Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/11/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session JIf St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA NOVEMBER 10, 2014 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present. Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hallfin, Tim Brausen, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent: Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: Deputy City Manager/Director of Human Resources (Ms. Deno), Director of Community Development (Mr. Locke), Senior Planner (Mr. Walther), Planning/Zoning Supervisor(Ms McMonigal), and Associate Planner(Mr. Kelley). 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—November 17 & 24, 2014 Ms. Deno presented the proposed special study session agenda for November 17`h and the proposed study session agenda for November 24`h. 2. Design Guidelines for the South Side of Excelsior Boulevard Mr. Walther presented the staff report and introduced Mr. Michael Schroeder, consultant from LHB, Inc. Introductions were made of Planning Commissioners Rick Person, Claudia Johnston-Madison, and Lisa Peilen, as well as Task Force members Larry North, Bob Cunningham, Matt Stangl, and Robb Bader. Mr. Schroeder presented the draft Design Guidelines for the South Side of Excelsior Boulevard and provided historical background regarding the task force He stated that significant character exists along Excelsior Boulevard and the community felt that separation or definition between the properties to the south was important and "walkability" and "bikeability" were two themes that emerged in the neighborhood meetings. He stated the community talked about creating definition or separation to mitigate the impacts of height, noise and activity in the commercial development with the buildings pulled up to the street to reinforce the pedestrian realm of Excelsior Boulevard with parking located behind buildings. He stated it was important to find a way to highlight the mixed activity in the area and to have buildings appropriately scaled to the size of the street and parcel as well as to find a way to be stylistically harmonious but not uniform across the entire length of the boulevard, which the task force felt was a critical part of the boulevard expenence. He stated the task force talked about the significant investment in the streetscape along Excelsior Boulevard that establishes uniformity along the corndor and the task force felt that ought to be perpetuated. He stated the neighborhood interface was also an important feature and the task force felt that a 10' zone between the existing property line at the south side of a parcel and the residential properties on the south side would limit intrusion of light, noise, and pollution. Mayor Pro Tern Hallfin noted that when Council considered the BP station proposal, the neighborhood did not like the idea of pulling buildings to the front with parking in the back to create that buffer zone. Study Session Minutes -2- November 10, 2014 Ms. Johnston-Madison advised there were a number of opinions about this and the issue was more about the distance between the parking and residential areas and the task force struggled with whether the setback should be 5' or 10'. Councilmember Mavity stated there are places along the corridor where the homes are closer to the commercial uses and felt it made sense to have the size of the setback coincide with the location of the building rather than the exact property line Councilmember Sanger agreed with a 10' setback and felt that a 10' setback should be the minimum setback with perhaps an even bigger setback if there is a residential use within "x" number of feet of a commercial use. Mr. Schroeder stated that whatever separation is created would be the responsibility of the commercial property owners and not the residential property owners. He discussed building design and advised the task force looked at a range of different styles, all of which was intended to deal with the human experience and to maintain patterns of use on the parcels. He stated the task force also considered traffic access, parking, and parking ratios, and the guidelines maintain the current parking ratio of four spaces per 1,000 and suggest that on-street parking adjacent to a parcel continue to be included in the parking count for a site and that the City's Registration of Land Use process ought to be continued. He stated the task force talked about possible Code revisions as a result of the study and felt there may be a need for some flexibility to create designs that could be better defined through the form-based code process Mr. Walther stated the City tried to work within the existing Zoning Code throughout the task force process but the Design Guidelines regarding drive aisles conflicts with current Code in some cases, adding that the City has not committed to any items and these will need to be discussed in the future. Councilmember Spano indicated he was somewhat concerned that the City's plans for this corridor and Hennepin County's plans for the roadway may not be in concert and felt that a thorough conversation with the County needed to be held. He was concerned that the guidelines do not include any discussion about public art and felt this was a missed opportunity. He stated there was a lot of discussion about how to insulate the residential neighborhood from what is taking place on Excelsior Boulevard and felt it would be valuable for the City to look at ways to identify that you are leaving a commercial area and entering a residential area such as monument signage. He stated he would like to further discuss separated pedestnan/bike and vehicle pathways, e.g., a dedicated pedestnan area next to the building separated by bollards, rain gardens, or trees, with a dedicated area for bikes, then another separation for vehicles. He stated he also felt it was important to come up with some sign guidelines for this area and to have some vision for the way the identity of this corridor is handled. Councilmember Mavity stated this was a well-done study and thanked everyone who participated. She stated it was not clear how someone would get through this area on a bike and she wanted to make sure that bikes are accommodated as a use in this area. She felt that a delineation between the residential and commercial uses was important but was not sure whether it should be a 10' setback, adding she was not sure what would be gained by requiring a 10' setback and felt a 5' setback may be enough Study Session Minutes -3- November 10, 2014 Mr. Schroeder indicated the task force might reconsider the setback requirements, adding that the task force felt that a 10' setback seemed logical given the need for snow storage He stated the task force could continue to see if an 8' setback would be more appropriate. Councilmember Brausen spoke in favor of proceeding with the Design Guidelines and thanked everyone for all their work He agreed with the comments about whether to require a 10' setback and thought that an 8' setback might be better. He also agreed that signage for the area should be discussed. Councilmember Sanger expressed support for the three basic principles in terms of having development face the street with parking behind the buildings and a 10' buffer zone. She felt there should be a consistent buffer that is required and not simply a guideline. She agreed with the need for a number of zoning code changes and agreed with the need for consistent signage. She also agreed with the comments regarding bike access and felt the City needs to find a better way to accommodate bikes She also requested that Council consider a Code change related to the types of land uses permitted on the south side that may emit a lot of noise or fumes and felt those types of uses should not be permitted because of their proximity to residential areas. She understood the comments about changing the zoning in the two blocks that are residential, but urged Council to recognize that one of those buildings is one of the oldest in the City and she would like to find a way to preserve that as part of any redevelopment project. Councilmember Lindberg agreed with the previous comments and reiterated the importance of making sure there is sufficient space for pedestrians and that the realm is attractive with green space incorporated and felt it would be important to discuss the need to consider pedestnan walkability and separated bike transit ways in this area. He also felt it would be important to consider the Hennepin County bike plan to make sure bike transit is integrated into this area and making regional connections in the best way possible. Mayor Pro Tem Hallfin thanked the task force members for their time and effort on this project. 3. Planning Commission 2013 Annual Report and 2014 Work Plan Ms. McMonigal presented the staff report and Planning Commission 2013 Annual Report and 2014 Work Plan. She advised that the Planning Commission is looking for a Youth Planning Commissioner. Councilmember Brausen thanked the Planning Commission for doing a really good job He requested that Council have a future study session discussion about asking the Planning Commission to consider Zoning Code amendments that foster conservation and sustainability, specifically green roofs on new commercial buildings, solar lighting on car lots and industnal buildings, and possibly requiring that lights be turned off on certain businesses. Mayor Pro Tern Hallfin expressed the City Council's thanks to the Planning Commission. 4. East Triangle Neighborhood Redevelopment Mr. Locke presented the staff report and explained some of the issues related to redeveloping this site. He stated one of the pnmary questions has to do with CSAH 25 from Beltline to France, which the City has identified as an area it would like to transform from a rural highway into an urban boulevard to support development in the Beltline area and make it a more walkable urban Study Session Minutes -4- November 10, 2014 place where it connects with Minneapolis. He stated this proposed project represents a tugger to get the CSAH 25 concept design moving forward with the County and Minneapolis. It will be a challenge to redevelop this site before we know exactly what the plans will be for CSAH 25. He then introduced Mr. Robb Bader. Mr. Bader advised they believe that redevelopment of this site will improve its value and curb appeal, they believe in the evolution of this area, including light rail, and they believe the proposed project is going to capture a similar demographic as the Ellipse. He also said they propose including an affordable housing component. He stated that Bader Development has outgrown its office space and this would be a potential site for them to relocate their employees. He stated the ASAP building is eligible due to its age and charactenstics to be on the list of National Register of Historic Places, however the building is not laid out well and is inefficient for conducting business and the building is not in great physical shape. He stated they have talked to Preservation Works, a company that focuses on historically important properties, and they have indicated they could document the building as historic and provide a record of the building and its history for whoever might be interested, e.g., the Historical Society He stated they also spoke with Tommy Hoffman representing the family of the onginal builder, who indicated he would like the opportunity to document the project. Mr. Sheldon Berg presented several renderings of the proposed project and stated there is a history of multi-family housing in this area and they are interested in pursuing a PUD with a mix of uses, including 10,000 square feet of office for the site. He presented the site plan and described the architecture of the building and amenities. Councilmember Mavity felt this was exactly the kind of development the City should consider as part of the frontage road and CSAH 25 project. She also felt the City could do something to memonalize the historic status of the building. Councilmember Sanger stated she had mixed feelings about the proposed project. She agreed with the need to start planning for CSAH 25 and how to make the roadway more of a boulevard and less of a quasi freeway, regardless of whether this project goes forward. She agreed this was a good location for mixed use or multi-family housing, but was concerned about the taking of the ASAP building She stated it was her understanding that the building may be eligible, but the owner has to petition to put a building on the national histonc register and asked if the City has any standing to initiate that process. Mr. Locke replied that staff is researching the national historic register process and stated he thought that the City may have some ability to influence that process but was not sure the City could do it over the objections of a property owner. Councilmember Sanger stated the City has so few historic buildings and felt the City should honor them or incorporate them into other developments. She stated she was also concerned about the loss of single family homes in the community and questioned whether the City can come up with some kind of process to require developers to replace single family homes elsewhere in the community when single family homes are taken for development. She appreciated that the proposed project includes a number of two-bedroom and two-bedroom + den units and she also liked the stepped down height of the building. Councilmember Lindberg felt the proposed project made sense for this site and agreed with the concern about taking single-family homes. Study Session Minutes -5- November 10, 2014 Councilmember Brausen stated he liked the concept of the proposed project and appreciated that the project includes some affordable housing units. He stated he was not uncomfortable with taking single-family homes for this project, adding that people are entitled to sell their property especially when it is consistent with the zoning and this is a logical place for this type of development. He felt that Council needs to be realistic about what it wants to see in this area as it relates to CSAH 25, noting this roadway funnels a lot of traffic from Minneapolis going to the western suburbs and the park and nde at Beltline is going to funnel a lot more traffic in that area. Councilmember Spano expressed support for the project but was concerned about the historical aspect of the building and suggested preserving a portion of the building or integrating it into the new development. Mayor Pro Tern Hallfin stated he did not like to see the taking of any single-family homes but overall, felt that this was a good project for the area. He added that even if nothing is done on this site, the City must figure out the access to the trail in this area. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to continue to work with the developer to refine the project It was also the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to continue to research the question regarding the historical nature of the ASAP building. 5. Paid Parenting Leave Ms Deno presented the staff report. Councilmember Sanger stated the City has a PTO policy in place whereby all employees get "x" number of days to use however they choose and the addition of a parental leave policy means some employees will have up to three weeks more paid leave than other employees She felt this was another example of being paid extra for non-work related choices made by some and did not believe this was a good idea. Councilmember Spano stated other cities have implemented this policy and did not think the City would be an outlier if it adopted the policy. In addition, the policy does not have a significant bottom line impact. He felt that if one of the City's employees was going to be a surrogate for another family, the employee should be afforded the same opportunity to take time off after the birth. The policy should also be supportive of same sex couples desinng to have and/or adopt children. He felt that from a competitive standpoint, this policy was the nght thing to do Councilmember Lindberg stated he did not disagree with the policy, but he wanted to first gain a better understanding of the City's total rewards package and how this policy fits into that package before he could say yes. Ms. Deno stated that this is a new policy the City has heard about from the League and the City has not had requests for the policy from any of the employee groups, adding that any type of paid program would have to be negotiated with the unions. She stated the City's benefits packages are fairly rich. In general, St. Louis Park is a highly desirable employer due to the nature of the City Council, the City's compensation packages, and the nature of the City's work. The City does not have recruitment issues. Study Session Minutes -6- November 10, 2014 Councilmember Mavity stated she fully supports the proposed policy adding that St. Louis Park is a Children First community, and this policy allows parents to have more time with their children and makes the City more competitive. Councilmember Brausen agreed with the philosophy of the program and stated he was in favor of the policy. Mayor Pro Tern Hallfin indicated the City's short-term disability policy is dated and questioned whether that policy should be updated. He also agreed that St. Louis Park is a Children First community, and this policy falls in line with the Children First philosophy. Ms. Deno recommended that Council review the City's leave program compared to other communities It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to move ahead with development of the parenting leave program. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Wntten Report 6—Bee Safe Community Councilmember Brausen requested that the Bee Safe Community resolution on next week's agenda be postponed in order to provide an opportunity for resident input and suggested postponing this item until after the first of the year. Written Report 8— Southwest LRT Update Councilmember Mavity stated the CAC and BAC appointments are coming up and felt that all commissioners should be required to reapply if they are interested in continuing on the vanous commissions and not be automatically reappointed. She requested that the City advertise the CAC and BAC opportunities. Ms. Deno agreed that the City would post the CAC and BAC opportunities. Meeting with Marion Greene Council discussed the Beltline LRCI and upcoming meeting with Hennepin County Commissioner Greene. Mayor Pro Tem Hallfin adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m. Written reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 6. Bee Safe Community 7. Update on Solid Waste Program Initiatives 8. Southwest LRT Update / // /f INancyStr�ity Clerk Steve Hallfin, Mayor Pro T- '''