Site Information:

Address: 1620 Crossings Blvd

Applicant: Shakopee Housing

Lot Size: 6.89 acres

Proposed Lot Size: 1.71 acres

Current Zoning: B-1, Highway Business

2040 Comp. Plan: Mixed Use Center (allows 30-60 units / acre for residential)

Proposed Density: 35.7 units / acre

Megan Sand Carr has applied for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) amendment and preliminary and final plat to allow for the development of the following:

• 61-unit apartment building
• 4,000 square-foot freestanding retail building
• 19,600 square-foot multi-tenant retail building
• 27,636 square-foot grocery store

The proposed preliminary and final plat under review is for a 1.71 acre lot for the 61-unit apartment building. The remaining 5.18 acres of the site is a proposed outlot and would require subsequent final plats in order to be developed. Final plats do not require a public hearing and are reviewed by the City Council.  

Proposed Use:

This area is part of the Southbridge Crossings East PUD, which is a Retail Center PUD and is zoned B-1, Highway Business. The B-1, Highway Business zone allows for both multiple-family residential development and retail stores. The proposed uses all comply with the B-1 Zone and the Mixed Use Center designation of the 2040 Comprehensive plan. The proposed density for the apartment building is 35.7 units / acre, which is within the allowable range in the comprehensive plan. The previous PUD amendment did not include multiple-family residential development, so a PUD Amendment is required. One of the goals of the comprehensive plan is supporting multiple-family residential development near transit, this site is less than 1/4 mile from the Southbridge Transit Station.   

Building Design:

The proposed apartment building is five levels, four levels of dwelling units above a one-level parking garage. The parking level is near the existing grade because of the high water table in this area. The proposed building height is approximately 58' at the top of the parapets, which is below the height of the Trio buildings. The exterior of the building is two colors of engineered wood siding, three colors of decorative concrete block, and brick (see attached architectural plans for elevations).

The proposed unit mix of the building is:

• 1-Bedroom Units:14 units
• 2-Bedroom Units: 24 units
• 3-Bedroom Units: 23 units

Staff has provided comments to the applicant regarding minor changes to exterior elevation to bring the building elevation into compliance with the materials and design standards. The proposed changes are:

• Adding an additional parapet in the center of the building
• Adding additional dark burnished block accents at the parking garage level to match the intervals of the other dark block accents.
• Increasing the height of the burnished block to the 3rd level on building corners.
• Adding additional treatment to top of the corner parapets

Based on the applicant's narrative, the proposed apartment building is for residents earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is $62,000 or less annually for a 4-person family in Scott County. The proposed development has secured eight vouchers for veterans, so a minimum of eight units in the building would be dedicated for veterans that meet eligibility requirements.

The City of Shakopee is a participant in the Met Council Livable Communities program, which gives the eligibility to receive grant funding as part of the program. At the beginning of July, the City of Shakopee submitted a Livable Communities Transit-Oriented-Development Grant (TOD) application to the Met Council for this development because of the proximity to the Southbridge Transit Station. It is expected that residents of this development would be employed at the surrounding businesses like Home Depot, the future grocery, McCoy's Copper Pint, or use transit to destinations served by the Southbridge Transit Station like Downtown Minneapolis.

The proposed grant application is to help fund improvements to existing pedestrian facilities in this area, additional sidewalks / trails, an art walk, bike maintenance stations, and a pedestrian pavilion. The proposed grant application has passed the initial screening review. Subsequent reviews are currently under way with a final decision expected later in August or early September. Goals of the TOD development are to integrate transportation, jobs and housing, leverage private investment, advance equity, and increase transit ridership.

Parking / Circulation:

The required parking for the proposed apartment development is 121 spaces. The applicant is proposing to provide 106 parking spaces dedicated to the apartment building. The Southbridge Crossings East PUD allows for shared parking, so parking spaces adjacent to the retail areas would be available to the residential units. The applicant has developed many multi-family developments all over the Midwest and is confident that the amount of dedicated parking provided is adequate for their use. Since additional parking is available to residents and the close proximity to Southbridge Transit Station, staff is comfortable with the amount of proposed parking.

Staff is requiring that additional landscape islands be added to comply with City Code requirements of one island per ten parking spaces. Staff is also requiring the addition of a sidewalk to the large island at the north side of the site to connect the freestanding retail building to the grocery / theater. Staff is also requiring that the grocery building be separated from the retail building to allow for residents to walk between the buildings.  

The applicant will need to revise the location of the trash enclosure to limit garbage trucks from backing up into the main entrance drive.

Review Comments:

Comment memos received from Shakopee Public Utilities and the Engineering Department are attached to this report. Specific site design comments from the Engineering Department relate to vehicle circulation for garbage trucks for trash. The applicant has been provided redlined plans and revisions have been requested.