Discussion:
Dennis Cornelius, Amcon Construction, submitted an application for PUD Concept Review for a proposed 130-unit market rate apartment building on the residential site of the West Vierling Acres PUD (Hy-Vee). Amcon Construction is proposing to build an apartment building for Kami, Inc., a company based in Woodbury that owns and manages residential and commercial properties in MN and surrounding states.
The West Vierling Acres PUD included a site for an apartment building east of the Hy-Vee grocery store, zoned R-3, Multiple Family Residential for a maximum 100-unit apartment building. The City Council approved a PUD and conditional use permit for an over-height structure to allow a 41’ tall apartment building on this site (maximum height in R-3 = 35'). Building elevations and site plan for the current and previous proposals are attached.
The City Council allowed Hy-Vee to defer the extension of Harvest Lane to Vierling Drive until the apartment site develops. Amcon Construction is aware of this requirement and is not proposing any changes to the alignment / design.
The R-3, Multiple-Family Residential Zone allows up to 14 units / acre (100 units) on this site. In order to construct 130 units, the property must be re-zoned to R-4, High Density Residential. The density for a 130-unit building is 18.4 units / acre. The maximum density allowed in the R-4 zone is 28 units / acre. For reference, until the year 2001, the maximum density in the R-3 zone, was 18 units / acre. All of the apartment buildings constructed after 2001 in Shakopee, including the Addison, were approved and built at 18 units / acre. The density of the Sand Companies apartments approved adjacent to the Southbridge Transit Station is 24.1 units / acre.
The City Council may limit the number of units permitted to a specific number in a PUD if they are not comfortable with a development at the maximum density.
The proposed unit mix of units in the building is:
- Studio: 14 units (11%)
- 1 Bedroom: 57 units (44%)
- 2 Bedroom: 56 units (43%)
- 3 Bedroom: 3 units (2%)
Building Design:
The proposed exterior materials are brick, two colors of decorative concrete block, two colors of fiber cement siding, and aluminum balconies / railings for individual units, and glass railings for the rooftop patio.
The proposed building meets City Code standards for building materials and appearance. The building varies in elevation from 4 stories in the center part of the building to 3 stories on the ends and has varying parapet heights.
The apartment building elevations approved by the City Council in 2016 contemplated a building with a pitched roof. Building height by City Code is measured to the mid-point on pitched roofs and the highest wall/ parapet on a flat roof. The applicant is proposing a flat roof design that is 46’, which is 1’ above the maximum height standard in the R-4 zone. The submitted drawings approved by the City Council in 2016 contemplated a building with a pitched roof, that would actually be taller than 46’ at the peak of the roof. The applicant has submitted a shadow study (attached) showing that shadows are not cast onto adjacent residential properties. The amount of shadow cast is less than the approved plan, as the building is slightly shorter. The proposed building is also located further away from the existing residential units.
Parking:
The applicant is proposing 115 indoor parking spaces and 151 outdoor spaces, a total of 266 total spaces (2.05 spaces / unit). With 1 space per unit of covered parking, 15 units would not have access to an underground parking space. Staff is comfortable with a reduction in the parking standard from 2.25 spaces / unit, based on 55% of the units being 1 bedroom or studio units. Staff believes the amount of surface parking could be reduced to allow for more open space.
Traffic:
As part of the Hy-Vee development, a Traffic Impact Study was prepared for the entire development by Hy-Vee's consultant, including a 200-unit apartment building. The City of Shakopee engaged a separate consultant to review the results of the study and provide comments. A change requested by the City's engineering consultant resulted in an access driveway being shifted 50' east to allow for additional vehicle queuing for turning movements at the intersection of Adams Street and Vierling Drive. The consultant did not find that future traffic level of service projections were problematic with the current roadway facilities.
Further Discussion:
Since the applicant first met with planning staff on developing a plan for the site, they have revised their plans. The changes made thus far are:
- Reduction of the height of the ends of the building to 3 stories to have less building mass, reducing the unit count 140 to 130.
- Re-configuring the layout of the building to better fit the site
- Reduce parking to increase green space and landscaping
- Provided two pedestrian connections to the Hy-Vee store
- Additional brick to the building elevations
- Addition of landscape / pedestrian connections to the parking lot
- Addition of rooftop patio / outdoor amenity area
- Addition of pedestrian connection from outdoor amenity area to grocery store to Hy-Vee. The connection should be relocated to an improved area for pedestrians crossing the store parking area.
Planning staff believes that the proposed project is an improvement over the initial proposal, based on an improved site plan, amount of resident amenities, higher quality exterior materials, and improved pedestrian access to the grocery store.
The applicant is currently constructing similar market rate apartments in Blaine for Kami Inc. at 9436 Ulysses St NE, called "The Parkway Off Central" www.theparkwayoffcentral.com . The Parkway Off Central has a similar building elevation to this proposal. The website lists rents for the building in Blaine of:
- $950 for a studio
- $1,250-$1,400 for a 1-Bedroom
- $1,675-$1,925 for a 2-Bedroom
- $1,925 - $1,995 for a 3-Bedroom.
Site Development:
Access to the site would be via Harvest Lane from Vierling Drive. The site is directly between the Hy-Vee store and existing single-family residential development. The proposed building would buffer the single family development from the grocery store. The applicant is proposing a large landscaped area that is 58' in width on the north side, with a small area that is 40' in width to landscape and screen the adjacent existing residential properties. Reducing or re-configuring the parking on the south side could maintain the 58' width.
The setbacks of the R-4 zone differ from the R-3 zone. The setback to an arterial roadway in the R-4 zone is 50'. The building would need to be shifted north 20' to comply with the setback, or the applicant may request a reduction as part of the PUD.
The applicant is constructing a separate garage at their project in Blaine to have covered parking for residents. Currently there is not a covered parking space for each unit. The City Council may discuss whether an additional garage would be required for this site, as it may be desirable as a supplement to the landscaped buffer for the existing residential properties.
During the Hy-Vee review, there was significant discussion about the landscaping between the apartment building and the grocery store, as the delivery area of the grocery store is near the apartment building. A single landscaped berm is required to be located between the Hy-Vee driveway and the apartment site as screening for the apartment units. The applicant will need to review their plan to make sure that the building does not conflict with this requirement and coordinate with Hy-Vee.
The applicant has mailed notices to surrounding property owners and held a neighborhood meeting on March 2nd. None of the neighboring property owners provided comments at the Planning Commission meeting on March 9th.
The applications required to develop the site based on this proposal are:
- Re-zoning to R-4, High Density Residential
- PUD Amendment, due to a change in the development plan and to allow reduced parking standards / reduced building setback.
- Conditional Use Permit for over-height structure
- Final Plat, since the site is currently an outlot.
All of the applications can be filed and reviewed concurrently. Both the Planning Commission and City Council would review all the applications, with the exception of the Final Plat only being reviewed by the City Council.
If the applicant is comfortable with feedback and comments received from the Planning Commission and City Council, the applicant has stated they will draft the required plans and submit formal applications for review and public hearings. If approved, the applicant has stated they intend to begin construction immediately following the city approval process.