Victoria council reviews Atoria sketch plat for 76-unit senior housing cooperative; no approvals taken

City Planner Brian McCann and a representative of the developer presented a sketch plat for Atoria, a residential proposal on four parcels at 2285 Arboritum Boulevard that would convert the former Amira site into a senior housing cooperative and related housing types.

"Tonight we will be reviewing a proposal for a residential development," Brian McCann said, outlining the sketch‑plat purpose as feedback to the developer before preliminary plan submittal. McCann said the site totals just over 56 acres, contains significant wetlands and a stream connecting nearby lakes, and currently includes two single‑family homes.

The applicant proposes a 76‑unit cooperative senior apartment building, six twin‑home structures (two units each) and one new single‑family home. McCann said the project would provide 104 underground stalls and 63 surface stalls — 167 parking spaces in total — well above the city code minimum for the senior component, which he calculated at 92 spaces under current rules.

Developer Josh Calman described the cooperative ownership model and financing. "We're excited about this community and and the potential for this project," Calman said, explaining that co‑op members buy shares in a master‑mortgage structure, pay a monthly carry fee similar to an HOA, and that the cooperative owns the land.

Calman said resale of co‑op shares typically runs on a 90‑day contract window and that the model requires about 60% pre‑sales before construction; he cited a recently opened project with average share prices near $265,000–$275,000 as a reference point.

McCann and councilors discussed zoning and shoreline rules: the applicant expects to request rezoning to an R4 high‑density residential district and a comprehensive‑plan amendment because the central business district standards require 24–75 units per acre; as proposed, the project would be about 17 units per acre and thus needs an amendment. The site falls within the shoreland overlay, carrying a 100‑foot minimum building setback and a 50% open‑space requirement, and McCann said a tier analysis to satisfy DNR requirements will be required at preliminary plat.

The developer has offered to dedicate roughly seven acres of the future Lake Minnitonka Regional Trail Corridor as parkland dedication in lieu of the calculated fee (McCann said the fee requirement would otherwise be about $98,000). McCann noted the dedication "greatly exceeds the minimum requirements," but said the city had not required the developer to construct the trail segment or acquire additional land beyond the dedication.

Council members pressed on traffic, access and trail connectivity. McCann referenced an earlier traffic study done for the 147‑unit Amira project that estimated about 37 additional evening peak‑hour trips and roughly 450 average daily trips; he said the current proposal would generate substantially fewer trips. Councilors discussed seeking restored access to Highway 5 (right‑in/right‑out or other modifications), potential boardwalk alternatives for the trail through sensitive backyards, grant or partnership opportunities to fund trail construction, and whether the city should pursue interagency agreements with MnDOT, the county or watershed partners.

No formal action was taken on the sketch plat; McCann said staff and the applicant will return with preliminary plat materials and additional analyses (traffic, shoreland tier analysis, site utility and stormwater plans, and landscaping/tree‑preservation plans) as required.