HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2020-63_Approving_Comp_Plan_Amendment_5132-5136-48_Hankerson_Ave
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-63
RESOLUTION APPROVING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT
TO RE-GUIDE 5132 & 5136-48 HANKERSON AVENUE FROM LOW DENSITY
ATTACHED TO MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Edina, Minnesota, as follows:
Section 1. BACKGROUND.
1.01 Donnay Homes, Inc., on behalf of Elizabeth and Peter MacDonagh is proposing to
redevelop the property at the corner of Hankerson Avenue and 52nd Street West.
(5132 and 5136-48 Hankerson Avenue; See attached property location.)
1.02 The proposal is to tear down the existing two-story four-unit apartment at 5136-48
Hankerson and the single-family home at 5132 Hankerson, and build two four unit,
two and a half-story townhomes.
1.03 The applicant revised their original plans by eliminating two units out of the project
and propose two separate 4-unit buildings to create more greenspace and preserve
trees on south side of the property. The revisions change the previous request from a
high-density designation to medium density.
1.04 The two properties are currently zoned R-1, Single Dwelling Unit District; the four-
unit apartment is an existing nonconforming use. The site is guided low density
attached residential, which allows between 4-8 units per acre. The properties total .67
acres or 29,185 square feet in size. The existing density is 7.4 units per acre, which
would fit the medium density range (5-12 units per acre). The proposed density would
increase to 11.9 units per acre; therefore, this request would require a comprehensive
plan amendment.
1.05 To accommodate the request, the following amendment to the Comprehensive Plan is
requested:
A Comprehensive Plan Amendment to re-guide the site from low density attached to
medium density residential, which would allow the proposed 11.9 units per acre project.
1.06 On May 27, 2020, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and recommended approval
of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Vote: 7 Ayes and 0 Nays.
1.07 On June 16, the City Council held a public hearing and considered the request.
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-63
Page 2
Section 2. APPROVAL
NOW THEREFORE, it is hereby resolved that the City Council of the City of Edina, approves the
Comprehensive Plan amendment to re-guide 5132 and 5136-48 Hankerson Avenue from low density
attached to medium density residential, subject to Metropolitan Council approval:
Approval is based on the following findings:
1. The proposed amendment is reasonable given its proximity to the Grandview District. The
property to the south is guided high density residential and the east is property guided MXC
Mixed Use Center.
2. The proposed amendment would allow a development that would create a reasonable land
use transition to the single-family residential area to the north. High Density Development is
located to the south and east, by developing townhouses at the same height as would be
allowed in the single-dwelling unit district would provide a transition and buffer to the single-
family homes to the north.
3. Additional density would help support the retail uses in the district.
4. The Medium-Density Residential District allows between 5-12 units per acre. The proposal is
11.9 units per acre.
5. The proposed project would meet the following goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan:
a. Multifamily Residential Single-Family Attached. This land use consists of residential units
with common walls, where each unit has direct exterior access. In Edina the most
common buildings of this type are townhouses and duplexes (two-family dwellings).
Townhouses tend to be clustered close to highway or major road corridors, while
duplexes are often found in narrow strips along major thoroughfares such as Vernon and
France Avenues, and serve as a buffer for adjacent single-family neighborhood detached
housing.
b. Multifamily. This land use is defined by the multiple-unit building type where each individual
unit does not have direct ground floor access to the exterior. Multifamily developments
are concentrated primarily along the main traffic arteries and are generally located toward
the edges of the city, often in proximity to retail business establishments. Concentrations
of multifamily developments are found along York Avenue, France Avenue, Vernon
Avenue, Lincoln Drive, and Cahill Road.
c. Integration of multi-unit housing into transitional areas.
In the past, duplexes were located along many major thoroughfares in Edina as a kind of
buffer or transition to the adjacent single-family housing. Today this housing type is in need
of updating or replacement in many locations, and high land and redevelopment costs
create pressure for higher-density housing types. Townhouse complexes have been
constructed in locations such as north France Avenue. The challenge is that in many
locations the duplexes are only one lot deep, which makes it difficult to provide an
adequate transition to single-family scale. The following sections broadly address the issue
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-63
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of integrating multi-unit housing into lower-density, primarily single-family neighborhood
transitional areas.
d. Single-family characteristics. Attached and multifamily housing should emulate single-family
housing in its basic architectural elements – pitched roofs, articulated facades, visible
entrances, porches or balconies. Taller buildings should step down to provide a height
transition to existing adjacent residential buildings.
e. Level of formality. Design the front and back facades with appropriate levels of formality.
The front, as the more public side of the house, will receive the more formal treatment,
with the main entrance, porch or steps and landscaping, while trash/recycling storage, play
equipment and outdoor storage should be located in the back.
f. Parking to the rear. Where rear-loaded or detached garages predominate, parking spaces
and garages should be located to the rear of the lot or interior of the block. If this is
infeasible, garages should be recessed some distance behind the main façade of the house
and surface parking should be placed within side yards to the extent feasible.
g. Maintaining community character. With the changing ways people are living, working, and
using spaces, there will be changes in how land uses function – both in new and renovated
spaces. Edina is frequently on the forefront of innovative practices, particularly related to
sustainability and technology. However, this will require some flexibility in development
standards. One of the goals of innovating may be to find ways to accommodate missing
housing types or to let housing be produced more affordably. Examples of housing types
may include “missing middle” housing options – a range of multi-unit or clustered housing
types compatible in scale with single-family homes that help meet the growing demand for
walkable urban living. These housing options may include co-housing, duplexes, triplexes,
fourplexes, and other smaller scale multifamily types. Ways to reduce housing costs could
include modular building styles that take advantage of efficiencies in the construction
process.
h. Future Housing Needs. Edina’s Cities of the Future (2015) report described trends that are
shaping the demand for housing in the city. It envisions a future where housing is
integrated into mixed use neighborhoods, better meeting the needs of smaller households
with fewer children, and an aging population. Characteristics of new housing may include:
• New housing options primarily are provided as attached (multifamily) apartments and
townhouses and small detached lots, with a variety of sizes, uses, and resident types.
Approval is conditioned on the following:
1. Approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment by the Metropolitan Council.
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-63
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Adopted by the City Council of the City of Edina, Minnesota, on July 21, 2020.
ATTEST:
Sharon Allison, City Clerk James B. Hovland, Mayor
STATE OF MINNESOTA )
COUNTY OF HENNEPIN )SS
CITY OF EDINA )
CERTIFICATE OF CITY CLERK
I, the undersigned duly appointed and acting City Clerk for the City of Edina do hereby certify that the
attached and foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the Edina City Council at its Regular Meeting
of July 21, 2020, and as recorded in the Minutes of said Regular Meeting.
WITNESS my hand and seal of said City this ____ day of __________________, 2020.
_________________________________
Sharon Allison, City Clerk