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Discussion Memo For City Staff - 171122 123 North Third Street, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1659 Ph (612) 338-0800 Fx (612) 338-6838 www.hkgi.com Direct (612) 252-7122 Email brad@hkgi.com Hoisington Koegler Group Inc.MEMORANDUM To: Chanhassen City Staff From: Bryan Harjes / Britt Palmberg Subject: City Council Work Session Discussion Topics – Downtown Plan Update Date: November 22, 2017 MEMO OVERVIEW The following information related to the Chanhassen Downtown Plan update will be discussed at the City Council Work Session on November 27, 2017. The agenda items for the meeting will include:  Summary of November 8th Open House on the Downtown Vision Plan o Key themes/ takeaways o Summary of comments on Vision & Guiding Principles o Summary of comments on Pedestrian Connectivity, Opportunity Sites and Districts o Summary of comments on Redevelopment Ideas o Summary of additional comments  Discussion with Council on feedback from open house, direction moving forward and potential implementation strategies  Next Steps/ Schedule SUMMARY OF NOVEMBER 8th OPEN HOUSE Approximately 50 community members attended the open house on November 8th, and another 15 participated by providing comments on-line the week following the meeting. There was some confusion leading up to and at the start of the meeting as a group of attendees thought the meeting was solely about the recently approved Aldi/Venue mixed use project. At the start of the open house, City Staff provided clarification on the meeting’s intent and an orientation presentation was given by HKGi and City Staff. The presentation provided an overview to the information and how to provide comment at the meeting. The information shared at the open house was similar to the information presented at the last City Council Work Session on October 25th. In addition to this summary memorandum is a collection of the combined feedback from the open house and on-line comments for reference (under separate pdf.). The following are the key themes/ takeways from the meeting and initial thoughts on possible implementation tools and strategies moving forward: Key Themes/ Takeaways: The following summarizes some of the key comments heard at the November 8th Open House and through the on-line engagement:  Residents have expressed a desire for a focus on quality in all aspects of development. The City may help guide and administer the quality of development in the Downtown district through the following tools: o Creation of a Form Based Code to maintain guidelines for the urban design and aesthetic qualities of buildings and public spaces in the Downtown district. Chanhassen Downtown Update City Council Work Session Topics November 27, 2017 Page 2 o Creation of formal Design Guidelines for future development in the Downtown district, to guide the level of quality expected in all developments in the future. o Creation of a City-led plan for public spaces (including plans for new public streets and enhanced streetscapes, and potential civic plazas or gathering places) that includes conceptual plans, cost estimates, and schedules for completion, as development in the Downtown area proceeds.  Residents expressed support for more entertainment options downtown, including leveraging what already exists (for example, at the dinner theater). As a city, it is difficult for Chanhassen to mandate or directly influence the roster of tenants within a particular development or project. However, the City can undertake efforts to recruit entertainment-orient tenants to locate in the district and can work with prospective developers to integrate more entertainment uses within their projects. The Downtown Vision Plan and supporting commentary from the residents can help market these desired uses.  Residents expressed a desire for more creative uses (such as a distillery or brew pub, for example) and indicated that Downtown needs to have spaces available for these uses. Again, the City cannot mandate or directly influence property owners to locate particular types of ‘creative’ uses within Downtown projects, but can actively recruit these types of uses and work with developers and property owners to help attract these types of uses, over time.  Some of the residents of Chanhassen expressed a desire to explore possibilities for transformative projects that could produce retail, residential and office development in a mixed use orientation that exceeds normal suburban expectations for development. The City cannot force property owners to pursue mixed-use development, but can help support and encourage the creation of mixed use projects through the following tools and strategies: o The determination of sub-districts to allow for mixed use projects in the Downtown district. o Completion of a Form Based Code for the various areas within Downtown, articulating the desire of the community for mixed use buildings with allowances for various building heights. o Issuance of RFPs for particular properties around Downtown, in concert with individual property owners, communicating a desire and expectation on the part of the City for projects to pursue mixed use formats exceeding local market expectations. o Recruitment of developers experienced in mixed-use to explore and pursue projects in Downtown Chanhassen.  Many residents expressed concern over the height and scale of buildings. The City can help to more clearly outline the expectations for building height and mass in the various areas of Downtown through the completion of one of the following: o A Form Based Code for the various areas of Downtown. o Design Guidelines that articulate the desired building height, relationship to the street and public realm and aesthetic form and quality expected in different areas of Downtown. o Changes in zoning requirements for various zones within Downtown, articulating the allowable building height and scale for buildings in Downtown.  Residents expressed a desire for more locally based tenants, as opposed to national chain tenants (restaurants, and stores). As a city, it is difficult for Chanhassen to mandate or directly influence the Chanhassen Downtown Update City Council Work Session Topics November 27, 2017 Page 3 roster of tenants within a particular development or project. However, the City can take a few steps to achieve the vision of the community for more locally based tenants and operations. o Actively recruit locally-based (or non-chain) stores or restaurants to locate in Downtown Chanhassen, and work with prospective (and desired) tenants or companies to secure the right type of space they may need in or near Downtown. o Work with property owners and developers, as site plans and proposals for Downtown evolve, to integrate more locally owned businesses and restaurants within their projects.  Traffic and Pedestrian Experience/ Safety. As developments move forward in Downtown, the City should work with property owners across the district to create a “park once” environment, in which visitors could park in one location and traverse from business to business in Downtown Chanhassen without driving, in order to minimize traffic congestion. These initiatives could include the following elements: o Reduction in parking requirements for individual shopping areas and projects in Downtown. o Facilitation of shared parking arrangements between different property owners in Downtown, particularly with mixed use projects combining retail, office and residential. o Enhancement of sidewalks, plazas, and other connections between particular developments in Downtown, to encourage walking and biking from destination to destination o Enhanced crosswalks and pedestrian landing areas along major streets in the Downtown (78th Street, Market Blvd. Great Plains Blvd, etc.). o Implementing a “pedestrian priority phase” for signalized intersections allowing a head start for people walking or bicycling across the street. o Enhanced private walkways to connect storefronts to the walkways and trails located in the public right-of-way. o Encourage additional landscaping and boulevard trees and pedestrian scaled lighting to enhance the pedestrian experience. o Maintain lower traffic speeds in the Downtown area.  The City may consider more formal implementation strategies to proactively direct development and create the framework for Downtown over time, including: o Creation of a formal future street and mobility plan for Downtown, which would formally establish the future alignments for internal roads (as well as sidewalks and promenades) that would connect the different districts within downtown. o Further articulation of the sub-districts identified in the Downtown Vision Plan to help guide expectations for urban design and development aesthetics within the Downtown area. o Adoption of a Form Based Code tied to the future street plan and the plans for different districts within Downtown, in order to formally establish the expectations for urban design and aesthetics within the Downtown area. o Creation of a formal Incentives Policy for Downtown, including potentially a formal scoring system in which projects that meet specific criteria tied to the Downtown Vision (in terms of enhancing the aesthetic appeal of Downtown, walkability, and other factors) would achieve better scores and therefore have a better chance of gaining approval of incentives.  As an overarching strategy, the City may wish to recruit and engage regional or national master plan developers with the capacity and experience to assemble parcels and formulate redevelopment Chanhassen Downtown Update City Council Work Session Topics November 27, 2017 Page 4 strategies and projects for various sub-areas within Downtown. This engagement may include the following: o Ongoing networking with and recruitment of developers to consider project opportunities in the Downtown Chanhassen area (including interaction at regional development organizations such as Urban Land Institute (ULI) and at national conferences such as the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). o Completion of an RFP or series of RFPs for various properties in Downtown Chanhassen, in order to communicate the expectations of the community for development in Downtown Chanhassen and solicit interest from the broader development community, regionally and at the national level. End of Memo.