Opportunities and Challenges T - City of Bloomington MN · 3.2 Opportunities and challenges Adjacency to major regional roads, such as American Boulevard, TH 100 and I-494, enhances

N o r m a n d a l e L a k e D i s t r i c t P l a n

Opportunities and challenges 3.1

Opportunities and Challenges

The Normandale Lake area has unique assets and characteristics thatpresent both opportunities and challenges to its future growth anddevelopment. Some of the unique ch aracteristics are described below.

The remainder of this section summarizes the opportunities and challengesto development in the District over the next 20 years.

● A regional employment centerThe District has one of the highest concentration of jobs in the Twin Ci tiesmetropolitan area and is the second most in tense employment district inBloomington, after the Airport South District. It has the highestconcentration of office employment in Bloomington.

● Planned and developed as a high quality, high density, mixed-use area

Since development began in the early 1980s, the office park on the w est sideof Normandale Boulevard has emphasized distinctive architectural design,high quality building materials and ample landscaping. Today the areaenjoys a reputation for quality and amenities including easy access toadjacent parkland and supporting retail and service uses.

● Attractive to a wide range of development typesDirect access to the regional transportation system makes the Districtparticularly attractive to commercial development, including hotels andoffices. Likewise, the proximity to significant natural amenities has made thearea one of the most desirable places to live in Bloomington. Located at theintersection of major highways, the District also serves as a gateway intoBloomington.

● Natural character and landscapeThe Nine Mile Creek corridor passes through the west side of the Districtencompassing a system of water and wetlands that connects to neighboringcommunities and extends through Bloomington to the Minnesota River.While development on the west side of the District is integrated with theexisting wetlands and woodlands, few of the original natural features wereretained as the east side of the Distr ict developed in the 1960s and 70s. Thereare opportunities to reintroduce and enhance natural amenities inconjunction with redevelopment.

Section 3

Since development began in theearly 1980s, the office park on thewest side of Normandale Boulevardhas emphasized distinctivearchitectural design, high qualitybuilding materials and amplelandscaping.

C i t y o f B l o o m i n g t o n , M i n n e s o t a

3.2 Opportunities and challenges

Adjacency to major regional roads,such as American Boulevard, TH 100and I-494, enhances access foremployment and commercialbusiness.

The northwest area of Bloomingtonhas been identified for intensivecommercial/office development fordecades. Land use and zoningdesignations since the City firstadopted a Comprehensive Plan in the1960s have provided for aconcentration of high-intensityoffice, regional commercial, andmixed uses. Reasons for fosteringintense development in this areainclude:

• Maximizing the benefits of directaccess and proximity to the regionaltransportation system, includingfrontage on I-494 and TH 100(Normandale Boulevard). Adjacencyto major regional roads enhancesaccess for employment andcommercial business. It alsocontributes to the function of thearea as a gateway into Bloomington.

• Using the unique naturalamenities of the area to attracthigh-quality development. Thepresence of the Hyland-Bush-Anderson Lakes Regional ParkReserve makes the District andsurrounding area attractive forClass-A office development as well asresidential development.

• Continuing Bloomington’scommitment to accept a reasonablelevel of growth and plan wisely forit. To accommodate growth, it iscritical to balance development withappropriate investment ininfrastructure improvements andtraffic management. It alsorecognizes that complex traffic

congestion issues cannot be “solved”but can be “managed”. However, theCity cannot do this alone; it requirescooperation of county and regionalgovernment as well as the privatesector.

• Concentrating development andemployment can be served moreeffectively by public transit. Giventhe large amount of employment inthe District, Metro Transit has begunto view this area as a destination fortransit riders and not simply anorigin. They have begun to modifytheir bus routes to betteraccommodate employees coming toBloomington in the morning andleaving in the afternoon. This willhelp reduce some of the peak hourtraffic coming to and from theDistrict.

• Land values will continue toappreciate and foster demand forredevelopment of older structuresand underutilized properties in theDistrict. The economics ofredevelopment often require greaterdensities to make high-valuedevelopment financially feasible.

3.1 Growth Estimates and Assumptions



Demographic Trends Much of the area within the Districtis developed with commercial office,hotel, and retail uses. The Districtwill continue to be Bloomington’ssecond largest employment centerand first in concentration of officeemployment. Table 3.1, above, showsa break down of projected futureemployment (jobs) in the District bytype of use.

Estimates of future employment arebased on both City developmentforecasts and employment factorsderived from analysis of historicemployment rate data as well as datafrom the Institute of TransportationEngineers (ITE).

Commercial Trend Findings

• The vast majority (88%) ofemployment in the District currentlyconsists of office jobs.

• Over the next 20+ years officeemployment is forecast to increaseby over 50%.

• Retail and restaurant employmentis projected to increase, almost

doubling by 2030 (increase of 97%).This reflects the assumption that theexisting neighborhood shoppingcenter with redevelop and expand tobetter utilize the property.

The District incorporates a smallamount of residential development,mostly consisting of apartments,townhomes and condominiums. TheDistrict is forecast to account forabout 10% of total growth inresidential dwelling units inBloomington by 2030. Table 3.2, nextpage, illustrates the existingbreakdown of units in the District bytype and the correspondingresidential population estimate.

The vast majority (88%) ofemployment in the District currentlyconsists of office jobs.

Table 3.1 Change in Employment (Jobs) by Use Type, 2007-2030Existing 2030

Use Estimate % of Estimate % of TotalTotal Total Change

Office 8,220 88% 12,522 88.6% +4,302

Retail 543 6% 1,068 7.5% +525

Restaurant 95 1% 95 0.7% NC

Hotel (Full Service) 357 4% 357 2.5% NC

Hotel (Limited Service) 97 1% 97 0.7% NC

TOTAL 9,312 14,139 + 4,827

Source: Bloomington Planning Division, 2007.



Many existing apartment buildingsin the district are over 40 years old.

Residential Trend Findings

• The majority (70.8%) of residentialdwellings in the District consist ofapartment units; all built prior to1970.

• The total number of residentialdwelling units is estimated toincrease by approximately 340 unitsover the next 20 years. Thisrepresents an increase of about 86%.

• Apartments will continue to be themost prevalent type of dwelling unitin the District, representing about86% of total units in 2030.

• Census data indicate an increase inthe number of persons perhousehold, particularly fornon-white households.

• With the projected increase inunits and a slight increase in theratio of persons per unit, theresidential population of the Districtis estimated to increase by 598people, or about 90%, by 2030.

New residential unit growth isassociated with one proposed 282unit apartment developmentapproved by the City Council in May2008 and some possible increase indensity (30% assumed) if two of theolder apartment buildings redevelop.It is also assumed that some of theexisting older apartment buildingsin the District will redevelop over thenext 20 years.

When redevelopment occurs, it islikely that new residential buildingswould be built to replace existingaging structures and could developin a mixed use form. It is assumedthat new apartments or condodevelopments would require anincrease in density to makeredevelopment financially feasible.Increases in residential density mayrequire a traffic study to ensureadequate road capacity and accessare available.


Unit Type

2007 2030

Number ofUnits

Persons/Unit

EstimatedPopulation

Number ofUnits

Persons/Unit

EstimatedPopulation

Townhome 67 1.95 131 67 2.10 141

Condo 48 1.62 78 48 1.67 80

Apartment 279 1.62 452 622* 1.67 1,038

Total 394 -- 661 737 -- 1,259

Note: Persons/unit rates based on Metropolitan Council for 2007 and City estimates for 2030.

* Number of apartments in 2030 based on assumed 282 units at 5100 W. 82nd and about a 30% increase in density ofexisting apartments at 5233 W. 82nd and 8200 Stanley when they redevelop.

Table 3.2 Change in Residential Units by Type, 2007-2030



Projected DevelopmentMost of the existing vacant land inthe District is located on the westside of Normandale Boulevard and isplanned for office, hotel orresidential development. Althoughthere is very little undeveloped landon the east side of the Distr ict, it isexpected that as land valuesincrease, properties will redevelopmore intensely and foster betterutilization of land that is currentlydevoted to surface parking lots.

Estimated changes in land use anddevelopment intensity within theDistrict are shown in Table 3.3, below.General findings include:

• Office development is the mostprevalent land use in the Distr ict andthis pattern will continue with theexpected addition of over 1.3 millionsquare feet of new office space overthe next 20 years.

• Commercial/retail development isalso forecast to more than double asa result of anticipatedredevelopment of the neighborhoodshopping center located on the eastside of the District.

• Hotels currently occupy about500,000 square feet. of the District,mostly east of NormandaleBoulevard. There are two potentialsites for future hotel development inthe District.

• Recent approval of 282 new rentalapartments has signaled anemerging market for residentialunits with access to the District’samenities. This plan estimates anadditional 60 units, however, theform of development may change,through property redevelopment, toallow a greater variety of housingstyles and sizes and to integrateresidential uses with neighborhoodretail and commercial uses. Someincrease in density would likely berequired to make suchredevelopment financially feasible.

Hotels currently occupy about 11 acresin the District.

Office development will remain themost prevalent land use in theDistrict.

The existing shopping center is agingand will likely be rehabilitated overthe next 20 years.Table 3.3 Change in Development by Use Type, 2007 – 2030

Land Use Type Existing Forecast 2030 ChangeDevelopment Development

Multi-FamilyResidential 394 DU 737 DU +343 DU

Commercial/Retail 217,395 s.f. 427,338 s.f. +209,943 s.f.

Hotel 474,241 s.f. 474,241 s.f. NC

Office 2,490,688 s.f. 3,794,680 s.f. + 1,304,002 s.f.




Older apartments on the east side ofthe District were developed in the1960s and may be redeveloped overthe next 20 years.

Many of the land uses existingwithin the boundaries of the Districtare expected to remain over the next20 years. While the west side of theDistrict contains a few undevelopedand vacant parcels, mostredevelopment will occur on parcelslocated east of NormandaleBoulevard. Figure 3.1, below,identifies parcels in the Districtanticipated for new development orintensification of development overthe next 20 years.

Many of the structures on the eastside of the District were developed inthe 1960s and 70s and areapproaching functionalobsolescence. With a growing officeand residential customer base, theexisting neighborhood center has thepotential to be redeveloped andreconfigured into a much moreattractive center that better servesthe adjacent office park andresidential neighborhoods.

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3.2 Redevelopment Potential

Figure 3.1 Future Development and Redevelopment



RedevelopmentOpportunitiesImprove Utilization of Land

The east side of the Distr ict currentlyhas a significant amount of landdevoted to surface parking. Whenparcels redevelop there areopportunities to reduce the amountof surface pavement by buildingmulti-story buildings (vertical mixeduse) and incorporating parking instructures or underneath buildings.

Incorporate Transit Facilities

Metro Transit has expressed awillingness to enhance transitservice to this area. Asredevelopment occurs, opportunitiesto incorporate enhanced transitfacilities should be explored.

Incorporate Natural Features

While the west side of the Districtincludes a significant amount ofgreen space and landscaping, thesefeatures are less prominent on theeast side. As parcels redevelop thereis opportunity to increase theamount of landscaped and perviousarea in a manner that enhancesindividual properties and alsoextends a more “green” characterthroughout the east side.Redevelopment will also requirecompliance with current stormwatermanagement regulations for on-siteponds. If well designed, ponds canbecome aesthetic focal points andprovide natural habitat. Given thesmall parcel sizes on the east side ofthe District, consideration should begiven to creating one regional pondto serve all development in that area.

Improve Internal Circulation

The east side of the Distr ict, south ofWest 82nd Street, does not currentlyprovide clear paths for movingbetween Stanley Avenue and thefrontage road on NormandaleBoulevard. Vehicles must traversemultiple parking lots to get throughand there are no routes or paths toaccommodate pedestrians orbicyclists. Redevelopment providesan opportunity to provide clear driveaisles or streets through this areathat would enhance access to newdevelopments for vehicles as well aspedestrians and bicyclists.

RedevelopmentConstraintsSmall Parcel Sizes

Several parcels on the east side of theDistrict are quite small, making itmore difficult to redevelop withoutconsolidation. This will requiresignificant cooperation betweenmultiple property owners.

Multiple Property Owners

Coordinating redevelopment willrequire working with severalproperty owners who likely haveindividual development ideas andtiming requirements. Some propertyowners will be ready to considerredevelopment much sooner thanothers and may not have the will orability to “sit” on their property untiladjacent properties are also ready forredevelopment.

Lack of Internal Circulation

This is primarily a factor in the areabounded by West 82nd on the north,

The east side of the District currentlyhas a significant amount of landdevoted to surface parking.

The area currently experiences trafficcongestion during afternoon peakhours. Some of this is the resul t ofthe concentration of officeemployment in the District. There isalso a significant amount of trafficoriginating outside the District thatenters Bloomington on NormandaleBoulevard/TH 100 on weekdayafternoons. This traffic consists of amix of Bloomington residentsreturning home after work as well aspass-through travelers. The trafficanalysis conducted for this DistrictPlan estimated levels of future trafficand identify road improvementsneeded to accommodatedevelopment through 2030. SeeAppendix A.

Figures 3.2 and 3.3, on the next page,illustrate existing (2002) and future(2030) traffic volumes in the District.

Level of Service (LOS)The traffic study analyzed the LOS atthe intersection of NormandaleBoulevard and West 84th Street. LOSis an indicator of how well anintersection operates and theaverage amount of time vehicleswait to get through. A LOS rank fromA to D is considered acceptable byMnDOT, Hennepin County and theCity in terms of a design goal.

Currently, the intersection ofNormandale Boulevard and West84th Street operates at a LOS F duringweekday afternoon peak hours



Increased sewer capacity may beneeded to accommodate futuredevelopment.

Stanley Road on the east, West 84thSt. on the south, and NormandaleBoulevard on the west. As notedabove, there are no public (or pr ivate)streets providing access through thisarea. There is an informal routecreated from parking lot drive aisles.Establishing a clear route throughthese parcels (whether public orprivate) would enhance access to thebusinesses and increase safety andcustomer convenience.

Sewer Capacity

Recent sanitary sewer modelingindicates capacity constraints in theregional interceptor serving much of

the east side of the Distr ict. Thissewer is owned and operated byMetropolitan Council EnvironmentalServices (MCES) and also servesportions of Edina. Bloomington andEdina staff are currently workingwith MCES staff on a long-termsolution to ensure adequate sewercapacity to serve planned growth inboth cities. However, necessaryimprovements may not beimplemented for several years. Untilthe sewer capacity is increased, newdevelopment that would result in anincrease in sewer flow may bedelayed.

3.3 Managing Traffic and Circulation

The area currently experiences trafficcongestion during afternoon peakhours.



Source: Bloomington Engineering Division.

Source: Bloomington Engineering Division.

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Figure 3.3 Future (2030) Traffic Volumes

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A.M./P.M. Peak HourLevel of ServiceAverage Annual Daily Traffic Volumes

Interstate Highway

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As employment increases there areopportunities to expand andenhance transit service to theDistrict.

(approximately 4-6 p.m.). The pooroperations at this intersection createbackups that negatively affect theintersections at West 84th St. andNorman Center Drive and West 84thSt. and Normandale Lake Boulevard,causing them to operate at LOS E andF, respectively. Road improvementsare necessary to alleviate currenttraffic congestion and accommodateprojected future development in thearea as well as anticipated growth in background traffic over the next20 years.

Proposed RoadImprovementsBased on analysis of existing andprojected traffic volumes, severaldesign concepts to increaseintersection capacity were preparedfor review and evaluation by theCity. To achieve LOS D, improvementsare also needed at other intersectionsand road segments in the District.

The preferred concept includes:

• Reconstruction of the intersectionof Normandale Boulevard and West84th St. to add lanes to inc reasetraffic capacity;

• A future access from Bush LakeRoad to west bound I-494 will have asignificant beneficial impact on peakhour traffic congestion in theDistrict.

• A pedestrian bridge overNormandale Boulevard (a requiredfeature) to remove pedestriancrossings from the intersection;

• Additional signals and turn laneson some internal streets in theDistrict;

• Realignment of some internalstreets in the District; and

• Some access restrictions includingmedians to restrict turningmovements and a one-wayrestriction on Norman Center Drive.

A detailed description of the proposedroad and traffic improvements isincluded in Appendix A. In addition,Section 6: Implementation Plan,describes the funding and phasing ofthese road improvements.

Transit EnhancementsThe District is currently served bythree transit routes operated byMetro Transit. Service is primarilyduring weekday morning andafternoon rush hours. Transit accessat other times is either not availableor very limited.

As employment increases there isopportunity to expand and enhancetransit service to the District. Aspreviously stated, Metro Transit hasindicated a willingness to considerthe District as a trip destinationduring weekday rush hours, ratherthan simply a trip originator.Improved east-west transit service isalso anticipated along AmericanBoulevard to support more intensivedevelopment along this corridor.

The I-494 employment corridorthrough Bloomington and adjacentcities is one of the most l ogical andvital corridors in the Twin Cities fortransit service improvements. A newtransit way paralleling the I-494employment corridor between theHiawatha and Southwest LRT lineswill be a vital and necessarycomponent. Although completion of



such a transit way may be 20 to 40years in the future, planning for itneeds to start today.

Until a transit way can be created,limited bus stop services should becreated along I-494 to facilitatesuburb to suburb transit trips. Theservice would transport ridersbetween stations or transfer pointsalong the corridor where they would be able to transfer to/fromlocal routes.

Improving ConnectivityGood access in and out of the Districtis provided by the major roads in thearea, including American Boulevard,West 84th Street, NormandaleBoulevard, and East Bush Lake Road.Internal circulation within theDistrict is also generally good, withthe exception of the area betweenNormandale Boulevard and StanleyAvenue, south of West 82nd Street.As noted above, establishing athrough connection in this areawould enhance access to existingbusinesses, increase safety andimprove circulation. Creating streetsin this area, whether public orprivate, should be done in a m annerthat maximizes the developmentpotential of adjacent parcels.

EnhancingPedestrian/BicyclistMovementMany of the major streets in the areaare flanked by sidewalks and/ormulti-purpose trails. However, thesystem of sidewalks and trails hasgaps and some of the busy streetscan be barriers to pedestrian andbicycle circulation. There isopportunity to expand the sidewalkand trail network in conjunctionwith road reconstruction andproperty redevelopment.

There are also opportunities andchallenges to improve connectionsbetween the east and west sides ofthe District and to surroundingresidential neighborhoods andNormandale Lake Park. A pedestrianbridge, required for operation of the84th and Normandale intersection,will provide a safe means forpedestrians and bicyclists to crossNormandale Boulevard. However,access to the pedestrian bridge willneed to be carefully designed. Theexisting American Boulevard bridgeover Normandale Boulevard hassidewalks, but these are not wideenough to accommodate bothpedestrians and bicyclists.

Many of the major streets in the areaare flanked by sidewalks and/ormulti-purpose trails.



Infrastructure capacity will need tobe increased before newdevelopment can occur in somelocations.

3.4 Coordinating Development with Infrastructure

Public infrastructure (i.e., roads,sewers) capacity must be adequate toaccommodate development. In somecases infrastructure capacity willneed to be increased before newdevelopment can occur. Generally,infrastructure upgrades areconstructed when new developmentoccurs or scheduled as part of theCity’s ongoing street and utilitymaintenance program.

The public infrastructureimprovement needs anticipated toaccommodate development in theDistrict over the next 20 yearsinclude:

Road and StreetscapeImprovementsA detailed description of the plannedroad infrastructure and streetscapeenhancements and timing ofimplementation is included inSection 5: Development Frameworkand Section 6: Implementation Plan.Most of the proposed improvementswill occur in two phases between2008 and 2014. Other road andstreetscape improvements will occurin conjunction with scheduled roadreconstruction.

Sanitary Sewer CapacityConstraintsFigure 3.4, next page, illustrates thesanitary sewer drainage areas in theDistrict. The sanitary sewer systemserving the west side of District(shown in orange) has adequatecapacity to serve planneddevelopment through 2030. A fewparcels on the east side ofNormandale Boulevard, includingthe shopping center, the bank, andthe Holiday convenience store/gasstation, are also served by thatsystem. The remainder of the eastside of the District is served by aregional sewer interceptor (3-BN-499)that is part of the MetropolitanCouncil Environmental Services(MCES) system, which also servesportions of Edina north of I-494. Thisinterceptor is currently near capacity.Thus, additional development orredevelopment on parcels served bythis interceptor requiring moresanitary sewer capacity will need tobe closely evaluated to determinewhether sufficient capacity isavailable.

Bloomington and Edina staff arecurrently working with MCES staffon a long-term solution to ensureadequate sanitary sewer capacity isavailable to serve planned growth inboth cities.



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Drains to W. 84th St.via W. 84th St.

Drains to W. 84th St. via W. 82nd St.and Oxborough Ave.

Public Sanitary Sewer Line

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Manhole

Source: Bloomington Utilities Division, 2008.

Figure 3.4 Existing Sanitary Sewer and Drainage Areas



Substantial private investments havebeen made to beautify the District.

Intentional consideration of urbandesign is important to establish aclear identity and visual consistency.

Given the District’s regional and localimportance as an employment,recreation, and residentialdestination, and its location as agateway to Bloomington, investmentsin the public and private realm aremerited to enhance and maintain thephysical and visual character of thearea. Intentional urban design isimportant to establish a clear identityand visual consistency and to ensurethat development is sensitive to thenatural environment and enhanceslivability and property values.

Substantial private sectorinvestments have been made in thearea that enhance its visualcharacter, particularly in the officedevelopments west of NormandaleBoulevard. Further enhancements,primarily to the public realm, shouldbuild on these efforts. There are alsoopportunities to extend the naturalcharacter, which is fairly prevalenton the west side of the District, to thearea east of Normandale Boulevardin conjunction with redevelopmentof older properties.

Enhancing the District’s characterwill require commitment to thefollowing efforts:

• Enhance the design and functionof public streets, sidewalks andpaths: This includes timely redesign,reconstruction, and maintenance ofstreets, sidewalks, and trails toprovide for comfort, safety, andtraffic flow while supportingsurrounding land uses. It alsoincludes establishing a moreattractive environment for walking,

biking and driving.

• Create green networks: Greennetworks can include streets,sidewalks, trails or interconnectedstormwater ponds. The emphasis ison use of plants and trees to enhancecomfort and aesthetics, improve airquality, and moderate the impacts ofweather. Green networks shouldreinforce primary routes to andbetween destinations in the areasuch as parks and open spaces,workplaces, residences, andcommercial shopping areas.

• Budget resources for constructionand maintenance: Adequatemaintenance is crucial to create andsustain an attractive and distinctiveidentity for the District in the longterm. Good design and carefulselection of materials should ensureconsideration of maintenancerequirements. Even so, committingresources to routine and long-termmaintenance is necessary to ensurestreetscape elements retain theirluster and ability to define a positiveidentity and image in the District.

A more detailed description andsummary of proposed streetscapeand urban design enhancements isprovided in Section 5: DevelopmentFramework and an outline of tasksand phasing to implement theseenhancements is included inSection 6: Implementation Plan.

3.5 Enhance District Character

Documents

Opportunities and Challenges T - City of Bloomington MN · 3.2 Opportunities and challenges Adjacency to major regional roads, such as American Boulevard, TH 100 and I-494, enhances