10/19/2005 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNCIL WORK SESSION OCTOBER 19, 2005 • APPROVED 1 1. Housing density and number of townhome units. 2 2. Infrastructure costs and potential impact to taxpayers 3 4 Community Development Director Grochala advised the proposed Hardwood Creek 5 development plan includes approximately 400-420 single family homes and 800 to 830 6 multifamily homes (townhomes) on approximately 270 acres of the development site 7 (including permanent open space). The proposed housing mix would allow for a 8 residential development density of approximately 4.5 units per acre. Approximately 45 9 acres of the site is currently guided for medium density residential (3 to 6 units per acre) 10 and 25 acres are guided as high density residential (6 to 12 units per acre). This would 11 allow for up to 570 multi-family/townhome units on 70 acres (8.1 units/acre). 12 13 While the proposed Hardwood Creek Development increases the number of residential 14 units on the site, from a land planning standpoint, the proposed project allows for a better 15 distribution of the intensity of development than what is currently provided for within the 16 Comprehensive Plan. 17 18 Secondly, from a policy standpoint, the 4.5 unit per acre density over the site should assist 19 the city in satisfying Metropolitan Council Development Framework guidelines for an 20 average city wide residential development density of 3.0 units per acre. This was a point 21 of contention during the adoption of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan and required some • 22 23 modification, on the City's part, of the land use plan. This should provide us with additional flexibility as we begin to prepare for the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update. 24 25 Finally, while staff cannot comment directly on the economics of the development, the 26 proposed density and unit type is linked to the site amenities that we will expect in any 27 development approvals from the site. The number of units provides for greater 28 economies of scale that make a highly landscaped, architecturally controlled development 29 feasible. These same economies also provide for the off-site infrastructure improvements 30 necessary to service the development and surrounding area. Additionally, the unit type 31 itself greatly influences the amount of open space preserved and/or created by the 32 development. Attached units (townhomes) by their very nature allow for more clustered 33 development which in turn provides for more open space on the site. 34 35 Generally, staff is supportive of the proposed housing density and product mix for the 36 above reasons. However, the development proposal does include a significant number of 37 housing units. To insure that the development creates the desired gateway into the 38 community the location, mix, look and orientation of housing product on the site is 39 extremely important. The developer is aware of and committed to addressing these 40 challenges. It is apparent from both staff and council comments that the housing products 41 themselves will need to improve significantly during the PUD process to gain approval. 42 •