07-24-2002 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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storefronts to the south. The plan should be modified to provide connection to a trail along Rice Street that is planned to extend to the south. The plan set also includes utilities plans and grading and drainage plans which should be reviewed by Public Works and Engineering staff. Townhouse Concept PUD. The townhouse portion of the site consists of 51 units as noted previously. The plan submission provides a line drawing layout of the proposed site, with additional detail to follow during the Development Stage PUD phase. Building dusters include two four -unit clusters of two story units along Little Canada Road. The applicant has suggested that the two story units work well in this location to follow the building massing pattern established by the corner mixed use building. The remainder of the units in the project are single story units, reflecting a desire by the City to focus the project on seniors. The single story units are shown in clusters of two, three, and four unit buildings. The layout of the project relies on a system of private streets with a single access point to Little Canada Road, and a driveway connection to the east side of the mixed use building area. Planning staff would recommend provision for a future connection from the south end of the private street toward Rice Street. The City has indicated that this area may be included in a future redevelopment project, and the additional access to the residential area would be beneficial. The density of the townhouse portion of the project is approximately 7.3 units per acre or 5,900 square feet per unit - consistent with the City's requirement of 5,000 square feet of lot area per unit. The Planning Commission should discuss the unit types and the impact of single level townhouse design. To accommodate this unit type, garages must be at the same grade as the residential floor level, which most often means a garage -front building design. Two level units with "tuck- under" or underground parking designs that de- emphasize the garage are difficult to design. As a result, automobile parking and garages become the primary feature of the site plan. Planning staff would encourage the City to consider a greater mix of housing styles due to the architectural impact of the unit types shown in the plan. Summary and Recommendation The proposed concept and development stage plans for the mixed use project are consistent with the land use planning for this area. With the recommendation that additional pedestrian access is provided to facilitate a trail along Rice Street, planning staff recommends approval of the Preliminary Plat, Concept and Development Stage Planned Unit Development, and Architectural Review for the mixed use portion of the 3