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Woodbury planning commission approves Beenberg Drive 150‑unit multifamily project with modified parking
Summary
The Woodbury Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a 150‑unit Beenberg Drive multifamily development, allowing a reduced parking count and requiring added pedestrian signal timing/striping details; the item will go to City Council March 11 for final action.
Eric, a city planning staff member, presented project 05‑2025‑0000594 — the Beenberg Drive multifamily application — seeking a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, a planned unit development, a conditional use permit and associated site and building plans for a 150‑unit development that includes a 137‑unit 55+ apartment building and attached townhomes. Staff said the site is within the Gold Line development area and that the Gold Line station area master plan anticipated a future comprehensive plan amendment to allow residential uses.
The applicant, Josh Brandstead, president and owner of Greco Properties, told the commission this is the firm's second 55+ project in the Twin Cities and said lessons from prior projects were incorporated into the design. Brandstead described the proposed unit mix and resident amenities, including a pool, pickleball court, community room, yoga studio and on‑site garage parking.
Staff identified a coding discrepancy: the zoning code's unit‑based parking requirement would require 274 spaces; the applicant requested 254 spaces. Eric said staff had researched parking ratios and supported changing the review metric from a per‑unit basis to a per‑bedroom count for multifamily senior housing, and recommended approval with conditions. The applicant described operational data from a Minnetonka project showing lower than code parking demand and explained they modeled a 75% stall reservation rate per bedroom when sizing parking.
Commissioners asked about tree preservation (staff: the pad was previously mass graded and most trees removed), pedestrian connections (staff: developer to construct the red‑dotted path shown; it ties into the Gold Line development sidewalk network), accessibility and handicap parking (entrance and garage locations were described), EMS access to pool areas, and recordation of long‑term maintenance obligations (staff: conditions will be recorded against the property so obligations run with the land). A student commissioner and multiple regular commissioners praised the architecture, landscaping and walking paths.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the project with the conditions in the staff report and to amend condition 15 to add more specific striping, push‑button installation and signal‑timing details for the pedestrian infrastructure. The commission voted to recommend approval and staff said the project will be scheduled for City Council review around March 11.
What happens next: The Planning Commission recommendation and the staff report will go to the City Council for final action; the commission required recorded conditions on parking proof and maintenance, and added a specific pedestrian infrastructure amendment to condition 15.
