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Mermaid Hotel Report March 28, 2005 Page 2 While staff is confident that the site can support the hotel expansion without further expansion of the parking lot, it would be beneficial to have a consultant conduct a parking needs analysis and site assessment for confirmation prior to formal development review plan adoption. Staff received three quotes from consultants to perform such a study, the least expensive of which was $2,700. The Planning Commission suggested that staff identify comparable uses in the north metro area to assess the parking issue. There are two facilities in the north metro area that can be considered reasonably comparable—Northland Inn and Grand Rios, both in Brooklyn Park. (See the attached summary sheet toward the end of this report.) Both facilities are hotels with convention / banquet centers, restaurants and other features. Northland Inn has 231 hotel rooms and 20,000 square feet of banquet space with seating for about 1,200 people in the two main rooms. Northland Inn has 562 parking stalls. Grand Rios has 224 hotel rooms and 11,000 square feet of banquet space and a 45,000 square foot water park. (The water park feature could be comparable to the Mermaid’s bowling center.) Grand Rios has 460 parking stalls available for its guests. Setbacks. The PUD for the Mermaid site allows for a principle structure setback of 50 feet. This setback exceeds what would normally be allowed in a commercial district and was imposed recognizing that the existing buildings would more than satisfy that requirement. It was not anticipated at the time the PUD was drafted that an expansion to the south of the existing building would be contemplated. Ordinarily, such a setback would be 30 feet. The concept plans submitted by Mr. Hall indicate a building setback that ranges from 12 feet to 30 feet. The distance from the property line to the County Road H roadway is another 15 to 20 feet. Upon first review of the plans, staff felt approval of such a setback reduction would be highly unlikely, however after subsequent review and consideration, such a reduction may not be undesirable. County Road H is not a highly traveled roadway and during the evening hours (when most guests would be sleeping) the road sees very limited traffic. Trends in land use planning are shifting away from standard inefficient suburban type requirements toward more traditional development patterns with reduced setbacks, bringing buildings closer to the front line of the lot and tucking parking behind the uses. While we are not recommending a comprehensive overhaul of our zoning requirements to satisfy the Mermaid’s request, it certainly may be worthwhile to examine zoning standards within the corridor and make changes to promote a more efficient use of the land. In the meantime, because the PUD does offer flexibility in what can be allowed, staff would not be opposed to the proposed reduced building setback. Summary: Dan Hall is requesting concept plan approval to construct a four story, 105-room addition to his AmericInn Hotel at 2200 County Road 10. Such an expansion would bring additional tax base to the community and would potentially bring in hundreds of additional guests on a daily basis who would then consume other goods and services in our community. The availability of the additional rooms would allow Mr. Hall to market his facility to a greater target audience for even larger banquet, reception and convention events.