CPED STAFF REPORT Prepared for the City Planning Commission CPC Agenda Item #x November 2, 2020 PLAN11658 LAND USE APPLICATION SUMMARY Property Location: 2837 Chicago Avenue S; 2855 Chicago Avenue S: 2830 10th Avenue S Project Name: Allina Transportation HUB Prepared By: Peter Crandall, Senior City Planner, (612) 673-2247 Applicant: Allina Health System Project Contact: Tony LaCroix-Dalluhn Request: To amend the comprehensive plan, Minneapolis 2040. Required Applications: Comprehensive plan To amend the future land use guidance in Minneapolis 2040 from Parks and Open amendment Space to Public, Office, and Institutional, and to amend the built form guidance from Parks to Transit 10 for the properties located at 2837 Chicago Avenue, 2855 Chicago Avenue S, & 2830 10th Avenue S. SITE DATA Existing Zoning OR3 & R1A Lot Area 25,402 square feet Ward(s) 9 Neighborhood(s) Midtown Phillips; Phillips West Future Land Use Parks and Open Space Goods and Services Chicago Avenue S Corridor Built Form Parks September 23, Date Application Deemed Complete Date Extension Letter Sent October 8, 2020 2020 November 23, End of 60-Day Decision Period End of 120-Day Decision Period January 21, 2021 2020 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN11718 BACKGROUND SITE DESCRIPTION AND PRESENT USE. The site is made up of three existing linear parcels located at 2837 Chicago Avenue S, 2855 Chicago Avenue S, and 2830 10th Avenue S. The 10th Avenue S site is largely occupied by an existing Allina Health laboratory and storage building. The Chicago Avenue sites are currently vacant and contain a small pedestrian pathway leading from Chicago Avenue to the Midtown Exchange building and a landscaped slope adjacent to the Midtown Greenway. SURROUNDING PROPERTIES AND NEIGHBORHOOD. The subject sites are located in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood and are directly adjacent to the Midtown Greenway. Chicago Avenue is a Goods and Services corridor in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the surrounding neighborhood contains a broad mix of uses, including small-scale commercial uses, large institutional and medical uses including the Abbott Northwestern Hospital campus, and the Midtown Exchange mixed use complex. The broader Midtown Phillips and Phillips West neighborhoods also contain a significant amount of lower-scale residential uses including single and two-family homes and small apartment buildings. 2 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN11718 PROJECT DESCRIPTION. The proposed project is an addition of two stories to the existing ramp located at 2801 Chicago Avenue S, and the construction of a new 8-story parking facility adjacent to the existing structure. The existing parking ramp has a total of 1,130 stalls. The new parking ramp additions would add 1,865 new stalls for a total of 2,995 parking stalls. Primary access to the vehicle parking would be via an existing curb cut on Chicago Avenue. The existing loading access point on Chicago Avenue would also be maintained to service loading docks along the east side of the property. The project includes a small leasable space along the Chicago Avenue frontage. The exterior design of the parking facility would include a mix of precast concrete and brick with a complimentary scheme to the existing parking ramp, as well as a custom perforated metal panel system for the upper portions of the elevations. Along the Midtown Greenway, the structure is incorporating a green wall system with climbing vines to mitigate the blank wall effect adjacent to the greenway. PUBLIC COMMENTS. Like any planning effort, stakeholder outreach and participation are essential to create stronger communities. Minneapolis 2040 reflects the result of over three years of engagement with the people of Minneapolis, including over 150 meetings and conversations with thousands of residents, business owners, and community members. As part of the application for the comprehensive plan amendment, the applicant was required to conduct public outreach and engagement to raise awareness about the proposed application and actively prepare stakeholders to engage and provide feedback on the application. A copy of the applicant’s Engagement Plan and a summary of the outreach and engagement process is attached to this memorandum. The applicant has provided letters of support with their application. Copies of the letters are attached to the staff report. Any additional correspondence received prior to the public meeting will be forwarded on to the Planning Commission for consideration. ANALYSIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT The Department of Community Planning and Economic Development has analyzed the application for a comprehensive plan amendment to amend the future land use guidance in Minneapolis 2040 from Parks and Open Space to Public, Office, and Institutional and to change the built form guidance from Parks to Transit 10 for the properties located at 2837 Chicago Avenue S; 2855 Chicago Avenue S; & 2830 10th Avenue S based on the following findings: 1. The extent to which the proposed change would be consistent with the comprehensive plan goals and associated policies The proposed comprehensive plan amendment would be consistent with the applicable guidance, goals and policies of Minneapolis 2040 (2020): Future Land Use Guidance Staff Comment Park and Open Applies to land or water areas generally The proposed use is an 8-story Space free from development. Primarily used for parking garage with an enhanced (Existing) park and recreation, natural resource landscaped pedestrian pathway conservation, transportation, historic, or connecting Chicago Avenue S with scenic purposes. Park related uses such as the Midtown Exchange complex. amphitheaters, food service, parkways, and The proposed pedestrian pathway 3 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN11718 equipment rental are also permitted. This use is consistent with the Parks generally does not capture privately-owned and Open Space designation, and operated open spaces and plazas. however, because part of the parking garage is located on both parcels, the future land use guidance needs to be changed to support the addition to the parking ramp. Public, Office, The proposed future land use and guidance would be consistent with Institutional Accommodates major office centers, public the applicant’s proposal to and semi-public uses, including museums, construct an addition to an hospitals, civic uses, and college and existing parking garage and to university campuses. Entertainment uses of enhance the existing pedestrian greater intensity such as stadiums should pathway on the site. The parking be focused in downtown and university garage supports the larger Abbott campuses. Multi-story residential uses are Northwestern hospital campus, an permitted in this category, with mixed-use institutional use supported under encouraged – particularly fronting major the proposed land use guidance corridors. and consistent with the majority of the parcels in the immediate vicinity. Goods and Guidance Staff Comment Services Corridor Chicago Avenue Changing the future land use Goods and Services Corridors serve two S guidance from Parks and Open purposes: 1) To indicate where commercial Space to Public, Office, and uses should front in relation to properties Institutional would be consistent guided for commercial future land uses, with the guidance for a Goods and and 2) In addition to the guidance for the Services corridor in the mixed use land use categories found in this Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive section, Goods and Services Corridors Plan. The proposed parking identify where the establishment or garage is part of the Abbott expansion of commercial uses can be Northwestern Hospital Campus considered. Properties immediately and is consistent with the OR3 adjacent to a Goods and Services Corridor zoning on the site. The proposed may be considered for commercial activity, land use guidance would support allowing for uses similar in scale and scope small-scale commercial uses in the to the Neighborhood and Corridor Mixed proposed ground-floor active use Use categories. along Chicago Avenue. Built Form Guidance Staff Comment Parks (Existing) New and remodeled buildings in the Parks The existing parks designation built form district should be designed to under the built form guidance support typical parks activities such as does not support the shelters, amphitheaters, food service, and establishment of the proposed equipment rental. Building heights should structures. A change in built form 4 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN11718 be 1 to 2.5 stories. Requests to exceed 2.5 guidance is necessary to achieve stories will be evaluated on the basis of the desired land uses. whether or not a taller building is a reasonable means for further achieving Comprehensive Plan goals. Transit 10 The applicant is proposing to change the built form guidance on the site from Parks to Transit 10 which is consistent with the remainder of the proposed building parcel. Additionally, Transit 10 is consistent with the New and remodeled buildings in the Transit built form guidance for much of 10 district should reflect a variety of the immediate area surrounding building types on both moderate and large the site including the Midtown sized lots. Building heights should be 2 to Exchange complex directly across 10 stories. Building heights should be at the Midtown Greenway. The least 2 stories in order to best take Transit 10 built form guidance