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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/06/13 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session ffCTY OFFICIAL MINUTES T.ILOU°/FS CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION RK June 13, 2005 Prior to the meeting, council, members of the parks and recreation commission and staff participated in a picnic celebrating the grand opening of the Oak Hill Park Splash Pad The meeting convened at 6:45 p.m. Councilmembers present. John Basill, Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Susan Sanger, Sue Santa, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present. City Manager(Mr. Harmening), Community Development Director(Mr. Locke); Planning Supervisor(Ms. McMonigal); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr Hunt); Planner (Ms Enckson); Parks and Rec Director(Ms Walsh); Finance Director(Ms. McGann) and City Clerk (Ms. Reichert). 1. Update on the Al's Bar,American Inn and Anderson Cleaners sites Mr. Locke provided an update on the process related to creating design guidelines and the current development outlook for the sites, located at Excelsior and France. - Mr. Hunt provided a bnef history of the development proposals that had come forward as well as the existing proposal He stated that the neighborhoods' insistence on lower density may have an impact on the formula for the current proposal. Councilmember Basill believed that height is the big issue and source of disagreement between neighbors. He was clear that he did not wish to provide TIF assistance unless all three parcels were unified in a single new development. Councilmember Finkelstein agreed. He cautioned against coming back more than once, and that they should be meticulous in terms of what they demanded for the development and maybe take a different look at it. Other members of the Council agreed. He also hoped the land is not over- priced because of hopes of what could be built for, rather than the reality of what could and would be approved. He also believed there should be a public art component built into the development. Councilmember Sanger agreed the area should be developed as one site. She would consider TIF if all parcels were developed together, the cleaners would be included and the site would house spectacular architecture. She questioned whether there was contamination from the dry cleaning establishment. Staff stated that no processing had been done at the site, but that soil tests would be done as usual. Councilmember Santa also wanted good architecture, a good mix of commercial uses and public art. Councilmember Sanger encouraged the developer to look at a building higher than six stories to get a good view of the lake. Mi Hunt asked the council what their comfort level would be if it became necessary to pursue eminent domain to get all three parcels. Study Session Minutes -2- June 13, 2005 Mayor Jacobs stated that it has been a successful tactic in the past and he would support a taking if it came to that to keep the three parcels in the development. Councilmember Sanger asked what the justification for TIF funding would be. Mr. Hunt responded that all three parcels would qualify as "substandard buildings". The applicants had concerns regarding the power of the neighborhood to influence their development plans. They asked for direction and support from the council in that regard. 2. Meadowbrook Lofts Proposed Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map Amendments Ms. Erickson introduced Dean Dovolis, representing the developer, who presented an overview of the project. He introduced members of the development team who were present at the meeting. He explained modifications to the plan that had taken place since the last council meeting. Some of those modifications included greater capacity to expand the individual units and enhancements to the creek area He had been working with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed Distnct and proposed that the creek area be deeded permanently to a public entity for use as open space and that improvement be done to restore the creek to its more natural course. Councilmember Basill asked which entity would the creek be deeded to and would there be guaranteed public access to the creek. Mr. Dovolis responded that the City would be deeded the land. He had been working with Appliance Smart for access to their parking lot for trailhead parking. Councilmember Finkelstein believed there should be an agreement on the amenities before the rezoning occurred. Mr. Locke responded that rezoning cannot be conditioned upon proposed amenities. The appropriateness of the land use should guide the council's decision regarding rezoning. Councilmember Omodt favored rezoning and believed this project was a great opportunity. Councilmember Sanger still believed building on the floodplain was the dominant issue and would not support rezoning no matter what amenities were offered in exchange. Mayor Jacobs was more concerned about proximity to the industrial zoning areas and also about the deteriorating condition of the apartments to the east. Councilmember Finkelstein believed this project could serve as a catalyst to encourage other improvements to West Excelsior Blvd. Councilmember Omodt urged the council to support this project. Mr. Harmening stated the project would be coming forward for council approval on June 20. 3. Review and Discuss Budgeting Principles Ms. McGann presented the first of a senes of education sessions for the council called "Budget 101." The session covered basic principles, types of budgets, legislative considerations, historical information and some other general material. ,4 4 it Study Session Minutes -3- June 13, 2005 4. Guiding Principles for Public Process Council had reviewed the first draft of a proposed Statement of Guiding Principles for Public Process at an earlier meeting and had asked for revisions. Because there was such a range of comments, it became apparent that no single version could address the full spectrum of beliefs about the scope of the public process that the city might pledge itself to. To highlight the different possible approaches and spur additional discussion that could lead to clarification of the council's stance, three variations of the original draft policy statement were presented for consideration. Councilmembers debated the merits of producing any kind of statement and the possible target audience for such a statement. Mr. Harmening felt it was important to define expectations for staff and for developers. Following discussion, council directed staff to move toward adoption of draft number 3 with some additional clarification of roles. Ms. Schwartz offered to make changes directed by council and present for further review at a later date. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Cit Clerk May//r