7.0. HRSR 04-28-2003 Item # 7
City of
Elk
River
MEMORANDUM
TO: Housing & Redevelopment Authority
FROM: Catherine Mehelich, Director of Economic Development
DATE: April 28, 2003
SUBJECT: Downtown Revitalization Project Update
Attachment
• Article: "Multifamily an important cog in mixed-use developments", March 31, 2003,
MN Real Estate Journal.
• Staff will provide a brief verbal report on the status of the Downtown Revitalization Project,
including:
• Preliminary plans for Public Open House
• Next edition of Downtown Revitalization Q&A Newsletter
• Preliminary plans for MetroPlains presentation to the HRA and City Council in May
The attached related article cites reasons why a multi-family component is important in
mixed-use developments,including:
• Adds a higher density of population to a specific area
• Broadens the tax base of a nearly developed community
• Creates an energetic atmosphere downtown
• Cuts down on urban sprawl and overuse of automobiles
• Supports the financial feasibility of a project
• Creates a transition from single-family to retail areas
•
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Page 12 Focus: March 31, 2003
MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
housing nearby would not have been in k g „ a',°,`''" project with a a mixed-use project,planners and develop-
keeping with that vision,"says Anderson, t r4 ;E_` *I I combination of ers are fully aware,as Fefercorn notes,that
who was part of a team that traveled the , '`" N •
p � � �� , � , z� � � � � ! uses that we residential cannot fully support the retail
country studying mixed-use developments. � z� 4'4,' think can do portion of an overall multi-use develop-
`And if you are going to have housing next A, z� �5 ° , that Adding ment.
to or in the development,having multifam new housing But Cunningham of TOLD says:
ily housing that is designed to be architec- •� -' - ' and having resi- "There's a saying that rings true and it's
turally in keeping with the area makes i n -. dential nearby, that pedestrian traffic begets even more
sense.It allows more people to be close to f °° i , i such as the pedestrian traffic.With a built-in base of
{ I' "{ t t t t v { 4 z I "°4. r e f u r b i s h e d residents at Excelsior& Grand, many of
the retail shops and restaurants" �;( ( � „1 R � �_�� , - 7i-, { { { ( ( ��� _ y
Waibel,Maple Grove's director of { { ,{, { et-- _I ,, ! { apartment corn-
Bob whom will be mulling about,dining at the
community development, 1 -1- plex, adds a lot restaurants,walking through the parks and
says the multifamily units, t; -,,4 '4' -•''';:- - 24 $� .,,, to that" on the trails, even more people will be
developed by Hans Hagen r --- '-'�• In Mendota attracted to the area."
,f-F, A . COURTESY OF RSP ARCHITECTS Heights, con- Daniel Hunt of Hunt Associates says,
Homes, also creates a transi-
tion between an undeveloped : ; The Village at Mendota Heights is being devel- struction contin- "There is not a housing development big
area next to Arbor Lakes that i `f '
oped by RHF Entities Ltd. ues on Village at enough to fully support retail within in a
will someday have a mixture M e n d o t a mixed-use project-but it can help."Hunt
of housing — thousands of r' / _ . mty amphitheater. Heights, a Associates is developing for-sale multifam
units. Nearby are office pro -,--, mixed-use project on the northeast side of ily in Brooklyn Parks Village Creek
�k t, : :{ planning years Paof rk Highway 110 and Dodd Road. There, mixed-use area,and is the developer of ver
-
possible a community center, a � ���"�� g y p
�,� planning the Park
possible library,parks,ponds Fefercorn of RMF Entities is constructing tical mixed-use project called the Village
� � � Commons area, St
and other amenities. sue , 45,000 square feet of retail,40,000 square at St.Anthony in Minneapolis.
gotten p Louis Park approved feet of offices,75 units of for-sale residen- Burnsville's Tschumper says the people
"We've otten such posi- Eden Prairie-based
tive feedback on this—peo- tial units,including rowhouses,townhomes who move into Heart of the City will most
ple really enjoy living so TOLD Development and loft condos, and structured arkin likely do so because of all of the options
p y j y g " Co.'s plan for Excel- parking. y p
close to all of these options," The Dakota county HRA is also adding 60 nearby. "As a result,they will be some of
sior&Grand on 15 acres of the area.
Waibel says. "So far, one medical office senior apartments. the regular users of the coffee shops and
As far as TOLD's Bob Cunningham is
building has been developed, and another "A project like ours creates staying the other retailers," she says. "Of course
concerned, multifamily,in this case verti-
potential office site is in the area.We could cally integrated in the first four buildings power," Fefercorn says. "This small the retail will depend on people driving in
well have people who live,work and recre- amount of residential does not support the from other areas as well.But they'll have
ate right in the Arbor Lakes area." in the project,adds vitality to the area. retail,but it adds a backdrop and character. a nice base of customers to begin with."
In addition to all of the other things this
In Burnsville, the under-construction And for the people who live there,it brings And Sanjurjo notes: "In most cases,
Heart of the City redevelopment project project does,what the residential portion some services,including possibly two or where a project is well done and there's lots
does is bring a lot more residents to St.
includes retail, housing, transit stations, three restaurant concepts, right to where of energy,the multifamily units sell out or
parks and other uses on 54 acres just off Louis Park than some other development they live. We're also adding a neat park rent out a lot better than more isolated res
Highway 13. Eventually,the area will be could have-eventually there will be more piece,with a water feature that will really idential developments.That's why it makes"
Cunning-
home to more than 700 units of housing,
than s 000 "Prior to the redevelopment, accent the area." sense from a developer's perspective.And
from rental apartments to owner occu- if an area is successful,with people alway -
there were 17 homes and a few older busi-
pied-townhomes,condos and rowhouses. Multifamily does not fully support retail out and about, retailers will do well as
nesses on this land."
Some of the residential units will be in ver- While multifamily is one of the keys to well.." J
tical mixed use buildings, with the apart In Woodbury,plans are still in the works
ments located above retail space lining the include the future Walk, which would
streets of the commerce area. nclude about t 30,000 square feet of retail
and up to 550 or so apartments in a wide
One of the ways in which Heart.of the:. range of sizes and rices includin smi'ie' I
City benefits Burnsville, says Judy g p g Comm Comm�rCldl"P�c7pe�ty°Spectalisfis' ' '° ' r Trans
affordable units. In addition to having its
Tschumper,the city's economic develop i �.
own retail areas and potential restaurants, e o {vim
ment director, is by bringing more resi �--
dents to the area and the city.Burnsville, inl h who move into City Walk would be Security Syste m s �---c=�-
in the heart of an area already rife with .-`/,-A
she note f
nearly fully developed and retail and restaurant options,such as a ne �/, ,- r�`
Heart of ity will add to and broaden Sam's Club and the Prime Outlets cent \.............the city's t"—base. which is visible from Interstate 94 and is L41u(m
"For one thing, such projects can really deled and
create an urban feel in what is otherwise m the process of being remodeled • Closed Circuit TV
known as a bedroom suburb,"Tschumper updated.
says. "The east of the City area used to "While retail will be a part of the pro- • Access Control Established 1966
ject,one of the keys to City Walk is that•
be the s downtown, until the • Photo ID Bad in
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urnsvil all was built, and then that will be right in the middle of many oth g g
kind of became the destination. But the options," Sanjurjo says. "And new subd • •U,L, Listed Sprinkler Monitoring
visions are planned for land right nearby.' Trans Alarm, Inc.
mall area really isn't a downtown in the tra- • ADA Power Door Operators
In Brooklyn Park,work is progressing p
ditional sense of the word because it's not on the$157 million Village Creek redevel- • 500 East Travelers Trail
pedestrian friendly?' Locksmith SerVICe Burnsville, MN 55337
She adds: "What makes a mixed-use opment area, a mixture of retail, office,
public improvements along Shingle Creek, 952-894-1700
project like Heart of the City attractive to and multifamily just south of Brooklyn
certain types of residents is that they can Email: info @transalarm.com
live right in an area where many of them Boulevard.The project entails the demob
can walk to work because there will be jobs tion of several older buildings, including A Trans-American Security Services,Inc.Company www.transalarm.com
the 188,000 square foot Village North n
generated. Or, if they work in downtown shopping mall,in order to open up views
Minneapolis,they'll just have a short walk and access to Shingle Creek,bring in new
to a transit station.And when they aren t "'
retail users for 70,000 square feet of space
working they'll have a lot of options at in Market Square, add about 100,000 Cunin ham Grou t/
their fingertips." square feet of offices, and to initially build g p s
Architecture P.
In St. Louis Park, the first phase of the 120 units of owner-occupied attached and , A.
mixed-use project Excelsior & Grand, detached homes and townhomes at Hunt N-- -
which is part of the city's larger redevelop- y j
ment concept called Park Commons, is Associates'Town Gardens,which is with Dlstmetwe Communities
p in walking distance of all of the new rode- p.
currently coming on line with 65,000 r _ .
velopment. � 3 ;ti �-� ��
square feet of retail and popular restau- In order to inject the area with an initial 3 , ' f -
rants, 340 units of luxury multifamily shot of vitality, the city did a $3 million
housing,as well as plenty of outdoor corn- AK ¢` -
munity gathering spaces. Eventually, rehab of the 90-unit Creekside Gables mar „ ,,,
Excelsior&Grand,which is east of High
ket-rate apartment building. if
"The idea is to create an area where peo- � `k
way 100 on Excelsior Boulevard,will have x:
ple can walk about easily, gather in open
up to 660 units of residential,ranging from .
p spaces and the outdoor square,have access � ��
rental studio apartments to luxury apart- to amenities along the creek,as well as live t � ! = `
ment homes with multi-level floor plans, ° .w _ ;
82,000 square feet of retail, and 37,500 and possibly work in the area," says Jason x� t'�
Aarsvold,Brooklyn Park's economic and t
square feet of offices.The total Park Com- redevelopment project facilitator."It is like -" - .17% , M t
mons area also has plenty of trails connect- ..
creating a downtown in an area that was - >� y s m ro.,,..,,,,..-�-�.-�-
ing to such amenities as the Minneapolis once considered a destination retail area. ""
chain of lakes, outdoor parks and recre- The idea is to have something that will ,t r�
ational spaces, and,eventually, a cornmu-
maintain itself over the years,and this is a
•