5.3. SR 06-13-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memorandum 171st Avenue Area AUAR Land Use Development Scenarios May 20, 2011 Page 4 of 6 amended or a separate environmental analysis (e.g. EAW, AUAR, or EIS) would need to be completed in accordance with Minnesota Rules Chapter 4410. Agriculture Research The purpose of the Agricultural Research land use is to coincide with the agreement between the City of Elk River and Cargill. This land use allows for the continued use of the property for animal nutrition and agricultural research and other related activities pursuant to the agreement, while protecting the City's ability to guide other development in the area. Rural Residential Rural Residential area includes land currently developed and guided for future residential growth as residential uses in the areas that may be served by municipal sewer and water in the future as guided by the 'urban growth boundary' as shown in the City's Comprehensive Plan. A small portion along the western portion of the AUAR study area is guided in the Comprehensive Plan as Rural Residential. A gross density of 0.4 units per acre (1 unit per 2.5 acres) is the target density in the Rural Residential area. The Comprehensive Plan does allow density bonuses for developments that achieve certain public objectives such as preserving natural features (which are not otherwise protected by ordinance), implementing the City's trail and park master plan (beyond the typical required park dedication) or incorporating energy saving building techniques. High Density Residential The High Density Residential land use category consists of multi-family attached housing oriented in a vertical fashion, more commonly referred to as apartments and condominiums. This land use category can accommodate a combination of side by side townhomes and multi- story buildings (3-4 story buildings). The density target range, as guided in the Comprehensive Plan, is over 8 and up to 20 units per acre. While 20 units per acre is rather high, an analysis (Scenario 3) has been performed to include a density assumption based on the 'worst case' densities allowed in the High Density Residential area. Community Commercial The Community Commercial land use focuses on community retail development. These areas, as described in the City's Comprehensive Plan, are often service and convenience oriented. Developments in these areas are generally smaller in size and oriented more towards the neighborhoods. Examples of Community Commercial uses include drug store, hardware store, and coffee shop often arranged in a "strip mall" configuration. Developments under the community commercial designation generally consist of less than 100,000 square feet of retail and professional services. To determine the appropriate Floor Area Ratio (FAR) assumptions for Community Commercial development within the AUAR, a review of FAR standards and assumptions was conducted. A range of FARs (0.2-0.5) could be applied to the AUAR development scenarios. Given the wide range of commercial, retail, office and business uses that could be accommodated in areas guided for Community Commercial development, a composite FAR of 0.25 and 0.35 will be analyzed in the scenarios for these areas.