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5.1. EDSR 12-09-2002 • ` Item # 5 . 1 . city of Elk River MEMORANDUM TO: Economic Development Commission FROM: Michele McPherson,Director of Planning DATE: December 5, 2002 SUBJECT: Discuss Industrial Land Sites for Comprehensive Plan Attachments • November 21, 2002 Task Force Meeting Memo from Rusty Fifield,Hoisington Koegler Group As was discussed at the November 12, 2002 EDA meeting, the discussion regarding future industrial development sites will be continued at Monday's meeting. Attached for your review is the memo to the Comprehensive Plan Update Task Force that was the foundation for discussion at their November 21,2002 meeting. The intent of the memo was to spark discussion regarding the future land use development scenarios, however, there is useful information regarding development constraints that can be used by the EDA in the discussion on Monday. Please refer to pages 4, 9 and 10 for the text and maps as a foundation for the discussion. If possible,please bring your memo from the November meeting regarding this issue. I will be in attendance to facilitate the above discussion. • S:\PLANNING\MICHMC\MEMOS\12-9 EDA.doc MEMORANDUM Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. ©© III ©® To: Comprehensive Plan Task Force From: Rusty Fifield/Brad Scheib Subject: November 21 Meeting Date: November 14,2002 The next meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Task Force is Thursday,November 21 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Lions Park Center. Agenda 1. Public input a. First opportunity for questions and comments from the public 2. Minutes a. Approve minutes of August 29 meeting 3. Communications a. Review of email and other communications III4. Development Concepts a. Begin the process of evaluating alternative development concepts Minutes The minutes of October 24 Task Force meeting are attached for your review(Attachment 1). Communications No new communications have been received by HKGi as of the date of this memo. Development Concepts We thank you for your patience in getting to this point of the process. You have played a very important role in more of a learning and advisory capacity. The time has come to begin shaping development concepts that will lead to the creation of a Land Use Plan for Elk River. The discussion that follows outlines some of the basic development issues that will influence planning for the future of Elk River. The development concepts and the Land Use Plan will address these (and other) issues. We hope you will take some time to review this memo and to think about these issues in advance of our meeting. At the August 29 meeting each Task Force member received a map of existing land use. This map will give you a visual orientation to some of the issues discussed in this memo. We will have a structure to guide the review and consideration of development concepts at the meeting. • 123 North Third Street,Suite 100,Minneapolis,MN 55401-1659 Ph(612)338-0800 Fx(612)338-6838 www.hkgi.com Direct(612)252-7133 Email rusty@hkgi.com November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 410 Page 2 North Elk River For the sake of current planning, we have assumes that the areas north of the Highway 169/County Road 33 intersection will not be served with municipal utilities (see discussion of Gravel Mining District in the next section). The lack of a discharge point (i.e. - river) limits the ability to create a second wastewater treatment facility. If additional information becomes available, we will revisit the impact of development concepts for north Elk River. 1 ,=-12 it; ' ' ,zur .0., ,,,:, ,,,,„, ,,, , , , ,-,_ „ _ ell, , i —Ng immyy , lf At lo J e ,t� �� r -".. 1 AIL., r +� �ka 1/\I 1r is ' —�i .fir „.k„ ..711'4-2."\,I 0 IL.° mom= m.i n r ., te, ... _ e � �u J . r� - . ,...r.r —Mei ' 1.1.lir f A t . ' 4! T , , dr' Ito . „ , .. _ ! •, . ._.. 11 , 1 17 , i ,._..... r , k ifitqf 1, 1 tf'Imi,_ ,_ , rr 11–A0 / kw. 1 r FAr DWI 1 / 7i. , Cif i 1 • O .s� II C ' ' ;1.., • P r,2 li if it „...., c. ..... p4 , tx i lor , �- . ..,, ,,, ,,... . ....„1 iJ _...' � . orp t t 'OM ist P ;I ;? ` U ill.. r pri® R, 1 - � py ...[�V � ROAD 40 O fY rummi In the current Comprehensive Plan, the primary land use designation north of County Road 33 is Agricultural (A). The unsewered areas south of County Road 33 are guided as Low Density Residential (LR). It is helpful to review the definitions for each of these categories: • Agricultural. Agriculture land use allows agricultural and horticultural uses and single family residential use with minimum lot size of 10 acres, or a 10 acre per unit density achieved by way of planned unit development. • Low Density Residential. Low density residential land use allows single family residential use III with a minimum lot size of two and one-half(2 1/2) acres of which one (1) contiguous acre must be buildable. Low density residential districts are not intended for extension of municipal water and sewer. All residential development within this district must conform to Minnesota Pollution November 21 Task Force Meeting • November 14,2002 Page 3 Control Agency Individual Sewage Treatment Standards(6 MCAR, Sec. 4.8040 et seq.) together with its appendices for on site sewage disposal. For simplicity, these Standards are referred to in the remainder of the Growth Management Plan as WPC-40 regulations. The much of the discussion about development in north Elk River focuses on the current zoning. It is important to remember that zoning exists to implement the land use plan. The Task Force must first consider the development pattern that is sought for these areas. The zoning ordinance will be designed to achieve these results. The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to guide the development pattern of the community. The designations in the Land Use Plan should reflect the real land use management needs and desires. The current A and LR categories seem too broad to fit the needs of Elk River. As an alternative,we offer three new categories: • Rural. While portions of Elk River are still actively farmed, "agricultural" does not seem to be an accurate long-term land use designation. A better category for Elk River would be "rural". These areas would be specifically designed to limit development. This area could be used to protect actual agricultural areas and areas not suited to more dense development. The Rural use designation could also serve as a development reserve, forcing the infill of existing areas before opening new areas for development. • Rural PUD. The Rural PUD concept follows the current approach. Smaller lot sizes can only 41/ occur in cluster subdivisions that provide for shared septic systems and permanent open space conservation easements. • Rural Residential. A general Rural Residential use sets the development pattern and options for areas that will not be served with municipal sewer and water. Both cluster and large lot(2-1/2 acre minimum) subdivisions would be allowed. As you consider future development in north Elk River, the Task Force should consider: (1) Are these the correct land use designations? (2) If not, how should be uses be described? (3) Where should the land use designations be applied? Street System Improvements The nature of the street system will influence the form of development in north Elk River. Transportation planning for the region strongly suggests the need for an east/west corridor through north Elk River. The basic rationale for this corridor is to provide an alternative route to Highway 10 for more locally oriented traffic. The initial focus will be on County Road 33. Construction of an interchange at 169 will begin next year. This roadway provides the easiest connection with Big Lake on the west and Viking Boulevard on the east. The alternative route would be an extension of County Road 21 to the west connecting with 221st Avenue at an interchange on 169. MNDOT plans for the 169 Corridor involves moving towards a freeway design for 169 in Elk River. Local access points would be removed. If a controlled access freeway design is built, access in north Elk River would be limited to interchanges at County Road 33 and 22151 Avenue. • The Comprehensive Plan can approach the street system improvement in several ways: November 21 Task Force Meeting • November 14,2002 Page 4 • The Plan can acknowledge the potential need for an east/west corridor and set a framework that promotes the best route for Elk River. • The Plan determines that such a road is not in the best interests of Elk River and seeks ways to discourage the upgrading of County Roads to serve as such a corridor. This approach may not be able to limit improve outside of Elk River and the amount of traffic that flow into the city. • The Plan is silent on the issue. Planning occurs based on current usage of the roads. Gravel Mining District The City Engineer has concluded that the technical capacity exists to provide sewer and water service to the gravel mining district. A trunk line can be built to collect and transport wastewater from development to the wastewater treatment plant. The feasibility of these improvements will be driven by financial considerations. The trunk lines must pass through existing unsewered residential neighborhoods along Highway 169. Extending utilities without providing service creates financial gaps. The improvement costs are not proportionate to the benefiting properties and the ability to collect revenues. This situation brings community development and financial issues together in the southern sections of the District. Regardless of who pays for the improvements (the city or developers), the form and timing of development creates the revenue needed to pay for the improvements. These factors need to be considered as the Task Force plans for development in the District. This area provides a good example of an underlying challenge of planning. How does planning balance the desires of the community with the desires of the property owner? The charge of the Task Force is to view • this development from the community perspective. The objective is to guide development in a manner that best serves the community with recognition that the plans must be feasible. As we design specific development concepts for the southern sections of the District, we will explore potential combinations of retail, industrial and residential development. East Elk River All factors point to the eastern section of Elk River as the primary residential growth corridor. Potential development sites are within the Urban Service District and the city's utility system is designed to expand in this direction. Development groups are acquiring property to prepare for future growth. Street System The capacity of the street system to support future development is one of the most important factors to consider in planning for the future of east Elk River. In broad terms,the street system needs to achieve the following objectives: • Primary transportation routes (collectors and arterials) need to connect neighborhoods with the regional transportation system. At the present time, the regional system means Highways 169 and 10. These connections provide residents with access to employment and other activities outside of Elk River. • A set of primary routes also needs to facilitate movement within Elk River. The street system must provide routes for people to travel from their neighborhoods to shopping, schools and other facilities in Elk River. • Local streets are provided to provide access to individual neighborhoods. • If a city does not plan for a street system that meet each of these needs, then traffic shifts to undesired locations. In many respects traffic is like a river. When the flow of the river exceeds the capacity of the November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 • Page 5 current channel, the water carves out a new channel. Traffic will find the most convenient route between two points, even if it moves through local streets and neighborhoods. The evolution of the Highway 169 corridor plays a significant role in planning for future development. From a local perspective, Highway 169 serves two different functions. It is a major transportation corridor, moving traffic out of and through Elk River. The Highway also serves a purely local function.tion. Highway Y 169 provides access to commercial districts and School Street for many neighborhoods. The dilemma for Elk River is that the transportation corridor role that will guide the use of the roadway. The TH 101/TH 169 Corridor Management Plan calls for the upgrading of 169 to a four-lane freeway design from I-94 in Rogers to 197th Avenue in Elk River. The length of the freeway corridor may be extended to Zimmerman to address the high crash rate at CSAH 4. In this design, Elk River will access 169 from five interchanges: • Highway 10 • Main Street • Jackson/197`h Avenue • County Road 33 • 221"Avenue All other access points will be closed. Additional frontage roads will be built. An overpass will be built at • School Street. The map on the next page illustrates the transportation challenges facing Elk River. The growth area in east Elk River is under served by a supporting street system. The only collector/arterial streets in this area are County Road 40 and CSAH 12. Both of these streets funnel traffic into the Main Street/169 intersection. The only viable north-south route is Twin Lakes Road linking with Highway 10 at 173`d Avenue and 171'Avenue. The focus on Main Street is compounded by the lack of an alternative east/west route across 169. The intersections at School Street, Jackson and 197th Avenue all connect to local streets leading into residential neighborhoods. The future growth in east Elk River and the progression of MNDOT's improvements to 169 compound the impacts on local neighborhoods. The Main Street intersection will become increasingly congested. Avoiding this intersection will create more cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods. • November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 • Page 6 _va• J. ,0,.,el rUI1�. PFS' i 1 197th Avenue ------- - v : M.7 -iia �1L '�w = ,r'�� ,„..`111.ill a i _ _ a 7 f _,� 1:.),..,,,. County Road 401 Jackson ,t ° _---- --11— ,t I.h'� I ��,/_l+4 ifs"o-. 1 School Street =-..e • * a i e--- 111111 11 _. :,,1. 69 ' 1 •1 Main Street dif . --- ._ i i 111) \ l �° Ilam: I,\ •• 1 OlrF Ir rilli f'-'I ill k. 441 igivriv-A,;- . .__ __ __ r, c: re* , 1 4.4.„..r...... t ___..1 .1., r '\, ilf- . _14,:p..,, sa, , 4., 1 • Q.F• Planning for the future must consider the street system improvements needed to support future growth. At the Task Force meeting we will present specific concepts to address these issues. We encourage you to spend some time driving in this area and considering possible solutions: • Do any current local streets have the capacity to be upgraded to serve as a primary east-west collector? • Would a stronger "ring road" linking Highway 10 and County Road 33 provide a viable alternative? • Would a stronger alternative commercial district in east Elk River help to divert traffic from the 169 corridor? Urban Service District The Urban Service District currently defines the area within which municipal sewer and water service can be provided. This District boundary does not function as a"hard" line. The boundary is adjusted as new development proposals are presented. For the purposes of the Comprehensive Plan, we recommend that the Urban Service District boundary be set in a manner that it defines the ultimate build out of the utility • system. The rationale for this approach comes from two factors: November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 III Page 7 • Sewer capacity. Defining the area within the Urban Service District will enable use to estimate the treatment plant capacity needed to support this development. This amount can then be used to evaluate the potential for serving areas outside of the District, such as the gravel mining district. • Development pattern. A firm boundary allows planning to occur for unsewered development outside of the District. A movable boundary creates the potential for large lot development to occur in an area that should be target for sewer system expansion. West Elk River For the purpose of this discussion "west Elk River" refers to the area north of Lake Orono and south of County Road 32. Unlike the east side, this area is largely built out. The area includes one large tract of vacant land on the west edge of the city and smaller infill pockets. A shared characteristic with the east Elk River is a general deficiency in the supporting street system. ,ii. - , 4,i,.:,e,,-4,A, ltmw ir-0,-,1,-, - . 111111?r ' ., „iir 1 U liti r t �T Q `f i I. 'Yt N. - 11 , JrI t � OU TYRO ,mi �� '�'1 I MN . _ ,40,, • i f:MO t,IMI . ,1!!ili a Ab 0 „, imi _ 1r: a i -lc ti ' , U 1? • € I MI6 it a � # 1 1 , .► p r�� — — Q n - it intat ima. _ 1' 1,,k.. MI ,:,*,,: ,,,„_ ' II p wir-ipli 0.......J I '- s� ,, 1. Via, 1 t.m J lierl Imo' ._. i��®�7 ��mi Development Pattern We have been approached by a developer that is interested in a residential project on the northeast corner of 192nd Avenue and County Road 72 (west city limit). The relevance for the Comprehensive Plan is the potential to extend sewer and water service to this property. Similar to the gravel mining district, the • majority of land between this property and the current utility system is already developed. In concept this developer is willing to finance all of the utility expansion costs. His belief is that the increased density- development capacity)offsets the difference between municipal utilities and cluster system. November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 • Page 8 The issue goes beyond the differences between development patterns on this site. The westward extension of the utility system raises two other planning issues: • Should planning anticipate the potential future need for eliminating septic systems around Lake Orono? • Should planning consider the possibility of expansion of the city limits to the west? One objective of the comprehensive planning process is to look into the future and consider a wide range of issues that may affect Elk River. These are two such issues. Street System Three county roads (County Road 32, CSAH 1, and County Road 77) provide good north-south routes. These roads are designed and function as primary collector/arterial streets. Like the east side, the deficiencies come from the lack of east-west connections. There is no east-west collector street between School Street and County Road 33. The street system funnels traffic onto Highway 10 at Proctor and across School Street to Highway 169. The lack of a designed east-west route encourages traffic to use local streets to reach the 169 commercial district. Future growth may not significantly worsen the conditions south of County Road 33. Most of the vacant and developable land can use County Road 33 and 221st Avenue to access 169. This flow will, however, worsen the use conflicts for the highway. Local traffic is forced to use the highway to reach shopping III areas. A better east-west link would allow residents to use the local street system to reach all primary destinations in Elk River. Downtown The Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Ij' �''_&-_, f Authority has conducted an extensive process of r _� ILICIil!! , i�rf11ir. planning and seeking redevelopment in the core ■� ■ r.(- 0 �:nail 4 area of Downtown. The Comprehensive Plan will _-91.IN�•� l_„.'a.�l ir-� T"V iI'd not duplicate these efforts. Instead our focus will _ - ~44 1 '' be on the larger area surrounding the Downtown. Li:l; 'Orli.- I.47 �: ::,:2,-,--.....;..-« =}•? This area is an essential part of Elk Rivers „�, �, ' r ri1 ■ , _ heritage, character and identity. The importance ;.;� v .I�." i �• of maintainingthese elements has been +. 00 ijVoti* -{i== r`:�;r■ ',: 1 IIPMemphasized at every point in the process. __-n„kal.:-.11•1! : .---. .111.31`.1 I:III, =V ,..j, 'SIi.71 •11ly This area offers the best opportunity for creating ' �;', ,1:1-, ..,: stronger connections between the city and the I M. 1, Mississippi. ; i r:p 1 ',* lk Ick. The area contains a variety of community facilities r ': ��ti 4 including the library, three schools, the ice arena, outdoor recreation facilities and other parks. The Handke School has been discussed as the future location of an arts and family center. These facilities draw many residents into the area every day. s November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 • Page 9 The area will always be divided by Highway 10 and the rail line. The Highway 10 corridor faces many of the same issues as 169. Improvements to the Highway will seek to limit local access and facilitate movement through Elk River. Within these constraints, local planning must seek ways to cross highway and rail to provide functional connections within the community. The Downtown area is also the "center" for senior housing and services in Elk River. Additional senior- oriented housing and services will be needed in the future. Southwest Elk River The southwestern section of Elk River contains a variety of features. • It is the civic core of the community. Both City Hall and the County Government Complex are located in this area. • The area is the source of several "attractions", including the County Fairgrounds, golf source and several outdoor athletic facilities. • Residential uses makes up the largest land use in southwest Elk River. Most of the existing vacant land is planned for non-residential uses. Although no industrial development III has occurred in this area, it is currently planned as a business park. A medical clinic has been built adjacent to Highway 10. Commercial development opportunities will likely be oriented to highway and neighborhood uses. rI _1:; t v:tThii fill' �.�I e� r� i, ,, r y ri N df H N 4 .. .II".7.A.I 77:"..:... S�� -� 1 a ��'� .7` HA + t m • �-- 0, r' '' 11111 , rssrKAV6 �/ a ' --1�. �+` . 857 A E NW ` ice' '� RONO RDStif i �Yt11T. 111.1�' r 7, ''''' r MPF.,---' /_ k 183RD AVE il1� '- 1>e RD AVE Nov air_ °it O - °.••,),,.. 1/v r VPu. 1.PEd g 182N DAVE NW m a VE NV'! A § , a2N A c• D o 182NDA .Nw iii ; �'f ' ,id a . M1551551PP RO‘D �,.,�ES'44''''' p -■ M1■ z a S O v~i ,..� i �I, z ! '. 11 NW - 'S K to 7y OTy Ab: e U N w a w w i -. �^'4. z ¢ 1 97M AVE RIVERVIEG11 • ` RIVERVIEW DR O \* November 21 Task Force Meeting November 14,2002 • Page 10 Southeast Elk River The future development of southeast Elk River will be most influenced by these factors: • The potential upgrade of Highway 10 to 4-lane freeway with limited access. • The limitations on the extension of municipal utilities through the Cargill property. • The potential to establish a north/south road corridor through this area. • Changes in traffic and development patterns related to a commuter rail station. r ... 1 lip...:. 411`.0 ___.. . 1, , . ' ' ` "IIPECFr. ,I.-3 . 1 ''"' #......-e--,... Zr, ,�� -------.-E•i+1-}.�-._t. t \,,' .1;1 • ----71—'--7" rt a Id& 4. ' 11/4 �J `;'� - p. _. .. Ear iII 3 g I r — 0 P ar- , , .. ,• ` -. _ e vair; • f 46. t 4 '16 - -;,, 116 r4''' '', CP n 0