HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994/04/11 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA
Monday, April 11, 1994
Call to order
Mayor Hanks called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Present were Council members Jeff Jacobs, George Haun, Ron Latz,
Robert Young, Gail Dorfman and Lyle Hanks.
Staff present included City Manager (Mr. Meyer) ; Director of
Public Works (Mr. Grube) ; Director of Community Development (Mr.
Hagen) ; Director of Parks and Recreation (Mr. Gears) ; and Asst .
to the City Manager (Mr. Larson) .
1 . Equipment replacement : Reauest to purchase additional vehicles
Staff was seeking to purchase of a 1/2 ton pickup truck and a 3/4
ton van as replacement . Purchase of these vehicles would not
increase the budget as money is available in the Equipment
Replacement budget . He was under a time crunch as the
manufacturer has a cutoff date of April 15, 1994 to provide the
vehicles painted St . Louis Park yellow.
It was Council consensus to place this item on the April 18
agenda.
2 . Right-of-way acquisition: Ford Road/Shelard Pkwy.
Mr . Grube said he had been unsuccessful in attempts to get
Equitable Life Assurance to donate property for right-of-way.
Right-of-way acquisition is critical as replacement of the
watermain is necessary in the very near future .
Council consensus was that if Equitable is to accrue a benefit,
they can participate to some extent and Councilmember Young
proposed that he would continue negotiations with them.
3 . Cedar Lake Rd. update: Task Force activities and request for
neighborhood meeting
Mr. Grube said the Cedar Lake Rd. /Edgewood area remain's a big
problem. A number of elements remain unresolved and these is no
clear agreement among residents and businesses on some of these
elements . Staff was seeking Council approval to hold a
neighborhood meeting for residents and businesses to discuss the
potential for installation of a traffic signal at the
intersection.
4 . Council/staff retreat
Mr . Wysopal reviewed his memorandum and sought input from
Council .
Councilmember Haun didn' t feel a facilitator was necessary and
that too much material was provided. Councilmember Jacobs did not
want to see the retreat dissolve into another goal-setting
session. He would like everyone to give their attention to more
concrete, substantive issues. Several other Council members felt
a facilitator was important to keep discusson on track.
Mr. Meyer suggested both staff and Council begin jotting down
items they feel important to be discussed at the retreat .
Staff will check what locations might be available with a
tentative date for the retreat being the end of the third week in
May depending on facility availability.
5 . Former special permit uses made non-conforming by adoption of
new Zoning Ordinance
Mayor Hanks said as far as he was concerned, billboards could
remain non-conforming. Talk centered on whether each of the non-
conforming uses should be dealt with separately or more globally.
It seemed once a problem was resolved in one area, a similar
situation popped up elsewhere, resulting in spot zoning to which
Council was opposed.
It was the consensus of Council that staff conduct a further
analysis of items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 in staff' s report and bring
it back to Council .
6 . Single-family attached elderly housing project : 28th &
Virginia
Harold Teasdale, project developer, was present . He described a
similar project in Stillwater.
Mr. Hagen said R-3 zoning could accommodate this project with
some modifications.
Councilmember Dorfman asked about the possibility of more of a
mix, not just elderly, as well as a mix of unit prices . Mr .
Teasdale said the Stillwater project was mixed with good success.
Councilmember Latz asked if TIF were involved and the project
failed, would the City be hurt . Mr. Hagen said guarantees would
be in place to prevent that .
Councilmember Latz wondered about the demand for such a project
and asked for a more sophisticated marketing analysis .
Mayor Hanks asked how tax increment financing could be involved.
Mr. Hagen said a district could be created and that he would
check closely on the specifics.
It was the consensus a neighborhood meeting first be held to
ascertain interest/opposition.
7 . Proposed ordinance prohibiting deer/raccoon, feeding
Although it was staff ' s recommendation to defer this item for
further research, Council felt it could be placed back on the
April 18 agenda.
8 . Cable TV rate regulation ordinance
Sarah Miles was present to answer questions and discuss cable
matters .
The ordinance, if passed, would bring the City' s franchise
ordinance into compliance with recent FCC regulations governing
local rate regulation.
This ordinance will be placed on the April 18 agenda for action,
having been continued from January 18, 1994
9 . Inspections/Community Development management study
Mr. Meyer said staff wanted to avoid selecting a consultant who
would conduct an "efficiency" study. They sought a consultant who
could do some creative thinking on how the City provides services
and how it can be improved. He said the recommended consultants
fell within budget parameters to conduct the study. Councilmember
Haun said the last think the City needed was another boilerplate
study.
This item will be on the April 18 agenda for action.
10 . Nortel Cable TV ownership transfer to Paragon
It was staff ' s recommendation that St . Louis Park, Bloomington
and Fridley jointly share the services of an attorney well versed
in the cable review process . The consultant in mind has done
similar reviews for a number of nearby communities.
As a side note , Mr . Larson noted even though it is called
"transfer of control, " the phrase "transfer of ownership" more
clearly describes the process.
The item will be placed on the April 18 agenda.
DoY 46gikth
*Cording Secretary