Planning commission approves six-unit multifamily at 14336 Jefferson Avenue

The Brooklyn Park Planning Commission on Nov. 4 approved a plan to replace an existing single‑family home at 14336 Jefferson Avenue with a three‑story, six‑unit multifamily rental building.

The commission voted to approve the plan of consolidation, a special‑use permit for attached dwellings with several requested modifications, the preliminary site plan, landscape plan and building elevations subject to the conditions and findings in the staff report dated Oct. 30, 2025.

Staff said the project will consolidate two lots, demolish the existing house, and build a roughly 7,923‑square‑foot building with a floor‑area ratio of 0.7, within Village Center zoning limits. The building will be set back five feet from the front property line to support a pedestrian‑oriented street, include 12 parking spaces and one bicycle rack, and be clad primarily in brick and buff face stone. Staff noted the proposed building height of 39 feet, 7 inches is below the 40‑foot maximum for the district.

"We are the owners. We purchased the home on February 2, 2024," petitioner Michelleina Stock told the commission after being sworn in, and she confirmed that the owners have worked with development staff and accept the conditions in the staff report.

Staff described three requested modifications from the land development code: a minor reduction in the driveway drive‑aisle width from 24 feet to 23.51 feet to accommodate a required 6‑foot privacy fence; reductions to street and foundation landscape widths because the building sits five feet from the property line; and a request to count the proposed unit mix as rental dwellings. Staff recommended approval of all three modifications, noting the reduced drive aisle was a small change intended to preserve the required privacy fence and that the petitioner secured a cross‑access easement with the adjacent property to the south to improve circulation.

The applicant agreed to pay $3,600 cash‑in‑lieu for a site tree deficit of nine trees as required by the code prior to building permit issuance. Staff placed a condition requiring the bicycle rack shown on the plan be replaced with an inverted‑U or similar code‑compliant rack per section 6‑306(h)(3) of the land development code. Staff also required that the dumpster enclosure match building materials and that outdoor lighting meet the code's illumination standards at final engineering review.

Commissioners asked about materials, drainage and truck turning radii for the dumpster; staff confirmed the side and rear facades will use brick, swales are proposed and final engineering can require additional stormwater measures if needed, and turning radii were provided to ensure truck access. Commissioner comments were broadly favorable. Commissioner Schuessler moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion passed and the chair declared the vote unanimous.

The commission's approval authorizes the petitioner to proceed to final engineering and permitting subject to the recorded conditions and typical permitting reviews.