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Planning Commission Meeting June 19, 2001 Page 9 1 _ 2 Mr. Rapp stated that DSU was winding down their involvement, but that they would be 3 providing the Planning Commission with a packet of information next month. He 4 indicated'that the packet would include the broad concepts that they'want them to look at, . 5. the.priorities and phasing of the development, a design framework, and a developers_ 6 selection process outline. 7 8 Mr. Rapp cautioned the Commission to think about a design framework with general 9 guidelines,rather than with specific and detailed design standards. He added that it is an 10 easier way to get their concept and vision communicated to the potential developers, 11 while allowing-the developers to help fashion their needs within the desired framework. 12 13 Chair Melsha asked if what Mr. Rapp was describing was similar to the Heart of the City 14 in Burnsville. Mr. Rapp replied that the Heart of the City was a little too refined for the 15 potential developers, which is why he was encouraging them to keep their guidelines 16 fairly general. 17 18 Mr. Rapp reminded the Commission that they are one-third of the way along the 19 continuum in the final resolution process, but that it is too soon to exclude a lot of choices 20 and ideas that.come to the table. 21 . 22 Jeff.Basil, of DSU;came forward to review the Northwest Quadrant and the intended 23 goals of the process, focusing primarily on the Apache Plaza area. He stated that the 24 Salvation Army Camp will likely be purchased by Hennepin Regional Parks and be 25 maintained as a public open-space facility. 26 27 Mr. Basil touched on the water quality in Silver Lake. He stated it was improving,but 28 still is not necessarily good for swimming at this point. He identified one of the goals of 29 the redevelopment process is to minimize the negative impacts of Apache Plaza on the 30 lake. 31 32 Mr. Basil continued his review by identifying the existing structures on the Northwest 33 Quadrant. He referred to the lack of accessibility to the mall from the road, and stated 34 that they have been deciding which things are changeable, and which would be left alone. 35 36 Mr. Basil stated that there are some basic things that need to be done to the cite in order 37 to make it an attractive redevelopment area. One of the major changes he indicated was 38 that a major roadway was needed to provide access to the internal part of the project. He 39 also stated that they need to establish tight connections to the new park facility, given the 40 limitations such as the railroad tracks. He stated it was a large order, but absolutely key. 41 . 42 Mr. Basil indicated that a major market study revealed: 43 1. Housing demand is very high, strong and multi-layered. 44 2. Considerable office demand.