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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/02/14 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CTY OFFICIAL MINUTES T. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION RK February 14,2005 The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. Council Present: John Basill, Phil Finkelstein, Sue Sanger, Paul Omodt, Sue Santa, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff Present: City Manager(Mr. Harmening), Community Development Director(Mr. Locke), Public Works Director(Mike Rardin), City Engineer(Maria Hagen), City Clerk (Cynthia Reichert). 1. Excelsior Boulevard West Reconstruction Project Discussion Maria Hagen, City Engineer, Guy Nowlin, Hennepin County Project Engineer and Mike McGarvey, SRF Consulting Group provided council with an overview of the proposed project They also shared input received at various public meetings from residents and businesses and reviewed design elements related to the roadway and streetscape improvements Ms. Hagen stated there were concerns from businesses regarding road closures and impacts on accessibility to their businesses. Residents were also concerned about limited access to residential streets. Councilmember Sanger stated her concern that the median widths were too narrow and did not provide a safe refuge for persons crossing Excelsior Blvd. Mr. Nowlin explained that the roadway was too narrow to allow for a wider median, and that he believed the plan being presented offered the best use of the limited space. Mayor Jacobs stated that he recognized the design was a "balancing act". He would like to see a wider median, but believed this was probably the best design possible. Councilmembers Finkelstein and Basil] concurred. Councilmember Basill would like to see more interaction with the neighborhood regarding traffic calming measures, such as delineated crosswalks. Councilmember Finkelstein believed there should be a crosswalk at Louisiana Ave S or Louisiana Circle for hospital employees. Councilmember Basill asked why streets were to be closed of and the median was extended in places to block left turns. Mr. McGarvey explained the accident rates and safety problems currently experienced on Excelsior Blvd, and further explained how the proposed modifications can enhance safety and eliminate accidents. One resident was present at the meeting, and expressed concerns that homes at the far west end of the project area would be completely closed off from Excelsior Blvd making access very difficult. As a result, several options were discussed. Mr Harmening suggested that the various options be looked at more closely along with options for funding, such as assessments for the affected properties. Mr. McGarvey presented recommended design for lighting, landscape, sidewalks, etc. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if Park Nicollet would be willing to contribute to public art Kevin Locke reported that the meeting to discuss a possible special service district was poorly attended and suggested holding a second meeting. As the city has done in the past, a consultant will be retained to follow up. Study Session Minutes -2- February 14, 2005 Mr. Harmening stated that if no special service district was created, it would be difficult to justify the improvements. Perhaps there would be opportunity for special assessments. Councilmember Santa requested more information on that topic. 2. Grant Year 2005 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds Proposed Allocation Ms. Larsen outlined the proposed allocations for the 2005 CDBG program. Recommended allocations were for programs related to multifamily housing rehabilitation, emergency repairs, and some funds for the social service coordinator at Hamilton House. Councilmember Sanger did not wish to provide any part of the CDBG allocation to social services and wished to continue working toward a "sticks and bricks" approach to the 2005 allocations. She was also concerned that some of the money proposed for multifamily housing would benefit Project for Pnde in Living which she was not in support of. She believed that the City had provided too much assistance already because the City had not received sufficient results Ms. Schnitker responded that PPL is asking for funds to help with repairs and renovations they felt they must do to be successful. Councilmember Sanger also mentioned that Wayside House is in need of repairs. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if dollars needed to be expended right away, or if council could wait until after PPL's new management company had a chance to make improvements Mr. Harmening responded that council is being asked to determine categories of allocations. The actual expenditures would be made sometime in the future. Council would be allowed to reallocate at a future date. Ms. Schnitker informed council that it was unlikely that the city would receive future CDBG funding due to changes at the federal level. Council directed staff to bring the allocations forward for approval at the next regular meeting of the city council. 3. Presentation of Housing Summit Recommended Housing Goals Housing Authority Staff presented the Housing Summit recommended Housing Goals for discussion with the Council. The final meeting of the Housing Summit had been conducted on January 31, 2005. At that meeting, staff had received input on the goals from ten community focus groups and reported that overall, the public input received supported the draft housing goals. Ms. Schnitker explained that the goals as presented are consistent with goals presented at the recent Housing Summit meeting with only one suggested revision. The Affordable, Workforce and Supportive Housing Goal had generated both discussion and confusion at the Summit meeting. Staff has reworded the goal to be clearer, express the intention of the Summit participants; and better define the term "affordable". Study Session Minutes -3- February 14, 2005 Councilmember Sanger was concerned that her suggested language regarding establishing a pnonty to promote large owner-occupied single family housing units at a study session earlier in the process were not represented in the final goals. Councilmember Finkelstein was concerned that the goal should not tie the city's hands and needed to be flexible so that logic could be applied as required by situations. Mr Harmening suggested that the housing goals should be worded broadly and not include specific actions. The broader wording would allow us to apply strategies that may change from year to year to achieve the broader goal. Following discussion on specific wording, Ms. Schnitker summarized and offered to bnng the revised goals to council at the next regular meeting. Councilmember Santa stressed the important of disbursing housing types throughout the city. She believed it was important to avoid concentration of any one housing type in a specific area of the city Councilmember Finkelstein was also concerned that the language as presented by staff may tie the city to a specific goals that may not be logical in all situations. 4. Council Policy and Procedure Discussion Mr. Reichert and Mr. Harmening asked council for their thoughts on how the recruitment and interview process for boards and commissions could be improved. Councilmember Basil] suggested that recruitment efforts should include a deadline by which to apply. He also believed that each councilmember should review applications received and pick two applicants for interview. He also suggested keeping applications on file for only 6 months, rather than a year. Councilmember Santa wanted the application to ask how applicants found out about positions open and also ask how long they have been a resident of St. Louis Park. Ms. Reichert stated that she would like to include more prominent "process notes" regarding when the application was received, when interview was conducted, etc. Council concurred with suggestions made and directed staff to modify the application and process as stated. Council also considered the conduct of study sessions. Council was in agreement that study sessions were a valuable part of their decision making process and also felt that the frequency that the sessions were held was acceptable. The length of the meetings, however, is sometimes too long. Mayor Jacobs suggested that items be deferred to a future meeting if the hour becomes late. Mr. Harmening suggested that more items could be discussed during the regular council meetings which would more evenly balance the time spent in regular meetings versus study sessions. Councilmembers agreed that items of a non-controversial nature should be placed directly onto a regular agenda, however, items which required discussion or a great deal of background for council to fully grasp the issue should remain on study session. Study Session Minutes -4- February 14, 2005 Council asked that staff assume they have read the report pnor to the meeting, and to keep presentations focused on information which is pertinent rather than recapping the wntten report. Councilmember Santa asked that council revisit principles of the Carver Model of Governance and stay focused on policy rather than detail. 5. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:06 p.m ()-Aye eitt C'y Clerk May i6