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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission - 06/09/2025Agenda Eden Prairie Planning Commission Meeting 7 p.m. Monday, June 9, 2025 City Center Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES Planning Commission Members: John Kirk, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr, Robert Taylor, Daniel Grote, Frank Sherwood, Charles Weber, Phou Sivilay, Trisha Duncan City Staff: Jeremy Barnhart, City Planner; Carter Schulze, City Engineer; Matt Bourne, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of Agenda IV. Minutes A. Approval of the minutes for Planning Commission Meeting held on May 27, 2025. V. New Business A. Danfoss Comprehensive Plan Amendment (2025-02) 1. Amendment to Comprehensive Plan for approximately 57 acres currently owned by Danfoss Energy Solutions, re-guiding the property from Industrial Flex Tech and Office to Mixed Use. VI. Planner’s Report VII. Members’ Reports VIII. Adjournment UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Frank Sherwood, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr, Trisha Duncan, Robert Taylor, Dan Grote, Charles Weber; Phou Sivilay CITY STAFF: Jeremy Barnhart, City Planner; Carter Schulze, City Engineer; Matt Bourne, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources; Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:11 p.m. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – ROLL CALL Commission members Kirk and Grote were absent. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Taylor moved, seconded by Sherwood to approve the agenda. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. IV. MINUTES MOTION: Taylor moved, seconded by Duncan to approve the minutes of April 28, 2025. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. DELL ROAD MUSA LINE BOUNDARY (2025-05) • Amendment to Comprehensive Plan adjusting the Municipal Urban Service Area (MUSA) boundary and updating the land use designations within the MUSA boundary for nine properties along Dell Road and Turnbull Road. Barnhart presented the staff report. The City initiated this Comprehensive Plan amendment in two parts: one, a MUSA boundary change, and two, a land use PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES May 27, 2025 Page 2 change. The southwest corner of Eden Prairie recently approved the Marshall Gardens project, which included improving Dell Road with the extension of a sanitary sewer. Portions of this property were not located within this MUSA boundary. A MUSA boundary was an area with the City identifying those properties that could receive sanitary sewer service. Barnhart displayed the current boundary showing the eight or nine zoned low- density residential parcels affected. The amendment proposed to adjust the boundary by adopting the Metropolitan Council’s boundary, indicated by the yellow line on the image. This was a “housekeeping” measure, which intended to set the stage for future sanitary sewer service; however, this was not an automatic utility installation, which would have to be initiated by the property owners. Beyond the study area, to the west and the east, the boundary follows an old contour line, which would be corrected in the Comprehensive Plan update in 2027-2028. Staff recommended approval. Duncan asked for and received confirmation this boundary bordered neither Chanhassen nor Chaska and did not reflect the municipal City boundary of Eden Prairie. Duncan asked for and received confirmation this was not a connecting action to the sewer, and the homeowner had the option not to, given a suitable septic system. Pieper asked why the MUSA boundary did not follow the property lines, and Barnhart replied there was a significant grade change from north to south, and the bluff had not been defined as a part of the sewer improvement system. This was neither a property map nor a topographical map. Taylor asked for and received confirmation the connection to the sewer line would be at the homeowner’s expense. Duncan asked for and received confirmation this change would not require a zoning change. Tim McGlaughlin, resident at 9999 Dell Road, asked if the map indicated where the sewer lines would be replaced (i.e., if the MUSA line was the sewer utility line). He expressed conditional support for the Comprehensive Plan change and the improvement of Dell Road. Barnhart explained the lines did not represent where the sewer lines would be placed. He explained the MUSA boundary was the current proposal; the sewer line development would be a future permit. The land use guidance north of the line would remain low-density residential. The developability of the parcels was independent of the boundary map; grades, wetlands, et cetera, would determine how each parcel could be developed. This was not a detailed development proposal, but a general boundary proposal. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES May 27, 2025 Page 3 MOTION: Duncan moved, seconded by Sherwood to close the public hearing. Motion carried 7-0. Pieper asked for and received clarification of where the sewer lines could be run. Duncan asked for and received confirmation the MUSA boundary indicated the boundary served by the Metropolitan Council. MOTION: Farr moved, seconded by Taylor to recommend approval of the Amendment to the Comprehensive Guide Plan adjusting the Municipal Urban Service Area (MUSA) boundary and updating the land use designations within the MUSA boundary for nine properties along Dell Road as recommended by staff and as represented in the May 27, 2025, staff report. Motion carried 7-0. PLANNERS’ REPORT MEMBERS’ REPORTS Barnhart stated there would be single-item agendas coming in the summer. VI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Taylor moved, seconded by Sivilay to adjourn. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m. Planning Commission Agenda Cover Memo Date: June 9, 2025 Location: West Of Mitchel Rd, North of Technology Drive, south of Highway 5 Subject: “Danfoss” Comprehensive Plan Amendment From: Jeremy Barnhart, City Planner Applicant: City of Eden Prairie ITEM DESCRIPTION The City is initiating a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for approximately 57 acres currently owned by Danfoss Energy Solutions, re-guiding the property from Industrial Flex Tech and Office to Mixed Use. REQUESTED ACTIONS • Comprehensive Plan Amendment from Industrial Flex Tech to Mixed Use on 40.31 acres • Comprehensive Plan Amendment from Office to Mixed Use on 17.31 acres BACKGROUND The subject properties are three parcels currently owned by Danfoss Energy Solutions, totaling 57.66 acres. The properties are located north of Technology Drive and west of Mitchell Road. They are guided Industrial Flex Tech and Office in ASPIRE 2040, based in part on the active and historic use of the properties at the time. Danfoss has announced plans to sell the property for redevelopment. The redevelopment potential of 57 acres in the heart of a developed community is rare, and the City has a unique opportunity to evaluate the subject area for their highest and best uses for the next several decades. Characteristics observed in the properties include excellent visibility from Highway 5, access from Mitchell Road, Technology Drive, and Highway 212 (via Wallace Rd). The property is approximately ¾ of a mile from Southwest Light Rail Station, and an existing trail and sidewalk network provides additional transportation options. There are a number of wetlands and ponds within the properties. The Mixed Use Land Use category was established in ASPIRE 2040 and provides for a mix of uses outside of the TOD and Town Center areas. The Mixed Use designation anticipates 20-25% of an area to be used for retail/commercial, 5-15% for office uses, and 65-70% residential. Other areas guided Mixed Use are Eden Prairie Center and Flying Cloud Commons. This mix of land uses is Staff report – Danfoss Comprehensive Plan Amendment June 9, 2025 Page 2 compatible with community goals of additional retail, including destination retail, and housing. The proximity to the highway network and the light rail station support those land uses as well. Systems Impacts Using the midpoint of the land use ranges anticipated in the Mixed Use land use designation, about 11 acres could be expected for the commercial uses, 5 acres for office uses, and 33 acres for residential uses. The remaining acres are wetlands, ponds, or floodplain. Assuming an overall FAR of .2 for the commercial and office uses, 95,000 and 42,000 sq ft of retail and office, respectively, are anticipated. The Mixed Use designation assumes a density range of between 40-75 units per acre. The Met Council uses the mid-point of the density range, or 57.5 units per acre, when analyzing impacts to metro systems. Applying this 57.5 units per acre to the 33 acres identified previously, results in potentially 1,889 residential dwelling units. It is important to note that redevelopment of the property, at the scale suggested by the Comprehensive Plan, would likely require an Environmental Assessment Worksheet, where the impacts to traffic, water, sanitary sewer, storm water, etc., would be examined in greater detail. This would occur concurrent with review of a redevelopment proposal. At the Comprehensive Planning level, the city reviewed the potential land use change to understand impacts on municipal systems and services. Housing The City has an inclusionary housing ordinance, which requires a certain percentage housing units to be affordable, depending on the rate of affordability offered. Introducing residential uses to the property would help support the city’s goal of affordable housing. Transportation Development of the parcels using the mixed use assumptions would significantly increase transportation demand, to 18,000 trips per day. No direct access onto Highways 5 and 212 are acknowledged; the distribution of this traffic to Wallace Road, Technology Drive, and Mitchell Road will be carefully reviewed as part of any development proposal. Both MnDOT and Hennepin County have commented on the proposed land use amendment, with concerns primarily related to storm water intrusion. Parks/ Trails The nearest regional park or trail is the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail. Access to that trail is approximately ½ mile away, north of Highway 5. Residential development on this property will likely add users of the trail, but development or redevelopment will not have any direct impact. MIXED USE ASSUMPTIONS Midpoint Mid Point Acres Bldg Sq ft Residential Units Commercial 20%25%23%10.9 95,383 Office 5%15%10%4.9 42,393 Residential 65%70%68%32.8 1889 Use Breakdown Based on Midpoint ranges Staff report – Danfoss Comprehensive Plan Amendment June 9, 2025 Page 3 Water Preliminary estimates of water demand show an increase over current levels. The site is well supported by existing water infrastructure with sufficient capacity to support redevelopment of the type envisioned. A need to loop the internal water supply within the project area has been identified. Sanitary Sewer Preliminary estimates of sanitary sewer demand show an increase over current levels, up to an estimated 35,000 gal/day, primarily due to the added residential units. The site is well supported by existing infrastructure capacity, with eventual connection to the Metro Interceptor (6-SS-670) to the east. Storm Water Management Stormwater Management will be site-designed in accordance with applicable Watershed District (Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek) and City requirements. Environmental There are no known sensitive natural features (Steep Slopes, Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern Species) or environmental hazards on the property, though this will be studied in greater detail as part of the review of a redevelopment proposal. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment as presented.