White Bear Lake - General Topics

[mulad]

The former Johnson Boat Works site in White Bear Lake is being redeveloped into an 85-unit apartment building plus a restaurant and some retail space. It just received a $396,000 Livable Communities grant from the Metropolitan Council.

There's also a page at the White Bear Lake city website for the project.

[twincitizen]

There's also some major dramz over parking, naturally

Council members said more time is needed to evaluate parking issues and discuss the concept plan with residents.

"I'm concerned about the parking. I'm not sure in my mind that it's resolved," said Mayor Jo Emerson.

Councilman Dan Jones said he didn't want to increase parking problems in the Marina Triangle district. "My biggest thing is the parking issue. I need about 10 to 15 more (parking spaces) to move on," he said. "If you can park it, you can build it."

The latest Boatworks Commons plan includes a 231-space, two-level parking garage under a three-story, 85-unit apartment building; a stand-alone restaurant, a public square and a public meeting room with bathrooms. The underground parking level would house apartment dweller vehicles and an at-grade level would be open to the public.

Community Development Director Anne Kane said Landers Group and At Home Apartments hired an independent engineering firm to conduct a Marina Triangle parking study with city assistance. The study showed 238 spaces would accommodate peak parking demands in the summer season.

[woofner]

I can sort of see why a suburb that is far from any all-day transit would want more than one parking space per bedroom, although I think that is the wrong side of the chicken-egg question of what produces traffic.

It is beyond me, though, why 50 units/acre would be too dense for a site at the junction of two major highways. If you ever wonder why cities in the US consume such massive quantities of land, consider the fact that this site required a density variance. (The base zoning - for a district specifically developed to create a "Mixed Use Village" - allows 24 units/acre!)

[twincitizen]

I wonder if situations like this could be a way for the Met Council to leverage what little power they do have. The Council is dangling a substantial grant that will help pay for demolition, cleanup and sewer upgrades. The project won't happen without it. Doesn't it stand to reason that they could take a hard line by requiring a certain density? This would effectively prevent the city council from placating those with ridiculous stereotypes about renters (as evidenced in the article I linked above).

You could take this a step further in communities that do have all-day transit service. The Met Council could act to prevent grant-receiving developments from being over-parked, needlessly driving up the cost of rent. This would seem to mesh with the Council's affordable housing requirements.

[twincitizen]

Seeing as how the above project is complete, I'm turning this into a "WBL - General Topics".

http://finance-commerce.com/2015/11/opp ... e-project/

Redevelopment of the former Kmart at 694 & White Bear Avenue is underway, anchor tenants opening in January.