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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995/06/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular "OFFICIAL COPY" -- Destroy previously issued copies . 7-11-95 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING P ! ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA June 19, 1995 1. Call to order Mayor Lyle Hanks called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. 2. Presentations Mayor Hanks read and presented to Ray Boisvert, recently retired Battallion Chief, Resolution No. 95-79 entitled "Resolution of appreciation to Ray Boisvert " 3. Roll call Present at roll call were Councilmembers Jeff Jacobs, Allen Friedman, Ron Latz, Robert Young, Gail Dorfman and Lyle Hanks. Also present were the City Manager(Mr. Meyer); Deputy City Attorney(Suesan Pace), Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening); Director of Public Works(Mr. Rardin), Director, of Parks and Recreation (Mr. Gears), Director of Inspections (Mr. Petersen). 4. Approval of minutes It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to approve the minutes of the June 5, 1995 City Council meeting The motion passed 6-0. It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Latz, to approve the minutes of the June 12, 1995 study session. The motion passed 4-0-2 (Councilmembers Friedman and Dorfman abstained). Because of lack of a quonim for the July 3, 1995 meeting, it was the consensus to move the meeting to July 5, 1995 5. Approval of agenda It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to approve the consent agenda for June 19, 1995. The motion passed 6-0 It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to approve the agenda for June 19, 1995. The motion passed 6-0. 1 105 PUBLIC HEARINGS 6a. Conditional Use Permit Fill, Halley's Custom Homes (cont. from June 5. 1995) Gary Wardell, 4510 Vallacher, asked if back-to-back 100 year storms determined flooding in the entire area or just the basements of the houses being proposed. Mr. Rardin said the Watershed District has looked at that and two 100 year back-to-back storms will cause the water to come up onto the roadway, but not into any basements in the area Under consideration was just the proposed homes, not the whole area. Mr. Wardell asked if it had been made sure the homes could be built without fill. How much fill is allowed without a permit. Mayor Hanks did not know the answer to the first question, the second was 400 cu yds Mr. Wardell had a number of technical questions, some of which the Mayor was able to answer, some not It was suggested his questions be addressed to the developer or the City's Inspections Department Susan Bay, 2145 Glenhurst Rd. felt if the trees were removed from the rear of their property, the neighborhood will cease to be the special place they moved into. Lynn Levine and Sandra Knaeble added their comments in opposition to the proposed project 11, Dee Long, 2409 Humboldt Ave. So , Minneapolis said she was part of a group that looked at possible sources of State finding to purchase the property but at no point did they have an indication there was a willing seller for a reasonable price. She asked the Council to continue on its present course, not to act hastily and take the time to weigh all the factors which she felt unfortunately Minneapolis did not do There being no one further wishing to speak, Mayor Hanks closed the public hearing with the right of Council to thereafter reopen and continue it at a future date, in this case upon receipt of a letter from Minneapolis. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to defer the item until the applicant presents Council with a letter from Minneapolis as required by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District The motion passed 6-0 Representatives Steve Kelley and Jim Rhodes and Senator Ted Mondale were present in chambers to receive Certificates of Appreciation from-the City for their assistance on special legislation introduced in the Legislature particuarly TIF districts. ' 106 111 Rep. Rhodes wanted to acknowledge the City staff that came to the Legislature to work side-by- side with the legislators and their staff Rep. Kelley echoed those remarks and said the kind of support they had received from City staff makes their job look pretty easy. Sen Mondale concurred and added his thanks for staff's support. Councilmember Friedman pointed out this was a bi-partisan effort illustrating a good working relationship and the City appreciates it. 6b. First reading of an ordinance establishing a moratorium to conduct a study of parks and open space Mr. Gears and Mr. Harmening gave a background presentation on this item A study of parks and open space has been a top priority of the Parks and Recreation Commission's agenda for over a year It is anticipated the study will take approximately 9 months to complete Mr Harmening said the ordinance under consideration does two things (1) it directs that a parks and open space study be conducted and it lays out the contents of such a study, (2) the ordinance includes a component which would establish a development moratorium for certain properties within the City. He said the purpose of the moratorium is to protect and preserve the opportunity for developing and using land for parks in the future He detailed other aspects of the moratorium Dick Curry, Fridley resident, said he was interested in purchasing from the Smiths their 11.8 acres 1 for a townhouse project. He said a moratorium would effectively dash this plan He asked why a moratorium at all, why not do a study and if a moratorium is then needed, implement it James Peter, general partner in a partnership owning a piece of property, the Burdick grain site, at 3120 Glenhurst spoke. The property has been under option with some developers who are trying to pursue a multi-family development. With a moratorium, this proposal would be knocked out for at least a year. He could not conceive of this property as parkland or open space. Christopher Dietzen, representing John Smith, the owner of property at 2631 Virginia Ave. spoke. They oppose the moratorium on the grounds it is not necessary and it would constitute an unreasonable delay which will have an adverse effect He presented a brief history of the zoning of the property He said several zoning studies have been conducted on this property and given that fact, he thinks the Council should consider exempting this property from the moratorium He was requesting that the land use study of February 1988 be made part of the record Gary Killian, Jewish Community Center, requested that the property directly to the south of the Center be exempted from the moratorium. The Center is in the planning stages for future development of the Center on this property. He asked that correspondence and the previous plans for the land be taken into consideration so there is some type of vehicle that would permit them to go ahead with their plans. Judy Kahm, 3901 So. Cedar Lake Rd felt that open space was very important and encouraged Council to proceed with the moratorium and study. 107 L.. There being no one further wishing to speak, the Mayor closed the hearing with the right of Council to thereafter reopen and continue it at a future date Councilmember Jacobs felt a study was long overdue, however, he did not wish a moratorium to cause adverse impact on any of the properties He asked what would the timeframe be for exempting certain properties and what would be the criteria for which individual properties could be reviewed to exempt them from the moratorium should it be determined they are probably not developable as open space/park land. Mr. Harmening responded there will be a process for exempting certain individual properties based upon a set of criteria which the Task Force will develop Councilmember Dorfman asked for comment on the land use study which was done before she came on the Council. It was her understanding that the focus was different from what was discussed. Judie Erickson, Planning Coordinator, said the 1988 study done on the Smith property was a - Comprehensive Plan study She said the study did not address the land as it pertained to park Also when staff is looking at the need for parks, it is the need that has been developed because of changing demographics over the past 5-6 years Councilmember Dorfman said there was a proposed membership representation on the Task Force. She said she would like to see someone from the Human Rights Commission and asked why someone was there from a Vision steering committee. Mr. Meyer said although there was discussion at a study session, there was not specific discussion about the particular representatives He said the Steering Committee on Community Connections is the only one that is different in that it is not an official body of the City Council They were the only committee that honed in on this issue It was moved by Councilmember Dorfman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to approve first reading, set second for July 3, 1995 and authorize summary publication The motion passed 5-1 (Mayor Hanks opposed) PETITIONS, REQUESTS, COMMUNICATIONS 7a. Party in the Park: Request for signage over Louisiana Ave. It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to approve the request. The motion passed 6-0. 7b. Special assessment for sprinkler system. Benilde St Margaret's It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to approve the request. 108 The motion passed 6-0. RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES 8a. Emergency ordinance: Replacement of City Hall air conditioning unit Ordinance 95-2034 It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Ordinance 95-2034. The motion passed 6-0 REPORTS FROM OFFICERS, BOARDS, COMMITTEES 9a. Amendment to Zoning Ordinance to create new M-X Mixed Use(C-3) zoning district Mr. Harmening noted that at its June 5 meeting, Council took a couple of actions on requests staff had received re the development of the Honeywell site. First, Comp Plan amendments were approved relating to the text in the Comp Plan as well as a map change Also, the Council adopted a resolution which amended the map to reguide the property from industrial to commercial. Also staff was directed to initiate amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to carry out the Comp Plan changes. A draft ordinances was before Council this evening which essentially creates a new zoning district which is proposed to be used on the Honeywell site. Janet Jeremiah, Planning Coordinator, reviewed the provisions and architectural standards of the ordinance. Some standards have not been included in the draft ordinance such as density for all uses; building height; general open space requirements, sign standards Staff would appreciate input from Council on these standards. She said staff was anticipating Planning Commission , review and recommendation on July 5 and potentially back on the Council agenda for first reading on August 7 and adoption August 21. With publication on August 30, it would become effective September 14. Bill McHale, Ryan Construction, commented on potential bus stops; that the Home Depot would not be allowed under the proposed ordinance; and the building architectural element under the proposed ordinance was of concern It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Young, to refer the draft ordinance to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation. The motion passed 4-2 (Councilmembers Dorfman and Friedman opposed). 9b. Appeals Task Force It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to direct the City Manager and Director of Inspections to appoint a Task Force to review the City's appeal process. 109, , The motion passed 6-0 9c. Traffic Study No. 495 (update): Traffic controls at W. 14th St/Colorado Ave. Resolution 95-80 Councilmember Young had a concern that staff put a great deal of emphasis on a sight line problem with this location and while he was supporting this item, he did not see sight line issues as necessarily an important issue. He couldn't see putting up stop signs wherever sight line problems existed as there would be stop signs all over the City. It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Resolution 95-80 entitled"Resolution authorizing installation of stop signs on W 14th St. at Colorado Ave." The motion passed 6-0 9d. Traffic Study 496 (update). Traffic controls at W. 27th St/Quentin Ave. Resolution 95-81 It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to adopt Resolution 95-81 entitled "Resolution authorizing installation of stop signs on Quentin Ave. at W. 27th St." The motion passed 6-0 9e. Traffic Study No. 497 (update): Traffic controls at Cedar Lake Ave/Inglewood Resolution 95-85 Mayor Hanks noted Council was in receipt of a petition from the neighborhood and that many people were in attendance for this item. Katrina Houltes, 4103 Cedar Lake Ave. and Jim Magrew 2637 Inglewood Ave. spoke in favor of placement of stop signs It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Gail Dorfman, to adopt Resolution 95-85 entitled"Resolution authorizing installation of stop signs on Inglewood Ave at Cedar Lake Ave." The motion passed 6-0. 9f Non-conforming single family homes It was moved by Councilmember Dorfman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to refer this item to the Planning Commission for its review and recommendation. 110 The motion passed 6-0. 9g. Traffic signal agreement with Golden Valley Resolution 95-82 It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Resolution 95-82 entitled "Resolution authorizing an agreement between the City of St. Louis Park and the City of Golden Valley to provide maintenance services and materials for their traffic signal and street lighting system." Councilmember Friedman asked if there were an analysis of how this impinges upon the City's traffic signal maintenance and how is it the City can take over the maintenance for another community. Was a cost benefit analysis done? Mr. Meyer responded that the City has been doing this on an informal basis for a number of years We bill back the cost, which has been less than $1,000 a year, so it's is minimal and no real impact on staffing. He said staff calculates its costs on an hourly basis including all fringe benefit costs, etc. and it ends up break even with no profit factor added on to it. The motion passed 6-0 9h City Engineer's report: Random concrete repair throughout City Resolution 95-83 • It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to adopt Resolution 95-83 entitled "Resolution accepting City Engineer's report, establishing Improvement Project 95-01; approving plans and specifications, authorizing advertisement for bids for Improvement 95-01." The motion passed 6-0 9I. Development of Southwest Regional Trail Corridor and use of Eminent Domain Resolution 95-84 Mr. Gears updated Council on the recent history of this project. He explained that in addition to development of the trail corridor is the question of gaining control of properties throughout the corridor It is essential the City and Hennepin Parks work cooperatively to gain control of all properties deemed essential the this project Council was being asked to exercise its powers of Eminent Domain to secure public ownership of the entire length and breadth of the Hutchinson Spur. The Hennepin Parks Board recently voted 6-1 to proceed with the development of a cooperative agreement with the City along the terms and conditions as presented to them. 111 Lori Lundy, 1101 Cedarview Dr., Minneapolis, project coordinator for Cedar Lake Park Assoc L..- spoke . She commended the City for taking these steps and urged approval Brenda Litman, 3301 Gettysburg Ave. echoed the comments of Ms. Lundy. It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to direct staff and the City Attorney to proceed with the development of a cooperative agreement between the City of St. Louis Park and Hennepin Parks, to adopt Resolution 95-84 entitled "Resolution authorizing the acquisition of certain properties by purchase or Eminent Domain; and authorize staff to initiate preliminary discussions with all other affected property owners between Virginia Ave and Hwy 100 regarding the need for access and/or easements to assure the succesful development of the Southwest Regional Trail." The motion passed 6-0. 9j. May financial report 9k. Minutes: Parks&Rec Commission May 10 91. Minutes: Human Rights Commission June 19 9m. Minutes: Housing Authority May 9 ... 9n. Minutes: Neighborhood Revitalization May 10 By consent, items 9j through 9n received for filing UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10a. Boards and commissions 1. Rules and procedures: Board of Zoning Appeals It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to approve the amended Rules of Procedure. The motion passed 6-0. NEW BUSINESS Ila. TwinWest Chamber raffle at Sheraton Park Place Hotel It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Young to approve the application and waive the 30-day waiting period. 112 The motion passed 6-0 1lb Bid tabulation: 1995 street work supplies It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to designate Koch Materials and Meridian Aggregate as the successful bidders and authorize contracts in the amounts of$39,840 and $38,250 respectively. The motion passed 6-0. MISCELLANEOUS 12a. Damage claims Lynda Ellison; Tom Schardin It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to refer the claims to the City Clerk and and City Manager. The motion passed 6-0. 12b. Communications from the Mayor Mayor Hanks gave a brief update on the League meeting in Duluth. 12c. Communications from the City Manager No communications CLAIMS,APPROPRIATIONS, CONTRACT PAYMENTS 13a. Verified claims It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Dorfinan, to approve the list of verified claims and authorize payment. The motion passed 6-0. 14. Adjournment It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to adjourn the meeting at 9.22 p m. The motion passed 6-0 A41114-- , Hanks, Mayor AV\AAh- ecording Secretary 11