The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2004/04/26 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CIL TY OF ST. LOUIS OFFICIAL MINUTES PARK CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION April 26, 2004 The meeting convened at 7.10 p m. Councilmembers present were John Basill, Paul Omodt, Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, Sally Velick, Phil Finkelstein, and Mayor Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Director of Public Works (Mr Rardin); Public Works Coordinator (Mr. Merkley); Housing Coordinator (Ms. Larsen); Chief Health Official (Mr. Camilon), Housing Supervisor (Ms. Schnitker); Police Officer(Officer Shoemaker); Economic Development Coordinator (Mr. Hunt); and City Clerk (Ms. Reichert). 1. Pilot Rehab Program update Representative Jim Rhodes was present at the meeting. Staff provided Council with an evaluation of the Single Family Pilot Rehab Program implemented in 2002-2003 Representative Jim Rhodes, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) staff and representatives from the Center for Energy &Environment (CEE) were also in attendance. Staff had prepared notebooks with photographs of homes which had benefited from the program and a power-point presentation further illustrating the program's success. Councilmember Sanger asked if the program was being expanded to include commercial properties in the city. Mr Camilon responded that it would and that a commercial program should be in place within the next year Councilmember Sanger also asked if other cities had taken advantage of special legislation which helped to fund the program. Staff responded that only a few cities had, but that SLP had taken the program much further than other cities. Representative Rhodes said that he would be working on future legislative funding for this kind of program to be made available to all cities in Minnesota Councilmember Sanger asked if any rental properties had taken part in the program and if the landlords were typically cooperative Ms. Larsen responded that there were several rental properties and that it did not seem to make a difference whether homes were owner-occupied or were rental properties in terms of cooperation from the owners. Councilmember Santa asked if staff was tracking program participants that may have mental health issues to monitor future property issues. Mr Camilon responded that staff was monitoring program participants to ensure that property maintenance improvements would not be allowed to relapse Mayor Jacobs and Council praised staff for their efforts in providing a very successful program and thanked them for their hard work Study Session Minutes -2- April 26, 2004 2. I-394 High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Report Representative of MN Dot and the HOV Land Task Force were in attendance to provide an overview of the I-394 HOC study currently underway. St Louis Park's citizen representative, Steve Fillbrandt, was also in attendance at the meeting. Council viewed a powerpoint presentation which included information about how the study was conducted and recommendations for future use of the HOV lanes. Council asked numerous questions about how the lanes would work, requested information about technical aspects of the system, enforcement, user expectations, experience in other parts of the country with the system, and cost of using the lanes. St. Louis Police Officer Dave Shoemaker reported that he had attended meetings regarding enforcement and that SLP would not likely be called upon to assist with routine enforcement of the proposed HOV toll system. 3. Stonebridge Development's Revised Tax Increment,Financing Application Representatives of the developer; Ron Mehl, Stonebndge Developers; Jim Deanovic, Peter Andrea Company; Gary Tushie, Tushie Montgomery Architects were present at the meeting. Mark Ruff and Stacy Kvilvang of Ehlers and Associates were also present. Councilmember Santa stated that she was in favor of the development and also believed that the participants in the NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities) program were also in support. She suggested more process with the neighborhood be done before approval. Councilmember Sanger did not believe the proposal met the city's "but for" test since the developer had stated that a senior condominium project could easily be built without TIF assistance She did not believe a "limited equity" investment was a good deal for buyers and could not support the city endorsing this kind of investment property by providing assistance to the developer She stated that the city already has enough affordable housing and enough senior housing Councilmember Omodt requested to see a justification of how this project meets the "but for" test He did not understand why the project qualified for TIF assistance Councilmember Finklestein was in favor of the project and many seniors understood full well how •the limited equity option works. He felt this was a good option for senior whose major asset is their home He did not believe high-priced condos would work in this neighborhood and that this would provide another tool for seniors to stay in their home community at a reasonable cost Councilmember Santa was also in support stating that seniors who had paid off their original mortgage did not find the prospect of yet another mortgage appealing. Oftentimes, they are not interested in a long-term investment and this financing option works for those persons Councilmember Velick was also in support and felt the socialization or the camaraderie the seniors receive from living in such a facility is beneficial for seniors in the community and that they will live longer lives through this process Mr. Ruff provided his assessment of the viability of this project and the financing option being requested by the developer. The site proposed is not an ideal site for condos and the project does Study Session Minutes -3- April 26, 2004 meet the but for test. The nine year period of payoff made the project much more realistic than a 20 year payoff program. Councilmember Santa pointed out that the building currently located on the site has been vacant for a year and is falling into disrepair. Mr Ruff offered to prepare a written report for council review on how this project meets the "but for" test Councilmember Basill believed this was a good opportunity to do a sort of pilot program He was willing to support the project to see if it works in this community. Mayor Jacobs also stated his support for the project. Though the option of a limited equity mortgage may not work for all, it may work very well for some and he was willing to provide the option to seniors in our community. Mr. Harmening informed council that the next steps in the process would include neighborhood meetings, public hearing for the TIF application, negotiate the development agreement and begin the process of reguiding the property. Mr Hunt offered to work on a proposed schedule and an explanation of how the project meets the "but for" test. 4. 90+Solid Waste Service Mr Rardin and Mr. Merkley presented a proposed structure for billing customers using multiple containers over 90 gallons at an increased rate. Councilmembers were in support of the proposal and asked that it be brought forward with modifications to the rates above 180 gallons Implementation should begin with the next billing cycle 5. Communications Mr. Harmening asked council to consider which councilmember should be appointed to the Travel Demand Management Task Force with Golden Valley. Councilmember Velick would like to be appointed to that position and asked that a resolution be prepared for the next regular meeting. Councilmember Basill expressed concern over the high percentage of single family homes being used as rental property. Mr Harmening also informed council of a situation with the utility companies and permit fees stating that more information would be provided to them in the future 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10.12 p m. -)44..A,A4 , DCP Cit Clerk Mayor