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6.1. SR 11-17-2003Item # MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor and City Cou~ncil Michele McPherso ,~Director of Planning November 17, 2003 Request by the City of Elk River to Review and Adopt Updated Comprehensive Plan - Public Hearing Attachments · August 25, 2003 Letter from Patrick and Debbie Holzem · August 29, 2003 e-mail from Geraldine Graham · August 28, 2003 e-mail from Ijaz Osman · August 25, 2003 Housing and Redevelopment Authority Meeting Minutes · Language Changes Submitted by Cliff Lundberg, Task Force Member Overview Rusty Fifield, Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc., will be in attendance to present the Comprehensive Plan to the City Council. Rusty will review the process, the public meetings that were conducted, the vision/mission statement, and the components of the Plan. Issues to Consider As the Council considers the public testimony, it should consider the following issues that they may or may not want amended prior to final adoption: Expansion of the Urban Service District - As has been discussed at the Comprehensive Plan Task Force level on numerous occasions, the recommendation in the plan is to not extend the Urban Service District until a master sewer plant plan can be completed. This master plan would more closely evaluate current sewage flows, identify future flows, determine the physical and financial feasibility of expansion at the existing site, and also consider physical and financial feasibility of the expansion of the district into areas currently unserviced. Once these items have been identified, the City can then re- evaluate the land use plan to more specifically identify land uses or additional properties for inclusion into the Urban Service District. Two areas in question, with a potential Memo to the Mayor and City Council/Comprehensive Plan November 17, 2003 Page 2 third, include the gravel mining district, the rural residential area east of the current district, and property currently under Cargill ownership. Areas for High Density Residential - The proposed plan identifies the area in the vicinity of 175t~ Avenue and Twin Lakes Road as being high density residential. This would allow, with the appropriate zoning, construction of multi-family (apartment) units. This is the only opportunity the City has for the identification of lands potentially suitable for this type of housing style. Short of redeveloping areas within the core village area, there are no opportunities to provide for multi-family housing. Additional Commercial Land - The issue has been raised as to the need for additional commercial development opportunities. As the Commission is aware, there is an oppommity along East Highway 10 to designate additional commercial land, however, given the current market and staff conversations with commercial developers, it is unlikely that commercial developers will want to look elsewhere other than the Highway 169/101 corridor. Also, the Ramsey Town Center may adversely affect commercial sites along the East Highway 10 corridor in Elk River. Planning Commission Action At the Planning Commission meeting, there were several residents and task force members in the audience, however, only two people spoke to the issue. Mr. Bayless, resident on 213~h Avenue spoke regarding the preservation of the 10-acre lot minimum north of County Road 33. He felt that this helped preserve a unique identity for Elk River and would help reduce population growth. Mr. Lundberg, representing the River's Edge Business Association and a member of the Heritage Preservation Commission, spoke regarding specific language changes that should be incorporated into the Old Town description and initiative. His suggested changes are attached. The Commission's discussion centered around transportation as a key element to making the plan work, the need for additional commercial land uses along Highway 169, and the expansion of the Urban Service District. The Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the plan as presented with Mr. Lundberg's suggestions incorporated into the plan. They did, however, want to see redevelopment as an option in the Old Town District. Recommendation Once the public hearing has been closed, staff recommends that the City Council take one of the following actions regarding the Comprehensive Plan: 1. Approve the Plan as presented. 2. Approve the Plan with amendments to be included prior to publication and distribution. 3. Table the Plan until December in order to review the amendments prior to publication and distribution. S:\PLANNING\Comp Plan\ll 17 cc memo. doc August 25, 2003 Elk River Planning Commission Dear Elk River Planning Commission Members, We continue to be in the position of wanting to have sewer and water services provided to our land. We are adjacent to the Urban Service District and want to be included in this district in order to have it developed efficiently. To not consider this land for such a district and wait and serve other properties such as Cargill and the gravel pits is unfair. There are too many questions as to the end use and timing of these properties. Cargill is restricted by a conservation easement and the gravel pits south of County Road 33 should be active for at least another 5 years. The Urban Service District should be based on where it is logical to extend services. Although it may be 2-5 years, it is logical to extend services to our property. City services can come from several directions depending upon the development of neighboring property. Services may also be provided under the road right of way of County Road 40 that would allow the City of Elk River to "control the extension of sewer and water", rather than be held captive by certain property owners. It seems there have been other properties that have been located within the Urban Service District that have not developed for some time. We are asking the City Council to designate our land for the Urban Service District with the understanding that it will not have urban services unless it can be paid for by development. Pat & Debbie Holzem 19049 Davis Street Elk River MN 55330 Page 1 of 2 Mcpherson, Michele From: Rusty [rusty@hkgi.com] Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 7:56 AM To: 'gandbgraham@usfamily.net' Cc: 'Mcpherson, Michele' Subject: RE: Comment on Draft Elk River Comprehensive Plan Thank you your comments, and in general, taking the time to consider the proposed Comprehensive Plan. I will look into the issues that you have raised. Your comments will be forwarded to the Planning Commission as part of the packet with the final draft of the Comprehensive Plan. Do not hesitate to contact me with other questions or comments about the Plan. Rusty Fifield Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. ..... Original IVlessage ..... From: gandbgraham@usfamily.net [mailto:gandbgraham@usfamily. net] Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 7:24 AH To: Rusty Cc: mmcpherson@ci.elk-river.mn.us Subject: Comment on Draft Elk River Comprehensive Plan Thanks for the chance to have this type of input on the draft Comprehensive Plan -- I tried to participate in person, but found I could make it to only one of the sessions. I have a serious concern about how the beautifully-stated Vision Statement actually translates to reality when I view the proposed Land Use map. I believe the Vision Statement really reflects the ideals that most Elk River residents have, at least the people that I know and my neighbors. There seems to be a dis-connect between the Vision and your plan for our neighborhood, however. The neighborhood is in East Elk River, bounded by 175th Avenue on the North and Tyler Street on the West. Currently, the neighborhood is rural residential. Residents own horses and other livestock and many of the homes have large outbuildings. This neighborhood acts as a buffer to a large natural wetland running along the southern edge -- about the only place that wildlife have left after so much major clearing and urban/suburban development to the north of our neighborhood. Our neighborhood also serves as a gateway or "transitional" area to the new urban/suburban neighborhoods, as one comes off Hwy 10 into the residential area. All of these factors in the current land use pattern of our neighborhood are a perfect mesh with the Vision Statement, which says: Maintain a distinct identity-natural resources of the community are essential ingredient, ER seeks to grow in a manner that preserves the qualities of its small town heritage. Also: Preserve and maintain the environment-rural undeveloped areas are part of the ER environment. If I am reading the proposed Land Use map correctly, our area is shown for the future as dark brown, which would be slated for high density residential development -- apartments and townhouses. That type of development will be incompatible with the current residents' land use, and is completely opposed to the themes of the Vision mentioned above. In addition, high density residential development for this neighborhood, which will bring hundreds of new households to a concentrated area, will contribute to the serious overcrowding situation in the Elk River schools, which can't keep pace with the lightening-speed population grow of this community. That will undermine another the Vision statement's points: A quality educaiton system for ER. I urge the city decision makers and City Council to change the plans for our neighborhood, keeping our area designated as rural residential, which fits more closely with the Elk River Vision Statement. Thank you. Feel free to contact me for further discussion. Geraldine Graham 17451 Tyler Street N.W. Elk River, MN 55330 8/29/2003 RE: Comp plan comments Page 1 of 1 Mcpherson, Michele From: Rusty [rusty@hkgi.com] Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 6:48 AM To: 'ljaz' Cc: 'Mcpherson, Michele' Subject: RE: Comp plan comments Thank you very much for your comments and concerns. I will look into your issue as I prepare the final draft of the Comprehensive Plan. Your comments will be provided to the Planning Commission as part of the packet with the Plan. Rusty Fifield Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. ..... Original Message ..... From: Ijaz [mailto:ijaz@charter. net] Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 1:56 AH To: Rusty Subject: Comp plan comments I'm a resident on 175th. I'm currently zoned in Urban Residential, and the comp plan vision sees my land and other owner's land south of 175th as High Density housing. My concern is that if the plan is adopted, the city will rezone our land prematurely without any developers approaching the owners. This will force us to make decisions and plans without considering the effects it has on our lifestyle and finances. However, I'm not sure that such a thing would happen and it could be conjecture. The City and Planning Commission have been good in listening to the residents on 175th, and I want to make sure we all understand what exactly are the impacts to all of us. I just want to be heard in case they decide to do this. How can we get this information? Thank you Sincerely Ijaz Osman 8/28/2003 MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HELD AT LIONS PARK CENTER MONDAY, AUGUST 2=;, 2003 Members Present: S taft Pres ent: Chair Toth, Commissioners Thompson, Lieser, Mot_in and Wilson Executive Director Catherine Mehelich, Economic Development Assistant Heidi Hall, City Administrator Pat I~aers, Director of Planning Michele McPherson, Senior Planner Scott Harticker, and City Engineer Terry Maurer Call Meedng To Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, d~e meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chair Toth. Consider August 25, 2003 H_LA Agenda COMMISSIONER THOMPSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 25, 2003, HRA AGENDA AS PRESENTED. COMMISSIONER WILSON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Consider Consent Agenda COMMISSIONER MOTIN MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS FOLLOWS: 3.1. July 28, 2003 HRA MINUTES 3.2. CHECK REGISTER 3.3. REVENUE/EXPENDITURE SHEET 3.4. BALANCE SHEET COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Open Mike There was no one present for Open Mike. Comprehensive Plan Update Chair Toth stated that no HSC5 representatives on the Comprehensive Plan Update Task Force attended the last Task Force meeting, which was a public open house on August 21, 2003. Chair Toth asked Director of Planning Michele McPherson to provide an update on the Comprehensive Plan Update. Ms. McPherson provided a summary of recent Task Force activities. HRA Minutes Page 2 August 25, 2003 6.1. 6.2. Commissioner Motto asked if the HRA would like to make a recommendation requesting the priority for the expansion of the Urban Service District. He stated he would like priority given to commercial and industrial development. There was much discussion regarding what types of development would be given priority if the Urban Service District is expanded. COMMISSIONER MOTIN MOVED TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT A STATEMENT BE ADDED TO THE COMPREHENS1WE PLAN INDICATING THAT, IF THE URBAN SERVICE DISTRICT IS EXPANDED AND WATER/SEWER CAPACITY IS LIMITED, THEN PRIORITY BE GIVEN TO INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES OVER RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 4-1. Commissioner Lieser opposed. Housing & Redevelopment Budget for Year 2004 Director of Economic Development Catherine Mehelich summarized the Housing & Redevelopment Author/ty Budget for Year 2004. Ms. Mehelich noted that the EDA, at its August meeting, requested that the Personal Service costs (salaries and benefits) be more evenly divided, in terms of staff dine being spent on current projects. In 2003, Personal Services were divided between the EDA and H/LA respectively at 70/30. Ms. Mehelich recommended that for budget year 2004, the Personal Service costs be divided between the EDA and HRA at 60/40. Ms. Mehelich reported that the proposed budget expenditures of $205,300 assumes that the proposed Downtown RevitaLization Project proceeds and includes costs for relocation consulting services. Ms. Mehelich stated that the projected 2004 revenues are $209,450. Consider Year 2004 Budget COMMISSIONER WILSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BUDGET FOR YEAR 2004 AS PRESENTED.' COMMISSIONER MOTIN SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Consider Resolution Regarding HR~5 Levy. COMMISSIONER MOTIN MOVED TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION 03- 02, A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE TAX LEVY FOR THE ELK RIVER HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR COLLECTION IN 2004. COMMISSIONER WILSON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Downtown Revitalization Project Update Communications Update ]Economic Development Assistant Heidi Hall provided an update on the Downtown Revitalization Project communications activities. Ms. Hall reported on the following activities: preservation through the greenway system. · Using density bonuses as an incentive for additional land A developer can offset the loss of dedicated land with the build additional housing units. The City's Open Space Plat regulations provide a model. The City can also grant ability to add additional lots if certain criteria are met. tddifional units or smaller minimum lots might also be sewered subdivisions and zoning districts. This specific criteria for obtaining the bonus and the changes in density. · The greenway initiative promotes a of the overall park dedication regulations, allowing r to discuss the role of park dedication, and to develop plan ensure implementation of overall park open space needs. 3 6 Building the Comprehensive Plan for Elk River Using the Plan · Shifting park resources to greenways will reduce funds for other elements park system. In new subdivisions, special assessments housing improvement areas could be used to acquire neighborhood parks. · ~d greenways will compete with other services and facilities for taxes. Some communities have sought voter approval to issue to finance park and open space initiatives. Old Town The Old Town is an essential part of Elk River's heritage and identity. The Old Town land use seeks to preserve and enhance the commercial districts and residential neighborhoods in this area. Designating a land use is only the first step in this effort. Subsequent actions must work to achieve community objectives for this area. Focus future planning on a broader area. Current planning focuses on the downtown/central business district portion of Old Town. The next phase of planning should include the entire Old Town area. This planning initiative would provide a means of identifying needs for preservation, renovation, revitalization, redevelopment and public improvement. Build connections. A key to the revitalization Old Town is to preserve its identity ~vhile creating connections within the area and to other parts of the community. Some potential connections include: · Streetscape improvements along Main, Proctor and Jackson to create a sense of identity and improve the appearance of the area. · A well defined system of sidewalks and trails to encourage pedestrian and other non-vehicular movement within the area. These connections should link downtown, the school campus, Lion's Park, the River, Handke School and the Library. · Connections through parks, other public open space, trails, and orientation of private development to create visual and physical connections between Old Town and the Mississippi River. targeted in this category are over 8 and up to 20 units per acre. High Density uses are located in places with compatible adjacent land uses and where the local street system will accommodate the traffic. Potential settings adjacent to commercial districts, employment centers, civic centers, park facilitie: transit facilities and principal roadway corridors. When planned adjacent to density neighborhoods, high density housing can be designed to transition most intense use (3 or 4 story apartments) to a lower density (small lot family or attached townhomes) as it approaches lower density High Density Residential uses may also be located in locations within the Mixed Use and Old Town categories. Mixed Use The Mixed Use land use category serves as a location that: a mixture of housing, jobs and retail service uses within close each other. This land use creates the potential for people to work close to jobs and offers an environment where one can live with less reliance the car. This area provides another setting for high density residential land in Elk River. Mixed Used is a new land use category, not appear in the 1995 plan. It is a reflection of current market trends that se integrate residential and nonresidential development in a setting close to transit services. The Plan contains a single location Use. The property is bounded by County Road 12, County Road 1~ Lakes Road. Mixed use is frequently propo: the redevelopment of commercial areas. "Vertical" mixed use puts housing uses into a single building. This form An urban residential a density of 6 to 8 units p~ An urban residential at a density of 2 to 3 un, A high at a density of 1'. 20 units per acre. 5 9 Buildi, Future - A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River Land use typically puts residential uses over street level retail or office uses. The Use designation may include a more horizontal arrangement of uses with pedestrian connections to foster a pedestrian friendly environment. Old Town The Old Town land use category reflects the unique land use mixture in and around the Downtown. This area is based on the Central Business District area in the 1995 plan and is expanded to include areas around the Downtown with related development issues. These areas include: · Residential areas between Jackson and Highway 169. · Mixture of uses between the school campus and Downtown. · Original Elk River residential neighborhoods surrounding Downtown ................. j .... .,,o. A variety of uses fit into the Old Town designation: community-scale retail, professional services, public/civic uses, park, offices, dining and entertainment, banking, lodging, and housing. Uses need to be compatible with the character and scale of the Downtown area. Old Town is the home for a wide range of housing. The Plan seeks to protect and promote the maintenance of the single-family neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are an important part of Elk River's heritage and identity and offer affordable housing options. The majority of the existing high density housing is located in the Old Town area. The Old Town designation reflects the need and opportunity for preservation, rehabilitation,revitalization, renovation and redevelopment. Rcdc~c!opmcnt xvhich should be oriented to housing, commercial uses and public spaces that support the existing character of the area. The Old Town area contains a variety of civic features. The School campus forms the north edge of this area. Lion's Park Center, Elk River Library and Handke School are all important civic elements of this area. These facilities provide character and attract people into this area. These facilities build connections with the community and provide market opportunity for local businesses. Parks and natural features play an essential role in the plan for Old Town. This area provides the greatest opportunity for improved access and connection with the Mississippi River. Lake Orono creates the western boundary for this area. Linkages from Old Town into the western neighborhoods and civic institutions of western Elk River are important. Community Commercial The Community Commercial land use focuses on community retail develo These uses are often service and convenience oriented. Development is Vertical mixed use (housing over retail and office) A master plan the integrates a mix of land uses. A pedestrian friendly environment is a characteristic of the Old Town designation. An historic "rnainstreet" character should be preserved in downtown. 5 l0 Building the Future - ACom for Elk River Land Use smaller in size and oriented more towards Examples of Community Commercial uses include dru hardware store, and coffee shop often arranged in a "strip mall" Developments under the community commercial designation tend to of less than 100,000 square feet of retail and professional services. Where: developing under the Highway Business designation are often in exces square feet. The current plan makes use of the Community Commercial designation. These areas appear as pockets of retail development along the highway corridors. The chan the Highway Business and Old Town land uses replace some existing Commercial areas. In the land use plan, the Community Commercial focuses on neighborhood oriented retail areas with no direct connection highway corridors. The Plan for the creation of neighborhood commercial "nodea'. These nodes are small of commercial uses integrated with residential neighborhoods. Specific for these areas of Community Commercial do not appear on the Land L~e Map. The location of these uses will be determined through the development