HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999/11/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular CITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES
ST. LOUIS CITY COUNCIL MEETING
PARK ST. LOUIS PARK,MINNESOTA
November 1, 1999
1. Call to Order
Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7 35 p m
2. Presentations - None
3. Roll Call
The following Councilmembers were present at roll call Jim Brimeyer, Ron Latz, Chris Nelson,
Sue Santa, Robert Young, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs
Also present were the City Manager(Mr Meyer), City Attorney (Mr Scott), Economic
Development Coordinator (Mr Kleve), Public Works Coordinator(Mr Merkley), Planning
Manager (Ms Jeremiah), Planning Associate (Ms Peterson), Engineering Superintendent (Mr
Moore), Public Works Director(Mr Rardin), and Recording Secretary (Ms Olson)
4. Approval of Minutes
4a. City Council Meeting of October 18, 1999
The minutes were approved as presented
5. Approval of Agendas
a. Consent Agenda.
It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve the
consent agenda The motion passed 6-0
b. Agenda
It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Nelson, to approve the
agenda The motion passed 6-0
c. Resolutions and Ordinances
By consent, Council waived reading of resolutions and ordinances
6. Public Hearings
It was noted that the Public Hearing notice for 1st reading of an ordinance concerning pets in the
parks was published in error That ordinance will be considered at the meeting of November 15,
1999 at 7 30 p m in the City Hall Council Chambers
6a. 2000 Budget Proposal for Special Service District No. 1.
Resolution # 99-123
Council Meeting Minutes -2- November 1, 1999
Mr Scott Merkley, Public Works Coordinator presented a staff report and recommended
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approval
Connie Wesley the President of the Advisory Board of the Special Service District No 1 and
representative of Miracle Mile Center was present
Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing subject to the right of the Council to reopen it at a future
date
It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Young, to approve a
Resolution setting the Special Service District No 1 year 2000 operating budget/property owner
service charge and directing staff to certify the annual service charge to Hennepin County The
motion passed 6-0
6b. 2000 Budget Proposal for Special Service District No. 2
Resolution # 99-124
Mr Scott Merkley, Public Works Coordinator presented a staff report and recommended
approval
David Paine of Special Service District No 2 and representative of Al's Liquor was present and
commended City Staff for their hard work
Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing subject to the right of the Council to reopen it at a future
date
It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer, approve
Resolution setting the Special Service District No 2 year 2000 operating budget/property owner
service charge and directing staff to certify the annual service charge to Hennepin County The
motion passed 6-0
7. Petitions, Requests, Communications - None
8. Resolutions and Ordinances
8a. Request by General Growth Properties, Inc. for a combined Preliminary and
Final Planned Unit Development to redevelop a portion of an existing mall as
a 16-screen theater and parking deck and other changes. 8332 Highway 7
(Knollwood Mall) Case No. 99-21-PUD. Resolution #99-125
Sacha Peterson, Planning Associate presented a staff report and recommended approval with 11
conditions She noted that in response to concerns expressed by residents at the Planning
Commission meeting over noise and traffic, the developer was proposing to construct a six foot
high screen/noise wall along the median that divides 36th Street
Bill Mosten, Senior Development Director of General Growth Properties was present to answer
questions
Councilmember Latz left the meeting at 8 15 p m
Council Meeting Minutes -3- November 1, 1999
Marcia McDermaid, 3545 Wyoming Avenue South, stated"I felt that the plan that was proposed
at the Planning Meeting looked like a very aesthetically pleasing plan and I was very happy
about that My main concern was the noise, traffic increase, and not necessarily the drop in the
value of my home because of the theater, but because of the noise and the traffic I am pleased
by the proposal of the six-foot high screen wall along the median that divides 36th Street A few
other minor concerns were that the we did go through quite a bit of construction noise during the
time the Cub Foods was being renovated and a lot of that noise was not within the guidelines of
the neighborhood noise ordinances I am wondering if we can get that issue resolved before the
construction starts that they would also have to abide by the noise laws"
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate clarified the current noise ordinances and indicated that the
Inspections Department would track the noise levels during construction
Ms McDermaid stated "I still have some concern about the crosswalk on 36th Street The traffic
is very heavy My fear is not that eliminating the entrance at the mall is not going to reduce the
traffic on the street, but rather make a speedway up the street and it is going to be harder to get
pedestrians across the street I am asking that be looked at a little more closely to see what other
options might be rather just a fluorescent crosswalk sign"
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate explained how the Public Works Department was planning to
upgrade the current signage, but that there was no policy to install flashing lights on pedestrian
crossings Related to 36th Street becoming a speedway, Ms Peterson indicated that a possibility
would be to request that the Police would monitor 36th Street after the theater opens so that
people would know to keep speed levels down there
Ms McDermaid stated "I am still concerned about the noise of dumpsters being picked up by
T J Max between 430 a m - 500am "
Mayor Jacobs recommended that the Inspections Department go out and monitor this issue
Christopher Erickson, 3533 Virginia Avenue South, stated "I want to thank the Council, staff and
General Growth for the proposal of the screen/noise wall I have some additional concerns about
security plan I have just retired after 22 years of being in the security profession and when they
have a situation involving disorderly people, or people who might be victimizing patrons of the
mall, quite often in a majority of security functions it is to get the people off the property By
getting them off the property, they usually like to take them out through an area that might not be
involving a lot of public, which will probably be through the back way so they won't have a bad
image I want to make sure that General Growth will have a plan that they are going to deal with
a situation where people who are victimizing patrons of the mall, and not just wish for them to
get out of the property and then sending them into the neighborhood Quite often you might
have to arrest them and in the private sector arresting people means liability issues and I can
understand that might be a concern for them I just want some assurance that the security plan is
going to take that into affect and not just ejecting people off their property and putting them into
our neighborhood I am also concerned about having a guarantee of landscaping and see that
that the construction of the wall is done at the time of the construction of the theater I would
also like to see some signs put in the neighborhood that there is no access to the mall through the
neighborhood"
Council Meeting Minutes -4- November 1, 1999
A representative of the Police Department believed that the security plan should be suitable to
the Police Department and be one that would not fade away after the opening of the theater, but
continue to work in conjunction with private security He indicated that the Police Department
would not be turning people into the neighborhood to cause further problems and would deal
with issues as necessary
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate explained that the landscaping and construction of the wall
would be a requirement of receiving a certificate of occupancy
Lisa Cherches, 3414 Texas Avenue South, President of the Aquila Neighborhood Association,
stated "As a life long resident of St Louis Park, I have seen many transformation of the
Knollwood property I remember when the mall was full to capacity with tenants and you could
spend the entire day shopping there I personally miss the vibrant mall that we once had and I
am hoping that the plans will add and revitalize this property As President of the Aquila
Neighborhood Association I have heard many different opinions regarding the development of
Knollwood Mall I don't think that there is a consensus in the neighborhood regarding this
project I believe that there are many people in favor of the development and just as many have
concerns about it in our neighborhood Although there are many issues facing this development,
I feel that both Knollwood Mall and General Growth and the Planning Commission have made a
good effort to keep the neighborhood aware and involved in the planning processes for this
project The concerns of the neighborhood residents have been shared through various forms
and I believe the issue has been or are being addressed by appropriate parties I hope that the
future communications between the neighborhood and Knollwood Mall would continue and the
dialog remain open"
Anna Crabb, 3540 Yukon Avenue South, stated "I would like to thank the members of the
Planning Commission, staff, General Growth and neighbors for going through the process and at
every meeting the proposal has become more friendly to the neighborhood, and it has been very
nice to see I have two points tonight At the end of the last Planning Commission meeting,
there was some discussion about the vendor who is located in the corner of the parking lot of
Knollwood I would like to voice support for that business because I would hate to see the
neighborhood lose that business because of a high demand of parking for the theaters My
second point, is that I am very much in favor of the wall and was wondering if there was any
other information about the composition of the wall"
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate clarified the proposed composition of the six foot high
screen/noise wall and indicated the final details would be worked about between the developer
and the staff
Councilmember Young asked if the wall would include some type of anti-graffiti surface
material
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate indicated that it was not proposed for the wall to be painted,
but this could be looked at further
Councilmember Nelson reemphasized the noise issues and asked if Mr Mosten would reiterate
his commitment that this doesn't happen as both part of this construction and a tenant control
issue
Council Meeting Minutes -5- November 1, 1999
Mr Mosten indicated that he was also concerned about any noise problems and noted that
General Growth had an open door policy and encouraged residents to continue to report incidents
so that they can be corrected
Mr Meyer, City Manager noted that if the problems can not be corrected by a phone call, they
could be corrected through enforcement and the police department would work with inspections
to make sure those things are done
Councilmember Santa indicated that one of the concerns that came up at the Planning
Commission meetings was the progress of Cub in receiving a certificate of occupancy and asked
staff to give an update
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate stated that the main issues have been addressed and resolved,
but there were some internal building code issues that still need to be resolved so they have not
yet received an official certificate of occupancy and the new project could not move forward
until this occurs
Councilmember Santa indicated that the most consistent comment she has received from
residents in the community was their concern about the Sweet Corn& More vendor who was
perceived as being a very large asset to the community Related to the screen/noise wall, she
was concerned about the trees that would need to be removed, the speed tunnel affect that could
occur, and that lighting on the other side of the wall be adequate for safety of the neighborhood
She thanked General Growth for the efforts to listen to the neighborhood and be a part of the
neighborhood as they are
Councilmember Young expressed some concerns about the wall He believed that visually it
was not going to be attractive and have problem with graffiti and also over the long haul
although it was the responsibility of General Growth to take care of that wall it may not get
maintained and if they went under in the future, the City would end up with the responsibility for
that wall
Councilmember Santa stated that she needed some additional time to evaluate the proposed
construction of a six foot high screen/noise wall along the median that divides 36th Street and
this condition warrants more thought on the part of the neighborhood so that they get what they
were thinking they would get since the proposed wall does not reduce any of the current noise or
construction noise and asked if this portion of the proposal could be deferred
Mr Scott, City Attorney discussed the options available with the Council
Councilmember Brimeyer stated that the desired result was a noise and visual barrier for the
residents and approving the resolution would accomplish this, but he believed the Council should
review this again so that the neighborhood, staff, Planning Commission and Staff would actually
achieve the desired result and also preserve some trees He also asked SRF to clarify the
increase of traffic levels at peak times
Charleen Zimmer, SRF Consulting clarified the traffic study report related to traffic levels at
peak times
Ms Peterson, Planning Associate indicated that one of the conditions would need to be altered if
the Council wanted the development agreement to come back to the Council
Council Meeting Minutes -6- November 1, 1999
Mayor Jacobs stated that he would like the development agreement to come back for a formal
Council action and make sure the neighborhood was notified of the meeting date
It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Young, to adopt a
resolution approving the PUD with conditions The motion passed 5-0
8b. Resolution Authorizing Renewal of Gambling Premises Permit for
Minnesota Youth Athletic Services operating at the Classic Bar & Cafe, 4700
Excelsior Blvd. Resolution # 99-126
Dan Klinkhammer, Executive Director of Minnesota Youth Athletic Services was present and
gave a brief background and update on the organization
Councilmember Nelson indicated that he supported the MYAS and the Classic Bar& Cafe, but
does not support charitable gambling in St Louis Park or otherwise and would be opposed to
renewing this permit, but it was not a reflection of the organization
It was moved by Councilmember Brimeyer, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve the
resolution authorizing renewal The motion passed 4-1 Councilmember Nelson was opposed
8c. Application for the transfer of an Off-sale Intoxicating Liquor License for
Westwood Liquors at 2304 Louisiana Avenue South.
Linda Mason, 28th Northview Road was present to answer questions
It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Nelson, approve the
transfer of an Off-sale Intoxicating Liquor License for Westwood Liquors at 2304 Louisiana
Avenue South, effective on or about November 8th at the time of closing The motion passed 5-
0
8d. CSM/Rottlund Project at Zarthan and 16th Street. Resolution # 99-127
By consent, Council adopted a resolution calling for a public hearing by the City Council on the
proposed establishment of the Zarthan Ave/16th Street Tax Increment Financing District within
Redevelopment Project No 1 and the Proposed Adoption of the Tax Increment Financing Plan
8e. Request by Northco, Inc. for a one year extension to a Conditional Use
Permit for an office building at parking ramp 1621 Park Place Boulevard
Case No. 98-28-CUP. Resolution # 99-128
By consent, Council adopted a resolution extending the Conditional Use Permit for six months to
May 1, 1999
9. Reports from Officers, Boards, Committees
a. Planning Commission Minutes October 6, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
b. Fire Civil Service Commission Minutes of September 1, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
Council Meeting Minutes -7- November 1, 1999
c. Police Civil Service Commission Minutes of September 20, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
d. Human Rights Commission Minutes of July 2, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
e. Human Rights Commission Minutes of August 18, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
f. Human Rights Commission Minutes of September 16, 1999
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
g. Vendor Claim Report
By consent, Council accepted report for filing
10. Unfinished Business
a. Board and Commission Appointment(s)
It was moved by Councilmember Young, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer, to appoint
Karen Fine to the CEAC The motion passed 4-0-1 Councilmember Nelson abstained
11. New Business - None
12. Miscellaneous - None
13. Claims, Appropriation, Contract Payments
Wolfe Park - Contract FINAL Payment
Blomquist Designing Contract No 56-98 $2,000 00
14. Communications
From the Mayor - Mayor Jacobs noted that November 2, 1999 was Election Day and encouraged
the community vote
15. Adjournment
It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Coun ilmember Santa, to adjourn the
meeting at 9 00 p m The motion passed 5-0 i
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Cit Clerk Mayo '