HISTORY OR GROWTH - AN IMPORTANT BALANCE...

 Join the coalition of downtown business and property owners unified in protecting what has made Victoria the special place it is – please reach out to your elected officials and ask them these questions, let them know you want to “Keep it Victoria” … 

Your elected official may be reached at his page: 
https://ci.victoria.mn.us/government/city_council.php 

Or you may contact all Council members by using this email address: 
Council@ci.victoria.mn.uPlease

WHAT IS GOING ON?

There are currently 3 large scale, multi-story multi-family projects approved or in the approval process. These projects are on the periphery of the Downtown Central Business District. With the Victoria Flat project, they represent over 500, multi-story, higher density housing units in the downtown area. 

This major increase in housing units will have a major impact on the Downtown business district and more importantly its already at capacity parking. 

The Gannon Apartment project proposes adding 73 more units. The difference is its mass and scale, that it is located directly in the core of the Central Business District, and that its masing, scope, scale and density far exceeds that of the other projects in the pipeline and approved. 

KEY PROJECT METRICS: 

The City Code requires; 

a minimum of 2 parking spaces per unit 
a maximum height of 35' 
a maximum residential housing density of no more than 75 units per acre ... 

This project proposes; 

just 1.3 parking spaces per unit, 
is appx 73' tall (4' to 8' taller than Victoria Flats), 
with just 0.69 acres, represents a density of appx 116 units per acre, more than 1.5 times the maximum allowable density. Victoria Flats density complied with City code at appx 74 units per acre. 

Commercial Space: 

This project also includes 6,000 sq ft of street front commercial space. This is in addition to the residential density. City code requires a minimum appx 24 and as many as 120 parking spaces for this commercial space depending on its use. 

A realistic example of use of this space, with a split of retail, office and a fitness center or coffee shop (appx 2,000 sq ft each) would require appx 55 dedicated private parking spaces. 

The project includes NO dedicated private parking for this commercial space. 

Even at the proposed below Code 1.3 parking spaces per apartment unit the commercial space would represent the equivalent of an additional 18 to 92 housing units. 

At the 'realistic example' - with 55 parking spaces required - the req'd commercial parking would represent the equivalent of an additional appx 42 apartment units to the downtown core. 

PARKING: 

This project proposes the City provide the existing 46 lot surface parking property, owned by the City, to the developer at essentially no cost. 

Parking details: 

- 98 underground private spaces dedicated to apartment tenants 

- 2 “Visitor” spaces dedicated to apartments 

- 96 spaces available for “pubic” parking 

-Total of appx 196 spaces overall (this total includes appx 9 on street spaces that could be built at minimal cost today, regardless of whether this project is built.) 

Public Parking - actual “NEW” public spaces : 

This project proses 96 total “Public” spaces. Deduct the 46 existing surface parking spaces and it leaves 50 proposed new parking spaces available to the “public.” The facts show something quite different.. 

Remember the developer has included NO dedicated private parking for the 6,000 sq ft of commercial street front space. They propose to use the new public shared parking spaces they create for the commercial parking. The minimum required commercial parking ranges from 24 minimum (if all office use) to 120 spaces (if all was fitness, coffee shop/restaurant or similar). 

With a proposed 50 “new” public spaces, using the ‘realistic’ example of 55 spaces req’d for the 6,000 sq ft commercial space, the project would create a NET LOSS OF 5 PUBLIC SPACES compared to the CURRENT 46 SPACES in the existing public City lot. 

TIF funding (provided by City): 

This project also presumably intends to ask the City to provide substantial TIF funding, likely in excess of $2 million face value (nearly $5 million paid to developer over the term of the TIF) to make the project “feasible” to build. The Victoria Flats project included a similar appx. $2 million in TIF funding, however 25% was retained by the City and used to create significant additional true public spaces. 

BENEFITS QUESTION: 

The proposed Gannon Apartment project fails to conform with the City Code requirements in almost every major area. Building height, dramatically exceeding density maximums, decreasing net truly available public parking … and imposing a massive, 6+ story, presence and scale in the core of the downtown Central Business district. 

This proposed project – while well designed and aesthetically pleasing – in a suitable environment and location – is completely out of character and scale with the existing historic Victoria Downtown Central Business District. 

The question asked by the majority of downtown property and business owners … is what benefit does this proposed project offer the community, and at what cost to what has made Victoria the highly desirable community that it is. 

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR VICTORIA? 

Please ask your elected officials and staff these important questions.