Planning commission recommends City Council approval for 679-unit Limmerch Village in southeast Lake Elmo

The Lake Elmo Planning Commission on June 8 recommended the City Council approve a preliminary plat and planned unit development for an approximately 80-acre project called Limmerch Village in the city's southeast growth area.

City staff introduced the proposal and told the commission the project would include 679 residential units: 67 detached single-family homes, 60 patio-style townhomes, about 161 urban townhomes, three multifamily buildings that together would contain about 271 units, and a 120-unit senior living building. The plan would also dedicate roughly nine acres of parkland surrounding stormwater features and rely on stormwater reuse for irrigation of common areas, staff said. “This is an entirely residentially proposed subdivision,” staff said in opening remarks.

Staff recommended approval with conditions after reviewing planned unit development criteria and identifying several PUD flexibilities requested by the developer, including reduced minimum lot sizes and narrower side-yard setbacks for some single-family lots. Staff noted the applicant proposed single-family lots with a minimum of about 5,400 square feet where the city code requires 7,000. The preliminary plat shows a multi-phase construction plan; the first phase would build single-family lots and patio townhomes, with multifamily and additional phases to follow once off-site utilities and road improvements are in place.

Questions from commissioners focused on tree preservation, parking and how a recent change in Met Council density calculations would affect the proposal. Staff said the project was largely planned under the previous Met Council methodology and that the city had confirmed with a Met Council sector representative that staff could use the methodology in effect when the application was filed. Staff also said the developer must comply with a landscape architect memo that requires replanting mitigations for removed trees before final plat approval.

On access and infrastructure, staff said the non-contiguous nature of the site requires the developer to construct or fund off-site improvements: water main extensions, a sewer connection along the Hudson Boulevard corridor, and a realignment or extension of Hudson Boulevard and construction of Fifth Street North. The staff presentation also explained an interim access plan negotiated with the owner of an adjacent grain-silo operation; county permit authority and an agreed-upon access arrangement would allow the silo to retain limited direct access until future development removes that condition.

Developer Mario Cucherella, owner of Maplewood Development Company, and partner builder Joe Jlansky described product types, price ranges and the project's benefits. Jlansky gave price ranges for product types (single-family houses roughly $420,000 to $475,000; patio townhomes starting around $360,000; urban townhomes in the mid-$300,000s to low-$400,000s) and said the developer expects a variety of builders to build vertical product types over time. The developer also said the applicant will create a homeowners association to maintain common areas.

During the public hearing, a family member of the adjacent bin/silo property said the proposed access arrangement works for their operation but urged caution about trail locations that might place pedestrians near truck movements. The comment was noted by the commission and staff.

A commissioner moved to recommend approval of the preliminary plat based on the staff findings and recommended conditions; the commission passed the motion by voice vote. Staff said the application will now proceed to City Council for final action on a date that is to be determined.

What happens next: The commission's recommendation will go to the Lake Elmo City Council. If the council approves the preliminary plat and PUD, the developer must meet conditions listed in the staff report (including finalizing off-site easements and conforming landscaping plans) before final plat and subsequent building phases can proceed.