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A2012 -5 Staff Report <br />May 1, 2012 <br />Page 4 of 12 <br />2. Whether the proposed amendment will protect the health, safety and welfare of the <br />public. <br />Staff Findings: The purpose of the district is to provide an area intended to promote <br />commercial development, including retail, office, entertainment, service and other <br />complimentary uses serving a trade area beyond the City boundaries. Development will <br />be designed in an integrated and unified manner according to an overall plan emphasizing <br />minimal impacts to adjacent land use, encouraging pedestrian activity, and have attractive <br />and high quality buildings, decorative lighting, landscaping, signage, sidewalks and trails. <br />Though there likely will be opposition to any development on the property because it has <br />been vacant, the regulations and purpose of the B -5 district attempt to mitigate issues that <br />could impact the health, safety and welfare of the public. <br />3. Whether the City and other service providers will be able to provide sufficient public <br />safety, transportation and utility facilities and services to the subject property, while <br />maintaining sufficient levels of service to existing development. <br />Staff Findings: The property is located adjacent to County Road 116 and 7 Avenue, <br />both county roads. The site currently has access from 6 Avenue, a city street. Anoka <br />County will be completing a project this summer which will add two northbound turn <br />lanes, two westbound turn lanes, one southbound turn lane, and one eastbound turn lane <br />at the intersection. New lights and other improvements are also planned. <br />Future access for this site and the 22.5 acres west of the library has been reviewed as part <br />of the County Road 116 /7 Avenue road project. Last summer, the City of Anoka and <br />Andover commissioned a traffic study to analyze potential new intersections based on <br />future land uses in the northwest, northeast and southeast quadrants of the intersection. <br />The City of Anoka and Andover was asked to provide the future land uses. Anoka <br />provided information accurate with what is being proposed in the ordinance. <br />The study specifically looked at potential new intersections at 7 Avenue and 43 <br />Avenue and at County Road 116 and 40 Lane extension (see included map). <br />7th Avenue and 43 Avenue. The analysis shows that a full access at 43rd Avenue and <br />7th Avenue is important to maintain an acceptable level of service at the 7th Avenue and <br />County Road 116 intersection. Without the full access at 7th Avenue and 43 Avenue, <br />the intersection of 7th Avenue and County Road 116 is forecast to fail and create queues <br />and back -ups that affect the adjacent intersections. It also results in a significant increase <br />in the overall corridor travel times. It is expected that the intersection of 43rd Avenue and <br />7th Avenue will meet signal warrants with the future development in the northwest <br />quadrant. <br />This intersection is outside of the scope of the road project this summer If /when <br />development occurs either east or west of 7 Avenue; the developer will be responsible <br />