Consider the Natural Resources Aspects of the Site Plan and Preliminary Plat for Haviland Fields (Project No. 24-101); Case of Presbyterian Homes Housing and Assisted Living, Inc.

The City has received an application from Presbyterian Homes Housing and Assisted Living, Inc. (the "Applicant") for Site Plan, Preliminary Plat, Zoning Amendment, and a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for a project that includes a senior housing building, an all-ages building, and twin homes on the property currently occupied by Lord of Life Lutheran Church and generally known as 14501 Nowthen Boulevard (the "Subject Property").  

General Project Overview
The project includes a four (4) story senior housing building, with 160 apartments. There will also be a four (4) story, all-ages building with 280 apartments. Finally, the project also includes ten (10) twin homes along the north and west sides of the Subject Property. The Lord of Life church will remain, with the proposed development occurring around the existing church. The Zoning Amendment is seeking to rezone the Subject Property from R-1A (detached single family homes on 80-foot wide lots), R-2 (medium density residential), and R-3 (high density residential) to Planned Unit Development (PUD). The Comprehensive Plan Amendment is seeking to re-guide the land from Public/Institutional and High Density Residential (HDR) to Mixed Use (High), which allows density to range from fifteen (15) units per acre up to seventy-five (75) units per acre. There will be multiple points of access to the Subject Property, two accesses off of Nowthen Boulevard (one of the existing accesses will be converted into a right-in, right-out) and a third point of access will be from Cobalt Street to the north.

Natural Resources Inventory and Minnesota Land Cover Classification System
The City's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) identifies several different natural communities across the Subject Property. There is a high quality 'Wet Meadow', which will not be disturbed during construction. There are also two different moderate quality natural communities on the Subject Property, including an 'Aspen Forest' and an 'Oak Woodland-Brushland'. Much of these two natural plant communities will be left intact after development.  A large portion of the Subject Property is also identified as an 'Altered/Non-Native Plant Community'.

The Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS) identifies multiple cover types across the Subject Property. These include 'Urban with Vegetative Cover', 'Urban with Little Vegetative Cover', 'Dry Grassland', 'Upland Forest', and 'Wetland Shrubland'. Again, the wetland area will be undisturbed throughout the development process and much of the upland forest area will also be protected.

Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan
The application submittal does include a Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan. The Subject Property is dominated by Scotch Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Quaking Aspen, and Red Oak. Over sixty percent (60%) of the existing significant tree DBH inches will be preserved, which actually exceeds the minimum threshold. Furthermore, a number of the trees slated to be removed include Siberian Elm, which is an invasive species. Thus, since invasive species do not count towards the removal calculation, the actual percentage of significant tree DBH inches being removed is even lower. 

Landscape Plan
The proposed landscaping exceeds the minimum canopy cover requirements outlined in City Code. Plantings consist of a combination of deciduous overstory and ornamental trees, as well as evergreen trees. All species and sizes are acceptable. There will be some bufferyard plantings along the western and northern boundaries of the Subject Property, where it abuts existing, detached single family residential properties.  Ground cover will consist of a mixture of standard turfgrass and a native pollinator seed mix.  Both are acceptable. However, Staff has requested a management plan for the native pollinator mix so that the property management company will have an understanding of what maintenance is needed and when.
 

The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with this request.

Staff recommends approval of the Landscape Plan and Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staff's review comments.

Motion to recommend approval of the Landscape Plan and the Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan, contingent upon compliance with Staff's review comments.