Square Footage Variance Request NarrativeCHANHASSEN SPECIALTY RETAIL-Outlot B VILLAGES ON THE PONDS 4TH ADDN
REQUEST FOR VARIANCE TO EXCEED 20,000 SF RETAIL USER ON SINGLE LEVEL OF A BUILDING. (PROPOSE 23,520 SF)
Venture Pass Partners, LLC has submitted for Site Plan Approval and Subdivision (Plat) for the 2.71 acre Outlot B VILLAGES ON THE
PONDS 4TH ADDN, including the development of a 23,520 sf specialty retail store. The proposed retail use is specifically listed as a
Permitted Use in the Villages on the Ponds PUD zoning. The Villages on the Ponds Development Design Standards as adopted in
1996 and amended in 2001, under Article (b.) Permitted Uses, states that No single retail user shall exceed 20,000 square feet on a
single level of a building.
Within the Villages OnThe Ponds development, as well as in the surrounding downtown area and neighborhood, there are multiple
offerings and opportunities for small shop space and uses. What is limited is the availability of larger parcels that can support a
medium size retail box; a use that can serve as a critical draw in support of the neighboring small shop space. The 2.71 acre Outlot B
parcel, less the approximately one acre that is to be platted as Outlot underlying Pond Promenade, is well suited to fill this void.
Since its conception in 1996, the Villages On The Ponds development has struggled to reach full build-out, being limited by the small
shop village character limitations that exist. Our proposed project can help achieve the goal of a full build-out, essentially becoming
the final anchor to this development.
The proposed 23,520 square foot building footprint, while smaller than the typical or desired footprint for this retail user, does
represent the maximum development potential on this parcel. The site is extremely limited by the existence of deep, poor
unsuitable soils over much of the site; with the Northeast corner being the only real suitable placement for building foundation.
Creating multiple smaller footprints across other areas of the site would prove unfeasible and cost prohibitive due to extreme soil
correction and deep foundation system requirements. These conditions are even further exacerbated by the new more stringent
Riley-Purgatory Bluff-Creek Watershed District design standards as were made effective January 1, 2015. You will note in the storm
water design documents that were engineered for this project, that we are incorporating significant areas of pervious pavers
throughout the entire interior parking field to help comply with these new standards.
We believe that this modest increase in proposed maximum building footprint size is merited and beneficial to the development as a
whole. We will be introducing a significant, high quality national retailer to the development, enabling full build-out of the
development, and at the same time maintaining high standards of architectural character and amenities.