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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018/02/07 - ADMIN - Minutes - Planning Commission - Study SessionOFFICIAL MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA February 7, 2018 — 6:00 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Lynne Carper, Claudia Johnston -Madison, Torrey Kanne, Lisa Peilen, Richard Person, Carl Robertson, Joe Tatalovich MEMBERS ABSENT: Ethan Rickert (youth member) STAFF PRESENT: Jennifer Monson, Jack Sullivan, Sean Walther OTHERS PRESENT: Matt Pacyna, SRF Consulting 1. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Chair Peilen nominated Carl Robertson as Chair and Torrey Kanne as Vice Chair. Commissioner Johnston -Madison seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 7-0. 2. Annual Report Commissioners were asked to provide feedback on 2018 goals related to Section III. Race Equity and Inclusion of the annual report. Regarding item IIIb. on neighborhood participation, Commissioner Peilen said language should be added such as reviewing and developing strategies towards participation. Regarding providing affordable housing, item IIIc., Commissioner Peilen said that seems to be a City Council role. She said it is a major policy issue. Commissioner Robertson said the Comprehensive Plan is the most important item and seems to be the limit for the Planning Commission in regards to race equity and inclusion. He said he is not comfortable with the item about affordable housing. Commissioner Johnston -Madison said she agreed. Commissioner Carper recommended the following as ways to engage the community in public meetings: provide transportation, provide child care and hold meetings later in the evening. Commissioner Peilen suggested removing item IIIc. Official Minutes Planning Commission Study Session February 7, 2018 Page 2 Sean Walther, Planning and Zoning Supervisor, said item IIIc. will be removed. He said he will re -word item IIIb. for commissioner review. 3. Council Chambers Safety Training Clint Pires, Chief Information Officer, and Sgt. Dennis Hagen, Police Dept., presented safety information about the recently remodeled Council Chambers. 4. Monterey Drive Multimodal Study Presentation Jack Sullivan, Senior Engineering Project Manager, discussed the draft Monterey Drive Multimodal Study which is part of the city's Connect the Park Plan. He described the challenges associated with Monterey Dr. from Belt Line Blvd. to Excelsior Blvd. There was a discussion regarding traffic circles and bicycles. Mr. Sullivan explained they are still working through the analysis and details of each intersection along Monterey Dr. He said design option discussions and refinements will occur for each intersection. There was a discussion regarding speed and the benefits of going from four lanes to two lanes. Commissioner Johnston -Madison commented that drivers frequently do not see pedestrians crossing at 36 '/2 St. She said it is a bit dark at the crossing. Mr. Sullivan spoke about the Park Commons Drive intersection. One of the purposes of the study is to look at creating a more functional intersection; creating a usable, livable place for walking, biking and the automobile. He said staff is starting to consider a right -in movement, right -out movement and a left -in movement, which is called a 3/4 access. Mr. Sullivan showed right -in, right -out and left -in movement, Access B, for the proposed Bridgewater development. He explained proposed Access C which is right -in, right -out. Mr. Sullivan gave a schedule update on the overall Connect the Park plan. He anticipates Monterey Drive Multimodal public discussion would begin in 2019 and/or beyond. There was a discussion about potentially accommodating U turns at Excelsior Boulevard and Monterey Drive. Commissioner Johnston -Madison stated she disagreed that a U turn at the location was feasible. Official Minutes Planning Commission Study Session February 7, 2018 Page 3 Mr. Sullivan explained that currently there isn't space for a U turn. He explained how space could be created for that U turn. Commissioner Johnston -Madison stated she was pleased that a study is being conducted for the corridor. She said she didn't want Bridgewater's development schedule to push the city to solve Bridgewater's traffic issues quickly, resulting in a less thorough job on studying the corridor. Time is needed to develop corridor changes. Mr. Walther responded that the corridor design is not being driven by the Bridgewater proposal. The design changes are part of Connect the Park planning, and will proceed regardless of Bridgewater development plans. The most recent traffic counts and the community's interest in better accommodating all modes more safely are motivating design changes along Monterey Drive. 5. Bridgewater Traffic Study Presentation Mr. Walther said the Bridgewater neighborhood meeting on Feb. 15 will include the traffic study. He noted the traffic study will be posted on the city website by Feb. 9. Matt Pacyna, SRF Consulting, provided background on the study. Commissioner Johnston -Madison said it is necessary to understand current traffic, what it will be with development, and the impact. The devil is in the details. We have to understand the impact. Mr. Pacyna discussed queues and congestion, trip generation, peak hours, levels of service, safety, the four access points, and the 3/4 access. He illustrated the 2020 No -build Condition assuming the Multimodal improvements, which Mr. Sullivan discussed, would be implemented by 2020. Mr. Pacyna showed the Build Condition. He described the proposed site access and circulation, including Access A right -in right -out on Excelsior, Access B along Monterey Dr. opposite Park Commons Drive with a 3/4 access as discussed, and Access C, north of access B, with right -in right -out. Access D on 36 1/2 would be a full access. Commissioner Johnston -Madison commented that 36 1/2 St. is dense on both sides of the street with apartments and parking and there will be an additional load with the proposed project. She stated she had hoped to see that the proposed office building would result in reduced traffic compared to the previous Dominium Official Minutes Planning Commission Study Session February 7, 2018 Page 4 development proposal. She said she isn't seeing that the daily trips are significantly less with this project as compared with the first proposal. Mr. Pacyna further discussed the internal circulation and access points in the proposed development. Mr. Pacyna said SRF recommends that the signal timing at Monterey and Excelsior be optimized once Monterey Dr. multimodal improvements and a Bridgewater development are in place. Mr. Pacyna explained the difference between % of traffic and % of trips. Mr. Walther said detailed data associated with the traffic study will be posted online. He added that the traffic study will be presented again at the public hearing for Bridgewater. Mr. Walther asked Commissioners for feedback on the two presentations, in order to help improve the presentation for the neighborhood meeting. Commissioner Robertson said the presentations seemed to work. He commented that there is a lot of data and no logical place to start but that he understands the raw numbers. He suggested rearranging graphics so that 36 1/2 at Monterey is identified. Commissioner Peilen commented that she was not able to read all the numbers in the presentation slides. Commissioner Johnston -Madison stated that it makes a difference to see the current traffic and what is projected with No -Build and with Build. Commissioner Kanne recommended keeping presentations simple and perhaps making them more visually digestible. Commissioner Carper said the table on service levels was effective and perhaps should be discussed earlier in the presentation. Mr. Pacyna stated that sometimes color coding can be more effective in graphic presentations. Commissioner Johnston -Madison commented that she wouldn't change the presentation. She said colors may help but if details aren't presented people may think you are trying to eliminate something. Also, adding colors to the level of service table would make it more difficult to read. Official Minutes Planning Commission Study Session February 7, 2018 Page 5 6. Other Mr. Walther spoke about attendance and by-laws. Mr. Walther said both Commissioners Kanne and Person are up for reappointment in May 2018. He said Commissioner Person has indicated he will not be seeking another term. Commissioner Kanne spoke about occasional work and family schedule conflicts she experiences with meetings. She said she enjoys being on the commission, but due to the conflicts she does not intend to seek reappointment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Sells Recording Secretary