Minutes - Planning Commission - 06/01/2006

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Further discussion: Chairperson Nixt stated he would support a Comprehensive Plan amendment consistent with what has been proposed, but denial would be appropriate without a full proposal to consider. Commissioner Brauer noted denial would be consistent with the previous policy, as the Commission has not approved a Comprehensive Plan amendment without knowing what the land use will be. Motion Carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Nixt, Commissioners Van Scoy, Brauer, Cleveland, Hunt, Levine, and Trites Rolle. Voting No: None. Absent: None. Commissioner Brauer commented this particular case shows the wisdom of the drafting of contingencies for Comprehensive Plan changes. He commended staff on the way the plan was drafted showing how each of these criteria were met. Case #4: Request for Preliminary Site Plan Review of ACCAP-Ramsey Town Center Apartments; Case of Anoka County Community Action Program, Inc. Associate Planner Geisler stated that Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP) has submitted an application to develop a five-story, mixed-use building generally located at Sunwood Drive and West Ramsey Town Center Drive within the Town Center. ACCAP is proposing to construct a IS, I 94-square- foot building composed of 4 floors of apartments over a ground floor of retail uses. The building will contain 40 rental apartments, 20 of which will be affordable and 20 which will be market-rate. This project represents the first affordable housing to be developed within the Town Center. The building is proposed to be located in front of the Municipal Parking Ramp and west of the new Municipal Center. There is an error with the eastern property line for this lot, as recorded with Ramsey Town Center 51h Addition. Staff is still researching the error but it appears it can be resolved by processing an administrative plat. Ms. Geisler advised the site is zoned TC-I, and both apartments and retail are permitted within this district. The TC-I District requires a minimum density of IS units per acre. As proposed, the 40 apartments equate to a density of approximately III units per acre. The District also requires at least 70% of the ground floor frontage of all buildings on primary or through streets be reserved for retail, restaurant, or other service uses that directly serve the public. The site plan meets this requirement as the entire first floor is proposed to be retail. The TC-I district also requires a Floor Area Ratio of 1.0 for all lots. The proposed building exceeds this requirement. Associate Planner Geisler advised the building proposes to utilize the parking ramp for parking spaces for both the apartments and retail uses. City Code requires a total of 136 parking spaces for the proposed uses. The Municipal Ramp has always been expected to serve this building and can accommodate the number of spaces required. An agreement will need to be worked out with the applicant regarding payment of a maintenance fee for the parking spaces for both the apartments and the retail portion of the building. The building is proposed to be composed of brick, stucco, and fiber-cement siding. All are permitted materials in the TC-I District. Ms. Geisler explained the building will gain access from an alley between the building and the parking ramp. This alley is 20 feet in width and is intended to provide vehicle access to facilitate deliveries and trash removal for the building. Staff understands that upper stories ofthe building will have a slight overhang that will encroach into this space; additional detail is required on this overhang to ensure that emergency vehicles can gain access to the rear of this building. Ms. Planning Commission/June 1, 2006 Page 13 of19