E.

Shakopee Planning Commission

March 9, 2017

FROM: Kyle Sobota, Senior Planner

TO: Planning Commission
Subject:
PUD Concept Review: West Vierling Acres Apartments for Amcon Construction
Policy/Action Requested:
Review the proposed concept and provide feedback for staff, the applicant, and City Council
on the proposed project.
Recommendation:
Review the proposed concept and provide feedback for staff, the applicant, and City Council
on the proposed project.
Discussion:
Dennis Cornelius, Amcon Construction, submitted an application for PUD Concept Review
for a proposed 130-unit market rate apartment building on the residential site of the West
Vierling Acres PUD (Hy-Vee). Amcon Construction is proposing to build an apartment
building for Kami, Inc., a company based in Woodbury that owns and manages residential
and commercial properties in MN and surrounding states.

The West Vierling Acres PUD included a site for an apartment building east of the Hy-Vee
grocery store, zoned R-3, Multiple Family Residential for a maximum 100-unit apartment
building. The City Council approved a PUD and conditional use permit for an over-height
structure to allow a 41 tall apartment building on this site (maximum height in R-3 = 35').
Building elevations and site plan for the current and previous proposals are attached.
The City Council allowed Hy-Vee to defer the extension of Harvest Lane to Vierling Drive
until the apartment site develops. Amcon Construction is aware of this requirement and is not
proposing any changes to the alignment / design.
The R-3, Multiple-Family Residential Zone allows up to 14 units / acre (100 units) on this
site. In order to construct 130 units, the property must be re-zoned to R-4, High Density
Residential. The density for 130-unit building is 18.4 units / acre. The maximum density
allowed in the R-4 zone is 28 units / acre. For reference, until the year 2001, the maximum
density in the R-3 zone, was 18 units / acre. All of the apartment buildings constructed after
2001 in Shakopee, including the Addison were approved and built at 18 units / acre. The
density of the Sand Companies apartments approved adjacent to the Southbridge Transit
Station is 24.1 units / acre.
The City Council may limit the number of units permitted to a specific number in a PUD if
they are not comfortable with a development at the maximum density.
The proposed unit mix of units in the building is:
Studio: 14 units (11%)
1 Bedroom: 57 units (44%)
2 Bedroom: 56 units (43%)
3 Bedroom: 3 units (2%)
Building Design:
The proposed exterior materials are brick, two colors of decorative concrete block, two
colors of fiber cement siding, and aluminum balconies / railings for individual units, and glass
railings for the rooftop patio.
The proposed building meets City Code standards for building materials and appearance. The
building varies in elevation from 4 stories in the center part of the building to 3 stories on the
ends and has varying parapet heights.
The apartment building elevations approved by the City Council in 2016 contemplated a
building with a pitched roof. Building Height by City Code is measured to the mid-point on
pitched roofs. The applicant is proposing a flat roof design that is 46, which is 1 above the
height standard in the R-4 zone. The submitted drawings approved by the City Council in
2016 contemplated a building with a pitched roof, that would be taller than 46 at the peak of
the roof. The applicant has submitted a shadow study (attached) showing that shadows are
not cast onto adjacent residential properties. The amount of shadow cast is less than
the approved plan, as the building is slightly shorter. The proposed building is
also located further away from the existing residential units.
Parking:
The applicant is proposing 115 indoor parking spaces and 151 outdoor spaces, a total of 266
total spaces (2.05 spaces / unit). With 1 space per unit of covered parking, 15 units would not
have access to an underground parking space. Staff is comfortable with a reduction in the
parking standard from 2.25 spaces / unit, based on 55% of the units being 1 bedroom or
studio units. Staff believes the amount of surface parking could be reduced to allow for more
open space.
Traffic:
As part of the Hy-Vee development, a Traffic Impact Study was prepared for the entire
development by Hy-Vee's consultant, including a 200-unit apartment building. The City of
Shakopee engaged a separate consultant to review the results of the study and provide
comments. A change requested by the City's engineering consultant resulted in an
access driveway being shifted 50' east to allow for additional vehicle queuing for turning
movements at the intersection of Adams Street and Vierling Drive. The consultant did not
find that future traffic level of service projections were problematic with the current roadway
facilities, even an additional 70 residential units.
Further Discussion:
Since the applicant first met with planning staff on developing a plan for the site, they
have revised their plans. The changes made thus far are:
Reduction of the height of the ends of the building to 3 stories to have less building
mass, reducing the unit count 140 to 130.
Re-configuring the layout of the building to better fit the site
Reduce parking to increase green space and landscaping
Provided two pedestrian connections to the Hy-Vee store
Additional brick to the building elevations
Addition of landscape / pedestrian connections to the parking lot
Addition of rooftop patio / outdoor amenity area
Addition of pedestrian connection from outdoor amenity area to grocery store to Hy-
Vee.
Planning staff believes that the proposed project is an improvement over the initial proposal,
based on an improved site plan, amount of resident amenities, higher quality exterior
materials, and improved pedestrian access to the grocery store.
The applicant is currently constructing similar market rate apartments in Blaine for Kami Inc.
at 9436 Ulysses St NE, called "The Parkway Off Central" www.theparkwayoffcentral.com .
The Parkway Off Central has a similar building elevation to this proposal. The website lists
rents for the building in Blaine of:
$950 for a studio
$1,250-$1,400 for a 1-Bedroom
$1,675-$1,925 for a 2-Bedroom
$1,925 - $1,995 for a 3-Bedroom.
Site Development:
Access to the site would be via Harvest Lane from Vierling Drive. The site is directly
between the Hy-Vee store and existing single-family residential development. The proposed
building would buffer the single family development from the grocery store. The applicant is
proposing a large landscaped area that is 58' in width on the north side, with a small area that
is 40' in width to landscape and screen the adjacent existing residential properties. Reducing
or re-configuring the parking on the south side could maintain the 58' width.
The setbacks of the R-4 zone differ from the R-3 zone. The setback to an arterial roadway in
the R-4 zone is 50'. The building would need to be shifted north 20' to comply with
the setback.
The applicant is constructing a separate garage at their project in Blaine to have covered
parking for residents. Currently there is not a covered parking space for each unit. The
Planning Commission and Council may discuss whether an additional garage would
be required for this site, as it may be desirable as a supplement to the landscaped buffer for
the existing residential properties.
During the Hy-Vee review, there was significant discussion about the landscaping between
the apartment building and the grocery store, as the delivery area of the grocery store is near
the apartment building. A single landscaped berm is required to be located between the Hy-
Vee driveway and the apartment site as screening for the apartment units. The applicant will
need to review their plan to make sure that the building does not conflict with this
requirement and coordinate with Hy-Vee.
The applicant has mailed notices to surrounding property owners and will be hosting a
neighborhood meeting prior to the Planning Commission meeting on March 2nd.
The applications required to develop the site based on this proposal are:
1. Re-zoning to R-4, High Density Residential
2. PUD Amendment, due to a change in the development plan
3. Conditional Use Permit for over-height structure
4. Final Plat, since the site is currently an outlot.
All of the applications can be filed and reviewed concurrently. Both the Planning
Commission and City Council would review all the applications, with the exception of the
Final Plat only being reviewed by the City Council.
If the applicant is comfortable with feedback and comments received from the Planning
Commission and City Council, the applicant has stated they will draft the required plans and
submit formal applications for review and public hearings. If approved, the applicant has
stated they intend to begin construction immediately following the city approval process.
ATTACHMENTS:

Location Map
Site Plan
Garage / First Floor Plan
2nd / 3rd Floor Plan
4th Floor Plan
Shadow Study
Building Materials / Elevations
Building / Site Renderings
Previously Approved Site Plan
Previously Approved Elevation
DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | GENERAL CONTRACTING

5565 BLAINE AVE

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55076

PHONE: 651-379-9090 FAX: 651-379-9091

 II

II

II

II
I
I

II
S

II
S

II
II
I
I

II
I

II
S
II

DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | GENERAL CONTRACTING

5565 BLAINE AVE

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55076

PHONE: 651-379-9090 FAX: 651-379-9091

 II
II

I
I

I
I
I
S I
S

II

II
II
II

II
II

II
I

I
I

II
II

S
S

S
S

II
II

II
I
II
I

II
I

II

I
I

II
II

S
S

II
II

I
I

DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | GENERAL CONTRACTING

5565 BLAINE AVE

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55076

PHONE: 651-379-9090 FAX: 651-379-9091

 II
I

II
S
S

II
II
I
I

II
I

II
S
II

DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | GENERAL CONTRACTING

5565 BLAINE AVE

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55076

PHONE: 651-379-9090 FAX: 651-379-9091

 December 21st 1 hour before sunset
West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota
 june 21st 1 hour before sunset
West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota
 September 21st 1 hour before sunset
West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota
KEY NOTES

DESIGN/BUILD | CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT | GENERAL CONTRACTING

5565 BLAINE AVE

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA 55076

PHONE: 651-379-9090 FAX: 651-379-9091

West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota
West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota
West Vierling Apartments
Shakopee, Minnesota