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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001/01/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session ST.CITY LOUOIF S OFFICIAL MINUTES PARK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION lbJanuary 8, 2001 The meeting convened at 7 00 p m. Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Jim Bnmeyer, Chns Nelson Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Meyer), Director of Community Development (Mr. Harmening), Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Kleve), Housing Programs Coordinator (Ms. Larsen), Housing Supervisor(Ms. Schnitker), Director of Inspections (Mr. Hoffman), Environmental Health Official (Mr. Camilon), and City Clerk (Ms.,Reichert) 1. Park Commons TIF District/TOLD Development Agreement I Bob Cunningham of TOLD, Mark Ruff of Ehlers & Associates, and Steve Bubul of Kennedy Graven, Chartered were present at the meeting. r Mr. Cunningham gave an overview of changes made to the plan. He spoke of parking, traffic, and phasing. Councilmember Bnmeyer questioned the position of the amphitheater. LLI Mr. Bubul reviewed the business points of the agreement He updated Council on the status of Z the land acquisition needed for the project, stating that only one property remained and the developer is currently working with the owners of that property Mr Bubul reported that the final plat and PUD for Phase I will be ready to go before Council for 0 approval Once passed, each subsequent phase will be continued in accordance to the c development agreement. Mr. Kleve presented a construction schedule. It showed October 2002 as the target date for public improvements, small office, and for sale housing construction to be completed. All Phase I construction, including the public improvements and the Town Green, is expected to be completed by February 2003 Apartment and large office/housing construction for Phases II through IV are anticipated to be completed by August 2004. Mr Kleve spoke of the construction schedule for portions of the project such as pnvate improvements, public improvements and public financing. Councilmember Nelson asked how the current proposal compared to previous proposal from Avalon Bay Mr Harmening replied that this proposal has gone farther into the project than Avalon had done previously and added that the financial details for the project are more complete Councilmember Sanger asked about pending Legislative changes in regards to tax increment financing Mr Bubul replied that the City is protected and TOLD would have the burden. Councilmembers and staff present felt that Legislative proposal would not be likely to go through. Mr Bubul stated that the developer must build all four phases to compensate for money expended in Phase I. Study Session Minutes -2- January 8, 2001 Councilmember Nelson asked about the developer's negotiations with the lenders for Phases II through IV Mr. Cunningham replied that TOLD has spoken with lenders, but specific terms have not been identified. Mr Bubul stated that a special service district will be established and some fee wavers will be given such as park dedications, etc. He added that he City is in an excellent financial position going into this project. Mr. Bubul suggested transfer restriction and default remedy to be put in place. Councilmember Santa was concerned about the construction schedule and would like to see the project keep moving forward with constant visible progress. Mr. Cunningham replied that it would not be in TOLD's best interest to delay construction start dates and the schedule has built in protection against unforeseen economic problems. Mr. Harmening stated that the dates as presented are in consideration for the developers to ensure that economic recession would not provide the opportunity for the City to remove them from the project for not meeting crucial date requirements. He added that the development agreement force negotiations to be based on worst case scenarios. Councilmember Nelson stated that the schedule is vastly accelerated compared to the charrette schedule. Mr. Ruff felt that it was important to see this project as a moment in time and that negotiations are continuing and will change as time and the project progresses. Mr. Ruff then presented a brief overview of the financial aspect of the project and the underlying assumptions supporting the Tax Increment plan. Key TIF assumptions are a 2.7 percent inflation rate and 22 years of tax increment capture. Public financing will fund land acquisition, parking, and infrastructure. Mr Harmening asked for further Council direction. Mayor Jacobs inquired if staff would be ready with the PUD for the next regular Council meeting. Mr Harmening replied that it would be subject to Council authorization for staff to make several non-substantive changes. Council agreed. Mr. Harmening stated that there would be an update on the Jennings option and suggested that Council exercise the option. Ms Reichert reported to Council that a resolution will be coming forward in which it clarifies that five liquor licenses will be held for the Park Commons development. She stated that the developers had wanted reassurance that five licenses were to be reserved for the development to help in their negotiations for lease space. 2. Excelsior Boulevard Traffic Study Jack Forsland, BRW, was present at the meeting He distributed a handout indicating the study approach and the results of the analyzed traffic conditions. Mr. Forsland explained that Phase I of the study has been completed and consisted of public outreach, identification of issues and needs, and review/analysis of existing traffic date. He reported that Phase II of the study is currently underway. Phase II addresses the identified issues of safety and speed, pedestrian/bicycle access, cut-through traffic, and mobility/congestion. Council and staff looked at graphs detailing traffic patterns in the area Mr. Forsland stated they analyzed factors that had contributed to the increase and decline in numbers for various years. He explained the cut-through traffic indications. Study Session Minutes -3- January 8, 2001 t n" , .1 Councilmember Nelson asked about the basis of the formula used to analyze the data. Mr. Forsland explained how the Hennepin County model is used. Council and staff discussed mitigation measures for the flow of traffic in the Excelsior Boulevard area. Councilmember Sanger expressed her concern about traffic lights and the amount of time needed on them to allow pedestrians adequate time to cross She was also concerned about the single northbound lane on Monterey Ave. Councilmember Nelson inquired if money has been budgeted for additional studies. Mr. Meyer replied that money has been budgeted through the mitigation stage. Councilmember Nelson felt money should be allowed through the build out stage to address concerns as the project moves forward and concepts become real. Council agreed and felt it was necessary. 3. Preservation and Enhancement of City Housing Stock Mr. Harmening reported to Council that staff felt it was appropriate to review the existing housing programs and future initiatives based upon the results from the recent Vision St. Louis Park—Residential Survey conducted by Decision Resources, Ltd. w Mayor Jacobs commented that he enjoys working with Representative Rhodes on legislation for repair of blighted property and the neighborhood clean up program. Councilmember Sanger felt that the code should be more specific on the definition of"blight". Mr. Camilon stated that perception differs widely between individuals. Mr Hoffman felt they should first determine if there is a problem with blighted houses in the city. Councilmember Nelson felt there were only a few major problems within the City but many people have identified those few as major problems Mr Hoffman stated that a money incentive program would be possible but inquired how the problem would be assessed. He suggested doing an inventory of blighted homes and possibly a windshield survey. Councilmember Sanger cautioned against moving forward unless the ability to do so was present. Councilmember Santa inquired about landlord/tenant problems. Councilmember Brimeyer felt that enforcement would be a problem in that sense. He also commented about housing court. Mr. Hoffman stated that the Housing code needs to be updated and they would bring the issue back after refinement. He suggested adopting the property maintenance standards. Mayor Jacobs asked if abatement was possible in the nuisance ordinance. Mr. Meyer asked Council if they supported conducting an inventory of housing conditions. Councilmember Sanger replied that she would support it but only if follow through occurred. Mr. Hoffman suggested categorizing the problem areas and working over time to correct the violations. Councilmember Nelson felt that it would be difficult to determine the amount of money and staff time needed to address the issue without doing an inventory. Study Session Minutes -4- January 8,2001 Councilmember Nelson would like to see the worst problems addressed first. Councilmember Santa was concerned that qualification standards are too high for many residents to qualify for assistance programs to make improvements on property. She wanted to be certain that resources to assist applicants are available before publicizing new programs. Mr. Harmening felt that an assessment and inventory are necessary to tailor programs to the needs of the community Mr. Camilon stated that this program would help achieve the third tier of the "Philosophy of Inspections" that was adopted last year. Councilmember Nelson suggested removing bamers on existing programs. Councilmember Sanger inquired if there were problems with detenoration of rental homes. Mr. 5 Hoffman replied that it is difficult to determine at the moment but an assessment would help identify any problems. 4. Historical Society Councilmember Nelson suggested discussion of this issue at a later date. However, he did report that the Historical Society has an interest in developing a book. 5. Board and Commissions Update Councilmember Bnmeyer suggested that two to three students from the Mosaic program at the High SchoolStaff should be on the Human Rights Commission. Staff recommended the appointment of Knsti Rudelius-Palmer, Cassandra Boddy, Maya Winoker, and Jake Feldman to the Human Rights Commission. 6. Communications Staff and Council discussed the remodeling of City Hall and felt that pictures of both staff and Council should be displayed 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m.. C Clerk Mayor