Consider Resolution 21-229, Comprehensive Plan Amendment to Re-Guide PID #20-32-25-44-0003 from High Density Residential (HDR) to Medium Density Residential (MDR) (Project No. 21-122); Case of Lennar

The City has received an application from Lennar (the "Applicant") for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) to re-guide PID #20-32-25-44-0003 (the "Subject Property") from High Density Residential (HDR) to Medium Density Residential (MDR).  The Applicant has also submitted a Sketch Plan and, subsequently, a Preliminary Plat for a proposed residential development.  The Planning Commission reviewed the Sketch Plan at their July 22, 2021 meeting.

The City Council heard the case on August 10, 2021 and the City Council directed Staff to research if there were additional sites available to reguide at a density of 8+ units/acre. 

The City attempted to notify Property Owners, as reflected in the Anoka County Property Records, within 700 feet of the Subject Property of the request.

Comprehensive Plan Amendment
The Subject Property is guided as High Density Residential in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. This designation requires a density range between eight (8) and fifteen (15) units per acre. The Applicant has applied for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to re-guide the Subject Property from High Density Residential (HDR) to Medium Density Residential (MDR), which allows a density range of four (4) to eight (8) units per acre.

The City can approve a Comprehensive Plan Amendment without an approved/formal subdivision plan for the site, if the City Council wishes to do so. This could be helpful to set plans for and solicit projects, if the vision now differs from what is in the Comprehensive Plan (in this case, High Density Residential).

Both the Planning Commission and Staff see merit in the request to reduce the density from 8 - 15 units per acre to 4 - 8 units per acre.  The Subject Property abuts land guided as Rural Developing to the west and north.  The project proposes attached townhomes in the southern portion with single family homes (65-foot wide lots) in the north, which provides better transitioning to the existing Rural Developing lots north and west of the Subject Property.

In addition to City Council approval, all Comprehensive Plan Amendments also require Metropolitan Council approval.  Staff sent the request to the Metropolitan Council for high level feedback.  Initial response from Metropolitan Council Staff indicate that this would create an inconsistency with the Housing Plan and, more specifically, the City would no longer be guiding enough land at sufficient densities for affordable housing.  If that were the case, it would jeopardize the City's eligibility for Livable Communities Act (LCA) funding (the City has utilized LCA funding for various projects including Center Street design, River Walk Village site clean up, and Sunwood Drive realignment).

Alternatives:

• Approve the CPA, but identify approximately 28 acres of land elsewhere to re-guide to High Density Residential (HDR). 
• Approve the CPA as requested.  This would remove the City from the LCA program at this time.
• Do not support the CPA.  This would keep the Subject Property guided as HDR, and would render the proposed project ineligible, as it does not meet the required density (8-15 units per acre) for that designation.

Other Potential Sites for High Density Residential
Please note that some of these properties are privately owned and some are owned by the City. Staff has not vetted these through the individual owners. 

A few potential sites are in the attached presentation for Council review. If Council is supportive of a re-guidance on one of the sites, Staff would propose to set up a meeting with the Property Owner (if possible) to talk through request and process, and then follow the required public process. 

The Comprehensive Plan Amendment could be approved contingent upon successful re-guidance of another 27.5 (or more) acres elsewhere for High Density Residential, which would not delay the current process. 

Follow Ups

• If the City is removed from the LCA Program, would any funding need to be refunded to the Metropolitan Council? No.
• How is land in the COR guided? Land is guided in the COR based on the COR Subdistrict Map_6.2 (ramsey.mn.us). The City is given "credit" towards affordable housing allocation (8+ units/acre) based on the midpoint of the expected density range. (This is explained on Page 37 of the Comprehensive Plan here: www.ci.ramsey.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/3915/Ramsey-2040-Comprehensive-Plan) 
• How does the City get back into the LCA Program? By guiding land at sufficient densities for affordability, and meeting all criteria set forth by the Metropolitan Council (e.g. passing a resolution that we support fair housing).

All costs associated with this request are the Applicant's responsibility.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment.  At the Council's previous meeting, the Council generally supported the requested Comprehensive Plan Amendment and directed Staff to identify other potential areas to be re-guided as High Density Residential. 

Motion to Adopt Resolution #21-229 approving the comprehensive plan amendment contingent upon successful re-guidance of additional acreage at 8+ units/acre.