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2004-08-30 Feasibility Report Coml Property Access RoadNbertville Smolt Town Uving. 019 Oty Wo. Commercial Property Access Road Feasibility Report Albertville, Minnesota SEH No. A-ALBEV0504.00 August 30, 2004 August 30, 2004 Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Albertville 5975 Main Avenue NE Albertville, MN 55301-9776 Attn: Larry Kruse, City Administrator Dear Mayor and Council Members: RE: Commercial Property Access Road Feasibility Report Albertville, Minnesota SEH No. A-ALBEV0504.00 Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH®)is pleased to submit the enclosed feasibility report for an access road along Interstate 94 connecting the Albertville Outlet Mall to the Albertville Business Park. This report addresses completion of the street and drainage improvements and associated wetland impacts. Estimated costs of the proposed improvements have also been provided. Funding for the project is proposed through special assessments to the benefiting properties. We have determined that the project is technically feasible and is necessary to support proposed future development and increased traffic volumes in the project area. We respectfully request that the City Council review the recommendations set forth herein and order an improvement hearing for the project. Sincerely, Robert L. Moberg, PE Project Manager rim a: Ve\slbev\0504004epons&pecs\coimdpmptysecesssdfeas.doc Commercial Property Access Road Feasibility Report Albertville, Minnesota SEH No. A-ALSEV0504.00 August 30, 2004 I hereby certify that this report was prepared by me or under my direct supervision, and that I am a duly Licensed Professional Engineer under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Robert L. Moberg; PE Date: August 30, 2004 Lic. No.: 23334 Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. 3535 Vadnais Center Drive St. Paul, MN 55110-5196 651.490.2000 Table of Contents Letter ofTransmittal Certification Page Table of Contents 1J0 Project History/Background ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Location ........................................................................................................... 1 1-2 Feasibility Report Initiation ............................................................................... 1 2.0 Description of Construction Elements .................................................................. 1 2.1 Roadway —.-----.------------.-------..-------.1 2.1.1 Existing Conditions ............................................................................... 1 2.1-2 Proposed Improvements -----------------------..2 213 Alternatives ........................................................................................... 2 2.2 Storm Sewer .................................................................................................... 2 2.2.1 Existing Conditions ............................................................................... 2 2.2.2 Proposed Improvements ....................................................................... 2 2.3 Welland Mitigation ............................................................................................ 2 2'4 Project Constraints .......................................................................................... 3 3.0 Maintenance Impacts .............................................................................................. 3 4.0 Estimated Costs ...................................................................................................... 3 5.0 and Easements ................................................................................. 3 0J0Permits .................................................................................................................... 3 7.0 Financing ................................................................................................................. 4 8.0 Project Timetable .................................................................................................... 4 9.0 Non —petitioning Properties Affected ...................................................................... 4 10.0 Controversial Aspects ............................................................................................ 5 List of Figures Figure 1 —PuojactLocation Figure 2—Proposed Street Alignment Figure 3 — Typical Section List of Appendices SEH is a regis!ered trademark of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. Commercial Property Access Road A-ALBEV0504.00 City of Albertville Page i August 30, 2004 Commercial Property Access Road Feasibility Report Prepared for the City of Albertville 1.0 Project History/Background 1.1 Location The project study area is located in the northwesterly area of the City and is bounded by Interstate 94 (I-94) to the south, the Albertville Outlet Mall to the east, and the Albertville Business Park on the north and west (see Figure 1). Development in the Albertville Business Park has created a need for improved roadway access and safety for the area. 1.2 Feasibility Report Initiation The City Council authorized preparation of this report at its regular meeting held July 19, 2004. 2.0 Description of Construction Elements 2.1 Roadway 2.1.1 Existing Conditions The Albertville Outlet Mall is served by a private access off CSAH 19 that extends through the mall property. Keystone Avenue currently provides access to Welcome Furniture, as well as two other undeveloped properties in the Albertville Business Park. A direct roadway connection between Keystone Avenue and the Outlet Mall access road does not exist. The westerly end of the Outlet Mall property contains a wetland area that was created as a mitigation site when the Outlet Mall was built. In the same general location, there is a spoil pile that was left when construction of the Outlet Mall was completed. A freeway sign for the Outlet Mall is located between the Outlet Mall and the Welcome Furniture property. 2.1.2 Proposed Improvements The proposed roadway connection extends approximately 1600 feet southeasterly of the Keystone Avenue cul-de-sac as shown on Figure 2. The street will be built in accordance with City standards for a 32-foot wide commercial road with concrete curb and gutter and a 9-ton design bituminous A-ALBEV0504.00 Page 1 pavement. The proposed roadway structural section is 5.5 inches of bituminous pavement on 8 inches of aggregate base, with 18 inches of granular subbase. This section is shown in Figure 3. The connection of the Albertville Outlet Mall access road and Keystone Avenue is necessary to improve roadway safety and access in the area as development continues and traffic volumes increase. 2.1.3 Alternatives The routing of the connection road directly east to the existing service road behind the Outlet Mall was considered. The proximity of an existing wetland along the west side of the Outlet Mall limits the amount of available space for a street connection. In addition, parking and delivery vehicle access along the back side of the Outlet Mall would be compronused. 2.2 Storm Sewer 2.2.1 Existing Conditions Existing storm sewer facilities within the project area consist of two 42-inch RCP culverts which provide the outlet for the wetland to the west of the Outlet Mall. The flow from these culverts drains to a wetland complex between the Outlet Mall and I-94. 2.2.2 Proposed Improvements Proposed storm sewer improvements consist of installation of piping and catch basins in the proposed road. This system will outlet into an existing storm water pond on the west side of the Keystone Avenue cul-de-sac. The existing 42-inch RCP culverts will be extended to the north to accommodate extension of the roadway improvements. Catch basins will be installed in this portion of the road and connected to one of the culverts. The improvements will be designed to convey runoff generated by a 10-year frequency rainfall event from the roadway and adjacent frontages. 2.3 Wetland Mitigation A small area (0.07 acre) will be impacted within the existing wetland on the west side of the Outlet Mall. This is a wetland which was created as a mitigation area and which will have to be replaced at a 4:1 ratio. Another wetland area would be impacted on the north side of the proposed street. This area of impact is approximately 0.40 acres and would need to be replaced at a 2:1 ratio. The proposed wetland mitigation area is where the existing spoil pile is located. Once the spoil pile is removed, a wetland area can be created at the site. 2.4 Project Constraints The route of the proposed alignment was chosen in order to minimize the impacts upon the existing wetlands. The location of the Outlet Mall building, the I-94 right-of-way, and the Welcome Furniture building and parking lot dictates an alignment that impacts the wetlands as shown on Figure 3. Commercial Property Access Road A-ALBEV0504.00 City of Albertville Page 2 The sign located within the proposed alignment is unavoidable and will need to be relocated. It is proposed to be moved approximately 70 feet to the northwest. 3.0 Maintenance Impacts Maintenance impacts resulting from this project should not change significantly within the area. Periodic cleaning of the storm sewer improvements is within the scope of present maintenance activities for the area. 4.0 Estimated Costs A detailed project cost estimate can be found in Appendix A of this report. A summary of various components of the project is as follows: Project Element Estimated Cost Removal of Spoil Pile $126,800 Street Improvements 402,500 Storm Sewer Improvements 94,300 Wetland Excavation and Mitigation 70,200 Sign Relocation 71,500 Total $765,300 5.0 Right -of -Way and Easements At this time it is anticipated that a 60-foot right-of-way will be dedicated to the City -for construction of the street. Also, a 40-foot wide drainage easement will be necessary through Lot 1, Block 4 of the Albertville Business Park for installation and maintenance of the storm sewer outlet into the pond on the property. 6.0 Permits The following permits are anticipated: ■ Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) permit for wetland excavation and mitigation • Army Corps of Engineers permit for work in protected wetlands ■ NPDES permit for general grading activities 7.0 Financing It is anticipated that this project would be financed primarily through assessments to the benefiting property owners. The proposed method of assessing the costs of the project is as follows: ■ The Outlet Mall would be assessed the full cost ($126,800) of removing the Spoil Pile. ■ One half of the remainder of the construction costs ($319,250) would be assessed to Lots 1-4 in the Albertville Business Park and prorated according to acreage. The other half of the remaining project costs ($319,250) would be assessed the Outlet Mall. According to this allocation, the assessments would be as follows: Commercial Property Access Road A-ALBEV0504.00 City of Albertville Page 3 Albertville Outlet Mall $446,050 Lot 1 (Welcome Furniture) $104,710 Lot 2 $60,340 Lot 3 $47,250 Lot 4 $106,950 Total $765,300 8.0 Project Timetable A proposed timetable for implementing the improvements identified in this report is outlined below: ■ City Council Receives Feasibility Report and Calls for Public Improvement Hearing........................September 7, 2004 ■ Publish Notice of Public Hearing....................................September 2004 ■ Public Improvement Hearing ......................................... October 18, 2004 ■ Council Orders Preparation of Plans and Specifications.................................................................October 18, 2004 ■ Council Approves Plans & Specifications and Orders Advertisement for Bids. . ....................................... December 2004 ■ Bids Received...................................................................... January 2005 ■ Council Awards Bid .......................................................... February 2005 ■ Project Construction........................................................ April -July 2005 ■ Final Assessment Hearing ...................................................October 2005 9.0 Non -petitioning Properties Affected The affected properties have not petitioned the City for the proposed roadway improvements. 10.0 Controversial Aspects Proposed assessments may be controversial, as the improvements were not petitioned for by existing property owners. Controversy may arise out of impacts upon the existing wetlands in the project area. Controversy may also arise out of the relocation of a business sign that would interfere with the proposed roadway. (See Figure 2) The sign is a substantial structure which would require an access point for maintenance and would require adequate sight lines to be maintained in its new location. 11.0 Conclusions and Recommendations It is concluded that the project is feasible from an engineering standpoint. The proposed street improvements will effectively address the traffic flow Commercial Property Access Road A-ALBEV0504.00 City of Albertville Page 4 problems found in the area, will allow for better access for emergency vehicles, and will provide better access to local businesses. It is recommended that the City Council order a public hearing for this improvement project. .711L;��;� Commercial Property Access Road A-ALBEV0504.00 City of Albertville Page 5 List of Figures Figure 1 — Project Location Figure 2 — Proposed Street Alignment Figure 3 — Typical Section N n wo C S" wo .co. _io feet ),Of I FFILE NO. 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