Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997/03/18 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular CITY OF I' ST. LOUIS MINUTES '. jPARK CITY COUNCIL MEETING ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA February 18, 1997 • 1. Call to order Mayor Dorfman called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. 2. Presentations -None 3. Roll call The following Councilmembers were present at roll call: Jeff Jacobs, Beverly Flanagan, Sue Sanger, Ron Latz, Robert Young, Jim Brimeyer, Mayor Gail Dorfman. Also present were the City Manager(Mr. Meyer); City Attorney (Mr. Fuchs); Deputy City Manager (Ms. Kutzler); Director of Community Development(Mr. Harmening); Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin); Director of Inspections (Mr. Petersen); Director of Parks and Recreation (Mr. Gears); Housing Coordinator(Ms. Quarfot). 4. Approval of minutes of February 3. 1997 There being no amendments/corrections to the minutes,they were approved as presented. 5. Approval of agenda for February 18. 1997 Consent agenda- It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to approve the consent agenda. The motion passed 7-0. Feb. 18 agenda-It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to approve the agenda. The motion passed 7-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS 6a. Intent to continue organized garbage, refuse, recycling and yard waste collection services within the City. Resolution 97-15 Lisa Disbro, 8000 Powell Rd. of Waste Management which operates Recycle America, St. Louis Park's recycling service wanted to express the company's intent to submit a proposal for waste collection and recycling for the City. 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 Brimeyer wanted to clarify that at this point, staff is soliciting qualifications from qualified companies. He wanted to reiterate that those companies completing the RFQ need to demonstrate that they have handled large accounts. Merely having one truck operating in the City doesn't necessarily qualify a company. It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Latz to adopt Resolution 97-15 entitled "A resolution of intent to organize solid waste collection within the City of St. Louis Park and to invite the participation of interested persons in planning and establishing the organized collection system." The motion passed 7-0. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, COMMUNICATIONS None RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES 8a City Engineer's report: Excelsior Blvd. Streetscape Phase III -Improvements from Monterey Dr. to France Ave.: City Project 96-35/96-22 Resolution 97-16 A brief presentation was given by the consultants for the project. It was moved by Councilmember Flanagan, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Resolution 97-16 entitled "Resolution accepting the City Engineer's report, establishing Improvement Project Nos. 96-35/96-22, authorizing development of final plans and specifications for Streetscape Project No. 96- 22, ordering Improvement Project No. 96-35, approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisement for bids for street lighting poles and fixtures, Improvement No. 96-35." The motion passed 7-0. 8b. City Engineer's report: Watermain replacement on Shelard Parkway from Nathan Lane to 450 ft north of the north frontage road of I-394 and roadway mill and overlay Resolution 97-17 Mr. Moore said this item was a follow-up from last year's first phase of a four-year project to replace all the watermain in Shelard Park due to corrosion of the existing system. Councilmember Sanger said since this project is contingent on the sale of bonds and Council has not voted on the sale, why is this being voted on before the issue of even selling the bonds is resolved. Mr. Moore said if Council proceeds with the sale of the bonds, staff would thereafter proceed with advertisement for bid. This allows staff to proceed with the development of plans and specifications at this time. It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Resolution 97- 17 entitled "Resolution accepting the City Engineer's report, establishing Improvement Project Nos. 96- 33 and 96-27 ordering Improvement Project Nos. 96-33 and 96-27 approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisement for bids for Improvement Nos. 96-33 and 96-27." The motion passed 7-0. 8c. Advancement of funds from MSA account Resolution 97-18 By consent, Council adopted Resolution 97-18 entitled"Resolution requesting advancement of Municipal State Aid funds for municipal State Aid street projects." 8d. Authorization to advertise and receive bids for sealcoating materials for 1997 Resolution 97-19 By consent, Council adopted Resolution 97-18 entitled "Resolution accepting the directors report, authorization to advertise and receive bids for sealcoating materials." 8e. Authorization to advertise and receive bids for bituminous patching materials for 1997. Resolution 97-20 By consent, Council adopted Resolution 97-20 entitled"Resolution accepting the directors report, authorization to advertise and receive bids for bituminous patching materials." 8f. Second reading of Ordinance to revise the franchise agreement with NSP Ordinance No. 2086-97 Ms. McBride noted that Minnegasco wanted major rewrites to the franchise, so for purposes of the this second reading, the NSP franchise agreement amendments stand alone and staff will start over with the agreement with Minnegasco. It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to adopt Ordinance 2086-97 entitled"Ordinance amending the St. Louis Park municipal code related to the electric franchise agreement with Northern States Power" , and call for a public hearing on the proposed amendments to the Minnegasco franchise agreement for March 17, 1997. The motion passed 7-0. 8g. Resolution adopting a policy for the use of Matured Special Assessment Debt Service Fund's assets Resolution 97-21 Councilmember Flanagan asked if the use of these funds was anticipated during the approval of the renovation of the Recreation Center or is this action required due to the increased construction costs. Mr. Meyer responded that when the funding for the project was established, staff indicated the source of last resort would be the Matured Special Assessment Fund. Because of some of the difficulties encountered with bidding and pricing on the project, it now looks apparent that the City will have to use some of that Fund . This action would set up a situation wherein the funds to cover the worst case scenario are set aside in Matured Special Assessment Fund so that those funds could not inadvertently be committed to some other purpose. It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to adopt Resolution 97- 21 entitled"A resolution adopting a policy for the use of the Matured Special Assessment Debt Service Fund's assets and establishing a reserve of$2,783,790 for future debt service." The motion passed 7-0. 8h. Variance appeal: 2200 Florida Ave. Mr. Petersen said Shotwell Company appeared before the Council on Nov. 18, 1996 appealing the decision of the Board of Zoning Appeals to deny their variance for an expansion of their industrial building. He spoke briefly of the noise monitoring that the City had undertaken in which no ordinance violation was found. Lynne and Michael Lent, 6739 Eliot View Rd., addressed Council. They questioned the veracity of the testing and monitoring. They did express their appreciation of the measures taken by Shotwell over the past months to reduce the noise and vibration. In the interests of goodwill and neighborliness, they removed their opposition to the variance under the following conditions: If the recent testing was a true cross-section of the company's workload,they were requesting that Shotwell stay within the parameters of the materials tested and that any heavier materials be cut by laser. They wanted assurance that any nuisance vibration will be infrequent and of short duration. Mike Bloomquist, Shotwell Company,addressed Council relative to the variance request. Tom Powers, 2241 Hampshire Ave. S. asked Council to consider the visual and safety impact of allowing the extension of an already long 5 ft. gap between Shotwell and the businesses. Also to consider the visual effect of a continuation of an unbroken wall of buildings already allowed to encroach too close to the residents on the West and its impact on the landscaping effectiveness. Councilmember Latz, noting Mr. Powers was a member of the Eliot View Neighborhood Association, asked if he was speaking on behalf of the Association or as a resident. Mr. Powers said that on this issue he was speaking as an individual. Councilmember Sanger asked if staff had any concerns from a safety perspective relative to the widening of this narrow corridor that would occur if the variance were granted; and secondly whether staff has any reason to have changed its recommendation that it made to BOZA with respect to any of the criteria for whether or not a variance should be granted. Mr. Petersen was not aware of any concerns expressed in the past relative to safety issues. He said staff has not seen any additional evidence to cause a change in the recommendation. It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer, to reverse the decision of the Board of Zoning Appeals and direct staff to prepare a resolution of approval with findings to present at the March 3, 1997 meeting. The motion passed 7-0. 8I. Resolution authorizing the execution of a contract for fabrication and installation of a sculpture at the Recreation Center _ Resolution 97-22 It was moved by Councilmember Brimeyer, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs,to adopt Resolution 97-22 entitled"Resolution authorizing execution of a contract for fabrication and installation of a sculpture at the Recreation Center public plaza." The motion passed 7-0. 8j. _ Town Center concept plan Mayor Dorfman emphasized that what Council was looking at tonight was a"concept",not definite plans and it is intended to keep the process moving, both in terms of public input and undertaking some studies. Ms. Jeremiah spoke about the process and comments received to date on the concept plans and what concept plan approval means to the City and community. Some of the concerns expressed by affected businesses were the following: First off, a number of businesses have expressed that they are happy the City is doing something to address the area before it becomes a problem; on the other hand concerns were expressed particularly by those businesses that might be faced with relocation as a result of redevelopment; also concerns expressed about adequate parking for all the business needs. Sterling Patterson, TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and Business Council, reiterated concerns. of the Chamber: their belief that the marketplace should determine which businesses are to remain in an area and which may not be appropriate. She said the market studies the City plans to undertake addressed those concerns. The Chamber was concerned about displacing entrepreneurs. Also, the financial feasibility. They would stress there should be budget guidelines so all know what they are getting into prior to implementation. The Chamber wanted to position itself as being pro-active, continuing dialogue with City staff. Jim Jennings, 4630 Excelsior Blvd., asked if the concept plan was being adopted subject to studies. For example, an east/west road is being proposed which is opposed by Wolfe Lake Condominiums. If the studies show the road is necessary, is it then automatically in. Mayor Dorfman said there are sketches that the Task Force will be looking at along with the consultant and thereafter make recommendations to the Council. John Miller, 3550 France Ave. spoke. His question was can this be done financially and can industries be attracted to come into this area. He felt everyone should continue working on the plan and take the time to look into TIF, with the financing , what businesses can be attracted to fit into this plan. He cautioned about moving too rapidly. Mark Savin, 90 S. 7th St., Minneapolis, attorney for Jim Jennings. He felt the concept plan was too vague, too unformed. The sketch has no economic or physical reality to it. He hoped Council would modify the resolution so that instead of formally adopting a concept plan, Council simply say that further study of the concept plan shall proceed. Councilmember Young noted Mr. Savin's suggestions were covered in the conditions as listed in the resolution. Also he felt that before studies can be done, before the Task Forces can proceed with meaningful work, some sort of direction needs to be laid out by the Council, ideally in the form of a resolution. Mr. Savin asked it be made clear that by Council adopting this resolution it was not adopting as a plan the sketch that was displayed. Also that no action is being approved other than further study by the Council and staff. Mayor Dorfman said that was correct Councilmember Brimeyer noted that in traditional planning, the City Council and Planning Commission go through a great exercise, unveil their results and expect everyone to accept it. This is a new approach-- a couple of hundred people involved in the charrette, the Task Forces, many meetings, etc. Simply put, he did not care what words were used tonight; rather, he wanted the Council to say this is the concept that we feel, at this point in time, is a good idea, we give it preliminary endorsement, and we want to see the studies go forward to see if it's financially feasible, if it's marketable, if the traffic/pedestrians/bikes work and come back and report it works or doesn't work and we've got to shift again. Mr. Meyer read lines from the resolution which he felt most clearly stated the intent. Gary Rackner, owner of Bunny's at 4730 Excelsior Blvd., felt the Council probably knew what it was it was voting on, but did the public. Many of his customers have come to him asking if he's going to be around the rest of the year or not. Apparently a lot of the people in the community don't really know what the Council is approving. He felt it needed to be publicized that this is just a concept at this point and the current businesses will remain there for some 3-7 years, that it is not something that will be done in 1997. Councilmember Latz said this type of redevelopment can't be conjured up out of thin air, there has to be something down on paper which shows basic elements and that is what the sketch is all about. Conceptually, one has to see streets, buildings, parks, sidewalks, etc. in order to have something to work off of. He sees this at a starting point, a place from which to move forward. Ann Jennings addressed Council. She talked about the investment Jennings and other businesses have made in the community and their long-term commitment to the community -- many not just as residents but as business owners. Her main concern was the uncertainty felt by the business community as to the plan for this area and its affect on them. Councilmember Flanagan questioned the positioning of the entrance to Town Center. Mayor Dorfman said that the location was decided by Vision St. Louis Park. She would like to see options and alternatives which could be considered. She asked what the charge was to the Task Forces, how will their recommendations be conveyed to the Council. Ms. Jeremiah said the goal was to reach consensus which may not be possible in all situations. The Task Force recommendations will probably come to Council as the percentage of the people voting. " Councilmember Flanagan suggested some changes in the wording of the resolution, specifically No. 6 could be reworded to add"implementation of the Town Center Task Force recommendations" . Mayor Dorfman suggested that phrasing could be included in No. 2 of the proposed resolution. Mayor Dorfman acknowledged comments from Rachel Fitzgerald of Reddy Rents. Councilmember Latz supported the addition of "including consideration of Task Force recommendations' to the conditions of the resolution. He expressed his appreciation to the businesses in attendance this evening and for their comments and input. Councilmember Sanger said regarding concept plan, from her perspective she regards it as a starting point, but believes what is needed along the way is a giant eraser for the changes that are bound to occur as everyone works through the process. One of the things said to her was that Council and staff have apparently not done as good a job as could be done with regard to communications. Although Council may know what they mean by "concept plan", perhaps more effort should be put into additional or clearer communication to the community. She also felt the process required a measure of trust on the part of businesses and residents as well as the City. Michael Jennings addressed the Council and reiterated the comments of previous presenters., particularly as pertains to the uncertainty about the future of business owners. It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Resolution 97-23 entitled"A resolution approving Town Center concept plans to guide redevelopment in the area bounded by Highway 100, W. 36th St., Monterey Dr. and Excelsior Blvd and including the properties immediately adjoining Excelsior Blvd. to the south of the described area"with the amendment as recommended by Councilmember Flanagan and himself. The motion passed 6-1 (Councilmember Flanagan opposed). 8k. Park Center Blvd. Housing District Resolution 97-24 It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to adopt Resolution 97- 214 entitled "Resolution clarifying the parcel to be included in the Park Center Blvd. Housing Tax Increment Financing District within the City of St. Louis Park." The motion passed 7-0. 81. Renewal of license for Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA) to sell pulltabs at Gippers and Classic Cafe Resolution 97-25 By consent, Council adopted Resolution 97-25 entitled"A resolution of the St. Louis Park City Council approving issuance of a premises permit for lawful gambling for Minnesota Recreation and Park Association." REPORTS FROM OFFICERS,BOARDS, COMMITTEES 9a. Financial report for January 1997 9b. Preliminary Financial Statement for December 1996 9c. Minutes: Planning Commission January 15, 1997 By consent, items 9a-9c were approved UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10a. Agreement with Habitat for Humanity for the purchase and demolition of the home at 2628 Vernon Ave. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs,to authorize the Mayor and City Manager to execute an Agreement between the City and Habitat for Humanity relating to 2628 Vernon Ave. The motion passed 7-0. 10b. Hennepin County HOME Funding Agreement and the assignment of mortgage and Il promissory note relating to 3536 Texas Ave. It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to authorize the Mayor and City Manager to execute a HOME Funding Agreement and assignment of mortgage and promissory note. The motion passed 7-0. 10c. Rec Center aquatic fees for 1997 It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to adopt Option Number 2 for 1997 Rec Center aquatic fees. In answer to questions from Councilmember Sanger and Mayor Dorfman about a fee structure for business people working in St. Louis Park and reciprocity in terms of passes with adjoining cities, Mr. Meyer said these items were still under discussion The motion passed 7-0. NEW BUSINESS No business MISCELLANEOUS No business CLAIMS,APPROPRIATIONS, CONTRACT PAYMENTS 13a. Verified claims By consent, the verified claims were approved and payment authorized. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS 14a. Boards and Commissions It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Sanger to make the following IIappointments to Boards and Commissions: Gordon Hale - Community Education Advisory Council Kurt Peterson - Human Rights Commission Steve Nelson - Planning Commission Belinda Pinney - Neighborhood Revitalization Commission Dr. Herbert Jonas - Community Education Advisory Council Jim Lanenberg -Neighborhood Revitalization Commission Kathryn Courtney -Neighborhood Revitalization Commission Jill Body - Cable TV Commission Michael Kadesky -Neighborhood Revitalization Commission Robert Jacobson - Cable TV Commission Laurel Higgins - Human Rights Commission The motion passed 7-0. COMMUNICATIONS 15a. From the City Manager-None From the Mayor- Mayor Dorfman said a letter had been received from Lake Forest residents with a petition addressing the proposal for deer reduction. Councilmember Young said he had met last week with Commissioner Mark Stenglein on the railroad traffic options. Councilmember Jacobs said he would not be participating in the executive session discussion re the Rec Center litigation because of a conflict of interest. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer to adjourn to executive session. 16. Adjournment Following executive session a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Sue Sanger and seconded by Jim Brimeyer. Meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m. i' ( ! vim. h I Mayor Dorfman Recording Secretary