Agenda - Council - 08/24/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page II OPTION 7. 1. Establish Dimensional Standards for Draft District F/G/H, backed up by performance standards. The first approach would be to establish numeric standards for sites within these areas, and back those up with performance standards. More specifically, this is one approach St. Paul has utilized in crafting its regulation of heights on the City's West Side Flats. There, a maximum of 60 feet was chosen because it was believed to be the maximum height at which one could look across the river valley and still see the high bluff on the other side. But there is always some variation in landscape that a simple standard might not fully account for. So in that case, for example, 60 feet could be the base standard, but exceptions could be allowed for any applicant who could prove their development would not encroach on the key view corridors identified in the St. Paul Comprehensive Plan. Rules could require three-dimensional modeling by a professional modeler to ensure compliance with the standard, for example. OPTION 7.2. Split the Combined District F/G/H into two or more districts based on dimensional and other standards that respond to the unique sets of conditions found in each zone. It may be that these areas simply do not lend themselves naturally to a "one size fits all" zone, and instead should be broken out into multiple districts as the discussion around standards — both numeric and performance standards — takes shape. OPTION 7.3. Put some of the most sensitive parts of District F/G/H — such as the Ford Motor Company Site — into District C. The Ford Motor Company site can be seen from many key sites. St. Paul's draft Critical Area Zoning does not assign the Ford Motor Company Site a district, but assigns the same height standards to the site (48 feet) that it assigns adjacent areas along Mississippi River Boulevard. The site was not assigned a district because the Urban Diversified District was the only one which allowed industrial uses, but it did not provide for the height protections the City was seeking to implement on the site. We will comment more on these issues when the standards are drafted, but for now wanted to indentify some options for consideration. PRINCIPLE 8. As one of the most culturally significant portions of the Mississippi River Corridor, downtown Minneapolis deserves a careful, sensitive approach to protect the area's core resources while affording a level of complementary urban growth. The Draft District J for downtown Minneapolis grossly oversimplifies one of the most unique and culturally significant landscapes on the River corridor. All of the area is put within District J (or starting at the north end of Nicollet Island, and moving upriver, District F). The riverfront itself in this area is comprised almost entirely of parks and cultural amenities, which are among the most iconic and significant in the entire 72 -mile corridor.