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f � <br /> #09-3393 875 Wayzata Boulevard <br /> January 14,2009 � <br /> Page 9 <br /> A committee of officials of the cities of Orono and Long Lake has been meeting on a regular <br /> basis for the past 3-4 years to consider the various issues and opportunities that will be <br /> encountered when new Highway 12 opens and MnDOT turns over existing Highway 12 to <br /> � Hennepin County. The committee has spent a'considerable amount of time reviewing access to <br /> individual properties, including that of this site and the Montessori school opposite it. A � <br /> "roundabout" traffic management system at the intersection of Old 12 and Old Wayzata <br /> • Boulevard just southeast of the property has been proposed and has been under review by <br /> MnDOT for some time (see Exlubit N). If it is ultimately approved and constructed as currently <br /> depicted, westbound egress from this site would be eliminated, requiring westbound vehicles to <br /> head east and traverse the roundabout in order to continue west on Wayzata Boulevard. <br /> . Additional Site-Specific Factors for Consideration <br /> 1. The property is to�some extent an "orphan", with relatively little relationship to the <br /> development that surrounds it, i.e. it is surrounded on three sides by transportation <br /> corridors (Old 12, New 12, Luce Line); it is topographically disconnected from the <br /> residential uses to the north; and it abuts a cemetery on the south. While the property in <br /> Long Lake to the north is zoned to allow up to 4 units per acre, it has developed in the <br /> past with a wide range of lot sizes and at a lower density than it is zoned for. A recent � <br /> . subdivision at the south end of Lindawood Road created a total of.5 single family lots ' <br /> from 4.2 acres of land, a density of just over 1 unit per acre. <br /> 2. The day-care use at the site apparently had minimal success in its waning years, due to <br /> factors not fully known to staff but potentially related to vehicular access difficulties. <br /> . The recent opening of the Highway 12 freeway segment has substantially reduced levels <br /> of traffic on Wayzata Boulevard. Because of the assisted-living nature of the proposed <br /> use, and the relative immobility of its residents (most will not own cars) as well as the <br /> anticipated staffing levels, applicants have indicated that the trip generation for such a 46- . <br /> unit facility is generally relatively low. <br /> 3. The range of potential uses within the existing RR-1B Rural Residential zoning for this <br /> site include the development of single-family housing (no more than 3 homes, at a 2-acre <br /> density) as well as a variety of institutional, public or private uses. The RPUD rezoning <br /> for the Orono Villas project was very project-specific; likewise, RPUD rezoning for the <br /> Comforts-of-Home project would also be project-specific. <br /> 4. The property is at a highly visible location to traffic entering Orono from the east on <br /> Wayzata Boulevard. Development at this site might be considered as a `main entrance' to <br /> Orono, and as such will inherently set a tone as to the character of the City. The Orono <br /> Villas project was approved subject to a variety of conditions that limited the orientation, <br /> character and height of the individual buildings and required substantial screening be <br /> developed or maintained, so as to minimize the visibility of the higher-density <br /> development as viewed from Wayzata Boulevard. <br />