Agenda - Council - 04/24/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Community Development Director Trudgeon indicated Hack Real Estate Associates has prepared a concept plan for a new commercial project that will complete the Rivenwick Village development site south of Highway 10 and east of Ramsey Blvd. This final phase of Rivenwick Village has always been planned for commercial development. The developer is looking for some initial feedback from the City Council and Planning Commission on the concept prior to formal submission of a site plan and subdivision application. The subject property is approximately 9.3 acres, located between the new Village Bank and Rivenwick Village townhomes on the north side of Riverdale Drive. The property is zoned Mixed Use - Planned Unit Development (MU -PUD), which accommodates the proposed retail and restaurant uses. Community Development Director Trudgeon stated the concept plan proposes three buildings: a restaurant, single -user retail building, and a large multiple -user retail building. The plan proposes two new accesses from Riverdale Drive. Staff is recommending the application explore options for the western access to be shared with Village Bank. Staff also has some concerns about providing emergency access to the northeastern corner of the site. Ponding requirements for this project will need to be coordinated with the overall development plan for the Rivenwick area. Mr. Trudgeon indicated particular attention will need to be paid to the eastern property line to ensure adequate buffering /transition between the new retail and existing townhomes in Rivenwick. Staff is recommending that a combination of architectural improvements, landscaping, and possibly fencing be considered. Mr. Trudgeon explained City Code requires 524 parking spaces for this development; a total of 450 spaces are shown on the concept plan. A reduced number of overall parking spaces are permissible with the PUD designation, and staff believes this will be workable for the site. Staff will analyze if there are enough parking stalls in the proximity of the restaurant. Staff would rather not see excess parking that goes to waste and is not used. The concept plan meets all the required setbacks. Mr. Marty Klain, Hack Real Estate Associates, provided an overview of the sketch plan for the proposed commercial project in Rivenwick Village. The plan includes three buildings: restaurant, single -user retail building, and a large multiple -user retail building. Mr. Klain stated there will be a 25 foot wide paved brick area to bring residents from the adjoining area to the commercial properties. This area will also include landscaping, tables and benches. The bank has spoken to them about the possibility of sharing their drive and connecting the two sites. This will be difficult with the way the buildings are set, but it will be considered. Mr. Klain stated the delivery areas will be closed, which will reduce the noise. Also, they will try to include landscaping within the parking area. They will be looking for basic mom and pop shops; the development will not be filled with big boxes. The base height of the buildings will be 25 feet. Mr. Klain requested input from the Council regarding the sketch plan. Community Development Director Trudgeon requested information regarding Hack Real Estate Associates. Mr. Klain stated he travels around the country working for Hack Real Estate Associates. They are doing projects in North Carolina, Orlando, Grand Rapids, multiple projects around the New York City area, and they are looking at the Ramsey area. City Council Work Session / January 30, 2007 Page 2 of 16