03-23-2010 Council Work Session Packet

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CMP Part 3B. Land Lise Plan the nearby Myrtlewood neighborhood. Basis for Amendment The 2000-2020 CMP indicates that to inore closely approach the development density goals established by Metropolitan Council,Orono has defined certain areas of the City where conversion from planned - Rural densities to planned Urban densities is appropriate. These are areas where provision of urban services can be efficient,cost-effective,and have the least negative impacts on the City's environmental goals and on surrounding development. In defining where urban areas should be located, the City considers proximity to existine hisher density development; proximity to existing municipal sewer lines with available capacity; proximity to existing � urban services;adjacency to existing transportation corridors;and location high in the watershed to limit stormwater impacts. Parcel Group 5 was not identified for change from Rural to Urban in the 2000-2020 CMP. Further.the 2000-2020 CMP establishes a number of policies which generally do not support the conversion of Rural land to Urban status. However.certain factors that suggest such a chan�e is appropriate for PG-5 include: I. The property is essentially an`orphan",with relatively little relationship to the development that surrounds it,i.e. it is surrounded on three sides by transportation eorridors (OId 12, NeN 12, Luce Line Trail); it is topographically disconnected from the primarily single family residential uses to the north; and it abuts a ceme[ery on the south. This lack of connectivity to surroundin� residential areas makes use of the site for a "family friendly"neighborhood unattractive and poorly marketable at best. 2. The potential for non-residential institutional,public or private uses for the site under the current Land Use Plan and low-density zoning is limited by the size of the site,and vehicular access limitations. 3. Vehicular access to the site has limitations due to existing and future expected traffic patterns and adjacent roadway configurations,suggesting that a low intensity residentiai use should be favored over potentially higher- intensity uses that might be available via a conditional use permit. 4. The property is at a location highly visible to traffic entering Orono from the east.Development at this site might be considered as a`main entrance'to Orono.and as such will inherently set a tone as to the character ofthe City, and therefore a visually low-intensity use of the site should be strived for. 5. The property abuts the Luce Line Trail,which as it traverses Orono has a completely different feel than it does in Plymouth to the east;a rural feel rather than a suburban feel. Development of a 40-�0 unit residential building rather than 9 individual buildings is anticipated to result in a more compact,centered footprint,not as spread out as the previously approved 9 single family homes. This has a potential to then retain more of the long views to the southwest enjoyed by trail users,given that those views are now of a freeway and railroad corridor. Due to the trail erossing of the freeway immediately west of the property,this is one of the very few locations in Orono traversed by the trail where denser development might not seem out of place. 6.Residential development at a density of 2 or more units per dry buildable acre would be inconsistent with existing and expected residential development surrounding the property.While the property in Long Lake to the north is zoned to ailow up to 4 units per acre, it has developed in the past with a wide range of lot sizes and at a substantially lower density than it is zoned for.The above factors suggest that this Iocation lends itself to a low- intensity,low-profile multi-family use such as senior assisted living.The traffic generated by this use would be limited, and the profile of the residents would not require immediate adjacency to most urban amenities. Therefore,development of such a use at a density of up to 10 dwellino units per acre would be appropriate for the site. � Planned Development Parameters Land Use Plan Amendment-2009 In addition to the permitted, conditional and accessory uses allowed within the RR-1B zoning district, this amendment allows for residential development of Parcel Group S at a density of^��-�'"�� '� ''?10-15 dwelling units per net dry buildable acre(i.e.exclusive of wetlands and required wetland buffersj.Based on the net area being 4.9 acres,this would allow a�minimum of�9�}3�units The following parameters shall be adhered to for any residential development of PG-S at a density greater than 0.�units per net dry buildable acre of land: � l. All dwellin� units shall be contained within a single residential building that shall not exceed two (2) , City of Orono Communih Nlanagement Plan 2008-2030 Page 3B-38