HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004/11/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session fiST.ILOLI°/FS OFFICIAL MINUTES
RK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
November 8, 2004
The meeting convened at 6:00 p.m
Present at the meeting were Councilmembers John Basil], Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Susan
Sanger, Sue Santa, Sally Velick, and Mayor Jacobs.
Present at the meeting were Planning Commissioners Michelle Bissonnette, Lynne Carper,
Robert Kramer, Dennis Morns, and Carl Robertson.
Staff present. City Manager(Mr. Harmening), Human Resources Director(Ms Gohman),
Director of Technology and Support Services (Mr. Peres), Community Development Director
(Mr Locke), Planning Coordinator (Ms. Erickson), Housing Supervisor (Ms. Schnitker),
Housing Programs Coordinator(Ms. Larsen), City Engineer(Ms Hagen), and City Clerk (Ms.
Reichert)
1. Planning Commission/City Council Joint Discussion
Mr. Locke stated that their intent was to discuss the Housing Summit, long range plans, and
opportunities and constraints in a fully built community.
Ms. Schnitker gave an update on the progress of the Housing Summit meetins since the last
large meeting. The next large meeting will be held on Tuesday, December r. Staff will present
information from staff outreach efforts to the housing focus groups.
Mr. Locke gave background information on residential zoning and subdivision regulations,
Comprehensive Plan housing and neighborhood goals, residential in-fill regulation evaluation
and retaining oversized residential lots.
Chair Robertson asked Ms. Schnitker what the public reaction is to the housing goals. She
replied that it is basically the same response as the large group's reaction and there were no
surprises
Commissioner Morns felt that retention of small home is also important
Councilmember Sanger inquired if residents are asking for comparable homes based on size and
architecture style when in-fill occurs. Ms. Larsen replied that they are asking for similar
architecture style.
Councilmember Finkelstein had questions about large homes and the approval process.
Councilmember Sanger inquired about tear downs and stated that not much has been done to
date. Chair Robertson replied that it is a city program and he would like to see the same results
without it being a city program.
Ms. Larsen stated that comments from the focus groups indicated that the ordinance code should
be relaxed to allow for larger homes and expansion. Chair Robertson felt more can be put on a
lot if it is designed well. Ms. Schnitker had heard complaints about restrictive setbacks. Chair
Robertson emphasized the ability to construct larger homes through proper design.
Study Session Minutes -2- November 8, 2004
Mayor Jacobs stated that it may be time to challenge sight lines in neighborhoods and allow for
different front setbacks.
Councilmember Santa and Commissioner Moms mentioned safety issues and said people like to
be able to see down their block. Commissioner Kramer inquired if they could move streets to
allow them to meander. Mayor Jacobs stated that it is very difficult to move existing streets.
Councilmember Sanger and Chair Robertson agreed that more density in terms of square footage
is desired.
Commissioner Moms asked if they would be in the role of directing what would be developed or
just reacting to proposals.
Chair Robertson asked if they can institute development overlay districts. Mr. Locke explained
how overlay districts work. Chair Robertson felt the ordinance code needs fine-tuning to allow
for growth and change
Mayor Jacobs stated concern about being in competition with the private market
Councilmember Santa would also like to see research to find out what is coming in terms of
demographics and the market
Councilmember Basill stated that if Council decides which uses and density are appropriate, they
need to be cautious not to incur liability for the city. He added that perhaps they could add a '
requirement (a formula) to provide single family homes if rezoning is adjacent to residential
areas
Chair Robertson thought they should look at rezoning and development proposals separately.
Commissioner Carper stated that they have recently been dealing with lot subdivision issues and
that it is also an issue for residents. He felt they needed to find a way to keep lots the same size
so as not to change the character of neighborhoods.
Councilmember Sanger suggested only allowing a complete re-build of a house if it has already
been torn down, rather than tearing down non-blighted homes in order to build townhouses.
Council discussed review of the Comprehensive Plan and would like to see plans formed for
future five year increments.
Councilmember Santa added that they should avoid creating different standards for more and
less affluent neighborhoods of the city.
2. Lamplighter Pond
Ms. Hagen presented staff's recommendation for the best case outcome. She then presented the
results of the draw down test. She stated that the tests indicated that the pond fluctuates between
870's to 880's.
Study Session Minutes -3- November 8, 2004
The Council was concerned about the cost and results from the project. Some concerns were
subsidence, inconsistencies, confusion about the different proposed projects, and whether the
results were worth the cost of the project.
Ms. Hagen finished explaining the details of staff's proposed plan. Council then discussed the
benefits of each component of the plan.
3. Wi-Fi
Mr. Pires explained that other cities have begun to offer low-cost, high-speed wireless Internet
access to their residents. He explained that he and Mr. Harmening visited the City of Chaska to
learn more about this approach He stated that it has shown to be successful at a lower cost and
there is a variety of public/pnvate partnerships. Mr. Pires believes this could be successful in St.
Louis Park.
Councilmember Sanger stated that there may be segments of St. Louis Park that are underserved
because they cannot obtain DSL service or choose not to have cable.
Mr. Pires proceeded to present a slide show on Wi-Fi.
The Council was supportive of further research. The question was raised whether providing this
service was a legitimate function of government Mr. Pires stated that some of the benefits of a
city provided service are connections to the community, opportunity for economic development,
affordability and availability to all residents, and lifelong learning.
Mr. Harmening stated that staff feels that research and investment are worthwhile and it would
be to their advantage to take the lead in this area.
Mr. Omodt inquired where the funds would come from for due diligence. Mr. Harmening
replied that it would come from the General Fund and the Economic Development Fund.
4. Communications
Mr. Harmening informed Council that Brooklyn Park is going to Hennepin County for dispatch
services.
5. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 p.m. i/\
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