PRSR 04-09-2003 ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Draft Land Use Plan-March 27, 2003 • Guide development to create a positive character and identity of Elk River. • Guide development to protect natural resources and features. • Design residential subdivisions that support community transportation objectives and plans. Proposed Medium Density Residential Land Use Description This land use category follows the basic criteria of the current plan. Development requires service by municipal sewer and water systems. Overall maximum densities in Medium Density Residential is 4 units net per acre. However, individual projects may range in densities in order to include a range of housing types and styles including single-family attached units. In projects where townhomes or other single-family attached housing types are developed, the overall density of 4 units per net acre is obtained by preserving other areas of open space or park land. The presence of municipal utilities creates the ability to use density bonuses to achieve greater protection of natural features. The City can allow additional density as a trade-off for additional dedication of public land or other actions to protect natural features. In the unsewered areas,the ability to increase density is limited by the capacity of septic systems. With municipal sewers, the issue is a trade-off between protecting natural features and supportable development densities. Other policy issues recommended as part of the Medium Density Residential area include: • Undertake area-wide storm water system planning to provide efficient and cost-effective improvements. • Ensure that neighborhood street systems that provide collectors and connections to the overall city transportation system. • Require all subdivisions to provide sidewalks and connections to city-wide trail systems and other logical walking destinations such as parks, schools, churches or neighborhood commercial nodes. While the Medium Density Residential area is expanded, a corresponding change in the Urban Service Boundary is not proposed. The Boundary becomes a tool for promoting the orderly expansion of municipal utility systems and managing the capacity of sewage treatment systems. Additional zoning tools may be necessary in order to protect areas adjacent to the existing urban service boundary from premature rural development. High Density Residential High Density Residential Area Overview The current plan does not provide any vacant land for the development of high density housing. There are a limited number of locations suitable for High Density Housing. The Land Use Plan proposes the following locations: • Along Twin Lakes Road in the area of the Northstar Corridor Transit Station(potential future commuter rail station). This location offers access to transit, employment and shopping. • As part of the new Mixed Use designation discussed in the next section. 7