2011.03.14 EDA Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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The property is guided as mixed-use in the 2030 Land Use Plan. The mixed-use designation provides opportunities for multiple, compatible uses on a single site. These uses can include two or more of the following: residential, commercial, office, retail and public/quasi-public uses. Mix-use projects will be developed as Planned Unit Developments (PUD), since there is not a mixed-use zoning district. The mixed-use land use designation allows for high density residential. Type of Housing There is housing shown in the concept plan, but the type of housing has not been determined. This will be an important piece of the project as the development moves forward. The property owner will need to specify what type of housing is going to be proposed for the property. Mr. Sampair has stated that the type of housing could include apartments. Apartments within the development can work if done properly. Property and building maintenance is important for apartments. Apartment buildings work best when they are sized to support on-site management staff. Usually apartments would need between 200-300 units to support the on-site staff. Properties that have off-site management or landlords tend to be unsuccessful. It is not specified as to the number of units the first phase would include. Mr. Sampair has also talked about senior housing in lieu of the apartments. General Layout The concept plan has retail along Highway 61 and CSAH 8 and housing interior to the retail. There is parking is located between Highway 61 and the building in front of the retail. This idea in general is ok, although with the rail road right of way west of Highway 61, the buildings are getting far from the road. The downtown plan and design guidelines encourage the buildings to be pulled up to the road. In the first phase there is also a parking lot that would be for the housing and retail. The parking distribution would need to be corrected in order for the public to easily access the retail uses. The access to the site is not shown in an ideal location. The downtown plan shows Fitzgerald Avenue extending south. The access to the site would be better in this location. The downtown plan foresees a main street / urban streetscape in downtown Hugo. It's in staffs perspective that this area would be a great place to create that atmosphere. The buildings could be brought up to the road and the main street could be between the housing and retail, with on street parking, with the extension of Fitzgerald Avenue. Staff has encouraged the buildings to have four-sided architecture as to look like they will have no back side. The downtown design guidelines state that buildings should be oriented to the street with fully articulated street facades based on traditional storefronts (doors and display windows) along the sidewalk. Along Highway 61 and CSAH 8, entrances may be oriented to a side or rear parking lot, as long as the entry also has good pedestrian access and visibility from the street and any building wall along these streets must contain significant amounts of"real" windows. The concept plan does not specify what the building architecture or how many stories the buildings would be, whether residential or retail.