Planning commission weighs sketch plan for 20-unit memory care at 6016 Vernon Avenue; staff and neighbors flag parking and access concerns

The Edina Planning Commission heard a sketch plan presentation and provided nonbinding feedback on a proposal to demolish the former Keys Automotive building at 6016 Vernon Avenue and build a three-story, 20-unit memory care facility. Staff said the site is guided in the comprehensive plan for medium-density residential but currently zoned PCD 4 (planned commercial district); the applicant proposed rezoning to PRD 5 (planned residential district) and noted several variances would be required.

Kerry, the city planner presenting the staff overview, told commissioners the site is a small triangular parcel just west of City Hall and that multiple previous proposals for the parcel have required variances. She said the project would require a rezoning to PRD 5, site plan review and several variances (including setbacks and parking) and that, preliminarily, Met Council advised a comprehensive plan amendment would not be necessary because the medium-density residential guidance allows small institutional uses. "Within the existing medium density residential land use category, small institutional uses would be allowed," staff said, noting Met Council guidance that institutional uses can include new nursing homes.

Josh Branson, president and owner of Regreco, the applicant, said the developer had held multiple neighborhood meetings and narrowed the proposal toward a memory care use because it produces lower traffic than many commercial options and, he said, fits well with the surrounding residential fabric. "When we started having initial conversations on what could, may, or may not work here, really our conversations were focused around what's the lowest level of traffic that could be generated in the neighborhood," Branson said, describing efforts to test access options and screening concepts and noting the site’s triangular geometry makes design complex.

Staff reported the proposal would be short roughly three parking stalls under the current code assumptions and that the code does not require visitor parking; staff said visitor parking could likely spill onto nearby streets and that the project would need a parking study and traffic study with any formal application. City engineering and staff also raised an access concern: a driveway on both the Vernon and Eden Prairie Road sides could create a cut-through that neighborhood residents would use as a shortcut; Hennepin County would have jurisdiction over Vernon and would need to authorize any county-road access.

Commissioners’ comments were generally supportive of the land use — several described the memory care use as more compatible with surrounding residences than a commercial restaurant — but they qualified that support with operational and design concerns. Commissioners asked the applicant to: provide an operator for the project at the next review so the commission can evaluate staffing and licensure (assisted living vs. skilled nursing), present a detailed parking and traffic study that models peak staff and visitor flows (staff described peak staffing at about eight people with overnight staffing of four and an average staffing level around six to seven), and explore alternate massing, parking layouts and access configurations that reduce the likelihood of cut-through traffic on Vernon.

Commissioner Hahnemann, who identified experience in senior living operations, urged the developer to bring the future operator to the table and to detail how the building’s design will prevent residents from leaving unsupervised; she said secure, supervised outdoor space and operational protocols are essential for a memory care facility. Other commissioners asked for clearer plans for covered drop-off areas (important for inclement weather), more outdoor amenity space per floor, and an elevation study comparing the proposal’s height to adjacent buildings. Staff added that sewer capacity is being discussed with the Met Council and currently appears preliminarily achievable; detailed utility review will occur during formal application.

No formal vote or action was taken; the meeting record shows the presentation was a sketch-plan review only and that the commission provided comments for the applicant to address in a formal submittal (rezoning, site plan review, parking/traffic study, operator information and engineering details). The applicant said it will continue neighborhood engagement and return with a formal application.