Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999/08/02 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular filCITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES f- ST. LOUIS CITY COUNCIL MEETING PARK ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA August 2, 1999 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7 25 p m 2. Presentations a. Junior Leader Recognition Doug Langefels, Recreation Services Manager briefly explained the Summer Park Program and commended Park Leaders who supported their Junior Leaders He introduced Patty Reno, Junior Park Leader Coordinator who presented certificates of appreciation Leaders for their volunteer service hours of over 1,400 hours to the community b. St. Louis Park Royalty Mayor Jacobs introduced the 1999 St Louis Royalty and commended the royalty and the Parktacular Committee and volunteers for their terrific job representing St Louis Park He personally thanked Mark Jones and Julie Haberman for their hard work and dedication to the program and the City of St Louis Park 3. Roll Call The following Councilmembers were present at roll call Ron Latz, Chris Nelson, Sue Sanger, Sue Santa, Robert Young, Jim Brimeyer, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs Also present were the City Manager(Mr Meyer), City Attorney(Mr Scott), Director of Community Development (Mr Harmening), Planning Associate (Ms Peterson), Mr Ingraham (Planning Consultant), Police Chief(Mr Luse), and Recording Secretary(Ms Olson) 4. Approval of Minutes 4a. City Council Meeting of July 19, 1999 The minutes were approved as presented 4b. Special City Council Meeting of July 26, 1999 The minutes were approved as presented 5. Approval of Agendas 5a. Consent Agenda It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Young, to approve the consent agenda The motion passed 7-0 5b. Agenda It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to approve the agenda The motion passed 7-0 Council Meeting Minutes -2- August 2, 1999 5c. Resolutions and Ordinances By consent, Council waived reading of resolutions and ordinances 6. Public Hearings I 6a. Request by Silvercrest Properties, Inc. for approvals for a 46-unit expansion to a senior assisted living facility including an Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to adopt a Redevelopment Plan,Preliminary Plat, and Vacation of drainage and utility easements and trail easement, 3601, 3633, 3663 Park Center Boulevard. Case Nos. 99-14-CP, 99-15-S, and 99-16-VAC Sacha Peterson, Planning Associate presented a staff report and recommended approval of the Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, Vacation of drainage and utility easements and trail easement, and Preliminary Plat, subject to the conditions outlined in the staff report Councilmember Latz asked why housing to be located on Lot 1 was to be limited to 50% for seniors Ms. Peterson stated that the intention was to meet one of the Park Commons goals of providing a range of housing opportunities Councilmember Latz asked what the property owner's preference was Michael Gould, President of Silvercrest Properties, stated that he would like to comply with livable communities principles, but his preference would be a total senior housing facility. He presented a brief update about the occupancy of the expansion to the facility Councilmember Brimeyer asked staff to clarify the Lot area which the 90 unit facility was located and believed that the Council should have a say in the design since there were City funds involved Sacha Peterson clarified that when the initial proposal was talked about, Lot 1 and Lot 2 were a part of the residential and now she was referring to Lot 1, Lot 2 and Lot 3 Councilmember Brimeyer stated that he understood the difficulty in designing a building that accommodates both kinds of users, and understands the difficulty of meeting the market place, but he thought that with a little creativity in marketing and design it could be possible He stated he would like to be convinced that it was not possible before he would disagree with the request to have the expansion be only a senior facility Councilmember Nelson stated it was his understanding that this project was going to be a senior campus and questioned how this limitation would affect the marketing of these units Mr Gould stated that this was not a type of product that has been seen recently, but believed there would be ways to successfully market it Peter Phister, an Architect with Boarman Kroos Phister Rudin& Assoc , briefly reviewed the site plans Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing for Comprehensive Amendment subject to the right of the Council to reopen it at a future date Council Meeting Minutes -3- August 2, 1999 Councilmember Sanger was concerned about cutting back on the amount of open space She was not in favor of intensification at the expense of open space She asked what efforts had been made to construct this building higher so that we don't have to encroach on so many setbacks She believed that open space was needed for both the residents of the building and the residents of the community She stated that in the plan the developer said there might be some balancing out of open space in the future construction, but wanted to know how that was actually going to be calculated She questioned whether there was a guarantee that the final phase would be built and if it would be according to criteria that was set out in this report Mr Gould stated that the current site plan elevation was the limit to which you can go with conventional wood framing and typically assisted living facilities were made of this type of construction He indicated that concrete would be a greater expense Ms Peterson, Planning Associate stated that the attempt to compensate for the reduction in usable open space was that there would be no reduction in the amount of usable open space that was currently on the Lot Councilmember Sanger stated that she was not in favor of this aspect of the plan and asked whether we really need to have so many encroachments and setbacks and if there another way to address the design of this building Councilmember Sanger was concerned about the limitation to 50% for seniors on the facility from both the perspective of younger people and seniors and prefers not to have any limit Councilmember Sanger was concerned that there were no provisions for a dedicated bike trail included in the site plan that was right on the route to what will be a very intensively developed Park Commons area in the future Councilmember Sanger asked what guarantee there was that the final Lot 1 project would be built and by what period of time Councilmember Sanger questioned if there would be additional requests for City funding for this project Mr Harmening, Director of Community Developer clarified that the City provided $500,000 worth of tax increment assistance for the 45-unit building that exists today That amount of money will be repaid by the tax increment that will be generated by the already existing project and the additional 46 units that are being constructed Originally, it is anticipated that the City would perhaps be asked to put another $300,000 to allow for the second phase That was not the case What we worked out with the developer was that the developer will essentially pre-pay the City for what would ordinarily be paid in increments in years to come for return for the elimination of future payments to the City for deficiencies and tax increments Mr Harmening stated that the City does not have a contractual arrangement with the developer that mandates or requires him to redevelop Lot 1 Mr Harmening stated that in the sidewalk and trails master plan, the City had not identified Park Center Boulevard as a bike trail location and as a part of this project staff did not attempt to consolidate or incorporate a bike trail Council Meeting Minutes -4- August 2, 1999 Councilmember Sanger believed the City needed to plan now for a way to have safe bicycling to get to and from Park Commons according to the livable communities principles Mr. Harmening stated that there would be opportunities to gain access to the Park Commons area via the Belt Line/36th intersection and a system of trails that would be installed in Wolfe Park, but if Council was interested in developing a bike trail they would need to include in action Councilmember Nelson was concerned about the City's ability to control and limit the demand on police and fire emergency services He understood that staff was aware of the issue and the developer has included a proposal in plan, but suggested creating some kind of false alarm charge Ms Peterson stated that staff could include some provision either as a condition in the resolution or include it in the development agreement Mr Gould stated that once the building was constructed he was going to be hiring EMT and nursing staff to assess the appropriate assessment at that time similar to the Walker model at HCMC A recent analysis had stated that 42% of the calls from Parkshore could have been handled by an EMT Councilmember Nelson stated that he was not comfortable relying on the fact that Silvercrest was going to continue to own this facility, so he would like to have some kind of condition or false alarm charge written into the development plan Councilmember Latz questioned whether we were addressing the issue because the City has an investment in the project, and if it was not anticipated that the City would be a partner in the redevelopment of Lot 1 would the city have any leverage II Mr. Gould indicated that he believed the City would have money involved in the redevelopment of Lot 1 Councilmember Latz questioned if this was really a mixed age development for logistical, housing difficulties and security issues and doesn't see any reason for the 50% limit He indicated there was a real demand for senior housing and particularly for those looking to move out of single family homes and stay in community near family and services they area accustomed to He supports intensifying density and has no concern about open space, since this development in right next to Wolfe Park He believed the issue of a bike trail should be explored and pedestrian connections be accommodated He asked staff to clarify the timing for this project Councilmember Young concurred with Councilmember Latz He was in favor of deleting the condition to limit senior housing to 50% Councilmember Santa stated that she envisioned this as a senior campus She didn't have enough information about the Walker model to determine how that would address the false alarm problem She was in favor of a bike trail, but was concerned about a trail crossing service entrances Ms Peterson reviewed the location of existing bike trail and clarified where the proposed trail would be constructed and noted that it does minimizes conflict with other types of traffic Council Meeting Minutes -5- August 2, 1999 Mr. Harmening stated that the conflict with the trail that was currently proposed related to Park Center Boulevard He indicated that where the trail was currently located it would probably be better able to take advantage of a potential intersection of a future north south road and Park Center Boulevard intersection that would probably be signalized This location is currently the location where there was a curb depression to get across Park Center Boulevard, but is not ideal since there was not a signal Councilmember Brimeyer stated that the false alarm condition that Councilmember Nelson referred to was a good idea, but he would rather see that when non-emergency calls get to a certain point in any project like this, then the condition would be triggered Councilmember Nelson preferred to address this site specifically which may provide a blue print for future activities, but have a false alarm charge The false alarm charge may get a certain percentage free to allow for general errors, but not enough to encourage the abandonment of the program that Silvercrest decides to institute Mr Meyer, City Manager indicated that there were false alarm charges, but they were associated with mechanical alarms, but for a 911 call there was no mechanism to characterize some as false alarms and others as real calls Councilmember Latz did not believe the City ought to be involved in deciding which calls should be considered false alarms and which should be considered real He agreed with Councilmember Brimeyer and the idea that when you reach a certain density of senior housing or a certain level of emergency calls to a senior housing campus, you will be required to provide some sort of in house mechanism to respond to calls Councilmember Brimeyer believed that after what has been discussed he did not see a way to design a building that accommodates both seniors and other age groups Councilmember Sanger recommended looking at developing a separate ordinance identifying what was an appropriate level of in-house medical services and not addressing this issue one way or the other in this particular development plan Councilmember Nelson believed that it would be appropriate to take the 50% limit out of the Comprehensive Plan and address it further in a development agreement at a later date He preferred to address the emergency service issue at this time Mayor Jacobs was not in favor of the 50% limit for senior housing He believed the emergency service issue needed to be addressed He was not concerned about open space since the development was so close to Wolfe Park He was in favor of exploring if it was appropriate or feasible to construct a bike trail in this location Councilmember Sanger asked if it was feasible to delay the item for two weeks while some of the issues are explored by staff Mr Harmening stated that this was possible and explained the alternative actions that could be taken by Council Mr Scott, City Attorney directed Council and staff on appropriate actions to be taken Council Meeting Minutes -6- August 2, 1999 It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Young, to continue consideration of the Comprehensive Plan amendment until August 16, 1999 and direct Staff to prepare as part of the resolution for consideration by the Council, the Comprehensive Plan Amendment deleting the 50% requirement for any future Lot 1 development, to explore the feasibility and necessity of a bike trail, and explore options for addressing the EMT staffing issue The motion passed 7-0 III It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve First Reading of the proposed ordinance and set Second Reading for August 16, 1999 The motion passed 7-0 It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Nelson, to defer the issue of the preliminary plat of Silvercrest Addition until August 16, 1999 The motion passed 7-0 7. Petitions, Requests, Communications - None 8. Resolutions and Ordinances 8a. Criminal History Background Checks It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to waive second reading, adopt the ordinance, approve the summary and authorize publication The motion passed 7-0 It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to adopt a resolution setting the fee for conducting background checks The motion passed 7-0 John Luse, Police Chief noted that National Night Out was on Tuesday, August 3rd and about 90 blocks throughout would be participating this year 8b. Request by Frauenshuh Companies for a minor amendment to a Special Use Permit for facade and building changes for a bank/dental building with bank drive through 4951- 4959 Excelsior Boulevard Case No. 99-20-CUP Sacha Peterson, Planning Associate presented staff report and recommended approval of the minor amendment to a Special Use Permit subject to conditions in the resolution Representatives from Frauenshuh and Pope Associates were present to answer questions It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer, to adopt a resolution approving a minor amendment to a Special Use Permit to condition in the resolution The motion passed 7-0 8c. Preliminary Planned Unit Development and Preliminary Plat at the southwest corner of Highway 7 and Louisiana Avenue. Case No. 99-19-PUD Council Meeting Minutes -7- August 2, 1999 Greg Ingraham, Planning Consultant presented an update on the issues related to the proposed development and recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the Preliminary Plat and the Preliminary PUD subject to the conditions included in the resolution Mayor Jacobs asked staff to clarify that the medical office building was 60,000 gross square feet and 54,000 leaseable square feet He believed that additional right of way was going to be necessary to make the intersection work Michael Frauenshuh was present and indicated that the site was going to be enhanced by the proposed plan He asked if there would be a compromise to the tree replacement requirement and suggested that the requirement of 50% (125 trees) be changed to 25% (62 trees) to be spread out in other locations throughout the city He stated that he was trying to keep costs down with the signalization and the dedication fees and trying to maximize what could be with current funds He indicated that a 14 feet right of way Highway 7 would cost the project 54 parking stalls and that creates a huge problem for the project Mr Harmening stated that staff was going to spend some time before final plat approval really looking at the right of way dedication needs to accommodate what was proposed to be double lefts on Highway 7 and Louisiana Avenue going North bound Councilmember Brimeyer was inclined to believe that the right of way needed to be considered further Councilmember Sanger was not in favor of this project because of the intention with the relocation of the billboard Her concern was this would set a precedence for future Councils Councilmember Nelson believed that this was a nice sentiment, but believed it would not have any legal affect He asked the City Attorney to comment on whether or not the Council had expressed themselves well enough in their findings as to why they are doing it this way and are they in the records so that would be what was going to uphold their decision not to force the removal of the billboard rather than adding this sentence Councilmember Sanger clarified that her concern goes to the potential situation with some other developer down the line Mr Scott, City Attorney stated that he was satisfied that between the staff report, what we have in the record and the findings that the issue was covered The Council discussed the relocation of billboard setting and some Councilmembers felt that what was being done here does not set any particular precedence one way or the other, but may prove to be very useful in the future Councilmember Young stated that what was done here related to the billboard was a wise decision and a good example of what should be done in the future He believed that the billboard should remain and indicated he would be opposed to Councilmember Sanger's amendment Council Meeting Minutes -8- August 2, 1999 Councilmember Latz stated that he would not accept this as a friendly amendment because he was not opposed to billboard along major state highways and would handle this case exactly the same since he was but still opposed to spending City funds for purposes to eliminate a billboard He indicated he would be opposed to Councilmember Sanger's amendment The Council briefly discussed a condition related to the financial guarantee on the trees Councilmember Latz stated that given the margins on this project, the developer's agreement to pay for the signalization, and the unique soil condition which has increased the cost of the trees that the developer is replacing on this site he would be willing to waive any additional tree replacement fees Mr. Meyer, City Manager stated that if the Council was concerned about the provision for the financial guarantee on the trees the Council should change that He suggested that if the Council took it down to zero, he believed, given the current tree replacement ordinance, that the Council was in a situation on a regular basis where we will not be able to accommodate the amount of trees required by the ordinance MOTION It was moved by Councilmember Latz, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to adopt a resolution approving the Preliminary Plat and the Preliminary PUD subject to the conditions included in the resolution The motion passed 6-0 Councilmember Sanger opposed AMENDMENT It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Brimeyer to amend resolution on Page 56, paragraph 8 by adding this additional sentence"relocation of this billboard shall not be used as a precedence to facilitate the relocation or retention of any billboard in St Louis Park" The motion passed 5-2 Councilmember Latz and Councilmember Young opposed AMENDMENT It was moved by Councilmember Brimeyer, seconded by Councilmember Young, to amend the resolution on Page 57, Item 4C to state that"an escrow account or other form of financial guarantee acceptable to the City, should be established in the amount of$17,500 to take into consideration tree replacement requirements to be met by the developers" The motion passed 7-0 8d. Parkwood Shores Assisted Living Project- Phase II It was moved by Councilmember Brimeyer, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to adopt a resolution calling for a Public Hearing on September 20, 1999 on the Modification of Redevelopment Project No 1 and the Modification of the Park Center Boulevard Housing Tax Increment Financing District The motion passed 7-0 9. Reports from Officers, Boards, Committees a. Planning Commission minutes of June 16, 1999 By consent, Council accepted report for filing b. Planning Commission minutes of July 7, 1999 By consent, Council accepted report for filing c. Vendor Claims Report _ By consent, Council accepted report for filing 10. Unfinished Business Council Meeting Minutes -9- August 2, 1999 10a. Board and Commission Appointment(s) , It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Young, to appoint David Lee to the Fire and Civil Service Commission and Judith Moore to the Housing Commission The motion passed 6-0-1 Councilmember Nelson abstained Note that both of above persons served on the Human Rights Commission prior to their appointment to these Commissions Mr Meyer, City Manager commended Roger Israel for his temfic job on the Fire Civil Service Commission and other service he provided to the City of St Louis Park 11. New Business - None 12. Miscellaneous- None 13. Claims, Appropriations, Contract Payments a. Contract payments Final Hardrives, Inc $42,614 75 Crack Repair, Median Replacement Contract No 21-99 By consent, Council adopted resolution Partial Hardrives, Inc $131,234 61 Construction Phase 2 Excelsior Boulevard/Monterey Ave to France Avenue Contract No 14-98 Valley Paving $ 94,243 71 Watermain replacement, pavement milling, curb & gutter Contract No 19-99 By consent, Council approved and authorized payments 14. Communications Mr Meyer, City Manager noted that all of the EDA, City Council and other Commission meetings have been relocated to the Community Room on the first floor of City Hall until after Labor Day The City Council chambers would be undergoing some renovation to improve the video quality of the City Council Meetings Council Meeting Minutes -10- August 2, 1999 Mr Meyer indicated there was an agenda item relative to the trail and sidewalk plan for the August 16, 1999 City Council Meeting He noted that the Council would not be acting on anything specific that evening that the public would need to be immediately concerned about and that there would be a lot of future opportunities for people to give input on this item 15. Adjournment It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to adjourn the meeting at 9 55 p m The motion passed 7-0 166eA Ci Clerk Ma i r