Agenda - Council - 08/27/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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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 use, 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. Anoka County was heavily involved in the preparation of the EAW's traffic study. Internally,various private shared roadways connect the different uses together and with Nowthen Boulevard. As private roadways, cross-access and maintenance agreements are required. Along the north side of the site, Cobalt Street, a public street, stops at the property line. Branching off Cobalt Street are private shared driveways for the Birch Hill Lodges townhomes. The City's snow plow drivers have no dedicated turn-around and have been using the private drives. An extension to Cobalt Street is proposed that serves multiple functions: First, it includes a hammerhead to allow the City's crews to stay off the private drives. Second, it provides an emergency access connection point to the development. It was not seen as desirable to have more traffic use Cobalt Street due to a tricky curve further north at Sunwood Drive. The emergency access will be gated per Fire Department specifications so no through traffic will use Cobalt Street. Third, a parking area for four spaces is being created for visitors to Soltice Park which has no dedicated parking area. There have been reports of trespassing vehicles parking on Birch Hill Lodges' shared driveways for people visiting the park. An existing public trail will connect the park with the proposed parking area. A more traditional cul-de-sac is not possible due to the topography. Parking Lord of Life has significantly more parking than they use. The parking area along the western portion of the site will be removed for development. Other parking areas will be oriented for residential parking. The Church will retain a "right-sized" 224 spaces. Shared parking agreements will be in place to accommodate potential spillover for holidays or special events. Both of the multi-family buildings will have one level of underground parking as well as surface parking. Multi-family residential uses are required to parked at a ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit. The twwnhomes each have a one-car enclosed attached garage and driveway parking. The proposed development has 622 spaces,two more than the 620 required. Half of the spaces will be enclosed. Pedestrian Connections The site has an extensive network of internal walkways connecting the different uses together and to provide residents with a recreational amenity. There is an existing multi-use trail along the Nowthen Boulevard frontage of the site. Lighting The applicant submitted a lighting plan with photometrics that meet City Code. The plan was designed prior to the Zoning Code update that required a 15-foot maximum pole height. The current height limit is 20 feet and could be modified at the time of building permit should the applicant decide to do so. Landscaping and Screening The Environmental Policy Boad(EBP)noted in its review at its meeting on March 18 that the application submittal included a Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan. The Subject Property is dominated by Scotch Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Quaking Aspen, and Red Oak. Over sixty percent(60%) of the existing significant tree DBH inches will be preserved,which actually exceeds the minimum threshold. Furthermore, a number of the trees slated to be removed include Siberian Elm,which is an invasive species. Thus, since invasive species do not count towards the removal calculation, the actual percentage of significant tree DBH inches being removed is even lower.