Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015/06/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session ft St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA JUNE 8, 2015 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Pro Tern Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent. Mayor Jeff Jacobs. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmemng), Senior Planner (Mr. Walther), Chief Information Officer (Mr Pires), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Associate Planner (Mr Kelley), Economic Development Coordinator (Mr Hunt), Communications and Marketing Coordinator(Ms. Larson), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Hughes). Guests: Ms. Leslie Oberholtzer (consultant), Mr. Paul Tucci (Oppidan), and Mr. Ryan (Oppidan) 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—June 15 & June 22, 2015 Mr Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for June 15th and the proposed study session agenda for June 22'1. Mayor Pro Tern Brausen asked if the City has considered offering organics recycling at no cost for the first quarter as an incentive to get people to try the program. Mr. Harmening replied that Council would have a future discussion about the organics recycling program and the City of Minneapolis' organics recycling program. Councilmember Sanger requested that Council consider recognizing the 60th anniversary of Wayside House. It was the consensus of the City Council to recognize the 60`h anniversary of Wayside House at an upcoming City Council meeting. Councilmember Sanger referenced recent legislation allowing tap rooms to sell growlers on Sunday and asked if the City's Ordinance needs to be revised accordingly. Mr Harmening stated the City's current Ordinance allows Steel Toe Brewing to sell growlers on Sundays, but the legislature left it up to each city to establish the hours of operation, adding that this topic will be discussed at the June 15th special study session. Councilmember Sanger requested that Council discuss whether to ask the Charter Commission to change the Ordinance to allow ranked choice voting and/or to change the Ordinance to require more than 15 signatures and increase the filing fee to increase the chances of getting committed candidates. She also requested that Council discuss whether the City should consider purchasing the Reformation Lutheran Church site and stated that part of the site is used as the Birchwood neighborhood community garden and she would like to see the City purchase the site to preserve the community garden and subdivide the rest for sale as single family homes She also requested a discussion about the former Holiday gas station site as a potential site for single family homes. Study Session Minutes -2- June 8, 2015 2. Discussion of Draft Form-Based Code Mr. Kelley presented the staff report and introduced Ms. Leslie Oberholtzer, consultant to the City, as well as Planning Commissioner Carl Robertson, Mr. Bob Cunningham (Melrose Development), and Mr. Brent Rogers (Saturday Properties). Ms. Oberholtzer summarized the process to develop the FBC and presented maps depicting the existing zoning and stated that a new Division 10: Form-Based District would be added to the City Code and would follow the existing structure of the Code. She stated that they started out studying a '/2 mile radius around the station areas but pulled out the single family neighborhoods where that zoning remains intact She discussed the previous station area plans that have been completed by the City and described how those were used to inform the development of the FBC. She also discussed the image preference results from the community workshops and the online survey for each of the station areas that listed top five positive results and bottom three negative. She presented the table of contents for the FBC and noted the key sections are similar to the existing Code including an overview with regulating maps, administration, frontage types that includes form requirements, e.g., height and setback requirements, use requirements, and sections dealing with landscape, signs, sustainability measures, and open space. She presented regulating maps and explained the frontage types used in the Form-Based District and presented illustrations of six frontage types and stated that the FBC defines the key components of walkability and pedestrian friendliness and responding to the public realm on the street. Councilmember Sanger stated she was disappointed that the examples all appear to have flat roofs on rectangular buildings and was concerned that the FBC would quash any creative architecture Ms. Oberholtzer stated the FBC would allow a curvilinear or angled building and the illustrations show what could happen but the idea is not to require rectilinear buildings. She also discussed the approval process, which generally allows for more administrative approvals, with minor and major deviations from the FBC requirements which require Planning Commission or City Council action. She also talked about next steps which included a Planning Commission study session scheduled for June 17th followed by a public open house on June 23`d to gather input from the public. Staff would like to gather further input form the Council, Planning Commission and public on this draft to make revisions and have future discussions with the Council regarding the revisions. Councilmember Lindberg stated he wanted more time to review the FBC and further discussion with Council. He was concerned about the administrative controls provided in the FBC and stated that while it provides greater flexibility, he was concerned that Council would be relinquishing some control over the process, including neighborhood input. Mr. Robertson stated the station areas will undergo a lot of change over the next ten years and in the past, these changes have been addressed one project at a time and the overall process has not been proactive. He stated the FBC is intended to acknowledge that there is going to be a lot of change and to stay ahead of that change instead of reacting to it one parcel at a time. Councilmember Sanger agreed with Councilmember Lindberg's concerns about the administrative process and stated she did not like the idea that Council would not have an early opportunity for input on a project. She was concerned the FBC does not appear to include anything to make sure there are no incompatible uses and nothing about density requirements Study Session Minutes -3- June 8, 2015 Ms. Oberholtzer indicated there are height limitations and building coverage limitations which are much more predictable than FAR or dwelling units/acre. Mr Walther added that the Comprehensive Plan also provides guidance on these issues. Councilmember Spano stated the FBC would be a success if it helps the City get ahead of and better inform the changes that are coming to these areas. He would like to discuss how we can have more flexibility with Architectural Materials compared to our existing standards. He also stated that proposed developments come under scrutiny for height and how much traffic is generated from the development and there was no discussion about traffic in the FBC and he would like to see how that issue is addressed. Councilmember Mavity liked that certain requirements were aimed at making buildings more pedestrian oriented, but agreed that traffic issues would need to be addressed in the FBC and agreed with the concerns raised about administrative approvals. She felt that Council should move forward with the FBC process but not move too quickly to adoption of the FBC. Councilmember Hallfin stated that Council is still in a learning curve and does not need to rush to adopt the FBC and agreed with the concerns raised by Councilmembers Lindberg and Sanger. He expressed appreciation to staff, the Work Group, and Ms. Oberholtzer for all their work on the FBC. Mayor Pro Tern Brausen stated the FBC reorganizes the information in the City Code and assimilates the station area plans into the FBC and was supportive of the process with further public process with the neighborhoods. He agreed additional work is required on the FBC including further work on defining Council's controls vis-à-vis the administrative process. He recognized that staff capacity is a challenge and questioned the City Council's capacity especially with the possible ban on plastic bags. It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to support moving forward with the public process related to the FBC. 3. Oppidan's Application for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Assistance — 4900 Excelsior Mr Walther presented the staff report and explained that the applicant's revised unit count is now 179 units and the revised plan includes a sixth story along Excelsior Boulevard with the building stepped back on the north side He stated the revised plan reduced the shadowing on the Wolfe Park Condominiums and the applicant added more glass to the service door to the parking lot that will be used by employees. He stated the applicant changed the overhead garage door to a glass door and added screening elements to the main level parking area; in addition, the applicant has added a public art mural location, more landscaping and more details regarding the green wall elements at the corners of the building to soften the façade, and added some benches along Excelsior Boulevard. Mr. Tucci stated they have listened and tried to respond to the comments and concerns He stated the tiering effect of the building improved the shadowing impacts and they added a lot of landscaping around the building. He stated they heard a lot of concerns about traffic and how the traffic at Trader Joe's does not work and pointed out they have three different access points on this site and have created an environment that does not exist at Trader Joe's. He stated they paid Study Session Minutes -4- June 8, 2015 for a shared parking study that indicated the proposed uses would work and the parking meets City Code standards before applying the transit reduction, adding that City staff reviewed the traffic study and concurred with the report that there are no significant changes that need to be made because of this development He stated that construction costs are escalating and they believe this is the right time for this development and they have an anchor tenant in place. He stated they are meeting all affordability requirements and their current plan has 56 two-bedroom units and five of the 18 affordable units will be two-bedroom units. Councilmember Mavity felt this site was an appropriate site for TIF and was generally supportive of the TIF request. She thanked the developer for their response to the neighborhood concerns regarding shadowing and for stepping back the building She was pleased with the affordability component and proposed unit mix, she felt the developer did a better job on trees and was not concerned about parking. She stated the existing trees on the backside of the project are mature trees and was hopeful those trees would be retained. She was concerned that three of the four sides of the building were almost completely inactive walls with one entrance and it felt like an alley. She stated the project was kitty-corner from Wolfe Park and it felt like a big opportunity was being lost with so much inactivated space on three sides. Councilmember Hallfin acknowledged that the developer worked hard to make changes but felt the building needed to be smaller to create more active space. Councilmember Sanger stated she could not support TIF for this project as presented and stated the changes made by the developer represented a step in the right direction but felt the project was still too big and out of scale for this site She felt there were too many small apartments with no green space and continued to have concerns about parking because many of the on street parking spaces are already used for existing businesses and condo guests. She acknowledged that the traffic problems at Trader Joe's and the surrounding area are not the developer's fault, but the interaction of the traffic problems needed to be considered and she felt this project would add too much traffic and impact the parking in the area. She stated she would support TIF if the developer came back with a proposal that was scaled down, better looking, and more accessible from a community perspective. Councilmember Lindberg felt progress had been made since the last Council meeting and agreed this site is ripe for TIF, but was not sure the proposed project was the right project for this site. He felt it was imperative to figure out how to make Excelsior Boulevard and the side streets more active from a pedestrian experience standpoint and stated he could not support TIF for this project as presented. Councilmember Spano stated he liked the look of the building and felt it was different than other buildings, which enhanced its appeal and the appeal of the surrounding buildings. He was concerned about the volume of traffic in the entire area and felt that Council needed to do a comprehensive analysis of all development along Excelsior Boulevard before moving forward. Mayor Pro Tem Brausen stated he liked the look of the building and was comfortable with it but there did not appear to be a consensus to approve the current project or the TIF request. Mr. Ryan stated that without the grocer anchor tenant, the economics of this project do not work. He stated they are struggling and feel they have done a good job responding to the concerns and have made significant adjustments to make a feasible project. Study Session Minutes -5- June 8, 2015 The 120 day deadline to act on the preliminary planned unit development application expires July 9, so this item will be brought to the City Council for action before that date, unless the applicant waives the deadline. The general conclusion staff took from the meeting was that, absent any changes to the plan and a waiver of the deadline, the preliminary planned unit development application should be placed on an upcoming agenda for denial. 4. Draft Strategies/Two Year Action Plan for 2015-2025 City Council Goals and Priorities—Technology Connected'Community Mr. Pires presented the staff report and draft strategies for Council consideration and provided a brief description of each of the proposed strategies. Councilmember Mavity stated she would support any ordinance that provides mandates and directives for requiring new development to provide the latest broadband technologies. Councilmember Sanger requested that staff provide tutorial information about the technology referred to in the action plan. Councilmember Spano requested that the City make sure it is having a robust discussion with the senior population about how they are using technology. He also requested that staff include a representative(s) from the small business community to participate in the community input process. Councilmember Sanger suggested having someone from the library as well. It was the consensus of the City Council that the draft strategies and action plan related to Goal #3 is in keeping with Council's expectations. 5. Southwest LRT Update Ms McMonigal presented the staff report and provided an update on the SPO's options for reducing the overall project costs Council discussed possible cost cutting measures and the timeline for Met Council action. Councilmember Spano welcomed input from Council for the upcoming CMC meetings. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Mr. Harmening advised that Star Tribune reporter John Reinan is doing a story on the City's inclusionary housing policy that will be published on Tuesday He stated that the Purchase Agreement for 40th and France has been prepared and contains the same terms discussed with Council. He stated he has contacted Blois Olson about moderating the June 22nd expert/stakeholder panel. He stated that Councilmember Mavity has suggested that the City present Mr. Elliot Royce with an Outstanding Citizen Award and will add this item to an upcoming City Council agenda. Councilmember Sanger stated there appears to be quite a bit of misunderstanding in the community about the possible ban on plastic bags and requested that staff prepare some public education communications about the scope of what is being proposed. Study Session Minutes -6- June 8, 2015 Mayor Pro Tern Brausen adjourned the meeting at 10:12 p.m Written reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 6. Amendment to the Equipment Replacement Capital Plan 7. Business Retention Partnership with TwinWest Chamber of Commerce I� ' . - - - ..rte. _,� trittk. l'4." At Li\ dpMeli•sa Kennedy, City Clerk Tim Brausen,,Mayor Pro Tem