10-22-2018 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 8, 2018 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 14 of 18 Barnhart stated in 2015, the property owner came in for a townhome villa project known as Eisinger Meadows. The City’s Comprehensive Plan was amended to include this site. At that time it was recognized there was 10 acres of open space, with a portion of it being located over an old landfill site. The plan at that time depicted a possible apartment building in that area. The current proposal, called Eisinger Flats, is a 192-unit apartment building in the open space south of the proposed townhome development. Access to the site will be via a new public road off of Wayzata Boulevard. The sketch plan shows a four story, U-shaped building with underground parking. The 192 units on about 10 acres yields a density in the range of 19.2 units per acre, which is higher than the current or proposed Comprehensive Plan anticipates. The project will require a Comprehensive Plan Amendment, alteration of the approved preliminary plat, rezoning, and General and Master plan approval. This project seems to be a likely candidate for the RPUD process. The main two issues identified by Staff include the following: 1. Is the Council comfortable with the density proposed? 2. Is the Council comfortable with the proposed 4-story building? While the defined height has not been established, a 4-story building and underground parking will likely be higher than 30 feet. The Planning Commission reviewed this sketch plan at their September meeting and seemed to support the high density at the location and to increasing the height above 30 feet. The City Council should provide feedback on the proposal to the applicant. Seals asked how this density would impact the City’s density number. Barnhart indicated he does not have that calculation tonight, but this site was originally considered open space and was not counted in the City’s density calculation. As a result, any amount of density on this site would help the City. Barnhart noted the City does have some areas that are served by sanitary sewer that are lower than three units per acre, and this site is a good candidate to help offset some of those lower density sites. Walsh stated the higher density on this site will give the City some flexibility in the future. Walsh noted 30 feet is measured from the grade, and that if this is a blank slate, they will have to work with the current codes. Perry Ryan, Lakewest Development, noted they received preliminary plat approval for this northern portion of the site in July of 2016, and included in those plans was a concept for the south phase. The proposed development will blend in with the natural environmental amenities and will consist of a U-shaped building to help create some privacy. Also included is a 10 percent recreational area. The plan proposes 192 units on approximately 10 acres of upland and the overall density will be 14.4 units per acre.