Planning Commission - 04/22/2019 APPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
MONDAY,APRIL 22, 2019 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Charles Weber, Ann Higgins, Andrew
Pieper, Ed Farr, Michael DeSanctis, Christopher
Villarreal, Carole Mette, Balu Iyer
CITY STAFF: Julie Klima, City Planner; Rod Rue, City Engineer;
Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary
I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER
Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE—ROLL CALL
Commission member Weber was absent.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Kirk to approve the agenda. MOTION
CARRIED 8-0.
IV. MINUTES
MOTION: Villarreal moved, seconded by DeSanctis to approve the minutes of April 8,
2019. MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. CASTLE RIDGE
Location: 612-635 Prairie Center Drive
Request for:
• Planned Unit Development Concept Review on 19.75 acres
• Planned Unit Development District Review with waivers on 19.75 acres
• Zoning District Review on 19.75 acres and Zoning District change from
C-Com to RM-2.5 on 1.4 acres
• Site Plan Review on 6.94 acres
0 Preliminary Plat of four lots into one lots and two outlots on 19.75 acres
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Klima presented the application, which was a redevelopment of an existing site at Prairie
Center Drive and Flying Cloud Drive which included the Broadmoor Apartments, Castle
Ridge Care Center, and some vacant property. An overall PUD was approved in 2008.
The presentation was organized in three parts. The Senior Care Center(at the southwest)
would be seeking full approval, and the other two areas would be seeking PUD concept
approval and be platted as outlots. The commission was being asked for high-level detail
feedback on these two outlots.
The Broadmoor Apartments consisted of 240 all age units, with studios, one-bedroom
and two-bedroom apartments with detached garages. The Castle Ridge Care Center
provided 82 units currently. The 2008 approval was for an overall PUD for 704
residential units (372 senior and 332 general occupancy), commercial development
extended farther up Prairie Center Drive than being requested in the current application,
roadway design, and plaza areas.
The 2019 proposal included 274 senior units and 250 general occupancy, 20,000 square
feet of retail, a 110- or 120-room room hotel,public gathering spaces, and an amended
roadway design. Klima presented a rendering of the proposed structure and side
elevations of the senior housing site (lot one). Access would come from Columbine Road
to the parking area, and there would be outdoor amenities and a landscaping plan. There
would be two proof of parking areas. The development did not comply with the metric of
two stalls per unit, as it is usual for senior developments to seek a parking requirement
waiver. Staff recommended the plan be revised to remove the proof of parking to meet
the landscape requirement. Klima explained the elevation images and the various
entrances.
The phasing plan involved three phases. In 2008 the developer did not have development
partners, as now. Phase one involved the demotion and removal of Broadmoor
Apartments and construction of the senior units. After these units are completed, the
Castle Ridge Car Center tenants would be relocated into the new facility. Phase two
would be construction of the general occupancy residential units. Phase three would
include the construction of the commercial portion. The density was approximately 40
units per acre.
The Multi-Family Area (Outlot A) concept plan consisted of two buildings: a seven-story
and a five-story building connected with a two-story common space, 250 one-bedroom
and two-bedroom rental units and 328 parking spaces, common site elements, site
amenities, group usable open space, and 1.3 parking stalls per unit. With the overall PUD
the City and the developer were looking for a cohesive development rather than three
distinct ones. The density here was approximately 51 units per acre.
The southeastern commercial area (Outlot B) consisted of 20,000 square feet of retail in
the form of single story, drive-through uses, a 110- or 120-room hotel, surface parking,
gathering spaces, and common design elements. The goal was a dynamic mix of uses and
architectural interest to create synergy (such as a grocery store, a medical office building,
sit-down restaurants, etc.).
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The Site Design Objectives included human scale interest and sense of place, natural
amenities, pedestrian connectivity, enhanced site design and traffic circulation, with a
parking lot that was intuitive and direct. Staff recommended an exit connected to Prairie
Center Drive and parallel parking be removed to prevent congestion, and the proposed
drop off area needed more detail to ensure the private drive remained clear.
The Castlemoore Drive area had three options recommended by staff: to vacate
Castlemoore entirely, to terminate the Castlemoore roundabout or to leave the site as is
and redesign the site plan. The developer decided to pursue the vacation of Castlemoore
and maintain access to the property south of Presbyterian Homes. Other issues included
the nearby wetland area and the plans would need to be revised to align with the most
recent wetland delineation. Staff recommended the commission continue the public
hearing to May 13 to allow all parties to provide feedback to staff and the applicant.
John Fletcher of Presbyterian Homes presented the PowerPoint and explained the
application. He presented the organization's mission statement and emphasized long-term
ownership was key; this developer was not a market-rate developer. Presbyterian Homes
had been in operation since 1955, and sold only one community since then. The 19.75
acre Castle Ridge Care Center site would be integrate into a master planned community
with third-party partners.
The proposed senior housing of 274 units would provide a continuum of care throughout
life and was the only licensed care center in Eden Prairie. It offered independent living,
assisted living, memory care, and a care center. He summarized the previous and the
changes since then of the proposed plan. The previous plan held over 700 units with large
retail; the current application right-sized the development and shifted the key central
intersection south of Prairie Center Drive and created a more useable five-acre apartment
parcel. Traffic would be encouraged to use Columbine Drive more frequently and the
road south of the CVS would enter the parcel.
Fletcher displayed the basic architectural massing, which would maintain the senior
parcel toward Purgatory Creek and place commercial spaces and all age housing toward
Prairie Center Drive and Columbine Drive. The architecture and design found a balance
between approved recent projects and the development's unique flair with 100 percent
class one materials. He explained the many offered amenities and reiterated the phasing,
sustainability, and affordability.
Ryan Sailer, with Timberland Partners explained his firm agreed to work with
Presbyterian Homes. There was a demand for more units in a project with an exterior and
interior design that did not compete with another similar project down the road. There
were many issues to work out with staff and he was here to take initial feedback.
Evan Jacobsen, of Tushie Montgomery Architects, gave a short presentation and
PowerPoint showing sizes, orientation massing, ingress and egress, lighting, parking
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ideas, elevations and a drop-off point and asked for preliminary feedback. Drew Johnson,
of Oppidan Investment Company, presented a PowerPoint and described the process of
becoming involved in this project. He compared the 2008 and 2019 plan in terms of
major themes, reiterating many earlier points and showing less area for retail. He
presented strengths and weaknesses of the 2008 plan and strategies for the 2019 proposal.
Max Musicant, of the Musicant Group, displayed a PowerPoint of the sense of place
intended for this development in the central plaza and the park. He showed nested loops,
which he explained people naturally gravitate toward, for the retail and pedestrian spaces.
He showed the pedestrian pathways which he explained were not typical berms and
drives but accessible pedestrian crossings. He explained the speed of traffic more than the
presence of traffic itself inhibited pedestrian movement, which was an issue since the two
main arterials carried a great number of cars. This shifted the accent to the west of the
development. Pavement, landscaping, and architectural elements would enhance
pedestrian safety. Drew Johnson added the goal was to make application based on the
feedback by summer or fall with no variances and no leniency with regard to the zoning
code.
Iyer asked the square footage of the units, and Fletcher replied senior apartments would
be 800-1,000 square feet, and two-bedroom apartments at 1,200 to 1,800 square feet.
Kent Kelley, of 401 Southeast Main Street of Minneapolis and a former Eden Prairie
resident, explained his sister Ellen Kelley lived in the senior care facility and stated he
was in favor of the Presbyterian Homes portion of the proposal, as he was impressed by
the staff and their care.
Judy Thayer, of 4826 Sparrow Road in Minnetonka, stated her 93-year-old mother lived
in the care center. She found the staff to be caring and love but added the Home was
"yesterday's home," small and dated and needed replacement. She stated her mother
looked forward to the new facility and supported a quick resolution.
Mette asked if the affordable units were confined to the independent living units, and
Fletcher replied it would extend to the skilled nursing facility. Mette asked how that
worked with the payment of rent plus services. Fletcher replied the method was income
restriction rather than rent restriction: the eligible residents would primarily be folks on
Medicaid, with an income at or less than $12,000.00 per year. Mette noted the apartment
building would be short on parking and suggested if Castlemoore Drive were vacated and
made private, that the entire senior development be shifted even five or 10 feet to add
more parking.
DeSanctis noted a key constraint was the heavy traffic in the area and asked if the City
considered a jitney or shuttle stop to encourage a circulatory flow of commerce. Fletcher
replied Presbyterian Homes had a shuttle service between all its communities and
planned something similar to DeSanctis's suggestion.
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Farr commended the idea of a Southwest transit loop around the area. He commended the
assemblage of this team and the great job done on the presence of the building and the
phasing. He found the one delivery berth short sighted and recommended two or three, to
accommodate family drop offs and pick-ups, deliveries, pharmacy, emergencies vehicles,
and Uber/Lyft and recommended the developer pay attention to long-term delivery berths
as well. His observation was this while he had no issue with multiple waivers, these
teams were "pushing too hard," specifically on parking, the lack of green space, and on
setbacks. He suggested utilizing multi-story towers to allow for better organized green
space. Kirk stated he remembered when the 2008 proposal came before the City and
stated then the commission was more cautious about height and density back then. Eden
Prairie had since changed, and density required height. He thought the City and certainly
he were far more open to multistoried towers than previously.
Higgins stated she was speaking on the residential portion of the project and had a
concern regarding the movement of cars and people. She thought this development could
use more massing, and multiple levels. She was also concerned that young families in
rental would not have access to Purgatory Park, and grandchildren regularly visited
senior housing. She recommended trails for children to ride small tricycles and bicycles.
Iyer noted there was an architectural trade-off between density and green space and this
had to be examined, especially for the age group being considered. Fletcher replied
developers did wish to create multistoried buildings but also wished to balance cost and
after a height of six floors construction costs went up 40 percent per floor. He noted the
relationship between construction costs and rent prices and the team wished to preserve
affordability.
Mette stated she appreciated the challenges with building higher buildings, and stated the
commission should give credit to the planned outdoor rooftop space memory care garden.
She encouraged more of this as a solution as well in the market rate section.
Villarreal stated he wished instead to place solar panels on the rooftops. He thanked
Fletcher for including EV (electric vehicle) charging in the parking lot and asked if they
were dedicated to the visitors or to the public. Fletcher replied they would be for senior
residents, not the general public,because they would be free of charge.
Farr asked for the trigger for an EAW/EIS (Environmental Assessment
Worksheet/Environmental Impact Statement). Klima replied the initial review was
completed in 2006-2008 and staff consulted with the City Attorney and MN EQB and
determined an EAW was not necessary this time as the project fell within the parameters
of what was considered last time. Farr asked if a traffic study addressed shared parking
ratios. Johnson replied the developer keyed on parking counts. The reduction of density
on the site allowed the main entrance off Prairie Center level of service to be acceptable
for the intersection staying as is. Also the reduction of overall arterial traffic plus a
smaller project made the 2008 findings even stronger. Farr asked if shared parking
between uses could facilitate market users could use the Presbyterian Homes site when
parking there was not as full. Johnson replied the SRF report on traffic was silent on
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shared reduction recommendations. Farr recommended the developer SRF provide
strategic recommendations when the application came back to the commission. He also
recommended a taller tower and to open up a town green He stated he liked the
architecture and anticipated the project's greater detail in the application.
Villarreal asked the definition of a three-quarter entrance. Rue stated a typical four-way
intersection one could turn left-right in both directions, whereas here the movement
straight across and the left turn were eliminated, making this not a true three-quarter
entrance. Villarreal asked if there was a reason why there was no entrance from south
Flying Cloud once the driver was past Prairie Center Drive. Rue replied the area was
designed with Columbine and Fountain Place both signalized off the arterials. The
predominant access would be off Columbine, and both that and Fountain Place would
connect at signaled intersections to Prairie Center Drive and Flying Cloud Drive,
respectively. Villarreal stated that forced a driver to make a circle or to make a U-turn,
and more retail could make the situation more difficult to enter the site and asked if an
entrance and exit on Flying Cloud Road could be considered. Rue replied the roadway
was controlled by the county and the spacing requirements might not allow a change or a
full access to be put in. Mette stated the three-quarter intersection would require anyone
looking to take a left onto Prairie Center Drive would be coming up Columbine Road
which usually was backed up in her experience. She anticipated congestion getting worse
and urged that this needed to be mitigated,perhaps with two turn lanes.
Kirk reiterated height, density, and protection of Purgatory Creek were the emphases in
2008, but he saw new needs for today. He commended the team and Presbyterian Homes.
He stated he understood the costs but the commission needed to push for more green
space. Parking and congestion were important issues and mistakes had been made in the
past; he urged creative solutions for this for the future. Higgins urged the developer
consider how deliveries, or when people move in or out, can take time and to plan for
this. Villarreal asked the developer not to be beholden to chain businesses but to try to
develop community retail, and to consider the flow of traffic with these delivery vehicles.
He wished the EV chargers to be better plotted and located. He asked the developer to
consider utilizing solar on the west-facing roofs.
Farr stated he would like to scatter this and call it a mixed use project, which he did not
find it to be. He stated he was drawn toward design guidelines, at the risk of moving
toward a Town Center, which called for mixed use. He called for street-level retail with
residential above. He also wanted to see dynamic pedestrian elements along the red lines
(pedestrian edges) on the "sense of place" slide, and for greater integration with the rest
of the development. He did not see residents in their eighties or older attempting to cross
those intersections, driveways, curb cuts, and drive-through lanes, where presently retail
businesses were planned to be isolated on drive-through islands. Mette agreed, and added
this reminded her of Windsor Plaza which had retail on the first floor which would frame
the main hotel really well with a plaza green space. She conceded this would impact an
already difficult parking plan. She suggested a limit of two drive-through lanes,perhaps
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at the northwest side. She commended the plaza but stated it could be incorporated with
mixed use to allow for a framed community feel with a main central plaza. DeSanctis
asked if there could be community garden, and Fletcher replied one was not planned at
this time.
MOTION: Kirk moved, seconded by Higgins to recommend a continuance of the
discussion on the application into the May 13, 2019 meeting based on the staff report
dated April 18 2019. MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
B. PLANNERS' REPORT
C. MEMBERS' REPORTS
Farr stated this was National Architectural Week and also Earth Day.
D. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Farr moved, seconded by DeSanctis to adjourn the meeting. MOTION
CARRIED 8-0. Chair Pieper adjourned the meeting at 8:54 p.m.