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Home My WebLink About1986 03-24 EBFA1 I MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council and Earle Brown Farm Advisory Committee FROM: Gerald G. Splinter, City Manager SUBJECT: Earle Brown Commons Development (Al Beisner) DATE: March 24, 1986 Attached please find copies of two memorandums from Brad Hoffman and Ron Warren. These memorandums indicate some of the outstanding issues that need to be resolved before we can complete an agreement with Mr. Beisner on the Earle Brown Commons residential development. A recent article in the Post Newspaper appears to give the impression that the project is all but finalized. This is not the case, and I am writing this memorandum to clarify-the status of the Earle Brown Commons development. Members of the City Council and the Committee will recall that the Earle Brown Commons residential development was put sort of on the back burner pending the following: First, the first phase of Ryan development was occupying substantial staff time and that was given priority. Second, receipt of the information from the market study by Judy Marshik of Quality Decisions, Inc. (that information will not be available until late April). Because of these two factors we have not expended a substantial amount of staff time to resolve the outstanding issues on this project. Mr. Beisner is completely aware of this situation and has been most cooperative. ' The staff still believes this is a good project, but we want to make sure you have the understanding we have not come to a point where we are prepared to recommend on the final development. Many of the issues stated in Mr. Hoffman's and Mr. Warren's ' memorandums are in the process of being resolved and I am sure can be, but none of them can be finalized until we have the information from Quality Decisions, Inc. Should any member of the City Council or the Earle Brown Farm Advisory Committee have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. MEMORANDUM TO: Gerald G. Splinter, City Manager FROM: Brad Hoffman, HRA Coordinator DATE: March 21, 1986 SUBJECT: Earle Brown Farm Development Issues to be Resolved A number of unresolved issues related to the development of the Earle Brown Farm need to be addressed prior to our (HRA) development of the Earle Brown Farm or our finalizing a development agreement for the construction of residential units on the site. This memorandum is intended to identify most of the remaining issues and to put into perspective current development proposals for the site. A final determination has not been made relative to the construction of a road linking the Earle Brown Farm parking lot, located on the east side of the Hippodrome, with the common access road off Summit Drive for the Ryan project, the residential development and the Farm. it is our current position that the possibility of constructing the road still exists dependent upon the use of the buildings and emerging traffic patterns. The nature and the exact use of any of the Farm buildings has not been established. Quality Decisions, Inc. has been retained to do a market analysis, specifically for the Stable and Hippodrome for their possible use for some senior activities. Quality Decisions will be providing a demographic profile of Brooklyn Center and identifying those services and/or activities that might function well in the Farm setting. Their report is to be presented to the Committee and to the Council by April 21. The content of that report will strongly influence the nature of the development on the Farm as well as services and activities that might be provided. Earle Brown Commons (Al Beisner) is requesting an enclosed walkway between his development (residential) and the Hippodrome. While it has certain obvious benefits to his development, it creates some liabilities and limitations on our development. If senior programs and services are provided in the Hippodrome, a physical link between his development and ours would tend to create a mistaken impression of ownership on the part of the residents of Earle Brown Commons. Any use of the Hippodrome would be public in nature and not solely for the benefit of the residential development. A physical link also assumes a senior development. What happens if the residential units are converted to another use in the future? A link may become inappropriate. t { MEMORANDUM TO: Gerald G. Splinter, City Manager FROM: Ronald A. Warren, Director of Planning and InspecticY" ` C h. DATE: March 20, 1986 SUBJECT: Earle Brown Farm You have requested me to provide you with a number of yet unresolved issues relating to various development proposals for the Earle Brown Farn. The following is a list of points that need either further consideration or further discussion and review: 1. The exterior of the Earle Brown Commons (style and color). Al Beisner is proceeding along the lines that the exterior treatment for the residential development will be a similar color to the Earle Brown office building and he's attempting to incorporate a similar style. If this type architecture is a problem, he should be contacted soon. 1 1 2. Whether the Earle Brown office building, which is to be a part of the Earle Brown Commons residential development, will have to be fire sprinklered is still an open ended question. 3. Underground parking for 143 cars is needed to allow 269 units on an approximate 7 acre site based on the density requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. The most recent plan for the Earle Brown Commons resident-'Al development shows only 104 underground parking stalls for the lan. 4. Can a goof-of-ramp" be used for density purposes? 5. The 'oning Ordinance requires for residential developments that parking spaces accessory thereto are to be on the same lot and within 400 feet of the main entrance. Based on the most recent ran su atted, it appears that the proof-of-parking spaces are beyoT°v this 400 foot distance. Also, it is difficult to determine from the plan exactly where the entrances to the building are located. 6. The design 'If the access drive leading from Summit Drive and serving thW Farm, Brookda'e Corporate Center III and the Earle Brown Conmons res*dential development must be finalized. The Ryan develop- nent propose and the o most recently received from Earle Brown Commons do not coinci( with one another. 7. Will there be an at-grade connection between the Earle Brown Commons and the hippodrome, or wi,. there be a driveway connecting the access drive with parking on tt1he east side of the hippodrome? 8. A 15 ft. --eenstr`p is required between Brookdale Corporate Center III and the Earle Brown :nnmons because of I-i/R7 abutment. Earle Brown Commons will be re 4tred to r"rovide this buffer because of rezoning. This buffer strip is required along the property line. Beisner has requested consideration that this buffer strip be pro- vided on the east side of the roadway rather than at the property line. This also needs to be reviewed further and relates to Point Mos. 6 and 7 above. Memo to Gerald G. Splinter, City Manager Page 2 March 20, 1986 9. Design of the ramp (both at Earle Brown Commons and Brookdale Corporate Center IV) and berming and landscape plan must be reviewed more care- fully to assure screening of the lower levels of the ramp. Cross sectional elevations should be provided. 10. Vacation of 10 feet of right-of-way along Earle Brown Drive where it abuts with the proposed Earle Brown Commons development needs to be resolved. The 10 feet is needed for the Earle Brown Commons develop- ment to meet setback requirements based on their most recently sub- mitted proposal. If vacation does not occur with the platting, a variance will be required based on the existing plan. This vacation, or lack of vacation, also affects the density of the project. 11. Uses proposed for the Farm and their effect on available parking and also a proposed connection to the Earle Brown Commons residential proposal need to be addressed. It appears that Beisner is counting heavily on having supporting services in the hippodrome for the residential development. If this is not the case, Beisner may have to rethink his proposal and provide needed elderly services within his project. It appears to me that the availability of these services is crucial to the elderly development. 12. The current Earle Brown Commons proposal provides a large vacant area to the south of the site which is indicated as proof-of-parking and ' is apparently proposed for garden plots for residents. If this area goes unused for a number of years, it may become much like the prcperty fined by the North-Lyn Apartments between Ault and Duke's S` ndarw which we occasionally get questions about and various r essur,~s to develop. V. Hail;-:icapped accessibility and the use of the Earle Brown office build- . for the residential development must be verified. The above points are my observations of items which need further review or discussion. It is my under,-.: m ng that Al Beisner wants to submit site plans for the Earle Brown Commons development o March 27, 1986 for Planning Commission consideration on April 10, 1986. It be premature v^ start the site plan process until these and other issues are resolved. RAW: ml g cc: Brad Hoffman, Housing/Purchasing Coordinator Sy Knapp, Director of Pi. iic Works EARLE BRowN FARM TAX INCREMENT Estimated Project Cost Land Acquisition L;± Redevelopment Fund Maintenance Admin Ih:yY zza " _ ----Consult/Legal Mi.sc/Contingency Issuance { Discount Cap Interest Street Scape Improvements y o r ,r, nv~,. Total """`o Revenues 1 Land Sale Bond Sale CDBG Interest other (MSA/Assessments) Total rr > ^ $2,232,572 Shortfall y n 1.r, J---- r~ 1 $ 3,090,000 -2,5001000 1 n ' 500,000 " M uzti -4 --200,000 G. a. 70,000--`M~ 500, 000 40,000 r-~ 99,750. o 509,617' J 1-`.may- . 849427 1,730, 143 $10,088,937 ti $ 940,187 5,250,000 780,000 760,267 125,911 $7,856,365