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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003/01/06 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular CITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS CITY COUNCIL MEETING PARK ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA January 6, 2003 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:30 p m The following Councilmembers were preset at roll call. Jim Brimeyer, Chns Nelson, Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, Sally Velick, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Councilmember Ron Latz was absent. Also present were the Deputy City Manager (Mr. Pires); City Attorney (Mr. Scott); Planning and Zoning Supervisor(Ms. Jeremiah), Assistant Zoning Administrator(Mr. Momson); Director of Parks and Recreation (Ms. Walsh); City Clerk (Ms Reichert); and Recording Secretary (Ms Samson). 2. Presentations: None 3. Approval of Minutes a. City Council Minutes Study Session of December 9, 2002 b. City Council Minutes Regular Meeting of December 16, 2002 c. City Council Minutes Special Meeting of December 16, 2002 d. City Council/School Board Joint meeting Minutes November 25, 2002 e City Council Minutes Special Meeting of December 23, 2002 All minutes were approved as presented. 4. Approval of Agenda and Items on Consent Calendar NOTE The Consent Calendar lists those items of business which are considered' to be routine and/or which need no discussion Consent items are acted upon by one motion If discussion is desired by either a Councilmember or a member of the audience, that item may be moved to an appropriate section of the regular agenda for discussion 4a Approve amended lease agreement with MnDOT for Webster Park 4b Adopt Resolution 03-003 declaring 2003 City Council meeting dates 4c Adopt Resolution 03-004 designating the St Louis Park Sun-Sailor as the City's Official Newspaper for 2003 4d Approve HRC Minutes of September 20, 2002 It was moved by Councilmember Nelson, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve the Agenda and items listed on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed 6-0. 5. Boards and Commissions: None Council Meeting Minutes -2- January 6, 2003 6. Public Hearings: None 7. Requests, Petitions, and Communications from the Public 7a. Case No. 02-60-VAR: Square Feet of Minnesota, LLC Assistant Zoning Administrator Gary Momson presented a report on the application of Square Feet of Minnesota. The Applicant is appealing the 3-2 Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) decision to deny a variance to permit 24 parking spaces as opposed to the required 73 parking spaces at 3300 Gorham Avenue. The Applicant is proposing a second floor addition of 2,695 to be used as office space. Mr. Morrison said not one of the seven criteria for a variance has been met. Nick Smaby is a principal in Square Feet of Minnesota and President of Choice Wood Company (the building's occupant) located at 3300 Gorham Avenue. Mr. Smaby said his building is directly across the street from a municipal parking lot that accommodates 85 cars and, generally, the lot is only about 1/3 occupied. Mr. Smaby's business is allocated nine of the 85 spaces. Mark McClellan, 3300 Gorham, reinforced Mr. Smaby's comments. Councilmember Santa inquired about the municipal parking lot. Mr. Momson said the lot was constructed in 1964 and has about 87 allocated spaces, i.e., the spaces are accessed to eight properties in varying amounts. Mr. Momson reported that the original tenant at 3300 Gorham Avenue was a warehouse tenant and was allocated nine spaces. The property at 3300 Gorham is being used as office, and office tenants require a greater number of parking spaces. The eight property owners have purchased the space in the lot. Councilmember Velick inquired about traffic flow. Mr. Morrison said traffic flow is impeded with average or above snowfalls; on-street parking is problematic for one property owner who recently reported that delivery trucks were having difficulty making deliveries; and idling trucks pose concern for at least one property owner. • Councilmember Sanger stated that Staff and BOZA are correct in denying the variance, however, the denial does not make sense in the real world. Ms. Jeremiah said the City's parking ordinance was adopted with the overall zoning code in 1992, and it has not been overhauled in the last 10 years. Councilmember Sanger would like the parking ordinance to be reviewed and brought up-to-date. Ms. Jeremiah said given the current ordinance, the property owners may come together under a Planned Unit Development (PUD), and Staff is open to looking at other options. Ms. Jeremiah added that Staff shall undertake an industrial study of parking requirements in late 2003. Councilmember Bnmeyer proposed the possibility of a Special Service District (SSD) for this area and, subsequently, a reallocation of parking spaces in a manner that is fair to all. Council Meeting Minutes -3- January 6, 2003 Councilmember Nelson said the questions that need to be answered are: Has the City allocated the parking spaces? What are the City's legal obligations in regard to the municipal parking lot? He would like to explore the possibility of a Special Service District. Mayor Jacobs would like to accommodate the Applicant's request, and alleviate on-street parking in that area. Councilmember Nelson suggested, if the Applicant is agreeable, to defer this item. Councilmember Bnmeyer said he would table the item in order to determine what the legal deed requirements are and if this area could be converted to a Special Service District. Councilmember Sanger supports defemng this item, if that is agreeable to the Applicant. Councilmember Sanger asked if spaces in the lot could be rented business-to- business. Mr. Smaby commented that he is asking for just nine additional parking spaces. City Attorney Tom Scott said one option would be to condition the variance, which would apply only to the current use. Acting City Manager Clint Pires asked Staff about a timeline in regard to this issue. Ms. Jeremiah said because BOZA has acted, the appeal is a new application and the 60-day period has begun; permission from the Applicant is required. Mr. Scott requested the Applicant agree to waive the deadline for the Council to act and defer the matter for a specified period of time. Mr. Smaby agreed to waive the deadline It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Sanger, to defer this item for 60 days. Councilmember Nelson said a Study Session discussion should include industrial parking requirements and how to handle municipal lots. Councilmember Santa added the discussion should include who actually owns the lots, and does the City have the authority to allocate the spaces. Mayor Jacobs said the discussion should include whether or not a Special Service District can supplant the requirements for granting a variance. Councilmember Bnmeyer said the focus of industrial parking should be in the 33`d and Gorham Avenue area, not the entire city. His questions are. What is the problems What are some possible alternative solutions? Notwithstanding a blanket variance, how was the original assessment done and what were the conditions? What are the legal ramifications of either abiding by it, modifying it or ignoring it? What are the options to be considered, i.e., a variance, a Special Service District or a separate parking district. Councilmember Sanger asked. Is there anything the property owners can do for themselves to address the discrepancies? Councilmember Nelson said a survey is needed, and he suspects industrial parking areas are over-parked. The motion passed 6-0. Council Meeting Minutes -4- January 6, 2003 8. Resolutions,_Ordinances, Motions 8a. Election of Mayor Pro-tem Minnesota State Statute Section 412.121 requires that Council choose each year an acting Mayor from the Councilmembers. It was moved by Councilmember Brimeyer, seconded by Councilmember Velick, to adopt Resolution 03-001 appointing Susan Sanger as Mayor Pro-tern. The motion passed 6-0. 8b. Park Reservation Permit Policy Director of Parks and Recreation Cindy Walsh and Chair Nancy Nelson of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee reported on the revisions made to the Park Reservation Permit Policy. Chair Nelson said a conflict resolution policy is now stated in writing. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve the revisions made to the Park Reservation Permit Policy by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. The motion passed 6-0. 9. Communications From Mayor Jacobs: Mayor Jacobs reported that a book signing by authors Kristin Gilpatnck and Rick Peterson will take place at the Rec Center on Sunday, January 19, 2003, and the subject matter of the book, Footprints in Courage: A Bataan Death March Survivor's Story, is Alf R. Larson. 10. Adjournment Mayor Jacobs adjourned the meeting at 8:36 p m. Ci Clerk Mayor