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12/27/22, 10:55 AM <br />Is it time for Minnesota to give up on PUDs? Some developers and city officials think so <br />BUSINESS <br />Is it time for Minnesota to give up on <br />PUDs? Some developers and city officials <br />think so <br />It was supposed to be a special blurring of commercial and <br />residential lines. Today, it's common - and some developers say it is <br />all too common. <br />By Don Jacobson Special to the Star Tribune JULY 7. 2017 — 9:38AM ► Listen <br />In the often contentious give-and-take between developers and cities, the specialized <br />zoning designation known as a planned unit development, or PUD, is a kind of safe zone <br />that allows for unusual or envelope -pushing projects while providing tangible benefits to <br />both sides. <br />For instance, without the flexibility provided by the PUD option, it's doubtful that <br />visionary mixed -use efforts such as the upcoming Market Street redevelopment near <br />50th & France in Edina could get off the ground. <br />With the PUD designation — which has been on the Minnesota law books since the early <br />1970s — cities are able to carve out small areas in which traditional zoning codes <br />separating commercial and residential uses can be laid aside to accomplish a unique <br />project. <br />The PUD has proved to be such a useful tool that some now say it is being overused. <br />Instead of continually forcing builders to obtain the "special" zoning designation, they <br />say cities should instead update their zoning codes to reflect market realities. <br />PUDs began being employed with regularity in the 1980s when metro cities began <br />encouraging developers to mix land uses such as residential, retail and office to create <br />signature projects. After only spotty successes in those early days, the popularity of <br />PUDs picked up again in the early 2000s with the "new urbanism" wave that emphasized <br />walkable, transit -oriented development in suburban settings. <br />Following the lull of the 2008-2009 recession, those types of mixed -use projects have <br />exploded in popularity as homeowners and renters have continued to demonstrate they <br />want to live near, or even right on top of, commercial uses. <br />MOHAGEN HANSEN ARCHITECTURE <br />Edina's Market Street redevelopment project <br />near 50th & France is one of 13 planned unit <br />development zonings granted by the city since <br />https://www.startribune.com/is-it-time-for-minnesota-to-give-up-on-puds-some-developers-and-city-officials-think-so/432980353/ 1/3 <br />