Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025/05/07 - ADMIN - Minutes - Planning Commission - Study Session Planning commission May 7, 2025 6:00 p.m. 1 Planning commission Study Session Members present: Jim Beneke, Mia Divecha, Matt Eckholm, Sylvie Hyman, Jan Youngquist, Tom Weber, Estella Hughes (youth member) Members absent: John Flanagan Presenters: Jeff Mill and Rita Trapp with HKGI 1. Zoning Code Update phase 2 - code provisions and non-neighborhood districts analysis Mr. Morrison introduced the presenters, Mr. Miller and Ms. Trapp from HKGI. Mr. Morrison stated that staff will request feedback on the following questions from commissioners: • How well do the currently assigned zoning districts align within each place type? • What are your concerns with the mix of residential and non-residential uses in the mixed- use place types? • What are your concerns with the development scale of each place type, e.g., building height, density, auto- vs. pedestrian-oriented design Chair Divecha stated that some feedback from the community was that too many formal presentations and public hearings happened around the holidays, with phase 1, which made it difficult for the community to attend. Mr. Morrison stated that phase 2 public hearings will be moved to early 2026. Chair Divecha asked what percentage is commercial and industrial today within the city. Mr. Miller stated that it has not been analyzed yet but noted that there is mixed use in the Walker Lake area. Mr. Miller pointed out the commercial and industrial districts and their characteristics, including business park and business industrial areas. He stated there could be some consolidation in these areas going forward. Mr. Miller stated he will create a use map in the future so the planning commission will be able to view the various districts within the city in an easier manner. Commissioner Weber noted the footprint of the city does not change, but the districts will be dispersed differently. Ms. Trapp agreed and added that some neighborhoods could apply mixed uses. Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 2 Commissioner Hyman asked about C-1 on Excelsior Blvd. Ms. Trapp stated that it is a commercial corridor and most of the properties along Excelsior Blvd are C-1, with some MX- 1 in the Excelsior & Grand area. Then there is C-2 near highway 100. Commissioner Youngquist noted that the Texa Tonka Lanes parcel would be prime for MX -1, adding it is underutilized here. She added it is adjacent to the strip mall and seems like a compatible district. Commissioner Hyman added Minnetonka Boulevard will be reconstructed in 2028, so there will be an opportunity for this area to be further developed similarly to Texa Tonka. Commissioner Eckholm added that there are plans to increase transit along Minnetonka and Texas Avenues. Chair Divecha stated her concern is that mixed-use will become cookie-cutter all over the city. Commissioner Eckholm agreed and added he is also concerned that people will default on the lowest cost solution. He stated if we want to move away from this and move more to places designed with intention and more than just a business on asphalt, the city will need to help the developers make up that cost savings. Commissioner Weber added that this could all be viewed as a series of vision statements, especially along Minnetonka Blvd, creating a similar development as Texa Tonka, and then replicating it in various areas throughout the city. Commissioner Beneke noted, however, that some issues have arisen at Excelsior and Grand, with parking compromises and many vacancies. He stated in many ways it was a failure and asked what lessons could be learned from this. Commissioner Eckholm stated pedestrians crossing over Excelsior to get to Excelsior and Grand are walking over 4 lanes of traffic, noting it is a much bigger and more aggressively hostile environment, and is probably one reason it does not work well there. He added that there will probably need to be more development to the north of Excelsior to increase the population to help the businesses thrive. Commissioner Weber agreed with Commissioner Beneke’s thoughts about Excelsior and Grand, and stated we need to learn from that . Ms. Trapp stated she hears the commission saying generally for neighborhood commercial nodes, the idea of neighborhood scaled businesses makes sense, as well as the idea of residential scaled businesses, and that having a mix of both is desired. She added in terms of scale, the commission is saying that pedestrian-oriented is ideal, with building heights at 35-40 feet adjacent to N1 and N2, and at 35 feet in C1, while in MX-1 six-story is appropriate. Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 3 Concerning the Excelsior and Grand area, Commissioner Hyman asked if this area is serving the needs of St. Louis Park or if it is serving the needs of Edina and Minneapolis. Mr. Morrison stated the C-2 areas typically have a regional focus as opposed to C-1 areas which have a neighborhood focus. Commissioner Weber agreed and stated it is a cavalcade of zoning districts and asked where the vision is for this area. Commissioner Eckholm stated he would like to leave these C-2 areas as is, and when they reach the end of their life, not allow them to continue as they are today. He stated he would want to see these parcels broken up, and not as much land wasted on surface parking. Commissioner Youngquist stated that it is difficult to deal with zoning codes and vision, when the city will be working on the comprehensive plan and visioning soon. Ms. Trapp stated it is, however, still helpful to discuss zoning now, even if it is not changed until sometime in the future. Commissioner Hyman stated other than the highways, she considers Excelsior Blvd. to be one of the most hostile streets in St. Louis Park, and added the city should not encourage human beings to be there, as it is so dangerous and terrifying. Commissioner Eckholm stated he is less focused on walkability in this area because Hennepin County developed Excelsior Blvd as it is today. Chair Divecha stated many are going there for the clinic. She stated she thinks of a regional downtown as Main Street in Hopkins, with its walkability. She stated that at this point Excelsior and Grand should not be a cute neighborhood spot, as it is a fast place and a car place and is not a pedestrian location. Commissioner Eckholm stated he thinks the commercial area at Excelsior and Grand as being walkable, but not the Park Commons area, and the Park Commons area needs to be broken up into separate parcels. Commissioner Youngquist added the parcels on the south side of Excelsior are very small and is a corridor of more affordable commercial space. She added if the city advocates for more parcels and redevelopment there, the city will lose many small businesses at this location. The small lots on Excelsior would make it difficult to redevelop. She added the C-2 districts tend to have large parcels which accommodate larger commercial uses. Chair Divecha asked if MX-2 or MX-1 would work on Excelsior. Commissioner Eckholm stated not MX-2, adding it is difficult to want to walk on Excelsior. Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 4 Commissioner Hyman stated that traffic calming is essential on Excelsior, and much can be done here. Chair Divecha stated Excelsior will not become what we want it to, but how can we move it in a better direction. Ms. Trapp pointed out other districts for discussion such as Shelard Park, Historic Walker Lake, and West End. Commissioner Hyman asked about the commercial vs. residential at the West End. Mr. Morrison stated there are many commercial and residential buildings there, and if there is redevelopment done at West End, the planning commission would review the plans and make a recommendation to the city council. Commissioner Eckholm added that there is so much parking in many of these areas where development could occur. He added that in Shelard Park, it would be best to move this office district into an area of high-density residential. Commissioner Youngquist stated, however, in a post-COVID world, possibly office space zoning should be consolidated with something else. Commissioner Eckholm stated he would like to see pedestrian-oriented spaces in all areas across the city. Commissioner Hyman stated the reality is West End is high -density residential now, and this is all clustered near highways, which are the most polluted areas . She stated she wants to allow more density everywhere but wants to be sure it is not concentrated in areas that are statistically less healthy than other areas of the city. The commissioners reviewed the LRT stations' zoning areas, using the current MX districts or a combination of a transit-oriented overlay. Commissioner Youngquist stated there are a lot of industrial zones near station areas, adding that industrial zoning is appropriate near the stations. Mr. Miller also pointed out various transit stations where there are employment areas that are mixed-use, including at Shelard Park, Park Commons, West End. Commissioner Hyman stated that banning residential development near the stations is a concern. Mr. Miller stated that the city council has discussed that planning near stations will be a mix of residential and employment. Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 5 Commissioner Beneke stated that economic considerations should be noted and kept in mind, adding that while taxes in St. Louis Park are not as high as in other cities, it is a concern. Mr. Miller stated in July that he and Ms. Trapp will return to the planning commission meeting with proposals for consideration. Attached is a summary of the “key takeaways” from the planning commission discussion. Mr. Morrison noted the next planning commission meeting is June 4, 2025. A summary of the discussion prepared by HKGI is attached. 2. Adjournment – 7:55 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Sean Walther, liaison Mia Divecha, chair member Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 6 Planning Commission Discussion 5-7-2025 Key Takeaways Provided by HKGI Neighborhood Commercial Nodes (NCNs) • Expand use of MX district, e.g. large bowling alley site at Texa-Tonka • Texa-Tonka changes viewed positively • Plenty of C-1 and C-2 zoning; interested in more MX zoning, including along Minnetonka Blvd • Current MX-1 and MX-2 districts may not be best fit for NCNs; may need to tweak one of them or create an additional MX district • 3 stories is too limiting (C-1, MX-2) but 6 stories is too tall (C-2, MX-1); maybe MX-1 height could work (6 stories but 40 ft. adjacent to N1/N2); 40 ft. height aligns with the N-2 district which is not applied to Minnetonka Blvd • Residential limited by C-1: o Must be part of a commercial development, so residential requires mixed use o Must be located above the ground floor o Building height limited to 35 feet • Zoning district should require pedestrian-oriented development most importantly; C-1 does not do this; C-1 standards are auto-oriented even if the uses are not; concern about C-1 allowing developers to do the lowest cost solution; examples could be restricting parking from front yard, maximum front yard setback, buildings with fronts to the street • Consider MX zoning that does not require mixed use; cookie cutter mixed use buildings can result in loss of small commercial businesses and expensive new commercial spaces; horizontal mixed use is acceptable Commercial Corridor/Excelsior Blvd • Is Excelsior Blvd serving SLP residents? Or is it more oriented to regional customers and auto-oriented? Park Nicollet Clinic and many commercial businesses are regional in nature and auto-oriented design • C-1 zoning doesn’t really fit this auto-oriented corridor • The scale and design of the Excelsior Blvd roadway as a divided four-lane highway is a barrier to creating pedestrian-oriented development; the roadway is a barrier rather than a seam so development is one-sided rather than enclosing the roadway; shouldn’t try to make this corridor a cute neighborhood commercial area • South side of Excelsior Blvd consists of many small lots that are challenging for mixed use redevelopment Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 7 • C-2 zoning isn’t a good fit either due to 6 story building heights; C -2 also may result in the loss of smaller, affordable commercial spaces; assembly of smaller parcels may not be a positive thing • Generally, C-1 makes sense for smaller parcels and C-2 for larger parcels; therefore, C-1 may be appropriate for small south side parcels • Most newer developments have been done through MX-1 or a PUD • Even the Park Commons segment is not seen as pedestrian-friendly • Should this corridor be treated as three different places, e.g. east, west, Park Commons? People struggling to understand the vision for this corridor • MX-1 may be appropriate for future redevelopment of Miracle Mile • Use Arrive & Thrive and South Side of Excelsior Blvd plans to guide zoning Districts & Commercial Centers • Current commercial centers/portions of the larger districts, which are very auto- oriented, could be zoned for pedestrian-oriented development; if/when they redevelop, they should not be developed as auto-oriented places again; discussion of West End (west of Park Place Blvd), Target area; parking areas oversized, backs of buildings along streets • Bloomington’s redevelopment in the Southtown area could be an example for pedestrian-oriented redevelopment of an auto-oriented commercial area • Is office zoning outdated, should transition to districts that allow mixed use, e.g. allow flexibility in Shelard Park’s office buildings including conversion to residential • Perception that apartment buildings are most common along highways, the areas with the most pollution, so interested in allowing higher density in more places • Discussion of the West End’s ability to develop with taller buildings and more intense uses because it is located away from lower density neighborhoods LRT Station Areas • Arrive & Thrive plan has been completed but implementation component is in progress; plan still needs to be approved by Council • Potential for using current MX districts or development of an additional MX district or a TOD overlay district • The office district is currently the most intense district, allowing 20-story buildings but not mixed use • Significant amount of industrial and business park zoning in the LRT station areas; does this make sense long-term? • Station areas are difficult to see on the place type maps, need to get a clearer view of the extent of the station areas Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B Official minutes Planning commission May 7, 2025 8 Employment Areas • Discussed three types of employment areas: o Within mixed use districts o Within LRT station areas o Independent areas • Office zoning may not be needed, allow mixed use instead? • Consider how automation is impacting industrial, so maybe industrial districts should allow more uses or these areas should be rezoned to more flexible districts • Consider that business park was considered a transition/placeholder district when originally created, so it could change Docusign Envelope ID: 96AA918D-97DB-46F4-87A1-BF84131D209B