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13 <br />This neighborhood consists primarily of single-family homes and is virtually fully developed.The only <br />significant vacant developable property sits between Twin Lake Boulevard and the Vadnais Heights municipal <br />boundary.Abutting this property to the north in Vadnais Heights is the Five Star Mobile Home community.The <br />land use plan designates this property for medium density residential as a transitional land use between the <br />lower densities to the south and the mobile home park. <br />The site could be appropriate for townhouse-style development in the range of 4-6 units per acre.As an <br />alternative,the City may consider a multi-family housing development at higher density,due to the ability to <br />preserve more of the natural characteristics of the site.When considering the possibility of developing <br />housing for the elderly,assisted living or otherwise,the PUD process will control and account for the decreased <br />traffic and utility impacts that this type of housing typically has.Architecture and site planning for either type of <br />development, would be crucial in the City’s consideration of an attached housing proposal. <br />District 2 <br />District 2 is a commercial/industrial area in the northwest corner of the City,bounded by Rice Street,I-694/I- <br />35E,and the transition line between existing industrial and residential areas generally south of South Owasso <br />Boulevard.In the far northwest corner of the district,commercial property is planned near the Rice Street/I- <br />694 interchange.The area is split by rail lines.Little Canada,with its neighbor communities,supports rail <br />transit on this route, and will continue to actively participate in working toward this objective. <br />In the northwest portion of this District,the City supports the eventual development and redevelopment of <br />commercial uses,particularly where issues related to Rice Street can be resolved through new access to <br />Country Drive on the north. Commercial development may include office and retail uses. <br />The south half of this district is occupied by a variety of industrial uses.Much of this area is dominated by <br />underutilized industrial property with lower-valued buildings and large areas of outdoor storage.While the <br />City’s zoning regulations allow these uses,it is the goal of the City to work toward continuous improvements in <br />this area, both in terms of architecture, site planning, and public improvements. <br />New development should be required to focus on higher development standards,and adaptive re-use should <br />include improvements on an incremental basis.Larger scale redevelopment may be possible,but due to the <br />level of current development and troublesome soil conditions prevalent in the area,financial impediments are <br />great.The City has expressed a willingness to assist financially,if possible,but only in a project that would <br />resolve the many issues related to current site and building conditions. <br />The north and east portions of District 2 has some of the same soil problems,but due to extensive exposure <br />to the 694/35-E interchange area,has seen a higher level of development,with recent redevelopment <br />occurring on some properties.The City’s goals in this area are to continue this redevelopment pattern,with <br />land uses to include large-scale commercial activities including office,office-showroom,office-warehouse,and <br />other compatible uses.Retail uses may be appropriate but will be judged carefully due to concerns with access <br />from Rice Street to the west, or Little Canada Road to the south.