2026.02.02 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 “Frenchman Village” Sketch Plan guided by the downtown plan and design guidelines. There are constraints to developing the property such as wetlands, floodplain, and high groundwater. The sketch plan is showing a 4 acre public park and off street trails, as well as a private club house and pool for the neighborhood. The sketch plan shows access into the site from Victor Path, Oneka Parkway, and Frenchman Road/CSAH 8. The applicant has stated they would be applying for a Planned Unit Development (PUD). PUDs offer flexibility to develop a site through the relaxation of most normal zoning district standards. The use of PUD zoning can allow for a greater variety of uses, internal transfers of density, construction phasing and a potential for lower development costs. In exchange for this flexibility, the City has the expectation that the development plan will result in a significantly higher quality and more sensitive proposal than would have been the case with the use of other, more standard zoning districts. PUD approval may be granted if the applicant can demonstrate compliance with the following criteria: 1. The establishment of PUD zoning districts in appropriate settings and situations, to create or maintain a development pattern that complies with the City's comprehensive plan. 2. The mixing of land uses within a development when such mixing of land uses could not otherwise be accomplished. 3. Variations to the strict application of the land use regulations in this chapter in order to improve site design and operation, while at the same time incorporating design elements (e.g., construction materials, landscaping, lighting, open space, etc.) that exceed the City's standards to offset the effect of any variations. 4. A more creative and efficient approach to land use within the city, while at the same time protecting and promoting the health, safety, comfort, aesthetics, economic viability, and general welfare of the City. 5. Preservation and enhancement of natural features and open spaces, including but not limited to the width expansion of greenway corridors, conservation of wooded areas, development of buffer areas, reduction of impervious surface, and utilization of joint facilities and utilities. 6. Maintenance or improvement for the efficiency of public streets and utilities. 7. Establishment of appropriate transitions between differing land uses. Compliance with City Code, Comprehensive Plan, and Downtown Design Guidelines The sketch plan would require land use and zoning amendments for the areas west of Fenway Boulevard to approximately Everton Avenue. The applicant is proposing to change the land use from Commercial (COM) and Low Density Residential (LD) to a mix of Commercial (COM), Low Density Residential (LD), and Medium Density Residential (MD). The areas that would be guided for Commercial (COM) are significantly reduced from the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The applicant is not proposing to change the areas guided as Mixed-Use (MIX). The applicant has stated that the property has been marketed for several years with the current land use plan and a project has not been able to work with the amount of commercial guided in the 2040 Land Use Plan. They state that development of the property with more residential is more viable. They