01/21/2004 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

Planning & Zoning Board Legacy at Woods Edge December 12, 2003 Individual Site Development Upon approval of the Rezoning and Development Stage Plans individual site development will be reviewed in accordance with the adopted standards. The Hartford Group has submitted as part of their application a request for site and building approval for Phase I of the development. The Regent at Lino Lakes is a senior community housed on the second through forth floors above first floor retail of buildings 6 and 7. The project consist of 122 unit senior residential units with approximately 48,800 square feet of ground floor commercial area. The community offers rental apartment homes with services ranging from independent living to assisted living. Through the resolution of issues raised previously the primary review issue with the Regent project would relate to conformance to the architectural and regulating plan standards. City staff has reviewed the proposed building and offers the following comments: Building Design Preliminary building floor plans and exterior elevations for the proposed "Regent at Lino Lakes Senior Living Development" have been reviewed using Chapter 3, Mixed -Use, Highway and Civic District Standards from the Lino Lakes Town Center Design & Development Guide prepared by Calthorpe Associates and revised by City Staff, dated October 9, 2000. The proposed design meets the majority of the design standards: accessible street facing building entries, location of residential uses over commercial ground floor uses, building setbacks and build -to- lines, facade transparency, scale and definition and rooftop equipment. It is unclear from the preliminary plans if the proposed windows comply with the.standard regarding Reveals, this standard states that "windows be recessed a minimum of two inches from walls or exterior trim to create shadow for visual interest." It appears that the building design as proposed exceeds maximum 45 foot height standard as described on page 23 of the standards. Measurements of the plans indicate that slightly less than 50% of the building's length meets the 45 foot maximum height. The standards include provisions for minor projections such as clock towers, cupolas and ornamental projections of parapet walls to extend an additional ten feet above the maximum height, provided they make up no more than one third of the length of the building's facade. Also of concern is the manner in which the building design attempts to comply with the standards for Building Scale and Definition and Materials and Methods of Construction. The building's approximate 456 foot length and four level height along the park creates a very significant structure in the Town Center as well as the overall community. In attempting to mitigate this mass and scale the proposed design presents an overly generous variety of stylistic treatments, details and roof heights. The overall effect is unsuccessful in achieving a structurally legible, pedestrian friendly design. Such things as decorative window shutters placed along windows at building's fourth level, are out of scale and character with a building of this size and 12