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<br />6 “Frenchman Village” Sketch Plan <br />connected to the sanitary sewer interceptor that serves the City. The lift station gets regular <br />maintenance by the Met Council. The lift station can have a bad smell coming from it from time <br />to time. Staff recommends that the homes shown on the sketch plan be further pulled back and <br />buffered from the lift station. Alternatively, a commercial use could be located there as a buffer <br />from the lift station. <br /> <br />The applicant is not proposing to change the areas guided as Mixed-Use (MIX). The areas that <br />are guided mixed-use are within the boundaries of the downtown plan and are subject to the <br />downtown design guidelines. The areas that are guided mixed-use are in highly visible areas of <br />the City and, consequently, development in these areas will be expected to provide a higher level <br />of site design and architectural design than other areas of the City. Typically, mixed-use <br />development includes a combination of retail, office, cultural, or entertainment uses with the <br />ability to integrate higher density residential uses as part of an overall master planned <br />development. <br /> <br />Downtown Design Guidelines are required to be met by the development. The intent of the <br />guidelines is to provide a baseline for quality in order to revitalize and expand the downtown <br />business district. The downtown plan shows a mixed-use development blending <br />commercial/office and multi-family housing uses in a master plan development. Some of the <br />guidelines for downtown Hugo include: <br /> <br />• Blending of commercial and residential development as a master planned mixed-use <br />development. <br />• Creating a sense of arrival in downtown by placement of gateway elements. <br />• Enhancement of the public realm to maintain a pedestrian-oriented downtown. <br />• High quality architecture, with specific emphases on French architectural elements, <br />traditional downtown design and/or relating to existing buildings in the downtown. <br /> <br />The proposed sketch plan is trying to create a mixed-use development that blends the uses <br />together. There is an effort to integrate the residential uses and commercial uses together with <br />common spaces and amenities, such as walking loops, landscaping, and gathering areas. The <br />main entrances and focal point at the southwest corner of Highway 61 and CSAH 8/Frenchman <br />Road should be planned and designed with gateway elements with landscaping and building <br />architectural features. The plan shows pedestrian oriented elements with access to public <br />features, such as Hardwood Creek Regional Trail. <br /> <br />The applicant has not provided details for the commercial building or for the mixed-use area. <br />The plan should be cohesive from a site design and architecture standpoint. This would need to <br />be demonstrated with a request for development approval. There are several details to work out <br />with a formal development request, however what the applicant is showing is a good start, and <br />staff will continue to ensure the area meets the downtown plan and design guidelines as a project <br />moves forward. The mix of residential and commercial meet the intent of the Mixed-Use land <br />use. One item to note, is that the area allows more density than what is shown in the sketch plan, <br />such as an apartment. <br /> <br />Architecture and Building Orientation <br />