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Commission recommends limited Comprehensive Plan change for 3499 Lexington Avenue but public opposition remains
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended a city-level Comprehensive Plan amendment (4-1) to allow higher residential density for the Roers Companies proposal at 3499 Lexington Ave, while commissioners acknowledged strong neighborhood objections and asked for more study and redesign before site-level approvals.
On July 8 the Arden Hills Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend a Comprehensive Plan amendment allowing up to 30 units per acre and an increase in FAR (to 1.0) for residential development at 3499 Lexington Avenue (Planning Case 26-009). Community Development Director Jacob Reilly said the property is guided for Community Mixed Use and that the applicant proposes a 167‑unit market‑rate apartment building (roughly 29.5 units per acre and a proposed building of about 249,944 square feet). Reilly told commissioners that the Comprehensive Plan has been amended in the past to accommodate similar requests but added that a market analysis would be useful to guide long-term policy decisions.
The vote on the Comprehensive Plan amendment was contentious. Commissioner SJ Julius opposed the motion, saying she “believed this was the wrong move for the City,” arguing the Commission should not bend the Comprehensive Plan to fit a single developer’s financing. Supporters of the amendment — citing higher construction costs and changing market dynamics — said keeping the ceiling rigid at 20 units per acre could prevent any redevelopment on the parcel. The recommendation now goes to the City Council for final action; commissioners emphasized that any comprehensive plan change must still be reconciled with site‑level review and neighborhood concerns.
