02-852r
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26
HRA RESOLUTION NO. 852
RESOLUTION APPROVING MODIFICATIONS
TO THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE
RICHFIELD REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA
AND REQUESTING THE CITY TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS
AND APPROVE THE SAME FOLLOWING HEARING
WHEREAS, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority in and for the City of
Richfield (the "Authority") did on or about June, 1993 originally adopt the
Redevelopment Plan for the Richfield Project Area, pursuant to the provisions of
Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.001 to 469.047 (the "HRA Act"), and has
subsequently modified the same thereafter; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the HRA Act the Authority proposes to modify the
Redevelopment Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Authority has caused to be prepared a modification to the
Redevelopment Plan, and has requested the written opinion of the Planning
Commission of the City, and has requested that the City Council hold a public hearing
on the proposed modification, all in accordance with the HRA Act; and
WHEREAS, the Authority has received a comprehensive evaluation of a portion
of the Richfield Project Area comprising the proposed City Bella Tax Increment District
for the purpose of determining whether that portion satisfies the statutory standards for
blight, a summary of that evaluation is contained as Exhibit A to this resolution; and
WHEREAS, the Authority did on May 20, 2002 hold its hearing on the adoption of
the modifications to the Redevelopment Plan.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Housing and Redevelopment
Authority in and for the City of Richfield, Minnesota as follows:
I. The Authority makes the following findings:
1.
the land in the project area would not be made available for
redevelopment without the financial aid to be sought;
the modifications to the redevelopment plan for the redevelopment
areas in the locality will afford maximum opportunity, consistent
with the needs of the locality as a whole, for the redevelopment of
the areas by private enterprise; and
the redevelopment plan conforms to a.general plan for the
development of the locality as a whole; and
based on the information contained in Exhibit A and information
presented at the hearing and otherwise known to the
commissioners, the portion of the Project Area comprising the
proposed City Bella Tax Increment Financing District is blighted
2.
3.
4.
within the meaning of Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.002 and
469.028.
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II.
The Authority hereby approves the proposed modifications to the
Redevelopment Plan, and makes all of the findings stated therein.
The Authority requests that the City Council consider and approve the
modifications to the Redevelopment Plan.
III.
Approved by the Housing and Redevelopment thority in and for the City of
Richfield, Minnesota this 20th day of May, 2002.
Thomas!.,_ Harms, Chair
ATTEST:
-"~"'''-''
Michael sandaL/
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EXHIBIT A-1
Report on Blight Assessment
City Bella Planning Area
Prepared by: Michael A. Wozniak, AICP - SEH Project Manager/Senior Planner - May 14, 2002
The City Bella Planning Area is comprised of seven properties bounded by Lyndale Avenue, 66th Street
and Lake Shore Drive. This report examines whether the City Bella Planning Area meets the following
definition for "Blighted Area" according to Chapter 469 of Minnesota Statutes:
"Blighted area (contains) buildings or improvements which by reason of dilapidation, obsolescence,
overcrowding, faulty arrangement or design, lack of ventilation, light, and sanitary facilities, excessive
land coverage, deleterious land use, or obsolete layout, or any combination of these or other factors, are
detrimental to the safety, health, morals, or welfare of the community."
TABLE A.
PID#'s, owner's names and site addresses of the City Bella Planning Area Properties
City Bella Site PIO #'s Owner Site Address
2702824320115 S&M Company 6620 Lyndale Avenue S
2702824320005 Sharon Trestman 6630 Lyndale Avenue S
2702824320006 Triple S Investments 6700 Lyndale Avenue S
2702824320117 Richfield HRA 709 Graham Avenue
2802824410017 Richfield HRA 6639 Lake Shore Drive
2802824410015 DW Lynch ET AL 6617 Lake Shore Drive
2802824410016 Lake Shore Condo 6633 Lake Shore Drive
Association
The above referenced properties have also been reviewed by SEH to determine if building(s) situated on
four parcels within the study area are structurally substandard under tax increment law (Minnesota
Statutes, Section 469.174, Subd. 10). Assessment for structural substandard conditions has resulted in
findings that buildings situated at 6620, 6630 and 6700 Lyndale Avenue Sand 6617 Lake Shore Drive
meet the statutory definition. The presence of these structural substandard conditions on all four buildings
located within the planning area provide in conjunction with conditions of "blight" described below, a
strong basis for finding that the City Bella Planning Area conforms to the statutory definition for a "blighted
area".
SEH Project Staff have ranked the presence of the various criteria that are included under the definition of
blight (see Table B) for each of the properties within the City Bella Planning Area. Judgements have
been made by the project consultant as to whether "strong", "moderate", or "slight or no" evidence of each
criteria are present on the subject properties.
The context for this evaluation also acknowledges that the City went through a downtown planning
process that in 1999 yielded the "Lakes of Lyndale" Master Plan as a guide for downtown development
planning that has been incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan.
Narrative Analysis of Conditions of Blight for Individual City Bella Planning Area Properties:
6620 Lyndale Avenue S:
Current Use: This property includes the former Lyndale Hardware building (currently vacant) and
associated parking.
Zonina: C-2 (General Commercial)
Comprehensive Plan: Community Commercial
EXHIBIT A-2
Presence of Bliqht:
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Several of the criteria identified in the statutory definition for "blighted area" are evident on this property.
These include dilapidation, obsolescence, faulty arrangement or design, excessive land coverage, and
obsolete layout.
The location of the entrance to the building and adjacent parking are turned away from the intersection.
The doorway placement to the northwest and south causes dysfunctional retailing. In the early 1980's this
parking and entrance configuration was implemented to retain the business and building. The
improvements did not overcome the dysfunction.
Both the exterior and interior of the building on this property reflect conditions in need of renovation and
repair. Exterior problems or issues include poor roof drainage and need for repair or replacement of
exterior materials (Le. wood siding/fencing).
Interior issues more obviously reflect dilapidation, obsolescence and faulty arrangement or design as a
retailing building. Issues include the peculiar configuration of interior space including various mezzanine
level spaces and second floor office spaces. Over time the building has been divided up in an unusual
manner to satisfy various tenants resulting in a hodge-podge assortment of office, showroom and storage
spaces that would be difficult to renovate for contemporary business uses. The general condition of
interior spaces suggests that extensive renovation would be necessary to make interior spaces habitable
and desirable for new business uses.
6630 Lyndale Avenue 5:
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Current Use: This property includes a building that houses Trestman Music and New Millennium Comic
Books.
Zoninq: C-2 (General Commercial)
Comprehensive Plan: Community Commercial
Presence of Bliqht:
Several of the criteria identified in the statutory definition for "blighted area" are evident on this property.
These include dilapidation, obsolescence, faulty arrangement or design, excessive land coverage, and
obsolete layout.
The most obvious criteria resulting in conditions of blight related to this property relates to site parking
and access/egress issues. This triangular shapea property is bordered by poorly defined pUblic right-of-
way on its north and south sides. Currently site parking for Trestman Music and New Millennium Comic
Books occurs along the sides of the building encroaching into the respective public right-of-ways. In
addition diagonal site parking is present in front of the building abutting the Lyndale Avenue right-of-way.
The diagonal parking does not work as designed to provide both a pedestrian pathway and a parking
area. The attempt in the early 1980's, to retool businesses and buildings with improved sidewalks did not
overcome the dysfunction. This results in functional, safety and aesthetic problems. This parking
arrangement allows vehicles to overhang onto a narrow sidewalk, leaves virtually no room for snow
storage and makes for awkward turning movement for larger passenger vehicles. The poorly defined
parking and pedestrian walks serving the site reflect blight in respect to appearance, safety and
functioning of site for vehicular and pedestrian movement. These parking and pedestrian walk
deficiencies reflect "faulty arrangement or design" and "obsolete layout" criteria in the statutory definition
for "blighted areas".
Another issue of concern regarding future use and redevelopment potential for this property relates to the
presence of a skewed intersection at both Circle Place and Graham Avenue. A major site access point is
provided at a signalized intersection that aligns with a segment of 6ih Street situated east of Lyndale.
The public right-of-way Graham Avenue that provides access for 6630 Lyndale and 6700 Lyndale is
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EXHIBIT A-3
skewed creating a somewhat awkward int~rsection. Removal of the building situated at 6700 Lyndale
would be required to align the intersectiorHo create a more functionally efficient alignment that would
facilitate safer turning movements. Circle Place, a skewed connection north of the building is not
signalized and leads into the dysfunctional parking spaces near the building.
6700 Lyndale Avenue S:
Current Use: This property includes a building that houses Checker Auto Parts and a Cellular/PCS Phone
Shop.
ZoninQ: C-1 (General Commercial)
Comprehensive Plan: Community Commercial
Presence of BliQht:
Several of the criteria identified in the statutory definition for "blighted area" are evident on this property.
These include dilapidation, obsolescence, faulty arrangement or design, excessive land coverage, and
obsolete layout.
The most obvious criteria resulting in conditions of blight related to this property relates to site parking
and access/egress issues. This property is bordered by poorly defined public right-of-way on its north
and east sides. Currently site parking for Checker Auto occurs along the sides of the building
encroaching into the respective public right-of-ways. In addition diagonal site parking is present in front of
the building abutting the Lyndale Avenue right-of-way. The diagonal parking results in functional, safety
and aesthetic problems. Again, the attempt in the 1980's to retain existing businesses and the building
and improve the pedestrian pathways and parking patterns did not overcome the dysfunction. This
parking arrangement allows vehicles to overhang onto a narrow sidewalk, leaves virtually no room for
snow storage and makes for awkward turning movement for larger passenger vehicles. The poorly
defined parking and pedestrian walks serving the site reflect blight in respect to appearance, safety and
functioning of site for vehicular and pedestrian movement. These parking and pedestrian walk
deficiencies reflect "faulty arrangement or design" and "obsolete layout" criteria in the statutory definition
for "blighted areas".
Another issue of concern regarding future use and redevelopment potential for this property relates to the
presence of a skewed intersection. A major site access point is provided at a signalized intersection that
aligns with a segment of 6ih Street situated east of Lyndale. The public right-of-way Graham Avenue
that provides access for 6630 Lyndale and 6700 Lyndale is skewed creating a somewhat awkward
intersection. Removal of the building situated at 6700 Lyndale would be required to align the intersection
and to create a more functionally efficient alignment that would facilitate safer turning movements. This
intersection in the context of blight assessment reflects "faulty arrangement or design" and obsolete
layout.
709 Graham Avenue:
Current Use: This property includes a parking lot that serves the Grammercy Park Cooperative Housing
Project.
ZoninQ: R (Single Family Residential)
Comprehensive Plan: Community Commercial
Presence of BliQht:
This property would generally not represent a blighting influence on the study area or surrounding
neighborhood. Excess black dirt has been stockpile on a portion of the site and the stockpiled material is
somewhat overgrown with weeds. These are temporary conditions and are anticipated to be remedied
upon completion of the parking lot construction.
EXHIBIT A-4
6617 lake Shore Drive:
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Current Use: This property is occupied by a single family home.
Zoninq: R (Single Family Residential)
Comprehensive Plan: Multi Residential - High Density
Presence of Bliqht: The current use of this property as a single family home is inconsistent with abutting
high-density residential development. The convoluted vehicular access to the property by means of an
alley that extends from Graham Avenue (the parking area behind the Grammercy Park Cooperative
Housing Development meets the blight criteria of "faulty arrangement or design" and/or "obsolete layout".
The exterior of the 1950 Cape Code Style Home reflects a need for normal ongoing maintenance
however; no major structural or aesthetic problems with the home are obvious as viewed from the
perimeter of the property. A variety of code deficiencies were observed in conjunction with the "structural
substandard" assessment conducted on the property. This property was found to meet the statutory
definition of a "structurally substandard" building.
6633 Lake Shore Drive:
Current Use: This property is currently vacant
Zoninq: R (Single Family Residential)
Comprehensive Plan: Multi Residential - High Density
Presence of Bliqht: This property does not represent a blighting influence on the study area or
neighborhood since it is currently vacant.
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6639 Lake Shore Drive:
Current Use: This property is currently vacant
Zoninq: R (Single Family Residential)
Comprehensive Plan: Multi Residential - High Density
Presence of Bliqht: This property does not represent a blighting influence on the study area or
neighborhood since it is currently vacant.
Summary Findings - City Bella Study Area - Blight Assessment:
Assessment of the City Bella Study Area to evaluate the presence of "blight" as defined under Minnesota
Statutes requires an in-depth examination of each property as detailed above as well as consideration of
the context of the surrounding area. The Lakes at Lyndale Master Plan to redevelop the 66th and Lyndale
Area to create a "Downtown" Richfield and associated redevelopment that has occurred to date is
transforming this area into a high-intensity mixed use district. Extraordinary redevelopment opportunities
with commensurately high redevelopment costs for site preparation and infrastructure needs result
directly from current public policy and community expectations for the area. In this context properties
within the City Bella Planning Area are not consistent with current land use and aesthetic standards for
redevelopment of the area.
Conclusion:
Numerous criteria for blight are evident in varying degrees on several of the parcels of property within the I
City Bella Planning Area. These include dilapidation, obsolescence, faulty arrangement or design,
excessive land coverage, and obsolete layout. Presence of these various blight criteria in addition to
structural substandard conditions identified on all four buildings located within the planning area provide a
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EXHIBIT A-5
strong basis for finding that the City Bella Planning Area conforms to the statutory definition for a "blighted
area",
The most evident criteria included in the statutory definition for "blighted area" within the City Bella
Planning Area are faulty arrangement or design and obsolete layout. Inadequate parking and awkward or
unsafe access driveways represent the most obvious blighting influence within the City Bella Planning
Area. Outdated interior and exterior conditions of site structures combined with legitimate health and
safety issues and code deficiencies resulting in a finding of structural substandard conditions for several
buildings strengthen the case for the finding that the City Bella Planning Area conforms to the statutory
definition for a "blighted area",
EXHIBIT A-6
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