Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/28/2024

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The amendment resolution is adopted by the City Council and then the project is forwarded to the Metropolitan Council for formal review. Once the Metropolitan Council signs off on the change, the amendment can formally go into effect. This process will add approximately two to four months to the approval calendar. Adjacent and affected jurisdictions are notified and have additional time to provide comments on the proposal outside of the typical Planning Commission-heald public hearing. Rezoning The site is currently zoned in three "stripes" - R-IA along the western one-third of the property, R-2 in the middle one-third, and R-3 along the eastern one-third. The existing zoning would allow for some of the proposed development to occur, but not all the requested units. To accommodate the proposed development and the remaining Lord of Life Church, a Planned Unit Development (PUD) is proposed. A PUD is a distinct district that is tailored for a specific development that cannot otherwise be accomplished though a traditional zoning district. The northwestern corner of the property is proposed to be zoned P (Parks and Open Space) to accommodate the park dedication area. The R-3 district allows the religious use, but only up to 15 residential units per acre. The rezoning ordinance lays out the standards for the PUD. The proposed PUD will reference the R-3 standards while allowing the density increase. It will also discuss shared amenities such as parking and access drives. Site Plan Review The Zoning Code requires a Site Plan Review for all townhome and multifamily developments in the community. The intent of this review is to ensure adherence to City Code and to provide public input into larger developments like this. Building Use and Design Two multifamily residential buildings are proposed. A 160-unit senior apartment building would stand four stories tall along Nowthen Boulevard. The units would come in 1- and 2-bedroom floorplans and some of each would have dens. The 280-unit all -ages building would also be four stories in height, though tucked back from Nowthen Boulevard closer to St. Francis Boulevard. The all -ages building would have units ranging in size from 1- to 3-bedrooms. Along the northern part of the site are ten twinhome buildings for twenty units of senior one -level townhome rentals. The townhomes (noted as "Park Homes" on the plans) will all have two bedrooms with a den. The twinhome buildings will have a slightly larger footprint and shorter height than the adjacent single-family homes. All of the buildings (apartments and townhomes) will have a mix of some of the same building materials (brick and fiber cement pannel), however, they are not being designed to look alike, rather coordinated. Additionally, the all -ages building will have some block and lap siding. The townhomes will have the same fiber cement lap siding and panels that are found on the other buildings. The materials meet the requirements of City Code. It should be noted that the City's new rental licensing and inspections program has been implemented. This program ensures the quality of the living conditions of Ramsey residents living in rental housing. It also has a crime -free component that will work with the Police Department on matters that could occur on the property. Access Both Nowthen Boulevard accesses to the site will remain in the same locations that access that Lord of Life Church and Stoney River currently both have, though with some modifications. The modifications were a result of the EAW process identifying better, safer traffic flow. The current northern access is an exit -only driveway. That access will be converted into a two-way right-in/right-out access with a center median island installed to prevent left turns in or out. Modifications to Nowthen Boulevard will be made at both access points to create dedicated right turn lanes. An existing driveway for one of the existing houses to St. Francis Boulevard will be removed. Both Anoka County and MNDOT have reviewed the plans and approve of the proposed designs. Internally, various private shared roadways connect the different uses together and with Nowthen Boulevard. As private roadways, cross -access and maintenance agreements are required.