CC PACKET 09102019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

August 20, 2019 Page 7 Land Use Compatibility. In consideration of the proposed apartment building project, a determination should be made that the proposed use is compatible with surrounding uses. Land uses which surround the subject site include the Silver Lake Village commercial shopping to the north (along 39th Avenue NE), a convenience gas station and coffee store to the east, a Soo Line rail to the south and multi-family residential housing to the west. A City park (Salo Park) also lies to the west of the project site. Recognizing that multi-family residential uses and a park border the subject site on the west, the proposed multi-family housing project will be contiguous to similar uses and therefore is considered generally compatible with surrounding uses (and not an isolated use). Site Access. Primary access to the subject site is to be provided from the east via Silver Lake Road. In this regard, the access previously utilized by Walmart is to be retained. Access to a surface parking lot in the northwest corner of the site is to be provided indirectly from 39th Avenue NE through an abutting commercial property. As a condition of Final PUD approval, an assurance should be made that an access easement is in place to accommodate the northly access to the subject site. Proof of such access easement should be provided to the City. Access-related issues should be subject to further comment and recommendation by the City Engineer. Site and Building Layout. The site and building layout are considered well-conceived and respectful of the site’s context. The two proposed apartment buildings are situated in a manner which creates an internal court area which is provided a connection (visual and physical via a trail link) to the existing park and multi-family residential uses to the west. In this regard, the proposed apartment buildings serve to buffer the interior court (amenity) area from higher intensity commercial uses which exist to the north and east of the site and the rail line located to the south. As is also noted in the landscaping section below, planning staff would encourage attention to the east-facing portion of the project to create a more prominent “front door” impression to the most public side of the project. The interior courtyard is an excellent amenity to the residents and visitors to the development. However, the primary view and experience of this portion of the Silver Lake Village PUD is undifferentiated from any other part of the building. Enhancing the view of the development toward the public side would better meet the expectations of the Silver Lake Village development overall, as well as the expectations for Planned Unit Development design specifically. Setbacks. The PUD zoning district does not impose specific structure setback requirements. For reference purposes however, the following table illustrates setback requirements imposed in the City’s R-4 Multiple Family Residential zoning district (commonly applied to high density residential housing projects) and setbacks proposed by the applicant: 41