Workshop Item - Erik Thorvig, Community Development Director
Title
Title
Southwest Corner of Main Street and Lexington Avenue Zoning Discussion
end
Background
As part of the visioning discussion that occurred in early 2021, four priority development areas were identified by the City Council. Those areas include the southwest corner of Main Street and Lexington Avenue, Northtown Area, 105th Avenue and Radisson Road, and the area west of Highway 65 north of 99th Avenue.
The areas were identified because they are either larger vacant parcels of land that are available for development, or redevelopment efforts are required. The Council identified the need to be more proactive in the future development of these areas to ensure what is developed is consistent with the vision of the community.
The southwest corner of Main Street and Lexington Avenue (project area) has a 40-acre parcel that is currently being marketed for sale. South of the 40-acre parcel is the City’s new water treatment plant and three privately owned homes. A map is included which shows the project area (outlined in red), the future Lakes Parkway road connection with signal at Lexington Avenue and 122nd Avenue, and future Low Density Residential (LDR) land use to the west. An area outlined in grey identified with a question mark (?) has a land use designation of commercial in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, however, based on various natural boundaries such as ditches and wetlands, it may make more sense for this property to be developed as LDR with the properties to the west.
The approach staff would like to take with the area outlined in red is to create a zoning district that identifies various uses specific for this area along with design and development standards that are consistent with the requirements of the Planned Business District (PBD).
Uses
Attached is a list of proposed permitted uses in this district. These are typical commercial uses that are identified in other commercial districts such as general retail, professional office and personal service. Also listed are uses staff would like the City Council to discuss to determine whether they should be permitted in this district. The Council has the ability to be very restrictive and/or specific with the uses either permitted or not permitted in the district. Please review the attachment prior to the workshop so you are familiar with, and have an opportunity to think about the various uses.
Development Standards
There are various development standards outlined in the PBD zoning district that could apply to this area. The standards include:
1. Building and parking setbacks.
2. Freestanding commercial and restaurant minimum building sizes - Five thousand (5,000) square feet, with the exception of freestanding restaurants which shall have a minimum building size of four thousand (4,000) square feet.
3. Building height - No maximum
4. Building exteriors
a. A least 50% of all exterior wall finishes shall be comprised of a combination of at least three premium materials which includes brick, stone, glass, EFIS, cementous siding or architectural metal.
5. Landscaping
6. Lighting
After discussion at the May 10, 2021 workshop, staff will prepare a draft ordinance for review at the June 7 workshop for finalization. Once this occurs, a formal ordinance change will be reviewed by the Planning Commission in July and City Council in August.
Staff Recommendation
1. Discuss what uses the City Council would like to see for this area.
2. Discuss the overall project area boundaries.
Attachment List
Project Map
Uses to Discuss