02-13-2002 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL hE[3RUARY 13, 2002 Sherman felt that either concept was realistic, but noted that they prefer Concept A with the 95 units of senior housing. Fahey asked about a restaurant use for the stand-alone building. Sherman agreed that that would be a more favorable location for a restaurant. Sherman suggested restaurant uses in the senior building such as a coffee shop, deli, or sub shop. Knudsen asked why the retail space is focused entirely on Rice Street and none is fi opting on Little Canada Road. Sherman repoirted that retail users will want to focus on Rice Street where the traffic and image are. Sherman pointed out that he is utilizing the Little Canada Road frontage for community space, creating alight-on, user-friendly atmosphere. Sherman pointed out that he is proposing 90 for-sale townhome units on the property to the east. However, once wetland storage and ponding is figured into the project, the reality will likely be 75 to 80 units. Sherman indicated that the market is strong for these units and he would anticipate price ranges of $185,000 to $215,000 per townhome unit. Sherman indicated that the townhomes would be marketed to first- time homebuyers, empty nesters, and senior citizens. "fhe townhomes would be of high-quality construction. Fahey pointed out that the City's policy would be to require the streets to be constructed to meet City standards even if they are privately owned. Carson asked about square footage. Sherman indicated that about l5% of the senior units would be l bedroom consisting of 700 to 800 square feet, 25% to 35% of the I bedroom with dens would be 1,000 to 1,100 square feet in size, and about 40% of the units would be 2 bedrooims consisting of 1,200 to 1,300 square feet. The townhomes would range from 1,650 to 1,700 square feet and are proposed as two level townhomes. Single level townhomes would require a reduction in density. Sherman stated that while a single level townhome is attractive to seniors, there is also a strong market for two level townhomes. Fahey asked about a mixture. Shenman replied that that can be done and the townhomes would appeal to a broader market. However, the density would have to be reduced. All townhomes are proposed to have double car garages. Swenson indicated that the image they are trying to create on the southeast corner should be carried to the northeast corner as well. He pointed out that this can be done through the use of architectural elements such as trellises and pedestrian elements. Swenson felt that atwo-story retail/otlice building may be viable for the northeast corner with retail on the first floor and office on the upper floor. Sherman indicated that he talked to US Bank about reconfiguring their site and it may be possible to pull that property into the redevelopment effort as well. 5