HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996/06/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session MINUTES
STUDY SESSION
ST. LOUIS PARK CITY COUNCIL
June 10, 1996
I Mayor Dorfman called the meeting to order at 7.00 p m.
Present were Councilmembers Jim Brimeyer, Jeff Appelquist, Sue Sanger, Robert Young, Ron
Latz and Jeff Jacobs.
Also present were the City Manager(Mr. Meyer); Deputy City Manager(Ms. Kutzler);Director
of Parks and Recreation (Mr. Gears); Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening);
Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Anderson); Planning Coordinators (Ms. Erickson, Ms.
Jeremiah)
1. Rec Center Renaissance update
Mr Gears and Roger Johnson, architect, displayed a scale model of the Rec Center proposed
design.
Mayor Dorfman asked to what extent did Mr. Johnson want input from the Council on details of
the proposal Mr Johnson stated the big picture had been addressed by the Task Force and he
would like to hear Council's ideas about colors such as the water slide and comments re the
interior design.
Don Hackert, Kraus Anderson, gave a brief presentation on projected budget figures.
There was a discussion on the quality of fencing to set the tone for the whole development and
increasing the size of the fenced-in area to enclose the green space near the old entrance. There
was also a discussion of the number and location of toilets There was consensus to include at least
one toilet each in the team room area between sinks.
There was discussion about banquet upgrades, banquet use demand, the permitting alcohol in the
banquet facility and potential impact on people using the center. Mr Gears explained the banquet
facility would have a separate entrance. He noted in order to get the necessary banquet business,
the serving of liquor was important and that 8 out of 10 community centers he surveyed do serve
liquor. Staff will follow up in the future on this subject including updated research on liability
Mr. Gears noted the necessity of replacing the hockey boards and touched bnefly on the Belt Line
Blvd intersection and the need for realignment to handle the expected increase in traffic.
No action was required this evening Mr Gears indicated the issues will be revisited in about 2
months and will include options on color palette.
2. Study of need for additional gym space
Mr. Gears said the question was is it needed or not and who is going to pay. It would seem
appropriate this be a joint effort of the City, the School District and interested local youth sports
organizations. Staff was suggesting the creation of a study group comprised of City and School
District representatives to conduct a study and present preliminary findings by the second Monday
in August.
Councilmember Jacobs volunteered to be the City Council representative to the study group.
3 Amendment to Municipal Code Licensing of secually-oriented businesses
Ms. Erickson made this report. She touched on the changes to the proposed ordinance since it
was heard by Council on May 6 The changes include a clause which would allow non-conforming
sexually oriented businesses to be licensed without meeting locational requirements and deleting
the public hearing provision.
There was general discussion about whether all sexually oriented businesses should be licensed.
It was Council consensus for staff to return with a licensing ordinance restricted to on-site
consumption and to possibly look at grandfathering all existing businesses (equal protection
issues).
It was Council consensus that the any licensing be restricted to on-site consumption
4. Item deleted
5. Strategic plan for Housing and Economic Development
Kent Ekland, Cincinnatus, was present for this discussion
At the request of the Mayor, there was a discussion relatingf to the future steps to be taken to
achieve the desired outcomes of the strategic planning process
Mayor Dorfman expressed the need to clarify and simplify the strategis goals and policies. She felt
it important to set forth general statements regarding neighborhood focus, community values and
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connections.
Councilmember Jacobs felt the City needed a clear and consistent statement for developers Too
often the Council gets bogged down in discussion over such things as exterior building color, etc.
The goal was to develop a strategic plan, a list of criteria and identify areas to target for economic
development What needs to come out of housing component is not as clear
Discussion centered on what effect development would have on surrounding housing and
neighborhoods, how would it connect to the neighborhood.
Councilmember Brimeyer believed discipline comes from the Vision statement if, indeed, that
statement is still valid and believed in. Focusing on Vision St. Louis Park can keep the City on
track vis a vis future development He suggested identifying 5-6 most important criteria and
developing action plans for these.
Councilmember Sanger felt it important to set forth principles of what our neighborhoods mean
and how they relate to commercial, i.e, address connections She feels the housing component
needs more work
No action was required this evening. There was consensus on the need for more work/details on
housing and connections including neighborhood connectivieness and perhaps a neighborhood
template. The next Housing and Economic Development Strategic Planning Committee meeting
was rescheduled to July 1, not June 17.
6. Metropolitan Development options
Ms. Jeremiah gave this report. It concerned interest on the part of the Met Council to receive
input on growth policies currently being formulated by the Council. She touched briefly on the
major issues associated with the various growth options commonly referred to as"Current
Trend", "Growth Centers" and"Concentrated." She was asking Council for its choice(s)
It was the consensus of the Council that the item go to the Planning Commission first and return
to Council with their recommendations for the July 1 agenda.
7 City Attorney agreement
Council identified the following modifications to the draft agreement:
Section 4 - delete"within limits of its billing system."
Section 10 - change"or" to"an" in last line
Section 22 - clarify City approval of outside attorneys usage and Contractor personnel
Other areas of discussion included:
Provide incentive to use"least cost" staff where appropriate (i.e., work should be done as
efficiently and effectively as possible);
Right of removal of staff and/or notify primary attorney to make personnel adjustments
Require estimate up front of costs (e.g., require written budgets for any litigation)
Develop billing rules (e.g , number of people at trial if appear to potentially exceed budget,
notify and provide options),
Number of interview attendees
Interview process, potential follow-up meetings
8. Potential EDA purchase of property near Excelsior Blvd. (verball
Mr. Anderson reported this house had come to his attention, the asking price $114,900. Council
directed staff to pursue a contract with the seller and return for Council action. Proposed
meetings with neighbors and options were also discussed.
The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p m.
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"cording Secretary