CY20-26

Request of Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership for a preliminary and final plat review of Good Counsel Hill subdivision, for a conditional use permit to accommodate more than one building on a single lot on a property zoned O-R, Office Residential, a planned unit development to establish and allow mixed uses within the subject development, and to amend the Institutional Overlay District to allow for an updated campus development plan to include the addition of parking and re-use of existing spaces located within the current structures on the existing campus. The subject property is described as Outlot B, School Sisters of Notre Dame Subdivision, according to the plat thereof on file at the County Recorder’s Office, Blue Earth County, Minnesota (170 Good Counsel Drive, BE County PID’s R010905379005, R010908201007).
 

The applicant is Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership. 

The applicant is seeking a preliminary plat review of Good Counsel Hill subdivision, a conditional use permit to accommodate more than one building on a single lot on a property zoned O-R, Office Residential, a planned unit development to establish and allow mixed uses within the subject development, and to amend the Institutional Overlay District to allow for an updated campus development plan to include the addition of parking and re-use of existing spaces located within the current structures on the existing campus. 

The subject property is legally described as Outlot B, School Sisters of Notre Dame Subdivision, according to the plat thereof on file at the County Recorder’s Office, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The address associated with the property is 170 Good Counsel Drive, and the Blue Earth County Parcel Identification Numbers are R010905379005 and R010908201007. 
 

The property was previously the location of the School Sisters of Notre Dame campus. The buildings and infrastructure still exist on the subject property and are not proposed to change with this proposal. 

The subject property is zoned O-R, Office Residential. 

There are environmentally sensitive areas on the site, including bluffs/slopes, woodlands and wetlands. 

Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership is seeking a preliminary and final plat review of Good Counsel Hill subdivision, a conditional use permit to accommodate more than one building on a single lot on a property zoned O-R, Office Residential, a planned unit development to establish and allow mixed uses within the subject development, and to amend the Institutional Overlay District to allow for an updated campus development plan to include the addition of parking and re-use of existing spaces located within the current structures on the existing campus.

The property is described as Outlot B, School Sisters of Notre Dame Subdivision, according to the plat thereof on file at the County Recorder’s Office, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. It is addressed as 70 Good Counsel Drive and the Blue Earth County parcel identification numbers are R010905379005 and R010908201007. 

Preliminary and Final Plat
The applicant, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership (SWMHP), is seeking the preliminary and final plat review of Good Counsel Hill. The proposed Lot 1, Block 1 is an area of approximately 40 acres. The plat encompasses the current Outlot B, which is part of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Subdivision that occurred in 2022.
 
Institutional Overlay Amendment
In 2001, the School Sisters of Notre Dame established an institutional overlay district for the property, which was triggered because, at that time, an addition was proposed on the campus. The Overlay remains in place and, as changes are proposed, the campus master plan is to be updated to reflect those changes. In this case, the applicant is not proposing any building additions, but is planning for updated parking areas around the campus and additional infrastructure, such as stormwater ponds, to facilitate as much, and for uses within the building to be updated to closely reflect the historic uses within the existing structure. Thus, the request to update the campus plan for these added spaces and updated uses within the building is outlined as follows.  
 
Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Conditional Use Permit (CUP)
The property is zoned Office-Residential with an Institutional Overlay. The applicant states that the existing and proposed uses are largely consistent with the existing permitted and historical uses of the property. The PUD is sought to acknowledge the mixed-use nature of the property, allow for shared parking arrangements and resolve any future zoning questions or conflicts with the continued use of the property consistent with the historical use, as outlined. The goal of SWMHP’s acquisition of this property is to use the property as closely as possible to the historic use of the buildings and the land they are built upon.
 
The applicant’s narrative notes that the overall PUD/project proposes up to 110 residential units and 51 assisted living beds. It also proposes up to 30,000 square feet of office and supporting space for the residential use, including a potential School Sisters museum, catering kitchens, educational space, maker space, leasing office, and accessory space to the apartment uses. The applicant's information states that the use of the property will be for events and recreational uses in order to utilize the historic chapel and organ as well as gym space, and that these uses will be on weekends and evenings, and will not exceed 15 events per year. 
 
The applicant is also seeking a conditional use permit to accommodate more than one building on a single lot. This is because the main Good Counsel building, Florian, Schied, and Marian buildings are all located on one lot. The applicant has indicated their desire is to obtain this conditional use permit for any future use of these buildings.