04-09-2018 Council Work Session Packet

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be consistent with feedback received through the community engagement process, as the neighborhood desires a more robust commercial district with places to go. There is currently no market for speculative office development. Build -to -suit office development may occur for specific businesses but those decisions on site attractiveness would consider different factors than considered in this market study. Residential Market In looking at the market -supported residential uses, for -sale townhomes would likely only be supported on Site #2, due to higher land costs on the other sites. Mid -rise for -sale condominiums and rental housing could likely be supported on all of the sites. Residential densities for multi- family housing in third -tier suburbs, such as Orono, are generally in the 25 to 40 units an acre range. Increasing the number of residential units near the intersection of Shoreline Drive and Shadywood Road would likely increase the potential for greater pedestrian traffic and provide support for additional retail businesses. Higher residential densities also help to justify public investment in pedestrian infrastructure such as enhanced pavement, lighting, benches, decorations and landscaping. Mixed responses were received regarding the desire for higher residential density in Navarre; however, there was overwhelming support for pedestrian improvements and additional retail businesses and places to go. Generally, higher residential densities are required to justify spending on pedestrian improvements and to attract additional retail businesses. Navarre will need to consider these tradeoffs carefully when reviewing future proposals for higher density residential housing. Other Uses Considered The market for hospitality has been oversaturated and therefore a hotel is not likely to be supported at any of the identified locations. If lake access were available, a small boutique hotel could be a possibility in Navarre. Additionally, office uses will be very difficult to attract in Navarre as the office market cannot generate the rents needed to support new construction; however, an office building with a built -to -suit tenant would be an ideal use for several of the identified sites. Transportation Irn 0 ents Improvements to County Road Intersection Overwhelmingly, residents of the Navarre area find the intersection of Shoreline Drive (County Rd 15) and Shadywood Road (County Rd 19) to be dangerous and unwelcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic volumes, speeds, and the orientation of the intersection all contribute to unfavorable pedestrian conditions. Based on feedback received through the citizen engagement process, a priority for the neighborhood is to make the area more pedestrian friendly. With both of these roadways under the jurisdiction of Hennepin County, the City will need to work closely with the County to ensure that future improvements meet the needs of the neighborhood. As part of any road improvement, an objective should be to reduce speeds of motor vehicles and consider all modes of transportation. This may be achieved with lane narrowing or other optical illusions to get drivers to respond accordingly. However, since the roadway is already at capacity in terms of traffic volumes, it is unlikely that improvements will aim to drastically reduce speeds. Another objective should be to tighten up the intersection and make traffic movements for all modes of traffic more predictable. Eliminating some of the free -right turns at the northwest, southwest, and southeast corners of 15/19 intersection should be options that are considered, which would help narrow the intersection, reduce speeds, and improve vehicle predictability. Hennepin County has obtained federal funding to make safety improvements to the intersection. The project is scheduled in the County's capital improvement plan for 2019. Hennepin County Page 7