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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998/05/11 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF Minutes ST. LOUIS City Council Study Session PARK May 11, 1998 7:00 p.m. The meeting convened at 7.07 p m. Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Chris Nelson, Jim Brimeyer and Ron Latz, and Mayor Gail Dorfman. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Meyer); Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening); Planning Coordinator(Ms. Jeremiah) and City Clerk (Ms. Larsen). 1. Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue Study Council, Staff and Study Consultant Greg Ingraham met to discuss the Highway 7/Louisiana Ave Task Force recommendations for the Study Area, to review public comments regarding the recommendations and to determine next steps in the process. Mayor Dorfman began by ensuring the public in attendance that Council was indeed sensitive to the input they had received to date from the public. She felt there had been many opportunities for the community to participate and thanked all for their contributions to the process Eric Rahman, a student at Peter Hobart Elementary School presented a model he had created for the Imagination/Inventor's fair that had recently been held at his school. The model very creatively depicted the Oak Park Village area soccer fields on one side, and on the other side depicted what the area may look like should it be developed for commercial purposes. He also expressed his wish to Council that as much area as possible be left for recreation activities. Mayor Dorfman pointed out that though other groups such as the Task Force, Planning and Parks and Rec Commissions had discussed this previously, this was indeed the beginning of the City Council process. She said there were many issues to balance and that this was Council's first opportunity to discuss the recommendations from the Task Force. Ms. Jeremiah presented a chronology of recent events regarding this issue including information about Task Force activities, commission meetings and public open house discussions that had been held to solicit information from various members of the community. She stated that there were a number of options for Council at this point and introduced Greg Ingraham, the City's consultant for this project. Mr Ingraham presented the revised concept plan from the Task Force and pointed out differences between this plan and the city's existing Comprehensive Plan. He compared the differences in acreages allocated to housing, commercial development and park and open space in the two plans. He then showed Council where revisions had been made to the Task Force's original concept plan and stated that these changes had come about as a result of discussions with and input from the public. He also clarified the position of the Task Force in relation to the office bldg shown in the northwest quadrant stating that the location of a building in that area was not the first choice of the Task Force but had been retained as a possible to increase the amount of parking space available to park users z Tom Harmening pointed out that any park development would be expensive and that the inclusion of commercial space in this area could be a possible source of revenue to fund those improvements. Mayor Dorfman asked approximately how much the City currently spends on environmental remediation each year on the site. Mr. Harmening said that it was between $400,000 and $550,000 per year. Mayor Dorfman pointed out that this is a Federal Superfund site, but no federal funds are allocated for on-going remediation costs. Mr. Harming clarified that though Reilly Tar was a party to the remediation agreement their contribution had been in capital expenses which were incurred many years ago. The remaining remediation costs are carried by the City alone. Councilmember Latz said that he felt the request for a medical office building to be located somewhere in the area had been driving the time line for this study He also wondered if the amount of parking for soccer games was really needed. He asked if a shuttle from the south side of Hwy 7 where the medical building was proposed to be built would be feasible. Mr Ingraham said that parking was definitely needed near the fields. Mr Latz proposed that Walker Street be re-routed to the north of where the intersection is currently located to allow for increased parking on the south side of Walker. He also said that he had clearly heard that residents to the west of the site did not want the forested area to be developed Councilmember Nelson said that he had taken a walk in the forested area and that the area is a habitat for wildlife. He was surprised that the area was so densely wooded. He did not believe the economic benefit from development would offset the loss of forested land. He also felt soil borings should be done prior to any further plans for development. He was concerned that the cost of development would be too high He suggested that the only action that should be taken at the present time would be modifications to the City's Comprehensive Plan. He wanted to see further development of the site delayed. Councilmember Nelson also asked if the traffic lights at Lake and Walker were truly necessary Mr. Meyer said that both the Task Force and Engineering Division felt signals were necessary to control safety at the intersection Ms Jeremiah pointed out the intersection had a high traffic accident incidence Councilmember Brimeyer felt that in order for the area to be the"Crown Jewel" of St. Louis Park, it would need to have multiple uses. He felt that Council should consider a variety of public uses such as sculpture garden, recreation area, etc He agreed that any development should allow ill for a sight line from Highway 7. He also felt that once desired uses for the area was determined, the public should be asked if they are willing to fund improvements Mr. Harmening reiterated what he believed Council was saying. He suggested that changes be made to the Comprehensive plan to 1) leave as much open space as possible, 2) Remove housing and office development from the northwest quadrant and 3) look at the possible movement of the Walker/Louisiana Ave S intersection to the north. Mr Meyer stated that he felt the absence of a Parks and Recreation Director was a concern and suggested that planning for park improvement be delayed until a future time. Mr. Harmening suggested that Council also consider the rezoning of the area along with suggested changes to the Comprehensive Plan. 2. Commercial/Recreational Vehicle Screening The City Council discussed proposed screening provisions for commercial and recreational vehicles parked in residential areas. Central to the discussion was the issue of enforcement and interpretation of the requirements by the public and enforcement by Inspection staff Council viewed illustrations of side and rear yard screening options and asked that staff bring the screening provisions forward to a future City Council meeting 3. Community Outreach Coordinator Position At its study session of April 13, 1998, Council considered the creation of a part time position designed to provide staff support to neighborhood organizations and the Neighborhood Revitalization Commission(NRC) Following that discussion staff had identified several related activities where the City has not been able to commit the staff time necessary to meet community needs. Ms. Larsen and Mr. Harmening presented to Council a revised job description which expanded the position to a full-time Community Outreach Coordinator Position. Following a brief discussion, Councilmembers present endorsed the concept Staff informed Council that they would begin recruitment activities 4. Deputy City Manager Position Review Mr. Meyer and Council discussed the role and responsibility of the Deputy City Manager position andreviewedCouncil expectations for the position. Mr. Meyer explained that the duties of this position varied widely, but was intended to focus principally on Human Resources and Organizational Development issues. Discussion also took place regarding the role of the Deputy relative to handling Councilmember requests for assistance; constituent issues; actingin the absence of the City Manager and general areas of direct responsibility 5. Communications Councilmember Nelson informed the group about a constituent concern regarding smoking in City parks. All present felt that to ban smoking in outdoor areas would be overly restrictive and did not wish to pursue the issue Mr. Meyer reminded Council of a meeting with Park Nicollet to take place on Wednesday, May 27th. Mayor Dorfman informed Council of a memorial service for Evelyn Raymond to take place. Council briefly discussed the Parktacular schedule and parade planning. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. 5,,y Clerk ayor