Posted: 6/16/04
By MaryHelen Swanson
Members of the North Branch City Council liked a lot of things about a housing concept plan presented Monday night, but the numbers of living units had them demanding one thing - phasing.
Why?
The conceptual housing plan of Casselberry Development LLP is for 354 residential units containing 133 single-family lots, 25 bayhome lots, 96 townhome units and 100 apartment units on approximately 77 acres southwest of 400th Street and Hemingway Ave. The plan includes a 2-3-acre park, also.
Unlike the usual development of straight streets and rows of houses placed on the same spot on same-sized lots, this development uses ìcoving,î the developer said.
Coving means curved streets and meandering sidewalks. Homes are placed on the lots in such a way that a person driving through the community should not be aware of cars parked in driveways and the usual family clutter will not be seen, he said.
The ìbayhomeî is like a single-family detached townhome with the character of a traditional neighborhood (looks like the more established neighborhoods by design).
The developers would plan to build a variety of homes in design and price range, they said.
A similar development, Village on the Rum, is underway in the city of Isanti.
The site proposed for this development is currently farmland owned by the Swanson Family Investment.
The plan calls for preserving trees and placement of road median strips among the curved roadways.
Preserving the trees was a good idea, said council members. Trees in the median, good too, agreed Councilwoman Amy Oehlers.
But it was the size of the development that was a problem, at least if it were to be built all at once.
ìI definitely would encourage phasing,î said Mayor Gloria Karsky, adding sheíd like to see it be voluntary.
Councilwoman Kathy Blomquist said that the sheer numbers concerned her. She also would want to see the development done in phases.
To the developers Mayor Karsky asked, ìHave you talked to the school district?î
Blomquist reminded everyone of the three failed referenda for the North Branch school district.
And Councilwoman Oehlers reminded everyone that the city had had to hire an additional police officer and has many open lots in approved developments to take care of first. She said the city was getting ahead of itself.
Oehlers was assured this was a presentation of a concept plan only.
Planning director Alan Cottingham supported Oehlerís statement about open lots noting that there are about 200 units available in approved preliminary plats and another 150 in three more additions of Wildridge that are to be developed in phases through 2012.
ìHow do you stop development? Thatís a good question,î said Cottingham. He noted that the city has plans for three more phases for sewer to handle growth.
Oehlers said just because the city can approve more development, that doesnít mean the council council should.
Councilman Rodney Lofquist said all the developers were asking that night was if it was a good concept plan.
The mayor said she liked a lot of things about the plan. No action was taken.
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