Memo from Todd Hoffman to Bob Generous 3/1/07
CITY OF
CHANHASSEN
7700 Market Boulevard
PO Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317
Administration
Phone: 952.227.1100
Fax: 952.227.1110
Building Inspections
Phone: 952.227.1180
Fax: 952.227.1190
Engineering
Phone: 952.227.1160
Fax: 952.227.1170
Finance
Phone: 952.227.1140
Fax: 952.227.1110
Park & Recreation
Phone: 952.227.1120
Fax: 952.227.1110
Recreation Center
2310 Coulter Boulevard
Phone: 952.227.1400
Fax: 952.227.1404
Planning &
Natural Resources
Phone: 952.227.1130
Fax: 952.227.1110
Public Works
1591 Park Road
Phone: 952.227.1300
Fax: 952.227.1310
Senior Center
Phone: 952.227.1125
Fax: 952.227.1110
Web Site
WW'II.ci .chanhassen.mn.us
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MEMORANDUM
TO:
Bob Generous, Senior Planner
,1;(
FROM:
Todd Hoffman, Park & Recreation Director
DA TE:
March 1, 2007
SUBJ:
Park & Recreation Commission Site Plan Review - Chanhassen
High School Campus
On Tuesday, February 27, the Park and Recreation Commission reviewed the
site plan for the new Chanhassen High School. Representatives attending from
School District 112 included Steve Pumper, Director of Operations and Finance;
Paul Schuleter, Director of Buildings and Grounds; and Jay Pomeroy and
Jonathan Duesman both of Anderson-Johnson Associa.tes. Mr. Duesman gave a
presentation to the Commission explaining the planning efforts that focused on
the exterior of the building. The remaining representatives also provided input
into the conversation and answered questions from the commission. The
following areaswefoe identified for additional study.
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NEED TO ~'XIl\1IZEPAmNG CAPACITY ONTIIESITE
With the onlyoDvious ovetflowparking option being the shoulders of Lyman
Boulevard, the Park and Recreation Commission believes it is important to
maximize parking on the property. When hosting very large eVents or Imlltiple
events at the school, visitors will be forced to seek outoverflow parking.
Potential overflow parking areaS, beyond what is planned in the bus corral,
include the shoulder areas of Lyman Boulevard, shoulderarem:; of the interior
access roads, the shouldera.reas of Lake Hazeltine Drive in Chaska, the private
parking lots in the La.ke Hazeltine Industrial Park,andtheresidential streets in
the Stone Creek neighbQrhood. Most of these potential off-site overflow
parkiIlgoptiollsare unsafe, the others are undesirable,
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TID\jLSIP~DESTRIANFLOW
The school siteis a sizable property featuring many destinations. Much of the
movement throughout the site will be pedestrian.,.oriented. The school property
will be accessed on: nights and weekends by walkers (lnd runners that will utilize
the pedestrian accommodations on the site as part of their recreation route.
Planning for predictable travel patterns and providing barrier-free trail and
sidewalk access is critical. Areas of concern, based upon the submitted site
plan, include the northeast quadrant of the building and access routes from the
The City 01 Chanhassen · A growing community with clean lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A gmat place to live, work, and play.
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Chanhassen High School Site Plan Review
March 1,2007
Page 2
north parking lot to the tennis courts and railroad trail underpass. At present, a
pedestrian route around the northeast corner of the buildings is not shown. A
stairway adjacent to the north wall of the gymnasiums should be added to
correct this deficiency. This would create an access from the north parking lot
to the tennis court area. In addition, it is unclear if pedestrians moving between
the north parking lot and the railroad trail underpass will have unobstructed
access due to perimeter fencing and associated gates around the stadium area.
A THLETIC FIELD CAPACITY
The site plan includes a variety of athletic fields and other sports-related
amenities. However, the athletic fields provided on the property will likely not
accommodate all the needs that will be generated by school sporting events. The
School District will look to other district facilities and community-based
facilities to fill the gap between demand and supply. At present, the City has
very limited excess capacity at our athletic field facilities. Under a scenario in
which the city would move to accommodate school district sporting events,
existing community user groups would be displaced. This is not a desirable
scenario from all perspectives.
RECOMMENDA TIONS
An additional 48 parking stalls have been identified as an alternate finishing
plan for the south parking lot. It is recommended that these stalls be included in
the base bid package. As a potential measure to dramatically increase on-site
athletic field capacity, an add/alternate bid item to install artificial turf in lieu of
grass on the stadium field and two soccer fields has been proposed. Again, it is
recommended that these alternates be included in the base bid package. In
regard to trails and pedestrian flow, it is recommended that the described
stairway be added on the north exterior wall of the gymnasium and sufficient
accommodations be made for uninterrupted pedestrian access from the north
parking lot to the railroad trail underpass.
c: District 112 Schools
Anderson-Johnson Associates
Park and Recreation Commission
Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
Laurie Hokkanen, Assistant City Manager
Paul Oehme, Public Works Director/City Engineer