04-19-2010 Planning Commission Packet

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� 1 - Defined building height limit of 30' (the property does not qualify for the 3-story allowance for properties previously zoned commercially) which likely would limit the building to two stories above underground parking; flat and mansard roofs not allowed. - 50' minimum setback from the right-of-way of Wayzata Boulevard - 50' wetland buffer plus 20' buffer setback � The attached sketch shows that a multi-family building with a footprint equivalent to that of the , Orono Woods Senior Housing building at Old 12Brown (around 32,500 s.f.) could fit into the site. At two stories of living area,this translates to perhaps thirty-five 1,500 s.f. dwelling units in total. Thirty-five units on 5 acres translates to 7 units per acre, within the guided range of 7-10 units. However, a building with a larger number of smaller units, such as an assisted living facility,might double the number of units; 70 units on 5 acres is 14 units per acre. Would the City grant variances to build higher than two stories? The City did not have to grant a height variance for the 3-story Orono Woods Senior Housing building, which had prior B-1 commercial zoning and which fit into the topography nicely. The City did grant a height variance to allow the Stonebay Lofts Condominium building to achieve a defined height of 38' based on the post site- grading conditions and relatively flat topography, which allowed it to be three stories. For Parcel Group 5 at 875 Wayzata Boulevard, which is being reguided to the 10- 15 units per acre in the CMP Update,height was limited to two stories. Given that the buildable portion of the Eisinger site sits on a hill overlooking a wetland and a freeway, I think it is unlikely that the City would grant a height variance - to do so might result in a building that towers over Old 12 and is highly visible from new 12. Why Increase to 10-15 Units per Acre? In many ways, this site mimics the characteristics of Parcel Group 5 at 875 Wayzata Boulevard - it is surrounded by highways, it is remote from any nearby neighborhood, and there are topographic and "long view" factors that suggest a higher density may be reasonable if the correct mix of low-profile design and screening can be accomplished. This site and Parcel Group 5 each contain around 5-6 acres of usable land, although the Eisinger site has more overall land area,translating to greater potential separation of the building site from New 12. This distance factor suggests a somewhat larger building may be feasible than the 20,000 s.f. footprint established for Parcel Group 5. The property owner notes that a higher density allowance will create a more feasible scenario to fund the cost of expanding utility services to the property. That is true, and is not a factor unique to this property. The request also notes that wetlands are being removed from the calculation of density - this is true for any development in Orono, and is not a strong justification for higher density. In the letter of request; the property owner indicates that increasing the density here would potentially allow a decrease in the proposed density changes in Navarre. Again assuming that this site has 5 acres of developable land, and assuming an ultimate density for just this site of 15 units per acre instead of 7.6 as indicated on Table 3B-4C, such a change translates to 37 additional units in Parcel Group 2 (increasing from 441 units to 478 units) and 37 less units in Navarre (decreasing from 176 units to 139 units). For Navarre, this would allow a reduction of up to 6 acres from the mixed use category without reducing the overall net density for all areas combined - assuming that the remainder of Parcel Group 2 is not also reguided to allow 10-15 units per acre.