Agenda Packets - 1997/05/12 - Laserfiche WebLink

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' City of Mounds View Staff Report May 9, 1997 Page 2 • on the property(medium density residential)was established in 1979 with adoption of the latest version of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Since 1979, several efforts were undertaken to update the Comprehensive Plan. These are noted in Attachment 1. In summary, since 1979, consideration has been given to retaining the medium density residential designation, and to changing it to highway commercial, mixed use low and medium density residential, office park, corporate headquarters office or townhomes. The current designation is 18 years old. It is also inconsistent with the current zoning. According to Minnesota State law, zoning takes precedence over comprehensive plan designations. Unless the zoning is changed from commercial to residential, the most likely use of 17 acres of this property is commercial. The property is situated between an existing single family residential neighborhood and Highway 10, which carries approximately 40,000 trips per day. Highway 10 is the only commercial corridor in Mounds View. Other than scattered neighborhood businesses, all commercial properties are along this roadway. The O'Neil property is the largest undeveloped piece of land in single ownership on Highway 10. It is a significant property, and offers a range of opportunities for the community. The current Comprehensive Plan indicates that it should be developed as medium density residential, which the plan indicates is 3-6 units per acre. This density range is equivalent to single family homes. There are several issues related to this designation. • 1. Need to Buffer: The current designation provides an important buffer between the existing single family residential neighborhood to the south and the Highway 10 corridor, by extending the same type of development onto this parcel. It appears the intent was to tie the O'Neil parcel to the existing residential area. Under this approach, it is to be expected that the development would be oriented away from the highway. It is staff's view that the reason there has been"debate" about the designation on the O'Neil property since 1979 is that it is sitting between the highway corridor and a single family neighborhood. There have been shifts back and forth between using the highway and using the adjacent neighborhood as the key to the future use of the parcel. The recommended proposal for the Comp Plan designation would restrict the area abutting County Road H2 to low intensity uses to preserve a buffer for the adjacent neighborhood. 2. Inconsistency between Comp Plan and Zoning: As is noted above, the Comp Plan designation for approximately 17 acres of the O'Neil property is inconsistent with the zoning in terms of use (residential versus commercial). The proposed amendment would bring consistency between the Comp Plan and the zoning. 3. Suitability for Single Family Residential: There is some question whether it is appropriate to put single family residential adjacent to Highway 10. If a single family residential • development were built, it is likely that it would be"walled off" from the highway tocreate a liveable environment. The result would be blank face or dead spot in the middle of the "community center" district and along the highway.