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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012/02/13 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session I1/ St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 13,2012 The meeting convened at 6:35 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Pro Tern Susan Sanger, Steve Hallfin, Anne Mavity, Julia Ross, Sue Santa, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent: Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Deputy City Manager/Director of Human Resources (Ms. Deno), City Clerk (Ms. Stroth), Director of Community Development (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), City Engineer (Mr. Brink), Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin), Public Works Coordinator (Mr. Merkley), Public Works Administrative Specialist (Ms. Hansen), Solid Waste Inspector(Mr. Bredenberg), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guests: Marie Cote(SRF Consulting Group) and Craig Vaughn(SRF Consulting Group). 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—February 27,2012 Mr. Harmemng presented the proposed study session agenda for February 27, 2012. 2. 2012 Liquor Licensees—Food vs. Liquor Sales Ms. Stroth presented the staff report and advised that two of the City's 52 liquor license renewal applications did not meet the ordinance requirement of at least 50% of gross receipts attributable to the sale of food. She indicated Park Tavern reported total yearly food sales of 49.8% and Toby Keith's reported 41%. She noted that Toby Keith's has been on probation since March, 2011 and their monthly percentages have increased from 29% in January, 2011 to 48% in August, 2011. Councilmember Mavity stated that both Park Tavern and Toby Keith's are thriving businesses, and it is important for the City to support these businesses. She acknowledged that Toby Keith's is making progress toward meeting the ordinance requirement, and Council can continue Toby Keith's probationary status, but was concerned that the City is not using all the tools available to enforce its ordinance requirement, including imposing a civil fine. She asked if the City has imposed a civil fine on any of its liquor licensees in the past. Ms. Stroth replied that licensees who have not met the 50% food sales requirement are placed on probation, and that the City has never imposed a civil fine for this type of violation. Councilmember Santa stated that Toby Keith's is under new management, and the business continues to come closer to compliance with the City's ordinance. She added she was open to giving Toby Keith's an opportunity to continue that growth to meet the 50% requirement. Councilmember Hallfin suggested that the City's rationale with respect to its food/liquor ratio requirements in the ordinance be added to a future study session agenda. Mr. Phil Weber, Park Tavern, explained there was a mix-up in the bowling and food numbers which resulted in food sales being incorrectly reported. He stated the only place in the City that Study Session Minutes -2- February 13, 2012 has affected Park Tavern is Toby Keith's and both businesses are nighttime businesses which will have a difficult time meeting the 50%requirement given the nature of their business. Mr. Matt Sutton, Toby Keith's General Manager, indicated the upward trend in food sales with the most recent food sales percentage reported at 48%. He stated that they are working hard to make Toby Keith's a more family friendly place and to make sure patrons know they are a restaurant for 12 hours every day. He added that Toby Keith's is committed to increasing its food sales percentages and takes this matter very seriously. Councilmember Ross agreed that Toby Keith's has shown significant improvement in its food sales and was amenable to extending their probation period for six months. She agreed that Council needs to have a discussion about its liquor license ordinance requirements. Councilmember Spano stated he was open to extending the probationary period for Toby Keith's. Councilmember Hallfin did not feel the City should put Park Tavern on probation because they are only .2%below the City's 50%requirement. Mayor Pro Tem Sanger requested further information about Park Tavern's accounting errors. She also asked if Park Tavern should be given an opportunity to submit corrected data. Ms. Deno advised that Council will be asked to take action on these liquor licenses at its February 21St meeting; as a result, Council can either direct staff to round the 49.8% food sale figure for Park Tavern to whole numbers, which will result in Park Tavern being in compliance, or Council can allow Park Tavern to submit corrected data showing that it meets the 50% requirement, or Council can place Park Tavern on probation. Mr. Weber, Park Tavern, stated that he will contact his accounting staff tomorrow and submit corrected data to the City as soon as possible. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger felt that Park Tavern should not be punished for a mathematical error, and if corrected data is not submitted by Wednesday, then Park Tavern should go on probation for six months. She stated that Toby Keith's has been on probation for a year and is still not in compliance even though progress has been made. She felt the probation for Toby Keith's should be one year with a civil fine. She added that there needs to be escalating consequences for failure to meet the City's ordinance requirements. Councilmember Mavity agreed that Park Tavern should be given an opportunity to submit corrected data and if it cannot submit the data by Wednesday, then the City should go by the letter of the ordinance and place Park Tavern on probationary status for six months. She stated that while she appreciates the progress being made by Toby Keith's, she preferred to continue Toby Keith's probation and add a delayed fine of$1,000 which would be imposed if they are not in compliance within a set time period. It was the consensus of the City Council to agree with the conditions proposed by staff for renewal of the Toby Keith's I Love This Bar liquor license. It was also the consensus of the City Council to agree with the conditions proposed by staff for renewal of the Park Tavern liquor license, unless corrected data is submitted by Park Tavern showing they met the City's 50% requirement for food sales. Study Session Minutes -3- February 13, 2012 It was also the consensus of the City Council to discuss the existing liquor license ordinance requirements at a future study session meeting. 3. Beltline LRT Station Area Circulation Issues Ms. McMonigal presented the staff report and introduced Marie Cote from SRF. She indicated that SRF has prepared three concepts for consideration by Council and noted that some of the elements contained in the concepts are interchangeable and not exclusive of each other, particularly as it relates to Concepts A and B. Ms. Cote discussed Concept A and stated one of the challenges under the existing conditions is that Beltline Boulevard represents a main spine through the area for all cars, pedestrians, and transit. She explained that Concept A includes a north-south connection west of the water tower area and another north-south connection on the east side, a grade separated crossing at Beltline, and changes to the frontage road. She noted that Beltline Boulevard and Minnetonka Boulevard are also shown as a possible three-lane design which would make the roadways wider for trails and sidewalks. Mayor Pro Tem Sanger questioned how a three-lane design on Minnetonka Boulevard instead of the current four-lane design would help traffic circulation in the area near the light rail station. She added that Ottawa Avenue between Minnetonka Boulevard and CSAH 25 needs to be expanded. Ms. Cote explained that the concept proposes to make this area more pedestrian friendly and to calm down the roadway to provide more space for other modes of transportation, including pedestrians and bicycles. She noted that Ottawa Avenue has been identified as needing further review to address the challenges on that roadway. She then reviewed Concept B, stating that this concept includes moving the frontage road into a "backage"road and narrowing CSAH 25 into a boulevard more like Excelsior Boulevard and shifting it slightly to the north, creating a larger area for redevelopment opportunities. She stated Concept B also extends Park Glen to France Avenue and connects France Avenue to CSAH 25. She added that another north-south connection that crosses over CSAH 25 has been included on the west side, east of Highway 100. Councilmember Mavity indicated that one of the key issues in this area relates to the north-south connections which were identified by Council as a priority. She stated the most recent design for Highway 100 had the proposed frontage road on the east side of 100 taken off the table and Council was told the circulation issues would be addressed. She stated she felt a little misled related to the Highway 100 conversations because the north-south connections have not been addressed at all. She indicated that Council has identified single family homes as a pnority and expressed concern that if Ottawa is widened, it will encroach onto the homes along Ottawa. She added that Ottawa is completely inadequate to handle traffic and felt it was shortsighted to use Ottawa as a connector. She also expressed concern regarding France Avenue and stated this area is already seeing encroachment with the Ellipse and e2 developments. She stated any expansion of France Avenue would completely decimate this small area of homes and would change the character of the area. She indicated that it would make sense to open up France Avenue to the north and then 32nd Street to the east where Park Glen meets France and added it will be important to make sure there is good coordination with the County and City of Minneapolis. She stated a lot of issues have been raised and it will be critical to involve residents in the decision- Study Session Minutes -4- February 13, 2012 making process. She suggested that the City convene a subgroup on traffic to obtain input and to fully understand how these options impacts people. Ms. McMonigal advised that staff did not want to go through any significant public process until more direction is obtained from Council on which options to pursue. She indicated that the traffic engineers will continue to study Ottawa to determine how to increase capacity and safety without widening the roadway. She explained that with respect to Highway 100, the frontage road was taken out when Mn/DOT performed the value engineering because exiting onto Minnetonka Boulevard would result in cleaner movement, would be less costly, and have less impact on properties. She added the frontage road did not solve any other issues other than providing an exit to Minnetonka Boulevard. Ms. Cote stated they reviewed these areas to see how they can be developed and have better uses, including better north-south connections without relying entirely on Beltline. She agreed that the challenges associated with Ottawa cannot be ignored and they will need to revisit Ottawa Avenue to see how the space is used and how it can work better to connect to CSAH 25. Councilmember Mavity indicated she felt that Concept B was generally more preferable than the other concepts. She stated the idea of opening up France Avenue to the south should be taken off the table for discussion since this is not a viable connection. Mr. Hanmening stated that the City has talked about extending France Avenue to the north in the past and acknowledged that this is a highly sensitive topic. He indicated that having light rail in this area is going to change the game in this part of the City and it will be important for the City to understand and know where it wants transportation linkages in this area. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger shared Councilmember Mavity's concerns about France Avenue and did not want to see France Avenue or Inglewood extended over the railroad tracks. She requested further clarification regarding the frontage road for Highway 100. It was also the consensus of the City Council that a France Avenue connection south to Excelsior Boulevard should not be pursued and other alternatives should be addressed, including a possible extension of 32nd Street. Mr. Rardin stated he did not feel there could be a ramp and a frontage road on the east side of 100 unless the City was willing to take homes. He added he did not think it was feasible to have a frontage road so close to the east end of the bridge and felt it would be better to go several hundred feet to the east. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated it would be useful in this discussion to understand what is being planned for the light rail station and how many parking spaces are expected. Ms. McMonigal stated this has not been finalized yet and added one of the goals is to make it easy to walk and bike and bus to the light rail station. Councilmember Santa stated if the Met Council is thinking about using collector buses with parking nodes further away, it will be important to understand where those parking nodes will be located and how people will get there. Councilmember Mavity strongly urged the City to explore extending Park Glen to 32nd Street as a way to address some of the circulation issues without having a decimating impact on the single family neighborhood. • Study Session Minutes -5- February 13, 2012 Councilmember Santa stated she would like to see more detail with respect to the north frontage road closing and relocation of the south frontage road and felt this was worth exploring further. Councilmember Ross stated she was more comfortable with closing the north side of the frontage road because there are more outlets to access Minnetonka Boulevard on the north side than on the south side. She added she would need more information before making a definitive decision. Councilmember Spano stated Council has indicated it does not like the north-south Ottawa connection, it does not like extending France Avenue, it is interested in a connection at Raleigh, and it is interested in a connection at Inglewood. He felt those are key pieces for Council to make a well-informed decision. It was the consensus of the City Council to further explore the concepts for improving circulation in the future Beltline Station area. It was also the consensus of the City Council that Ottawa Avenue is not a viable option for a north-south connection unless significant improvements are made. It was also the consensus of the City Council that a France Avenue connection should not be pursued and other alternatives should be addressed, including a possible extension of 32nd Street. Ms. McMonigal stated that further information will be presented to Council, including information regarding the public process, in the next two to three months. 4. Highway 7/Wooddale Interchange and Beltline Blvd. Traffic and Trail Improvement Options Discussion regarding Wooddale Avenue: Mr. Brink presented the staff report and introduced Craig Vaughn from SRF. He stated proposed changes to the Wooddale crossing include extending the center median to increase visibility, eliminate confusion, and decrease the distance across traffic that people have to cross. He indicated one option is to extend the median up to the crosswalk which would provide more refuge and tie with the other recommendation of restriping the roadway to a three lane roadway. This would eliminate one lane of traffic, slow down the traffic, and provide room for a refuge. He advised that this proposal was reviewed with Mn/DOT and the City is waiting for a final response from Mn/DOT on this proposal. He advised that part of the restriping plan includes moving the crosswalk stripes at the ramps to increase visibility. He added that one of the other options includes the installation of in-pavement lighting to make the area more visible. Councilmember Spano asked if it was possible for Mn/DOT to shave part of the concrete wall and angle it to allow better visibility. Mr. Vaughn explained that this is a structural component of the bridge and cannot be shaved. Mayor,Pro Tem Sanger felt that extending the median to the crosswalk made sense so people can get halfway across, but felt it should include raised concrete to add some safety there. Mr. Vaughn explained that a raised median would limit turning movements for trucks in the area and recommended using flush concrete pavement as an alternative instead of a raised median. He advised that the concrete pavement would alert drivers that the color of the pavement has Study Session Minutes -6- February 13, 2012 changed and would draw the driver's attention, creating the feel of a median without obstructing vehicular movement. It was the consensus of the City Council to move forward with the four implementation measures proposed for Wooddale Avenue. Discussion regarding Beltline Boulevard: Mr. Brink explained that installation of a striped pedestrian crosswalk at Beltline is not recommended because national studies and experience show that a four-lane road is typically less safe with these markings. If a striped crosswalk were to be installed, he recommended that in-pavement lighting, similar to Wooddale Avenue, be put in place to make the crossing more visible. Mr. Vaughn indicated that installation of an advance stop bar is not recommended with the in- pavement lighting because of the close proximity to the railroad tracks. Councilmember Mavity asked if signage to drivers, particularly coming to the south, could be added telling drivers not to stop on the tracks. She stated that people do not know what the rules are because of a lack of consistency. Mr. Vaughn stated this type of signage could create a conflict because it would tell drivers to stop for people in the crossing but in case of a train, do not stop on the tracks. He felt it was better to err on the side of letting the laws dictate that drivers stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk perpendicular to the roadway and to not sign it or put a stop bar in this location. He added it is their professional opinion that the crossing should not be striped. Councilmembers Spano, Hallfin, and Santa agreed with the professional opinion of SRF Consulting to not stripe the crosswalk in this location. Mayor Pro Tem Sanger and Councilmembers Mavity and Ross were in favor of striping the crosswalk in this location. Councilmember Spano stated Council wants the safest crossings for vehicles and pedestrians and has hired consultants to provide a professional opinion which does not recommend crosswalk markings at this location. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated people are complaining about the lack of safety and confusion at this crossing and she felt it was the City's obligation to try something to make this location safer and less confusing. Councilmember Mavity stated that the markings at this location are not adequate and requested that staff bring back something for consideration by Council to address the concerns that have been raised. Councilmember Ross stated that the primary issue is safety for pedestrians and vehicles and requested that further discussion take place regarding education of drivers and pedestrians. Councilmember Hallfin agreed and felt that the area needs to have increased signage for both drivers and pedestrians. Study Session Minutes -7- February 13, 2012 Mr. Vaughn presented an alternative being implemented in the City of Mound using trail chicanes. He stated that chicanes are incorporated in the best practices by Three Rivers Park District on crosswalks and are used to slow the speed of a trail user so that as they approach an intersection, they are forced to make a turning movement which overemphasizes eye contact with traffic. He stated that this is an alternative that could be done on both sides of the Beltline crossing and presented a drawing showing potential chicane alignment. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to investigate construction of a trail chicane on Beltline Boulevard and provide Council with cost estimates. 5. Solid Waste Collection Program and Services Mr. Rardin presented the staff report and introduced Scott Merkley, Shannon Hansen, and Jason Bredenberg. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated that the first policy question related to being a leader in the industry will drive the rest of the discussion, including possible changes to the current solid waste program and whether changes are needed to the purpose, goals and objectives for the solid waste program. Council discussed recycling and/or banning of plastic bags, CFL bulbs, and Styrofoam. Councilmember Mavity noted there are cities like San Francisco that have banned plastic bags and part of this process will include learning from other cities. Mr. Rardin agreed and suggested that staff review best practices and bring information to Council for further discussion. He stated that Mr. Bredenberg suggested having a requirement that all construction debris from remodeling projects be recycled. Councilmember Mavity stated that one area of particular concern is water and urged the City to ban plastic water bottles and make sure all City parks have drinking fountains. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated it will be important to discuss the idea of incentives for people to recycle versus throwing items in the garbage. She added that the City should have a system for rewarding people with very little garbage and this will serve to encourage people to recycle more and throw away less. Councilmember Santa stated that what makes the City #1 will include increased education, making it easy for people to recycle, and getting the message out to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger requested further data to address the question of how much stuff collected in the name of recycling gets thrown into the landfill. She added it was her understanding that more items get thrown into the trash with the single sort system. Councilmember Hallfin indicated that increased plastics recycling was the most important thing mentioned by residents and staff is working on that. He stated that Council discussed the formation of an environmental or sustainability task force and felt that plastics recycling was a perfect subject to be addressed by this task force. Study Session Minutes -8- February 13, 2012 Councilmember Spano stated he felt Council's focus should include scope (what are residents recycling); frequency (how often are residents recycling); who is recycling; incenting residents, businesses, and the School District to recycle more; and finally, how to incent change. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated she did not favor the City getting into hazardous waste collection, but would like to find convenient ways to dispose of hazardous waste and electronic waste in an environmentally friendly manner. 6. Police Advisory Commission (PAC) 2011 Annual Report and 2012 Work Plan 7. Human Rights Commission (HRC)2011 Annual Report and 2012 Work Plan 8. Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA)2011 Annual Report 9. 2011 Housing Authority Annual Report Mr. Harmening presented the staff reports and annual reports for the PAC, HRC, BOZA, and Housing Authority. Councilmember Santa stated she felt Council should meet with BOZA given the recent Supreme Court ruling on variances. Councilmember Mavity stated the Planning Commission should be invited to attend the meeting with BOZA. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger requested that Council have a discussion regarding the role of PAC and HRC and whether the two commissions should be consolidated. Councilmember Spano stated he would not feel comfortable taking action to dissolve a commission when he has not had an opportunity to understand their work or meet with them. Councilmember Spano suggested that the HRC talk about the possible Constitutional amendment on same sex marriage and whether the City wants to make a statement on this issue. He added there are a number of opportunities for a human rights commission to weigh in on related to equity in the community. Councilmember Ross felt that a bigger issue for the HRC was the voter ID amendment and its impact on residents. Mayor Pro Tern Sanger stated this raises a larger question about the degree to which a human rights commission should be politicized and to what degree a human rights commission should be more focused on individual rights and access versus more global human rights issues. She added the City needs to be careful about how politicized its Human Rights Commission becomes. It was the consensus of the City Council to meet with the PAC, HRC, BOZA, and Housing Authority to discuss their annual reports and work plans. 10. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Mr. Harmening advised the City has been asked to adopt a resolution supporting the $25 million in the Governor's bonding bill for SWLRT and this resolution will be included on the February 21st agenda. He presented a list of the various boards and committees on which councilmembers Study Session Minutes -9- February 13, 2012 currently serve and asked Council to provide staff with corrections and/or additions. He noted the redistricting report in the agenda and asked Council to provide their input and/or preferences to him or Ms. Stroth. Mayor Pro Tem Sanger stated she received a request from the League of Women Voters to have the Mayor introduce staff or to have staff introduce themselves when presenting at City Council meetings. The meeting adjourned at 10:12 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 11. Redistricting Update 12. Community Energy Services (CES)/Green Remodeling Home Improvement Program 13. Concussion Awareness Program 14. December 2011 Monthly Financial Report 15. 2012-2013 Wellness Incentive Policy 16. 2011 Solid Waste Annual Report / ,ALJ Nancy Stroth, ity Clerk Susan Sanger,26ayor Pro Tern