01-21-1999 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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LR-lC-1 Density Credit January 13,1999 Page 3 Impact of Various Credits on LR-lC-1 Density The LR-lC-1 density credit simply allows "a 50% increase in dwelling unit density over the LR-IC District". The LR-IC District requires a minimum lot size of 1/2 acre, which translates to a maximum dwelling unit density of 2 units per acre. A 50% increase in density ;;ields 3 units per acre. This credit is the sole basis for the LR-lC-1 District. In 1998 Council eliminated the wetland density credit, which had allowed wetlands in sewered zones to be credited as dry buildable land for meeting density standards. This revision Lame too late to apply to the Tonka Ventures site; it might impact the Sohns site future development capability as well as future development at the Carman/15 site, but likely has no impact on other LR-lC-1 properties. Prior to elimination of the wetland credit, a 10-acre LR-lC-1 site that contained a 3-acre wetland, would have been allowed up to 30 units via a PRD using both the wetland credit and the 50% density credit. Eliminating the wetland credit reduced the potential number of units to 21; additionally eliminating the density credit would reduce the potential to 14 units via a PRD, or perhaps only 11 or 12 units under a standard plat where roadway credit is not allowed. Housing Impacts The LR-lC-i 50% density credit is one of the few mechanisms Orono has in place to provide for housing diversity, i.e. a range of housing types and values to serve a broad range of lifestyles and income levels. One of the keys to housing diversity is higher density, which reduces the ptr-urit costs of land and infrastructure (roads, sewer and water lines, etc.). While Orono considers its 1/2- acre zones as 'high density', the development community and the Metropolitan Council would consider 2 units per acre as medium or low density, with high density being in the range of 6-10 or more units per acre. Elimination of the LR-lC-1 50% density credit would effectively revert the LR-iC-1 back to its standard LR-IC status. Such a move would leave Orono with just the M-6 Multiple Family Planned Residential District as a location for housing densities of more than 2 units per acre. Although ih? M-6 standards (which allow 6-7 units per acrel were pul into p lace in 1976. no property in Qrono has ever been rezoned to M-6. The City is mandated as part of its Comprehensive Plan update process, to address "affordable and life-cycle housing". Affordable housing is housing affordable to persons meeting certain income guidelines: for 1998, this was a ma,ximum home value of $128,000 or a amximum rent of $760. These values are established annually by HUD. Life-cycle housing is th? variety of types of housing that serves the needs of people at different stages in life.