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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/03/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular CITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS CITY COUNCIL MEETING PARK ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA March 19,2007 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Council members present Mayor Jeff Jacobs, C. Paul Carver, Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Loran Paprocki and Susan Sanger. Councilmember John Basill was absent. Staff present: Administration Management Assistant (Ms. Honold), Assistant Zoning Administrator (Mr. Morrison), Associate Planner (Mr. Fulton), City Manager (Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Andrea Poehler), City Engineer (Mr. Brink), Housing Program Coordinator (Ms. Larsen), Public Works Director (Mr. Rardin), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Senior Planner(Mr. Walther) and Recording Secretary(Ms. Stegora-Peterson). 2. Presentations - None 3. Approval of Minutes 3a. Study Session Minutes of February 12, 2007 Councilmember Omodt indicated on page one, item #2, in the paragraph starting with "Councilmember Omodt stated the Council..." it should say, "the new vision items won't matter if they don't have safety and security in the community." Councilmember Sanger indicated on page two, sixth paragraph of item #3, it should read "more than 60/40". Mayor Jacobs stated on page two, item #3, in the fourth paragraph to change the word "would"to "may be". The minutes were approved as amended. 3b. Study Session Minutes of February 20, 2007 Councilmember Sanger stated on page one in the last paragraph, "and the Southwest LRT" should be inserted after "Highway 100, Wooddale and 7". Also, on page two she believed that the Council agreed to continue forward looking at the issues that were referenced in climate protection that were part of the vision process and staff would research and help get the Council more information on costs and implications of possible compliance in conjunction with the vision process. They also agreed not to move forward on this agreement at this time because they didn't have enough information. The last sentence starting with"staff will hold off..." should be deleted. The minutes were approved as amended. Council Meeting Minutes -2- March 19, 2007 3c. Study Session Minutes of February 26, 2007 The minutes were approved as presented. 3d. Study Session Minutes of March 12, 2007 Councilmember Paprocki stated on page two, item #3, in paragraph five, replace "wanted to ensure the quality" with"he thought that the pay as you throw was incentive for recycling." Councilmember Omodt noted in item #3, paragraph 2, after "...asked if the contract was still going out for bid" it should say "it was his recollection the Council committed five years ago to send it out for bid." Councilmember Sanger indicated on page 2, third paragraph of item #3, insert "to provide a greater incentive to recycle" after "...added". On page four, insert "and Sanger" after"Councilmember Finkelstein agreed". The minutes were approved as amended. 3e. City Council Minutes of February 20, 2007 The minutes were approved as presented. 3f. City Council Minutes of March 5,2007 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. Adopt Resolution No. 07-037 approving St. Louis Park Lions Club's request for placing temporary signs in the public right-of-way. 4b. Approve the purchase of additional park land from the Department of Natural Resources and authorize the Mayor and City Manager to execute the necessary documents. 4c. Adopt Resolution No. 07-038 authorizing the installation of parking restrictions along the north side of W. 16th Street between Ford Road and Trunk Highway 169 as part of the W. 16th Municipal State Aid (MSA) Street Rehabilitation Project, City Project No. 2006-1100, and as required by the Minnesota Department of Transportation's (Mn/DOT's) State Aid Standards. 4d. Moved to Regular Agenda, 8e. 4e. Adopt Resolution No. 07-040 to elect to not waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by Minnesota Statutes 466.04. 4f. Adopt Resolution No. 07-041 accepting work on watermain replacement Project 2006-1900. Council Meeting Minutes -3- March 19, 2007 4g. Accept for filing Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of December 13, 2006. 4h. Accept for filing Housing Authonty Meeting Minutes of January 10, 2007. 4i. Accept for filing Vendor Claims. Councilmember Carver requested item 4d be moved to the regular agenda. It was moved by Councilmember Carver, seconded by Councilmember Omodt, to approve the Agenda and items listed on the Consent Calendar, with 4d being moved to the regular agenda, 8e. The motion passed 6-0. Councilmember Finkelstein noted Council talked about engaging more open space for the City. This was an opportunity when they added five additional acres along the banks of the Minnehaha Creek, which would provide more open space and hopefully put more use to it. 5. Boards and Commissions 6. Public Hearings 6a. Public Hearing to Request Vacation of Drainage and Utility Easement at 4515 West 42"d Street. Case No. 07-10-VAC. Mr. Walther presented the staff report. Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing. Joel Thompson, applicant, discussed the reasons they purchased the property and why this request was being made. Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing. Councilmember Sanger asked if the reason this could be granted was because they were providing an additional storm sewer for drainage and if completion of that should be a contingency on the resolution approving the easement? Mr. Walther replied yes. Councilmember Sanger asked the City Attorney to draft appropriate language to include that condition. It was moved by Councilmember Paprocki, seconded by Councilmember Omodt to approve the first reading of an ordinance vacating a portion of a Drainage and Utility Easement and set second reading for April 9, 2007, subject to the completion of the addition storm sewer. Councilmember Paprocki was happy with the proposal and felt it was a gorgeous design. The motion passed 6-0. Council Meeting Minutes -4- March 19, 2007 7. Requests, Petitions, and Communications from the Public—None 8. Resolutions, Ordinances, Motions 8a. Transportation Resolution Requesting Comprehensive Road and Transit Funding Resolution No. 07-034 Ms. Honold presented the staff report. Mayor Jacobs noted the Council discussed this and took a "genenc" resolution they had been requested to pass by the League of Minnesota Cities and adapted it to pertain more particularly to some of the road and transportation projects that had a direct impact on St. Louis Park. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Finkelstein, to adopt Resolution No. 07-034 approving Resolution Requesting Comprehensive Road and Transit Funding in 2007 Councilmember Finkelstein noted MVST was not enough funding to take care of the transportation needs. This was a serious issue and they needed to look at an additional funding source and pay for roads and mass transit. If they didn't, they would miss opportunities and lose their place in line for light rail, etc. Councilmember Omodt commented the Council gets asked to do a number of Resolutions. They try to make them specific to St. Louis Park. They worked with lobbyists and Legislators to make sure this would be helpful. The motion passed 6-0. 8b. Resolution Formally Receiving 2006 Vision St. Louis Park Recommendations and Adopting Strategic Directions for the City. Resolution No. 07-035 Mayor Jacobs discussed the Vision St. Louis Park process, the result of which was the Book of Dreams and a document of action steps. Council set strategic directions based on community input. This is where they needed to devote their time and spend resources. Councilmember Sanger added that many people had put a lot of time into the vision action teams and had provided hundreds of recommendations and thanked them for their work. Council was adopting a plan for the next eighteen months and may get back to some of the other recommendations later. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Finkelstein, to adopt Resolution No. 07-035 formally receiving the 2006 Vision St. Louis Park recommendations and adopt Strategic Directions for the City. The motion passed 6-0. Council Meeting Minutes -5- March 19, 2007 8c. First Reading of Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Amendments: Ordinances Amending Landscaping and Off-Street Parking Regulations. Case No. 07-02-ZA. Mr. Morrison and Mr. Fulton presented the staff report. Councilmember Sanger expressed concerns about the parking changes for multiple dwelling units. Is all parking now required to be off-street? Mr. Fulton replied in the current ordinance multi family projects are not allowed to count street spaces. The proposed requirement states, " at the discretion of the Zoning Administrator and with the approval of the City Engineer on-street spaces may be counted." There are instances where due to snow removal or other similar situations, on-street parking may not be appropriate. They wanted more discretion in utilizing that reduction. Councilmember Sanger also had a concern about the formula of one parking space for a one-bedroom unit when many are occupied with couples that have two cars. She felt it should be changed to either 1.5 spaces per unit or mandate proof of parking so more parking could be provided if needed Mr. Fulton replied staff had built in the discretion through a CUP or PUD and it could be increased. Ms. McMonigal added an area where they see problems in multi-family buildings are when they allowed a lot of reductions and they were proposing to delete that allowance(ex. 30%). Councilmember Sanger stated by changing the formula, they were already reducing what is required for these units further. By changing the Ordinance this way, it sets expectations for the developer that they don't really have to provide as much parking as the City thinks is appropriate. She would rather set a higher standard and reduce it with a CUP or PUD. In the alternative landscaping proposal can they do the alternative landscaping instead of putting in any trees? Mr. Morrison replied in theory they could, the intent was to provide options. In cases in the past, they required so many trees they could fit them in at the immature size, but as they grow they choke each other out. They were trying to stnke a balance by creating more comprehensive landscaping and the number of trees required. Councilmember Sanger felt this gave permission for people to plant no trees. She could understand the need for a balance and could see the proposal being a way to deal with the excess amount of, but had a hard time seeing why they should be allowed not to plant any trees. Ms. McMonigal stated the intent was for excess trees and have them plant as many plants, shrubs and trees that they could put on the site, and for the excess do other things. Councilmember Sanger asked if that was the way the ordinance was worded? Mr. Morrison replied no. Councilmember Sanger felt the ordinance needed to reflect what Ms. McMonigal said Council Meeting Minutes -6- March 19, 2007 Councilmember Finkelstein indicated with the reduction they had a great deal of difficulty getting people to create parking. With additional funding sources they will eventually get more people on light rail, bicycles and the trails. He had concern with the new change in parking space requirement per dwelling unit to bedroom unit. There are a lot of one-bedroom/den type units that developers will want to build so they could get by with less parking. He encouraged staff to take account of that in drafting and the PUD process. Mr. Fulton indicated staff would address that. As the requirement is stated, it would be one space per one legal bedroom and wouldn't count the den. Mayor Jacobs noted the Council could approve 1st reading and direct staff to make changes before the second reading. It was moved by Councilmember Carver, seconded by Councilmember Paprocki, to adopt First Reading of an Ordinance Amending Section 36-361, Off-street parking,paved areas and loading areas and set second reading for April 9, 2007. Councilmember Omodt believed it would be hard for developers to sell units with inadequate parking and the market would work it out. He also couldn't imagine a new development that would be all concrete with no trees. That wasn't the way people were going and he felt common sense would prevail. Councilmember Sanger was fine with changes being reviewed prior to second reading. She thought developers would build with too few parking spaces. Mayor Jacobs agreed parking was a concern. There was a policy decision in the past to get parking off-street. Councilmember Carver agreed with Councilmember Omodt concerning what developers would do and felt the parking ordinances in St. Louis Park provided too much parking. Councilmember Sanger asked staff to look at the parking requirements per bedroom and den and provide recommendations if this needed to be modified or if they could require proof of parking in the event there is a parking problem. She felt there were areas with insufficient parking. Councilmember Carver asked if there was a definition for den? Mr. Fulton replied staff would look to the building code. The motion passed 6-0. It was moved by Councilmember Carver, seconded by Councilmember Paprocki, to adopt First Reading of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 26 and Chapter 36 of the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances relating to landscaping regulations, and set second reading for April 9, 2007. Councilmember Sanger directed staff to draft an amendment to clarify the alternative landscaping category to reflect that it is intended only to refer to the excess number of trees over and above what can reasonably be planted on the property. Council Meeting Minutes -7- March 19, 2007 Councilmember Carver believed what staff intended was included in the staff report. They just needed to be sure the ordinance matched the staff report. Councilmember Finkelstein agreed with Councilmember Carver regarding the alternative landscaping. There may be cases where a tree makes a lot less sense than putting in a gazebo, etc. They would only look at alternative means for excess trees. It may make sense to have an alternative even if they are not excess trees. Councilmember Paprocki agreed that there might be areas where it didn't make sense. He trusted the work that staff had done. The motion passed 6-0. 8d. Resolution accepting Project Report for Dakota Park Area Stormwater improvements, Project No. 2003-1300 (Area 26) Resolution No. 07-036 Mr. Brink presented the staff report. Councilmember Sanger asked if 27`h Street would be open to traffic? Mr. Brink replied it would probably be closed at times. It would be kept open for local traffic similar to what they do in pavement management projects. A notice will be sent to residents regarding road closings. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Omodt, to adopt Resolution No. 07-036 accepting this project report, establishing and ordering Improvement Project No. 2003-1300, approving plans and specifications, approving agreement with Canadian Pacific Railroad, and authorizing advertisement for bids Councilmember Omodt asked how many flood areas need to be fixed? Mr. Brink replied a couple more this year and about six total. Councilmember Omodt asked about building culverts under the train tracks and why they needed a flagman on the tracks? Mr. Bnnk replied the Railroad includes that as part of their standard language. The motion passed 6-0. Mayor Jacobs indicated they had been working on flood projects over time and it had been a testament to staff and the neighborhoods. 8e. Project report, establishing and ordering SW LRT Trail / Wooddale Avenue crossing improvements Project No. 2007-2700, approving plans and specifications, and authorizing the improvements. Resolution No. 07-039 Mr. Rardin presented the staff report and described the trail crossing. Councilmember Carver provided information about the history and the potential solutions suggested. He appreciated that the cost had gone down. Council Meeting Minutes -8- March 19, 2007 Mayor Jacobs thanked the public who had been involved in the process. Steve Rusk, 5040 Hankorson Av., Edina, stated there has been a problem with the crossing being blocked with removal of the striping at the crossing. The painted white bar in the median is a help. He suggested a "Do Not Block Trail" sign. He dropped off information about an automated system, which would make it safer. George Hagemann, 8242 Westwood Hills Curve, asked if they were talking about adding a crosswalk or any other on pavement markings to indicate there is a trail? Mr. Rardin replied no. Mr. Hagemann expressed a concern about blocking the trail and finding ways to mark it as a crosswalk/trail, such as a different color. Sometimes the signage creates site line issues and they may want to find a way to address that. Another resident questioned the possibility of U-turns in that area when there are trains. Mr. Rardin indicated staff could look into it,but was not sure what could be done. Mayor Jacobs hoped the addition of the medians would discourage that. Councilmember Sanger noted she had biked the trail and there were problems at Wooddale that would only get worse. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Carver, to adopt Resolution No. 07-039 accepting project report, establishing and ordering SW LRT Trail / Wooddale Avenue crossing improvements Project No. 2007-2700, approving plans and specifications, and authorizing the improvements Councilmember Paprocki expressed concerns about the budget and noted Council cut back this years' budget. There was $20,000 in the budget for this, but now they were spending $140,000 above that. He hoped to get funding staff mentioned and the additional cost savings. If they were going to give staff direction to cut costs, as a Council they needed to watch themselves during the year. Councilmember Carver stated this was something you need to have to remain healthy. He agreed the Council directive was to cut. They had started cutting on this and were looking for more money. If this wasn't something that had safety implications and was an alternative transportation source, maybe the decision would be different, but this was not a luxury and needed to be done. The motion passed 6-0. 9. Communications Mayor Jacobs thanked volunteers who helped with the Empty Bowl Project. The Park Run will be held on Sunday, May 6th at Wolf Park. Pedal for People will be Sunday, June 3rd . Councilmember Paprocki indicated the Lions Club would be holding a pancake breakfast on April 1St Council Meeting Minutes -9- March 19, 2007 Councilmember Omodt noted that two St. Louis Park kids won a National Championship at Wisconsin in Women's Hockey. The St. Louis Park/Minneapolis Southwest Storm Bantam hockey team won 3`d place in the State tournament. Councilmember Finkelstein noted St. Louis Park resident and long-time Beth El Cantor Neumann retired after 27 years. 10. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m. / / City Clerk M. or