Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984/02/13 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionMINUTES CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA February 13, 1984 1. Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Lyle an s. 2. Roll Call - The following Council members were present: Ronald Backes Keith Meland Thomas Duffy Larry Mitchell Jerry Martin Richard Strohl Lyle Hanks Also present were the City Manager, Director of Public Works, Director of Planning, Director of Parks b Recreation. 3. Revisions to the CSAH 5 and TH 7 Intersection - Craig Dawson, Admin- istrative Assistant to the City Manager, presented a plaq proposed by MnDOT that would redesign the CSAH 5 and TH 7 intersection. Revision of the intersection construction of park and ride and municipal parking lots, landscaping and streetlighting were among the elements included in the proposed plan. Many residents from the Park Hill neighborhood were in attendance. Questions were raised about traffic counts taken, at this intersection. Mr. Dawson said that MnDOT's 1980 count was 18,300 vehicles per day, but that the volume projection in 2000 has been set at 32,000 vehicles. Councilman Duffy requested that more recent traffic counts be obtained. Many residents asked questions about traffic movements at Glenhurst and CSAH 5 and Inglewood and CSAH 5. Many expressed concern that the proposed plan would create new safety problems. Some business owners maintained that under the proposed plan, their establishments would become less visible and less accessible to their customers. In response to these questions, Mr. Dawson explained that the design of the plan was intended to reduce traffic that currently cuts through the neighborhood to France Ave. to avoid the CSAH 5 and TH7 intersection. He said that many features of the plan including the landscaping and the construction of new parking lots would benefit businesses. One resident asked about pedestrian access across TH 7. Mr. Dawson said that access is available at TH7/Fr.but that providing access at Inglewood Ave. could also be explored. A business owner asked if the frontage roads would be built if the inter- section revision plans were rejected. Mr. Dawson said that the frontage roads would not be built since that improvement would have been MnDOT's responsibility. Residents asked if MnDOT was definitely going to make that improvement. The City Manager saia that the City can tell MnDOT that we do not want to change the intersection. The Director of Public Works added that MnDOT City Council study session minutes February 13, 1984 2. would want to make the signals at the intersection permanent if the City decides not to approve the intersection improvements. 4. 1984-88 CIP - The Assistant to the City Manager reviewed several changes that could ba -made to the 1984-88 CIP. She also responded to concerns raised by the City Council during its Jan. 23 study session. The Director of Public Works presented for possible sites for relocation of the pedestrian bridge at Hwy. 100/W. 36th St. intersection, as requested by Council at an earlier study session. These locations were W. 36th St. east of Beltline Blvd.; across the BNRR tracks at Dakota Park, TH 7 at Texas Ave., TH 7 at Wooddale and County Rd. 18 at 16th St. The Director of Public Works said that other options are allowing the contractor to salvage the pedestrian bridge, in which case the City incurrs no expense or retaining the bridge and selling it to another community. He has already received inquiries from two interested communities. Councilman Meland pointed out that the Council had made an earlier decision to forego a pedestrian bridge at TH 7 and Wooddale. He asked what had prompted this decision. Councilman Backes said that tie pedestrian bridge at County Rd. 18 and 16th St. had been a part of earlier CIPs. The Director of Parks and Recreation said that a pedestrian bridge at Dakota Park would give people living north of the BNRR tracks access to a major City park. The Director of Public Works said that the distance required to construct ramping to the bridge might pose an obstacle. Council reached a consensus that the options should be narrowed to the Dakota Park location and TH 7 at Wooddale Ave. Councilman Martin asked what price other communities might pay for the pedestrian bridge. Next the Director of Public Works explained the Ottawa Ave. crossing proposed in the 1985 CIP. There is no dedicated right-of-way for this project which would connect Ottawa Ave. from TH 7 to Beltline Blvd. Council instruc- ted staff to proceed with this project. The Assistant to the City Manager discussed cash flow projections for the State Aid Construction Fund. The fund is projected to be in a deficit position by the end of 1984 due to land acquisition costs projected for the Hwy. 100/W. 36th St. interchange and other improvements programmed in the 1984 CIP. These different assumptions concerning when Louisiana Ave. would be built were made in preparing the cash flow projections. In each projection, 1985 was the year in which the greatest deficit occurred. The Assistant to the City Manager said that it will probably be necessary to issue bonds for this fund in 1985. She added that the City will need to recognize the limits which have been placed on the use of this fund for construction of our State Aid streets. Finally, the Assistant to the City Manager highlighted significant improvements City Council study session minutes February 13, 1984 3. scheduled in the latter years of the CIP, including Beltline Blvd., TH 7 from Lake St. to Quebec Ave., I-394 and the TH 7 Corridor Redevelopment projects. 5. Sign Ordinance - The Assistant to the City Manager gave a chronology of activities re aced to the sign ordinance. She suggested that the 1979 proposed ordinance be used as a framework for developing signage regulations. In order to use the proposed ordinance as a framework, all references to billboards will need to be removed from it since Council adopted a billboard ordinance last summer. The Assistant to the City Manager recommen- ded that Council examine problem areas like temporary signs and regard development of an ordinance as an opportunity to define the role that signs should play in the urban landscape. She added that Council should develop the sign ordinance at the same time that it amends the ordinance which governs building regulations for signs. Coordination of these ordi- nances is needed to guarantee consistency. The Assistant to the City Manager noted that staff would be providing extensive documentation of Council's deliberation on the sign ordinance in order to protect the validity of the ordinance if it is ever challenged in court. A slide presentation depicting both good and bad signage found in St. Louis Park was provided. Issues addressed during the presentation included: temporary signs, window signs, rooftop signs, signs in residential districts, coordination of signs in multi -tenant buildings, calculating sign area and the use of lighting, script lettering and architectural materials consistent with the style of the building to which the sign is related. Other sign ordinance issues that need to be explored concern sign maintenance, amortization and the use of special permits. Councilman Duffy said that he believed temporary signs were a problem. Under current City ordinances, there is nothing that effectively limits the duration of a temporary sign. He also pointed out that the sign industry has made rather positive and significant changes in the past decade, especial- ly with respect to the designs and materials used in signs. Councilman Backes supported using the 1979 proposed sign ordinance as a framework. He said that the Council had agreed to prohibitng new rooftop Signs in 1983. He asked that Council look carefully at the areas and heights contained in the table of the proposed ordinance. 6- Charter Commission proposed amendments - There was a consensus among the COunCI mem ers a at -large ounce seats be designated thereby allowing candidates to select the seat for which they would like to run. Staff was asked to prepare an ordinance reflecting designation of the at -large seats. 7• 1983 summary of City Prosecutor activities - Council reviewed the summary,o t e ,ty rosecutor s activities an asked that this information be distributed to any attorneys interested in it. 8 Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 P.M. Sharon Klumpp, Recording SecrOeary