11.1 SR 05-06-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The concept plan has only 184 proposed parking spaces, of which only thirty are fully enclosed. In years past the city has approved parking variances down to two paces per unit; however, in each of those scenarios the applicant was able to provide proof of concept that parking could be expanded if the approved variance proved problematic. In Reuter Walton’s proposed concept, they have less than two spaces per unit with no available area on the proposed site for proof-of-concept parking expansion. Furthermore, they are proposing less than a third of the required enclosed parking. At the April 23rd planning commission work session Reuter Walton confirmed they would be requesting variance approval for this, saying that increasing the number of parking spaces, specifically enclosed parking spaces, would not be financially feasible. City of Elk River Comprehensive Plan 5. Conflict with the Elk River Parks Master Plan: (Exhibit D to this packet) Chapter 5, initiative three of the 2015 Elk River Parks Master Plan lays out the strategy to strengthen trail connections between all city parks and public areas. Specifically prioritizing efforts on closing trail gaps to several parks, including the Highlands Park lands next to this proposed concept. The current parks plan shows a proposed trail across the north border of Reuter Walton’s site. If the setback variance discussed in item number one of this packet is approved, it would conflict with the goals of the parks department, and the overall comprehensive plan for the City of Elk River. 6. Zoning Change: Our family has owned our current home for twenty years, for most of those years the proposed site for this project was zoned single family residential. In recent years, the city council rezoned it to highway business use to accommodate a proposed storage facility project. There was no opposition to that project because everyone in the immediate vicinity felt it was an effective use of the site. For Reuter Walton to build their proposed project they would also need a zoning change to high density multifamily residential. At no point has our city’s comprehensive plan ever considered this area for high density multifamily residential zoning; therefore, we should not rezone it as such now. To summarize... If the council gives Reuter Walton their support of this concept and Reuter Walton pursues the project as conceptualized, to get final approval from the city council they will need a variance for setback, a variance for lot size, a variance for parking space quantities, a variance for parking space types, and a variance for parking space size. It has been the standard of the Elk River city council and planning commission to deny residents the smallest of variances because they do not want to “create a precedent.” These five variances are by no means insignificant, approving any one of them will only invite future developers to try to do the same thing. Furthermore, if all these variances are approved, and the city council rezones the proposed property, they would be undermining the goals of the Elk River Parks Department as well as the over goals of the comprehensive plan. I implore you to take all these facts into consideration and not provide support for the proposed concept. Page 219 of 254