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7.2. SR 05-13-2002 Howa d R, Green Oompany May 8, 2002 File: 812620J-0240 Item 7.2. Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway P.O. Box 490 Elk River, MN 55330-0490 RE: ELK RIVER STATION SIGNALIZATION DISCUSSION Dear Council Members: Len Pratt and John Peterson, the developers of the proposed Elk River Station Addition are scheduled to appear before the City Council on Monday, May 13, 2002. They want an opportunity to discuss with the City Council the potential of a signalized intersection for the main entrance to their development at Tyler Street. They have been consistently told by me, throughout the last 18 months, that I recommend two full access intersections, including left turn movements, for a development this dense and I would not support signalization of either of the access points at Tyler Street. There are a number of pieces of information that I think are relevant to this discussion with the developers for the background information of the City Council. This information is as follows: Attached is an area map showing the location of the property and the proposed development layout last presented to the City Council. The last time this development was before the City Council was August 27, 2001. At that meeting, the developers were requesting a land use amendment to change the land use from LI - Light Industrial and LR - Low Density Residential, to CC - Community Commercial and MR - Medium Density Residential, and to bring the property into the Urban Service District. Other actions before the City Council that evening were to rezone the property from Rla and A1 to PUD. There was also a request for preliminary plat approval and a conditional use permit. The City Council voted 4 to 1 with the Mayor opposed to bring the property into the Urban Service District and to change the land use designations. The City Council voted unanimously to postpone action on the rezoning, preliminary plat, and conditional use permit requests. At the August 27, 2001, City Council meeting, the proposal before the City Council and reviewed by staff did not contain a request to signalize any intersection with Tyler Street. The recommendation that was provided in the staff material for that meeting was approval of the developer's proposed phasing contained in a letter from them dated August 16, 2001. The proposed phasing was 208 apartment units, 191 townhome units east of Tyler Street, and all of the commercial/office buildings west of Tyler Street in the first phase. This phasing proposal was based on limiting the traffic generated to approxcimately 2000 total daily trips until a second full access could be provided. Any additional development east of Tyler Street would have required a second full movement access onto Tyler Street. Ltr 5-3-02 Council 1326 Energy Park Drive · St. Paul, MN 55108 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389 Honorable Mayor and City Council May 8, 2002 Page Two The developers' revised transportation study indicates there are 5,761 daily trips generated by this proposal at full development on the east side of Tyler Street. There would be another 2,069 trips generated from full development on the west side of Tyler Street. To put this into context, the total traffic - 5,761 daily trips - anticipated to be generated by this development on the east side of Tyler Street is approximately the same traffic generation expected from the full development of Trott Brook Farms Addition with approximately 600 to 620 single family and townhouse units. The most recent transportation proposal from the developers is to have one full movement access at Tyler Street which would be signalized and one right- in/right-out access point. We strongly recommend that a second full movement access point be required for this many anticipated daily vehicle trips. We are strongly opposed to signalizing an access point from Elk River Station with the intersection of Tyler Street. We believe it is inappropriate to allow a signal to be placed on any street for any development just because the developers are willing to pay for the signal. The City has invested several million dollars into the construction of Tyler Street in anticipation of moving significant amounts of traffic as this part of the City develops. We anticipate that at some point in the future, the intersection of Tyler Street and CSAH 12 will require signalization. We are hopeful that no additional signals are needed between TH 10 and CSAH 12 on Tyler Street. However, if in the future it is determined that one additional signal is needed, the most likely intersection would be the intersection of 175th Avenue, which would serve a regional area lying east of Tyler Street. 175th Avenue, when it is reconstructed, will certainly act as a collector in the City's overall transportation system. Nowhere in the City does a signalized intersection involve a local street as this proposal would. All currently signalized intersections involve regional collector roads and above. Adding a signalized intersection to Tyler Street will have a negative effect on its ability to efficiently carry large volumes of traffic. As the City Council is well aware, Mn/DOT has taken a negative position in recent years to the addition of signalized intersections on their trunk highway through the City because of the negative effect that signalized intersections have on the highway's ability to carry large volumes of traffic efficiently. Although it is a much lower class road than a trunk highway, the effect of a signalized intersection with a local street on Tyler Street would have a similar effect. I will be in attendance at your May 13, 2002, City Council meeting should you have any further questions regarding this issue. Sincerely, Howard R. Green Company Terry J. 'Maurer, P.E. TJM:tw Ltr 5-3-02 Council Howard R, Green Company CONSULTING ENGINEERS / / DOT PROPERTY / / / / / / / / AVENUE PROPOSED AI/L DEPOT SI~cO~A~DiTIO D- 5OO Mot~t~Ebb bABI~Y ADDITIOlq DESIGNED (~Y: D£SIGNEO_6Y DRAWN APPROVED By:APPROVED-BY JOB NUMBER CAD DATE: MO¥ 08, ~002 1~:32:56 ..,~ ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 55108 ~~;' (65') 644-4589 ~ jHoward tR Green Company CONSULTING ENGINEERS 178311 177TH HILLSIDE 176TH 175TH 174TH 173RD 172ND 1715T i 170TH 159TH 168TH 167TH i 166TH 165TH 164TH I22.395 soft OWNER: ELK RIVER STATION L.L.P. 1617 HIGHWAY' 70 SPRING LAKE PARK. MINNESOTA 55432 PHONE: (763) 780-4996 EN~INEER./SURI/E'YOR: PASSE ENGINEERING, INC. 1671 COUNTY HIGHWAY 10 N.E. SPRING LAKE PARK, MINNE$O~'A 55432 PHONE: (76J) 780-4100 COMPUTER DRAWING - 20-96ES~DWG =02~07.48,, ~ ?=399 32 4.85 O',l{'27"w EL K RI VER S TA TION '~1~'?' Ol 7CH ~Ro°t 7 '.1R F, ~'~,. , ?so 7 A ~ DITCH 288.885 sq ft. 22.~32 I / I 220.356 SCl ft. 22.549 ,/ TED APRIL, 2001 24;.848 sq. ft 212,405 sCl ft 46.353 sq. ft. NOTE: N89°42 '52 "W 2204 39 BUILD/NC AREAS ARE THE FOOTPRINT AREA ONLY TYPICAL LOT DIMENSIONS 7 22,132 5.£ SI TE DESCRIPTION ' Cl I=ROJEC T ~ - 20-96 _ - ~:-... . .......