8.1 SR 10-18-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Industrial Elk River is home to a number of established industrial areas which are concentrated along the city's major corri- dors including Highway 169 and Highway 10. These existing areas are experiencing lowvacancy and demand for addi- tional industrial development and employment generating uses is high. This demand is especially high for large lot industrial sites that would support a range of light to heavy industrial activity. To accommodate this demand, the Economic Development Plan highlights large lot industrial opportunity sites that should be preserved. These sites are located in areas of the city that provide adequate space and access for all forms of industrial operation, manufacturing, storage, and production. Large lot industrial uses should be separated by lower intensity uses such as commercial or business park uses and wherever possible avoid locating directly adjacent residential uses. When adjacency to residential neighborhoods is unavoidable, the city should continue requiring the types of screening and buffering currently utilized on sites like the Faribault Foods facility and further discussed in the Continue to Appropriately Buffer and Screen section. Two major opportunity sites for large lot industrial devel- opment exist in Elk River including: The northern portion of the Gravel Mining Area, which has direct access to Highway 169 and is due to transition away from mining operations in the next 10 years. • Lots surrounding the former GRE site in the southeast portion of the city with access to the BNSF railroad. It is important to note that the Highway 10 Study will ultimately determine the appropriate amount of industrial activity that these sites will be able to support and there- fore, the city must have active involvement in the develop- ment of the study to ensure the final roadway alignments provide adequate access to support large lot industrial development needs. Preserve Areas for Large Lot Industrial The city should rezone parcels identified for large lot industrial that are within the Urban Service Area to the I-3 General Industrial Zoning District and rezone parcels outside the Urban Service Area to I-2 Medium Industrial. In addition, the city should update the I-2 Medium Indus- trial District and I-3 General Industrial District standards to require larger lots for development. Currently the prin- cipal structure dimensional regulations for all industrial zoning categories (including I-1 Light Industrial) have the same minimum lot area requirements of 1 acre, minimum lot width requirements of 100 feet, and a maximum lot coverage of 40%. To preserve areas identified for large lot industrial, the city should consider requiring a larger minimum lot area and lot width for the I-2 and I-3 districts to deter smaller industrial development on these sites and make other I-1 zoned areas of the city more attractive for this scale of development. Facilitate the Transition of Properties Identified for Large Lot Industrial Due to the limited opportunities and high demand for large lot industrial sites in Elk River, it is essential that the city be involved in the transition of these properties from their current use to what is envisioned in the Economic Development Plan. In addition to proactive rezoning, to help facilitate the transition of these properties from their current use to industrial development in the future, the city should maintain routine communication with the private land owners of properties identified for large lot industrial development. In addition, the city should establish public -private partnerships with developers who are interested in site acquisition for large lot indus- trial development. The public -private partnership could follow a Develop Operate and Transfer (DOT) model where developers undertake the financing and construction of supporting infrastructure (i.e. roadways, sidewalks, storm - water infrastructure) for the right to develop the adjoining property. The city should serve as the go between to facilitate the transfer of these lands and guide developers through the review and approval process. •70 Economic Development Plan • Elk River Comprehensive Plan 191MITI ad9i7:1OWN IMiVEi701wo