SLP Approves 158-Unit Apartment Building at Former Chili's Site

The St. Louis Park city council approved a six-story, 158-unit luxury apartment complex in the West End on Monday after a Florida residential developer addressed most of the council's concerns over the density of the project.

The council voted 5-1 in favor of amending the planned unit development for the building, located on the former Chili's site, just south of Highway 394 near Highway 100 at 5245 Wayzata Boulevard. Mayor Jeff Jacobs was absent and council member Sue Sanger voted against the proposal.

"Doubling the density is way too much," Sanger said. "The bulk of your units are very small units that are basically going to be one person, or maybe two people if they get along really, really well. This is not housing for families, this is not housing for people with children."

But the rest of the council said they were satisfied with how the developer, Dolce Living, addressed their concerns for the property. In response to feedback given by the council in July, Dolce altered its plan, reducing the number of units from 163 to 158, introducing six three-bedroom apartments, staggering building height, adding parking spaces, providing two levels of underground parking instead of one and adding apartment units to the first floor. 

The building will hold 23 studios, 57 one-bedrooms, 16 one-bedrooms-plus-dens and 56 two-bedrooms, in addition to the six three-bedrooms. Plans incorporate a series of courtyards, green spaces, a pocket park and a dog run.

In September, the developer payed $4.85 million for the former Chili's building and the current Olive Garden building. Olive Garden's lease runs through 2023 and the restaurant has the option to extend for an additional five years.