Agenda Packets - 1997/04/28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Mounds View Staff Report Planning Case No. 477-97: D.W.Jones Property April 26, 1997 Page 3 requirement in the PUD that soil testing be done, and the feasibility of underground parking be determined prior to approval of the development plan. If parking cannot be put under the building, or if the building must be raised to accommodate underground parking, it will change the character of the project design and may require that densities be reduced. Design quality: The project is located at the gateway to the City Center district, and the City's commercial core. Staff continues to be concerned that insufficient attention has been given to the layout of uses on the site and how they relate to each other, and to the significance of the location of this property relative to the Highway 10 corridor. This needs to be a signature development, not a typical highway development. The current layout tends toward a strip development of uses along Highway 10. A requirement that a design study be done by a design professional (either an architect, landscape architect or urban designer), to be selected by the City and paid for by the developer, is included in the PUD. The design study would be completed prior to consideration of the development plan. Q Design theme along Highway 10: There is a community desire for a more unified image along Highway 10, and there are discussions occurring now as part of the University of Minnesota Design Course on how an overall design for the highway corridor could be • achieved. We do not know how much room may be needed along the Highway 10 frontage to implement a design theme. Staff is recommending that at least 15 feet be reserved for this purpose. The proposed plan shows five feet between parking areas and the Highway right-of-way line. Once again, it is desirable to know the spatial requirements for achieving the community's design objectives before agreeing to the setbacks shown. The City Council has three options at this point. #1. The first is to approve the PUD with sufficient restrictions that everyone is on notice that the densities proposed for this site may go down, the arrangement land uses may change, and not all of the uses may fit when more information is available and a design study is done. #2. The second is to continue the hearing on the PUD to a date certain on June 9, and direct the applicant to obtain the information on the wetland boundary, drainage system and water table, and to have a design study done for the layout of the site, prior to further consideration of the rezoning. Direct the City Staff to work with the University of Minnesota Design Center to develop proposals on the design theme for Highway 10. (The first reading would have to be scheduled no later than June 9 and the second reading no later than June 23, to stay within the 120 day time limit on decisions. The 120 day limit on this case is July 3. Deadline for submittal to staff of the information, in order to obtain • review by the City Engineer, would be May 16).