03-22-2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 MEMORANDUM To:Mayor Peterson and City Council Chair Smith and Planning Commission Ron Moorse, City Administrator From:Mike Gaffron, Planning Director Date:March 4,2004 Subject:Latest Information re: Stonebay Marketplace Attachments 1 - Staff letter to John Trautz dated March 1. including conceptual sketch 2 - Trautz response letter dated March 3.2004 3 - Revised Site Plan #17 (Most current applicant submittal) 4 • City Engineer comments dated March 2,2004 re Plan #17 As a result of two Planning Commission hearings, at least two work sessions and a number of discussions with the applicants, staff has concluded that the applicants have not been focusing adequately on the issues we feel are important to allow conversion of this site firora primarily office to primarily retail uses. Over the past 3 months we have seen many tweaks to the initial site plan, but virtually no changes in the intensity of use or the orientation of uses. It seemed appropriate to send a letter that makes clear exactly what we are thinking (Attachment 1). The response letter from Mr. Trauu (Attachment 2) is attached, as is the most recent site plan (Version 17) and the most recent comments from the City Engineer as to parking and circulation in that plan, On Ffebtuary 17 the Planning Commission tabled all elements of the application (Comp Plan Amendment - Rezoning* Subdivision - Commercial Site Plan Review) to its March 15 meeting, with the intent in the interim to meet with the Long Lake Planning Commission to discuss the topic of development along Highway 12 and hopefully gain a sense of whether Long Lake would see the conversion of this site to retail as a positive or negative impact on their ability to implement Long Lake’s downtown master plan. That meeting was held last night with a majority of each planning commission in attendance. It was a cordial meeting, and I think both commissions have a better understanding of each others intents and concerns regarding development. My sense is that a majority of the Long Lake people in attendance are concerned that implementation of their plan will be difficult and take some time to accomplish, and that any retail we do at the west end of town will not make it any easier for their plan to move forward. They seemed quite supportive of our actions to date in not allowing retail west of Willow. I will be asking the Planning Commission at its March 15 meeting to make a formal recommendation to the Council regaining the Comp Plan Amendment, and if the recommendation is in favor of the amendment, to confirm that the goals laid out in the March 1 letter to the applicant should be incorporated into language to be added to the Comp Plan for development of this specific site.