HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/04/15 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular Official minutes
City council meeting
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
April 15, 2019
1. Call to order
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Pro Tem Mavity, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Rachel Harris, and
Margaret Rog.
Councilmembers absent: Mayor Spano and Thom Miller
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Mr. Mattick), Director of
Community Development (Ms. Barton), Assistant Zoning Manager (Mr. Morrison), Project
Associate (Ms. Kramer), Senior Engineering Project Manager (Mr. Sullivan), Engineering Director
(Ms. Heiser), Transportation Engineer (Mr. Manibog), Management Assistant (Ms. Carrillo
Perez), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas).
Guests: Victoria Martinez, SLP SEEDS; Sharon Lehrman, SEEDS co-chair; Citizens of St. Louis
Park.
1a. Pledge of allegiance
1b. Roll call
2. Presentations
2a. 5th Annual SLP Earth Day Community Meal and Town Visioning Proclamation
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity read the proclamation.
Ms. Martinez and Ms. Lehrman presented comments on behalf of SLP SEEDS, food
injustice and economic strategies around food insecurity. They thanked council for their
interest and noted all are invited to a free meal on April 24 for the 5 th Annual SLP Earth
Day Community Meal and Town Visioning at the St. Louis Park High School Cafeteria
starting at 5:30 p.m.
3. Approval of minutes
3a. Study session meeting minutes March 25, 2019
It was moved by Councilmember Rog, seconded by Councilmember Harris, to approve
the study session meeting minutes of March 25, 2019, as presented.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
4. Approval of agenda and items on consent calendar
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4a. Adopt Resolution No. 19-046 to recognize Engineering Office Assistant Char
Rohlik for more than 39 years of service.
4b. Designate K.A. Witt Construction Inc. as the lowest responsible bidder and
authorize execution of a contract in the amount of $209,906 for the pickleball
courts in Wolfe Park.
4c. Designate Northwest Asphalt Inc. as the lowest responsible bidder and authorize
execution of a contract with the firm in the amount of $135,917 for the
renovation of the Carpenter Park tennis courts.
4d. Approve amending the inclusionary housing policy to expand the eligibi lity
criteria to developments seeking Planned Unit Development (PUD) land use
approvals or developments requesting comp plan amendments, and include a
one-for-one naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) unit replacement
requirement.
4e. Approve second reading of the right-of-way Ordinance No. 2556-19 and approve
the Ordinance Summary for publication.
4f. Moved to 8d.
4g. Adopt Resolution No. 19-047 authorizing Boy Scout Troop 282’s request for
placing temporary signs in the public right-of-way.
4h. Approve second reading and adopt Ordinance No. 2557-19 regulating mobility
sharing operations and approve the summary ordinance for publication.
4i. Adopt Resolution No. 19-048 accepting the project report, establishing the 2019
SCADA Replacement Project (5318-5006), approving plans and specifications,
and authorizing advertisement for bids.
4j. Authorize execution of contract amendment #2 for professional services with
Bolton & Menk, Inc. in the amount of $727,824.
4k. Authorize the execution of a contract with US Digital Designs, Inc. for a fire
station alerting system.
4l. Adopt Resolution No. 19-049 approving acceptance of a donation from NLC-
REAL for travel expenses, and approve out-of-state travel for Mayor Jake Spano
to attend the NLC-REAL Academy 2019 in Washington, DC.
Councilmember Brausen requested that consent calendar item 4f be removed and
placed on the regular agenda as item 8d.
It was moved by Councilmember Hallfin, seconded by Councilmember Brausen, to
approve the agenda and items listed on the consent calendar as amended and to move
consent calendar item 4f to the regular agenda as item 8d; and to waive reading of all
resolutions and ordinances.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
5. Boards and commissions – none
6. Public hearings
6a. 2019 Connect the Park – Dakota/Edgewood Bikeway and Bridge
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Mr. Manibog presented the staff report. He noted the preliminary design and public
process, stating the segments included in the project are:
Dakota Ave bikeway between Dakota Park and Lake Street
Edgewood Avenue multi-use trail between BNSF railroad right of way and Cedar
Lake Road
Pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the BNSF Railroad connecting Edgewood
Avenue and Dakota Park
Mr. Manibog noted the project will come before council for final decision on May 6, and
construction would then begin in early spring of 2020 and be completed in late 2020 .
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity opened the public hearing.
Jody Fahey, 3325 Dakota Ave., asked on what part of Dakota Avenue will there be no
parking. Mr. Manibog stated south from Minnetonka Boulevard there will be no parking
on one side of the street. Moving from Minnetonka Boulevard to East 32nd Street, there
will be no parking on the west side, and past 32nd Street, no parking on the east side to
the south end of the corridor.
Ms. Fahey noted this is great for bikes, but asked staff and council to think about the
impact to the neighborhood. She stated she lives directly across from the high school,
and has no garage, while sharing a driveway, and has a permit to park there. She asked
council what the benefit is for the city here, where will people park during elections, and
where parents will park when going to the high school. She stated there is no benefit
here and only money being spent.
Chris Fahey, 3325 Dakota Ave., stated he has been frustrated for many years with all the
people that park on Dakota Avenue and go to the high school, especially on voting day.
He added if they lose their street parking, on voting day he wi ll post the council’s voting
record on a yard sign.
Derek Reisen, 2044 Idaho Ave., stated he is enthusiastically in favor of this, since he lives
on the north side of the railroad tracks and feels isolated there. He added he has been
excited about this since 2012, and supports Connect the Park, especially with the
overpass. He stated this will be a great plus for the community and he appreciates staff,
adding they were very responsive in addressing neighborhood concerns .
Cynthia Muldonado, 3243 Dakota Ave., stated she has lived in St. Louis Park for 20 years
and thanked the council for doing their job . She liked the idea of the bridge and
connecting the park, and asked for a way to have a win -win with parking. She worries
that Dakota Avenue is a fast street, and if parking is taken way, speeds will increase. She
wants to work with the council, but prefers parking on one side of the street.
Mary Delahunt, 3121 Dakota Ave., stated she has been a St. Louis Park resident since
March 1 when her daughter bought a house on Dakota Avenue. She stated there is no
room to park on the property, and they were assured there would be on -street parking.
She stated it is not a wide street, and it’s a huge hub, with walkers and bikers to school
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on a daily basis. If she had known, her daughter would have purchased in Golden Valley.
She added they were told there were no assessments coming, adding that many folks
are not privy to the city website to get information.
Marc Berg, 2913 Webster Ave., stated he is in favor of staff recommendations. He
stated he is an administrator of the Facebook group for Bike in the Park, noting the
history of this group, discussions around protected bikeways along Dakota Avenue, and
making the city more pedestrian and bike friendly. He explained this also came out of
the visioning process and the fact that people want to see the city more connected . He
added Dakota Avenue is a critical north south route for city connection, and everyone
wins with this plan. He thanked council and staff for their work on this.
Lori Fulls, 3247 Dakota Ave., stated she used to live in Uptown, but there was no parking
there, so she purchased a home in St. Louis Park and loves it here. She added she does
not want to leave, but is upset with this plan, and would like to see the council delay this
decision in order to work together as a team. She has concerns about her friends and
family not being able to park on the street and would like to see anyone over 18 who
rides a bike, purchase a tab to help subsidize this project.
Dave Carlson, 7006 West 23rd St., stated he has lived here over 30 years and been
involved in bike safety issues for the city and on the Hennepin County Bike Advisory
Council. He stated St. Louis Park does a wonderful job, and he was on the vision ing
committee, which began discussing Connect the Park 15 years ago . He added the bridge
will be a huge north south connection and the Dakota Avenue bikeway will be very
important to this connection. He understands folk’s concerns, but is hoping for a
compromise.
Susan Tadewald, 3148 Dakota Ave., started a petition of folks on Dakota Avenue that do
not approve of the project. She said it is interesting that those who approve of the
project don’t live on Dakota Avenue. She has 76 people that signed the petition who live
on Dakota Avenue and are upset. She felt the council was not accommodating Dakota
Avenue residents, adding that kids she works with at the high school will not be able to
park in front of her house, as well as deliveries, and she is asking for alternate options.
She stated this impacts parking and residents’ quality of life, and while most residents
like biking, those in favor of the project don’t live on Dakota Avenue.
Dale Stenseth, 3153 Edgewood, thanked the council for all their years of public service
and noted he sent an email to them with his opinions on the project . He stated he read
the original letter from the city about the project, and found it very misleading,
disingenuous, and dishonest. He urged the council to avoid this in future projects. He
stated this sounded like a project with minor changes, but not a word was mentioned
about the loss of parking for residents. He stated he is not sure if this was deliberate,
and he heard virtually no consent, while tactics were used to de moralize residents. He
added it doesn’t matter if the public goes to meetings and speak, the council will do
what they want. He urged the council to change those tactics in the future and
communicate with residents.
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John Jacobs, 3034 Dakota Ave., stated he has been a resident since Thanksgiving of 1975
and is very much in favor of bikes and bike trails, but not in favor of the project as it is
shown now on Dakota Avenue. He stated with Parkway Pizza and Speedway, there is a
lot of congestion, along with lots of traffic from the high school and on Minnetonka
Boulevard. He asked the council to do what Minneapolis has done with bike boulevards,
adding this would be a better way to handle the project .
Chad Lautz, 3104 Georgia Ave., stated he is a business owner and has dealt with
construction before. He is glad he is not the owner of Parkway Pizza, and while he does
not oppose biking, this is not the way to do this.
Lynn Stobble, 3056 Dakota Ave., said her biggest concern is the bike lanes, while she is
fine with the bridge. She did not understand that parking was going to be eliminated
and noted last year, there was parking all over for the Christmas Train, and she had
trouble getting into her driveway. She stated the area doesn’t have enough parking and
her neighbors to the south will have a hardship with nowhere to park. She suggested
angle parking, adding they are a close-knit walkable community. She stated the
neighborhood needs parking, although she does understand the need for biking also.
Jessica Ferrazzo, 3038 Dakota Ave., stated she moved into her house on Dakota Avenue
one week ago. She added she is 25 years old, and is now upset and regretting her
decision to purchase her home. She researched this, but now is losing parking on both
sides of the street. She added she was planning to stay in her home and raise a family
there, but now she won’t.
Graham Fairchild, 3200 Dakota Ave., stated he has lived on Dakota Avenue for 18 years,
and thanked everyone who spoke tonight, including those in favor of the project. He
stated this is what America does, they work together in the cities and communities and
small towns, and you get better results for it. He stated this is a quality of life issue for
those living on Dakota Avenue, adding that renters do not invest in the community, they
are transient, and don’t take care of the homes they live in. He stated if the project is
approved, he will not stay and his quality of life will be destroyed . He is pro-bike, but
stated the council must consider the elderly and handicapped before bikes. He knows
not everyone can be pleased, and he appreciated the council’s time, but asked them to
look at these folks as family.
Erin Freidman, 3236 Dakota Ave., stated she lives near the high school and has family
visit often. She is a single home owner and hosts Sunday dinners for 12-14 people each
week. She is frustrated with night football games, events and voting, which pushes
parking farther back, adding the impact is big and massive. She stated there is room for
negotiation, and while she is for biking, she asked the council for further conversation
on this so as not to destroy parking on Dakota Avenue.
Bruce Browning, 3225 Dakota Ave., stated he echoes what everyone has said and has
lived there since 1979. He knows the city well enough to know you don’t make stupid
decisions, adding he remembers when Dakota Avenue flooded the city fixed it. He
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stated everyone cares about the community, and he hopes the council will hear what is
being said tonight.
Jeremy Hanson, 3209 Dakota Ave., stated this project would alter property values on
Dakota Avenue, and asked how his friends and family would park. He stated the city has
other options and plans and to look at how parking and bike lanes were addressed on
Texas Avenue. He added he rides a bike, and has concerns about Minnetonka Boulevard
to the bridge lanes which will be narrower. He stated there are lots of other options to
look at, which are more beneficial to the neighborhood, and asked about making the
crosswalk safer at the school, and adding school zone signage.
Fo Vo, 3624 Lynn Avenue Apartment, stated he approves of what the council is doing, as
he comes from a family of 7 and they all ride bikes. He added his family does not ride on
Dakota Avenue because it is a high-traffic area and dangerous. He approves of the
bridge, but not through this route, and maybe a less heavy traffic block would be better .
He added rather than having no parking zones, add bike stripes, similar to what Blaisdell
Avenue has.
Colleen Creighton, 3221 Dakota Ave., requested the council take additional time to look
at more plans to benefit the bikers and neighbors. She stated this project has created
upheaval, and impacts lives and day-to-day activity on the resident’s properties.
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity closed the public hearing.
Councilmember Harris thanked each person who spoke adding notes were taken for
staff to answer residents’ questions. She asked staff if there are ways to modify the
design of the project, and would there be enough time to explore costs of design
modifications prior to the May 6 council meeting.
Mr. Manibog stated prior to May 6 would not be enough time.
Councilmember Harris asked if council can delay the decision on the bikeway between
Minnetonka Boulevard and Lake Street, and not jeopardize federal funding for the
bridge. Mr. Manibog stated yes, they could delay and not jeopardize federal funding.
Councilmember Harris asked if there is an opportunity to separate a portion of the
project of Minnetonka Boulevard and Lake Street from the rest of it. Mr. Manibog
stated technically it is possible to separate those two projects.
Councilmember Harris asked if staff can bring the Minnetonka Boulevard to Lake Street
portion of the project back later this spring or summer after there has been additional
community engagement. Mr. Manibog stated yes.
Councilmember Rog thanked residents for coming and emailing their concerns and
hoped they had felt heard. She stated the process needs to unfold in a proper way, and
also asked if there were any solutions to the Parkway Pizza parking challenges. Mr.
Manibog stated staff can bring this back to council and present more information.
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Councilmember Hallfin thanked all who came out and spoke this evening. He stated he
has been on the council for 8 years, and anytime there is a heated public hearing and
frustrations come out, it can be difficult. However, he stated, nothing is done until the
council votes on it. He added he wants folks to understand the council is processing all
the information and he was encouraged by the public process this evening. He noted
not all will be happy with the outcome, but Councilmember Harris’ point about re-
evaluating a portion of the plan is valid and the council will think about a win -win here.
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity stated this has been a thoughtful and very calm and civil
conversation, adding she feels this is democracy in action, and this is what it’s all about.
She stated no one has the whole picture, and residents bring insight and information to
help form council’s decisions. She stated we all have good intention and hopefully will
bring us to a better outcome. She added we will see what staff can do with the proposal
to split this project and noted that everything residents submitted will be part of the
public record.
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity stated the decision will be made by council on May 6, to approve
whatever version is appropriate at that point.
7. Requests, petitions, and communications from the p ublic – None
8. Resolutions, ordinances, motions and discussion items
8a. Best Cleaners conditional use permit and variance. Resolution No. 19-050.
Ms. Kramer presented the staff report. She stated the applicant requests a CUP to
continue operating a drive-through window serving a laundromat and dry cleaning
business, and a variance to reduce the required west side yard width 10 feet , from 15
feet to 5 feet.
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity asked if the drive-through top was also non-conforming. Ms.
Kramer stated if it’s over 5%, it would be non-conforming; however, the applicant is
proposing to change that.
Councilmember Rog asked about condition #3 related to “all venting shall be at least 30
feet from the west property line” and if that is the condition proposed for the vents.
Dave Colehour, 1043 Park Lane, Victoria, the applicant, stated he did not see this until
today. He explained he needs to add boilers on the north and west side of the addition,
along with venting, which is state code.
Councilmember Rog stated her primary concern is residents, and if staff is not
concerned, she is fine with it and was just checking.
Councilmember Harris asked about the 25-foot variance and if it is generally 30 feet due
to noise concerns. Planner Kramer stated there is no need for a variance for placement
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of vents. Mr. Morrison added if the council wishes to reduce the venting from 30 feet,
they can do so, and it is not a code requirement.
Councilmember Hallfin asked if the exhaust being discussed is from the boiler or dry
cleaning chemicals. Mr. Colehour stated the exhaust is venting for the boiler.
Mayor Pro Tem Mavity stated setbacks were created to address concerns related to
residential properties adjacent to this, and asked if staff has recommendations. She
further noted if staff doesn’t have clarification right now, this may have to come back to
council. Mr. Morrison stated if the building is 15 feet from the property line, then vents
can be put anywhere on the building.
It was moved by Councilmember Harris, seconded by Councilmember Brausen, to adopt
Resolution No. 19-050, approving a conditional use permit and side yard variance for a
building addition at 8105 Minnetonka Blvd, amending condition #3, so as to have the
building be at least 15 feet from property line.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
8b. Ordinance regarding outdoor parking lighting standards
Mr. Morrison presented the staff report.
It was moved by Councilmember Harris, seconded by Councilmember Brausen, to
approve first reading of an ordinance revising lighting standards for outdoor parking,
and set the second reading of an ordinance for May 6, 2019.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
8c. Ordinance regarding the board of zoning appeals
Mr. Morrison presented the staff report noting the reason for the request .
It was moved by Councilmember Hallfin, seconded by Councilmember Brausen, to
approve first reading of an ordinance assigning the individuals serving on the planning
commission to the board of zoning appeals, and set the second reading of an ordinance
for May 6, 2019.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
8d. Approve the 2019 Neighborhood Grants
Councilmember Brausen requested this item be pulled off the consent agenda for
additional discussion. He stated in the future, he would like this to be titled
Neighborhood Vitalization Grants. He added he wanted to discuss this further and
elevate it for the public, noting these are opportunities to use city funds for community
building in neighborhoods. He stated these are grants to neighborhood associations to
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do creative projects and enhance aesthetics, or address a known community deficiency .
He added the grants are to help with a community building, for environmental or racial
equity purposes as well, and encouraged residents to contact staff for further
information.
It was moved by Councilmember Brausen, seconded by Councilmember Harris, to
approve the 2019 Neighborhood Grants.
The motion passed 5-0 (Mayor Spano and Councilmember Miller absent).
9. Communications
Councilmember Hallfin stated on Thursday, May 2, STEP will have a fundraising breakfast at
Metropolitan Ballroom, and encourage all to sign up at the website. He asked the council to
please sign up as well and encourages others to sign up to help STEP.
Councilmember Rog stated on April 16, there are tours of Water Treatment Plant #4 from 12 –
1:30 p.m. or from 5 – 7:30 p.m. Additionally she noted the following:
Westwood Nature Center groundbreaking on April 22 at 5:30 p.m.
SEEDS and Community Vision event on April 24 at the High School.
SLP 5K run and walk on April 28 at Wolfe Park, which is a fundraiser for Perspectives and
Youth police work. Further information is on the website.
10. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, City Clerk Jake Spano, Mayor
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