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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-08-04 TPC Memorandum TPC3601 Thurston Avenue N, Suite 100V�l+ a Anoka, MN 55303 Phone: 763.231.5840 Facsimile: 763.427.0520 TPC==:PlanningCo.corn MEMORANDUM TO: Eric Johnson FROM: Scott Richards DATE: August 4, 2022 RE: Oak Park Heights — Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 5676 Oakgreen Avenue North TPC FILE: 236.02 — 22.06 BACKGROUND Jamie Junker (Applicant) representing J K&K Group, LLP has made application for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for 5676 Oakgreen Avenue North. The land use classification of the property is Low Density Residential in the Comprehensive Plan 2018. The Applicant has proposed two buildings, each three stories, with a total of 36 condo units. The Low Density Residential classification is not consistent with the proposed density, so the Applicant has applied for a Comprehensive Plan amendment to change the land use classification to High Density Residential. The details of the project are not being considered at this time, only the land use classification. The property is zoned 0 — Open Space Conservation District. The condo project cannot be constructed under this zoning classification. If the Comprehensive Plan amendment is approved, the property would need to be rezoned to R-3 to allow for the multifamily development that the Applicant has proposed. EXHIBITS The review is based upon the following submittals: Exhibit 1: Applicant's Narrative Exhibit 2: Proposed Land Use Map — Comprehensive Plan 2018 Exhibit 3: Proposed Land Use Map — Comprehensive Plan 2008 Exhibit 4: Zoning Map Exhibit 5: Walk-a-bout Press Release Exhibit 6: Community/Neighborhood Comments PROJECT DESCRIPTION/NARRATIVE The Applicant has provided a narrative providing the background on the request, the concept plans for the project, and a preliminary traffic study. The Applicant also held four neighborhood meetings, two each on May 17, 2022, and May 25, 2022, to introduce the project. A summary of those meetings is found as part of the narrative. PROCESS A Comprehensive Plan amendment requires a public hearing and recommendation of the Planning Commission. The City Council will review the application and recommendation in considering the amendment. A 4/5 vote is required to adopt a Comprehensive Plan amendment in accordance with Minnesota Statute 462.355 Subd 3. If approved, the amendment is forwarded to the Metropolitan Council where if it is determined if it is consistent with the System Statement and the regional plan. ISSUES ANALYSIS Comprehensive Plan, Proposed Land Use Map: The property is designated as Low Density Residential in the Comprehensive Land Use Map as part of the 2018 plan. The previous Comprehensive Plan 2008, Proposed Land Use Map designated the subject property as Medium Density Residential. The density ranges set in the Comprehensive Plan are 1 to 3 units per acre for low density, 4 to 8 units per acre for medium density and 8-14 units per acre (up to 32 units for senior housing) for high density. (See page 75 and 76 of the Comprehensive Plan 2018) The subject property is 2.9 acres in size, consisting of two parcels with one of the parcels containing a portion of the Oakgreen Avenue right-of-way. A survey of the property has not been provided at this time. Once it is determined how much of the lot is encumbered by right-of-way, the developable size of the lot will be reduced affecting the density allowances. Based upon the size of the lot, with a projected reduction in lot size, the property could be developed with the following under the three residential density classifications: Low Density — 6 units Medium Density— 16 units High Density— 28 units / 64 units (senior housing) The Applicant's proposal for up to 36 units exceeds the allowable density of 28 units at the high density category. The City, in setting its land use classifications for the community, has a high degree of discretion in determining its plan text and land use maps. The Metropolitan Council allows cities to make land use determinations on individual parcels as long as the overall plan is consistent with the System Statement and over all regional plans. 2 In 2018, the Planning Commission and City Council discussed those parcels that were undeveloped or underdeveloped and made a decision of the appropriate land use classification. The subject property was discussed and specifically called out on page 75 of the plan as an infill development that could accommodate six family homes. The land use map also identifies it as such. This determination was made in that the Palmer Station development, directly to the east of the subject property, was in the planning stages as a single family development with 13 lots. The Planning Commission and City Council decided that the area south of 58th Street and Oak Park Blvd, adjacent to Oakgreen Avenue should be developed as low density residential. As such the land use classification for the subject property changed from mid density residential in the 2008 plan to low density residential in the 2018 plan. The reasons this change was made included the following: 1. Land use consistency with the established single family neighborhoods to the south. 58th Street/Oak Park Blvd were seen as the transition point from low to higher density development. 2. Traffic concerns with more than a low density development at the corner of 58th Street and Oakgreen Avenue. The intersection sees high traffic volumes and some back-ups at the four-way stop during peak times. Issues with the driveway access and separation distances to the intersection were a concern. Lower density development was determined to be less of an issue for the intersection. 3. Desire to add additional low density/single family development to the City. There is almost no developable land available for additional low density development. The Comprehensive Plan encourages continued development and redevelopment in all density levels. There is more acreage available for mid and high density development in other parts of the community. Comprehensive Plan, Goals and Policies and Land Use Plan: The Comprehensive Plan 2018 includes goals and policies that are meant to direct land use decisions in the community. The goals and policies are used in conjunction with the maps as a guide to the Planning Commission and City Council. The applicable goals and policies of the Land Use section of the Comprehensive Plan are as follows with Staff comments: Mission Statement, Values and Community Goals (Page 22) Preserve Small Town Character. The features and amenities of this small town are regarded as the greatest community asset. Preserve small town character while accommodating redevelopment, renewal, and revitalization. Comment: The Comprehensive Plan 2008 designated the subject property as low density to preserve the small town, single family character of this neighborhood. 58th 3 Street is the transition point to high density and commercial development to the north. Keeping the property as low density residential preserves that character. Land Use — Goals and Policies (Pages 50, and 51) Goal 2: A cohesive land use pattern which ensures compatibility and strong functional relationships among activities is to be implemented. Policies: A. Prevent over-intensification of land use development, that is, development which is not accompanied by a sufficient level of supportive services and facilities (utilities, parking, access, etc.). Comment: The proposal to change the land use map to high density, rezone the property to R-3 Multiple Family Residential District, and construct up to 36 condo units would be an over-intensification of the property. While the City could potentially provide the area with utility services, access and traffic with this proposed high density development raises concerns. B. Examine requested land use changes in relation to adjoining land uses, site accessibility, utility availability, and consistency with the Oak Park Heights Comprehensive Plan and policies. Comment: As indicated, the area was designated as low density residential to be consistent with the low density land uses to the south and east. There are concerns with accessibility, especially near the intersection. A lower density development would reduce the daily trips in and out of the development. Even if designated as high density, the proposed development would exceed the density limits. C. Attempt to make transitions between distinctly differing types of land uses in an orderly fashion which does not create a negative (economic, social or physical) impact on adjoining developments. Comment: A high density development in this area would be an impact to the neighborhood to the south. While the 150 foot buffer area does provide separation, there would be greater impact to the neighborhood with a high density development of 36 condo units in a three story building than a six unit low density single family neighborhood. D. Infill development of compatible land uses shall be strongly encouraged. Comment: The proposed land use amendment would allow for redevelopment and infill at a higher density than what exists. They City has determined that a low density development is the most appropriate for this area. 4 E. Where practical, conflicting and non-complementary uses shall be eliminated through removal and relocation. Comment: The current low density use is conforming to the Comprehensive Plan. F. Encourage the development and redevelopment of under-utilized and substandard property throughout the City. Comment: The Comprehensive Plan recognizes this as an area for potential redevelopment as a low density use. Residential Land Use — Goals and Policies (page 53) Policies: D. Avoid concentrations of multiple family dwellings and apartments in the City. Locate such housing within appropriately designated zoning districts and in proximity to areas which offer a wide range of existing supportive services, commercial and recreational facilities. Comment: The intent of the Comprehensive Plan 2018 was to avoid concentration of mid or high density development south of 58th Street. The Commission and City Council found that 58th Street was an appropriate transition between housing densities. There are other areas of the community that the Comprehensive Plan designates for mid or high density that are better suited, with proximity to supportive services commercial services and recreational facilities. Land Use Compatibility — (page 66) Land use compatibility concerns exist, primarily in the older sections of the community, and where commercial development is adjacent to residential homes and neighborhoods. High density residential or commercial development adjacent to single family neighborhoods can intensify unwanted activity in the area and impose impacts on parking, traffic and noise that may be uncharacteristic of single-family neighborhoods. Additionally, the Comprehensive Plan calls for the proper transition between high and low density residential development. The City, through its plan and Zoning Ordinance, shall transition residential development so as not to create negative living environments. Concentration of one type of housing style or density can also create issues for the proper development of neighborhoods. Comment: As indicated, the Comprehensive Plan 2008 changed the land use classification of the subject property from mid density to low density residential in response to the land use compatibility concerns in this area. To change the land use designation to high density residential now would not be consistent with the plan. 5 Zoning: While the rezoning of the property is not being considered at this time, it is important to highlight the zoning requirements with a high density development. The property is currently zoned 0 — Open Space Conservation District which allows for single family dwellings. The Open Space District was created to provide a district to allow open space, agricultural uses, and a holding zone for developable areas. In order to accommodate a high density development of 36 units, the subject property would need to be rezoned to R-3 Multiple Family District in which multiple family dwelling units are a permitted use. While multiple family dwellings are a permitted use, the City would have site plan review and the residential design standards of the Zoning Ordinance to ensure compatibility. A Variance may also be required for building height. The density requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, in Section 401.15.C.3 specify that 2,500 square feet of lot area is required per unit (500 square feet is to be added for each bedroom over two bedrooms per unit). If 36 two bedroom units are constructed, 90,000 square feet of lot area is required. The entire site consists of 2.9 acres or 126,324 square feet. Access/Traffic: The Applicant has provided a preliminary traffic study within the narrative. It concludes that there would be approximately 306 daily trips from a high density 36 unit condominium development. Based upon the limited available traffic volumes for this intersection, the Applicant's traffic engineer made a preliminary conclusion that 58th Street and Oakgreen Avenue have the remaining capacity to accommodate the proposed development. However, please note that Staff would recommend that if the project moved forward, a more detailed traffic study would need to be completed that examines all traffic impacts in deeper detail such as point of access, site lines, stacking and related issues. If a low density development of six units were approved for the site, there would be approximately 60 daily trips. This is considerably less than the 306 daily trips with a high density development. Additionally, the possible development of the site for low density single family development could involve one access point with a cul-de-sac. One access point would be preferable to two for the subject property. CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION Based upon the previous review, Staff does not recommend a Comprehensive Plan amendment to change land use classification from Low Density Residential to High Density Residential for 5676 Oakgreen Avenue North. That recommendation is based upon the following findings: 1. The proposal for up to 36 units exceeds the allowable density of 28 units at the high density category. 6 2. The subject area was designated as Low Density Residential in the Comprehensive Plan 2018 to maintain land use consistency with the established single family neighborhoods to the south. 58th Street was seen as the transition point from low to higher density development. 3. There is a need for additional low density/single family development in the City. There is almost no developable land available for additional low density development. The Comprehensive Plan encourages continued development and redevelopment in all density levels. There is more acreage available for mid and high density development in other parts of the community. 4. The Comprehensive Plan 2008 designated the subject property as low density to preserve the small town, single family character of this neighborhood. 5. There are community and Staff traffic concerns with more than a low density development at the corner of 58th Street and Oakgreen Avenue. The intersection sees high traffic volumes and some back-ups at the four-way stop during peak times. Issues with the driveway access and separation distances to the intersection are a concern. 6. The subject property was designated as low density residential to be consistent with the low density land uses to the south and east. There are concerns with accessibility and traffic, especially near the intersection of 58th Street and Oakgreen Avenue. A lower density development would reduce the daily trips in and out of the development. 7. The proposal to change the land use map to high density, rezone the property to R-3 Multiple Family Residential District, and construct up to 36 condo units would be an over-intensification of the property. While the City could potentially provide the area with utility services, access and traffic with this proposed high density development raises concerns. 8. A high density development in this area would be an impact to the neighborhood to the south. While the 150 foot buffer area does provide separation, there would be greater impact to the neighborhood with a high density development of 36 condo units in a three story building than a six unit low density single family neighborhood. 7 4i I July 8, 2022 Eric A.Johnson, City Administrator Julie Hultman, Building Official Planning Jennifer Pinski, Assistant City Administrator, City Clerk & Code Enforcement Scott Richards, City Planner Lisa Danielson, Arborist Andrew Kegley, Public Works Mary Seiger, Administration Dear Eric and Scott and City Staff, Thank you for the time and guidance you have given to us on our project site to explain our options. You answered all of our questions and walked us through to a better process for everyone. We are submitting this application for a change to the Oak Park Heights Comprehensive Plan which would change the zoning to our two lots to R-3 Multiple Family Residential, we as applicants offer that our combined lots just under 3 acres* is an appropriate complement to the low-density homes in the area and is complementary and compatible with the transition to the higher density to the north of 58th across the street. The reasons set forth in our application are based on support references of conformity with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. The site is at 5676 Oakgreen Avenue North and the adjacent lot to the west. A note on our references to the comprehensive plan of 2018. References were duplicated from the comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan is a voluminous document and making references to such a substantial document has its inherit limitations. In some of the longer references for example it is not always best practice to copy the entire section of the comprehensive plan topic to help ease of readability. Sometimes the whole reference section is not necessary to describe an idea being discussed in the application. In other examples the whole section of the reference may not have applied to the section of the narrative being discussed. Not all readers of this document will be the city staff, city professionals, and city plan commission members who will likely have the comprehensive plan at hand. For those that want exact references to the plan and the full context of the comprehensive plan document, we encourage you to download the comprehensive plan from the City's website. We have attempted to include exact page numbers of the section we are referencing. Thank you,fom.- *A professional survey has been ordered and is in process at this time. History of the Application Site. The 2008 Comprehensive Plan shows both our lots and the property north to us as Medium Density Residential. The 2018 Comprehensive Plan shows our house as low density Residential where (other than the house) our property is now shown as Park Facilities Open Space so it was moved down in density where the properties to the north of 58th from us were moved to up to high density. We do not wish our sites to become a buffer to the buffer zone and we will explain in the pages ahead that it is fair and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan to identify our lots as Multiple Family Residential R-3. See Comprehensive Plan Land use maps at attachment 10a-10b. 1 The Biggest Challenge in Changing the Application Site to R-3 Multiple Family Residential I along with Maureen had our third meeting with the city staff and city administrator and professional team on June 29th to discuss an amendment in the Oak Park Heights 2018 Comprehensive plan. One of the items that stands out is near the end of the meeting, Eric Johnson, City Administrator suggested that in our narrative, we not only include why the project site was compatible with high density for the project application but what we feel is the biggest challenge or where the site falls short of the comprehensive plan. We will begin the application with that challenge. It struck me that after completing the matrix at attachment 1 on the many compatibilities with changing the comprehensive plan to identify the project as multiple family residential, that the biggest weakness in the application is the opposition from the immediate adjacent neighbors that we met at the neighbor meetings. Although attachment 1 identifies a dozen criteria where the application not only meets, but exceeds, the comprehensive plan standards for changing this property to high density, the item that we see will be "paramount" in this is that the City has a tough decision to make because it is impossible to make everyone happy on this somewhat subjective issue of where should the line be drawn between low density and high density around our property. We do not begrudge our neighbors that showed up at the neighbor meetings in opposition of our project. There were also many adjacent neighbors that attended in support of the project. After the 6:30 PM evening neighbor meeting number 2 on May 17th, I told the adjacent neighbors that I always felt that I had to tell them about the project first and that I knew from years of"hearsay" that I knew how they were going to respond, but I had to come "through that door" and tell them about the project personally. When one asked me "Where do we go from here Jaime?" we joked together and I told them that I was going home to my room and lock the door and stay inside a few days. The meeting ended with that humor, but I also told the most vocal attendees that they were genuine, and they came to the meeting face to face on a difficult subject, so I very much respected them for that. Isn't it beautiful in this country that we have processes to peacefully debate our differences publicly? So, I start the application with this acknowledgement that this is a very difficult decision that the City and staff will need to make. The buffer zone is a sacred cow. Back in the day we used to have a saying that "sacred cows make great steaks". I say this respectfully. This is a tough decision, but the public debate is at the core of the hard decisions Oak Park Heights has to make to balance the budget for the next twenty years. The world has changed since the last comprehensive plan update. Inflation is now a consideration that was not nearly as prevalent in 2018. The Allen S King plant situation puts pressure on the City's revenue stream, and the list of criteria spelled out in this application goes on and on. I suggest that because of the difficult decisions that the City has to make in the coming years, this is the model application that demarks extraordinary public input with the comprehensive plan at the center of the discussion. What an opportunity for the City and the taxpayers alike to confront challenges that the City and the residents will have in the next twenty years. There needs to be give and take. "We can't make everyone happy." The Oak Park Heights Comprehensive Plan is an extraordinarily in depth and well laid out vision of the future for Oak Park Heights on what challenges the City faces, and how land decisions will be made. I suggest that if we embrace the challenges we are going to deal with and use this application review and the Comprehensive Plan as the tool it was meticulously and painstakingly built for, this application 2 process will not only be genuine, but valuable for all of us. I expect the decision based on the Comprehensive Plan to be a difficult one where everyone cannot be pleased. The litmus test for a great deal of what the Comprehensive Plan talks about and proposes and has in its Goals and Policies in it, in regards to redevelopment is this: Is the land owner willing to take their building down and replace it? The second part that will play out over the next thirty years and longer will be this: can we make the tough decisions as it relates to the adjacent properties and figure a way to transition, buffer, and screen in order to make the redevelopment feasible? The applicant proposes that we can't make everyone happy and this application for a change to the Comprehensive Plan is very important because it is one of the "front runners"to this important debate that will play out over the next twenty years and more in Oak Park Heights. When a property owner comes to the City and says "I've worked out on my side how I can pull my old home (or other building)down and replace it with something nicer without asking for any help from the City"; (let alone the project opportunities when the City would want to help) those opportunities should be very interesting for the City because that is what will be needed for the City to successfully implement its Comprehensive Plan with compliant properties over the next thirty years. Escentially, this is probably why this application for a Comprehensive Plan amendment is so important. Why a change in the Comprehensive Plan via application ammendment? The sequence and process we are following is unique. Through discussions with the Oak Park Heights Planning staff the step of first applying for a Comprehensive Plan amendment resonated with us as the applicant because it gets to the foundational nature of the end result of land use. That is, what is the best use of the site in the overall context of the City's land use plan at this location?This is an application for a change to the Comprehensive Plan in order so the resulting application for Walk-a-Bout would then proceed in an orderly fashion. It is our intention as the applicant,to submit in good order an application for a project whose site plan and renderings are in this application at the attachment 2a-2g. It is substantially the same footprint plan we shared with the city staff planning group on March 16th of this year and at the four recent neighbor meetings on May 17th and May 25th held at city hall. We feel a change in density at this location is an opportunity for us all (City, neighbors, applicant) to play to our collective strengths and such a decision is substantially supported by the Comprehensive Plan. Because this application is the penultimate* application we as applicants submit that a traffic study, if required, would need to be submitted with the project application at that time rather than now. In reviewing the Comprehensive Plan, there is not robust traffic data in the plan about the counts in the interior of the city or at this site. We are asking the city administrator, the city planner, and the planning team and city staff to approve our notion that if such data was not relied upon at the time the 2018 comprehensive plan was completed, it should not be a burden on the applicant in this application for comprehensive plan amendment at this time. The other reason we ask you to consider that a traffic study, if required, should be a condition of the ultimate application rather than this comprehensive plan application is cost. With a fee of$500 for the Comprehensive Plan Application and a traffic study cost up to 10X of that, it makes more sense that if a traffic study is a requirement upon the applicant at the time of final project application,that anticipated $3,000 to $5,000 cost would be incurred at that time. This request is reasonable because high density is already immediately across 58th from the project site. Please approve this sensible notion of this recommended sequence. Additionally, was a traffic study required and completed in 2019 when 72 units were built along 58th for the Oak Park Senior living that can be utilized in this application? *Penultimate. Last but one in a series of things. Second to the last item 3 Limited (if any) Residential Resources left in the city. The applicant feels it's prudent financially for the City as it comes to the end of it's residential resources to leave no stone unturned in determining high density site alternatives. In this application for a comprehensive plan amendment, we the applicant, will show examples of how the site fits residential high density in the comprehensive plan. Page 31 of the 2018 comprehensive plan states: "Other than what is currently in development, there are no significant parcels of residential land available for development in the city." With this site being right on the border of high density in the city already and with a substantial buffer zone between the application site property and the adjacent neighbors to the south of the site, the property is a strong candidate for a high-density designation. Guidance in the 2018 Comprehensive Plan makes the application site stand out for High Density. Throughout this narrative, we will give examples of criteria in the Comprehensive Plan why the value of the project for the City is very high and the cost for the City for high density at this site is very low. Examples will show that a high-density assignment for the application site is warranted because it is higher in revenue and lower in cost than either a low-density project, or a future hypothetical annexed project. Comparisons will be looked at for city revenue, less automobile dependency at the site, housing diversification, city utilities capacity and road infrastructure including original costs to build roads and increase utilities as well as long term maintenance costs, and the comparable traffic per new home in the city. Page 23 of the Comprehensive Plan states a very important Oak Park Heights Goal: Promote a responsible fiscal balance (revenue versus service costs)on an ongoing basis. "The policies of the Comprehensive Plan are intended to outline the community's desires and set forth guidelines for how these desires are to be achieved. These issues must be continually assessed in terms of value compared to costs incurred by the City for implementation. Indicators of value include, but are not limited to, potential revenue,facility enhancement, and the common good of the Oak Park Heights community" Oak Park Heights Has it's Own Identity. Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota, USA When I was five, I asked my mom a little bit about the 55082 zip code because I couldn't figure something out. She explained that 55082 is the zip code of our city, Oak Park Heights. I told her that I was going to write a letter to Stillwater and tell them they need to stop using our city's zip code. I was proud that I lived in Oak Park Heights, not Stillwater. Although I am proud of my roots of things like being the captain of the Stillwater Pony baseball team in 1980,this home project NAME says it all about how I feel about the identity of the city I grew up in and started my family. Oak Park Heights has it's own identity. The point is: this application is about pulling out the Comprehensive Plan and making the tough decision on what is best for the greatest good and greatest number of people in Oak Park Heights. Want to talk Oak Park Heights baseball? Ask me where you can learn about arguably, the greatest little league baseball game ever played in the St. Croix Valley where the undefeated regular season Oak Park Twins won the little league Championship. On this day, forget Lake Elmo, forget Stillwater,forget Bayport, Lakeland, Marine on the St. Croix and Hugo. Oak Park Heights was "World Champions.". Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota, USA will be home to some thirty-six high value condominium residences. The old home, although functional now and can be for the next many years, will be taken down. The residences have been designed to attract both active lifestyle residents interested in the proximity to the City's trail system as well as existing Oak Park Heights residents looking to downsize their footprint and live in a park-like setting with simple amenities and above average green space. The Walk-a-Bout name comes from the idea that in the search for happiness and meaning in life, some of the simplest things like going for a walk with a friend or meeting a family 4 member on a bike ride across town at a park for a simple visit can still aspire to offer the most basic and meaningful moments in life. Oak Park's vision was to invest in the park system over the last twenty-five years and it is an attractive feature of the city. Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights will advertise the Oak Park Trail System as we fully expect this elite project will sell out the thirty-six units within 120days from completion. The existing home is old and can be maintained but is there a better use consistent with the comprehensive plan? We think so and here is another goal in the comprehensive plan that supports the change to high density at this site: RESIDENTIAL LAND USE Goal 2: Maintain and enhance the strong character of Oak Park Heights' single family residential neighborhoods. Policies: A. Promote private reinvestment in the City's single-family housing stock. B. Pursue the redevelopment of substandard single-family homes when it is judged not economically feasible to correct the deficiencies. C. Encourage single family home rehabilitation programs through the City. The site requires less automobile dependency. With walking trails on all three sides of the property, the site is less dependent on automobile travel than much of the city for things such as shopping, chiropractic and dental services and restaurants and grocery, and it lends itself well for foot and bike traffic to and from the property. Because of this, the site is a strategic growth location in Oak Park Heights and counter-intuitively, gently higher density equates to lower automobile traffic per added household for residences at this location. Put another way, it would be difficult to add 36 residences in Oak Park Heights that create less traffic per household than at this site because of the site's close proximity to services and the related walkability of the location. Economic Efficiency for Oak Park Road Infrastructure and utilities. The application site maximizes the City's ability to utilize existing roads and utilities. With Oakgreen avenue and 58th abutting the property on two sides, a modest high-density zoning change is appropriate because the property reduces relative future road maintenance and new utility infrastructure per new home added now, which is very difficult for any municipality to achieve with a new project. Higher density would be economically advantageous to the City at this location because these additional homes would not require additional road construction and substantial additional utilities. Low road construction per home on this project factors favorably for the City's future inevitable rise in road repair costs. Maximizing the site's benefits with sensible higher density, therefore, would be strategically prudent because a higher number of homes in this case, is spread over lower additional future road maintenance. This property location is well suited for a higher-density strategy to minimize the future road and utility costs per new home. "If I were a resident volunteer on the Oak Park Heights economic committee, my first suggestion would be to play off the twenty-five year investment the City has made in the trail system. The City would create a slogan, "at Oak Park Heights, we encourage all our new development and re-development to walk all over the city". Wallah! The City's identity would be one of the most sought-after places to live in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin due to how the world is embracing the simpler aspects of health and happy living. Such a mind-set would help the residents put into perspective the importance of give and take in adjacent compatible uses as it relates to solving the City's challenges for the future as stated in the Comprehensive Plan. first two questions of any developer: 1. How are you going to use the trails? 2. Can you show us the considerations as it relates to our fiscal balance test (revenue vs service costs)?"h 5 The above narrative on Roads and Utilities Efficiency is "echoed" in the comprehensive plan on Page 56 Through the comprehensive planning process, the City has the ability to direct and focus development in a pattern that maximizes the utilization of existing utilities and services.This type of land use management assists the community in regulating and budgeting for investment in future public utilities, streets, and service needs. With limited vacant land, it is likely that the City will be almost completely developed by 2025. Small parcels of residential property scattered throughout the community will be infilled with single family and townhome development. Based upon this premise, the focus of the land use, transportation, community facilities/administrative sections of this Comprehensive Plan will be on redevelopment, infill and maintenance of the community Unfortunately, Post-Covid equals a period of higher inflation and higher costs for both individuals and governments providing services. so things have changed since the last comprehensive plan update when increasing costs per home were not as great of a concern for communities. The average homeowner is currently feeling the inflation increases and even in a financially well-managed city like Oak Park Heights, the site should not be used for low density, for all to realize later, that a sensibly- gentle-higher-density approach could have been optimal. It is fair to say that the current concerns of increasing cost pressure is a valid reason to look at a change to higher density as a sensible adjustment to an earlier unforeseen situation. Higher density in this location is a sensible, low-risk adjustment for the City and making such a change is a savvy response by leadership at the City to changing economics that impact all taxpayers. It should be noted that the likelihood of the recent inflation on all of us is permanent because inflation is cumulative. That is, even if the rate of inflation slows down,that inflation that has recently occurred presents a lasting challenge. So we can all say, "the genie is out of the bottle regarding inflation impact and this has all happened since the last Comprehensive Plan update." Something substantial has changed since the last Comprehensive Plan that has created a brand new challenge. Air Quality and environmental efficiency.The project as contemplated will be environmentally efficient due to several factors. First, the walkability of the site offers less dependency on automobile use. Other factors of efficiency include less waste of duplicate equipment and machines. Consider one lawn mower or lawn service rather than thirty-six lawn mowers. Recycling programs which conserve resources shall be required by the homeowners' association. A Gently Higher Density will allow the project to offer home options to allow seniors and existing Oak Park Heights residents an opportunity to stay in the city by downsizing. Although it is impossible to know how many existing Oak Park residents will want to look at the offering currently designed shown at attachment 2a—2g, it is factual from the recent neighborhood meetings that one existing resident couple stated at the meeting that the project, as designed, would give them an opportunity to stay in the city by downsizing out of their single-family residence. They currently live in the neighborhood. The comprehensive plan states in its goals section on page 52. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE Goal 1: Provide a variety of housing types, styles and values to meet the needs of the community and the changing demographics of the City and region through new development and redevelopment. Policies: A. Encourage design and planning innovations in housing units and land development. B. Recognize the development of townhouses, condominiums and non-traditional home types to supplement existing conventional single-family homes, and apartments, giving due consideration to local market demands. C. Attempt to provide housing opportunities which attract 6 persons of all ages and income levels and which allow them the ability to maintain residence within Oak Park Heights throughout the various stages of their lives. Gentle High Density for the site adheres to a tried-and-true principal of best practices approach of diversification. Simply expressed: low-density housing, plus low-density housing plus gently higher- density housing that is carefully integrated in and complementing, would be more responsive to the Comprehensive Plan than more low density both at this time and in the future. Many changes have taken place in the world since the last Comprehensive Plan was completed. A strong homeowners association set of rules for a larger group of homes can add a layer of good compliance and help enforce the City's rules in such areas as police calls and property aesthetics at this strategic location. This is because associations of homeowners of less than, say eight to ten, are notorious for being poorly managed maintenance headaches for the local governments to enforce compliance rules on the residents. This is even more true when they are lower income. When an association is over fifteen to twenty residences,the associations statistically are much stronger than a smaller association could ever hope to be, this shifts a portion of maintenance compliance and even some efforts of its police force from the City to the homeowner's association. Six homes at this site would likely create a very week compliance record. Possibly not initially, but in 5 to ten years that could change. The old saying that "a new broom sweeps clean" would be remindful that six to ten homes at this site is not good for the neighbors or the City. A gently higher density project lessens this risk of hassle for the City in a number of areas. Traffic. Based on J K& K Group's traffic expert's trip summary report we don't see a compatibility issue with traffic. We are completely in conformity with the Comprehensive Plan here. Our experts state, "Therefore, both Oakgreen Avenue and 58th Street have the remaining capacity to accommodate the approximately 306 daily trips expected to be generated by the proposed development. Therefore, proposed development trips are expected to have limited impact on the adjacent roadway network. Consequently, roadway improvements are not anticipated to be necessary to accommodate the proposed development." ALLIANT Please see attachment 3a-3c Additionally, there could be an improvement to 58th street based on our internal conversations that could improve 58th. Although that is somewhat out of the framework of this application, here it is for your consideration: "We would anticipate no operational issues at a single 58th Street site access or at any adjacent intersections. 58th Street is currently striped as a four-lane undivided road. Four-lane undivided roads can be improved in the traffic engineering world; many of them are being converted to three-lane undivided roads (one through lane in each direction plus a center two-way left-turn lane). If 58th Street eventually gets restriped to a three-lane undivided road, the 58th Street site access would then have a westbound left-turn lane to accommodate inbound site traffic. The narrower two-lane undivided cross-section of Oakgreen Avenue does not offer the same flexibility, but eliminating it gives additional options and takes additional pressure of the back of the linear park." Two Access Points Rather Than One Is a Response from the Neighbor Meetings. It was noted at the neighborhood meetings that an access for the west building of Walk-a-Bout onto 58th moves 50%of the access pressure off of the Oakgreen access point. Heading to Kowalskis'for groceries taking a left onto 58th from the underground parking in the west building makes good sense and has little impact on the surrounding traffic. There is another major benefit of this additional access point. For the west building, 7 we directed our engineer planners to remove the paved entrance next to the linear park and walking path for much of what would have previously been in place if the access to the west building would have been from Oakgreen. This keeps additional green space at the project near the walking path to the south of our property. Although the linear park is significant in size, 150 feet wide with a tremendous tree canopy, we are still not opposed to working with the City arborist and adding an additional landscape buffer and modest mounding (say 3' to 4' high) creating a further natural separation to this section and adding to the linear park. The Comprehensive Plan is a Continuous Process. On page 20 of the OPH Comprehensive Plan there is an illustration of the ideal comprehensive planning process. attachment 4. The illustration depicts a circular continuous process balancing existing conditions, visioning, goals and objectives, needs and alternative scenarios. With the next comprehensive plan process set for 2028, the Oak Park Heights Zoning Ordinance recognizes and allows the benefit and opportunity for the city to be responsive in allowing for zoning changes in the interim. This application for a rezoning to R-3 Multiple Family Residential is reflective on the desire to make continuous improvement between the ten-year comprehensive plan update processes. It is the applicant's proposition that when we as a community, weight the benefits of the property towards a gently higher density, the overall, across-the-board- benefits to the community will be that the property is trending greater and greater towards R-3 each and every year. The main reason for this: The location of the property lends itself to be less dependent on automobiles and with walking trails on three sides of the property, the walkability (and biking) of the property is among the highest in the city. At the time of the next Comprehensive Plan update, the property will continue to trend and be more compatible and consistent with a higher density zoning than a lower density zoning. It is the applicant's assertion that now, and especially increasing as we near 2028, if the property were to be developed with a low-density zoning compliant project, it would be a permanent symbol of a property being out of step with the best use for the city and the greatest number of people and the greatest good. With tax rates being identified as the number two issue on the recent Comprehensive Plan, it would be difficult to see six to eight residential units taking up this strategic site knowing that it would have been more financially and economically prudent for a higher density zoning project. The applicant points to the City's Mission Statement and Goals on pages 21 and 22 of the Comprehensive Plan and makes the following complementary statement of the vision of the comprehensive plan document. "It will be challenging to see another R-3 project come along in the next twenty years in Oak Park Heights that is seemingly as consistent with the city's Mission Statement and Goals, expressed in the Comprehensive Plan especially when you consider that there will be minimal infrastructure needed from the city for a higher density project at this location". The applicant feels that if one were to list the properties that were suitable for R-3 (Residential High Density) in the city,this property is, if not number one on the list, very, very high up on the list. The Application Property is In the Transition Area. R-3 zoning for the property is consistent with the property across the street to the north from it. When we purchased the property over twenty years ago, we felt that everything to the north of the buffer zone abutting the south of the property would be treated similarly in the zoning ordinance and Comprehensive Plan. The buffer zone offers a transition area for this exact purpose. The City purchased the buffer zone to the south of our property in 2006. It makes good sense that the buffer demarks the transition to higher density in this part of the city. 8 Changing Times. Based on the emphasis of the Comprehensive Plan it is far more likely than not that by the time the next comprehensive plan update occurs in 2028, the application property will not only be saying "this should be R-3", it wouldn't be out of the question that the best use of the property could be R-B Residential Business Transitional District or even B-1 Neighborhood Business District. attachment 5a-5b Comprehensive Planning Aspects of Allen S King Plant Closure by 2028. A higher density for the application site is prudently responsible and extremely proactive by the city to upcoming revenue challenges more than likely to occur which it will have to face. A change to a higher density for this property is responsive and in the correct direction. The comprehensive plan states on page 65 that "Xcel Energy plans to close the King Plant by 2028, a decade sooner than originally planned. ....the city receives 33%of it's annual property tax revenue from the King Plant." "When the King Plant closes and no longer remains a viable source of tax revenue, the City will have a significant gap in its ability to fund municipal services. Accordingly, the city, like many other communities that host power plants (being coal, nuclear or natural gas)must begin to contemplate about how it would respond when such closure happens." Furthermore, you have to go no further than the City's stated challenges to understand that there needs to be a focus on compatible revenue management practices and one can see that of the top six City challenges, item number 2 through item number 6 are closely intertwined with Revenue and Tax Rates. On page 15 of the comprehensive plan: The most important challenges facing the City: 1. Protecting the St. Croix River and other bodies of water 2.Tax rates 3. Maintaining and enhancing municipal services 4. Reducing crime and enhancing public safety 5. Capital investments in community facilities, parks 6. Improving pedestrian and bicycle access and safety Higher Density at this site is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan as it relates to the trail system. It is not only the applicant's idea that properties near walking and biking paths are beneficial to the transportation needs of Oak Park Heights. The Comprehensive Plan states on page 109: "In the last 25 years, the City has invested significantly in the pedestrian and bicycle network throughout the community. It is possible to travel west to east and north and south through the entire City on trails with limited need to travel on streets. The City sees this investment as important to recreation as well as the transportation needs of the community". In this spirit, the owners of the property(the applicant) donated the easement to the city in 2019 for the path built on the applicant's property along Oakgreen. A low-density use for this site would be terminal for the site. A gently higher density zoning assignment for this site would be a continual symbol for the City and its residents that a thoughtful adjustment in the City's plans were struck, adjustments to unforeseen financial impacts were strategically made, and the ultimate intended project when built would be an extremely low-risk response with many positive merits and meet the (Revenues vs Service Costs standard of the Comprehensive Plan). A low-density housing buildout, unfortunately, would be terminal for the site and a perpetual reminder in the future that we had a better option. A low density project at this site is not only terminal, which understandably is a strong word from the applicant, a low-density use at this project site does not embrace the encouragement the document envisions, to be bold, to solve problems, and to be proactive, but principally page 22 states as a goal Encourage continued but orderly 9 and diverse growth and redevelopment in Oak Park Heights. To maintain a strong economic and social base for Oak Park Heights, development and redevelopment is viewed as positive. In that the amount of vacant, developable land is limited to primarily commercial properties, the focus of the City will be on infill development of the remaining developable land and continued redevelopment and improvements to commercial and industrial properties. Higher density for this site with upper-value-level homes can have a positive impact on minimizing police calls(as compared to lower income/lower density). The modestly higher density we are proposing is beneficial (as compared to low density) due to the higher home values that will be employed, complementary to 55th, 56th, Oakgreen townhomes and Palmer Station. Please note neighbors, our point is "complementary to your history of being good neighbors". The comparison is not to your good record which we feel we would complement, rather, it is a comparison to what a low- density project would be for this site. Please see the discussion below of how a larger home-owners association, than say six to ten homes (low density) would be beneficial for police statistics because the association will have by-laws that are legally enforceable upon it's residents for many things that otherwise fall into local enforcement responsibility. A strong homeowners association with a "zero clutter policy", its own noise rules, and ongoing reserves put in place for maintenance can complement the neighbor's investments and be consistent with the high standards of the city. The applicant asserts that six lower priced residences at this visibly strategic location adds a risk the city should not want to take. This project gives the city a project that will minimize the preceding risks and add eye appeal to the location. Why didn't we oppose the 2018 Comprehensive plan change? Some might ask why we didn't spend the time and energy in 2018 when the Comprehensive plan was being revised to oppose the change in density then? This is a very good question, but it's not the best question. If we call it the "penultimate question",the answer is simply in 2018 Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota USA wasn't an answer because we didn't have the courage or the answer for the community to what a better plan than a 100-year-old house would be. "The Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota dream had not been dreamt." Now, in 2022, the world has changed, costs are going through the roof for families and cities, and we have built up say a bit of courage to meet the neighbors and tell them of our plans. The best question in 2022 is: Can anyone envision a better use for the application site in the next 5, 10, 50 or even 100 years than Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights while substantially meeting the revenue vs service cost explained on Page 23 of the Comprehensive Plan? But still, I do see, and I do take responsibility for not being active during the 2018 Comprehensive Plan public input process. In retrospect, even though I take personal responsibility for not communicating and opposing the Comprehensive Plan change to our property at that time, I actually feel the way that I have been challenged by this process and I have worked with City Administrator, staff and City Planner to submit a Comprehensive Plan amendment, the work has all been worth it. For example, I see now how complex the balancing act that City staff and Mayor and City Council are always up against. Still a long answer but I think I'm even a better team player now than I could have been in 2018 and I have been able to make adjustments in my thinking about the Comprehensive Planning process and everything it entails. If we're able to move back to Oak Park Heights and live at Walk-a-Bout, I plan to contribute as a community member to Oak Park however I can. When I leave Forest, WI however, I will be retiring personally from elected government roles as a transition in my current responsibilities allows. This Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application gives me a chance to correct my error. 10 The Walking Trail Easement Donation. attachment 6a-6f When we donated the easement, pure and simple, we did so in good faith with the understanding that when it came to the calculation of buildable square footage, the easement donation arrangement would not penalize us relating to the number of buildable unit's calculation. UTILITIES Comprehensive Plan Page 56 Through the comprehensive planning process,the City has the ability to direct and focus development in a pattern that maximizes the utilization of existing utilities and services. This type of land use management assists the community in regulating and budgeting for investment in future public utilities, streets,and service needs. With limited vacant land, it is likely that the City will be almost completely developed by 2025. Small parcels of residential property scattered throughout the community will be infilled with single family and townhome development. Based upon this premise, the focus of the land use,transportation, community facilities/administrative sections of this Comprehensive Plan will be on redevelopment, infill and maintenance of the community The Comprehensive Plan Recognizes the Buffer Zone Concept of Transitioning Uses. The application site has one of the largest buffer zones in the city already in place to the south of our lots. The comprehensive plan provided for this buffering and the comprehensive plan reads in part on Page 66 Land use compatibility concerns exist, to respond to these land use compatibility concerns,the Comprehensive Plan establishes a policy of screening, landscaping and buffering commercial establishments near or within residential areas to minimize the impact on surrounding uses and enhance the neighborhood and community. Although the comprehensive plan talks about buffering commercial properties from residential properties, the point is that our property is significantly buffered to the south. The Site is compatible with high density across 58th and to the north of the buffer zone In 2019, the last phase of the Oak Park Senior Living project at Oakgreen Avenue and 58th Street, will be completed and will include 72 units.This is the last area of high-density development other than what is included as part of the Residential/Business Transitional Areas. Comprehensive Plan Page 76 The linear park is the existing buffer zone is such a screening and buffering area along the entire south side of our property. The application site is in somewhat of a unique location because of the design of 58th. If 58' would have been straight rather than curved,then 58th would have intersected Oakgreen Avenue to the south of our property. Our property would then have had 58th and the buffer zone to the south of it, high density would have been to the north of 58th and this low-density vs high-density transition "sorting out" would not be the same as it is as 58th would have demarked the transition to high density from south to north in the city. We are proposing the plan should be that the buffer zone is the feature in the city that should be the dividing line between low density and high density to the north. With a green space designation for our property, it has the effect of making our property"the buffer zone to the buffer zone". The linear park purchase agreement attachment 7a-7c also called the buffer zone can be divided into two parts, that part along the south side of our property(nearer Oakgreen) and the part adjacent to 58th as the buffer zone moves to the west and 58th curves from Oakgreen in a southwesterly direction. The property was contracted on May 5th 2000 in a second amendment to a developer's agreement and ultimately purchased for a cost of$278,546.10 on September 6, 2006 by the City. 11 Our property is approximately 126,324 square feet and approximately 2.9 acres (pre-survey). The buffer zone is 198,633 square feet and approximately 4.56 acres, or 157% larger than our two-lot property at 5676 Oakgreen Avenue and the lot to the west of it. attachment 11 for a google picture of the area including the linear park (buffer zone), adjacent properties to the south and Palmer Station homes next to Oakgreen. The picture illustrates that all homes adjacent to our proposed buildings—8 in total (five on 56th and 3 at Palmer Station) are in complete conformity of the City's screening criteria for a development within the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. There are 13 homes adjacent to the buffer zone to the south of it. Of those homes, 7 are to the south of our property and 6 are to the west of our property still along the buffer zone. Only 5 homes are adjacent (or south of our two proposed buildings while 2 of the homes on the buffer zone are south of our unbuilt green space and the buffer zone. The buffer zone is 150 feet wide and the average height of the tree canopy is 40 to 50 feet tall, much taller than our proposed buildings. The buffer zone is considered "dense" by any engineering standard, and it substantially eliminates any sight of our property from the back yard of the adjacent neighbors let alone the 8 other homes on the linear park not south of our buildings. The linear park contains mature established trees (not a landscaped recent area). The linear park provides a substantial separation from our lots. We feel that with the linear park established and paid for by the City, the investment benefits RiverHills and should also fairly benefit our two lots as well. The City has substantially met its responsibility per the Comprehensive Plan in the screening requirement and R-3 Multiple Family Residential should be allowed north of the buffer zone. Palmer Station Analysis Palmer station shows seven homes on Oakgreen. Four of the seven homes are across or south of the buffer zone and have landscaping, screening on their side of the street. The three homes across from our property also have more substantial screening on their side. Our plans are to leave a number of significant trees along Oakgreen for screening. City Annexation Discussion of Other Properties. In the years to come the City may have opportunities for expansion through annexation. We feel before annexation is considered, existing lots appropriate for high Density based on the merits of the Comprehensive Plan should first be explored because high density will be more cost effective for the city than annexation. Additionally, we propose that the Walk- a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights option will be one of the highest on the ranking to the City's standard of Promoting a responsible fiscal balance (revenue vs service cost test). We submit the notion that Walk-a- Bout's fiscal merits (and all other merits) will rival most any annexation opportunity the City has in the next twenty years(and more) primarily because Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights does not need much if any, added roads or utilities. Options For the Application Site In this application We feel we have substantially met the key criteria in the Comprehensive Plan to amend the application site to Multiple Family Residential but we simply cannot continue to postpone development. After owning the property over 20 years and always planning on the site being at the same density as everything north of the linear park, we have few choices should this application not be approved. We can: 1. Continue to rent the house at 5686 Oakgreen and monitor the landscape in the city and wait for the 2028 comprehensive plan process while we continue to maintain the current house and be highly active in the process at that time. Albeit with the owners' ages in mind at that time, that strategy has significant limitations. The 2028 Comprehensive Plan will probably receive final approval in 2029 or 2030 and then starting this application process again at that time is just not feasible. That is just too far away. At that time, we will have lost all design value from our 12 engineers and planners for the current Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota USA. We feel with a pro-active application to amend the Comprehensive Plan and the criteria we are resoundingly meeting, this amendment process is a superior strategy than waiting for 2028 and beyond. 2. We can look to sell the land. If the City is absolutely set on six to ten units for perpetuity for our site, then the likely candidates for purchasing our land would be affordable income housing sponsors which the City has stated in the 2018 Implementation plan on page 166 that it would support several choices for affordable housing including: Zoning and Subdivision The City currently has adequate zoning and subdivision regulations to support affordable housing. TIF The City has in the past and would consider TIF proposals to promote affordable housing. CDA The City will work with the CDA on available programs that provide additional affordable housing such as the GROW fund, Low Income Housing Tax credits and CBDG funding. Livable Communities Work with CDA in sponsoring an application to the Metropolitan Council's Livable Communities Account program for affordable housing development. Super RFP The City would support an application to Super RFP programs for affordable housing. There are certain aspects of selling or donating to a non-profit affordable housing authority that resonates with us for both charitable reasons as well as federal tax benefits. 3. The third option is we could develop the site ourselves for six to ten units and live there basically acquiescing * on this Comprehensive Plan amendment application all-the-while feeling we had substantially met the criteria requirements of this application through meeting the Comprehensive Plan standards for Multiple Family Residential. For the reasons laid out in this application illustrating our beliefs that this property site should be R-3 Multiple Family Residential, we would unlikely either go through the process to develop it low density or sell it to someone for that purpose given our ardent stance herein on what is right and fair. Acquiescing To accept something reluctantly, but without protest In conclusion, we ask Eric Johnson and Scott Richards and the intregal City Staff members that no doubt we will work with on this important project to approve moving this application forward. Your team and Mayor McComber and the City council will find that we will work with you to make this important project the signature complement to this area of the city while we believe this application shows in a conclusive way that our request is in complete conformity with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. Eric and Scott, please approve this request upon your review of the application to move it forward to City Plan Commission and Public Hearing. Respectully, Jaime Junker, For J K& K Group, LLP 13 Attachment 1- "The Site Criteria Matrix" Application For a Change in Comprehensive Plan -Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Compatibility With 2018 Oak Park Heights Comprehensive Plan Criteria Low High Aesthetic View and Building Diversification X Site/Location High Walkability X Lower Dependency on Automobilies X Higher Green Space vs a Low Density Project X Linear Park Already in Place to South of Property X Traffic Compatible X Utilities &Roads Compatible(Low City Cost) X Allows Existing City Residents' Downsizing Options X Air Quality X Addresses Stated City Challenges in Revenue Replacement X Extremely likely to Compare Favorably to An Annexation Application Using City's Standard of Revenue vs Cost X Historic Adjacent Neighbors Opposition X Overall Neighbor Meeting Acceptance From Other Residents. Mr. Iry Neff from Oakgreen Townhomes: "How about five floors Jaime" (see public outreach)attachment 8a-8c. 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Q „..., _.., v Uow Attavchment 3a-3c Trafic Memorandum ALLIANT MEMORANDUM DATE: July 7,2022 TO: Jaime Junker,JK&K Group FROM: Jordan Schwarze,PE,Senior Traffic Engineer,Alliant Engineering SUBJECT: Oak Park Heights Condos Trip Generation Memorandum Introduction Alliant Engineering has completed a trip generation memorandum to document the trip generation potential for a proposed residential condominium development to be located in the southwest quadrant of the Oakgreen Avenue/58th Street intersection (5676 Oakgreen Avenue N) in Oak Park Heights,MN.The proposed development is expected to consist of up to 36 condominium dwelling units split evenly over two buildings.Access to the development site is proposed via two driveways, one located along Oakgreen Avenue and the second located along 58th Street. Each driveway is expected to serve one condominium building, thus splitting vehicle trips evenly over the two driveways(see Figure 1: Proposed Site Plan). Trip Generation — Proposed Development Estimates were completed to determine the trip generation potential for the proposed development based on applicable trip generation rates in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual, 11th Edition (ITE TG10. The ITE TGM is a compilation of peak hour and daily trip generation rates based on data collected from various land uses. As presented in Table 1, the proposed development would be expected to generate approximately 34 a.m. peak hour trips,36 p.m.peak hour trips,and 306 daily weekday trips based on applicable trip generation rates from the ITE TGM. For perspective, the estimated weekday p.m. peak hour trip generation equates to approximately one proposed development trip for every one minute and 40 seconds. Given that the two site driveways would be expected to evenly distribute proposed development trips,each driveway could be anticipated to accommodate approximately 17 a.m.peak hour trips, 18 p.m.peak hour trips,and—150 daily weekday trips. Table 1. Estimated Trip Generation—Proposed Development AM Peak Hour Trip, PM Peak Hour Trips i" Daily Land Use(ITE Code) U t s Size Trips Trips Total Trips Trips Total Trips in Out Trips In Out Trips Multifamily Housin.(220) Dwelli Units 36 : 26 34 ME 13 36 306 Source:Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual,11th Edition (1)Peak hour of the adjacent roadway network 733 Marquette Ave Ste 700 612,758,3080 MAIN Minneapolis,MN 55402 612.758.3099 FAX www.alliant-inC.com Jaime Junker.JK&K Group Jul. 7,2022 e w_w Oak Park Heights Condos Trip Generation Memorandum Page 2 Figure 1. Proposed Site Plan l N -.1 ii, i I 1 i 1'T V P3 g, ilr C13400m 401M/ OOrt00i filhQ SAI I iia . I I ,, Roadway Network Considerations A review of annual average daily traffic (AADT) volume data available from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) via its online Traffic Mapping Application indicate that the year 20I8 daily traffic volume along Oakgreen Avenue adjacent to the proposed development site was 5,300 vehicles. AADT volume data is not available for 58th Street adjacent to the proposed development site,though a similar daily traffic volume would be anticipated. The Washington County 2040 Comprehensive Plan assigns a planning level AADT capacity of 10,000 to two-lane undivided urban roads like Oakgreen Avenue, and a planning level AADT capacity of 20,000 to four-lane undivided urban roads like 58th Street. Therefore, both Oakgreen Avenue and 58th Street have the remaining capacity to accommodate the approximately 306 daily trips expected to be generated by the proposed development. It should be noted that the proposed development would be expected to comprise approximately five percent of Oakgreen Avenue traffic under a future hypothetical build scenario in which all site trips utilize Oakgreen Avenue adjacent to the proposed development site. In reality,the proposed development trips would be expected to comprise an even smaller proportion of Oakgreen Avenue traffic given the two accesses being proposed.Therefore,proposed development trips are expected to have a limited impact on the adjacent roadway network. Consequently, roadway improvements are not anticipated to be necessary to accommodate the proposed development. Jordan Schwarze, PE Senior Traffic Engineer RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 4, St City of Bloomington Traffic and Parking Studies Bloomington,MN Jordan served as Project Manager/Traffic Engineering Lead for the preparation of multiple traffic and parking studies related to land use applications throughout the City of Bloomington.The goal of the traffic studies was to identify potential issues due to proposed development trips,while the goal of the parking studies was to determine whether proposed parking supplies were adequate to meet anticipated parking demand.The traffic and parking studies included data collection,utilization of the ITE Traffic and Parking Generation Manuals,determining trip and parking generation A -i'r,R t !i Nn estimates,and developing mitigative measures if traffic issues or parking shortfalls Mr.Schwarze has 16 years of professional were expected. traffic/transportation experience working Briarcroft South&Burandt Traffic Impact Studies Woodbury,MN Jordan served in both the public and private sectors.His as Traffic Engineering Lead for the preparation of two traffic impact studies for work currently focuses on traffic impact proposed adjacent residential developments in Woodbury,Minnesota.The goal studies,traffic operations/safety analyses, of each TIS was to safely and efficiently move vehicles into/out of the proposed corridor studies,intersection control developments while accommodating the needs of the City of Woodbury in evaluations,and parking studies.Jordan providing planned collector roadway continuity as well as the needs of bicyclists has considerable experience working and pedestrians.Multiple build scenarios were analyzed prior to determining with municipal clients,having successfully the adequacy of planned roadway improvements as well as recommending new completed projects for cities throughout roadway improvements. Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Quarry Road Traffic Impact Study River Falls, WI Jordan served as Project Manager/Traffic Engineering Lead for the preparation of a traffic impact study for a proposed commercial development in River Falls,Wisconsin.The TIS involved B.S.Civil Engineering,University of the evaluation of operations on the surrounding roadway network as well as the Minnesota potential interaction with an adjacent church property.Also included was the { E SIGNAL REGISTRATION analysis of drive-through queuing capacity for two proposed restaurants onsite. � J4x!an Access modifications were ultimately recommended to minimize potential vehicle conflicts with adjacent church traffic and to limit the possibility of queues blocking Professional Engineer in Minnesota the entrance to the proposed commercial development. (48187) The Crest Apartments Parking Study Brooklyn Center,MN Jordan served Road Safety Professional 1(491) as Project Manager/Traffic Engineering Lead for the preparation of a parking study associated with the proposed expansion of an existing affordable housing -'PERTISE apartment complex.The parking study involved data collection,comparison of Traffic Impact Studies peak observed parking rates against peak parking rates from the ITE Parking Parking Studies Generation Manual,and an estimate of the future apartment complex peak parking demand.Ultimately,the estimated peak parking demand was compared against the Multi-Modal Corridor Studies proposed parking supply to determine a parking surplus or deficit. Arterial Traffic Simulation and Two Twelve Medical Center Parking Study Update Chaska,MN Jordan served Modeling as Traffic Engineering Lead for the preparation of a parking study for Two Twelve Intersection Control Evaluations Medical Center.The parking study provided an update to a year 2012 study in Traffic Signal Operations and Timing which parking was evaluated for an initial facility expansion.Parking demand was estimated in 15-minute intervals over three weekdays by utilizing vehicle ingress/ Traffic Safety Studies egress counts at the lone site access after an initial facility baseline parking count. The estimated peak parking demand was against the known tenant occupancy to determine a peak parking rate per 1,000 square feet of leasable space.This estimated peak parking rate was compared to the year 2012 estimated peak parking rate,and the higher peak parking rate was utilized to determine to adequacy of the existing parking supply in accommodating the proposed expansion. ALLIANT I alb- 4e Attachment 4-`The Circle of Life" ISSUES IDENTIFICATION The Comprehensive Planning Process \ Existin g Corttinuing Conditions Planning Vis Iiiitg Strategies ( Citizen Actions Involvement Goals Objectives Plans Policies Needs Alternative Analysis Scenarios rifor Comprehensive Plan 2018 City of Oak Park Heights Page 20 Attachment 5 -Comprehensive Plan Residential Zones and Residential Land Goals for Reference Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights Minnesota USA compatibility highlighted in grey. R-2, Low and Medium Density Residential District The purpose of the R-2, Low and Medium Density Residential District is to provide for low to moderate density residential dwellings and directly related, complementary uses. Single and two-family units are allowed as permitted uses,townhomes, condominiums, and multiple family dwelling structures with not more than four units are allowed as conditional. R-3, Multiple Family Residential District The purpose of the R-3, Multiple Family Residential District is to provide for medium to high density housing in multiple family structures and directly related, complementary uses. Multiple family structures are a permitted use and private marina and boat storage facilities, as well as other uses specified in previous districts, are conditional. R-B, Residential Business Transitional District The purpose of the R-B, Residential Business Transitional District is to provide for high density residential use and for the transition in land use from residential to low intensity business allowing for the intermixing of such uses. In the R-B District, multiple family dwellings are listed as permitted uses and limited office use, nursing homes, elderly and group housing, limited retail uses, and limited warehousing activities are conditional. B-1, Neighborhood Business District The purpose of the B-1, Neighborhood Business District is to provide for the establishment of local centers for convenient, limited office, retail or service outlets which deal directly with the customer for whom the goods or services are furnished. These centers are to provide services and goods only for the surrounding neighborhoods and are not intended to draw customers from the entire community. Barber shops, beauty parlors, convenience grocery stores, and laundromats are limited permitted uses. Conditional uses include governmental and public utility buildings, as well as professional and commercial offices. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE Goal 1: Provide a variety of housing types, styles and values to meet the needs of the community and the changing demographics of the City and region through new development and redevelopment. Policies: A. Encourage design and planning innovations in housing units and land development. B. Recognize the development of townhouses, condominiums and non-traditional home types to supplement existing conventional single-family homes, and apartments,giving due consideration to local market demands. C. Attempt to provide housing opportunities which attract persons of all ages and income levels and which allow them the ability to maintain residence within Oak Park Heights throughout the various stages of their lives. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE Goal 2: Maintain and enhance the strong character of Oak Park Heights' single family residential neighborhoods. Policies: A. Promote private reinvestment in the City's single-family housing stock. B. Pursue the redevelopment of substandard single-family homes when it is judged not economically feasible to correct the deficiencies. C. Encourage single family home rehabilitation programs through the City. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE Goal 3: Promote multiple family housing alternatives as an alternative life cycle housing option. Policies: A. Consider the redevelopment of substandard multiple family properties that display deteriorated building conditions, no site amenities, poor site design, or incompatible land use patterns 14 Attachment 6a-6f Donatec Trail Easement to Oak Park Heights ROADWAY,TRAIL, DRAINAGE,AND UTILITY EASEMENT THIS ROADWAY. TRAILWAY, DRAINAGE, AND UTILITY EASEMENT ("Easement") is executed effective as of April 15th, 2020, by J K & K Group, LLP, a Minnesota limited liability partnership("Owner")and the City of Oak Park Heights, Minnesota,a Minnesota municipal corporation ("Grantee City"). RECITALS A. As of the date hereof, Owner is the fee holder of certain real property located in the Grantee City at 5676 Oakgreen Avenue North, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082. more particularly legally described on Exhibit A(the"Property"). B. Owner intends to grant to Grantee City a permanent. nonexclusive easement over the Property in the area of the Easement Parcel legally described on Exhibit B which easement generally extends over the easterly 33 feet of the Property and is for the purpose of installing, operating, and maintaining a roadway, public trail, stormwater drainage improvements, and utilities dedicated to the public and related structures, which easement is more specifically described herein. C. Grantee City desires to acquire the easement granted herein on the terms and conditions set forth herein. NOW. THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, which are incorporated herein by reference,the Owner and Grantee City agree as follows: 1. In exchange for the fair considerations as outlined in this paragraph, the Owner grants to Grantee City a perpetual easement on and under the Easement Parcel over the area legally described on Exhibit B to access, install, maintain, operate, and repair a public roadway, public trail/sidewalk,stormwater drainage improvements, and/or utilities and related structures dedicated to the public, (all collectively the "Improvements"). Such structures and appurtenances may be installed above or below ground. This Easement shall also include the right of temporary access to and excavation of the Easement Parcel for construction purposes in order to exercise the rights granted in this Easement,provided,that Grantee Cit. shall use all reasonable efforts to accomplish any construction work in such manner as will cause the least amount of interruption of Owner's continued use of the Property. City and Owner agree that in lieu of a monetary payment to the Owner from the City,the City acknowledges Owner has donated the Easements requested and as outlined herein to the City and the Owner is responsible for determining appropriate fair market value of the donation value, if any, for Owners' purpose. In this manner. Owner agrees it has received fair and complete consideration from the City. 2. Grantee Cit:. shall not build or maintain, or permit to be built or maintained, any other structure on the Easement Parcel which obstructs Owners use and enjoyment of the Easement Parcel of either a permanent or temporary nature, except that Grantee City may install improvements and structures related to the Improvements, at, above, or below grade, 3. Grantee City shall be solely responsible for the replacement and repair of the Improvements and other appurtenances relating thereto as described above and shall be solely responsible for the cost of the same. 4. In the event that Grantee City performs any repairs and/or maintenance to Improvements and any appurtenances relating thereto the Grantee shall restore the surface to a clean, level and'or stable condition and shall seed such areas. Beyond the Grantee City's obligations. if the Owner desires. the Owner shall be responsible to restore any other landscaping or any structure on the Easement Parcel or surrounding real estate that may be disturbed or damaged by the construction, maintenance, or other exercise by Grantee City of City easement rights provided in this Easement. The Grantee City shall however be entitled to trim or remove any trees, shrubs, bushes or other plants or any other items on the Easement Parcel that may reasonably interfere with the Improvements. 5. Owner agrees that other than a residential driveway and mailbox. no structures, obstruction;. or plantings will be erected or placed on the Easement Parcel, nor will any act be performed by Owner which will interfere with or prevent exercise of the easement rights granted in this Easement. After reasonable notice, if Owner fails to timely remove any said structure. obstruction, or planting, Grantee City may remove and may charge the cost of such removal back to Owner or to any other successor in interest, including placing such charge on the property tax roll as a special assessment. 6. All of the terms, conditions, covenants. and other provisions contained in this Easement, including the benefits and burdens, shall run with the land and shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by Owner and (irantee City and their respective successors and assigns. 7. This Easement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota. 8. This easement sets forth the entire understanding of the parties and may not be modified except by a written document executed and acknowledged by Owner and Grantee l ity. 9. The non-use or limited use of the Easement and rights granted herein shall not prevent Grantee City from later use of the Easement and rights to the fullest extent authorized herein. 10. No violation of these restrictions shall result In a forfeiture or reversion of title to the Easement Parcel. I I. If any term, covenant, or condition of this Easement shall be deemed invalid or unenforceable by a court, the remainder of this Easement, or the covenant or condition therein shall not be affected thereby and each term,covenant,and condition shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law. 2 12. This Easement may be signed in any number of counterparts with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. 13. As a further benefit to the Owner, if the Grantee City desires to improve Oakgreen Ave or install any related elements such as trails and that materially impacts the Owner's driveway along Oakgreen Ave,the Grantee City shall at no further expense to the Owner replace the current gravel driveway at its current location along Oakgreen Ave. with a similar structure and shall complete such structure with asphalt. If the Grantee City elects to make any such improvements to Oakgreen Ave or its related elements,the Grantee City may enter onto the Owner's property for reasonable and temporary construction purposes and shall restore all such impacted areas at no expense to the Owner. 14. The Owner does anticipate the future submission of a redevelopment proposal to the Grantee City, however as of the date of this Agreement that proposal or timeline is not yet identified. At such time a bona-fide proposal is pursued by the Owner.the Grantee City shall act in good faith to review and accommodate reasonable adjustments, as determined by the Grantee City, to the conveyed easement if requested by the Owner. [Signature and acknowledgment pages follow.] 3 IN WITNESS WHEREOF,the parties executed this Easement effective as of the above date. OWNER: J K & K Group,LLP, a Minnesota limited liability partnership . '=^\% r�r By: �r s'1 a�... Name: �;._*-,�� f Its: Managing Partner -- — t STATE OF MINNESOTA ) I ss. COUNTY OF WASHINGTON ) T foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this` day of In 40\\ , 2020, by 4-tr.t� '(,il i' t=.. , the managing partner on behalf of J K& K Group, LP, , t Notary Public `�-,:�,� My commission expires: �- ' 3, SHARON L. KOREN 1•.G.• Notary Public-Minnesota ?��nMy Comm1selon Expires Jan 31,2025 �`n,wY`^i`MMnrtMnnnnr GRANTEE CITY: CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS, a Minnesota mut '!`ipal corporation (--.2 i��4 '< By: _. c"., v By: Name': . McComber Name: Eric nhnum Its: •r Its: City . dministrator STATE OF MINNESOTA ) )ss. COUNTY OF WASHINGTON ) The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this j rpthday of _P „ , 2020, by Mary McComber, the Mayor of the City of Oak Park Heights. and Eric fohnson, the City Administrator of the City of Oak Park Heights, a Minnesota mutlicipal enrporation, -':° JENNIFER M.PINSKI \otar\ Public i: ti " NOTARY PUBLIC•MINNESOTA My commission expires: I 41 `,LC+r. . 4..,;,. My Commission Empires Jan.31,2022 r .ilr�•-•-:-moi.-�i,.,�..--^ri»x.i�rr. ii 4 EXHIBIT A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY PARCEL#:0502920140004 All that part of the North Half of the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 5, Township 29. Range 20.described as follows: Commencing at the Southeast corner of said North Half of Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter; thence North along the East line thereof 182 feet to the point of beginning;thence continuing Northerly along said East line 218 feet to a point; thence West and perpendicular to the last described line 200 feet to a point; thence South and parallel to the East line of said Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter 218 feet to a point; thence East and perpendicular to the last described line 200 feet to the point of beginning, Washington County, Minnesota. Subject only to liens and encumbrances of record. Map shown for Reference ONLY; .. 'wit slaw, •______. afr I it ? - 1!I, I I ., :I i . .. ! $. r s � ~ c �. _ ,• r 44-. ?- , a♦ s • •W.I a r+ >k \J I •S w. S I....04 V l is.... ♦ z • 7 i S, „:"7- 1 ± . # • ♦ .tom' 5 EXHIBIT B LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF EASEMENT PARCEL EASEMENT DESCRIPTION A permanent easement for ROADWAY, TRAILWAY, DRAINAGE,AND UTILITY purposes over,under,and OAK PARK HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA across that part of the North half of the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter in Section 5, Township 029, :au. Ira ,_. ‘', Range 20, Washington County, Minnesota described as 44.14 follows: _-_ air j.// Commencing at the southeast corner of said North half of 4+.1.4".: • __ the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter; thence «4,,;,,N° .4t�;'i/# 'r.' North 01 degrees 03 minutes 16 seconds West assumed ✓,�j'� bearing along the east Iine thereof, a distance of 182.00 pr,r,1.0 to the point of beginning: thence continuing along said " ;, Pill �. i east line North 01 degrees 03 minutes 16 seconds West, ply asot�aoiamoa reeVOP a stance hence minutes 44�econds Westf 218.00 ;perpendiculahto8ast deees 56 scribe be "�t�4�yt r�t'� et �,y.�' a > line,a distance of 44.16 feet;thence South 30 degrees 51 `� �j' minutes 43 seconds East, 15,80 feet; thence southerly N tg .,t •''0. • 13.01 feet along a tangential curve concave to the west , et't# j ., having a radius of 25.00 feet and central angle of 29 )INCH-50 FEET Orr ,r, r degrees 48 minutes 27 seconds;thence South 01 degrees _ . 03 minutes 16 seconds East tangent to last described h:,t: 20lm% curve, 191.86 feet to a point on the south line of a certain Q EMPONT 1306CA10T1tlN tract described in Deed Document No. 3067333, said Q*yx A at•, ,t ad+Y.as... 8 is std 'a.Hooter oa, ...3'tat NI Washington County;thence North 88 degrees 56 minutes w:dn.a,.,nr.a,r saw R� , ,,,1114,R,,. ,,ho ,,la,®rt0OM Amt.20,rata aura Port u a Grttb.a.h/o.on 44 seconds East along said south line, 33.00 feet to the c......„ se iyma�as,OWSwWar@ dd. a.C.ar r 8' Quat Nr o.ti. 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IMAGE SHOWN FOR REFERENCE ONLY ghat+ t1 ••�'n""ap76wand,E ,n n roh,:d,s.-d,.d:y.lal.gc(apma III +n:nn cl.,e'.n the"fa,p4�.4d<,snS.dn�390,a�..ru 11 a.Sf9)i).,aC rs.h.gQ. .,, Caren**K.North 9A dq,rp 51..moot.4%woods Pa a:.n`,ad,nut Otto))AD Nat ta$r ohm d a•F^-r/• 6 Attachment 7a-7d Linear Trail Details MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT AND SUMMARY OF LAND AND PARK DEDICATION CHARGES WHEREAS,by the second amendment to a development agreement dated May of 2000 between Valley Senior Services Alliance and the City of Oak Park Heights,Valley Senior Services Alliance agreed to sell lands denoted as the "linear park"to the City of Oak Park Heights for the price of$1.40 per square foot;and, WHEREAS,said lands approximate 4.56 acres and were to include a 50 foot wide strip or tract of land adjacent to the Riverhills Development, being a strip or tract of land 150 foot wide as measured from north to south and running east to west along the entire border of the Riverhills Development.commencing on its east side with the right-of-way of Oakgreen Avenue and terminating on its west side with the current western boundary of the plat of Boutwell's Landing; and, WHEREAS,the City of Oak Park Heights and Valley Senior Sefvices Alliance agree that the City would acquire that property at its options for the price of$1.40 per square foot,or for a total accumulated price of$278,546.10; and, WHEREAS,Valley Senior Services Alliance acknowledges that it had interest in real estate north of 58t Street; and, WHEREAS,Valley Senior Services Alliance in conjunction with Anchobaypro, Inc.projected a Phase I Development for a project termed"Oakgreen Village" in 2003 that was to contain 87 townhome units,the site being north of 58th Street North and west of Oakgreen Avenue North,with a concept plan for the area that was approved with conditions by the City Council in May of 2003. The projected cash park dedication fee for Phase I of Oakgreen Village that were approved in 2003 projected the payment of a park dedication fee to the City of Oak Park Heights in the amount of$283,000.00;and, WHEREAS,Phase I of Oakgreen Village as proposed in 2003 did not proceed to completion at that time and no development agreement was signed by Valley Senior Services and Anchbaypro,Inc.;and, WHEREAS,both Valley Senior Services and its partners, relative to development of property north of 58t" Street that it owns,acknowledged that the cash park dedication fee that will be due from their lands is well in access of the$278,546.10 that it will be paid by the City of Oak Park Heights for the acquisition of the aforementioned linear park;and, WHEREAS,the parties desire currently to convey to the City of Oak Park Heights the linear park previously referenced in the May, 2000 second amended agreement to the development contract,with the conveyance occurring concurrently with the execution of this agreement;and, WHEREAS,the parties are also in agreement that the$278,546.10 owed by the City of Oak Park Heights to Valley Senior Services Alliance relative to the acquisition of the aforementioned linear park should not be paid at the present time,but should be credited against the payment that will be due to the City of Oak Park Heights from Valley Senior Services Alliance relative to the development of its lands north of 58th Street at and when such time as those developments have occurred. NOW THEREFORE,be it agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows: 1. That Valley Senior Services Alliance shall convey by marketable title that area formally designated by the parties as the linear park to the City of Oak Park Heights, conveying same by Warranty Deed to the City of Oak Park Heights. 2. That the City of Oak Park Heights shall receive the deed and acknowledges that it owes the Valley Senior Services Alliance an acknowledgment of the receipt of same an acquisition price of$278,546.10. 3. That Valley Senior Services agrees to defer receipt of the payment from the City of Oak Park Heights without interest and agrees that the City should wait upon making any final payment to the Valley Senior Services Alliance until such time as Valley Senior Services Alliance,or its partners,real estate holdings lying north of 58th Street within the City of Oak Park Heights have been developed, it being agreed by the parties hereto that any and all park dedication fees that would otherwise be payable to the City of Oak Park Heights relative to those developments would be offset from the amount that is owed by the City of Oak Park Heights to Valley Senior Services Alliance for the acquisition of the linear park. IN WITNESS WHEREOF,the parties have agreed and have executed this Memorandum of Agreement and will implement the transactions noted herein forthwith. Dated this 2 S day of ' ,200$' CITY OF , 1K s0,74 HEIGH �By: k � David Beaud' Its May• By: Eric Jo son ���� Its Ci Administrator Dated this 'day of ka , 20(x. VALLEY SENIOR SERVICES ALLIANCE By: 1, J.. Its By: Its. Attachment 8-Public Outreach-The Neighbor Meetings Dear Neighbors Dear Kayleen, My name is Jaime Junker and my wife Maureen and I are the owners of the home at the corner of Oakgreen Avenue and 58th along with the lot next door to the West for a total of about 3 acres. I am writing to introduce ourselves and tell you about our proposed plans to replace the current 100-year-old home and build owner-occupied residences where we plan to live. Our process will continue with Oak Park Heights in the next few weeks. Recently we met with the city staff and city planner and introduced the project to them. The project has been designed with our neighbors in mind and we are confident that it will be complementary to your home investment and to the neighborhood. By way of an introduction, I grew up at our family home in Oak Park Heights on 63rd street north and our first home was on Ojibway North,just a few blocks from you. We have owned the Oakgreen property for over twenty years. We feel it is now time to take the site to the best possible use and that is owner occupied homes in smaller buildings with many windows and ample open area. The project is designed to maximize green space while leaving as many trees as possible. Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights, MN has been designed to take advantage of the walking and biking trails around Oak Park Heights and to have owners that want a simple and healthy lifestyle with access to the trails and bike paths in the area. Uniquely situated with walking paths on all three sides of our property,the name"Walk-a-Bout" was chosen to symbolize how a true search for happiness in our lives often-times leads us on the path of the most basic and simple things. Personally, my wife Maureen and I have lived on a farm to the East for the last twenty years as we raised our family where we are hay and cattle farmers. We have enjoyed the physically, often-times demanding daily activities of farm life, but it is time for us to move to our next chapter and what better way than to live in a health-conscious neighborhood and return to our roots in the Oak Park Heights community. With that,the city staff gave us valuable guidance that it would be possible to use the city meeting rooms to share our plans with you. We would like to personally invite you to one of the following visits: Tuesday May 17th 10:30 AM or 6:30 PM Wednesday May 25th 10:30 AM or 6:30 PM These visits are not sponsored by the city. The time will give us an opportunity to show you the plans that we previously shared with the city in advance of the public hearing at the city,we will answer your questions,and take feedback from you. It will be an informal discussion of the project. We look forward to meeting with you at one of the four times above at the city hall. Sincerely, Jaime Junker Jaime Junker • J K& K Group, LLP • 11550 Stillwater Blvd North, Suite 106 • Lake Elmo, MN 55042 June 14,2022 Mary McComber,Mayor Eric A Johnson,City Administrator Chuck Dougherty,Councilmemher Jennifer Pinsk',Assistant City Administrator,City Clerk Carly Johnson,Councilmember Julie Hultman, Building Official Planning&Code Mike Liljegren,Councilmember Lisa Danielson,Arborist • Mike Runk,Councilmember Mary Seiger,Administration Andrew Kegley, Public Works Director Dear Mayor McComber and City Council,City Administrator,City Assistant Administrator and Staff, Thank you for allowing us to use your beautiful facility to conduct neighbor meetings for Walk-a-Bout at Oak Park Heights,MN USA. The meetings were well attended with many excellent comments on how we could improve our project to be responsive to the adjacent neighbors. Although,as expected,some adjacent neighbors attended and communicated their concerns,the meetings were also attended and supported by other adjacent neighbors with very different(and very positive)viewpoints in support of Walk-a-Bout. As we prepare to submit our application to the city staff and planning group,we continue to make adjustments to the project based on the neighbors'comments. We plan to be responsively balanced to all those that attended the neighbor meetings as we submit our application. My summary of the four meetings is attached. Again,thank you for the use of City Hall for this purpose. Respectfully submitted, Jaime Junker, For J K&K Group, LLP Jaime Junker • J K&K Group, LLP • 11550 Stillwater Blvd North,Suite 106 • Lake Elmo,MN 55042 We sent the residents nearest 5676 Oakgreen two separate meeting invitations by sending those within 300 feet an initial letter and also including them on the second invite. There were approximately 85 residents on the first list. A week later, we sent out letters to an additional 265 residents(total of 350 letters)within a radius of 500 feet of our property. All 85 residents of the first list were again included in that second letter invitation. Those attending were given the same site plan and rendering of two, 3-story buildings with underground parking that the city staff was given in March on our zoom call. Following is a summary of the neighborhood meetings held at the City of Oak Park Heights for the upcoming project at 5676 Oakgreen avenue. Meeting 1 Tuesday May 17th 10:30 AM The meeting was attended by Dr Lois Hall,of Hall Chiropractic and two city police department members who stopped in to see pictures of the project and said hello. The officers didn't attend the meeting but were complementary about how it looked. Dr. Lois Hall liked the project and will support it. Meeting 2 Tuesday May 17th 6:30 PM The meeting was well attended,we needed to bring in about ten additional chairs to the small meeting room at city hall. It was a mix of neighbors both immediately adjacent to and around the property. A few Oak Park Heights residents that heard through the grape vine showed up. For the first half hour,the adjacent neighbors"peppered"Jaime with questions and were quite vocal. Their main concerns were: 1Traffic, 2 Building next to the buffer zone(green space), and the third floor. One neighbor objected that the project would be profitable. I corrected his facts that he shared with everyone at the meeting that our ownership group had paid$225,000 for the property. I explained his numbers were in error and omitted a second lot purchased from Presbyterian homes. Near the end of the meeting one attending asked,"where do you go from here Jaime?",and I stated that I would go back to my architects and see if we could split up the entrance/exit from only the one on Oakgreen Avenue,to having the West Building entrance/exit onto 58'". I stated the benefit would be to split the access points in two and to add more green space on our property by reducing the paved area to the south of our property between the West building which would now exit onto 58th if that was possible. That idea did seem to have merit with those neighbors in attendance. Another adjacent neighbor said we had a poor track record of maintenance. He tried to get the others in attendance to"reject the project"on our maintenance record alone,and one neighbor objected to his approach and said,"don't you feel that is unfair?We came to learn about the project,and we are not here to vote tonight." I explained that I believed that in 22 years of owning the properties,the city has contacted us a total of three times. I would request the file to the city where I believe that once a tree fell and the city contacted me to remove it,once the grass was getting long at the corner where our renter said he was having trouble getting his lawn mower in after some ruts were left after a project at the corner,and once the porch roof needed repair. I told the man that each of the three times there was any communication from the city over 22 years,I felt I responded appropriately and timely. Upon review of the city file for our property which I received from Eric Johnson, I confirmed my comments were accurate. Additionally, I make note that the adjacent residents'comments at the neighbor meetings bare striking resemblance to a city of Oak Park Heights document I obtained dated 6-19-18 when residents spoke in similar fashion against the Palmer Station project. After approximately a half hour,I stated that it seemed to me that there might be a silent majority in the room,and I asked if there were any in attendance that liked the project? Mr.Neff who lives in the Oakgreen townhomes explained that he was usually in the silent majority and that some of the others Jaime Junket. • J K&K Group, LLP • 11550 Stilhvater Blvd North,Suite 106 • Lake Elmo, MN 55042 Page 2 weren't speaking objectively and that he was in favor of the project. He also stated some of the neighbors that apparently came in unison to object were angering him and they weren't speaking with facts. Robin and Dave Schell who live at Sunnyside made a couple of comments in favor of the project: First,everyone has traffic,and we all need to adjust to it.Second,most developers don't contact the neighbors beforehand like Jaime and Maureen are doing tonight which could allow adjustments to be made before the application is submitted. Third,the tax revenues the project would bring are important to them as taxpayers and an opportunity for the city and they believed other residents would be in favor of the project also. Neighbors pressed Mr. Neff, "what do you like about the project?" He said,"it looks nice,it is ready to go right now for the city, I support the project." When pressed by the adjacent neighbors, "how about two floors Jaime?" Mr. Neff raised his hand and said, "who in this room believes like this 86-year-old resident that we live in the 21'century? How about 5 floors?he asked them". At that point,the meeting changed pretty dramatically, and the discussion became much more balanced. Meeting 3 Wednesday May 25th 10:30 AM The meeting was attended mostly by residents from the Oakgreen condominiums adjacent to city hall. There was also one resident from the close in neighborhood in a single-family home and one neighbor near the buffer zone. In summary of the meeting,all the neighbors in Mr. Neff's same development supported the project,the neighbor adjacent to the buffer zone was clearly vocal and opposed to the project, I asked the senior couple near the end of the meeting that we hadn't heard from, if they wanted to tell us about themselves? They said they supported the project and actually,they would consider living there so they could stay in Oak Park Heights. All the neighbors supporting the project said three floors didn't bother them at all. One senior woman living in the Oakgreen townhomes asked,"Jaime,can you put in a coffee shop,so we have a place to meet within walking distance to meet neighbors?" Meeting 4 Wednesday May 25th 6:30PM was similar to meeting 2. Over half of the people in attendance were also at meeting 2 the prior week. Much of the meeting focused on traffic. I said if we can find traffic counts,we will be able to put into perspective the percent increase an additional 36 homes would create. I will ask the city for traffic counts,or we will provide them from a traffic study we will complete as part of the application process.The people in attendance adjacent to the buffer zone objected to the third floor and asked if we could do just two floors. A common comment was that they realized something would be built at our site at some point. In terms of three floors vs two floors, I said the picture that I was showing them was the same building rendering we showed the city staff in March. The third floor was needed to provide the funds to pay for the underground parking which had many benefits to preserve green space and save trees. I asked the neighbors if we received any good will in their eyes from donating the walking path along Oakgreen and they said yes, but they wished it would have come sooner. I said that we donated it in the same spring of the year that Mr.Johnson,city administrator met me at the property to tell me about the walking path idea. I feel the meetings went well and I left with ideas,especially relating to splitting the entrance/exit from Oakgreen to be responsive to those homes to the south of our property and I will discuss with our design team and attempt to adjust our plans accordingly with an entrance/exit onto 58th. Respectfully submitted, Jaime Junker,J K&K Group,LIP Attachment 9 - Change is Very Difficult For all of us How Do We Improve Our Circumstances without Change? "The secret of change is to focus all of our energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new" -Socrates "Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality." - Nikos Kazantzakis "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." -Winston Churchill "Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better." -Sydney J. Harris "All great living commences with a person's quiet realization that they will never play the coward's role" — Originator upon request from Jaime And from Pink's song, A Million Dreams: 'Cause every night, I lie in bed The brightest colors fill my head A million dreams are keeping me awake I think of what the world could be A vision of the one/see A mi//ion dreams is all it's gonna take Oh, a million dreams for the world we're gonna make However big, however small, Let me be part of it all Through the dark, through the door Through where no one's been before But it feels like home They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy They can say, they can say We've lost my mind I don't care, I don't care, if they call us crazy We can live in a world that wedesign! Want to listen to Pink's inspiration? Google YouTube, Pink A Million Dreams(From the Greatest Showman) 15 L............. 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CREATIVE COMPANY PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release If Tweet 0 Share Who Says You Can't Go (Back) Home? 1980 Pony Baseball Captain Asks Oak Park Heights to Approve First Step for Walk-a-Bout Condos OAK PARK HEIGHTS, Minn.(Aug. 1,2022) ---Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, USA — a 36-unit condominium residence — is taking the first steps to be built on a pair of lots Jaime Junker has worked hard to purchase over the last 24 years. The community will like the project at 58th St. N and Oakgreen Avenue because it is complementary to the existing neighborhood residential home values and will add residential diversity to the City of Oak Park Heights. "We created Walk-a-Bout to be complementary to the City's 25-year strategy of building extensive walking and biking trails throughout the city,"Junker said. The site has one of the highest "walkability scores"to travel for daily living tasks by foot or biking to neighborhood businesses,which perfectly fits in with the strategy on traffic in the City Council's Comprehensive Plan. The three-acre Walk-a-Bout site has walking and biking trails on all three sides. Junker is asking the Oak Park Heights Plan Commission to review and recommend a change to density for the site to the City Council at their Aug. 11 meeting.This is the first step. "We are asking them to change the Comprehensive Plan to be closer to where it was in 2018 to allow a higher density,"Junker said. It's normal for properties near the transition of lower density to higher density to have significant debate until the point the sites are ultimately determined for their end use.Adjacent to the Walk-a- Bout property to the south is one of the largest buffer zones in the county.The buffer zone lies between the site and its neighbors. The buffer zone's use as a zoning tool is spelled out in the City's Comprehensive Plan and is already in place. The City of Oak Park Heights purchased the buffer property in 2006 to help transition the zoning districts so that everything north of the buffer zone could be at a higher density. The buffer zone is 150 feet wide with thick, mature trees 40 to 60 feet tall,taller than the Walk-a-About buildings will be. The buffer zone meets the City's standard for screening between zoning uses — low density vs. high density— as spelled out in the City's Comprehensive Plan. "Plus, everything across the street to the north is already high density, with 72 units recently completed. We're already consistent with what is around us from a density perspective,"Junker said. Walk-a-Bout would break ground in the spring of 2023 and be completed in one year.Junker's consultants expect the project to sell out within 120 days of completion. Walk-a-Bout residences will attract people who want access to the Oak Park Heights trail system, such as health-conscious families with a strong desire to take that daily walk with a friend, peddle their bike across the City,or meet a family member at one of the fantastic parks for a visit. "We donated an easement to the City of Oak Park Heights in 2019 for the trail along our property connecting to the City's trail system. In the coming years,the City's investment in the trail system will prove to be strong; we wanted to do our part,"Junker said. On Thursday,Aug. 11,we will be looking at an "absolute masterpiece." "The'masterpiece' I'm talking about is the Oak Park Heights Comprehensive Plan put together by a number of the existing Plan Commission members,the City staff led by Eric Johnson, city administrator,and building official Julie Hultman and Scott Richards, long-time Oak Park Heights consultant of the City from The Planning Company,City Council and other volunteers,"Junker said. Kevin Sandstrom from the iconic St. Croix Valley law firm Eckberg Lammers anchors the compliance responsibilities of the City Planning team. "Oak Park Heights emphasizes doing things right,"Junker said. The Comprehensive Plan is a remarkable accomplishment and vision. If followed, it will lead the City of Oak Park Heights to overcome revenue obstacles for the next 30 years. "By studying the Comprehensive Plan, I came up with more than a dozen areas of the comprehensive plan in addition to the existing 4.5-acre buffer zone along our property that we comply with for a higher density. We meet all aspects of the Comprehensive Plan for a higher density. I've shared the application with many residents of Oak Park Heights, and the informal verdict is that we are clearly in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan,"Junker said. The objectivity and vision of the Comprehensive Plan will allow the project to move forward. "We are not asking the City for expensive changes such as new roads,"Junker said. As designed, underground and on-site visitor parking at Walk-a-Bout will allow for not even a single car to be parked on the adjacent city streets.This is one of the reasons the project stacks up well with any annexation choice the City of Oak Park Heights may consider in the future. "We've done our homework.Walk-a-Bout will attract people coming to invest in Oak Park Heights. New homeowners want a 'transformational home experience,'they don't just want a house anymore. They want to come to Walk-a-Bout @ Oak Park Heights, Minnesota USA to make that investment, and you could say, 'walk all over the city trails,"Junker said. This will be an economically efficient addition to the City compared to other alternatives. Besides, very few buildable residential sites are left in the City per the Comprehensive Plan. "I grew up in Oak Park Heights. My wife Maureen and I started our family in our first home just two blocks from the property. For nearly 25 years,we have lived on our hay and cattle farm in Forest, Wisconsin. It's time to Go Back Home.We will have a residence at the project," Junker said. Who says, "You can't go Home?" Photos Cedar 'de:- u,;RiticK ARC teciuwu sin P.ANIOAK PARK HEIGHTS CONDOS Lsl S, N --;.e'Z'r - t i *'°' . ,__ :,,, ,7.1 to 4 u+cwTEc.".s,,EPur, Please note: Accents such as trees are included for illustrative purposes only.Jaime Junker will work closely with Oak Park Heights to determine the final placement of buildings to conserve green space. Cedar , ',)u}uKl,cK Ex1ERIo RE.I OAK PARK HEIGHTS CONDOS I dill r , 0 : ., 1 - --,,,--�.,I, . nun 1 Ill 11 -; ' ',:, 1 :4 II 111 '~ Ili I� iu 111111 I �l�i. ,ifpuui��ti... f II ! 10111,0111011 Please note:Accents such as trees are included for illustrative purposes only.Jaime Junker will work closely with Oak Park Heights to determine the final placement of buildings to conserve green space 41' t � CREATIVE COMPANY The Creative Company 622 W Washington Ave,Suite 101 Madison,WI 53703 Preferences I Unsubscribe Jaime Junker 651-246-1058 jaimecpa@aol.com Julie Hultman From: Bob Deutsch <robertdeutschsw@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2022 3:38 PM To: Julie Hultman Subject: condominium project at 5676 Oakgreen Avenue Good afternoon My name is Robert Deutsch. I have been a resident of Oak Park Heights for the past 45 years. I have looked over the application for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for a condominium project at 5676 Oakgreen Avenue that is going to be heard at city hall on August 11th. This Walk-a-Bout has two buildings of 18 units each. Each has three floors. This proposal by Jaime and Maureen Junker has a buffer zone which is 150 feet wide with thick mature trees 40 to 60 ft tall.This zone would make the condominiums invisible to the adjacent properties. I feel this proposal is in compliance to the Comprehensive Plan for higher density as the 72 units which have been recently completed across the street to the north. I believe this project is a good fit for Oak Park Heights and fits in well with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. I see no reason for the Junker property to become a buffer for the buffer zone behind them. Thank you for your precious time and consideration. Robert and Mary Deutsch (residents of Oak Park Heights) 1