HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 24 - Attachments
City of Lake Elmo
Growth and Staging Plan Policy Document - DRAFT
Prepared by the Lake Elmo Planning Department
Reviewed and Approved by the City Council ________________
Introduction and Summary
The City of Lake Elmo adopted a revised Land Use Plan as part of the 2012 update to the City’s
Comprehensive Plan. This plan included a section on development staging that also addressed the City’s
commitments under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Met Council.
With the recent termination of the MOU and approval of several public improvement and private
development projects within the City, the City Council would like to clarify the purpose and intent of the
Staging Plan, and to provide clarification concerning the implementation of this plan that was not
addressed in the Land Use Plan. This policy document is not intended to replace or amend any existing
provisions already adopted as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
Purpose and Intent
In order to help the City plan for and manage growth, the Lake Elmo Land Use Plan identifies three
primary objectives for the staging plan as follows:
• Identify a logical pattern for future growth based on the amount of land planned for new
development and the availability of infrastructure to serve this development
• Give the City additional control over the timing and location of new development to coincide
with the City’s ability to provide the required services.
• Provide additional opportunities and an official mechanism for the City to be able to plan,
budget, and set goals for future development.
One of the tools that was created in order to help accomplish these objectives was a Staging Plan Map
for the I-94 corridor planning area. This map identified three distinct phases for future growth and
development, but did not link any of these phases to a specific time frame. The plan notes that the City
will monitor growth by assessing market conditions, land capacity, and the availability of public
infrastructure in order to determine when development may occur in stages subsequent to the first
stage. It further includes criterion under which the City would consider allowing development in later
stages, including the availability of infrastructure to serve new development and a commitment from
developers to pay a proportionate share of the costs to extend services to new areas.
Development Activity
Since the adoption of an updated Land Use Plan, the City has taken action on several land use requests
that have extended public services into planned sewered development areas. This activity has included
the following projects:
• Constructing sewer and water trunk lines to service development within the Stage 1 planning
area.
• Extending a sanitary sewer force main from the I-94 corridor to the Village Planning Area. A part
of this project included the construction of a gravity sewer line along the southernmost
extension of this project.
• Installing a water trunk line along Lake Elmo Avenue from the Village Planning area to 5th Street.
• Negotiating the location for a future water tower along Inwood Avenue that will service the
western portion of the I-94 corridor.
• Approving plans for the construction of the several segments of the 5th Street minor collector
road as part of private development projects.
• Constructing sanitary sewer service along 39th Street and south to the railroad right-of-way in
the Village Planning Area.
• Working with Washington County on a comprehensive plan for road, sewer, water, and
streetscape improvements along Lake Elmo Avenue and other streets in the Village Planning
Area.
These public improvement projects, along with supporting private infrastructure investments, have
made public services available to most of the Stage 1 planning area and the extreme eastern-most
parcels within the Stage 2 planning area.
Policies
With the completion of the public and private development projects listed above and the approval of
nearly 2,000 new sewered housing units at a concept level or above, the City Council has indicated that
it would like to establish clear policies for managing growth under the terms of the City’s approved
Comprehensive Plan, including the Staging Plan. The City has also been notified that Lake Elmo’s
population and household forecasts for 2040 will be lowered from the numbers adopted as part the
Comprehensive Plan. These policies are therefore intended to: 1) help the City begin addressing the
reduced population forecast numbers that will be adopted as part of the Metropolitan Council 2015
Systems Statement; and 2) help ensure that future growth and development occur in a manner that
does not overburden the public or lead to inefficient use of public improvement expenditures.
With these objectives in mind, the City hereby adopts the following policies concerning growth and
Staging as specified in the Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan:
1) Adhere to the Staging Plan as adopted in the Land Use Plan.
a. Council approval will be required prior to the acceptance of any residential land use
applications for development activity within the Stage 3 development area or for any
parcels within the Stage 2 development area that are not directly adjacent to Lake Elmo
Avenue.
b. Commercial development projects may be allowed to commence within any Stage
provided the project is able to address the “adequate public facilities” provisions as lists
below.
2) Clarify the circumstances under which the City will consider accelerating development in Stage 2
or Stage 3.
a. Commercial development proposals that are able to demonstrate the availability of
adequate public facilities may proceed provided the application materials address this
issue.
b. Adequate Public Facilities is defined as follows: [Include Definition]
c. In considering accelerating development to later stages, the development will be
evaluated to assess the public risk from the project. In this case, a public risk will be
considered a public cost that is not off-set by a reasonable percentage of taxes or other
revenues (including, but not limited to, city exactions, dedications, development or
other fees or charges, permits, utility connections, impact fees, etc) that are attributable
to the development. Public costs shall include costs incurred or that might reasonably
be expected to be incurred in the foreseeable future. (City-wide capital expenditures
not solely attributable to the development will not be considered as part of this analysis
because the financing of these costs is spread across the entire tax base and paid for by
hook-up charges, user fees and similar means)
3) Define the level of activity that will allow development to occur in later stages.
a. For new development to be allowed beyond Stage 1 or any subsequent stages, at least
65% of the residential lots within the entire development stage must platted as part of a
final plat and must have either a structure constructed on them or a building permit
issued for the construction of a structure on these lots.
4) Prepare an Interim Comprehensive Plan amendment in advance of the release of the 2015
Systems Statement.
a. The amendment will address the following:
i. Reducing the City’s population and household forecasts to match the 2015
Systems Statement.
ii. Considering land use changes along the corridor, and specifically reducing the
amount of land guided for HDR, expanding the BP land area, and concentrating
MDR and HDR areas around development nodes.
iii. Revising or eliminating the MOU targets included in the previous plan.
iv. Updating the Staging Plan to reflect current conditions and the revised
population and household forecasts.
5) Consider adoption of an adequate public facilities ordinance to more clearly require compliance
with these policies.
Other Strategies
Lake Elmo Development Status - May 15, 2015
Developer Area Total Units Concept Preliminary Final Dev Ag
Lennar I94 310 x x
Hunters Crossing I94 51 x x
Hammes I94 163 x x
Easton Village OV 217 x x
Boulder Ponds I94 162 x x
Village Preserve OV 91 x
Inwood (Hagen) (PUD)I94 539 x
Village Park Preserve OV 104 x
Wildflower (PUD)OV 145 x
Lennar LE Avenue I94 48 x
Landucci (Goetschel Farm)OP 49 x
Hidden Meadows (Rockpoint)OP 33 x
Totals 1912 2 4 6 5
I94 Units in Pipeline 1273 Financial Forecasting
OV Units in Pipeline 557 SACs + Connection = 1832 X $4000 =$7,328,000
OP Units in Pipeline 82 WACS+Connections = 1912 X $4000 =$7,648,000
Estimated Home Value X $350,000 =$669,200,000
Population Calculation 1919 X 2.5 = 4780 Additional Tax Base (x.002)$1,338,000.00
Curent Approximate Population 8100
Total by 2025 12880
Met Council 2040 Population Forecast 18,200
Minus 2025 Population Based on 100% Buildout 12,880
Total Available Population Growth for 2040 5320
Total Available Homes for Development (5320/2.5)2128
Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan Chapter III – Land Use Plan
Comprehensive Plan. The City will also be adopting zoning district standards within the urban
residential development areas that will allow the clustering of housing on smaller lots in exchange for
the preservation of open space within new developments.
Staging Plan
While Table 3-C provides a projected schedule for the construction of new residential and non-
residential developments, the City has also adopted a general staging plan within the City’s urban
growth areas to help ensure that the City is able to deliver the required municipal services and public
infrastructure that will be needed to support new development. The infrastructure needed to serve
these developing areas is substantial and the staging plan will provide a mechanism for the City to
manage this growth and to be able to adequately prepare for the City’s future infrastructure needs. The
objectives of the staging plan are to:
• Identify a logical pattern for future growth based on the amount of land planned for new
development and the availability of infrastructure to serve this development
• Give the City additional control over the timing and location of new development to coincide
with the City’s ability to provide the required services.
Provide additional opportunities and an official mechanism for the City to be able to plan, budget, and
set goals for future development.
The Staging Plan is document as part of Map 3-4, and identifies three separate stages for future
development without a specific time period attached to these phases. Instead, growth is expected to
occur at the rate documented in Table 3-C, with each of the stages being developed in the order
depicted on the map and further described as follows:
• Stage I: New sewered development located west of Keats Avenue that will connect to the MCES
WONE interceptor.
• Stage II: New sewered development located west of Manning Avenue and south of the Forest
residential subdivision that will connect to the MCES Cottage Grove Ravine regional interceptor.
• Stage III: All remaining new sewered development south of 10th Street that will connect to the
MCES Cottage Grove Ravine regional interceptor.
The City will monitor growth by assessing market conditions, land capacity, and the availability of public
infrastructure in order to determine when development may occur in stages subsequent to the first
stage. The acceleration of a development in any of the latter stages may be permitted by the City
provided it is demonstrated that adequate public infrastructure exists to support this development.
The availability of infrastructure and any necessary utility extensions and transportation improvements
needed to support new development will be considered in deciding whether or not to open up the next
staging area to development. In order to accelerate the development of latter stages, there must be a
commitment that the development will pay its proportionate share of the infrastructure costs to extend
services to any new development.
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City of Lake Elmo7-19-2012Data Scource:Washington County, MN
I-94 Corridor Development Staging Plan - Lake Elmo, MN
K
§¨¦94
456717456717
456710
456713
§¨¦94
1
456719 3
2
456715
Stage 1
Stage 3
Stage 2 0 0.5 10.25 Miles
Map 3-4
Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan Chapter III – Land Use Plan
To help ensure that public facilities needed to support new development meet or exceed an acceptable
level of service, the City will consider adoption of an adequate facilities ordinance. The primary goals of
this ordinance are to: 1) avoid sprawling or leapfrog development that would result in an inefficient use
of the City’s infrastructure and services, and 2) give priority to development opportunities that do not
require the construction of significant extensions of public infrastructure. When developers build on
parcels that are not contiguous to areas served by existing infrastructure, there is an expectation that
the developer will pay for the added costs to serve non-contiguous development. Non-contiguous
development will not be allowed if it would negatively impact the City’s financial stability and capacity.
Implementation
The following tasks will be completed by the City to facilitate the implementation of the land use plan.
Zoning Code Update
Planned development within the Old Village and south of 10th Street will introduce development styles
and patterns new to the community that cannot be achieved by existing zoning classifications. The
zoning code will need to be updated to include new residential, commercial and Business Park districts
as needed to ensure the City’s vision can be successfully carried out.
• Creation of Design Standards
As a supplement to the new zoning districts, the City will pursue the creation and adoption of
specific design standards for areas of new development. Design standards go beyond standard
zoning requirements such as area and width to specify required building materials, building
articulation, architectural standards, etc. Adoption of design standards sets an overall policy for
what development should look like to guide the quality of the built environment towards the
community’s established vision.
• Form Based Code
Within the Old Village area, the City will consider implementation of a form based code in lieu of
standard Euclidian zoning districts. Under a form based code, requirements focus primarily on the
built environment and its relation to the public realm rather than on the separation of uses. Form
based codes are regulatory, not advisory like typical design standards. Specific standards for public
spaces and building forms are adopted directly into code and mandate that future construction
achieve the established community vision.
Internal Process Evaluation
A review of procedures for all application types will be undertaken by the City to ensure internal
processes are optimized for quick turn-around and minimal delays whenever possible.
Cooperation with Other Government Agencies
The City will reach out to neighboring communities and reviewing agencies to proactively address issues
that may impact future development.
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