Woodbury City Council Sees Early Plan for Urban Village

Minneapolis-based consultant Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. (HKGi) is scheduled to unveil to Woodbury officials its complete master plan for the Urban Village project in December 2011. 

Landscape architect Bryan Harjes presented HKGi's most recent designs to the Woodbury city council on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

HKGi is hoping to receive recommendation from the Woodbury planning commission on Dec. 5 and ultimately present its design to the city council on Dec. 12. If all goes well, the city council is expected to adopt the 240-acre mixed-use master plan on Dec. 14.

The design—which includes high-density, single-family and senior living areas, 40 acres of commercial space and expansive parks and trails—is planned for a site that sits at the corner of Radio Drive and Bailey Road, between the and .

According to Harjes' presentation, some of the fundamental design principles in the Urban Village master plan include the following elements: 

• An attractive transition between the commercial development pattern and urban pattern of adjacent mixed-use and residential development.
• A clustered pattern of development through placement of buildings, location of parking lots, alignment/sharing of driveways and service/delivery/storage facilities to create pedestrian-oriented places to shop.
• Design stormwater pond areas as visual amenities and integrate with restaurant uses for outdoor seating and gathering areas.
• A diagonal view corridor between the arterial street intersection, corner stormwater water pond, NE block restaurants and SW block businesses.
• Orient large anchor retail buildings diagonally to face the corner of the Bailey Road & Radio Drive intersection.
• Orient storefronts to face commercial streets, outdoor plazas and stormwater pond areas.
• Integrate storefront facades of buildings on SW block with street-oriented building facades on adjacent mixed-use streets.
• Buffer surface parking lots from street views with trees and plantings or fencing along all streets.
• Develop garden theme through landscaping and signage at development entries and street intersections.
• Provide substantial berming/fencing/landscaping to loading/service area of retail anchor and attached in-line retail uses.

Among these principles, one of the biggest challenges is the stormwater management strategy.

"The drainage patterns on the site show varying directions. This is big challenge; it's a big deal," Harjes told the council.

Apart from drainage patterns and design principles, Urban Village presents a larger challenge to the long-standing community of Homestead Hills, which sits adjacent to the future site of Urban Village.

A community of 98 homeowners, Homestead Hills is facing significant disturbances—noise pollution, construction waste and traffic disruptions—if the Urban Village project goes through.

"I've been in those homes when a loud motorcycle passes by and even that's loud," Homestead Hills homeowners president Bob Andrews told the council. "The sound of construction will be very unpleasant."

HKGi was not allowed a chance to respond to the Homestead Hills conundrum.

After hearing arguments against the development and before thanking Harjes for a thorough presentation, Woodbury mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens delivered a curt message to HKGi: "You have a lot of work to do. We'll see you in a month."