Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006/02/13 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session OFFICIAL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION February 13, 2006 The meeting convened at 6:34 p.m. Councilmembers present: John Basill, C. Paul Carver, Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Loran Paprocki, Susan Sanger, and Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Harmening); Community Development Director(Mr. Locke); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Hunt), Planning and Zoning Supervisor(Ms McMonigal); Senior Planner(Mr. Walther); Public Works Director(Mr. Rardin); Operations Superintendent (Mr. Hanson); and Recording Secretary(Ms. Samson). Guests present: Fred Richards, John Wanniger, Dean Dovolis, Damon Farber, and Annette Sandler 1. Al's Bar Site Redevelopment Plans & View Planning and Zoning Supervisor Meg McMonigal introduced Senior Planner Sean Walther. Ms. McMonigal said the City has received an application for a preliminary PUD and a preliminary plat. Staff provided Council with a map of heights of other buildings in St Louis Park that are greater than five stones and the shadow study information that was presented as part of the application, and a traffic analysis is underway for the proposed site. Fred Richards said he is one of five principals in this project and those pnncipals are Troy Mathwig, John Wanniger, Les Warner and Jerry Berg. Mr. Richards named Dean Dovolis, Scott Nelson, Paula Memgan from DJR Architecture as project participants, Damon Farber is the landscape architect, and Robert Duke is the general contractor. Mr. Richards said Al's Bar and Anderson Cleaners are under contract with Mathwig Development to acquire the site on the northwest corner of Excelsior Blvd. and France Avenue. The motel site to the immediate west is not part of the development. To date, three public heanngs have been held. Mr. Richards reported that there would be approximately 53% green space on this site. He said they think the price point will be approximately the high $300,000s to over one million dollars on the upper floors of this 14-story building. Mr. Richards said the neighbors who participated in the neighborhood meetings made it known that the height would be an issue, however, Mr. Richards said on balance the tradeoffs, i.e., lesser density, traffic flows, open space, and the tax benefit to be gained by the City, those tradeoffs are certainly significant and would more than justify the approval for a 14-story structure. It has been designed as a PUD concept and, as a PUD, there will be no requirements for vanances, no condemnation of sites would be necessary for the project to occur, financing is secure, and the development team is in place. Mr Richards stated that this is an $80 million dollar project and could generate one million dollars in real estate taxes. Dean Dovolis, from DJR Architecture, said the footprint of the building would be small and the building slender. Damon Farber said they would like to create a sense of gateway. Councilmember Basill said there are development guidelines, "France Avenue and Excelsior Boulevard Development Guidelines," for this site to address building heights and those guidelines call for 3-4 stones or a maximum of 46 feet; there are some limited opportunities to build five stones for a portion of the buildings. He said if there is a reason to deviate from the guidelines, Study Session Meeting Minutes -2- February 13, 2006 it must be compelling reasons. Councilmember Basill had requested multiple options but he sees only one option being presented, therefore, he is leery about moving forward with one option; he needs more information. With such limited information, Councilmember Basill said he cannot support this project. Councilmember Finkelstein asked how much the developer is paying for the land and per unit? The response was approximately$6,000,000 for the land which is a mix of commercial and residential, therefore, it is difficult to determine price per unit. Councilmember Finkelstein said his understanding is that the average price per unit for land in a Twin Cities' suburb is about $50,000 or less. He asked if the developer is aware of any other plans coming forward with the hotel right now No, the developer is not aware of any such plans. Councilmember Finkelstein said the Council must bear in mind that a precedent would be set with this project in regard to what would follow down the block(just west of Excelsior Blvd. and France Avenue). Councilmember Finkelstein said he cannot support this project at this time. Councilmember Finkelstein said because the building is too high and doesn't meet the guidelines, he did not feel it meets the criteria for Tax Increment Financing(TIF) and that he is willing to wait. Mr. Richards said this project would not work financially at five or six stories. Councilmember Sanger said she is aware that the condominium market has been cooling down, so why is this project expected to succeed. John Wanniger said the market has softened considerably due to the over-saturation of the same old stuff. Mr. Wanniger said the units in this building would have a particular niche to offer, i.e., unit sizes and amenities. Councilmember Sanger asked what kind of TIF would be requested. Mr. Richards said there is no specific dollar amount in mind and that they would like to design a project and get a project approved without asking for TIF. Councilmember Sanger asked the developer about shadow studies, which require a better explanation. Councilmember Basill remarked that the scale and scope of the building doesn't fit the character of the community at the Excelsior Blvd. and France Avenue site. Councilmember Omodt said not all TIF is bad Mayor Jacobs is concerned about the height. 2. NORC Grant Request Annette Sandler from Nurturing Our Retired Citizens (NORC) was present to discuss a NORC grant proposal being submitted to the Sate. As part of this grant proposal, NORC is requesting $1,000 from the City to assist in matching this proposed grant. Ms. Sandler said, if approved, the $1,000 grant would be used for the publication of the newsletter NORC produces quarterly. NORC would like to apply for a$250,000 grant from the state of Minnesota. To apply, NORC must be able to match the $250,000 through a combination of dollars and in-kind services. The proposal is for congregational nursing to strengthen the safety net of seniors living in St. Louis Park. Study Session Meeting Minutes -3- February 13, 2006 Councilmember Sanger felt there was a need for these services, but was concerned with city money being spent for religious onented services. She also stated concern that the program would not help those who are non-affiliated. Councilmember Paprocki noted there are several faiths being represented and the Council was not endorsing a single religion. While Mayor Jacobs and Councilmember Finkelstein want to maintain the separation between church and state, they felt this grant would provide much needed services in getting help to seniors. Ms Sandler stated there are over 8,000 parish nurses in our country with less than 10 Jewish congregational nurses. Three of these Jewish congregational nurses have been established in St. Louis Park and by the end of 2007, that could make St. Louis Park a national leader by changing the movement of how people reach out to seniors. This item will appear on the City Council agenda for Tuesday, February 2151 3. Bass Lake Site: 3735 Belt Line Boulevard Ms McMonigal presented the staff report for this item. From the staff report, Ms. McMonigal listed seven key attributes the future use of this site should exhibit. City Manager Thomas Harmening said there are some local users interested in this property, however, the Council had indicated they wanted a discussion about this property absent any specific development proposal and to determine what the City might want to do with it. Councilmember Sanger asked if the City is obligated to find or provide an alternative space for the tennis courts. Mr. Harmening replied no, but there is a need for tennis courts. Councilmember Sanger said this may be a good site for single-family homes. Councilmember Basill agreed. Councilmember Finkelstein suggested a land trust or affordable row housing. Mayor Jacobs would like to consider having move-up housing. Mr. Harmening urged caution when considering the future use for the Bass Lake site. , Councilmember Carver asked, "What don't we have in St. Louis Park that we need?" Councilmember Carver said this site is important because it links directly to the Rec Center, which links to the park, which links to Excelsior and Grand Councilmember Carver continued: It is cntical as part of creating that community synergy in a central place when we consider what might need to be there Mr. Harmening said the best thing to do is to proceed slowly. Mayor Jacobs said he would like to get feedback from what the Vision St. Louis Park process bnngs to the Council. Councilmember Sanger said the slowing down makes a lot of sense. She would like information on what might work on this size parcel; and let's put clear architectural designs principles in place. Study Session Meeting Minutes -4- February 13, 2006 4. Sidewalk Snow Removal Discussion Public Works Director Mike Rardin said the staff report was prepared mainly by Operations Superintendent Mark Hanson. Mr. Harmening asked the Council to comment on the seven recommendations listed by staff in the report. Councilmember Sanger asked if a volunteer network has been identified for sidewalk cleaning services disadvantaged residents. Mr. Rardin replied no firm services have been identified; however, services are currently available through programs such as STEP or HOME Councilmember Carver commented on the unsatisfactory condition of City-maintained sidewalks after cleaning with City equipment. Mr Hanson said he will investigate. Councilmember Sanger has the same concern regarding Minnetonka Blvd Councilmember Basill asked for clarification on citation service. Councilmember Sanger said she is fine with the staff proposals in the report, and she would encourage 100% inspection after each snow event. She would like to have a complaint system in place. Mr. Harmening summarized that proposals 1-7, as suggested by staff, are satisfactory to the Council with these changes: proposal #2, 25% and complaints; and proposal #4, as soon as practicable and reasonable. 5. Future Study Session Agenda Planning Mr. Harmening and the Council discussed future study session agenda planning. The meeting adjourned at 9.30 p.m. City Clerk Ma or I