Planning Commission

Planning Commission Agenda Commission Chambers 4243 Remembrance Rd NW Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 6:30 PM 1. Call the meeting to order 2. Review Meeting Minutes There are no meeting minutes to review at this time. 3. General Public Comment 4. Agenda Items 4.1. Master Plan Amendments - West Standale Redevelopment Plan - Work Session 3 5. Adjournment Page 1 of 100 Page 2 of 100 3 – Where are we going? West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  2 Discussion Topics 1) Submitted Vista45 PASP 2) Draft West Standale Master Plan 1) Community Character 2) Road Network Page 3 of 100 3) Development Plan 4) Example Development 5) Zoning Plan 3) Areas of Consistency – Draft Master Plan and PASP 4) Areas in Draft Master Plan but not PASP 5) Areas for Discussion – Draft Master Plan vs PASP West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  3 Page 4 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  4 Page 5 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  5 Page 6 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  6 Development Plan Page 7 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  7 Example Development Page 8 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  8 Zoning Plan Page 9 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  9 Areas of Consistency – Road Network Page 10 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  10 Areas of Consistency – Open Space Preservation Page 11 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  11 Areas of Consistency – Central Recreation Space Page 12 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  12 Areas of Consistency – Commercial Frontage Page 13 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  13 Areas of Consistency – Multi-Family 4-8 DU/Acre Page 14 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  14 Areas of Consistency – Flexible Along LaSalle Page 15 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  15 In MP, not PASP – South of Power Lines Page 16 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  16 In MP, not PASP – Cemetery Land Page 17 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  17 Points for Discussion – Street Design Page 18 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  18 Points for Discussion – Safe Route to Bus Stop Ferndale Station Location Page 19 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  19 Points for Discussion – Safe Route to Bus Stop Ferndale Station Location Page 20 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  20 Points for Discussion – Transit-Oriented Page 21 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024  21 Points for Discussion– Not Transit Oriented Page 22 of 100 West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024 Page 23 of 100 Discussion and Next Steps West Standale Draft Master Plan· City of W alker· April 17, 2024 Page 24 of 100 April 17, 2024 Planning Commission Meeting – Joint Meeting Master Plan Amendments  Agenda • History of the Site • Current Conditions • Planning for the Future Page 25 of 100 • Discussion  History – How We Got Here • 1998 Master Plan “You cannot truly understand • 2007 Sub Area 4-B West where you are going unless you Standale know where you have been.” Page 26 of 100 • 2007 M-11 (Wilson Avenue) Access Management Plan  1998 Master Plan • Land Use Map Page 27 of 100  1998 Master Plan • Land Use Map • Zoom in on West Standale Page 28 of 100 • Shows primarily Vacant Land, with a few Single- Family residential parcels along Lake Michigan Drive.  1998 Master Plan • Future Land Use Map Page 29 of 100  1998 Master Plan • Future Land Use Map • Zoom in on West Standale Page 30 of 100 • Shows Low Density Residential between the powerlines and O’Brien Rd • Shows Medium Density Residential between Lake Michigan Drive and the powerlines • Shows Community Commercial along Wilson Ave and along Lake Michigan Dr  1998 Master Plan – Future Land Use Designations Shows Low Density Residential between the powerlines and O’Brien Rd • Low Density Residential: density up to 4 dwelling units per acre. • List of what makes a neighborhood livable. Page 31 of 100 • Density adequate to make efficient use of infrastructure. • Variety of housing types and prices. • Provisions for meeting spaces, green areas, walking paths. • Streets that allow safe movement within neighborhood. • Preservation of valuable natural resources. • Pedestrian links between features. • Nearby childcare, schools, medical facilities, etc. • Access to transit services. • Sense of safety and security • Driveway access to the major street should be limited by requiring as many lots as possible to have their access on internal streets.  1998 Master Plan – Future Land Use Designations Shows Medium Density Residential between Lake Michigan Drive and the powerlines • Medium Density Residential: density up to 8 dwelling units per acre. Page 32 of 100 • May include single family areas on small lots or lower density multiple family developments such as single story condominiums and apartment projects. • May serve as effective transition points between commercial or industrial land uses and lower density residential areas. • Qualities of a livable neighborhood need to be encouraged here too, in fact, they may take on increased importance as densities increase.  1998 Master Plan – Future Land Use Designations Shows Community Commercial along Wilson and Lake Michigan • Community Commercial represents the most intensive areas of commercial services, offering a wide range of goods and services of varying sizes Page 33 of 100 and markets. • Traffic and relationship to adjacent land uses are the most important considerations. • Limit driveways on busy roads and encourage access from side streets and service drives. • Commercial uses should be buffered from adjacent residential uses. The language in this plan appears to envision suburban strip commercial development for this area.  2006-2007 Sub Area Plans In 2006 and 2007, the City created a series of “Sub Area Plans” which focused on neighborhood-level planning for some of the different areas of Walker. • Sub Area Plan #1-A “Northridge East” Future Land Use Plan Page 34 of 100 • Between Four Mile and Three Mile Roads and Bristol and Fruit Ridge Avenues • Sub Area Plan #2 “Northridge West” Future Land Use Plan • West of Wilson Avenue, north of I-196 in South Walker • Sub Area Plan #3-A South Alpine Future Land Use Plan • Near Three Mile Road, Ann Street, and Alpine Avenue • Sub Area Plan #3-B Bristol East Future Land Use Plan • East of Bristol Avenue to Alpine Avenue  2006-2007 Sub Area Plans, cont. In 2006 and 2007, the City created a series of “Sub Area Plans” which focused on neighborhood-level planning for some of the different areas of Walker. • Sub Area Plan #4-A Standale/Downtown Walker Future Land Use Plan Page 35 of 100 • Along Lake Michigan Drive in Standale, between Wilson and Kinney Avenues • Planned for a more “traditional downtown area” • Sub Area Plan #4-B West Standale Future Land Use Plan • On the south side of Lake Michigan Drive, west of Wilson Avenue and north of O’Brien Road. • Planned for a more “suburban best practices development area”  2007 Sub Area Plan 4B • Sub-Area 4-B focused on the properties bounded by Lake Michigan Drive, Wilson Avenue, O’Brien Page 36 of 100 Road, and the Ottawa County line. • Nineteen properties totaling ~270 acres. • The dominant landowners were Meijer, Inc. and Goodale Enterprises. • Meijer had recently been developed at the southwest corner of Wilson and Lake Michigan, but that was not reflected on the 2003 Land Use Map.  2007 Sub Area Plan 4B 2003 Land Use and Land Cover Map 2007 Zoning Map Page 37 of 100  2007 Sub Area Plan 4B Site Factors and Constraints • Topography and Drainage • Existing Public Utility Page 38 of 100 Infrastructure. • Existing Roadway Network • Oil Wells • Wetlands and Floodplains  2007 Sub Area 4B Future Land Use Plan Key Concepts • Commercial PUD • Office/Non-Retail Service/ High Page 39 of 100 Density Residential (Student/Senior Housing) • High Density Residential – Student/Senior Housing • Medium Density Residential with Clustering Option • Traffic and M-45/M-11 Access Management Planning  2007 Sub Area 4B Future Land Use Plan Commercial PUD (Red) • While suburban in character, future commercial developments should follow best design practices: Page 40 of 100 • Buildings with architectural character, brick, windows, etc. • Landscapes and streetscapes • Service drives for safe access • Interconnected sidewalks • Build-out Analysis: 34 acres x 10% wetlands x 30% building coverage = 405,108 SF of new commercial space.  2007 Sub Area 4B Future Land Use Plan • Office/Non-Retail Service/ High Density Residential (Student/Senior Housing) (Blue + Orange) • While suburban in character, future commercial developments should follow best design practices: • Buildings with architectural character, brick, windows, etc. Page 41 of 100 • Landscapes and streetscapes • Service drives for safe access • Interconnected sidewalks • Access to bus system is key • Build-out Analysis: North of powerlines: ~21 buildable acres x 30% lot coverage = 274,428 SF of new building space. Or ~21 buildable acres x 8 units per acre max = 168 new residential units. Or some mix of both uses, which will lower built-out numbers. • Build-out Analysis: South of powerlines: ~29 buildable acres x 30% lot coverage = 378,972 SF new building space. Or ~21 buildable acres x 8 units per acre max = 232 new residential units. Or some mix.  2007 Sub Area 4B Future Land Use Plan • High Density Residential (Student/Senior Housing) (Orange) • While suburban in character, future residential developments should Page 42 of 100 follow best design practices: • Buildings with architectural character, brick, windows, etc. • Landscapes and streetscapes • Service drives for safe access • Interconnected sidewalks • Access to bus system is key • Build-out Analysis: ~18 buildable acres (after subtracting wetlands) x 8 units per acre max = 144 new residential units.  2007 Sub Area 4B Future Land Use Plan • Medium Density Residential with Clustering Option (Yellow) • While suburban in character, future residential developments should follow Page 43 of 100 best design practices: • Attached or detached buildings with architectural character, that relate to the street, high quality, etc. • Professionally designed streetscapes • Streets and service drives for safe access • Creative clustering of lots to preserve and enhance existing natural features and improve property values. • Build-out Analysis: ~55 buildable acres (after subtracting wetlands) x 4 units per acre max = 222 new residential units.  2007 M-11 Access Management Plan • Plan developed for MDOT and the City of Walker • Looking at M-11 (Wilson Ave) Page 44 of 100 between I-196 and Remembrance Road • Primary goal: “to improve traffic operations and safety along M-11 corridor, while retaining reasonable access to existing and future development along the roadway.”  2007 M-11 Access Management Plan • Plan developed for MDOT and the City of Walker • Looking at M-11 (Wilson Ave) Page 45 of 100 between I-196 and Remembrance Road • Primary goal: “to improve traffic operations and safety along M-11 corridor, while retaining reasonable access to existing and future development along the roadway.”  2007 M-11 Access Management Plan • Plan developed for MDOT and the City of Walker • Looking at M-11 (Wilson Ave) Page 46 of 100 between I-196 and Remembrance Road • Primary goal: “to improve traffic operations and safety along M-11 corridor, while retaining reasonable access to existing and future development along the roadway.”  Current Conditions • 2020 Master Plan “Planning is bringing the future • 2024 Zoning Map into the present so that you can do something about it now.” • Vista45 PASP Submittals Page 47 of 100  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 48 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 49 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 50 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 51 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 52 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 53 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 54 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 55 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 56 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 57 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 58 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 59 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps This is a shift from the 1998 • Overall Vision Map and 2007 plans which called • Existing Land Use Map for “suburban best practices” • Future to a newLand ideaUse Mapfuture of for the • Significant the area. Undeveloped Lots Page 60 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 61 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 62 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Non-Motorized Transportation Plan • Zoning Plan • West Standale Redevelopment Plan  2020 Master Plan Maps • Overall Vision Map • Existing Land Use Map • Future Land Use Map • Significant Undeveloped Lots Page 63 of 100 • Community Character Plan • New Road Connections • Lake Forest, Illinois is Non-Motorized a Transportation Plan significantly older, larger, wealthier, • Zoning suburbPlan of Chicago on a Metra • West Standale commuter rail Redevelopment line. It is not Plan generally considered an apples-to- apples comparable with Standale.  2024 Zoning Map • Part of the 2024 Zoning Ordinance Update • Effective as of 2/8/2024 • The zoning for this area in 2024 Page 64 of 100 is largely consistent with what the zoning was in 2007.  Vista45 Submittal 1 • 6/2022 Submittal • Plans show commercial along the Lake Michigan Drive Page 65 of 100 frontage and along the back of Meijer and Blain’s. • Multi-family apartment buildings to the west of a central pond • “Future residential development area” called out for the southwest corner of the site  Vista45 Submittal 2 • 12/2022 Submittal • Same road and commercial layout as the 6/22 site plan Page 66 of 100 • Multi-family apartment buildings ring a center pond • Future low-density residential planned for the southwest corner of the site with more detail than in the 6/22 plan  Vista45 Submittal 2 • 12/2022 Submittal • Proposal includes a request to rezone the site to two different Page 67 of 100 districts: CPUD and RPUD-2  Vista45 Submittal 3 • 10/23 Submittal • After the Moratorium was passed, the applicant Page 68 of 100 resubmitted for the commercial areas only • Submission included updated site plans, a Pattern Book, and a Development Narrative • Includes new road alignment, with a signal at LaSalle  Vista45 Submittal 3 • 10/23 Submittal • After the Moratorium was passed, the applicant Page 69 of 100 resubmitted for the commercial areas only • Submission included updated site plans, a Pattern Book, and a Development Narrative • Includes new road alignment, with a signal at LaSalle  Vista45 Submittal 3 • 10/23 Submittal • From the Pattern Book • Identifies roadways on the site Page 70 of 100 plan and whether they will be public or private  • 10/23 Submittal Vista45 Submittal 3 • Pattern Book references for architecture. • Rendering of the proposed Gateway Park. Page 71 of 100  Master Plan Amendments 2024 • February 20, 2024 “If you don’t • Joint Workshop #1 took place at Fire Station #2 know where • March 6, 2024 you’re going, Page 72 of 100 • Joint Work Session #2 took place at City Hall you’ll end up • April 17, 2024 • Joint Work Session #3 taking place now at City someplace Hall else.” • Planning Consultant Chris Khorey will lead the next session • May 1, 2024 • Planning Commission to review, hold public hearing, and make a recommendation to the City Commission on the draft amendments  To: City of Walker Planning Commission Paula Priebe, Planning Director From: Suzanne Schulz, FAICP Urban Planning Practice Lead Date: March 27, 2024 Re: Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site SUMMARY The Cherette Group and JAG Development (“Applicants”) of the Vista45 project underwent a significant due diligence process. This extensive effort included, but was not limited to, understanding the location of regulated wetlands, easement locations and their restrictions, site slopes and soils, traffic impacts and associated requirements from MDOT and the City of Walker, stormwater detention, site engineering, and financial viability. Despite $1 million spent on a concerted good-faith effort by the Applicants to coordinate with local and state agencies, the City of Walker and McKenna (its consultant) favor a proposed alternative design that is infeasible and impractical. This memo addresses the multiple issues associated with the West Standale/Vista45 Concept Plan (“McKenna’s Concept Plan”) including site constraints, context, parking, site circulation, safety, retail viability, and quality of life. In several instances, the McKenna Concept Plan contradicts Walker’s recently adopted Zoning Ordinance, and it fails to align with the Master Plan’s Community Character Map. There is a reason why communities do not overly prescribe site designs to property owners and developers, nor define a concept plan as a “development vision” that must practicably be followed as the City of Walker’s Zoning Ordinance requires Planned Unit Development requests to do. The work effort undertaken in the City’s recent “Design Workshops” is an inappropriate overreach that has produced an unreasonable plan that unfairly burdens this property with development requirements that do not apply to other similarly situated parcels. The City of Walker Planning Commission, City Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Downtown Development Authority, and City staff are strongly encouraged to consider eliminating the proposed Concept Plan from consideration as an amendment to the City’s Master Plan. BACKGROUND Representatives from the City of Walker have held several joint work sessions with their planning consultant, McKenna, to review the City’s Zoning Ordinance and Master Plan in the past six months. • The City’s current Master Plan was adopted on October 26, 2020. • The Walker City Commission passed a 6-month moratorium on September 11, 2023 on all residential projects with a density of 3.5 units per acre or greater to review its Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance. • The Walker City Commission adopted changes to the Zoning Ordinance on January 22, 2024. • Members of the Walker Planning Commission, City Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Walker Downtown Development Authority, and City staff met in a joint work session for a “Vista45 Design Workshop” on February 21, 2024. The purpose of the meeting was to “review and revise” a portion of the City’s 2020 Master Plan that examined the “West Standale” area where Vista45, a mixed-use project, has been proposed. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 73 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 2 • At the February 21st meeting, McKenna presented a “conceptual sketch plan” to replace a prior conceptual drawing proposed for the Vista45 site. Those in attendance were divided into four1 stations for a 15-minute discussion at each station. • A revised concept plan was then shared by McKenna on March 6, 2024, with findings declaring “essentials” and “aspirations” specifically for the Vista45 properties and lands outside of its scope. • The consultant emphasized newly adopted language in the Zoning Ordinance specific to the evaluation of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) request, which is intended to require the development of the site to align with the “development vision for the site” contained within the City’s Master Plan.2 The Applicants have been requesting zoning approval for nearly two years3. There are four parcels 4 totaling 59.45 acres located on M-45 (Lake Michigan Drive) at Ferndale Avenue in the City of Walker. The site is located just west of the Standale Meijer and is flanked on the other side by a Goodwill Thrift Store and the Rosedale Park Memorial Cemetery. Except for this site, all other parcels fronting Lake Michigan Drive and in the near vicinity comprise stand-alone commercial retail uses and a small handful of strip centers. Blain’s Farm and Fleet, another large-footprint retail use, is located on Wilson, adjacent to the southern end of the Vista45 property. Exhibit 1: Location of West Standale / Vista45 site 1 A fifth station was provided for the public. 2 Section 11.02.C.7.a. reads: “The proposed development shall conform to the City’s Master Plan. In addition to general consistency with the Goals, Objectives, and Vision of the Plan, the PUD must meet the following requirements: (4) If the Master Plan includes a development vision for the site, the PUD design must include specific design elements, articulated in the application materials, that are clearly consistent with the vision, though the precise layout need not match the development vision exactly. (5) The PUD design shall not render any aspect of the Master Plan impossible or very difficult to implement on the site in question, or on adjacent or nearby sites, in the future.” 3 The date of the Vista45’s first formal submission to the City of Walker seeking development approval was June 15, 2022. Discussions occurred with the City before this date. 4 The Vista45 site is comprised of 4568, 4620, 4664, and 4684 Lake Michigan Drive NW. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 74 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 3 The Applicants are seeking approval to construct a mixed-use development consisting of 220 market-rate apartments, general commercial uses (95,000 sq ft), and retail associated with gas, banking, and drive- thru food (28,500 sq ft). The request has been tabled multiple times by the Walker Planning Commission, most recently due to the residential moratorium. A request for Commercial Planned Unit Development (C- PUD) rezoning was submitted in October 2023, excluding the residential component in reaction to the moratorium. The Planning Commission refused to consider the request and tabled to re-evaluate the 2020 Master Plan. MCKENNA’S CONCEPT PLAN IS INFEASIBLE Despite the City of Walker receiving 3 different development proposals in the past 21 months from the Applicants that included detailed plans with property boundaries, utility easements, topography, and locations of regulated wetlands, the City’s consultant failed to consider these site constraints in their proposed Concept Plan. The context, operational needs, and market realities of the site have also been completely ignored. In addition, there are clear conflicts with Walker’s Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance. McKenna’s efforts to design a privately-owned site is a significant and inappropriate overreach that has produced an infeasible plan. Even worse, and most regretfully, the consultant failed to provide Walker’s leadership with pragmatic and well-considered guidance regarding development practices. PROPERTY BOUNDARIES The southern portion of McKenna’s Concept Plan includes property owned by Rosedale Park Memorial Cemetery, Consumers Energy, Goodwill/Meijer, and one of the partners in the Vista45 project (Exhibit 3); lands which have never been part of earlier discussions or submittals (Exhibit 4)5. McKenna’s Concept Plan assumes otherwise and goes so far as to include and compare residential units in their “By The Numbers” slide 6 inclusive of other properties (Exhibit 2). Notably, the consultant named the February 21st and March 6th workshops the “Vista45 Design Workshop”. This convolutes the applicant’s request by including an additional 142 acres of land that has not, and never was, part of any submission materials. Exhibit 2: “By The Numbers” Slide 5 No development is shown on the Consumers, Goodwill, and Meijer parcels. 6 McKenna’s Vista45 Design Workshop #2 PowerPoint presentation dated March 6, 2024, slide 10; this illustrates how property to O’Brien Road was included. “Proposed PASP” refers to the approval sought by the Applicants. The numbers depicted in this slide do not accurately represent the applicant’s request nor do McKenna’s own numbers accurately represent what is drawn on their Concept Plan see Footnote #14. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 75 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 4 Exhibit 3: Land Owned by Others There are several constraints with the property to the south of the Consumers Lake Michigan Drive Energy parcel, especially topography and wetlands. Creating a site plan for an area with these constraints without a topographic survey and wetland delineation is pure Vista45 conjecture and creates unrealistic expectations about what could occur. The City has made it known that it would like LaSalle Avenue to eventually connect to O’Brien Road. LaSalle Avenue will be a connector road intended to alleviate Rosedale Park Cemetery congestion at Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson Avenue. McKenna’s Concept Plan (Exhibit 4) suggests that single-family homes should front along a connector road that, in the future, could carry thousands of cars per day. Duplexes are proposed along Wilson Avenue, a major arterial road. New streets are desired by the City to be public. Although Goodwill / Meijer there has not been a development proposal Wilson Ave put forward, the recently adopted PUD language suggests that the proposed McKenna Concept Plan would be nearly Consumers Energy binding if adopted as part of the City’s Master Plan. This scheme essentially renders the property unbuildable due to the very low- density of development depicted in their Plan and the substantial amount of required public infrastructure. Additional lands (not part of Vista45) shown in the McKenna Concept Plan to have single family homes and duplexes. O’Brien Road Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 76 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 5 Exhibit 4: Applicant’s Request and McKenna Concept Plans Applicant’s Request McKenna Concept Plan March 6, 2024 McKenna Concept Plan February 21, 2024 Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 77 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 6 Exhibit 5: Utility Constraints There are two significant utility constraints on the Vista45 site. The first one is an existing utility easement for water, gas, and sewer that ranges from 35 to 45 feet in width (A). It was mandated by the City of Walker as part of the approvals for the Goodwill Thrift Store. This easement was placed in a manner that allows the Goodwill Thrift Store to connect to Meijer, serving as a loop from Goodwill’s store entrance to Ferndale Avenue. In addition, two large natural gas distribution mains are located along the western edge of the property (B). One is a 22” high-pressure main and the other is a 30” high-pressure main. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 78 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 7 Exhibit 6: Environmental Constraints The property contains regulated wetlands (C1), unregulated wetlands (C2) and steep slopes (D). The Applicants have proposed to place some regulated wetlands into a permanent conservation easement for protection. Portions of smaller wetland areas will be mitigated where required. These constraints prevent the west and south edges of the property from being intensely developed. In addition, the extent of wetland areas emphasizes the need to carefully manage stormwater on the site with proper stormwater detention methods to provide sufficient capacity and water quality protection. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 79 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 8 Exhibit 7: Road Connectivity The City of Walker and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have actively worked to employ access management techniques along Lake Michigan Drive (M-45) due to the high volume of cars that travel the road daily. Data provided by MDOT and Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC) show that 27,000 – 31,000 cars travel on Lake Michigan Drive (M-45) and 23,000 – 24,000 cars travel on Wilson Avenue NW (M-11). • Goodwill Drive (E) is intended to connect the Goodwill store to Meijer with a full-access easement. • LaSalle Avenue (F) is intended to provide a critical North–South connection to alleviate pressures on the Lake Michigan Drive (M-45) and Wilson intersection, which is currently 5 and 7 lanes wide. It is projected to operate at Level of Service E and F (failing) in the future. LaSalle Avenue would connect to the traffic signal on Wilson, using Standale Crossings between Meijer and Blain’s. • As development continues, LaSalle Avenue will eventually connect to O’Brien Road SW (G). Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 80 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 9 Exhibit 8: Composite Plan This plan shows the combined constraints for the Vista45 properties consisting of utility, environmental, and circulation limitations. It informed design of the site and determined building and road placement. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 81 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 10 Exhibit 9: Requested Vista45 Plan October, 2023 Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 82 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 11 Exhibit 10: McKenna Concept Plan March 6, 2024 Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 83 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 12 Exhibit 11: McKenna Concept Plan: Site Constraint Issues The McKenna Concept plan dated March 6, 2024 has greater impacts on the site than the Vista45 development proposal, most notably: • Wetland areas are impacted by a parking lot on the north end, and townhomes are placed in the regulated wetland area south of the detention pond. • The proposed non-motorized trail is substantially located on steep slopes, wetland areas, and within the desired 50-foot wetland “buffer” zone. • To accommodate the substantial increase in the amount of impervious surface created by buildings and parking lots, a very large stormwater detention facility must be created. • This plan proposes no greenspace for multi-family residents living in the 300+ proposed units north of the detention pond except for a “common green area” in an unsafe location. IMPACTED WETLAND AREA LARGE STORMWATER DETENTION AREA TO ACCOMMODATE INCREASED IMPERVIOUS SURFACE STEEP SLOPES NEARLY FULLY AFFECTED BY BIKE TRAIL TOWNHOUSES AND TRAIL PLACED ON REGULATED WETLAND, STEEP SLOPES, AND WITHIN CITY-DESIRED 50’ WETLAND BUFFER AREA Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 84 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 13 CONTEXT “Direct new business growth along existing corridors, at defined nodes, and to new infill development areas, as is contextually appropriate.” ~Economic Development Goal, Objective 4.d. Walker 2020 Master Plan, Book 2c: Standale Neighborhood Cluster The Standale area is a mix of single- and two-story buildings arranged in clusters of post-World War II suburban/traditional storefront sections and stand-alone buildings occupied by local businesses and national franchises. Large big-box stores (Meijer, Blain’s Farm & Fleet) front on Wilson Avenue (M-11). Other surrounding commercial businesses include Goodwill, Uccello’s Ristorante, Applebee’s Grill + Bar, Arby’s, Chow Hound, Tropical Smoothie, Panera, Verizon, and Biggby. Immediately to the east of Wilson Avenue NW is a new Chick-fil-a and Starbucks; these intensive drive- through uses are located one-fifth of a mile (1,100’) away from the Vista45 site and were constructed in the Fall of 2021 (Exhibit 12). Exhibit 12: Distance to Chick-fil-A Walker’s Community Character Map (Exhibit 13), adopted less than 4 years ago, shows: • The “subarea’s traditional business district”7 is identified as UC Urban Corridor (in red); and • The Vista45 location is identified as NC Neighborhood Corridor (in pink). Exhibit 13: City of Walker Community Character Map 7 Reference made in Walker’s 2020 Master Plan, Book 2c: Standale Neighborhood Cluster, Transportation Goal, Objective 2.f. regarding the slip street arrangement in the area identified as UC Urban Corridor on the Community Character map (red area). See also pages 42 and 46 of the Master Plan for Neighborhood Corridor and Urban Corridor descriptions. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 85 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 14 • The UC Urban Corridor (red) land use description states that “Some residential uses, such as upper floor apartments, should also be located on the corridor.” This is not the designation for Vista45. • The Vista45 site has the following two Community Character designations: o The NC Neighborhood Corridor description does not identify upper floor residential as desirable; instead, it describes “multi-family and ‘missing middle’ style housing units” as appropriate. o The RG Residential Growth designation (located behind NC) is for multiple family dwellings. The proposed McKenna Concept Plan clearly does not match the context of the area. The Master Plan’s Community Character Map has it right. The Map recognizes that the appropriate mixed-use area of Standale is located to the East, in its “traditional business district” area, and not in a location with single- use buildings abutting large, big-box stores. McKenna’s suggestion of creating a large building with retail on the bottom and residential on top, directly adjacent to a 6-lane State highway (inclusive of the turn lane at Ferndale) and a future collector road, surrounded by surface parking lots, does not align with the context or character of any parcel in the general vicinity. Area Identified as “Traditional Business District” in Master Plan Experimenting with a new model for development at the Vista45 site to spur change along the Lake Michigan Drive corridor and reverse the tide of very recent suburban development approvals is not realistic. • The site is flanked by a cemetery and a Meijer store. The cemetery is nearly impossible to change. The Standale Meijer store is successful and very unlikely to change for decades. • Across the street, commercial lots are of a shallow depth and single-family detached residential homes are directly behind; severely limiting any redevelopment possibilities. • Recently approved projects within the immediate vicinity (Chick-fil-A and Starbucks) reinforce the auto-oriented nature and trend of development in the corridor. Even the southern portion of McKenna’s own Concept Plan is recommending development south at their named “LaSalle Gardens” 8 be single-family low-density residential development. 8 McKenna named components of the Vista45 as if trying to brand them, another overreach. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 86 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 15 MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT – GENERALLY The McKenna Concept Plan talks about “Ferndale Walk” being a transit-oriented mixed-use development. “Mixed-use” can mean a variety of things. • There is the traditional downtown/urban understanding of mixed-use which may be comprised of mix of uses within a building; such as retail on the ground floor and residential above. • The more standard, suburban mixed-use approach is that an entire site is mixed-use; with a range of uses provided in separate commercial, office, and residential structures. • Another definition can be mixed-use by block, where there are a variety of uses are provided on separate parcels but are still intentionally related. The Urban Land Institute’s Mixed Use Development Handbook characterizes mixed-use development as one that: 1) provides three or more significant revenue-producing uses (such as retail/entertainment, office, residential, hotel, and/or civic/cultural/recreation); 2) fosters integration, density, and compatibility of land uses; and 3) creates a walkable community with uninterrupted pedestrian connections. The Vista45 project achieves all three markers with its design. Vista45 is proposed as a mixed-use development with mixed uses on the site, due to the operational and market needs of the property9. This is an acceptable format, even when located near the Laker Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stop. One of the most important supports for a transit stop is the density of residential units in the immediate vicinity. Vista45 offers more than 200 units, which is in line with the recommended number of units identified in the City’s February workshop. The next section addresses the operational, or functional, needs of the development and why the McKenna Concept Plan is infeasible. MCKENNA’S MASTER PLAN CONCEPT: FUNCTIONAL ISSUES There are several significant functional issues with the proposed McKenna Concept Plan. A few of these issues also pose substantial safety concerns. These items have been divided into specific topic areas consisting of parking, site circulation, stormwater management, retail viability, and quality of life. PARKING Multiple issues exist related to parking. First, two of the Exhibit 14: Parking Issues parking areas are proposed as triangles on the northeast and southwest corners of the proposed mixed-use building proposed between Ferndale and LaSalle Avenue (Exhibit 14). Triangular parking lots are extremely inefficient in their use of space and pavement. Second, the amount of parking shown on the Concept Plan does not comply with Walker’s Zoning Ordinance requirements. The site is substantially under-parked and does not reflect the reality of how the land will be used. The Ordinance requires: • 1 space per 250 square feet for retail; • 1 space per 400 square feet for office; and • .5 space for each bed10. All PUDs must comply with this standard and no exceptions are provided for proximity to transit. 9 Letters submitted by apartment home developer Denny Cherette and commercial broker Chris Muller speak to the market realities of creating a mixed-use building on the site. 10 City of Walker Zoning Ordinance Article 12, Section 12.02.E. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 87 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 16 The McKenna Concept Plan shows ~66,000 square feet of usable retail and office square footage on the ground-floor of the mixed-use buildings (Exhibit 15)11. Based on the aspirational goal established in the February 21st joint workshop, the mixed-use buildings should have “at least 150 units” and hopefully “more than 200 residential units” 12. Based on the scenarios below (Exhibit 16), 365 parking spaces would be needed at a minimum, and as many as 414 parking spaces, to support the proposed mixed-use buildings. Exhibit 15: Mixed-Use Square Footage McKenna’s Concept Plan shows that an estimated 260 parking spaces are provided. However, it is important to note that this estimate does not include allowances for required landscape islands, buffer strips, pedestrian walkways at the rear of buildings, dumpsters, or loading/ unloading (including move in/ move out for residential use)13. If the generous assumption is made that the site can support 260 parking spaces, then there is at least a 30% shortfall in required parking. While it is true that the Laker Line transit station is nearby, the reality is that even if the Vista45 site were to be developed with mixed-use buildings then automobile parking would still be needed. Standale, and the Lake Michigan Drive corridor, have been purposefully designed to be auto-oriented. Exhibit 16: Required Parking Scenarios for Mixed-Use Buildings14 Retail Office Residential 1 space/250 sq ft 1 space/400 sq ft .5 space/bed Total Required Scenario Parking % used parking % used parking units parking #1 100% 264 0% 0 150 units 150 414 #2 75% 198 25% 42 150 units 150 390 #3 50% 132 50% 83 150 units 150 365 Third, the potential shortfall of more than 100 parking spaces will be further complicated by the mix of uses themselves. There are two pressures that will affect the availability of retail parking for merchants: the students living in the residential units and the proximity of the transit station. Although the Zoning Ordinance allows for a shared use reduction of not “less than 75% of the sum of the requirements for 11 Total square footage of mixed-use buildings as shown is ~78,600 square feet from March 6th packet; 16% was taken out of the total building square footage to develop an estimate for usable square footage of 66,000 square feet. 12 Taken from Slide 17 of the March 6, 2024 Vista45 Design Workshop #2 presentation. 13 City of Walker Zoning Ordinance, Section 12.07.C. requires that 10% of the paved area of a parking lot’s perimeter and 5% of the parking lot’s total interior area be green space. 14 Three scenarios were developed based on the percentage of dedicated retail and office use according to the usable square footage number of 66,000 sq ft. McKenna’s “By The Numbers” slide, Exhibit 3 on page 3, does not correlate to what is shown on either Concept Plan; the total commercial square footage of 91,400 sq ft is too large to only apply to the mixed-use buildings and is too small if the 3 commercial buildings along Lake Michigan Drive and the office/flex buildings behind Meijer and Blain’s are included. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 88 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 17 each individual use computed separately”15 it would be impossible to demonstrate that the operating hours of uses would overlap for less than 4 hours on a single day of the week. Half of the 260 parking spaces provided on the Concept Plan will be taken up with residential parking alone (if 2 floors of residential are provided) at an equivalent of one car per dwelling unit for a two-bed apartment16. Students and people working from home may not move their vehicles at all during the business day. Visitor parking is not considered in these numbers. To complicate matters, an attempt by commuters to use the parking is likely due to the need for mixed-use parking lots to be open, shared lots between businesses and residents. This could result in all-day parking by GVSU students and others that wish to use the Laker Line. The current Meijer parking lot experiences this, as does the parking lot found at the corner of Lake Michigan Drive and Covell. Although there is not an operating business at the former realtor’s office, the parking lot is consistently full due to its use by transit riders. SITE CIRCULATION and SAFETY As previously mentioned, LaSalle Avenue is intended to serve as a collector road. A collector road is a street that is intended to move traffic through an area, from an arterial (Lake Michigan Drive) to another arterial or a local road. In this case, LaSalle Avenue would provide a connection to Standale Crossings for the purposes of connecting to Wilson Road (another arterial). Both Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson each carry more than 23,000 cars per day. Additional regional development will increase traffic on these M-routes and it is possible that LaSalle Avenue could become the Westside version of 29th Street in Kentwood once it is fully built out. 29th Street carries about 6,500 cars per day17 between Lake Eastbrook and East Paris. The McKenna Concept Plan fails to consider the volume and nature of traffic that will occur on LaSalle Avenue. The pedestrian mall/path contained in the mixed-use development directs pedestrians to an area and an intersection where LaSalle’s south/east-bound traffic will be turning left and north/west-bound traffic will be traversing a 45-degree bend (Exhibit 17). This is a significant safety issue for pedestrians because the nature of the destination-oriented, through-traffic and the design of a collector road (which facilitates higher travel speeds) will increase the likelihood that pedestrians will not be immediately visible to drivers. Exhibit 17: LaSalle Avenue Safety Issue #1 15 City of Walker Zoning Ordinance Article 12 Site Design, Section 12.02.D. As it is, the site is at least 30% short on parking which negates the shared use reduction allowance. 16 Even if apartments were studios or 1-bedroom units rather than a 2-bedroom unit, the market would still demand one parking space for each studio or 1-bedroom unit. In the Standale market, one car per bed is needed; meaning a 2 bedroom apartment should have 2 parking spaces. 17 Informed by data from Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC) Traffic Count Database System (TCDS). Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 89 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 18 The McKenna Concept Plan proposes that through- traffic turn Exhibit 18: LaSalle Avenue Safety Issue #2 left to continue traveling south on LaSalle Avenue. The street serving the multi-family units intuitively feels like a more desirable street for through-traffic (even if there is traffic calming) because it is a straight line to travel south-bound. Where LaSalle connects to Standale Crossings, this too feels more intuitive to travel west/north than to make a full right-hand turn. Substantial traffic calming would be required to dissuade drivers from using the multi-family residential road as a cut-through. The LaSalle/Standale Crossings intersection is an area of particular concern for safety and clear vision (Exhibit 18). The skewed intersection creates sightline concerns. This design is a violation of the recently adopted Zoning Ordinance. Section 13.03 Road Networks, Part D.9. for Street Intersections requires that: “Streets shall intersect one another at right angles or as nearly at right angles as conditions permit.” Building placement to the north and south of Standale Corners, as it meets LaSalle Avenue, may also pose clear vision issues. STORMWATER MANAGEMENT and WATER QUALITY The Vista45 site plan demonstrates an understanding of the nuances of balancing site development with stormwater management needs. A substantially greater amount of greenspace is proposed on the Vista45 plan. These green areas encircle stormwater detention locations. The greenspace assists in filtering water before it reaches the ponds. The ponds provide a dual use not only for stormwater storage but also as an amenity for residents. Conversely, the McKenna Plan offers greater impervious (paved and roof) surfaces and therefore a need for a much larger stormwater facility. Detention areas are bordered by roads and parking lots, providing little to no opportunity for filtration before entering into the stormwater system. Both detention areas are bordered on two sides by streets and one side by a parking lot. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 90 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 19 RETAIL VIABILITY and SAFETY In a context like Standale, retailer visibility is of critical importance given the volume and speed of traffic on Lake Michigan Drive. McKenna’s Concept Plan narrative suggests that it would be an aspiration to have “Retail facing LaSalle Avenue or pedestrian walkway.”18 Nearly 90 percent of pedestrian malls have failed in the U.S.19. A pedestrian pathway lined with retail, without any on-street parking or visibility, is extraordinarily difficult to make viable in an urban setting; it is unrealistic and doomed to fail in Standale. Exhibit 19: Pedestrian Walkway Further, retailers often do not keep a front door and back door open for customers in order to avoid theft and ensure security. In cases where there is on-street parking and a shared district lot is provided behind a business, it is not uncommon to see the front door locked and the back door open to customers. There will be no visibility for retailers facing inwards, so they will opt to place customer entry doors facing the parking lots, and towards Lake Michigan Drive. The pedestrian walkway, then, will become an alleyway of locked back doors and storage areas. The lack of activity and visibility will be a safety concern for those departing from the BRT unless the space is heavily managed and surveilled by the owner, creating an additional burden for a building that will be challenged to successfully retain tenants in the proposed 66,000 square feet of usable floor area because the floor plate has been determined by column spacing to support the residential apartments above. If the pedestrian walkway feels unsafe, then people will walk through parking lots to reach their destination. Exhibit 20: Impaired Living Areas QUALITY OF LIFE The location for multi-family development proposed in the McKenna Concept Plan will impair the livability of the Vista45 development. The proximity of the mixed-use buildings to Lake Michigan Drive is closer than most commercial businesses are situated within the corridor. All residential units are surrounded by parking lots and streets and have very little access to meaningful greenspace. Similar high-density residential developments within the region are not located directly on arterial or collector roads with traffic volumes that approach/exceed 30,000 vehicles per day (Lake Michigan Drive only)20. These developments are setback from the road and 18 Slide #17, Vista45 Design Workshop #2 PowerPoint presentation, March 6, 2024. 19 The Strange, Troubled History of Pedestrian Malls by Alan Ehrenhalt for Governing Magazine, February 22, 2021. link: Governing Magazine Pedestrian Malls Article 20 Locations in downtown Grand Rapids where mixed-use multi-family buildings are located on major streets experience typical traffic volumes of 10,000 – 15,000 cars per day, with 15,000 – 20,000 cars per day being an unusual upper limit. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 91 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 20 buffered with greenspace. Their amenity areas are sited in locations that are readily accessible to residents. Many have additional greenspace directly outside of the units. An example of this is Knapp’s Corner Flats, a 203-unit residential development located directly adjacent to the Knapp’s Corner Meijer, at the intersection of the East Beltline and Knapp Street. The nearest multi-family unit at Knapp’s Flats is located 660 feet from the edge of Knapp Street; the equivalent of a large city block. Context is also important for residential living, not just for commercial viability. Tenants who rent in the Walker and Standale areas expect to have available green space and readily available parking. The proximity of the BRT station is an amenity that other multi-family rental communities, such as Bayberry Pointe located at Lake Michigan Drive and Maynard NW, have found greatly benefits residents and assists in tenant retention. Exhibit 21: Tenant Amenity and Green Space Locations Knapp’s Corner Flats is more than 600’ away from Knapp Street The McKenna Concept Plan has all the residential dwelling units flanked by streets and parking lots. Access to all tenant “amenity spaces” requires residents to cross a street; and the single “public open space”/green space provided is bordered on two sides by LaSalle Avenue, with a dangerous street crossing. Vista45 will be competing with places such as Bayberry and others for quality tenants. The housing product as proposed by the McKenna Concept Plan will cost significantly more to construct21 and be less desirable, placing the Applicants at a substantial disadvantage to comparable housing products in the market and immediate vicinity. 21 A 4-story building costs an additional $165,000 just for one elevator. The number of units anticipated for each building would likely require two elevators and a generator ($50k) per building. The Applicants are not seeking any tax credits or subsidies from the City of Walker, which are typically mechanisms used to off-set the high cost of construction for multi-story mixed-use buildings with elevators in urban environments. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 92 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 21 The newly adopted City of Walker Zoning Ordinance contemplates the impact of being too close to Lake Michigan Drive for residential living. The “MPUD” Zone District, one of the best contending zone districts for Vista45, allows a mix of uses and residential dwelling units “in buildings with more than one dwelling unit, but containing no non-residential uses, provided that the building is located at least 500 feet from… Lake Michigan Drive”22. In other words, ground floor residential units are not permitted in the MPUD Zone District within 500 feet of Lake Michigan Drive. Instead, auto-oriented uses such as drive-thrus, car washes, and gas stations are permitted. The Ordinance does allow “mixed-use buildings containing a non- residential first floor use (to be located) anywhere on the site deemed appropriate by the Planning Commission”23. One must ask the question - what difference does it make if a dwelling unit is on the ground floor of a building or 20 feet higher? The experience of noise, vibration, and exhaust from being on Lake Michigan Drive would be the same. The fact that the MPUD allows intensive auto-oriented uses to be located on the Lake Michigan Drive frontage speaks volumes about the type of uses that are considered compatible with the roadway; it is not residential dwellings. VISTA45 SITE PLAN The Applicants underwent a significant due diligence process to create the plan for Vista45. This extensive effort included, but was not limited to, understanding the location of regulated wetlands, easement locations and their restrictions, site slopes and soils, traffic impacts and associated requirements from MDOT and the City of Walker, stormwater detention, site engineering, and financial viability. The Applicants have spent more than $1 million on a concerted good-faith effort to coordinate with local and state agencies to address all anticipated issues. Creating a viable project is not a simple undertaking, as has been demonstrated by this memo. The proposed Vista45 development plan accomplishes nearly all the “essentials” and “aspirations” for the property that were discussed at the March 6, 2024 “Vista45 Design Workshop #2”. The items that are not satisfied were either outside the scope of the project (see pp 3 and 4) or not feasible for the reasons contained in this memo, specifically the mixed-use buildings near the Ferndale Laker Line Station. 22 City of Walker Zoning Ordinance, Section 11.12 MPUD, Part B. and B.1. 23 City of Walker Zoning Ordinance, Section 11.12 MPUD, Part C. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 93 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 22 Exhibit 22: Vista45 Satisfies City’s Expectations Essentials and Aspirations Vista45 LaSalle Avenue as a public road connecting YES to Standale Crossings Access management, including extension of Goodwill Drive to connect to LaSalle; YES designed to public road standards Landscaping consistent or exceeding zoning YES Streetscaping consistent with Standale DDA YES Gateway elements YES Continuous sidewalk along LMD and LaSalle YES Quality architecture YES More than 200 residential units 24 YES Retail frontage on Lake Michigan Drive YES Preserve regulated wetlands and 50’ buffer YES Provide non-motorized connections YES Multi-story buildings YES (Res) Easy/safe walk from residential to BRT station YES Outdoor gathering spaces for residents YES25 Parking does not create a pedestrian hazard YES Multi-family residential buildings YES Decorative retention pond for stormwater YES Preserve existing trees YES26 Medical office, office, senior housing YES27 24 Residential units are calculated for the Vista45 plan area, not for those areas included by the McKenna Concept Plan which were never part of the project submittal. Single-family homes and duplexes, therefore, are not recognized in this table. 25 The amount of greenspace for residents, and views of natural areas far exceeds far exceeds the McKenna Concept Plan. 26 Vista45 plan does not disturb steep slopes in the way was proposed in the McKenna Concept Plan for a trail. Steep slopes are not considered in the Workshop #2 tables. 27 Senior housing is proposed on the SW corner of the Vista45 site plan, the McKenna Concept Plan does not include senior housing. Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 94 of 100  Proposed Master Plan Amendment to the West Standale / Vista45 Site Page 23 CONCLUSION This memo addressed the multiple issues associated with the McKenna Concept Plan including site constraints, context, parking, site circulation, safety, retail viability, and quality of life; including its failure to comply with Walker’s own Zoning Ordinance. There is a reason why other communities do not overly- prescribe site designs to property owners and developers, nor define a concept plan as a “development vision” that must practicably be followed, as the City of Walker’s recently adopted Zoning Ordinance requires of Planned Unit Development requests to do. The work effort undertaken in “Design Workshops” is an inappropriate overreach that has produced an infeasible plan that unfairly burdens this property with development requirements that do not apply to other similarly situated parcels within the city. The City of Walker Planning Commission, City Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Downtown Development Authority, and City staff are strongly encouraged to consider eliminating the proposed Concept Plan from consideration as an amendment to the City’s Master Plan. cc: Frank Wash Terry Schweitzer Jeffrey Sluggett, Esq. Christopher Khorey, AICP Denny Cherette Troy Zapolski Andrew Bozym John Cherette Chris Meyer, Esq. Brandon Simon, PE Pete Lazdins Progressive AE, Inc. Corporate Office: | 1811 4 Mile Road NE | Grand Rapids, MI 49525 | 616.361.2664 | progressiveae.com Regional Office: | 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 500 | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.731.8080 | progressiveae.com Page 95 of 100 Page 96 of 100 Page 97 of 100 Page 98 of 100 Paula Priebe Planning Director City of Walker Dear Paula: I am the commercial broker for Vista45. My understanding is that the City asked for my response to the presentations made by the City’s planning consultant on February 21 and March 6. I’ve had the opportunity to review those presentations and have the following comments: PROPOSED MIXED USE BULDINGS • Retail with residential above is successful when found in urban environments where car use is the secondary means of transportation. • In this community, car use is the primary means of transportation for everyone. • The possible exception are those upperclass GVSU students who not only live in the Vista45 apartments but also choose to ride the BRT to/from GVSU’s campuses. There will not be enough of those to support these retailers. • GVSU students riding the BRT to the downtown Grand Rapids campus will not get off to go to these stores. They will simply wait until they are in downtown Grand Rapids. • Those GVSU students riding the BRT back to the Allendale campus will not get off and try to cross Lake Michigan Drive to get to these stores. • Interior facing retail will not work in this type of setting and will result in dead zones. • The stores will want to have their front built out towards the parking lot, for the primary user driving in the automobile. • The back will be built to the pedestrian walkway and any door will be locked for security and theft deterrence purposes or alternatively they will have to hire more labor to watch both front doors. • Residential with direct tie to retail creates sound conflicts between retailers and residents. • Height requirements make venting and general HVAC difficult and costly driving up cost for retailers, limiting those who can afford the space. • In a corridor, I think it is important to add value to what is already on the street. Recent developments incorporate pad users successfully. Mixed use buildings on M-45 could have a negative impact and have vacant first floor space in an otherwise vibrant corridor. 502 Second Street, Suite 300, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 p. 616.881.2888 • f. 202.747.7714 Page 99 of 100  –2– March 26, 2024 PROPOSED “FLEX ZONE” • This is not flexible enough. • Health care is rapidly consolidating into regional health systems that consolidate their providers in large centrally located buildings. • Work from home has cratered the office market. • This flex zone should be planned as an area similar to 29th Street SE for businesses that don’t need to be on 28th Street SE, but still need good access and visibility. • It should include enclosed self-storage at the southeast corner. PROPOSED LANDSCAPED PROMENADE • Lake Michigan Drive is not walkable nor friendly to a promenade setting. • Landscape buffer will block commercial visibility and slow traffic on Lake Michigan Drive. PROPOSED ARCHITECURAL STANDARDS FOR NATIONAL RETAILERS • It would diminish the demand. • It would even eliminate some users entirely because of costs. Only national chains will be able to build to that standard. Local users will have a difficult time absorbing the additional costs. Our goal is to have a good balance between local and national users. • It would put Vista45 at a competitive disadvantage relative to other sites available nearby that do not have such architectural requirements. People will just go down the road. These comments are made based on my long experience in the commercial real estate industry. Sincerely, Chris Muller cc: Frank Wash Terry Schweitzer Jeffrey Sluggett, Esq. Christopher Khorey, AICP 502 Second Street, Suite 300, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 p. 616.881.2888 • f. 202.747.7714 Page 100 of 100