Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 3, 2003CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 590 40th Avenue N.E., Columbia Heights, MN 55421-3878 (763) 706-3600 TDD (763) 706-3692 Visit Our Website at: www. ci. columbia-heights, mn. us MEMBERS Tom Ramsdell, Chair Donna Schmitt Ted Yehle Gary Peterson Phillip Baker PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 7:00 P.M. TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2003 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 590 N.E. 40'"" AVENUE Roll Call. Minutes fi:om the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting of April 1, 2003. Public Hearings: None 4. New Business: Case # 2003-0607 5207 University Avenue NE Site Plan Review 5. Miscellaneous: o Redevelopment Articles Adjourn THE CITY Of COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISION OF' SERVICES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING APRIL 1, 2003 7:00 PM The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairperson, Tom Ramsdell. Roll Call: Commission Members present-Yehle, Schraitt, Baker, Peterson, and.Ramsdell. Also present were Tim/lohnson (City Planner), Shelley Hanson (Secretary), and Tami Ericson (Council Liaison). Motion by Yehle, second by Schmitt, to approve the minutes from the meeting of March 4, 2003. All ayes. MOTION PASSED. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE NEW BUSINESS Case #: Owner: Address: Phone: 2003-0406-Site Plan Review Glenn Stauffacher 3825 3rd Street NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 (763) 788-6418 Applicant: Rosa Architectural Group 1084 Sterling Street St Paul, MN 55119 Parcel Address: 3929 California Street NE Profile Tool is requesting a Site Plan Review to construct a new 19,179 square foot facility on the property at 3929 California Street NE. The site is undeveloped and was identified as North Lomianki Park until the City Council removed the park designation from this property in/Ianuary 2003. The site is currently zoned Industrial. The surrounding property to the south and west is zoned and used industrially. The property to the east across the alley is zoned and used residentially. The property to the north appears to be open space with a few homes, and is located in the City of Fridley. Profile Tool and Engineering has proposed to construct a new 19,179 square foot facility to house their metal tooling and machining business. The business is currently located at 3825 3rd Street NE, and has outgrown their existing space. The business currently employs ten people and is anticipated to add a few additional employees in the design-build process. The owner has indicated that the opportunity to build a new facility will allow for him to dramatically improve his business efficiency and increase production output. In moving forward with this project, Profile Tool has been working with City staff to identify the necessary processes and related approvals since fall of 2002. As you're aware, the City has granted several approvals that were necessary for this project to move forward; including a recent vacation of a portion of California Street, and the removal of park designation from the parcel formerly identified as North Lomianki Park. The City also approved a Comprehensive Plan change from Parkland to Industrial, which the Metropolitan Council endorsed in January 2003. The proposed construction schedule from start to completion is approximately 5 months, beginning this spring. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES PAGE 2 APRIL 1, 2003 The 19,179 square foot building will be constructed of painted rockface masonry block with steel bar joists. The rock/ace masonry units will be complemented by two smooth accent stripes that extend around the building. The building entrance area will have an EIFS (stucco) finish that will signify and provide some visual interest to the west side of the structure. It will also be complemented by a colored metal vaulted canopy and glass entry door with side lights. The building will feature a number of high windows on several facades to allow for natural light into the shop space. The south and west building elevations will have windows and doors to create curb appeal and will feature a variety of trees and shrubs to screen the loading dock area from California Street. The proposed front fagade and front entrance facing the parking lot project a distinct character, and maximize natural surveillance and visibility. The total number of large anodized aluminum insulated glass windows alone is eleven, which does not include the total number of higher moUnted windows shown on the elevation drawings. Although the project does not quite achieve the 30% window and door area requirement for non- residential uses, staff believes that the proposal meets the intent of the ordinance and provides what staff considers a visually appealing structure. Commission member Ramsdell questioned whether to enforce the 30% requirement and that he did not like to set a precedent by making an exception. Mr. Russ Rosa, froTM Rosa Architectural Group Inc., passed out new renderings of the site and noted that additional windows were added to the building at a higher level to compensate for not meeting the 30% requirement of our Ordinance. Our Ordinance requires 30% window and door space between the two foot and ten foot height on the front of the building facing the parking area. However, as this is an Industrial Building, this requirement .would limit the use of the building for the machinery and racking that would be placed against the walls. The owner wanted some natural light and has allowed for this at a higher level than our Ordinance mandates. Mr. Rosa said the proposed plan allows for about 12% in the required 2-10 ft heighi, but by including the higher mounted windows it comes very close to the 30% requirement. He argued that other cities do not have this restriction in their Ordinances for Industrial Buildings as it is prohibitive to the owners. Commission member Yehle agreed with staff and the owner in that he felt the design made a good attempt to meet the requirement, and thereby meets the intent of the ordinance. The loading area will consist of two overhead doors for delivery purposes. The building will consist of approximately 2,533 square feet of office space, and 16,646 square feet of shop space. The proposed building will be located adjacent to the existing cul-de-sac on California Street for adequate ingress and egress, and will be served by 39th Avenue and California Street. The site traffic and loading will be completely separate from the adjacent residential properties and will not have an entry point on the alley side. The renderings provided included elevations of what each building side will generally look like and the approximate height of the building. It was noted the door on the north side is only for air. It will not have a driveway access to that side of the building. The roof will be flat and will feature an interior roof drainage system that will catch storm water and pipe it underground to the detention pond on the south side of the site. The rooftop venting and mechanical units will be appropriately screened from view. It should be noted that the building will not be more than 26 feet in height, but will vary in height from 21 to 26 feet because of the sloping topography from north to south. The minimum front yard building setback is 20 feet and the proposed building exceeds this requirement as it is 51 feet bom the property line. The minimum side yard building setback is 12 feet and the proposed building exceeds this requirement as it is approximately 55 feet from the west property line. The minimum rear yard building setback is 24 feet and the proposed building meets this requirement, as it is exactly 24 feet from this property line. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES PAGE 3 APRIL 1, 2003 The minimum requirements are 2 parking spaces per every 3 employees, or 1 space per 1,000 square fcct of gross floor mca, whichever is greater. The site plan shows 20 pa~king spaces, (including one handicap space) with the requirement being 19 spaces. The parking will be on the west side of the building which will be considered the front side, and therefore, will have little affect on the residential neighbors. The west and north sides of the building and the south facing loading area will feature several wall pack lights. It should be noted that the lighting plan submitted provides details on the footcandle measurements, which meet the City requirements for lighting intensity. There was some discussion regarding the handicap space being located at one end of lot. Mr. Rosa stated this was done to be code compliant with the slope requirements for such a space. Due to thc elevations of the site and where the door is located, this is the best place to place the handicap parking space to meet the proper slope. The site plan proposal includes a landscaping plan, which provides details on plant and tree numbers, locations, and species. The ordinance requires a minimum of one tree for every 50 feet of street frontage, or a minimum of 4 trees for every onc-acre of lot area covered by buildings, parking area, etc. The landscaping plan provided includes approximatcly 15 evergreen and ash trees measuring 6 feet in height, 4 existing trees, as well as approximately 19 shrubs. This plan more than meets the minimum landscaping standards established by the ordinance. A majority of the tree plantings will be a natural buffer for the residential homes on the east side of the site, but additional evergreen trees will be planted adjacent to the detention pond and the loading dock area. The neighbors in the area had requested a natural buffer of trees and shrubs rather than fencing. In addition, the non-bituminous areas on the project site will be seeded, sodded and mulched. Also, the dumpster will be located next to the loading area, and will be enclosed as required by ordinance. Public Works Director Kevin Hansen has reviewed the plans and his analysis indicates that on-site surface water ponding has been proposed for the site, and meets the City storm water requirements and well as MPCA Storm Water Permit requirements. It should also be noted that the City has requested a ten-foot easement around the easterly radius of thc cul-de-sac for street and utility purposes. The City will also maintain a 30 foot access up to 40t~ Avenue in case the City would ever need to reach the north and west sides of the property for utilities or maintenance purposes. The Fire Department has also reviewed and preliminarily approved the plans with some comments. To note, the owner.plans on installing a sprinkler system, which eliminates a prior fire lane concem by the Fire Department. The proposed construction is consistent with the 2001 City Comprehensive Plan which designates the property for future industrial use. The new facility will further enhance the tax base and create additional good paying jobs. Thc building features varied architectural materials designed to create visual interest and to provide consistency with the surrounding area and will provide a buffer for the residential properties from the railroad switching yards to thc west. Therefore, staff recommended approval of the Site Plan proposal to construct a new 19,179 square foot facility on the property at 3929 California Street ~. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES PAGE 4 APRIL 1, 2003 There was more discussion regarding the retention pond and whether fencing should be required. Planner Johnson explained that Public Works does not advise fencing of these ponds due to trapping children inside and that it limits public safety personnel from rescue attempts if necessary. He also stated that the pond will not hold water all the time. It is only meant to alleviate problems during ton'ential rains or wet year~. It was the general consensus that some type of planting be put around the perimeter as necessary to deter children from playing there. Motion by Ramsdell, seconded byYehle, to approve the Site Plan for Profile Tool and Engineering for a 19,179 square foot industrial facility on the property at 3929 California Street NE, subject to the following conditions: 1. All required state and local codes, permits, licenses and inspections will be met and in full compliance. 2. Final review and approval of grading/drainage, water and sewer plans by City Engineer and Fire Chief. 3. Approved landscaping and screening shall be installed in conjunction with site development and prior to issuance of a final certificate of occupancy. 4. Additional landscaping be added as necessary around pond area with restrictive plantings as approved by staff. All ayes. MOTION PASSED. MISCELLANEOUS There was a discussion regarding the status of the south piece of Lomianki Park. Council member Bobby Williams stated that the Park Status had been removed from that piece of property. Commission member Peterson stated the City Council should look at re-zoning the property if they wish to market it as residential property. Motion by Yehle, seconded by Peterson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 pm. All Ayes. Respectfully submitted, Shelley Hanson Secretary Case: 2003-0607 Page: 1 Case #: Owner: Address: Phone: STAFF REPORT TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION FOR THE JUNE 3, 2003 PUBLIC HEARING GENERAL INFORMATION 2003-0607 Todd Johnson DDS 5215 University Ave NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 (763) 572-8040 5207 & 5215 University Ave General Business District Transit-Oriented Development Parcel Addresses: Zoning: GB, Comprehensive Plan: Applicant: James Strapko Architects 4157 Minnehaha Ave So Mpls, MN 55406 (612) 729-4112 Surrounding Zoning and Land Uses: Zoning North: General Business South: General Business East: Residential West: Residential Land Use North: Commercial South: SF Home East: Residential West: Residential BACKGROUND Explanation of Request: This is a request fxom Dr. Todd Johnson and James Strapko Architects for Site Plan Review to construct a new dental facility on the properties at 5207/15 University Avenue NE. Case Histor},: The site is undeveloped and consists of three platted parcels. ANALYSIS Surrounding Properq~: The surrounding property to the north is used and zoned commercially. The property to the east across the alley is zoned and used residentially. The property to the south is a single-family home and is zoned Commercial. Case: 2003-0607 Page: 2 Technical R~iew/Design Issues: Dr. Todd Johnson owns 5 lots south of the City Liquor Store on 52~'d and University Ave. He is proposing to move out of his current building at 5215 University Avenue. He plans to construct a new 3,416 square foot dental facility on the three adjacent empty lots he owns, in order to accommodate the growth of his practice. Dr. Johnson is proposing to split off the northerly two lots which house the existing dental office and parking area. The current business employs a few workers and is anticipated to add additional dental hygienist employees in the design-build process. In moving forward with this project, Mr. Johnson has been working with City staffto identify the necessary processes and related approvals since 2002. The proposed construction schedule from start to completion is approximately 4 months, beginning this sUmmer. The 3,416 square foot building foundation proposed is intended to function as a commercial office type use, but is being designed to have a residential type appearance. The building exterior finish materials will consist of fibercement siding, which is a product composed of cement and wood fibers that look and feel like wood. The texture of the siding is a cedar grain, which will hold paint and also be fireproof. This material is more recognizable in other parts of the nation, but is becoming more common in the Midwest. This material is considered a common alternative to wood and staff believes this to be an acceptable and architecturally appealing material. The fibercement siding, soffits, and trim will be complemented by standard residential style windows and decorative columns at the south entrance to give it a front porch type appearance and to provide visual interest from the street and parking area. The westerly facing entrance will feature a projecting bay with residential style windows over the emergency exit door to enhance the street appearance. The building will feature a number of window and door openings on the facades facing University Avenue and the parking area, to allow for natural light and security, and provide some visual interest for the building. The south and west building elevations will have windows and doors to create curb appeal and will feature an asphalt shingle that is made to convey a cedar shake appearance. The proposed front facade and front entrance facing the parking lot also project a distinct character, and maximize natural surveillance and visibility. The project achieves the 30% window and door area requirement for non-residential uses. The renderings provided include elevations of what each building side will generally look like. The building will consist of several offices, a chart room and library, and seven patient rooms. The building will also feature a small basement area for mechanical units and storage, as well as a private office in the upstairs attic. Non-residential building setbaei~: · Minimum front yard building setback is 15 feet; The proposed building meets this requirement as it is 19feet from the property line. l~rhile the building foundation is set back at 19feet, the projecting bay juts into the setback area one foot. The ordinance does allow for architectural enhancements to be in the setback area. · Minimum comer side yard building setback is 15 feet; The proposed building exceeds Case: 2003-0607 Page: 3 this requirement as it is approximately 60feet from the south property line. · Minimum rear yard building setback is 20 feet; The proposed building meets this requirement, as it is 20feet from this property line. · Minimum side yard building setbactt is 0 feet; The proposed building meets this requirement, as it is 5feet from this property line. Parking area requirements: Minimum requirements are one space per every 300 square feet of gross aoor area; The site plan shows 16parking spaces,'with the requirement being 14 based on 4,050 square feet. There is one handicapped space shown which meets the accessibility requirements. It should be noted that the lighting plan for the parking area submitted provides details on the footcandle measurements. These measurements meet the City requirements for lighting intensity at a maximum of 3 footcandles of light at the nearest non-residential property line, and a maximum of ~ footcandles of light at the nearest residential property line. The lighting for the site includes two pole lights to be located on the southeast and southwest corners of the parking area. Minimum parking setbacks are 15 feet from the front and comer side property lines and 5 feet from the rear property line; Off-street parking proposed meets the City requirements at 20feet from the front property line, 15feet from the corner side property line, and 6feet from the rear yard property line. Signage requirements: The General Business District allows for monument signage not to exceed 40 square feet in size; a maximum of 8 feet in height; and setback 5 feet from any property line. Applicant is proposing to erect an 8foot height monument sign, measuring 38 square feet in size, and setback at least 5feet from any property line which meets City requirements. The wall- mounted signage proposed for the building meets the City requirements as well. $ignage will be verified during the permitting process. Landscaping/screening: The site plan proposal also includes a landscaping plan, which provides details on plant and tree numbers, locations, and species. The ordinance requires a minimum of one tree for every 50 feet of street frontage, or a minimum of 4 trees for every one-acre of lot area covered by buildings, parking area, etc. The landscaping plan includes seven trees consisting of ash, coniferous and maple varieties. In addition a variety of shrubs, river rock, wood mulch, and sod is proposed for groundcover, as well as a landscaped curb island designed to break up the parking lot area. The plan exceeds minimum City landscaping standards. The shrubbery proposed will be a natural buffer for the residential homes to the east, with an additional 6foot high fence and retaining wall to be placed along the easterly property line to provide appropriate screening. In addition, the non hard-surface areas on the project site will be seeded, sodded and mulched (see landscape plan). Also, the dumpster will be located on the east side of the structure, will match the cedar.finish of the building, and will be enclosed as required by ordinance. Case: 2003-0607 Page: 4 Access; Grading/Drainage; Water/Sewer Issues: The proposed building will be served by 52nd Avenue and the University Avenue service road, which should provide for adequate ingress and egress. The site traffic will be completely separate from the adjacent residential properties and will not have an entry point on the alley side. The new parking lot area will require a new curb cut along the frontage road, but shouldn't generate much additional traffic. Public Works Director Kevin Hansen has reviewed the site plan and grading/drainage plans submitted with his comments (see attached). The applicants have submitted a plan which directs the stormwater runoff to the University Avenue frontage road, and away from adjacent properties. The plans proposed appear to meet the City stormwater requirements. The Fire Department has also reviewed and preliminarily approved the plans. Compliance with CitF Comprehensive Plan: The 2001 City Comprehensive Plan designates the property for future transit-oriented use, which promotes high density residential and neighborhood commercial development such as proposed. Summary: The aspects of this proposal are as follows: · The new facility will further enhance the tax base and create additional jobs. · The facility proposed features varied architectural materials designed to create visual interest and to provide consistency with the surrounding area. CONCLUSION Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the Site Plan proposal to construct a new 4,500 square foot dental facility on the property at 5207 University Avenue NE. Recommended Motion: Move to approve the Site Plan for Dr. Todd Johnson for a 4,500 square foot dental facility on the property at 5207 University Avenue NE, subject to the following conditions: 1. All required state and local codes, permits, licenses and inspections will be met and in full compliance. 2. Final review and approval of grading/drainage, water and sewer plans by City Engineer and Fire Chief. 3. Approved landscaping and screening shall be installed in conjunction with site development and prior to issuance of a final certificate of occupancy. Attachments: Site Plan; Grading/Drainage Plans, Landscaping Plans; Elevation Drawings; P.W. Memo; Applicant Narrative; CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 590 40th Avenue N.E., Columbia Heights, MN 5.,..~,-.,o,owuo~..,,~,.-o,.~, ~ ~,,., ~ ,u~j ,,.-,,-.~692 Visit Our Website at: www. ci. cohunbia-heights.tnn, us Pubhc WorKs Department TO: TIM JOHNSON CITY PLANNER FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: KEVIN HANSEN PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR/CITY ENGINEER FAMILY DENTISTRY SITE PLAN REVIEW May 30, 2003 I have the following comments on the Family Dentistry site plan: · Architecture As a general comment, I would encourage the addition of some masonry, such as brick or stone, to frame or enhance the main building entrance. · Site Utilities The City does not allow a core cut into an existing'vcP sanitary line. Provide a cut in of a new tee with proper backing in accordance with City Specifications. The proposed storm sewer shall be a privately'maintained line. Any work performed in public Right-of-Way shall be inspected by the Engineering department. A Right-of-Way permit is required and can be obtained from the City Engineering Department. · Storm WaterManagement As the proposal does not impact over 1 acre, a NPDEs permit is not required. The grading and erosion control plan is acceptable with the following conditions: 1. Site access during construction should be limited to the University Avenue Service Road. 2. The perimeter erosion control shall be placed priOr to any site disturbance and inspected by the. engineering department. 3. Any debris tracking shall be cleaned offofpublic streets within a 24- hour period. If the work is not performed within a 24-hour period, the City of Columbia Heights will clean the' streets and bill the Contractor. 4. The rear retaining wall along the alley should be three feet from the property line. 5. The gutter line at the main entrance il flat. This should be reviewed in the field with engineering staff prior to concrete placement. THE CITY Of COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 590 40th Avenue N.E.. Columbia Heights. MN 55421-3878 (763) 706-3600 TDD (763) 706-3692 Visit Our Website at: www. ci. columbia-heights.~nn.us Memo to Tim Johnson Family Dentistry Site Plan Review Page 2 · General I would recommend a small cash escrow of $ !,500 for engineering inspection and erosion control surety. Any unused portion of this escrow will be returned to the owner upon project completion (defined as turf establishment and parking lot paving). Transportation The main entrance shall have a concrete apron from the curb to the property line. The location of the driveway cut is acceptable. No site access should be provided to the existing alley to the east. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at ext. 705. K .'jb THE City OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES EQUAL OPPORTUniTY EMPLOYER JAMES A. STRAPKO, ARCHITECT, LTD. 4157 Minnehaha Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406 (612) 729-4112 fax: 729-4831 Site Plan Review Application Professional Office Building Todd Johnson, DDS Narrative Dr. Todd Johnson is the owner of five adjacent lots at 5215 University Avenue NE. Currently his dental practice occupies a building and parking on two of the lots at the north end of the parcel. Dr. Johnson has provided dental care to the surrounding neighborhood at this location for over 20 years. To accommodate the growth of his practice, he intends to develop a new building along with associated parking and landscaping on the south three lots. His intention is to create on office and landscaping with a residential appearance. Existing vegetation on the south three lots., includes grass and four trees. Two cottonwoods and one poplar would be removed and a large ash at the southeast corner would be preserved. The landscape plan illustrates a combination of trees, shrubs, and fencing. Techny Arborvitae, coniferious shrubs, and fencing at the east property line are designed to screen the parking area from residential properties across the alley to the east. In addition, the elevation of the parking is lower than the alley, requiring a retaining wall, which provides additional screening. Marshall's Ash, a street tree, is proposed in a group of three along the south property line. These will shade the parking and coordinate with the existing ash at the southwest comer. A single Royal Red Maple located at the entrance drive near the building entrance would provide seasonal color. Black Hills Spruce, a dark green conifer tree, will provide some wind and sound screening at the west property line. The pryamid shaPe of the spruce will repeat the steep roof slope of the west gable and the dark green will contrast with the lighter colors proposed '/or the building. Blue Chip Juniper, a Iow conifer shrub, is proposed around the base of the monument sign at the southwest corner of the site. The blue-green color of the juniper will complement the dark red foliage of the nearby Royal Red Maple. The surrounding neighborhood is a mix of building types and forms. The proposed building is designed to present a residential image, with intersecting gable roofs, residential windows and doors, and residential siding. The north face of the building must have a fire-rating required by the State Building Code. Here, glass block is proposed in the shape of typical residential windows. Windows on the other faces of the building are standard residential metal clad wood. Window areas comply with the zoning ordinance. On the south fa(~ade, window and glazed door unit comprise 30 percent of the main level wall; on the west, they comprise 31 percent. The roofing is asphalt shingles, the siding fibercement. Fibercement is a relatively new product composed of wood fibers combined with cement in boards and shingle panels that look and feel like wood. The texture is a cedar grain. In contrast to cedar siding, fiber cement is stable, fire-proof, and will hold paint much longer. It is becoming a common alternative to wood in quality homes. Traditional columns at the entrance are designed to give it a front porch appearance. To meet the practical needs of access from parking, the public entrance is located on the south; however, the west wall facing University Avenue is also designed as a street facade. The emergency exit door is sheltered under a projecting bay. The bay houses an attic office for the building owner. Wall signs on the west and south faces are integrated with the style of the building, taking the shape of arched windows. Dr. Johnson has not yet made final color selections. His general intention is to create a building with light, warm colored siding (probably a tan), complementary window and trim color (possibly darker than the siding), and medium dark roof for contrast. qlno8 ~nueA¥ gqeqouulR LgI~ ~0~0~ ~ulg ~ ~ma~ aa~-~ D~ g3~O ~NOl~OHd I I ' ~--i.- ~ ..' "i. '~ .%~.' ~ - ~ . ' ' q ". ". ~ :~ ".' ~ .' .... ,-. '. . ' (~' ~ ' .'. ' · .. ',~ -~ .' : · ' .' '. ~ ,'.'~-. · ., . · ~ -.' '' ' l'~,l.l ~ ' .~ ~;/~~.-o...,.~ ...... '~ ..,.> ....... ~ .~ ,-. ~ .. ~,-~..~.~o '.. -,'~ "· · ..... ~, · . - ,~.'--~.~~.~.~'-~':~'-"-; ;.'.' ", ...... /' 2.~ '," "~.~:.~',~=..' · ~.~,'~,~ .... ~ .. -'.: ..,'. - ,..1~.' -. . ~~z::".~L ..................... /= ........ . , - ~=~=_ ~ - · -~ .. .... . ......... :,=~: ..: % .... . : .... . I.~'.~/ ~ ' ..... ~ .... , - ~---~ .... ~~~ ~~L--=--" " ~ . .~'q ' . ~ ' ' ....... ~ _ ~ ............ ~~ ~ ~~' . .~... . ~-- ~ ~'~ ~ ~'~ ~' --I ...... ~ --I-- '-- ~ -- ~ .... ~11 .... ~~~: -~ ~ X~ ~ .... · : '~-':" "1 ~ ; ' ' ' .. ~ ~ I~_ I ~n ~a~l~ ~]k~~ ..... ~ ,I ~ ~ ~ ': "' ' · · %.. :..~,~" ,..: . ~ . '~ . ~~ ~1._1 -, ~ A ~.. ':,~ ..... . · I' ':' :'~::~'::: :': '~ ~' ~ ' ~ I I ~ : ~ ~ ~,~,~ ~ r ~' - Xz~ '" .: ~<:. ,.-' · ~.. :."~~, / ~_ ~ ~ : ~t' X , ~ '~ ~;~ · ~ :":~'.~ . n . :........:. ~......... :.. ~ ,-x- - ~ :~-~-~-~--~~ ~~ ~- - ~ - -~- - - ~- -- ~ ~ ~,~ _,~.....-.....:. '.'.~: .':..':../.~"::.':'. /'~X ~11~,~-~.] ~ ~ I ~ ./ I ~~ ~'.~ "-.~--'.' --. ~':.. :....:~..../ ~ ~, ,, . ! I ~ , ~-- ~. ~ .... .,... ..... , . . . . ~ . . . ~ ~ ~ · . I""<'~~' ~X''~/ · ,' . ~ LA ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , : 1,~...:.-r.~... ~ · . ...' '.: ::.~ / ' . ~ X '. ~ ~ V N~: J ..'. ~.".X/: . t'.. .... '.' ...~:~. ~k /- I ~ X:~.: I . ~ ~1 . ~ ~,~ · i .... '.,'. '. :.....:... :.~ ...... ,....~-~. ~ ~ ~ x - ~J ~ ~. ~ ~.'. ~ ..........: ~. ~ .'. :... : . . '.. . . .., .. .~ ~ ~ '. .. . :,. ~ '.. ,-~.......~ ..' ..'... ~}: '.': [ ~ i1 X ,~-......., ~ ~ ~ X~ ~ ~-.-. ..: '.." > .. '. ~ :...' '.... I.~ ~- < ? ~ · ~ X :B ,~~ ~ ~o~ · ~ .'.~ · -,- ~.~ · .' . ... · .. ' . , ,. .... ' . ... ,....., · · :. . ~ ~ ~ : , . o~ .,.~ ,~, · · '"": ">'> ..,X x ~ . ~ ,, ~ ~ =_ ~,~ ~._. ~'=. . ::'.i>1 ~_:~ . ~~ ~ . ,] .~ ~ ~ / :: .~. :.'" .'. -:' ..~g.... ' =" '~-~ ' ~~" ' ~ ..:M ~ -~: :~ >: '-I' :~ ~ / ~ / / '..: · ..:'~ N ~ /~. '. ~D'~'.- : ~:'. /''...". - ~ ~ -:~ ~ : -~ ---:~~~~ .}~/'.. :.x:~, Nk ~-~~~:.L'~'.- .-':~ · ~.~/ ':.. ~ ' k · ~/X r. ':..- '".. ~ ~k~ ~vH ~w.9 ~ ~ .....= =.=~..... · ~~~N ~ ~:." : · .' ~ ~ - ~ ~'~' "' ':~'~>'>'" '.' . : .. .. : . ..~ . ..:, .. _ . · . ..... ..~. . ...... , ..... . . . ~ ..' :.: . .'..~ :'. ... , :.:..} :',..'.:. '...%..:: :. :..' '::.:' ...,'~:~"¢ ..::. :~. :: ":: '{ .' i..: .:. 5..:: .:'i...-.:'. ,.. :.: '<-..'..: :: '.':.". 'i: ":.".::.'.' 'h ": '....~:': '~': '~' .:: '..,"~' .. ')." :. ~....: ...':.,' .-:'.. :.: ...:'.: .....-'-. ': }:? ..'.'.:.'.": '~. ~ _ ',. . ... ~'~'. ' ~f~' .:. ~.., ,' .,'.. :, .: ... ..i..'. .:.. ':.... '..-.....:'.''~ . -...'- :'...' -...' ?. ~ . : .. '.~ . '... .. ~ .':. '..':.. ~: :' :' .J .. .' '. ... '~: ..": :..:.: '..''' }.' . : .~.."' . ..'~ ~.. · . , .' '".~ "' >; .. '? ':~ ~'...~ '. :'...."" :~ .:. ": "' . .? ' ",..~ ': }'::"~'~ .':': :' :.,."'. ~}' .,':'.~':.. ~'.-.:', :~. ";. :. '.".-'::..:.:' :':.'" :" ,... ::~'~ ? "~' :. "'~ ..'[ ?. }' .:':'. . /.'2. :': .':'. :.".. :~ :':...: "i:". :~': ::.'."}' ~" "'..:-. ~: '"': X X ~ X X X X X ~ X X X X ~ X X X X X X X[ . (g~O~ 33IA~3S ONI~93NI i~ ~0 IHOI~ ,00'0~1~)~_ ONA MHDIH) IN I U A N' UN]-VERS]- NUE NE ( Y No 47) ' ~ (±150,00' RIGHT OF WAY INCLUDING SERVICE ROAD> / . .~'~.. , ' .. ~~~ ~ ~ ~~'~T ' , ' ...'"~ '/// . ',"' .. '.'. '.. z ' · ~ ' '~ ; ,I ~ ~ %lI. ':. "' '~"' .' " . ~ ...... . ~ ~ .. . .. ..... ~ .', · ~ / ~ ~ · . .. . . . .... . ... . .~ ' : '.. , ~ ~ I -~ .'.' ..~ ~ . ." :~ . ... . , :, .. , · j ~~ " .... ... ~.. .: .~. · .:.. · j .. ~ ,.- ' m ~c ~ -n ~ ~ , ~ ~ .' '.'~ ~' ~ ' ... '. ' ~-'" ~='" ' -~ ~/~ I ~.% = -"' - ~ ~ ' -- .... ' '"'"~ '"~ "I ~ . . ..... ~ .~~. ~ ~ .... · . .~ .... .~ '..~...: .' ..~ . . : . ..'- ~ .~' .~ ~ ~ .......... ~ .~ . : 4 h PUDLZC ALLEY PROFESSION~ OmCE BUIm~G ~er: Todd lo~son, DDS ~DS~E P~ ~/,,/~ PS~m~V J~ES A. ~K0, ~CHI~, L~. Family Den~s~ ~/ff~ NOT FOR ~s ~ ~s ~ Untve~t~ Aunue sE CON~U~ION Columblm Helfhb. Mhn~ 4157 ~h~a Aun~ ~u~ LJ // ~--J / I // i-J / I // _ ..J / / I I // r-- / I // i--j rJ i i L.J' I I I I I I IIIIl[lll IIIIIIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIIIII IIIIIIII IIIIlill II[llilll EXTERIOR KLEVATIONS JjJAUE$ A. S'mAPKO. ARCHITECT, LTl J! 41~)7 Jlnneh&he, Avenue SouiLh \ x L-1 \ N I \\ L~ \ I N I__I I ! r-I--- I I ! ! I, I I I I I I I I I I I L.J----' PROF~IONAL O~Cg BUI~G Owners: T~d Jo~Ion, DDS ~OR B~A~ONS PR~N~ FAMILY DE~Y ..... NOT ~R JAMF_,S A. :~'TRAI:'KO, ARCI-iiTm':cT, LTD 187 Mlnnebha Aunue ~th MlnneepolI-, MN M (612) ?~-4112 I 0 t I I I II I II I II I I III III I! II II II I! I! II II II II II II ' II II II II II II II I I I I II '1 I.- .11 PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING P "I I FAM~LY DE.TISTR¥ ro IIc"-""::'~"~'":~';~ .... ~ Owners: Ts~od.8 Johnston. PLAN PRELIMINARY NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION A. STRAPKO, ARCHITECT, LTD. i ARCHnZ~'UR8 Iltl~l~OR 4187 Mlnnelm~m Avenue ~louLh MInnea, polb, MN f,840~ (612) ?{0-4112 UI~J/VLI~SL I~,¥ ~R VLINUL.. INL kmLumwa i I~u ff X iX X X X X ~ ~ ~ ~ X R X X X X X~P8~~x X ...... . ;: ......... :...... :. ~.....'......~.........'-..~/~..... :. : . .: .. '.., .....'... ...> .~...'.... ;,~ .~.-..;.... .... .~ '..;.......-... ~.:.~ .~.: ~/....':......'..."......:~..~-~.. '~'-... ~. ~"~ '¥'. :.',,." , · .... .. .. . '.' . · , . . ", . , .' . . ....' . .. '.. ,..... . > . ~ .. / · . .. ..., . · , . . . ·, . . . · . . . , .~ /. - . . .. ~-... .' .' . · . '.. ,. . .'. , · . . -"~.. '.?" :'....'..'.. ~'~. Z"._'.~'~ "'.:'.."Z'.-:" :':."/:'..'~:...-' ':'.~'" ' ' ":.. "..." .:". ' ' .;. .... .' ... '"..' '. ~." ...... ".. · ~ :..; .~: .... . .... .' ~t~[Hnu~ ~u~Uc'~tr~t~ rm, t"'nr"i~.00'" ."';' ..': ;' ' .: .... '.' ' '"'" """" ""'_ .:. ~ ......... '~.~'~' "'""" " ' ~ ..... ~..'."" .....-:~'~.'...":.- .. ~.. .... . ..... ...... , . . .... . .... .......~ ..... ,....~............'.,...~......~,~. ~.. : . ~ . .,.. .' .' .. ;".;'. ~': '?. .' .~.." ~'.' :.'.."' ".~.':",.:...'.?'/'"."¥-."~ .....:'~T'. ~:..~":'; ., '~ ~ :~.."L~...'".~:,:':.'~..:' ~.',.".,'..'. ":~ .: ";'.'.;.~.~.:'~.~.:'"..>."~'¥..~'~.~" ~:>.':...'22'~'~. "' :-...: ...'.. ~.~...':".' .:' ....... ... , .-.:...~_ .. '~ ....... .~ · . ... - ,........~.~......; ~~ ,.~,,~ ~.....:, ~ . ~ . ~ ~' '.. ~ -<~ ;" ~~ '~:.~'. . '7~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I: ~'. ./..{~- ' "~' ' . ~ ~..' .: . I r I ' ' '" ...~ :. . . ~.-., ..... ~ ~ 0~, ,,,,~,~ ~, ~. ~......- ...~ '/ ~ ~/ ~.~ ; . ~ / ~ ~. .:' ../ I . ~ ~ · ~ . I.. ~ ** ~ I', :"~ · ~ ~' :' ' '.' " "' ·~ I ~ I ~,~ , ,~ I ~ ' . ..'.... ...... · . ~- ~,~..~ ~;~ ~ ~- % ~ I~ ~~ I ~,_N~ ~ ~ ~."~-..- ... · · ,, " "" '"'":'""" .... ..~-.~ .~..-- I ./ - , k. ,, I~ . .~ .......... . ,. .... ~*~ ~ , ' ~* II , ~ cc ~, , . . ~ ~ o, , ~c ,, x '' ~'[',~ "- · .: '. '. '" :' , . ~ ~ ~ I.-, a~. ~ I x ,,~ ~ · · : .. ,'~' .".' :" ~ · -/~' '..'." ~ ~[ ~ ~ i ~ ~k~ N/ ~ , I '1"1~ ~;g ~ 't ,: .- '.'"? ~".-. ;.-:: .-..'.~' ;/']~,'.'..' ~ ", 4~ i -~ L~ ~' '~ ~1 ~ ~i i ~ ~ ~:.'~."-'.....'.. ' ,/5 .....'* " .... ' . ~' " ~ ~ ~ ~ "a~ k.I .... " '~"-'. ... ~1.. · ~ ,, ~ I I , I .I x ,, = . · ...... . ~ .' .. ~ · ~1 ,~ ~ ., .... - .... ~:::~ ,, ~1 , I I , ~, < , .~ .. .. ....... ' ~ -' " ~,~,'~m ,---'~ · ~ , ~ , .,~ ~ ~l,,"~?-,: .'''.' ...... ~.l ' m ' "'"' m ~ P I ~ . ~ I , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,~ .. ~ ,G . . ~ ~' ,~ ........ ~ ~ ~ ~-, A ~1-I:~. .... "~ '~;:';"...'-'.. ': ._1~" .~ ....,... ~ ~ ~~ , .~ .,~ ~' ~ . ~ , . ,~..~..~..~..,~,,~,,...~ .... . .... ~,. -/~: · · : ~ ~ ~ · I I? kb ~ ~ $I~, ~ ' II , I ~ ~~--'.,.: :' ~'.-".. · ': ~.. ~ ,I , I ..,... ..... ...... ~ I ~x ~ ~ I . XNN~N~' -~ X I I~ ~ .. .".' '0. I~'..'~. '" ..t'. ' : -: : '.. .. ~ '.... / %_% II1~ ' I~' , w I~!% ~ I T~-~-a-' ....... 'E~ ,/. ~_~.:.'."~~, ~ ~ -~ ~ ! ~ ~ ,~ _. !! -~ - ' /~~~~'..';~.,, ~" .'~,N . ~x~ ~ ~ .i~ ~ ~ ~ F i.i1~ ~ X Xt ' : . , ~ -~ ni . I ~ I ' ~ i II I I "1~ ~~ / I ~~~.~:'. ~:..' ' : '- I ~ ~X II ; I.~ ~o'~,, ~zem,~ ;~1B*~ ...... 1 .............. ~1, I~ ~ ~ ' ': ~ ~ " ~ .' .. ~- X 2 ~ ~ ~ ' :. '. .. , ...:, .. ~q ~ ~ ~ ~ . :......: : .... ,~... ', ..~ ~".~,_': I ,. . -, .'.~., ..... :.. 'S.~.~,-~..~,~..'~."~.~.~~.. ........~~..~, '.'~...~.'~.,-.,. ,~ '.~.' '~:~ .;~. . ~.:":.'~'.~.}..~ '".'y~.~.~ y~~, · .,-.'~. '. .".,.'. ~.~~' ~'..'...,.'~. '~ .~. ~,, .... ,.. .... .. ~ .~ ~~:,.. .., ~~,... .... ..,.~.~,., ... .... , ,...... ,.. · .~. ..~ .~ ~.~, . .., . . . : .... W ~. ~:., ~.~.....~....~.. ... . ..~ · , . ~ .~. , ~ -.. ,. ......... """"~"'~" ' '¢ ~ I 12' PUBLIC ALLEY ~g~ ~,, C~CRETE SI JRFACE ! - , ~"~ PR0~SSION~ 0m~ BUI~INO Owner: Todd 30~o., DDS a~lSO · W~ ~S ~,,4. ~em.m~Y DENNIS E. BROWN, P.E. Fami~ Dentis~y N~ FOR CON~U~0N UnI~ k~nue NB  Cotumbtl He~h~, ginnm~ Br~l~ ~n~, ~ ~ ~-~-4~ DAVID STAUFFER America's f:rst-tier suburbs--a/so referred to as older, inner-ring, and first suburbs-- have attributes that distinguish them fi'om . the central cities that most of them border and the newer, outer suburbs that they adjoin. Like big cities, they tend to have vibrant downtowns, but on the smaller, more intimate scale associated with suburbs. Their homes are usually more affordable than those of the cen~'al city and are more Ulcrdy than outer suburban homes to be within walking distance of schools, recreation centers, and stores. [n Light of theLr impact on real estate redevelop- ment, the question is whether these distinctive attributes constitute a treasure trove of attractions or a Pandora's box of drawbacks. "I see a lot of value in them~and lots of headaches for sure;' ~ says planner Kelley Hrabe, a supporter of rede- velopment and infill in older suburbs, and cl~rec- tor of project development for Walton Construc- tion, a Kansas City, Missouri, general contractor. Another believer tn restoring the izmer sub- urbs is Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of the Dallas- based KoLl Development Company, who, at the same time, laments that they offer few or no opportunities for his customer base--the large, corporate build-to-suit market. ~ralk to any cor- porate real estate department and you'11 find there are compelling reasons why they decide to build where they do," mostly on exurban greenfield sites, he notes. While the advisabLUty of venturing into first- tier suburban redevelopment is a topic of debate among man), in the industry, there is Little or no argument that America's older suburbs deserve re- vitalization. "For me, the appeal includes a rela- th, ely short commute, the physical beauty of the communi~ a quaint sn~a11-~i)wn f~el, good schools, and the ability to waLk downtown;' s~ys ~-~bert A. Marchman, a vice president of the New York Stock Exchange and chairman of the South Orange--Maplewood, New Jer- sey, Community Coalition on Race, who moved to Maplewood in 1991. loan E. Primo, a principal of real estate and retail consultants partnership is critical for successful first:bbr for the h,~;h.fe~sib to~nhou~ c(mimum~ Madison ~ace. the Strategic Edge in Southfield, Michigan, agrees. "We're finding tha. t the customer really craves that downtown expe.__fien--~e" of first- tier suburbs, she says."That, plus the sense of community, are very im'po~nant to many p~ple:' In addition, the hybrid nature of fu'st-fier suburbs--with some qualifies of central cities and other characteristics of outer suburbs-- · .' ./~me 3,000 acres are being redeveloped as a new ,i" ¢' ommuni~ in t~e inner suburbs of NortJ~ Charleston, Sout~ Carol,n~, ~n ami chosen for its ciose-~n location, lower housing price costs compared with Chari~kon and farther-out suburbs, and the workday net in-mi~at~ of can present appealing market opportunities. The most recognized of these is their attractiveness to a~lu~nt and gro~g popu3au6n~ ~Peci~-y empty-nest boomers and young professionals--who seek easy__ access to big-city ameniti~ 5v~iout _th~a~crlc pace and higher costs of in-town living. ~We're consistently seeing un- derserv~ in the inner suburbs,~ says Ray Utw. nhove, a senior vice president and retail team clirec- tot in the Atlanta o~ce of the commercial real estate ser- vices ~ CB Richard F.111~. Demographics are not the only thing propelling the first-tier comeback, according to zoning and land use attorney Carl E. Westmoreland, a partner in the Atlanta firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy. For an in- "~ creasing number of people, he says, an exurban residence is too far ~om the workplace, so they are moving toward metropolitan centers to improve their lifestyle. ~The market is finally compelling them to do what planners could never do; he maintains. The inner suburb's ~just right" location--neither too far ou~ nor"to~ f3/'in--is a key advantage, as is the"eco- nomics of the area, which, in some locations, can give you a major price-point advantage," says Iohn Knott, Ir., president and CEO of the Noisette Company. Knott, whose company is redeveloping 3,000 acres of North Charleston, South Carolina, explains that the mean price of a home there is well below that of houses in Charleston and adjoining, farther-out suburbs. ~So we start with location and market advantages, and add to that the workday net in-migrati~)n of some 100,000 commuters. Assuming most people would like to live near where they work, we stand to capture a share of that; he observes. Still, inner suburbs face challenges. ~It's not an automatic that the infrastructure is in place; points out Gary Garczynski, presi- dent of residential developer National Capital Land & Develop- ment Company ofWoodbridge, V'zrginla. Even when infrastructure is in place, the pa~age of time often has taken a toll, he a~a~, citing one builder who found waterlines rr~de of wood. Unlike most central cities ana outer suburl:~vdose-in suburbs tend to have neighborhoods that are long established, cJose knit, and relativ~'si~le~'Those quaJ~ties are genera~y thought ot as posifive~ until a redevelop~fient project is proposed for such a neighborhood. ~These people may not be as accustomed to change as those with a more [outer] suburban mindset," now Westmor~and."They bought their halt'acre in 1975, and why should anything change?" is how many of them feel, he says. ~We as developers and designers typi- cally create our own problem," comments Knott. When the first an- nouncement of a company's planned project includes an unveiling of the plans, no matter how conceptualized and removed firom what might eventually be built,"we're regarded as imposing o~ views of what their lives should be." That sort of impression can be avoided through community meetizigs that precede development, notes Steve Burkholder, mayor of Lakewood, Colorado, and chairman of the newly formed First Tier Suburbs Council of the National League of Cities. He rites as an example the opening of a retail mall in Lakewood."The devd- oper did a lot of public relations work in the neighborhoods, but you've got to go out and talk, stand up for what you believe in," he insists. The key to minir~i~ing neighbors' objections is ~building the case," concurs Michael L. Cantor, a partner in the consulting ~-----Allegro Realty Advisors, Ltd., in Independence, Ohio.'Get out and talk about past successes. Show actual impacts, such~fore- and-after traffic counts and property values; he advises. Extensive community involv ..e47nent along these lines almost always requires m~e time and effort than wo_gld.be.required for development in exur~greenfields or even in inner cities, where often there are fewer surrouhding residents, an--'---~ they ~ mor~i'en-rand more accustb-xh-~/t to re-6-~-d-~opment. "These processes~tructures are mesij,,~b-'~e-aes-Tl~fll'~nes, director of research and municipal prograins at the National League of Cities. "But what's crucial is that they allow a struggle to emerge. That's okay--it's called poli- tics: It is a means by which issues eventually get resolved, he says. U r b a n L a n d March 2003 79 The outed-ring suburbs am home ~o companies lo~king for Class A offl,~ space, ~uch as t~e Intuit, Inc., offices in tim Dallas-ama suimrb of West Piano, Texas. However, government processes that move at one-haif or one- third norr;nal speed are a concern, maintains Robert C. White, St., CEO of Marietta, Georgia, residential developerfouilder Venture Homes, Inc."I think we need change, for example, in the way most re'zoning is done," he says. A fine line divides beneficial process fi:om wasteful bureaucracy' in gaining approvals for inner-suburban projects, points out Russell Lamb, a principal of Allegro Realty Advisors. "For any required step, government representatives may see usefulness where developers see uselessness,~ he notes. "Go__~._v- eminent should always try to reduce impediments---and devel- opers should similarly make allowances for public processes;' Redevelopments and inflll projects generally present fewer regula- tory hurdles, says ]ames ]. Garibaldi, Ir., president and CEO of J'BG Rosenfeld Retail Properties, a Bethesda, Mar) la.nd, company that specializes in retail redevelopment. "I think that, on balance, they are a little easier to work on than some greenfield projects," says Garibaldi. ~Usually, whatever is there, or was there, is old and out- dated, Government and the neighborhood tend to want something new and different. Complex, m~_~._~c.ete..d financial structures are common in, and often essential to, making first-tier suburban redevelopment projects viable. "There's no template for making [the deal] happen;' says Burkholder."_Fa_ch one is different from all others;' And private partic- ipants would do well to recognize that public oflflcials face different business considerations than do developers. "The~ too, have their equations that determine if a project makes economic sense; says Max Friedman, a parmer in the New York law firm of pillsbury Winthrop LIP, who specializes ia real estate and redevelopment. "But they're not the same equations as on the private side." Fur~er complicating; financial arrangements is the need for diverse private players to think beyond their more conventional central city and outer suburban projects. For ~ample, retailers may have to rework their prototypes, Garibaldi explains, perhaps ac- cepting a lower parking ratio, or going to a multistory format or a smaller concept if space is constrained, The demographics o f inner- suburban markets often do not fit the traditional retail customer models, but that does not necessarily mean that they lack dour, points out retail specialist Maranda Walker, in CB Richard Ellis's Atlanta office. ~Their diversity can be a strength; ~ One thing officials and staffs of inner-suburban jurisdictions hope is understood by afl private sector participants in redevelop- ment and infill projects is that even a small project involves more than putting_up structures and meerin~ revenue projections."The issues aren't just development and redevelopme.nt, but all of the is- sues around quality of life," says Barnes. "Any project isn't just a matter of a good design for a good project, but a vision for the com- munity as a place in a re,gion." Public officials and staff members have at least as much of an obligation as do private sector players to make redevelopment and .inflll projects work. In many instances, they may face their biggest challenge at the starting gate."This is unfimiliar ~round for subur- ban oflicialg accordin~ to an ar~de in Governingmaga,~e ('After the Mall," October 2002)."Most are t~oo ffrnid~-scale redevelopment... ~and will wait for developers to present their own ~Former Indianapolis mayor W'dliam H. Hudnut Iff, senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute, believes public officials' inaction stems less often fi:om timidity than from discouragement. "Some o~'~them have only seen development moving out;' he says. Hudnut, author of ULI'S upcoming book Halfway to Everywhere: A Portrait of Arnerica's ~'rst-Tier Suburbs, recalls a meeting severalyears ago with the mayor of a first-tier suburb. ~He gestured with a wave to the town's main street outside his window and said, 'The state can't afford to repave our main street, but they can find $500 mil- lion to build an interstate exit 15 miles farther out.', Inner-suburban officials should be aggressive in responding to such inatte ~on, Hrabe says. With__mmost growth moving outward, and state and federal assistance progra~_ aim~efly at central ciries, the first~rier suburbs are at a disadvantage, he says.'But th______ey need to ask, what are the opportunities? Old housing stock that's often superb, old downtowns that are attractive--it comes down to ea.c~ community and its unique strengths." To~g~Zab private sector attention, those strengths might be expressed'as part of a business planm 'getting business by being more businesslike;' Hr-abe says. Governments also would do well to seek a broader range of proj- ects than ~big-flx" megaprojects, such as b. aflparks and festival mar- ketplaces, according to Kennedy Smith, director of the National Main Street Center of the Washington, D.C.-based National Trust for Historic Preservation. Existing shops and current residents often are better served by incremen~6p-'rh'-e~T,',, she contends, such as the progressively more ambiti~ projects that have revived Blue Island, Illln~is_,, a ciq ..sg-m suburb of Chicago. A critical aspect of public officials becoming more businesslike is thei~ recognition of the financial realities of most inner-suburban redevelopment projects. Two realiti.._.~es that often play.a role in de- terrgining if projects come to fi:uition are whether the public partic- ipates in the financing and acceptance of risk, and whether there is a possibility for a higher-than-average, [ong-te~'m ret't~/n'~'o--~private investors. Tax increment financing and oth~"-"'er public funding can help level the playing field between first- tier and greenfield development, says Hrabe.'Some suburbs are too proud: they say only [central cities accept public funding] because they're dilapidated. But without in- centives, the developers will usual- ly ha_..~ to go els~?here.~Absence of incentives may not always send de- velopers elsewhere, points out Garczymki, but usually it will mean that a residential project will consist only of higher-priced homes. Financial participation by the pub- lic sector is not n~_~,'ily required, he says. Instead, publi..c officials can allo~-higher density for a devel- op'~'~nt or can echexp_e~_'.!.~rocessing "so there's not~ rezon- ing before a builder scratches dirt," Some publi~ Offlclak se~n not to und~d..~.~ between invest- and re__re_...~turn.~The public and their representatives need to better un- demand that while these projects can provide a healthy return over time, that's not unfair given the lev- el of risk going in; notes Friedman. There are "~c ex~e~a- lions of what the public side thinks the private side should invest? laments real estate finance and development attorney Jay I. Levin, also a partner in the Atlanta firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy."It's easy to spend other people's money.~ At the same time, '! Garibaldi says he wishes that public oiticia!.~ and the citizem they rep- i resent had a greater appreciation of what developers cannot do. For !example, 'We don't have access to unlimited project funds, and we !:,don't have every national retailer in line for these projects from whom Iihey can pick and choose? he notes. Opposition to change in the status quo is a common hurdle for developer~."We tend to have lots of people in first-tier suburbs who are long-term es'l~'~dents who understandably wish to have what used to be," says Burkholder. Bur"what used to be" can stand in the way of what is best for today, he says. ~Some people will say they want a guarantee df keeping existing zoning, with rain/mum lots of 8,000 square feet," explains Burkholder. Opposition to high density, he notes, is one of the biggest challenges---an o~-imon that prevails among public and private sector players alike./oseph Lengeling, a principal of Magnus.son Architec- ture and Planning in New York City, urges public officials and private interests to preach density's benefits. ~It brings better services, more socially-lng, and better bottles of wine; he points out. Nonethe- less, "two things Americans most hate are sprawl and .density--we find it to be true all the time," Garczynski says. "Some officials and county smfl-~ do lots of preach- ing about smart growth, and then resist density. They use the term 'smart growth' on their own terms, and man~ of thdr constituents do, tool' he adds. ~All the talk about smart growth is left at the door when neighbors pack the room for a. rezoning hearing,' concurs Westmordand. That means officials who stand u?~for their principles can ~ a decisive .difference when they demonstrate the "?olijcal will to fa~--the inevitable controversy;' says Urange Count, Calilbmia, land use attorney 'I~un Paone, with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Garczynski re- lates that for one inflll project,"we had make-or-break support from the countT supervisor who represents that area. She went into the surrounding neighborhoods and personally sold the idea." Today, "where we had seven homes, four of them abandoned, we now have nearly 200 townhomes priced quite affordably for that community: That outcome, Garczynski says, is for him an ultimate goal of re&vel- opment and inflll in fu'st-tier suburbs. Such fu-st-tier suburban development is possible if private sector player.~s join with their public sector cgunterparts"in true partner- ship.., with an absolute feeling of mutual trust," says Burkholder. Such relationships, Hudnut contends, may' characterize the way development will be conducted in the new century to accommodate growth. "I believe we may be moving from an old paradigm [of greenfield development] to a new paradigm of restorative devel- opment? he says. "We need it." · DAVID ST. AI/TI:ER IS A RED LODGE, MONTANA-BASED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS ..' Urban Land March 2003 81 · The Twin Lakes Redevelopment Project: A Case Study in Residential Brownfield Redevelopment by Jill Mazullo The Twin Lakes redevelopment area, a large, Inner-ring suburban brownfleld reuse project located in RosL~ille, Minnesota. Considering that the real estate mantra is "location, location, location," it is not surprising that residential brownfield redevelopment is a hard sell. Brownfields~abandoned or underutilized industrial sites~generally have a reputation as undesirable loca- tions for housing because of fears about pollution and contamination. The assumption is that brownfleld sites are more appropriate for commercial and industrial uses than residential uses because remediating the soil to residen- tial standards can be prohibitively expensive. City councils are loath to commit funds to a speculative residen- tial brownfield project. Similarly, devel- opers like to know the market is behind them and thus prefer to undertake resi- dential development on cleaner pastures rather than tackle the complexities of brownfield reuse. Turning a former industrial park into a residential development raises many questions for cities and developers: How contaminated is the soil? How clean would the site have to be to meet federal and state standards? What would such a cleanup cost? Would anyone want to live on the site of a former brownfield? Why not build on a green- field site on the urban fringe where contamination is less likely? Although a degree of uncertainty is inherent in resi- dential brownfield redevelopment, many of these questions have become easier to answer during the last decade due to innovations such as risk-based corrective action, new contamination treatment technologies, an array of federal and state brownfield funding programs, and the evolving smart growth movement. These innovations, in turn, have led to an increasing number of brownfields being redevel- oped as housing. Community and economic develop- ment staff at the City of Roseville, an inner-ring suburb of the Twin Cities, are currently redeveloping a collection of abandoned and polluted truck terminals and other former industrial sites known as TWin Lakes. The 170-acre Twin Lakes site will be redeveloped as a mixed-use busi- ness park and ~residential area and could include as many as 700 units of housing when completed. In many ways, the rede- velopment of Twin Lakes is a microcosm of the changing development patterns for inner-ring suburban brownfields. SPRING 2003 9 The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and the Humphrey Insti- tute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota have complemented Roseville's efforts to redevelop Twin Lakes. Through CURA's Local Govern- ment Planning Internship Program, the city's Community Development Depart- ment hired a series of four graduate assistants (including myself) between 1999 and 2002 to assist with the Twin Lakes planning process. Roseville also worked with 13 graduate students enrolled in a Humphrey Institute plan- ning capstone class in 2001 to study the city's development plan for Twin Lakes and identify alternatives for how the area might be redeveloped. In a previous article published in the October 2001 CURA Reporter, Jeffrey L. Miller, a CURA planning intern at Roseville from 1999 to 2000, used the example of Roseville's Twin Lakes rede- velopment effort to highlight the obsta- cles to and opportunities for inner-ring suburban brownfield redevelopment projects. Miller's article focused prima- rily on commercial-industrial reuses at Twin Lakes because that was the city's plan for this site at the time. In recent years, market forces have changed the focus for redevelopment on some parcels at Twin Lakes to residential reuses. Based on my experiences as an intern with the City of Roseville during 2000-2001, this report uses the Twin Lakes project as a case study of the chal- lenges of residential brownfield redevel- opment and offers several policy prescriptions for encouraging such proi- ects in other suburban communities. Residential Redevelopment at Twin Lakes: A Case Study The Twin Lakes site is located just north of Rosedale Mall and is bounded by County Road C to the south, Cleveland Avenue to the west, and Shelling Avenue to the east. The site encircles the southern end of Langton Lake. The 170 acres of land on the Twin Lakes site are largely occupied by trucking terminals, remnants of a declining industry. In the 1950s, Twin Lakes sat on the outskirts of the Twin Cities metropolitan region, making it an ideal location for trucking terminals. Today, the site is surrounded by residential and commercial develop- ment and, consequently, is seriously underutilized. With its easy access to Interstate 35W and proximity tO both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, Twin Lakes is prime real estate that 10 CURA REPORTER would have been redeveloped years ago were it not sullied by pollutants-- mostly petroleum and solvents used to clean engines--from decades of use by trucking companies. Like many sub- urban brownfield sites, Twin Lakes is only mildly polluted, but this has nonetheless slowed and complicated the redevelopment process. Although fear of uncovering poilu- tion has stymied many redevelopment projects, Roseville has taken advantage of a progressive state-level Pollution Control Agency, pilot grants from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a regional housing shortage, and a boom economy in the 1990s to plan, clean up, and begin rede- velopment of the area. Other built-out, cash-strapped, inner-ring suburbs may find lessons in Roseville's approach. Planning for Redevelopment. The Twin Lakes redevelopment proiect has benefited from a long-term vision for the area. In 1988, the City of Roseville designated the original 273-acre Twin Lakes site as a tax increment financing (TIF) district, which allows anticipated tax revenues on a property to be used to develop it and the debt to be paid off using the captured tax base for a speci- fied time. City planners also developed a Twin Lakes Land Use Guide Plan to direct redevelopment efforts at Twin Lakes. Because the purpose of the rede- velopment project was to invigorate the city's tax base and provide a better mix of living-wage jobs, the original land- use plan included a mix of retail, office, and business uses. More than 100 acres on the site were developed in accor- dance with the initial land.use plan during the 1990s. In 2001, Roseville completed a Twin Lakes Renewal Strategy to consolidate various land-use plans for the remaining 170 undeveloped acres in Twin Lakes. As part of this strategy, the city provided opportunities for public comment and conducted an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (a midsized environ- mental investigation report). Although the original intention was for Twin Lakes to be developed entirely as commercial-industrial uses, public comment from residents and develop- ment corporations suggested that resi- dential uses might also be integrated into the redevelopment plan. Because of the strong residential character of the land to the north of Twin Lakes and the high amenity value of the site, planning students in the Humphrey Institute cap- stone seminar also suggested mixed-use development that incorporated more housing, particularly around the Langton Lake area. This public input helped to shape the discussion about the next phase of redevelopment at Twin Lakes, and Roseville planners decided to alter the land-use plans to incorporate residential uses along Langton Lake. The land-use plan for Twin Lakes that has been approved by the Roseville city council outlines a mixed-use, livable community that includes office, service, retail, and high-tech flex work spaces, as well as 500-700 units of new housing varying in density from 10 to 24 units per acre. The plans include two neighborhood centers, a workplace village, and a health and hospitality district where Roseville hopes to attract a medical office facility. In addition to a fine-grained street pattern designed to encourage greater integration of the mix of uses designated for the area, the plan also includes construction of Twin Lakes Parkway, which will connect the existing Terrace Drive to the Interstate 35W ramp at Cleveland Avenue. Although the redevelopment of Twin Lakes is gaining momentum, there is still much work to be done. The master plan indicates the proposed future uses for each parcel in the area. One of the next steps is for the City of Roseville to encourage acquisition of sites by developers, or even to purchase sites itself (although properties in the area have been selling at somewhat inflated prices). Roseville could exercise its power of eminent domain to acquire properties, but the City currently does not intend to become a prime land- holder in TWin Lakes. Funding Brownfield Redevelop- ment. The City of Roseville has received three grants from the EPA totaling $850,000 for use in Twin Lakes. The first was a pilot grant for property assess- ment and community outreach focusing on the future site of the Twin Lakes Parkway. The second was a brown field cleanup revolving fund loan that can be used to pay for contamination remedia- tion in the Twin Lakes area. The third grant was to conduct an areawide groundwater study of Twin Lakes. Other funding sources included $75,000 from the Metropolitan Council for site plan- ning, financial projections, and market studies. The City established a Twin Lakes tax increment financing district in 1988 that will expire in 2014. During the first wave of redevelopment in Twin Lakes in 1994, TIF was heavily tapped to pay for the cleanup of the Arthur Street landfill, · which was discovered when Ryan Companies redeveloped several sites as high-tech office space. However, TIF's power as a financing tool for Twin Lakes is steadily waning. At this point, there will not be enough time between groundbreaking on a potential TIF project and the expiration of the TIF district in 2014 to collect the increment necessary to fill the funding gaps in the project. In January 2003, Roseville applied for a special legislative remedy to allow for creation of new tax incre- ment urban redevelopment districts and to authorize limited spending of incre- ment from each district within the redevelopment area, because some development projects have a larger gap than others. Residential Redevelo[ament at Twin £akes. Today Twin Lakes is poised for redevelopment. A number of developers have expressed interest in the area, including Roseville Properties Manage- ment Company, which recently submitted a proposal to the City of Roseville for a mixed-use development that includes 450,000 square feet of retail and office space and 500 market- rate housing units on two former trucking terminals. Although the market for office space has weakened since Roseville began its planning process, the housing market has grown stronger. At this point, it appears that the less tradi- tional brownfield reuse--residential redevelopment--is likely to occur at Twin Lakes before the more typical reuses as commercial or industrial space. In choosing to pursue residential redevelopment at Twin Lakes, Roseville has had to overcome a number of obsta- cles that are likely to confront any city that undertakes residential brownfield reuse projects. Several of these obsta- cles-and the strategies and tools Roseville used to overcome them--are discussed below. The assumption that brownfields should be reused only as industrial sites 9aLl2a~[II~. Because most brown- fields once hosted an industrial use, people may come to think of the site as having only an industrial future. But risk-based corrective action (RBCA, or "Rebecca"), a policy that many states including Minnesota have adopted, makes it possible to clean up a site to a required level based upon the intended reuse of the land (industrial, office, or residential). Depending on the land use intended, specified levels of contamina- tion are allowable in soil and ground- water; levels found to exceed those standards must be remediated to meet the standard. Industrial, commercial, and office end uses are treated much less strin- gently than housing. Because most of the land around nonresidential build- ings is typically covered with pavement, which provides a barrier to the contami- nation, and because workers largely remain inside the buildings and do not spend much time recreating on exposed soil as they might at home, far lower levels of remediation are required. Future housing sites require the highest level of cleanup due to the exposure The original land. use plans for Twin Lakes have been altered to Include housing along scenic Langton Lake. This use Is more consistent with the residential character of the land north of the redevelopment site and provides Roseville citizens with access to one of the city's natural amenities. SPRING 2003 11 levels long-term residents might be subjected to (potentially 72 years, 12 hours per day), as well as concerns that children could accidentally ingest polluted soil or other contaminants, Because the degree of remediation required is determined by the future land use, master-planning of a redevel- opment site is crucial to making the right economic decisions along the way, It would be prohibitively expensive (as well as unnecessary) to clean up all of Twin Lakes to residential standards, for example, because residential remediao tion standards are the most stringent and therefore the most difficult and expensive to meet, By remediating the nonresidential sites to commercial/industrial standards, the costs of remediation when distributed across the entire redevelopment area can be quite reasonable. In the case of Twin Lakes, careful planning for future uses kept the average cost for remediao tion across the entire site to between $0.80 and $1.20 per square foot. The fear of unknown contamina- tion. which can drive away potential developers. According to the EPA, brownfields are "abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelop- ment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination" (emphasis added). By including percep- tion in its definition, the EPA allows that there might be no actual contami- nation at all on a site generally consid- ered to be a brownfield. Nonetheless, the mere suspicion of contamination might be enough to keep at bay other- wise interested buyers, developers, and municipalities who fear liability for future cleanup costs. In short, the perception of contamination--whether justified or not--can result in market behavior just as destructive as that engendered by actual contamination of the soil Because the issue of perceived contamination can play as much of a role in redevelopment as real contami- nation, redevelopment often must be planned with contamination as a looming unknown. Knowing the former land uses on the site, the city or other redevelopment entity must assume there is contamination present and proceed by undertaldng an environ- mental assessment of the site. With the help of an £PA pilot grant, Roseville has done just that. A good portion of the funding from EPA has been earmarked for extraction of soil borings and lab testing of soil samples from Twin Lakes. Some of those samples have indicated that contamination is present in the soil, but thus far the levels have been low enough not to require remediation. Because more serious contamination may nonetheless be present on areas of the site that have not yet been tested, the city has a brownfleld revolving loan fund to offer to interested developers or land owners to help defray the costs of any cleanup required. The EPA pilot grant also paid for extensive community outreach, which The us~ of petroleum products and engine-cleunlng solvents mildly contaminated the soil around the trucking terminals that formerly occupied the Twin Lakes redevelopment site. By cleaning up nonresidential redevelopment sites to commercial~industrial standards, the City of Raseville has kept remedlation costs for the project as a whole quite reasonable. 12 CURA REPORTER allowed City of Roseville staff to educate the community about brownfield rede- · velopment and elicit comments from local business owners, residents, elected officials, and state and local agency representatives regarding what uses they wanted to see developed on the site. In spite of contamination concerns, housing consistently emerged as a strong component of the redevelop- ment proiect during all of these discus- sions. In the year and a half since the city council approved the Twin Lakes master plan, market demand for housing has actually resulted in more housing being added to the area around Langton Lake than was originally planned. The risk that the city will be held liable for any contamination found. The Superfund approach of the 1980s and 1990s was an attempt to punish polluting landowners and make them pay for cleanup of degraded land in their charge. Today, EPA is taking a different tack. The agency has devel- oped a competitive process for Brown- field Demonstration Assessment Pilot Grants of $150,000 to $200,000 to investigate contamination and draft cleanup plans. This approach is more appropriate for smaller brownfield sites than for Superfund-level cleanups, but the key factor is that the focus is on remediation rather than punishment. Roseville received a $200,000 demon- stration grant, which was instrumental in supporting the redevelopment process at Twin Lakes. In the state of Minnesota, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) runs the Voluntary Investiga- tion and Cleanup program, which allows properties to register with the MPCA and receive letters indicating "no further action needed" once cleanup has been completed on a site, or "no association" (with contamination), which retroactively removes liability from the current property owner. A number of property owners in Twin Lakes have worked with MPCA and have received such letters. Given the voluntary nature of the program, the focus has clearly shifted away from punishment, which only succeeded in idling facilities and driving property owners into obscurity. The focus on redevelopment strategies instead allows cleanup funds to go to proactive prop- erty owners, who have access to more funding sources once MPCA removes from them any legal responsibility or liability for cleanup. Today there is even contamination insurance available for purchase from select insurance firms. The insurance policy gives a city or other developer the ability to proceed on a site where the extent of contamination is uncer- tain and where ballooning remediation costs might otherwise sink the entire project. Roseville staff learned about the opportunity to buy such insurance, but will not consider purchasing it unless the City becomes a prime landowner itself at some point in the future. The assumption that it is easier to develop ~eenfield sites on the urban fringe than deal with the complexities of brown field redevelopment. During the last decade, the Twin Cities region has earned:the dubious distinction of being one of the nation's most sprawling metropolitan areas. Although development on the urban fringe may appear more attractive than navigating the uncertain terrain of brownfield rede- velopment, the potential infrastructure costs associated with fringe develop- ment counsel against such a short- sighted view. A mixed-use development like Twin Lakes will make better use of the transportation infrastructure already in place than would any fringe commu- nity, and will provide much-needed housing, a range of skilled labor jobs, and proximity to the economic engine of the Twin Cities. Beyond the addition of Twin Lakes Parkway, no new roads are needed to support Rosevillets business park, yet many multimodal connections are enhanced. The 1-35W ramp at Cleve- land Avenue is being reconfigured for safety and to link to the Twin Lakes Parkway. The express bus or light-rail line slated to run on the Northeast Diag- onal through Ramsey County will have a regional transit stop or hub at Twin Lakes. Another proposed light-rail line from White Bear Lake to Minneapolis would likewise tie in perfectly with the Twin Lakes development. In addition, Roseville is already fully connected to sewer and water service and can readily support the proposed development at Twin Lakes without costly pipe exten- sions or new lines. All of these factors have helped to make Twin Lakes an attractive location for redevelopment. The entire region benefits when new developments can plug into the existing transportation and sewer infrastructure as Twin Lakes does. Roseville will be adding hundreds of new households that will bolster the existing and proposed mass transit systems by . adding many new potential riders to an area within walking distance of key transit stops. Minnesota: The Once and Future Brownfleld Leader? The field of brownfield redevelopment, particularly for residential reuse, is at a crossroads. For an industry where so little was known or understood that an esoteric vocabulary had to be developed to even begin to discuss it, we have come a long way in 10 years. Public offi- cials, bankers, economic development spedalists, and real estate developers have adapted to the challenges of brownfield redevelopment, and the human capital exists to proceed confi- dently with the successful redevelop- ment of formerly contaminated sites. At EPA's national brownfields confer- ence in 2000, brown fields expert Charles Bartsch publicly touted Minnesota as one of the most progres- sive states in the nation for brownfield redevelopment. Unfortunately, state commitments to brownfield redevelop- ment began retrenching even before the economy soured following 9/11. The Minnesota State Legislature's property tax reforms in 2001 jeopardized financing options for brownfleld rede- velopments in many Minnesota munici- palities. Economic development experts were dismayed at the limits placed on tax increment financing. With munic- ipal debt service now a top priority over new spending, tax increment districts are no longer a viable way to finance the revitalization of most brownfield sites. Likewise, the Minnesota Depart- ment of Trade and Economic Develop- ment's Redevelopment Account grant, one of Minnesota's largest brownfield redevelopment funding programs, was repealed during the 2002 legislative session. The demise of this program is a real blow to smaller municipalities that had intended to commence remediation efforts on local sites but cannot afford to do so without such assistance. Based on Roseville's experience with the Twin Lakes redevelopment project, it is possible to identify several policy changes that would assist inner-ring suburbs with their efforts to redevelop brownfields and encourage the metro- politan region to seek the highest and best uses of its land. 1. Allow new 2S-year redevelopment TIF districts to be created. Considering how few state funding sources remain for brownfield rede- SPRING 2003 13 A regional brownfleld redevelopment stt~ure modeled on the fiscal disparities act would allow suburban communities to more equitably share the economic burden of brownfield redevelopment. velopment, TIF is a critical brown- field tool. TIF needs to be adequately flexible to allow for pooled districts and permit cities to close and start new districts when necessarg. Without TIF laws that work for inner-ring suburban communities, new redevelopment proiects will continue to leapfrog to the develop- ing outer-ring suburbs. 2. Recognize roads as economic devel- opment tools. Brownfield redevelop- ments generate new iobs for the region, but often require new roads to break up and provide access to the large parcels characteristic of former industrial sites. Ideally county and state aid would provide transporta- tion finance assistance for the con- struction of such roads when a city can show the site will provide new lobs. When cities have to foot the bill for new roads on their own, the rede- velopment process is further slowed. 3. Create a regional brown field redevel- opment authority for inner-ring sub- urban cities. Such an agency would be a regional entity for a regional problem. Today, an individual sub- urb is expected to bear all of the costs of a brownfield redevelopment project, even though other munici- palities will reap some of the bene- fits of that redevelopment. No one city by itself can adequately foot the bill for brownfield cleanup and rede- velopment, but together cities can share the costs. One way to fund a regional agency would be to create a structure modeled on the Charles R. Weaver Revenue Distribution Act (commonly known as the fiscal dis- parities act), in which a select group of inner-ring suburbs would con- tribute a portion of their commercial and industrial tax revenues to a regionwide contamination fund that would then be redistributed among brownfield redevelopment projects in the participating suburbs. Suburban brownfield redevelopment projects need the support of local elected officials in order to succeed. City-led redevelopment projects tan span decades and require city coun- cil support over the long haul, from planning to groundbreaking. Leadership shown by elected officials encourages the public to become more actively involved in the plan- ning process, leading to better out- comes. Given that the makeup of suburban city councils will undoubt- edly change over l~he course of a large-scale redevelopment project, general council support for the proj- ect allows city staff to maintain momentum. Smart growth activists would be wise to support brownfield redevelop- ment efforts. Redeveloping poten- tially contaminated sites within the seven-county metro area advances the goals of smart growth advo- cates--less sprawl; more compact developments; better use of existing roads, mass transit, and sewers; a jobs-housing balance where workers can afford housing near their jobs; a cleaner environment; and less dependence on the automobile. Smart growth and brownfield advo- cates will find that their end goals are quite similar If they can join together in coalitions, they will be able to consolidate their resources and lobby more effectively for per- manent brownfield funding sources that contribute to smart growth efforts. Jill Mazullo is an associate with the research and geographic information systems firm of Ameregis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time the research for this article was initiated, she was employed as a graduate student intern by the City of Roseville through CURA's Local Government Planning Internship Program. 14 CURA REPORTER