7.1b SR 07-06-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Site Plan The site is 3.05 acres and includes a 60-unit, 3-story apartment building with a 120-stall parking lot. A playground is proposed north of the building and there is a sidewalk providing access to the existing trail on the west side of the property. Access and Parking The subject parcel has no direct access to a public street, it abuts a private street accessing Holt Street at two locations. Access to the site will be from the northeast corner of the parcel via two existing entry points, entering a surface parking lot with 120 stalls. The parking proposal is not consistent with city ordinance, which require 150 spaces (2.5/unit) and none of the stalls are proposed to be enclosed. The ordinance requires one covered space per unit and the applicant has requested approval of this deviation as part of the PUD process. The city has deviated from the minimum number of stalls in the past through a proof of parking diagram but has not approved a deviation to the covered parking requirement. Staff recommends the required covered stalls be provided as part of this project as nothing has been presented constituting a deviation from the requirements. Landscaping The ordinance requires 40 trees (20 overstory, 10 ornamental, and 10 deciduous) and the submitted landscape plan shows 33 trees. A revised plan, meeting the ordinance requirements, shall be approved by city staff prior to recording the CUP/PUD. Design Standards Elk Ridge Center architecture is guided by a 23-page guide for design standards. Staff continues to work with the applicant to achieve the Northwoods theme outlined by the design standards. While the design and the feel of the building has moved closer to consistency with the standards than was initially submitted, staff would like to see more pedestrian -scale details on the lower level to break up the massive feel of the "base" of the building. The lower level is mostly comprised of an approximately 10-foot-tall masonry wainscoting wall with windows punctuating the masonry. Introducing design elements over some of the windows or a change in heights/material of the wainscoting will further comply with the design standards. Conditional Use Permit/PUD The issuance of a Conditional Use Permit can be ordered only if the use at the proposed location: 1. lY�ill not endanger, injure or detrimentally affect the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity or the public health, safety, morals, comfort, conzemence orgeneral n�elfare of the neighborhood or the city. The residential use may not detrimentally affect the use and enjoyment of adjacent properties, but the property is bordered by two single-family homes to the south, and commercial uses to the north and east. To reduce the possibility for impacts to the homes, staff included a condition to construct a privacy fence along the south property line. The city also has limited opportunities for developable commercial land near the Highway 169 corridor and this project, if approved, may impact the general welfare of the neighborhood or city. The property has also been vacant for several years and the property owner has provided a letter outlining the challenges in marketing this parcel for commercial uses. This impact is a policy decision for the Planning Commission and City Council, but staff does have concerns with removing developable commercial property from the market.