2019.05.21 Planning Commission - Laserfiche WebLink

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Preliminary Planned Residential Development Planning Commission Report; 5-21-19 Page 7 (cont.) NEIGHBORHOOD VISION Through surveys of existing New Brighton residents, the City has learned that there are specific housing types that are not available in the City. High-level conceptual site plans had been created in the past by the City. In each site plan, the City showed how these needs can be satisfied on this property. We use these plans as a strong starting point to create the new neighborhood. Our vision/goal is to provide the City housing that is in high demand within a neighborhood that is thoughtfully designed. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET (EAW) A Traffic Impact Study was completed by the developers of Midtown Village to understand the impact of this redevelopment. The study found that the intersection of Old Highway 8 and 8th Avenue required limitations or improvements. Based on the analyses of the report, a restricted ¾ intersection or fully signalized intersection was recommended for this intersection. THOUGHTFUL DESIGN Our team spent a considerable amount of time and thought while preparing iterations of site plans for the new neighborhood, resulting in the current site plan. We’d like to point out the following design considerations: 1. Land Use Transition – Senior housing and family rentals consist of somewhat large buildings. These buildings are planned for areas that are adjacent to other intensive use uses such as a railroad, condominiums, and business/industry. Townhomes are a higher intensive use than single family homes and a lower intensive use than multifamily housing. The townhomes have been situation in between these uses, thereby acting as a natural land use transition. 2. Attractive – How a neighborhood looks from the outside plays a large role in forming opinions about the “quality” of a neighborhood. We have worked hard to show different orientations of the townhome buildings to avoid the “barracks” look that sometimes occurs when not enough effort goes into the site design. This attractive townhome is the same design that was built in New Brighton Exchange. The approach into the senior building is centered on 7th Street N and offers a dramatic reveal as cars enter into the auto court. A decorative porte cochere can be seen from a distance. The textured and detailed facades unfold as you approach. Most of the ground level units have a walkout patio at grade except at the north and south ends of the building. The family building has the same or similar materials as the senior building and is similarly textured and detailed; however the roof form and mechanical ‘chimneys’ are designed to look more animated and active.