2016-09-30 Concept Plan Narrative
Level 7 Development, LLC
AVIENDA
Chanhassen, MN
APPLICATION FOR CONCEPT PLAN
REVIEW
September 30, 2016
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INTRODUCTION
On behalf of Level 7 Development, Landform is pleased to submit this application for concept plan review
for “Avienda”, a mixed use Regional/Lifestyle Center at the southwest corner of intersection of Powers
Boulevard and Lyman Boulevard.
The property is dual guided Office or Regional Commercial and zoned Agriculture Estate west of Powers
Boulevard and is guided Medium Density Residential and zoned Agriculture Estate for the 1.66 acres east
of Powers Boulevard.
The Comprehensive Plan anticipates development of this site as “Regional/Lifestyle Center Commercial”.
The plan notes that the vision for the site is:
“A mixed commercial district with retail and entertainment uses of a scale and function that serves
a regional market. The physical environment emphasizes an attractive, comfortable walking
experience for shoppers and visitors and is designed to serve trail users and mass transit as well
as automobile traffic. Centers of this type have at least two major retail anchors and are
characterized by the diversity and mix of retail and service uses within their boundaries. Uses
within this district should complement existing retail users in the other commercial districts.
Development of these centers shall be planned as a group of organized uses and structures to
accommodate a sensitive transition between commercial activities such as loading, parking of
automobiles, lighting and trash collection and surrounding residential uses. Such centers shall be
designed with one theme, with similar architectural style, similar exterior building materials and a
coordinated landscaping theme. Vehicle and pedestrian access is coordinated and logically linked
to provide a comprehensive circulation system.
Goods and Services Examples
Entertainment
Department Store
Comparison Shopping
Specialty Retail/Boutique
Restaurants
Hotels
Residential
A new zoning district Regional Commercial (RC) will be created in the City Code to implement
this land use. The city has given a dual land use of the 118 acres at the southeast corner of
Powers and Lyman Boulevards to accommodate this use."
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CONCEPT PLAN REVIEW
In 2015, the City reviewed a similar concept plan from Carlston Development for a portion of this site. The
City provided feedback on the concept plan and ordered an AUAR update. Before the AUAR could begin,
Level 7 Development acquired the property and decided to pause and take a fresh look at the site. The
new development team completed the site analysis and reviewed the feedback that was received during
that process.
The design team has also reviewed a number of City documents before beginning development of our
concept, including:
Chanhassen 2005 AUAR (dated December 8, 2003) prepared for the City by HKGi
The “Chanhassen Retail, Office and Residential Market Analysis and Development Potential”
report (dated June 2006) prepared for the City by McComb Group, Ltd.
The 2007 City Survey
The 2010 City Survey
The 2013 City Survey
The Chanhassen Zoning Ordinance
The Chanhassen Subdivision Ordinance
The 2030 Comprehensive Plan (adopted November 10, 2008)
The comments provided during the 2015 review of the Carlston Development proposal
Level 7 Development has been working to refine the plans for a mixed-use development concept that is
market-ready and consistent with the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan. We are excited to provide a
concept with a mix of potential uses that may include townhomes, apartments, office, medical and
professional services, retail, entertainment and hospitality.
The proposed mixed-use development will help the City achieve its goals of providing a variety of housing
types for all people in all stages of the life cycle, providing a mixed commercial district with retail and
entertainment uses of a scale and function that serves a regional market, preserving natural resources
through the protection of the Bluff Overlay district, and providing regional shopping options for existing
residents and new residents as anticipated by the Comprehensive Plan. This plan incorporates a mix of
office, retail and residential space in an underserved area of the City.
The project will be designed with one theme, with a similar high-end architectural style, similar exterior
building materials and a coordinated landscaping theme as directed by the Comprehensive Plan. While
we have not yet defined all of these details, our submittal package includes a schematic concept plan to
give some idea of the concepts we are currently evaluating.
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Design Concept
The provided concept plan meets your Comprehensive Plan goals and includes approximately:
50 acres of Regional Commercial (approximately 435,000 square feet)
15 acres of Office (approximately 40,000 square feet)
12 acres of higher density housing including with a potential for Market Rate Apartments (300
units) and Senior Living (100 units)
6 acres of Hospitality/Hotel uses (250 rooms)
4 acres of Stormwater ponding
16 acres of Conservation land
1.6 acres of land at the southeast corner of Powers and Lyman Boulevard that is not proposed for
development, but could be used in conjunction with the adjacent city land for regional or local
stormwater/wetland improvements.
The design vision for the Avienda development will be an integration of both traditional and contemporary
elements that will ultimately establish a “timeless” character. Both visually and physically, architecture will
play a major role in the overall design character for the development. High-quality materials including
authentic stone, brick and masonry, architectural metal panels, and glass will be key elements that will
establish this character. The pedestrian experience will establish the overall scale of the buildings and
spaces, with interesting facades and carefully designed architectural elements, lighting, awnings and
other unique features.
Ample landscaping will be incorporated to create an inviting environment. We have worked to preserve
the trees in the buffer area in the southwest portion of the site to provide a buffer between the proposed
development and the existing homes on the south and west. We have also designed a plan that locates
the medium and high density housing in these areas to provide a transition between the existing homes
and the planned commercial uses. A comprehensive landscape plan will be developed to supplement the
existing trees and support the design theme throughout the development. We expect different land uses
in the development to have different landscape and architecture details, but many of the core design
concepts will be threaded throughout the development.
The landscaping plans will likely also include private amenities and street furniture that helps activate the
streetscape and enhances the pedestrian experience by providing places to relax, rest, or meet friends.
The streetscapes will be designed to reflect the different street characteristics within the development
from local residential streets to collector streets intended to move traffic through the project.
The concept plan shows construction of Bluff Creek Boulevard, a key east-west road connection between
the existing neighborhood and Highway 212. Internal connections are provided within the development,
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including a connection to Lyman Boulevard on the north. Access points on Lyman Boulevard have been
designed based on County plans. The road alignments may be modified slightly as we continue to
develop the design and determine specific user requirements for this regional destination center.
Market Study
The concept plan was developed based on a 2014 market study prepared by McComb Group, Ltd, a
consultant that the City has used in the past. The study reinforced the need for this development and the
findings to support the Regional/Lifestyle Center anticipated by the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The 2014
study showed that this area could support 825,000 square feet to 1,120,000 square feet of new
retail/commercial. Key takeaways from the June 2014 McComb study are described by the following
highlights from the executive summary:
Trade area population of 407,361 in 2014, which is expected to increase to 438,533 in
2019, an annual growth rate of 1.49 percent.
Trade area households grew at an annual rate of 1.94 percent between 2000 and 2010.
During a slow growth period caused by the great recession, household growth averaged
1.0 percent annually.
Households are expected to increase at an annual growth rate of 1.5 percent from
157,810 in 2014 to 169,997 in 2019.
The trade area includes Carver and Scott counties, the two fastest growing counties in
Minnesota. Between 2010 and 2013, population in Carver and Scott counties grew at
annual rates of 1.6 and 1.8 percent, respectively.
Trade area average household income of $103,006 in 2014 is 20 percent above the
Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA average household income of $85,611 and 41 percent above
the United States average of $72,869.
Trade area median household income of $83,841 in 2014 is 55 percent above the
national median household income of $53,958.
Trade area average household income is expected to increase to $110,603 in 2019,
while median household income is expected to rise to $91,761.
In 2014, 60,100 households (38.1 percent) are estimated to have household income
above $100,000 and is expected to increase to 71,000 (41.8 percent) in 2019. One-
quarter of the households (42,113) are expected to have incomes above $150,000 in
2019.
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Families comprise 70 percent of all households in 2014 compared to 64.7 percent in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA and 66.6 percent in the United States.
Trade area population age 25 plus is well educated with 30.4 and 13.1 percent that hold
college and graduate degrees, respectively. This is well above the United States rates of
20.8 and 12.2 percent, respectively.
Trade area population in 2014 is 89.9 percent Caucasian followed by Asian/Pacific
Islander (4.0 percent), African American (2.3 percent), Native American (0.4 percent) and
Other (3.4 percent). Hispanic (any race) is 4.3 percent.
The trade area’s many economic attributes, population, and upper income households
provide support for retail stores, restaurants and services.
This market study supports the need for this mixed use development on this property and details the
unmet demand in the City. Our project will help the City of Chanhassen capture dollars that are currently
leaving the City and provide services and amenities needed to support the existing and new residential
development in this area. Our regional center will serve an unmet need in the community and will
complement existing Chanhassen businesses.
AUAR (Alternative Urban Areawide Review)
The City completed the Chanhassen 2005 AUAR in 2003 for 624 acres, including this 114 acre site. MN
Environmental Rules require that AUARs be updated every 5 years, but the AUAR has not been updated
by the City despite the fact that much of the AUAR area have been developed since 2005. When the City
updated the Comprehensive Plan in 2008, the City identified this property as a significant development
opportunity within the City due in part to the residential development potential in the western portion of the
City and the need to provide regional commercial for Chanhassen residents. While the AUAR was not
updated with the Comprehensive Plan, the City did discuss land use changes from the residential land
uses shown in the Chanhassen 2005 AUAR to the regional/lifestyle mixed use shown in the
Comprehensive Plan.
We ask that the City order an update to the 2005 AUAR (dated December 2003) for this area. The AUAR
project area includes an area of approximately 624 acres, much of which has already been developed.
We understand that the AUAR area encompasses far more area that the regional/lifestyle mixed use area
designated in the Comprehensive Plan or the area of our concept plan application, but we have agreed to
fund the cost of the City’s AUAR update. We believe the AUAR is important for the City to update in
compliance with the Minnesota environmental rules and for us to better understand the development
issues for our project.
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We request that the City initiate this AUAR update to reflect the land use and infrastructure changes since
the original AUAR was developed. We believe this will reflect the City’s Comprehensive Plan goals and
will support the develop concept we have prepared. We look forward to working with the City to prepare
the update and incorporating any findings into our development proposal. We request that the City
Council re-order the AUAR as soon as possible.
It is our understanding that a different developer approached the City in 2012 to discuss a potential mixed
use development on this site and the City contracted with HKGi, at the developer’s expense, to begin
looking at development scenarios for an AUAR update. While the development did not proceed, and the
AUAR was not updated, there were several development concepts prepared by HGKi for consideration.
We have evaluated these alternatives as part of site analysis. We believe that our concept plan shares
many of the same concepts developed by HKGi and responds to current market realities.
In 2015, the City Council ordered an update to the AUAR, but it was not started. We now request that the
City begin that work to update the 2003 AUAR to reflect the land use and infrastructure changes since the
AUAR was developed. We believe that the AUAR will reflect the City’s Comprehensive Plan goals and will
support the develop concept we have prepared. We look forward to working with the City to prepare the
AUAR update and incorporating any findings into our development proposal.
SUMMARY
We respectfully request review of our concept plan for this regional destination, lifestyle and mixed use
center and we request that the City initiate the update of the AUAR. We look forward to the City Council
work session on October 19, 2016, Planning Commission review on November 1, 2016 and City Council
review on November 14, 2016.
CONTACT INFORMATION
This document was prepared by:
Kendra Lindahl, AICP
Landform
105 South Fifth Avenue, Suite 513
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Any additional questions regarding this application can be directed to Kendra Lindahl at
klindahl@landform.net or 612.638.0225.