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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/05/16 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular ,/fSt. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA ) CITY COUNCIL MEETING ST. LOUIS PARK,MINNESOTA MAY 16,2011 1. Call to Order Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Phil Finkelstein, Anne Mavity, Paul Omodt, Julia Ross, Susan Sanger, and Sue Santa. Councilmembers absent: None. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Mr. Scott), City Clerk (Ms. Stroth), Planning/Zomng Supervisor(Ms. McMonigal), Planner(Mr. Fulton), City Engineer(Mr. Brink), Communications Coordinator(Mr. Zwilling), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). la. Pledge of Allegiance lb. Roll Call 2. Presentations -None 3. Approval of Minutes 3a. City Council Meeting Minutes April 25, 2011 The minutes were approved as presented. 3b. Listening Session Minutes April 27,2011 Councilmember Sanger requested that the eighth sentence on page 2 be clarified to indicate that the $76,672,000 figure represents the County's estimate for the MNS corridor. Councilmember Sanger also requested that the ninth line of the second full paragraph on page 3 be revised to state "...reason they believe this is that all those things are written out in the 2044 2030 Minnesota State Rail..." The minutes were approved as amended. 3c. Listening Session Minutes April 28, 2011 Councilmember Sanger requested that the second sentence of the second full paragraph on page 6 be revised to state "She stated it will be important to work to find a win-win situation and right now, there is a lose-lose happening." The minutes were approved as amended. 3d. City Council Meeting Minutes May 2, 2011 The minutes were approved as presented. City Council Meeting -2- May 16, 2011 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. Waive second reading and adopt Ordinance No. 2399-11 vacating a utility easement at 3601 Wooddale Avenue and at 5810 37th Street West contained in the agenda materials, and approve the summary ordinance also contained in the agenda materials for publication. 4b. Approve an extension until May 31, 2012 for Duke Realty to file the final plat and final planned unit development(PUD) applications for The Towers at West End. 4c. Approve Resolution No. 11-055 authorizing Park Tavern Lounge & Lanes to provide alcohol during the hours of 5:30 to 11 p.m. at the Parktacular Block Party to be held on June 18, 2011. 4d. Approve Resolution No. 11-056 for the 2011 Intoxicating On-sale and Sunday Liquor License Renewal for Taher Restaurant Acquisition LLC dba Timber Lodge Steakhouse located at 6501 Wayzata Boulevard for the license year term through March 1, 2012. 4e. Approve for Filing Housing Authority Minutes April 13, 2011. It was moved by Councilmember Omodt, seconded by Councilmember Santa, to approve the Agenda and items listed on the Consent Calendar; and to waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Boards and Commissions—None 6. Public Hearings 6a. Public Hearing — On-Sale Wine and 3.2 Malt Liquor License — Little Szechuan Ms. Stroth presented the staff report and stated that Eat Art LLC, dba Little Szechuan, has made application for a wine and 3.2 malt liquor license to be located at 5377 W. 16th Street at West End next to Cooper. She indicated that the premises will occupy 3,920 square feet with seating for 130 inside and future outdoor seating. She stated that the restaurant plans to open in the next few weeks with hours of operation Sunday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. — 11:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until midnight. She then introduced owners Ms. Rong Bai and Mr. Jin Zhu, adding that they also own Little Szechuan in St. Paul. Mayor Jacobs opened the public hearing. No speakers were present. Mayor Jacobs closed the public hearing. It was moved by Councilmember Sanger, seconded by Councilmember Omodt, to approve application from Eat Art LLC, dba Little Szechuan,for an on-sale wine and 3.2 malt liquor license to be located at 5377 W. 16`h Street with the license term through March 1, 2012. The motion passed 7-0. City Council Meeting -3- May 16, 2011 7. Requests, Petitions, and Communications from the Public—None 8. Resolutions, Ordinances, Motions and Discussion Items 8a. Park Summit Apartments—Major Amendment to the PUD Resolution No. 11-057 Mr. Fulton presented the staff report and explained that amendments to the PUD for the Park Summit development site include an increase from 145 to 192 residential units and reducing the building's overall height from 14 stories to 10. He discussed the residential density analysis for the project which was approved as part of the 1999 Comprehensive Plan, as well as the traffic study conducted by SRF Consulting which recommended consolidating the access between the overall SilverCrest campus and Target. He reviewed the parking and shared parking agreement within the PUD, landscaping and tree replacement, sidewalk and trail connections, and Designed Outdoor Recreation Area (DORA). He stated that pedestrian access was highlighted by the Planning Commission and improvements have been made to the pedestrian connections from the main entrance providing access out of the building and to the west. He then reviewed the shading study conducted by the architects which found that the revised plans exceed the code requirements. He then introduced Mr. David Gevers from E.J. Plesko and Associates and Mr. Robert Bistry of HOK Architects. Mr. Robert Bistry reviewed the process undertaken to date and stated that they reviewed the physical environment of the 2003 design of the Park Summit campus, Wolfe Park and the trail system, as well as sustainable design strategies. He indicated they reviewed these findings to enhance the architecture as part of the arts corridor, to understand traffic impacts and improve safety, to promote the arts corridor concept with pedestrian engagement, to promote the gateway to Wolfe Park and the trail system, to understand the impact of building shadows on adjacent sites, to incorporate sustainable design concepts, to create accessible routes from the building to Park Center Boulevard, and to confirm the DORA requirements. He then reviewed the land use plan in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Land Use map, overall landscape plan including the arts comdor, berming of the site to create buffer zones, and building materials. Councilmember Ross expressed concern regarding traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Mr. Fulton stated that there are four access points onto Park Center Boulevard and the consolidated access will serve to increase the safety levels for drivers and pedestrians. Mr. Brink explained that following the traffic study, SRF Consulting recommended that the driveways be lined up and a signal installed which will improve access for the properties, improve pedestrian safety, and improve traffic flow in the area. Councilmember Mavity asked if the City has confidence that the consolidated driveway will manage the back-ups that can occur in this area. She also asked if the pedestrian crossing in the driveway will be raised or include something to highlight that pedestrians are crossing in the area. Mr. Brink stated that according to SRF Consulting, the traffic will work adequately on Park Center Boulevard, the consolidated access will mitigate the back-ups that occur now, and the addition of the signal will help cars entering and exiting the property and City Council Meeting -4- May 16, 2011 improve pedestrian access. He also stated that the developer will be asked to look at enhancing the pedestrian crossing to ensure safety. Councilmember Ross asked if fiber optic cables will be laid as part of the utility work on the project. Mr. Harmening stated that fiber optic cable currently runs on the east side of the property in a north-south direction so if there is a need for connection, arrangements could be made for access to the existing fiber network. Councilmember Finkelstein requested that the pedestrian walkway in the consolidated driveway include a longer walk signal to allow extra time to cross the street. Councilmember Santa expressed concern regarding the shared parking arrangements and suggested that adequate signage and a well-lit walkway be added so people feel safe. Councilmember Sanger requested further information regarding the City's rationale for approving a plan that exceeds the City's standards for number of housing units allowed per acre. Mr. Fulton explained that the density was approved based on the provision adopted into the zoning ordinance that allows high density multi-family residential in the R-C Zoning District subject to special provisions of the Comprehensive Plan. He stated that the Comprehensive Plan amendment adopted for the SilverCrest PUD set design standards of density at or near 75 units per acre; this project is just over 77 units per acre. He indicated the Code also states this project shall not exceed 2.3 FAR and this requirement has been met. Councilmember Sanger expressed concern that the Council is being asked to approve an amount that exceeds the City's standards without citing any particular criteria. She also stated her recollection was that the PUD standard of 75 units per acre was discussed and passed and was intended as the maximum number of permitted units. Ms. McMonigal stated that the FAR standards adopted by the City are very specific to the Park Commons site. It was moved by Councilmember Mavity, seconded by Councilmember Finkelstein, to adopt Resolution No. 11-057 Amending and Restating Resolution Nos. 96-153, 96-189, 03-139, 04-024, and 05-167 Adopted on October 7, 1996, December 2, 1996, October 7, 2003, February 4, 2004, and December 5, 2005 Approving a Final Planned Unit Development (PUD) Under Section 36,367 of the St. Louis Park Ordinance Code and Consolidating Conditions from an Existing Special Permit and PUD for Property Zoned R-C, Multi-Family Residential, Granting Final PUD Approval for a Senior Housing Condominium Development at 3601 Park Center Boulevard and Combining Proposed and Existing Development of the Parkshore Campus as a Planned Unit Development 3601, 3633 and 3663 Park Center Boulevard, Major Amendment to PUD for Multi- Family Apartments and Increasing Density, Park Summit Apartments, 3601 Park Center Boulevard. The motion passed 6-1 (Councilmember Sanger opposed). City Council Meeting -5- May 16, 2011 9. Communications Mayor Jacobs reminded residents of the Community Open House on Wednesday, May 18th, at the Municipal Service Center from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Councilmember Santa expressed thanks to Children First and all of the volunteers who participated in the ice cream social yesterday. Mayor Jacobs also expressed thanks to Sebastian Joe's for providing the ice cream. Councilmember Mavity stated that she is involved with a group of residents looking at homeless youth issues in St. Louis Park. She stated there are 40-50 homeless teens that attend high school in the City and the residents are working with the faith community and other nonprofits to address the situation. She announced there will be an informational meeting tomorrow evening, May 17th, to talk about creating host homes for these youth and further information is available at www.suburbanhosthome.org. Councilmember Finkelstein stated that Parktacular buttons are now on sale for$5 or 4 for $15 and can be purchased at City Hall, the Rec Center, and Citizens Bank. Councilmember Finkelstein announced that he would not be running for re-election and encouraged anyone interested in running for Council to file with the City Clerk's office beginning tomorrow. He stated it has been an honor and a privilege to serve and he thanked the Council, staff, and residents of St. Louis Park for the opportunity. 10. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m. '-Y2 oretsNancy Stroth, City Clerk J copb).-