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3. Restrict commercial development to specific areas in accord with the Comprehensive Plan and avoid strip commercial development. Restrict further commercial/industrial land expansion, encourage concentrated medium size office development in areas currently designated for such uses. 4. Discourage development of spot commercial areas at major intersections already surrounded with residential development. 5. Encourage orderly transition of areas from residential to commercial in accord with the Comprehensive Plan. The Economic Development Policies of the 1994 Comprehensive Plan (Source: Goals, pages 16-17) provide the following direction: 1. (Not Applicable) 2. Create new opportunities to offer high quality of life by offering a job and tax base within the community. 3. Maintain a positive balance between the living and working environment with appropriate mix and distribution of uses. 4. Revise land use plan to utilize innovative land use approaches through mixed use commercial developments. 3.4 Applicable Land Use Designation. Within the review of the Planning District Land Use designations for District 13 (the district in which the subject property is located), the Plan noted that, "A major issue in District 13 is the buffering between the solid single family areas in the eastern portion of the district and the major retail users and office users in the west and north portion of the district" (Source: Land Use, pages 23-24). The Commission and Council agreed that Site 13-3, which includes the subject parcels owned by Everest, should be changed in designation from low density residential to medium density residential (10 units per acre maximum), with site design to be reviewed through a residential planned unit re-development approach. The Council indicated that the medium density residential use should not extend eastward of the lots which abut and front on Hamline Avenue. The Vault Company to the north was not changed from the existing industrial use designation. The Library site to the south was designated as a "Civic Use". The Council's medium density residential use designation of the Everest site (#13-3) did recognize that the site may not be well suited for single family housing. In fact, by changing the designation to medium density residential, new potential uses and more density - and therefore, more value - were added to the site. This decision was consistent with the needs in the community for a more diverse housing stock, serving all ages and life style, as identified in the Maxfield Housing Study and the Vista 2000 Report. PF#2978 - (01114198) - Page 6 of 11