Department of Community Planning & Economic Development 250 South 4 th Street, Room 300 Minneapolis, MN 55415-1385 M E M O R A N D U M TO: City Planning Commission, Committee of the Whole FROM: Lisa Steiner, Senior City Planner, (612) 673-3950 DATE: January 12, 2017 SUBJECT: 46th & Hiawatha Mixed Use Development: 3939-3941 East 46 th Street SITE DATA Existing Zoning Lot Area Ward 12 Neighborhood Designated Future Land Use Land Use Features C3A Community Activity Center District PO Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District AP Airport Overlay District 3939 East 46 th Street 183,884 sq. ft. / 4.22 acres 3941 East 46 th Street: 72,393 sq. ft. / 1.66 acres Hiawatha Mixed Use Activity Center (46 th Street Station) ½ block from Community Corridor (Minnehaha Avenue) Small Area Plan 46th and Hiawatha Station Area Master Plan (2001) The nearly 6 acre site is located southeast of the 46 th Street Light Rail Station near Hiawatha Avenue on East 46 th Street. The site is also near Minnehaha Park. A 70,000 square foot warehouse building built in the early 1990s is currently located on the site. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposal is a mixed use development with 150 dwelling units, a 48,135 square foot grocery store, and 3,300 square feet of additional retail space along 46 th Street. The existing warehouse would be demolished. A new street, the extension of Snelling Avenue, would be constructed through the site, extending due south from 46 th Street and connecting with the public right-of-way near Hiawatha Avenue. The exterior materials of the proposed six-story building would be precast wall panels, thin brick veneer, engineered wood panels, and metal panels. Parking for the residential units would be located underground and accessed from the existing alley east of the proposed building. Parking for the grocery and retail use would be accommodated in a 172 space 1
Department of Community Planning and Economic Development surface parking area south of the building, accessed either from the Snelling Avenue extension or the connection near Hiawatha. The minimum parking requirement for the commercial uses is 69 spaces and the maximum parking requirement is 193. Loading is proposed near the northeast portion of the site, with trucks accessing the loading dock area from the alley. The existing properties would be replatted into three separate properties as part of this proposal. Two new parcels would exist on either side of the new Snelling Avenue extension, and a third parcel would be located at the southern portion of the site. The proposed Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of the easterly site with the mixed-use building is 1.19. Several of the submitted plans show a 3,980 square foot building on the smaller westerly parcel along 46 th Street; the applicant has indicated that the plan for this parcel is only conceptual at this time. Please note that with a building of this size on this site, there would be an FAR of only 0.26. The minimum FAR in the Transit Station Areas is 1.0, so a variance of that requirement would be necessary for the conceptual development shown on the westerly parcel. No plans for the development of the southernmost parcel have been identified. APPLICATIONS Based on staff s preliminary review, the following land use applications have been identified: 1. Conditional use permit to increase maximum height from 4 stories/56 feet to 6 stories/approximately 78 feet 2. Variance of maximum floor area for an individual commercial use in the C3A District from 20,000 square feet to 48,135 square feet 3. Site plan review 4. Preliminary and final plat Additional applications may be required, depending on the plans that the applicant formally submits. APPLICABLE POLICIES The 46 th Street Station Area Plan, adopted in 2001, provides specific guidance for this site. The extension of Snelling Avenue was recommended, with the current alignment of the street north of 46 th maintained through the site. The plan envisioned a 30,000 square foot grocery tenant on this site anchoring other retail uses. Additionally, the plan showed another mixed use building built on 46 th Street with retail on the ground floor and residential above. This plan also identified the potential for a green corridor along the Soo Line railroad tracks. In 2012, a supplementary Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy was also completed which provides further guidance for the 46 th Street station area and more specific analysis of the potential development of this property. This site is identified as a Catalytic Opportunity Site and is described as integral to transforming the overall area into a mixed-use neighborhood center. The plan explores several concepts for this specific site including various alignments for the Snelling Avenue extension. A neighborhood-scaled, 20,000 square foot grocery store is recommended to anchor other ground floor retail uses and residential development. The height of buildings along 46 th Street is envisioned to be four or five stories. The TOD strategy identifies this site as a Town Square Retail area, where the retail and housing uses will be woven together by high quality, pedestrian-focused urban streetscape. Amenities such as storefront shops, awnings, outdoor dining, pedestrian-scaled lighting, and signage will blend seamlessly 2
Department of Community Planning and Economic Development with sustainable stormwater management techniques expressed through street trees and native plantings, resulting in a unique, place-based retail and mixed-use environment with direct connections across Hiawatha Avenue to the light rail station. This mixed-use center will stretch to the south along the Snelling Avenue extension, with perhaps a grocery store, structured parking, and other neighborhood retail anchors and commercial destinations like restaurants. As had been explored in the 2001 station area plan, the TOD strategy also includes recommendations for a linear park/greenway along the Soo Line Corridor which could provide a pedestrian and bicycle connection from Minnehaha Park to 46 th Street. FEEDBACK REQUESTED To assist the applicant in preparing formal applications, staff would like feedback from the Commission on the following items, in addition to feedback on the identified applications: Road alignment and circulation through the site Grocery entry locations Pedestrian access and amenities Conceptual building design and materials 3