Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Continuum special-area plan, development agreement and site plan
Summary
After staff and applicant presentations, the commission unanimously adopted the Continuum Waterfront District SAP, approved the related development agreement and granted site-plan approval for a two-parcel mixed-use project that developers say will roughly double the village's annual tax base.
The commission voted unanimously to adopt the Continuum Waterfront District special-area plan (SAP), approve the development agreement and approve the site plan for the two-parcel Continuum project on the north side of the 79th Street Causeway.
Staff described the planned development as a phased mixed-use project with residential units, hotel rooms, commercial uses and civic spaces. Planner Jim Hickey told the commission the combined site is about 3.65 acres and that prior approvals existed; the SAP would unify the parcels and set standards tailored to the project. Applicant representatives said the plan increases civic space requirements, requires a parking-management plan and commits to community contribution fees and prepaid impact fees.
Alexandria (Ali) Eichner, presenting for the applicant, summarized project goals: "We are looking to improve livability and walkability," she said, describing shadow studies and step-backs designed to limit impacts on neighbors. The development agreement includes a $1.5 million workforce-housing payment-in-lieu option payable within 90 days and additional penalties tied to construction delays; staff recommended approval and commissioners voted to adopt the ordinance and both resolutions in separate votes, all passing unanimously.
The approved site plan calls for up to 547 residential units across phases (the presentation showed increases of four residential units and additional hotel rooms compared with earlier approvals) and set maximum building heights in the SAP (examples given: 440 feet and up to 600 feet on the east parcel, with step-backs and limits). The vote starts the process toward implementation; developers said they have begun construction on Continuum West and pledged upfront payments per the agreement.
