Planning Commission - 01/04/1972 AGENDA
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
Tuesday, January 4, 1972 8:30, P .M.., Village Hall
INVOCATION
ROLL CALL
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
I. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 21, 1971`
TT. RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS
A. Mitchell Road Area Planning Study. Review of Staff Recommendations
B. Eden Prairie Major Center Plan Review of Staff Recommendations.
MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
Tuesday, January 4, 1972 8:30 p.m. , Village Hall
Members present were LaGrow,. Fosnocht, Nesbitt, Schee, Brown,
Manning, Flavin, and Casey. Also present was George C. Hite,
Village Manager and Dick Putnam, Planning Assistant.
I. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 21, 1971
These Minutes were approved after correcting to note that the
Minutes approved on that date were those of December 7, 1971.
II. ELECTION OF OP ICERS
A. Chairman_ After motion by Schee and second by Fosnocht, Mr.
LaGrow was unanimously elected chairman.
B. Chairman Pro Tem. Upon motion by Nesbitt, second by LaGrow,
Mr. Fosnocht was unanimously elected chairman pro tem.
C. Secretary Upon motion by LaGrow, and second by Schee, Mr.
Wayne Brown was unanimously elected secretary.
ITT. RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS
A. _Mitchell Road Area Planning Study. Review of Staff Recommendations
Mr. Don Ripple and the Village Manager and Planning Assistant, pre-
sented their recommendations for the Red Rock Sector Plan. Mr..
Ripple noted that the "Red Rock" sector encompassed all the land
between County Road 4 and Purgatory Creek which is situated north
of County Road 1 and south of the proposed 212 freeway corridor. He
said the area encompassed about 1200 acres. Mr. Ripple presented
a land use plan for the area which depicted a recommended pattern of
residential development: as well as proposed elementary school,
neighborhood park, neighborhood commercial and roadway facilities.
The Village Manager reported that the staff had made an analysis of
comparable sectors of many of the new town plans as well as analysis
of some of the new developments; in Eden Prairie, and had concluded
that a overall population density of 1-12 people per acre within the
Red Rock Sector would seem to be appropriate. He also reported that
they had analyzed the capacity of the trunk sewer and trunk water
systems in the area and that they were sufficiently sized to accommodate
a sector population within that range. He indicated that the land
use plan presented by Mr. Ripple would probably produce a'population
of 12-14,000 people mthin the 1200 acre area.
The Manager advised the Commission that a recent mailing to all
Village residents had indicated that the Commission would consider
the Red Rock Sector Plan at its meetings on Tanuarrr 18th and February 1st,
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Planning Commission Minutes
January 4, 1972
Page 2
The Commission discussed the proposal at some length with particular
reference to the proposed location of an elementary school and
neighborhood park and the connecting greenway systems. Following
this discussion the Commission continued its consideration of the
proposal until its meeting of January 18th and February 1st.
B. Eden Prairie Major Center Plan. Review of Staff Recommendations
The Village Manager once again presented the plans for the Eden
Prairie Major Center. He also presented a preliminary report dated
December 1971, which reviewed the background, planning objectives
and plan elements, The Manager reported that the plan represented
the general consensus of the ten major land owners involved in the
planning study but noted that land owners in the northeast quadrant
felt that their highway commercial land should also be available for
retail purposes. He also noted that some of the property owners in
the southwest quadrant felt that the ring route should be located at the
bottom rather than the top of the bluff. He reported that they would
still recommend that the land in the northeast quadrant be kept in the
highway commercial category but that the request for the relocation
of the ring route in the southwest quadrant would be given further
consideration. The Manager reported that the recent mailing to
all Village residents had also indicated that the Commission would be
considering the Major Center Plan at its meetings on January 18th and
February 1st. Following a detailed presentation of the proposal by
the Manager and some discussion by the Commission members, the
Commission continued its consideration of the matter until its meeting
on January 18th and February 1st.
Meeting adjourned 10 p.m.
Wayne Brown, Secretary
EDEN PRAIRIE
MAJOR CENTER
PLAN
Preliminary Plan Report
December, 1971
EDEN PRAIRIE MAJOR CENTER PLAN
PLAN BACKGROUND
During the mid 1960's the Metropolitan Planning Commission
selected the "constellation cities" concept as a preferred and
realistic pattern for development in the expanding Twin City .
metropolitan area. A basic ingredient of the "constellation
city" development pattern was the major diversified center.
These centers, which would serve as the nuclei of the "con-
stellation cities" are defined as a large concentration of retail,
service, medical, cultural, civic, entertainment and office
facilities located within a relatively compact land area, blended
with high density residential development and certain kinds of
manufacturing, warehousing, and research operations. The
Metropolitan Planning Commission's studies identified the
general area of Eden Prairie as a probable' location of such a
center. '
In 1968 the Village of Eden, Prairie prepared a Comprehensive
Guide Plan for the Village. The Guide Plan incorporated the
major diversified center concept by suggesting such a facility
in the general vicinity of the Interstate 49.4 and Highways 5 ,
169 and 212 interchange. In order to accommodate such a
center the Guide Plan suggested the use of a collector-distributor
roadway encircling the center. The basic rationale of so locating
the development was to utilize the major freeways in the area for
regional access to the various uses, and to utilize a ring-road
to provide the local access from the freeways to the .center without
disturbing the basic function-of the freeways.
In February 1971 the Metropolitan Council adopted the Major
Diversified Centers section of the Council's Metropolitan Develop-
ment Guide. This document contained the Metropolitan Council's
policies, system plan and program for the development of major
diversified centers in the Twin City area. The document
identified six existing major diversified centers (including the down-
town's of Minneapolis and St . Paul) and identified the need for
ten additional major centers to serve a metro area. population of
2. 8 million. One of the ten needed centers was identified as
"The Eden Prairie area to serve southern Hennepin and eastern
Carver counties" . Other nearby centers were identified as the
existing center of Southdale and new centers at Jonathan and
in Minnetonka on Highway 12 near St. Louis Park (Dayton's
Ridgedale proposal).
During 1970 the Village incorporated the planned unit development
concept plans of The Preserve and Edenvale into the Village's
Comprehensive Guide Plan. Both of these large scale and
diversified concept plans suggested methods for partial implement-
ation of the Eden Prairie major center concept. During Late 1970
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the Minnesota Highway Department's plans for the improvement of
Highway 169 and 212 in the vicinity of the Eden Prairie major
center began to crystallize. " Early in 1971 a major regional retail
center developer expressed" strong interest in the proposed Eden
Prairie major center area. Other probable major center facility
providers also began to show strong interest in the area. The
need for a comprehensive review of the Eden Prairie major center
concept proposals including the, development of detail land use
and transportation plans was"becoming increasingly apparent.
Following a series of discussions with the principal property
owners in the major center area the Village agreed to proceed with
such a review and plan study in cooperation with the owners. Thus,
in early 1971,the firm of Howard, Needles,Tammen and Bergendoff,
a consulting firm of engineers, planners and architects, was
retained by the Village to study in detail the feasibility of
Implementing the proposed major center, including the proposed
ring road. The study was to take into account the aspirations of
the various private development interests involved, the limitations
and constraints to be expected from various governmental interests,
comprehensive land use and transportation planning considerations,
and engineering considerations. The study was to produce a
land use and transportation plan that was capable of implementation
and one which would serve to achieve the policies, plans and
objectives of both the-Village's comprehensive planning program and
the Major Diversified Centers section of the Metropolitan Development
PLAN 'OBJECTIVES
The following planning objectives are considered as essential
policy directives in the process of evolving the Eden Prairie
Major Center Plan.
A. General Objectives
1. The Major Center Plan should provide for an
integrated regional scale development of retail,
service, medical, cultural, civic, entertainment
and office facilities located within a relatively
compact land area, blended with high density
residential development and certain kinds of
manufacturing, warehousing, and research
operations.
2. The Major Center Plan should be developed in
accordance with the policies, system plan and
program of the Major Diversified Centers section
• of the Metropolitan Development Guide.
3 . The Major Center Plan should be developed in
a manner that will promote the policies and
objectives of the Village's Comprehensive Guide
Plan.
4. The Major Center Plan should be both politically
and economically capable of implementation.
B. "Major Diversified Centers" Objectives*
1. Develop a Major Center by clustering regional
shopping, service, cultural, entertainment ,
governmental and high density residential facilities.
2. Identify the potential Major Center location and
encourage the Center to develop new and expanded
functions as its tributary market expands.
3. Plan for the integrated development of the Center,
including in such planning provision for transportation
and pedestrain circulation within the Major Center
with service to nearby employment centers and
residential areas.
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4. Provide a fast-link transit terminal in the Major
Center, and provide local public transit facilities
to the tributary area for those who cannot or choose
not to use an automobile.
5 . Develop a long-range comprehensive plan that deals
with the staged development of the Major Center and
its supporting public services.
6. Locate the Major Center where it is compatible with
local natural resources, and manage Center growth
to protect important natural features.
7. Coordinate development of the Major Center with
metropolitan and local capital improvements programming.
8. Provide a variety of housing types, including rental
housing and housing for sale, both in and near the
Major Center.
9. Locate the regional center component of the Major
Center so that entrance points will occur at least
z mile from freeways and expressways, and provide
access to the site from several roads.
• *Selected and appropriately modified policy statements from the
Metropolitan Development•Guide.
C. Specific Village Objectives
1. Develop a vehicular transportation system within the
Major Center that will adequately connect the Major
Center to the regional highway system without adversly
affecting the thru traffic functions of the highway
facilitie s. '
2. Develop a supporting system of local arterials that will
permit movement of inter Village vehicular traffic
without the necessity of utilizing the road system within
the Major Center.
3. Provide for the retention and possible expansion of
significant existing non residential uses within the
Major Center and the orderly and reasonable re-
location of all other existing uses.
4. Recognize the constraints, if any, that might be
imposed on the Plan by virtue of previous municipal
zoning actions or other public agency committments.
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5.. Provide for the "melding" of the Major Center Plan
and the concept plans of the Edenvale and The Preserve
Planned Unit Developments.
: 6. Recognize in the Major Center Plan the need for
adequate protective plan elements between the
intensive land uses in the Major Center and the
established and anticipated low density residential
areas on the Major Center perimeter.
7. Identify the plan relationships between the Major
Center regional retail facilities and the needed
community retail facilities.
8. Consider the needs of the public educational
agencies for major facility sites and identify
possible locations.
PLAN' ELEIVlEN'TS
TRANSPORTATION
The plan developed utilizes the major freeways, the local network
of arterials and collector/distributor routes and the ring road itself
to provide for the safe and efficient circulation of traffic.
Of primary importance is the provision of access to and from the
major freeways, which is accomplished by the use of half-diamond
and folded-diamond interchanges at ring road-freeway connections.
This concept encourages regional attraction, and an additional
benefit from the use of the ring road as a local access route accrues
to the existing interchange of I-494 and T.H.5; without the relief
provided by the ring road, the interchange could be hopelessly
overloaded, and would need complete reconstruction in order to
• handle projected traffic.
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The local network is also of vital importance to the proper-.:
functioning of the ring road; by serving as minor arterials, or
"feeders" of traffic to the ring road activities, facilities such as
Baker Road, Valley View Road., T.H.5, and existing T.H. 212/169
prevent the use of major freeways for short trips, and, by spreading
out the access points to the ring road, prevent the congestion which
would occur with the overly-intense concentration of traffice in a
few locations. Other routes in the local network, such as Mitchell
Road, enhance the function of the ring road by serving through trips
which might otherwise be forced to use ring road segments, a
situation which would complicate design of the facility.
The ring road itself will be designed to serve the type of traffic
characteristic of the land uses which generate the traffic. Thus,
the design of medians, channelization of intersections, signalization,
and service roads can be used in order to insure that the roadway will
maintain a sufficient capacity to handle the expected traffic, including
not only the sheer volume of traffic, but the nature and modes of
transportation possible.
The location of the ring road reflects a concern that all parcels of
land be given the utmost opportunity to develop in the manner for
which they are best suited. Thus, in the Northwest quadrant, the
roadway makes a long loop in order to provide maximum frontage for
Sthe freestanding commercial uses proposed therein. In the northeast
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quadrant, consideration was given to the location.of existing roadways
+• and structures, and the facility conveniently defines the boundary
between two differing types of land use. In the eastern quadrant, the
intent of the location is to provide maximum use of a roadway passing
through adverse topography, while maintaining continuity of design
for the roadway itself. In the southern quadrant, the roadway loops
far to the south in order to provide maximum internal acreage for the
regional activities proposed therein, and to keep traffic circulation
problems at a minimum by locating access to the major traffic generators
as far away as possible from the freeway locations. The Plan
anticipates the location of fast link transit terminal in the regional
center component of the Major Center with supporting local transit
facilities on the "ring road" and into the nearby median to high density
residential and industrial and office areas.
LAND USE
Locations of the various uses proposed for the ring road development
stem from several sources; among the motivating factors involved
were the nature of the land itself (topography, surface conditions) ,
the location of the land in relation to the available transportation
service, and the aspirations and development status of owners. The
following describes land uses inside the ring road.
The key element in the allocation of land uses concerns the location
of a diversified regional retail center. As the major generator of
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interaction within the ring road complex, the retail site serves
as the impetus of other developments. Its location, therefore,
must be so as to insure maximum acreage for the retail activities
as well as for the various other components of the center.
Furthermore, the site must be situated far enough away from major
arterials so as to reduce traffic congestion at access points. An
additional benefit of this separation distance occurs in that the
land between the freeways and the site can be used by other regional,
but less intense uses such as medical and government facilities.
Since uses such as these are normally fully developed in the later
stages of the Major Center growth the existing uses within this
area can be permitted adequate time for an orderly and reasonable
relocation. In short, space and distance are the key words in
• describing the needs of the regional center. The southern quadrant,
containing over 300 acres, is ideally suited to provide the necessary
space and distance without necessitating any adverse roadway
distance or exaggerated looping.
The other quadrant well suited for commercial usage of a somewhat
general nature is the northwest. The space available, approximately
150 acres, although not as ample as in the south (unless and adverse
distance 1 oop were used) , is sufficient for free standing commercial
activities, as well as office and some residential use.
In the northeast, relatively small amount of land available, and the
• relatively short length of the roadway segment make high generation
activities difficult to accommodate, and consequently, some type
of non retail use is suggested.
In the eastern quadrant, the adverse toporgaphy and limited space
also make high intensity retail commercial activity difficult to
accommodate, but visual orientation of the land in relation to adjacent
roadways is particularly adapted to highway oriented commercial uses.
These highway oriented uses may also be found in other areas inside
the ring road which are receptive to activities which require visibility
to or from adjacent highways.
Outside the ring road, uses are largely reserved for residential
purposes of varying densities, office-industrial activities , and
open space. This "secondary ring" , which is circumscribed by a
line connecting the Bryant, Smetana, Anderson, Starring and Red
Rock Lakes on the northeast, east and south, a line following the
C NW Ry north to Holly Road, and then east to Bryant Lakes, will
contain approximately 150 acres of office/industrial use and
residential use housing approximately 35,000 people in approximately
12,000 dwelling units o The location of a secondary school and
junior college are also identified in the southern portion of the ring.
In the northeast, topography north of Co. Rd. 60 is such that some
type of low and medium residential use be implemented, and the
scenic qualities near Bryant Lake dictate the careful consideration be
given toward preserving those amenities and toward respecting the
nature and quality of peripheral development.
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Finally, in areas which lie outside of this secondary ring of activity,
three locations are suggested for "community commercial" use, and
activity primarily geared to local needs for commercial services.
Such uses are located in the northeast on Shady Oak Road, in the
west on T.H.5 near Co. Rd. 4, and in the south on the new E-W
collector route. Some community commercial in the northwest sector .
of the ring road area may be needed to serve the residential areas to
the northwest of the Major Center.
Other uses in this outer area will consist mainly ofinedium to low
density housing, recreational and open space, and a fairly large area
in the east devoted to industrial development. The outside area
serves as the limit of cominance for the major activity centers within
the ring road. Initially, the radius of influence, or market area,
will range for a distance of four to ten miles, encompassing a
population of approximately 50,000. The radius will extend for much
greater distances in a southwesterly direction than in an easterly
direction. With ultimate area development, this radius of influence
will shrink considerably, but the higher concentration of population
nearby will result in a total attraced population of approximately
125,000-200,000.
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