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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/04/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - Planning Commission - Study Session Planning commission April 19, 2023 6:00 p.m. If you need special accommodations or have questions about the meeting, please call Sean Walther or the administration department at 952.924.2525. Planning commission Study session Members present: Jim Beneke, Mia Divecha, Matt Eckholm, Katie Merten, Jan Youngquist Members absent: Michael Salzer, Tom Weber Staff present: Sean Walther, Gary Morrison; consultants Rita Trapp and Jeff Miller 1. Zoning code update – phase 1 Mr. Miller presented the report. The commissioners discussed what housing types to allow along identified corridors and around commercial nodes. The commission agreed in general that low and mid-rise housing types should be allowed. The details of how and where need to be further discussed. Commissioner Beneke noted as a representative of the school district, single -unit houses and owner-occupied housing should be preserved as they are more likely to be occupied by families with children than apartments or duplexes. Commissioner Youngquist noted single-unit houses used to create far more students than multi-family homes, but that was before cities had such a problem with affordable housing, adding this may have changed over time. Commissioner Beneke added he then would like to see some studies on this issue to inform future policy decisions that may result in removing existing single-unit houses. Commissioner Eckholm stated if all areas allowed to build apartments, did in fact build them, there would have been more built on Park Place Blvd area by now. He stated he thinks construction will start to slow down now and added he does not agree with the idea that the more places allowed to build apartments, will actually all build them. He added if this happens over 100 years, then that is just reasonable and gradual growth over time. Commissioner Eckholm stated if only single-unit houses are allowed, then there will be no changes, and the single-unit houses will become 10 times more expensive because there will be no place for that demand for growth to go. Commissioner Beneke stated there must be affordability so folks can still get into owner- occupied, single-unit housing within St. Louis Park. Planning commission April 19, 2023 Commissioner Youngquist added the lot sizes do not actually allow for many apartment buildings to line up along Minnetonka Blvd. Mr. Miller asked the commissioners how long the housing types in the Minnetonka Blvd corridor should extend. From France to Ottawa or to Highway 100. The consensus was to Highway 100 with more density at the east end. The commission discussed how far from the street the corridors housing districts should extend. Should it include only the adjacent lots, extend to a parallel alley where present, or extend to the parallel street when present. Commissioner Eckholm stated he could see a problem if there were a full block and possible friction with neighborhoods, so possibly a half-block would be more appropriate. He added though it might be situational . Ms. Trapp noted areas on the map that are half-block areas, and asked if commissioners thought apartments are appropriate across the street from single-unit houses, with the street as a break between them, or if it is best to have an alley or street as a buffer or break between them. Commissioner Youngquist stated this is situational, depending on the street, such as Minnetonka Blvd or Louisiana Ave. Mr. Walther noted the impacts to single-unit housing will be something to review, especially when looking at scale, and when will it be compatible and incompatible. Commissioner Eckholm noted it may be more appropriate for more density around community parks as opposed to neighborhood parks. Commissioner Youngquist added folks who live in multi-family housing might not have access to green space, so including a park is a good idea. She added that the housing around the Westwood Hills Nature Center may need to remain as a low scale housing type due to the predominate single-unit housing adjacent to it. Mr. Miller asked the commissioners to think about a mix of housing in other neighborhoods on the map, and if there could be a mix of low and high rise. Ms. Trapp stated this discussion will help in setting up a framework for the zoning corridors, and rationale to be used in each area. She noted the residential districts and started the discussion on the mix of housing ty pes, such as a district with high-rise or low-rise, and another with single-family homes, and looking at the possibility of three districts . She stated this will be a starting point only and then evaluation can occur as the process moves forward. She stated they are renaming districts also as N1, N2, N3 for reference. Planning commission April 19, 2023 Commissioner Divecha stated she likes the proposal, but she worries the homes in N1 will not be triplexes, however added this is a helpful clarification. Commissioner Youngquist noted some roads are curved because they are navigating around sensitive natural features such as wetlands, creeks, ponds and lakes and that is why they are built that way, while other may only be because of the later era and style that was preferred when they developed. Commissioner Eckholm noted areas where low-rise could be possible, and other areas just a few blocks off Minnetonka Blvd where low-rise would not be appropriate. Commissioner Beneke stated townhomes are owner-occupied, where apartments are not. He added he would like to see the city incentivize the development of condominiums also. Mr. Miller stated any and all housing types can be rented and could be within the same zone, and the zoning does not control the ownership type. Commissioner Eckholm added he would prefer to manage performance standards to establish conditions on where low rises can appear, as opposed to just removing them entirely. Mr. Morrison confirmed low-rise apartments could have more restrictions than smaller housing types such as single-unit or townhomes. Ms. Trapp stated crafting the standards for the districts will be most important, and how all the standards work together, meeting the commission’s vision, and still being realistic so lots are buildable at the end. Ms. Trapp explained some of the history of zoning districts within the city from 1932. Noting that two-unit dwellings were allowed widely in St. Louis Park until the mid-1940s. She noted changes over time, and that proposes changes considered in this set of updates is allowing something that has been allowed in the past. Commissioner Divecha asked if there are building code regulations in terms of lot area. Ms. Trapp stated that she is not aware of any. Mr. Walther agreed and added that building codes do not require setbacks, rather the rules of the type of construction change based on the proximity of the building to the lot lines and types of uses occupying the buildings. Mr. Morrison also noted impacts to tree canopy and solar access need to be considered when discussing lot sizes and building types. Mr. Walther noted parking requirements for single-unit houses, and parking restrictions, that will need to be reviewed also. The commissioners discussed setbacks related to houses and garages, and lot size. Ms. Trapp noted different housing types within the same district, and asked if there are concerns with setback, building heights next to homes . Planning commission April 19, 2023 Commissioner Eckholm stated his biggest concern is where N1 and N2 meet . He noted in N1, there is agreement they can be next to each other, but when N2 is adjacent to N1, then a mid-rise may be next to a house, or low-rise. He stated there may be some conditions in N2 to control how it interact with N1 in certain cases . He added he is not as concerned about N2 and N3. Ms. Trapp stated this could be done by house type vs. district. Commissioner Eckholm added he is not concerned as much about height as he is about everyone being okay with the gradual increase in intensity use. Commissioner Eckholm stated there are two districts where high rises will be allowed and asked if it makes sense to allow low rises in there as well , in other words should low-rises be prohibited or should a minimum housing type and height be required. He noted maybe the definition of high rise could be changed to 6-story. Commissioner Divecha also noted the regional trails within the city and if additional housing types can be situated around these resources. Commissioner Eckholm agreed and noted as the bike network and design quality of infrastructure expands, along with great signage, that will create potential to connect people. Ms. Trapp stated next steps include creating purpose statements, working on districts, and starting a checklist. Mr. Walther stated the May 17th meeting will cover further discussions on this topic. 2. Adjournment - 7:52 p.m. Sean Walther Tom Weber ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Sean Walther, liaison Tom Weber, chair member