plan. Councilmember Holden understood that the land use, Master Plan and zoning were in place to protect the City. Mayor Grant viewed the current zoning as a"blank check"that offered no security to the City. City Administrator Klaers thanked the Council for their input and stated that this topic would be discussed again at a future work session. B. Discuss TCAAP Infrastructure Public Works Director Maurer explained that Ramsey County has hired Kimley Horn to design infrastructure associated with the TCAAP development. The consultant team working on this design has completed some of the initial stages of defining the scope of sewer and watermain ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 27, 2014 6 improvements. Prior to moving into the next phase of this process and before preparing cost estimates, the consultant and Ramsey County would like to share with the City Council where they are at in design and collect feedback from the City Council. Tom Lincoln, Kimley Horn, reviewed the preliminary water and sanitary sewer design for the TCAAP site. He discussed the design development scenario noting that this included 1,700 residential dwelling units. He explained that the current average daily demand is 1.25 million gallons of water. The model assumes, 1.5 million gallons of water per day would be needed by the non-TCAAP part of Arden Hills. Mr. Lincoln discussed the location of the trunk water lines through the Spine Road along with the pipe sizing in the commercial and industrial areas to meet fire flows. The additional water demand is estimated to be 0.75 million gallons per day. He stated that a booster station would be required at I-694 to keep the City properly pressurized. This station would assist with serving the entire north side of the City. He stated that it looks like a 1.5 million gallon water tower will be required to service TCAAP. The sanitary sewer trunk lines were then discussed. It was noted that the City had capacity to handle the proposed system. He reported that he has held discussions with Met Council regarding the metering of the sanitary sewer system. It was determined that this would be completed through a lift station on TCAAP. Mayor Grant questioned when the cost estimates for the water and sanitary sewer systems would be completed. Mr. Lincoln anticipated that this information would be available in January. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES None. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the special City Council work session at 6:57 p.m. Amy Dietl David Grant City Clerk Mayor It, --S DEN HILLS Request for Special City Council Work Session A special meeting may be called by the Mayor or by any two Councilmembers. Topics for meeting: A. Discuss TCAAP Zoning B. Discuss TCAAP Infrastructure Requested Date: 10/27/14 Requested time: 5:30 pm Open meeting X Closed meeting Signature of person(s) making request: hm4i_A� 10/22/14 Mayor or Councilmember Date Councilmember Date -This section to be completed by City staff- Date received: 10 / a� / I L( Date meeting to be held: 10/27/14 Time of meeting: 5:30 pm Location: City Hall All necessary posting and notices have been completed. I 14 Signature of Ci lerk Date City of Arden Hills • 1245 West Highway 96 * Arden Hills,MN 55112-5743 Phone 651-792-7800 * Fax 651-634-5137 * www.cityofardenhills.org