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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/04/18 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular iffCITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES T. LOUISCITY COUNCIL MEETING RK ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA April 18, 2005 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:41 pm. Council members present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, John Basill, Phil Finkelstein, Sue Santa and Sally Velick Council members Paul Omodt and Susan Sanger were absent. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Mr. Scott), Community Development Director(Mr. Locke), Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Hunt), Assistant Zoning Administrator(Mr. Morrison), Finance Director(Ms. McGann), Deputy City Clerk(Ms. Stroth) and Recording Secretary(Ms. Stegora-Peterson) 2. Presentations - None 3. Approval of Minutes 3a. City Council Minutes of April 4, 2005 The minutes were approved as presented. 3b. Study Session Minutes of March 14, 2005 The minutes were approved as presented. 3c. Study Session Minutes of March 21, 2005 The minutes were approved as presented. d. Study Session Minutes of March 28, 2005 Councilmember Finkelstein indicated in item#3, there was an additional concern that buying more property would raise the pnce of that corner. He also indicated the spelling of his name was inconsistent. Councilmember Basill added they also had expressed a concern that if they didn't buy the property now, the price of the properties would continue to escalate. Councilmember Finkelstein stated they made a further point regarding an earlier commitment from Walmart as part of their CUP, that they were responsible for paying part of the cost of the pedestrian bridge. The minutes were approved as corrected. e. Study Session Minutes of April 4, 2005 Councilmember Finkelstein noted that Beltline should be included (on page two) as a location for consideration of flashing lights. The minutes were approved as corrected. Council Meeting Minutes -2- April 18, 2005 1. Study Session Minutes of April 11, 2005 The 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 the Proposed Appliance Collection Change affecting the Solid Waste Contract. 4b. Determine that North Star Tree Care, Inc. is not a responsible bidder and designate Emery's Tree Service Inc. as the lowest responsible bidder, and authorize execution of a contract for the 2005 private diseased tree removal program in an amount not to exceed$515,525.00. 4c. Adopt Resolution 05-062 granting Qwest Corporation(Ulteig Engineers) an easement to locate telecommunication equipment cabinets and related appurtenances on a portion of City Hall property along the northern boundary of the property along 5005 Minnetonka Boulevard. Case No. 05-13-RE. 4d. Adopt Resolution 05-063 authorizing the St. Louis Park Housing Authority to administer the Small Home Acquisition Pilot with Expansion (SHAPE)program. 4e. Approve Proposed Sublease of Free Standing Communications Antenna with Sprint Spectrum L.P. (Sprint) - City Contract No. 68-99. 4f. Accept for filing Telecomm Commission Minutes of December 2, 2004. 4g. Accept for filing Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of March 16, 2005. 4h. Accept Vendor Claims for filing (Supplement). It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Velack, to approve the Agenda and items listed on the Consent Calendar The motion passed 5-0. 5. Boards and Commissions - None 6. Public Hearings 6a. Public Hearing to consider granting an On-Sale Wine and 3.2 Malt Liquor License for Leeann Chin,Inc.,DBA Chin's Asia Fresh located at Knollwood Mall, 8332 Hwy 7, Suite 333 in St. Louis Park. Ms. Stroth presented the staff report. Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing. With no one being present to speak, the public hearing was closed. It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Basil!to approve an on-sale wine and 3 2 malt liquor license. The motion passed 5-0. Council Meeting Minutes -3- April 18, 2005 7. Requests, Petitions, and Communications from the Public—None 8. Resolutions, Ordinances, Motions 8a. Sale of 2005A General Obligation Bond and 2005B General Obligation Tax Increment Refunding Bond Resolution No.'s 05-058 and 05-059 Ms. McGann presented the staff report. Mayor Jacobs questioned if they were doing this now to take advantage of interest rates. Ms McGann responded that was correct, the interest rates were more favorable. Also, they had originally talked about issuing a general obligation bond in 2006, but because of interest rates and the dollar amount of improvements scheduled for completion, it would be in the best interest of the City to issue the debt at this point. It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Basill to approve Resolution No. 05-058 providing for the sale of$3,780,000 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2005A and Resolution No. 05-059 providing for the sale of$2,470,000 General Obligation Tax Increment Refunding Bonds, Series 2005B. The motion passed 5-0 8b. Request by Mendota Homes Inc. for a preliminary/final plat to combine two parcels into one; and a conditional use permit to allow a 3-story, 75 unit condominium building at 3270 Gorham Avenue (the old AVR site). Case No. 05-03-S: Proposal for a lot combination. Case No. 05-02-CUP: Proposal for multi-family Condominium. Resolution #05-060 Mr. Morrison presented the staff report. Rachel Fitzgerald, President of A&F Reddy Rents, 3320 Republic Av., stated concern that they were turning a commercial property into residential and taking away potential for redevelopment for"grow-up"properties like they were doing for housing. She was also concerned residents would complain about issues associated with commercial uses (delivery trucks, welding businesses, etc.) and hoped that was taken into consideration. Mayor Jacobs agreed those were valid concerns. The Council had discussed this at the EDA and mentioned the subject of Park Tavern utilizing a city-owned parking lot. Mr. Harmening added that the City was working with Park Tavern on use of a city parking lot through a lease arrangement. They could include the issue of sidewalk access between that lot and Park Tavern. Mayor Jacobs asked the price range of the condos. Mr. Morrison replied that the developer would do a presentation. They were proposing sidewalks along Oak Leaf and Gorham Avenue. Enn Mathern, Mendota Homes, described the project in detail including how the property was acquired, designed and planned, and landscaped They were purchasing a supplemental site from the Economic Development Authority and did not intend to build Council Meeting Minutes -4- Apnl 18, 2005 on that property. It would be used for storm water management and green space. The building would be association maintained with on-site staff to handle concerns. The units ranged from $189,900 to the high$400,000's. They planned to begin construction in June, with completion scheduled for September 2006. Regarding the issue raised by the previous speaker, all of their sales would happen on the site. Potential buyers would have a good idea of the property they were living on and the exact location of their condominium before they decided to purchase. They would understand that this is a mixed-use neighborhood and there would be full disclosure of the fact that the neighbors were not only residential,but also commercial uses. Councilmember Velick asked what the requirement was for guest parking. Mr. Momson replied the requirement was that 10%of the required parking be made available to guests, which came out to 15 spaces. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if there would be more parking on the street. Mr. Morrison replied there were surplus parking spaces inside the building, but parking was also available on the street. The traffic study recommended that they take away parking from Oak Leaf because of the narrowness and traffic on the road. Councilmember Velick thought it seemed that the guest parking would not be enough. Mr. Morrison noted in the past they had required developers to sign guest spaces "reserved for guests only". There was also a municipal lot across the street. Councilmember Finkelstein commented that this was a well-designed project and met the goals,but was concerned about future purchasers not knowing they were moving into a mixed-use area. Could there be agreed upon language for residents to understand they were moving into a mixed-use area. Councilmember Santa noted no matter where someone was in the city, there were rules and ordinances about noise, etc. Councilmember Finkelstein understood that, but when there were mixed uses, it was a concern and there may be inspections issues. He was concerned about"squeezing"the main commercial districts, but hoped they would follow-up at a study session about what they could do to promote more commercial areas. Ms. McGonigal noted that this summer a study would be done of all industrial areas. They will collect data on properties and bring that information to the Council. Councilmember Finkelstein thought the development was going from commercial to residential. They were not doing anything to preserve the commercial. His final concern was whether they would be suffering from too many condos, which needed further discussion about how many projects they could sustain. That fell into the area of what kind of development and activities they wanted the EDA and the City to be involved in. Mayor Jacobs agreed, from all of the research he had seen, the condominium market was particularly active now. At the Housing Summit, housing goals were put in place for the future. At some point, there may be too many for the market. It was not the city's issue Council Meeting Minutes -5- April 18, 2005 until a building like this began to fail. Eventually the owner-occupied nature could change and become rental or an apartment complex. Councilmember Finkelstein suggested when they studied the issue about commercial development, they also study the amount of owner-occupied versus rental housing and what they were doing with the housing stock. Mayor Jacobs noted they had this discussion during the Housing Summit and on the issue of Inspections of rental housing. He was concerned if there was too much rental property, they would end up having problems. Councilmember Santa asked the difference in the ordinance for noise in an industrial area opposed to a residential area. Mr Mornson replied in the areas where industrial abutted residential, the allowed decibel level was 60 decibels between 7 am and 10 pm. After 10 PM and before 7 PM, it dropped another 15 decibels. Complaints were typically from activity occurring on-site. Traffic was not typical the nature of the complaint. If they found there was a violation, they would work with the property owners for a solution. Councilmember Santa questioned if there had been a problem in this area with single- family homes very close to industrial. Mr. Morrison responded typically complaints came from immediate neighbors. The single-family homes were far enough away so traffic should stay out of that area. Councilmember Santa asked if steps were taken to use planting materials to buffer the area from the industrial uses. Mr. Morrison replied along the North property line there were numerous trees. Landscaping on the site was extensive. Councilmember Santa noted deciduous trees were not preferred, because they lost their leaves. She had concerns and was familiar with other sites where industrial and residential bumped into each other to the detriment of both. She liked the fact that there a was thought put into that. She was concerned about losing industrial and commercial areas. This site was empty for along time, had there been any other interest? Mayor Jacobs responded that it sat vacant, but the family didn't offer it for sale. Councilmember Santa indicated that could also be an issue because people had gotten used to it being empty. She liked the connection between the two parks. They needed to make sure people who moved into this property knew exactly what they were getting into. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if the developer would commit to work on proposed language with the development department so people knew what they were getting into. Mr. Locke stated that they could provide a map or plan document identifying the nearby businesses for the sales office to hand out. Ms. Mathern stated that the process of purchasing a condominium was extensive. They did their own sales and provided a lot of information. She didn't want to have another document that clients were required to sign or to cause fear for buyers when it was not warranted. Knowing that all sales would be on-site, people would understand where they were living and what they were getting into. If the City had a map designating other uses around the property, they could provide that to buyers in their marketing materials. Council Meeting Minutes -6- April 18, 2005 Mayor Jacobs agreed and didn't believe the City should micromanage their sales technique. The City could provide a use map, but they also needed to be cautious because businesses change. Councilmember Finkelstein thought a map with current businesses would be fine. Mayor Jacobs suggested a zoning map could be provided and people could research potential uses. He didn't want someone going to back to the City or developer saying that they had "guaranteed" anything. The developer and staff could work together to share a zoning map so that people had a sense of the kinds of potential uses that could exist around them. Ms. Mathem believed providing a zoning map was a fine idea, but she didn't want people to think that was something unusual. Residential is in the midst of commercial uses in many other places and they didn't want to encourage the idea that this was unusual and where people should be sensitive to the noise. Councilmember Finkelstein stated they wanted the project to be successful, but it was next to light industnal. He encouraged they work with City staff because he didn't want people to be unhappy because they weren't aware of the surroundings. Councilmember Basill asked with this project going in and abutting light industrial, did that automatically change the way the ordinance was enforced regarding the 15 decibels and the hours of idling trucks. Mr. Morrison replied that the use was already adjacent to a residentially zoned property. The ordinance would remain the same. Councilmember Basill asked the developer how they arrived at three stories. Ms. Mathern responded that there were height requirements in this neighborhood. They did a code analysis to determine three stories, as well as aesthetics and how it would fit with the neighborhood. They try to stick by the confines of the zoning code. Councilmember Basill asked what colors they were using. Ms. Mathem replied it was not all one color. The dominant feature was brick, which would be a tradition tone of red. There were also stucco and siding components on the upper levels of the building will be done in natural tones, from the Praine style of architecture. Councilmember Basill asked if all of the parking was underground, or if some of the ramp was above-level. Ms. Mathern replied that the site has some environmental considerations. There are two levels of parking and the lowest level would be underground. The second level was at grade on the Louisiana side. Councilmember Basill asked if there would be screening or if people could see into the parking. Ms. Mathern replied it was enclosed and the exterior of that level was brick, which was requested by the Planning Commission. There are multiple layers of landscaping between the wall and sidewalks. On Gorham,parking will be completely underground. Councilmember Basill agreed with Councilmember Finkelstein that they needed to watch the development of condos in the City and maintain a balance. He was pleased they Council Meeting Minutes -7- Apr it 18 , 2005 proposed three stories. As condominium developments come forward, they should discuss if bigger units should be required. Some people with children also enjoy condominium living and many were being built for people without kids. They could discuss at a future study session requiring 3+ bedrooms in condominiums. Councilmember Finkelstein asked how old their company was, how large, how many projects they had done like this and if they had representative samplings of other projects they had done. Ms. Mathern responded that Mendota Homes was founded in 1991 and had been doing condominium development since 1996. They had 17 full-time employees. They performed general contractors functions themselves This will be their le or 11th condominium development similar to this. They looked for a very marketable site. Their website, mendotahomes.com, shows past projects and developments Councilmember Santa asked that staff see the color palette before going forward and follow the similar rules of seven to ten for truck traffic and construction. It was moved by Councilmember Santa, seconded by Councilmember Finkelstein, to approve ResolutionNo. 05-060 preliminary/final plat of Gorham Addition, which combines two parcels into one, subject to conditions as recommended by the Planning Commission; and, approve Resolution No. 05-061 Conditional Use Permit to allow a 75 unit multiple family dwelling at 3270 Gorham Avenue subject to conditions as recommended by the Planning Commission The motion passed 5-0. 9. Communications Mayor Jacobs stated the Youth Summit was a success, although turnout was much higher than expected, and thanked the organizers. He also thanked the organizers of the Lenox Spaghetti Dinner, which was a fun event. April 22r is Earth Day and in commemoration, the rotary clubs are meeting at the Westwood Nature Center to plant trees 10. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. (),. .„._Tho ,e,_,.._/_._i_ ._ J,U ity Clerk M. or