Print Staff Memo

TO:

Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council

FROM:

Mark Lyons, Planning Services Manager

DATE:

September 24, 2024

SUBJECT:

Res 24-530 Approve General Development Plan and Specific Implementation Plan for a Mixed Use Development on the East Side of the 600 Block of North Main Street and the West Side of the 600 Block of Jefferson Street: Parcels 0402300000, 0402260000, 0402240000, 0402230000, 0402370000, 0402360000, 0402340000, 0402330000, 0402320000, 0402310000, 0402280000, 0402250000 (Plan Commission Recommends Approval)

BACKGROUND

The subject area consists of twelve total vacant parcels located on the west side of Jefferson Street and east side of North Main Street, south of East Irving Avenue and north of East Parkway Avenue. The subject site consists of a total of 1.72 acres. The surrounding area consists primarily of commercial uses to the north and west, residential and commercial uses to the south, and residential uses to the east. The 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plans recommends Center City land uses for the subject area.

ANALYSIS

The applicant is proposing a mixed-use development consisting of a 17,648 sq. ft. 3-story mixed commercial/residential building along North Main Street and two 4,659 sq. ft. townhouses along Jefferson Street. The ground floor of the mixed-use building will consist of commercial space to be used as a daycare and the upper floors will consist of 39 apartment units. The townhouses will have 8 units per building. The proposed mixed-use building and townhouses are permitted in the UMU district. The proposed 55 units result in a density of 32 units per acre, which is under the maximum density of 1,200 sq. ft. per dwelling unit (62 units) for the subject site.

Two neighborhood meetings were held to discuss the proposed plans (June 18, 2024 and August 12, 2024). Neighbors in attendance voiced concerns related to additional residents in the area, buffering the development from neighboring properties, parking, building material compatibility with the surrounding area, and building/tenant management. A Plan Commission workshop was held on August 6, 2024 with Plan Commission voicing support for the project.

The applicant is requesting BSMs for reduced parking spaces, setbacks, outdoor recreation area, lighting levels, Class I materials, and specific landscaping requirements. Staff is supportive of these BSM requests due to the center city location of the site and site constraints that limit the ability to meet specific code requirements. To offset the requested BSMs, the applicant has provided 129% of the required landscaping points and exceeded the Class I material requirement for the mixed-use building by 6.4%.

FISCAL IMPACT

Approval of this may result in an increase in the assessed property value of the site. The applicant is anticipating spending approximately $19 million on the proposed project. On December 6, 2023 Common Council approved a term sheet with the developer providing $1,037,500 in gap financing. A formal Development Agreement with the developer will be submitted for Common Council consideration in the near future.

RECOMMENDATION

The Plan Commission recommended approval of the requested General Development Plan and Specific Implementation Plan with the findings and conditions on the east side of the 600 block of North Main Street and the west side of the 600 block of Jefferson Street, parcels 0402300000, 0402260000, 0402240000, 0402230000, 0402370000, 0402360000, 0402340000, 0402330000, 0402320000, 0402310000, 0402280000, 0402250000 on September 17, 2024. Please see the attached staff report and meeting minutes for more information.

Attachments

Res 24-530

GDP-SIP - The Corridor