01/25/1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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This change from the initial land use has raised concerns in the following areas: a. Over - utilization of the site with the combination of land uses. b. Clear cutting the site to accommodate the combination of uses. c. Duplication of similar land uses within the Town Center Planning District that may establish an image contrary to the planning objectives for the Town Center area. d. Establishing a design and land use theme for the shopping center area of the Town Center that is inconsistent to the image portrayed in the original concept plan. 2. The applicant is requesting a staged development of the PDO and flexibility in site use and design to retain the greatest flexibility in the marketing of the sites to perspective businesses. While recognizing the need for site marketing, the requested PDO is intended to establish firm rules and design guidelines for the entire site development that insures the high quality development originally envisioned in the concept plan. The applicant and his design team have attempted to respond to City design issues, however, there is a reluctance to establish firm design elements for the overall PDO that may encumber or discourage a potential development interest. Without establishing some specific PDO design perimeters, staff believes that the City would not maintain the necessary controls to insure that land use and site design elements emphasized in the City's review of the original concept plan and the City objectives for the entire Town Center commercial area. 3. Since the initiation of the JADT development applications, the City had contracted with Calthorpe Associates and Zimmerman Volk Associates to revise the Town Center Master Plan and establish land use and design site guidelines for the entire Town Center area. The new Town Center Master Plan will emphasize the principles of traditional neighborhood development (TND). Within all four quadrants of the 1 -35 /CSAH 23 interchange, specific recommendations pertaining to traffic circulation, streetscape, site access, environmental preservation, land use, and site design will be offered to ensure a mixture of land uses that will complement each other and create the kind of quality commercial development desired by the City. The formulation of these specific Town Center land use and design criteria is consistent with the recommendations outlined in Planning District 1 of the Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan. The lack of these specific Town Center land use and design guidelines have complicated the PDO /CUP review in that the City's expectations are not clearly defined. This has resulted in numerous negotiations over the PDO standards, many of which are still undecided. 3