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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/01/25 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Jan. 25, 2021 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Tim Brausen, Lynette Dumalag, Rachel Harris, Larry Kraft, Nadia Mohamed, and Mayor Pro Tem Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: Mayor Jake Spano Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Transportation Engineer (Mr. Manibog), Senior Management Analyst (Ms. Solano), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas) Guests: none 1. Citywide speed limit evaluation Mayor Pro Tem Rog opened the meeting. Mr. Manibog updated the council on the speed limit evaluation and the council discussed next steps. Councilmember Harris asked about light rail station areas within the city, adding she hoped they will be hubs. She asked why the proposed speed limits in these areas are at 30 mph. Mr. Manibog stated the study did consider light rail stations and they were prioritized. He stated the 36th Street area has currently met the characteristic for a 30-mph road, but also pointed out this street will be worked on in 2022, prior to light rail being added there . He noted the Louisiana Ave station is on Oxford Ave and that is proposed for 25 mph. Councilmember Harris stated she supports lowering speeds at all areas adjacent to the light rail stations, adding since the city knows this will be coming, she would prefer the speed limits be lowered now. She also asked if bikers must follow the same speed limits as vehicles . Mr. Manibog stated yes, noting bikes are vehicles, required to follow posted speed limits, and would have to abide by the same speed limits as motorized vehicles. He stated the police enforce this currently and he would defer to them on how they do so. Councilmember Harris stated there will need to be education on speed limits and a community adoption, so enforcement does not fall to police only. Councilmember Kraft asked what the goals are for this report. Mr. Manibog stated the overarching goal of resetting speed limits is to increase safety of the city’s roadways by decreasing speeds of vehicles. Councilmember Kraft asked if staff has evidence form other communities that lowering speed limits lowers speed travel. Mr. Manibog stated yes, adding it decreases the highest of the high DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -2- Jan. 25, 2021 speeders which are the most dangerous travelers, noting also there is a higher chance of survival in a lower speed crash. Councilmember Kraft asked when evaluations from this are presented to council in the future, is it expected the table of average speeds per street type will decrease. He asked what the key benefits are and what the key result will be. Mr. Manibog stated seeing a decrease in speed on the fastest of the fast and a decrease in speeds on the city’s busiest roads would be a key result. Councilmember Kraft asked what success will look like three years from now. Ms. Heiser stated all staff can point to are the studies they have already reviewed. This points to what Mr. Manibog stated and getting rid of outliers, the highest of the high speeders who go through neighborhoods at high rates. She added most people are going 20-25 mph, and best practice says to set limits to road and land use. Councilmember Kraft stated when this comes back, he wants to see the data , how many outliers there are, also the data on decreases in accidents and injury rates. He asked what percentage of crashes are on city roads versus country roads and if the city can work with the county on this initiative. Mr. Manibog stated overall county roads hold the largest number of crashes and hold the most volume of traffic. He stated the city works with the county on this, but state statutes do not allow the city to change speed limits on county roads. Ms. Heiser added for county roads, the Commissioner of Transportation has the final authority and jurisdiction on speed limits at this time. Councilmember Kraft asked if there is any way to help with speed at intersections. Mr. Manibog stated a citywide crash study did identify intersections where the most crashes happen and ways to improve the safety of those areas. He added the citywide crash study will come back to council later this year. Councilmember Kraft added the analysis on race equity and traffic was well done and he appreciated the use of targeted universalism framework. Councilmember Mohamed stated this was a very well-thought-out report and she is very much in favor of the recommended action . She does have concerns about higher speeds on streets where there are more multi-family homes and BIPOC populations and asked what the city is going to do to address that and what the city recommendations are. Mr. Manibog stated this is being reviewed and prioritization of where people live both in multi and single-family housing and the streets where they live is being reviewed . Councilmember Mohamed asked about education and racial considerations and how enforcement will be included in the education. Mr. Manibog stated this is being worked on now and will include virtual and print media, the park alert system, newspaper, and handouts. After COVID there will be more programs also including person-to-person outreach at city functions and with neighborhood groups. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -3- Jan. 25, 2021 Councilmember Mohamed asked if the education will be happening with the BIPOC community also. Mr. Manibog stated yes. Councilmember Brausen stated he supports lowering speed limits across the city uniformly, which will result in a reduced number of serious injuries and maybe burning of less fossil fuels also, although there is no data. However, he has concerns about dropping the speed limit on Cedar Lake Road which is a major city arterial east to west and currently is at 35 mph. He pointed out this is the only arterial east-west street through Ward 4, and during rush hour speeds are reduced to 20-25 mph. He added non-rush hour traffic seems to move along fine there with no major crashes and given the volume of vehicles there, he does not think 25 mph is practical. He stated folks have an expectation to move through there and there are sidewalks on the north side most of the way, as well as bike lanes . He also noted Cedar Lake Road will be enhanced and rebuilt in the next few years. He Continued that 30 mph is realistic and more consistent for east-west arterials, similar to Minnetonka Blvd. and Excelsior Blvd. and he is uncomfortable telling residents they cannot go more than 25 mph anywhere in Ward 4 now, except near the West End, as Cedar Lake Road moves almost all residents through Ward 4. Councilmember Dumalag stated she liked the comprehensive report and the visual representation where incidents happen. She asked if there is any more data on that with both pedestrians and vehicles, and if they both live in the area, as well as the race between parties . She stated she is asking this because she is interested in how the city would educate on this and spend wisely on targeted events. She stated she is supportive of this for vehicle, pedestrians, and bikes. Councilmember Kraft asked what staff will do with the feedback on this. Ms. Heiser stated staff is still getting feedback and there is a lot of criteria left to review, along with data points. Mr. Harmening stated the council seems to have general support for staff’s approach on this and he would like to treat comments from the council the same as feedback from residents in the community and compile this. He stated in the end the council will decide what is adopted through the ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated she is supportive of the plan. She asked several questions related to Ward 1, specifically why 23rd through 27th Streets are set for 25 mph instead of 20, which is different from the rest of Utica. Mr. Manibog stated the existing pedestrian infrastructure and the trail there includes multi-family apartment complexes, adding this area holds more traffic and would allow for 25 mph, when compared to other areas . Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated there are many NOAH family housing units there and this warrants a lower speed limit. She also pointed out there are many children waiting for school buses there, along with the Utica Trail, which is often quite icy, and she would like to see the speeds as low as possible. She also pointed out the frontage road under the freeway and that the two pedestrian crossings there already pose a risk, stating this is another reason for lower speed limits. She noted there are many driveways and apartments and crossings, along with speeding on that stretch at Utica, adding she prefers lower speeds there, as well as slowing folks down as they enter the Birchwood area. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -4- Jan. 25, 2021 Mayor Pro Tem Rog noted Walker Street, between West Lake and Louisiana Avenue and asked about 25 mph there. Mr. Manibog stated each segment was compared to the overall criteria as were the others. Mayor Pro Tem Rog requested staff look at that area to be 20 versus 25 mph. She pointed out that Perspectives is there as well as many families in that area, including The Block, which makes the area very busy. Mayor Pro Tem Rog asked why the frontage road between Parkwoods and Highway 100 entrance is 35 mph. Mr. Manibog pointed to the national guidance with urban roads, noting it should not be posted higher than 35 mph. He added there is no pedestrian access in this area up to the bridge and railroad which allows for the higher speed there, allowing vehicles to go through. Mayor Pro Tem Rog noted her concerns for lower speeds on Utica Avenue because of the temple’s presence there along with the bridge. It was the consensus of the council that staff review council’s comments and bring this back again for review. 2. Boards and commissions Ms. Solano reviewed the processes of recruitment, application, and scoring by council of applicants. She stated the annual meeting for boards and commissions has been rescheduled pending COVID-19 and the annual work plans presentations to council are set for April – May 2021. Councilmember Harris asked about term limits for board and commission members. Ms. Solano stated it is up to the council what they prefer with term limits. She added staff can check into this further and bring back information to the council. However, this year is probably too late to make a change related to term limits. Councilmember Harris asked if the boards and commissions chairs would be involved in the interview panels like last year. Ms. Solano stated yes, noting their knowledge and experience were appreciated and if a current chair is an applicant, then the vice chair will sit on the panel. Councilmember Harris noted Mayor Spano’s work on recruitment of people of color for boards and commissions, which led to 2-3 appointments. She acknowledged Mayor Spano for this work. Ms. Solano suggested council continue to share the opportunity with folks and staff will share also with neighborhood associations and work on getting a higher number of BIPOC applicants. Councilmember Kraft suggested if chairs mention they are recruiting someone, they should be added to the list to be interviewed. He wants the rating system this year to be very clear to council before the process begins, so it will not be debated afterwards. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -5- Jan. 25, 2021 Councilmember Kraft asked about race equity on boards and commissions and asked staff to come back to council with what percentage of the city’s BIPOC community is represented on boards and commissions, with advice as to why and then actions that should be taken . Councilmember Kraft stated he feels quite disconnected from commissions, adding the org chart shows that they report to the council, but the council is not giving boards and commissions direction on what council wants them to work on. He would like to consider a different approach and give them directions before work plans are presented or have liaisons from council to the boards and commissions to leverage in a more significant way. Councilmember Dumalag stated she is interested in term limits, adding it is a good way to add new energy on boards and commissions, while noting there is some benefit to having institutional knowledge as well. She asked if there is a way to tell council the number of applications that come in during the process, and then council can encourage folks to apply so there are not too many vacancies. Councilmember Brausen stated he is supportive of this process. He stated the scoring process needs to be simplified, noting, however, the scoring from 1-5 is subjective. He stated simplifying the process might mean to not interview since that process gets long . He stated he has promoted term limits in the past but noted institutional knowledge from some folks is valuable to keep on commissions. He did want to also reflect the vision of the community in putting new folks on several commissions. Councilmember Mohamed stated last year’s process was smooth, while it did take a long time for the interviews, but all in all, it went well. Mayor Pro Tem Rog asked what kind of research would staff need to do related to term limits. Ms. Solano stated this would be looking into term limits further so as not to have any unintended consequences. She added staff would look at what other cities do just to be sure that in doing an ordinance change, the city would follow the right process. Mayor Pro Tem Rog asked if the time board and commission meetings are held is possibly exclusive for some folks and she asked what staff found out about this. Ms. Solano stated that Mx. Sojourner and their team have looked into this and found that doing virtual meetings has added options for many folks, as long as the meetings are compliant with open meeting laws. She stated staff will continue to look into this and find more ways to improve in this area. Mayor Pro Tem Rog liked the idea of a liaison from council to boards and commissions and agreed there is a disconnect in the ratings system. She agreed with Councilmember Brausen about interviews, but also preferred staying with the 1-5 rating system for now. Councilmember Kraft asked if the council should discuss race equity now or later. Ms. Solano stated this can be discussed further with Mx. Sojourner at a later date. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -6- Jan. 25, 2021 Councilmember Brausen pointed out when liaisons were looked at in the past, there was a concern about bandwidth for the council and also how a councilmember might influence the direction of a commission or board and have an undue influence over their process. Councilmember Kraft stated he would like to discuss this further and more in-depth at a future study session. Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated this seems like an evolving process that is improving, and staff continues to be responsive to council on this. She stated part of the onus is on council to come prepared to discuss this but added the process will most likely not change this year. Ms. Solano stated the council will review work plans in April and May, and recommended to let the process play out, and then see if the council wants to make changes. She stated staff is open to making changes and then figure out what areas need to improve and focus there. Councilmember Harris stated the commissions advisory role could be improved and she would like to see an engagement plan and response to public input during the processes. She added she would like to see how board and commission input fits into the resident engagement process so we can better utilize their subject matter expertise . 3. Tentative 2021 study session calendar Ms. Solano presented the tentative study session calendar for 2021. Ms. Solano stated there will be additional items such as redistricting this year and that item will take up some time on the calendar in 2021. Councilmember Kraft asked about holding a council retreat this year. Ms. Solano stated that a retreat has not been scheduled this year. Staff is working to incorporate some items into regular study sessions while waiting on COVID gathering guidelines to improve in the coming months. Mr. Harmening stated a virtual meeting can be done on norms and teams, but it is more challenging to have authentic conversations in a virtual setting. He added staff could put together an in-person retreat following COVID precautions. Councilmember Harris stated she would prefer in-person and possibly at the Nature Center. Councilmember Kraft preferred in-person also, and possibly on a Saturday or Sunday for a couple hours. Councilmember Mohamed agreed about in-person also while following COVID regulations. Councilmember Dumalag agreed about in-person but thought it would be better scheduled during quarter 2. Councilmember Brausen agreed adding a retreat could be held outdoors in June or July as well. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -7- Jan. 25, 2021 Councilmember Harris added she also prefers June or July at the earliest and hopes that all would have received the vaccine before the council meets in person. Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated this is not the year to come together in person for a C OVID-safe event and she would hope to resume the retreat next year, stating she is not in favor of meeting in person. Councilmember Brausen stated he is in favor of sending out a survey on the 2021 study session list again also. Ms. Solano stated a survey for prioritization of 2021 items is due and it gives staff guidance. She stated staff will explore the retreat, adding if anything is done in person, it will be later in 2021, and will be safe. She said staff will come back with recommendations. 4. Future study session agenda planning and prioritization Councilmember Brausen stated he is interested in discussing the 3-bedroom affordable apartment units at a future study session, as proposed by Mayor Pro Tem Rog. Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated the city does not need more affordable studio and one-bedroom affordable units, so this would be discussing a separate category. Councilmember Harris agreed and added she has heard from residents and parents on the school board that housing for families is needed so children can go to school in St. Louis Park. She stated there is a gap in our housing stock for other than single-family and she would like to also discuss affordable family housing and filling that gap. Councilmember Dumalag agreed and is also in favor of reviewing this policy, adding it would be beneficial to families the school district loses. Councilmember Kraft stated he would appreciate a discussion on this also as he does not understand the issue that well. Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) Mr. Harmening promoted the 21-day race equity challenge with more information on the city website. Written reports discussion: Councilmember Harris asked about the results of the CTAC survey report. Mr. Harmening stated this was done quite some time ago. Mayor Pro Tem Rog stated on page 8 of the CTAC report related to security and surveillance, this is an area of concern to pay attention to. Mayor Pro Tem Rog asked when the housing report would be discussed . Mr. Harmening stated there would be an in-depth report on Feb. 8. DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E Study session minutes -8- Jan. 25, 2021 Councilmember Brausen asked if the topic of 3-bedroom affordable apartments could be added to the housing discussion. Mr. Harmening stated he will ask if staff can add this. Councilmember Harris asked if the topic of private development doing NOAH with a 20-year deed restriction could also be added to the housing discussion . Mayor Pro Tem Rog added that tenant protection ordinance data and how effective that has been would also be of interest in the housing discussion. Councilmember Kraft stated he would like to discuss home ownership, as well as CTAC with problems and solutions. He added he would like a sustainability update, and noted with the intercity challenge, St. Louis Park came in with the most participants on a per capita basis at double the number of participants. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 5. Community technology advisory commission smart cities initiative 6. 2021 housing program and budget summary 7. Sustainability division update for Q1 2021 8. Fourth quarter investment report (Oct – Dec 2020) ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: FD64F8C2-1665-4BA9-8A46-E767D5E9842E