Shakopee Gravel, Inc. has been an active gravel operation since 1996, located West of CSAH 83/Mystic Lake Drive & south of CSAH 16/17^th Avenue. The site is approximately 130 acres. This operation was granted a Conditional Use Permit/Land Rehabilitation Permit and has had an annual review of this permit for approximately 18 years. At this time, the owner is close to completing its mining operations and has turned its focus towards the future development of the site. Included in the packet of information are several years of annual earthwork plans which highlight the extent of mining and progress towards completion of the mining operation. Also included are previous concept plans that have been shared with the Planning Commission and City Council.

The entire development is presently zoned Agricultural Preservation (AG) Zone. The northerly 80 acres is currently guided Mixed Use Center in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which is characterized as primarily commercial (retail, dining, services) and office, with secondary uses including multi-family residential (30-60 units/acre). The southerly 50 acres is guided Suburban Residential, which is characterized primarily as single family residential with densities of 3 to 6 units/acre.

Stantec Consulting Inc., on behalf of Shakopee Gravel, Inc., has submitted concept plans for a mixed use Planned Unit Development. The northeast 40 acres is proposed for office/Business Park mixed use, the northwest 20-25 acres proposed as townhouses, with the balance of the property proposed as single-family residential lots. The PUD District’s purpose & intent include the following: 1) create a development pattern consistent with the City’s comprehensive plan; 2) promote a creative & efficient approach to land use; 3) provide for variations to the strict application of land use regulations in order to improve site design elements that exceed city standards to offset the effect of any variations; 4) ensure high quality design; 5) allow for a mix of land uses; 6) and encourage a variety of housing types; & 7) ensure appropriate transitions between differing land uses.

As part of the PUD submittal process, a Concept Review is required by the Planning Commission and City Council prior to submittal of a formal PUD application. The applicant is seeking support/direction from the City Council before they submit more detailed development plans as part of their PUD/Plat submittal.

The Planning Commission supported the site as mixed use but had some concerns that there was no walkable/neighborhood retail/commercial and that the plan would also require a major Comprehensive Plan amendment.  They also expressed concern about the nature of the proposed Business Park use.  The Commission

wanted to make sure that the amount of large truck traffic had limited impact on the residential neighborhood and that it would be a true Business Park user.  There was discussion about having one homebuilder that could potentially create monotonous housing styles.  The builder assured the Commission that they have their own rules on similar house proximities and that they had numerous housing designs to ensure that it did not happen. The Commission also supported staff concerns and comments. 

As currently proposed, the project is not consistent with the 2040 comprehensive plan. For the project to align with the City’s guiding plan, the northeasterly section (approx. 40 acres) will need to be reguided Mixed Employment Center, the northwesterly townhouse section would need to be reguided Mixed Residential (6-30 dwellings/acre), and the southerly 15-20 acres of the north 80 acres would need to be reguided Suburban Residential. The southerly 50 acres are already guided as Suburban Residential. This comprehensive plan amendment application could be processed concurrently with the PUD rezoning and Plat applications. 

The applicant has provided a conceptual site plan that identifies the proposed uses, street network, and potential ponding/green space; and narratives of the proposed uses for this site & images of the proposed structures. They also propose a mix of uses within this development, residential lots with narrower frontages (55 feet, where 60 feet width is the minimum requirement) for approx. ½ of the single-family lots; and townhouses that would front on private drives rather than public streets.

As part of a PUD, the applicant is required to exceed normal design standards for lot layouts, streets and building designs. The houses would have to exceed any current design standards, which require a variety of house styles and not garage dominant designs. Planning staff have analyzed their conceptual plan and presented the following comments to the Planning Commission:

• New streets in the northwest corner should be connected to the existing street network (Philipp Ave.).

• Refigure lots in the west central area, or revise as a trail corridor, including incorporating a trail connection to the west.

• Refigure lots to incorporate the very southwest portion of the property and eliminate open space behind proposed lots (these areas should be incorporated into the adjacent lots - this should be done throughout the development).

• Realign the road network in the southeast area into a 90-degree grid system.

• Incorporate a trail network system throughout the development.

• Rotate the proposed office/industrial buildings 90 degrees so that the long sides of the building face are parallel with CSAH 83/Mystic Lake Drive.

• Remove the southwesterly access into the commercial area and relocate to the south in conjunction with the new building’s alignment. Extensive landscaping should be incorporated to screen the truck court area. The northwesterly access into the commercial area should serve both the commercial building at the northeast corner and the office/industrial buildings.

• Move the northerly commercial building into the northeast corner and consider using a L-shape design.

• The proposed northerly access onto CSAH 83 would not be allowed per Scott County’s access regulations. The southerly access would remain a full access.

The Applicant has put together a development that includes OPUS and M&I Homes to complete the project.  The Applicant has explained this is a very early concept plan and that they will address the various concerns in the final plans and agree that there needs to be additional greenspace.  The Applicant is seeking general support of the overall concept plan at this time that includes the mixes of uses and general layout.  Since the gravel pit will need to be filled and current fill relocated, there is a substantial expense for the developers and they are looking for some direction and comments prior to their commitment to move the project forward.