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Coventry Senior Living Staff Report March 17, 2010 Page 2 Relationship to the Comprehensive Plan According to the Comprehensive Plan, the city has designated the area as Mixed-Use PUD, planned unit development. This is defined as land containing a building or buildings with significant amounts of residential uses in combination with commercial and/or office uses. By using the Mixed-Use PUD designation in the Comprehensive Plan, the City has more options for the allowed uses. Sites with this designation could be developed as planned unit developments (PUD) to allow flexibility if the project meets the PUD criteria. An important component of the Comprehensive Plan, the Housing Element, has goals and policies toward maintaining and improving the quality and diversity of the existing housing stock and providing infill-housing opportunities where both possible and practical. The proposed project would help promote a greater diversity of housing choices in the City. Geographical Area The subject area proposed for redevelopment currently consists of a car wash and two vacant lots. Adjacent on the northwest end (5284 Greenfield) is a 17-unit apartment building, and the city-owned vacant “Premium Stop” site. The properties to the southwest of the subject parcels are zoned R-1, single family residential, and are developed as such. The City expects the owners of the five single-family homes south of this development site that front County Highway 10 to redevelop their properties in the future. Directly across County Highway 10 is the Saturn of St. Paul auto dealership. County Highway 10 properties tend to be developed with more intense land uses, whether commercial or residential, than in other parts of the city. Increased Site Density Senior housing development is not typical multi-family housing. Many of the units are much smaller than regular apartments because most of the assisted living and memory care residents live alone and do not need full kitchen facilities or a large amount of living space. Having smaller apartments allows more units in the same sized building. The idea behind these senior housing buildings is for the residents to congregate together and not stay in their apartments. Meals are provided in a separate dining room eliminating the need for much kitchen area in the individual units, and community activity spaces are provided for the residents to come out of their units and socialize together, or to use if they have guests visiting. Parking At over two acres, this development qualifies to be a senior housing PUD which has it’s own set of parking requirements: (a) Independent living = 1 space per unit with half of the spaces enclosed (b) Assisted living = 0.5 spaces per unit (c) Nursing homes and memory care = 1 space for every 4 beds (d) Facility staff = 1 space for every employee on the largest shift The proposed parking shown with the concept plan shows a total of 70 parking spaces – 35 open spaces and 35 in the underground garage. Per the City Code, they are required to provide a total of 59 spaces, with 9 of those spaces covered. The preliminary site plan shows 11 more spaces than the total number required by the City Code.