HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/08/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionJWSt. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES
M I N N E S O T A CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA
AUGUST 8, 2016
The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg,
Anne Mavity, and Susan Sanger.
Councilmembers absent: Thom Miller.
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Assistant
Zoning Administrator (Mr. Morrison), Chief Information Officer, (Mr. Pires), Communications
and Marketing Officer (Ms. Larson), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas).
Guests: Steve Mahowald and C. Terrence Anderson, Metro Transit.
1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning —Month August 15 & 22, 2016
Mr. Ilarmening presented the proposed Study Session agenda for August 15 and 22, 2016. He
noted there will be a special study session on Monday, August 15, to discuss the 2017 budget.
On August 22, there will be a study session to review the Environmental and Sustainability
Commission and Youth Advisory topic. The Youth Center Building will be discussed at a later
date, when all council members are present.
2. West End and Route 9 Transit Study Concept Plan
Mr. Mahowald and Mr. Anderson presented the concept plan which focused on changing travel
patterns in parts of north Minneapolis, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, and Minnetonka. Based on
the results of this study, Metro Transit proposes modifications to the transit network to address
this new demand. Mr. Mahowald added this is only a concept plan at this time, and public input
will be needed before the final plan is developed and implemented.
Mr. Mahowald explained that the goals of the study included simplifying the route structure;
providing better connectivity between the West End and downtown Minneapolis; improving the
performance and productivity of service in the study area; and ensuring that under -represented
communities that rely on transit share in the benefits of service improvements.
Mr. Mahowald presented a summary and maps describing the study, proposed route, and service
changes. He noted there will be an official public comment period in September, 2016, to allow
riders and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback. Community meetings will be
held by Metro Transit on September 8 and 10. Information will also be available online, and
Metro Transit staff will board buses to notify customers and reach out to other community-based
organizations to help spread the word about proposed changes. The public will be invited to
submit comments via phone, fax, email, and the Metropolitan Council website.
Mr. Mahowald noted areas in Glenwood, Cedar Lake Road, and Park Place with low ridership.
He stated Metro Transit proposes to eliminate the 649 express route and replace it with a better
route. Currently there are only 25 riders on this route. Additionally, the Wayzata Boulevard and
Zarthan Avenue routes will be adjusted in order to grow ridership and better serve the West End.
Study Session Minutes -2- August 8, 2016
Councilmember Brausen stated he has recently heard that residents would like more bus shelters
at the routes along Cedar Lake Road and Louisiana Avenue. He asked if there are any plans to
link light rail stations with bus routes. Mr. Mahowald stated Metro Transit has developed
concepts for this, and if funding is provided, this will come up for public review.
Mr. Mahowald noted there is much excitement around the increase in routes at West End,
especially with all of the density and pedestrian use at that location.
Councilmember Sanger stated she represents the Lake Forest and Fern Hill neighborhoods. She
noted these areas will be out of service if this Metro Transit plan is implemented, adding she
does not think this is a good idea. She stated her constituents have cars, but are very
environmentally conscious and want to ride the bus. She said this is not a good idea for St. Louis
Park, and it is more beneficial for persons living downtown, who travel to the West End to shop.
Mr. Mahowald stated Metro Transit does not want to eliminate routes, but added that they have
limited resources. While he acknowledged the folks in these neighborhoods may have purchased
their homes there because of bus service in that area, he noted these changes affect only 15
people who typically ride the bus from this area.
Metro Transit wants to establish an all -day, 7 -days -a -week, express connection between
downtown Minneapolis and the West End. West End has 12,000+ jobs, and many of them pay
less than $40,000/year, which is a segment Metro Transit should serve. It make sense to provide
an 8 -minute trip from the West End to downtown Minneapolis and its 129 routes and 4,700 bus
trips per weekday coming from/going to all points of compass.
Councilmember Sanger reiterated that when we are looking at the losers and winners, St. Louis
Park loses in this case.
Councilmember Hallfrn added if one doesn't ride the bus often, the routes can be very confusing.
Councilmember Brausen said it will be fascinating to see what the public comment is after the
Metro Transit public hearings. He added he likes the proposed ridership changes along Highway
394 and understands why Metro Transit is proposing this.
Councilmember Sanger pointed out Metro Transit will need to look at alternatives.
3. Public Process and Community Engagement (Continued Discussion)
Ms. Larson and Mr. Pires presented an update to the public process and community engagement.
Recently, the council provided direction to staff regarding a public participation/community
engagement model for city projects, action, and planning. This discussion is a continuation from
June 27 and staff is hoping the process implemented meets council's expectations. Based on
results from recent meetings such as Texas Avenue and Connect the Park that piloted the
previously discussed public participation process, staff is asking council if these preliminary
efforts are acceptable. Additionally, since the June 27 discussion, the engineering department has
implemented a pilot public participation program to host initial meetings on bikeways, sidewalk,
Connect the Park, and pavement management projects for 2017.
Councilmember Lindberg stated there was a great turnout at the Texas Avenue meeting. He
noted there were many comments and he did see great progress since the discussion on sidewalks
Study Session Minutes -3- August 8, 2016
last year. He liked the fact that more and different groups of people were in attendance and also
liked the consistent framework used by staff in the process.
Mayor Spano added although he does not get as much feedback as ward members, he did not
receive any negative comments.
Councilmember Brausen noted about 15 people showed up at the bike meeting, after 1500 letters
were sent out. He added that he did hear positive comments about the helpful signs along Texas
Avenue, related to the meeting. He agreed with Councilmember Lindberg that staff did a good
job on that.
Councilmember Lindberg added he also received feedback about the signs related to the Texas
Avenue meeting, noting there were between 80-100 people in attendance there.
Mr. Harmening asked the council members about when staff schedules meetings such as the
Texas Avenue and bike meetings, and if staff should schedule in order to make certain council
members are in attendance.
Councilmember Sanger stated yes, she does want to be contacted for these important meetings,
so she can attend. She added if the location changes, she would like staff to notify her.
Councilmember Mavity stated she does have a busy schedule; however, it is always appreciated
when staff notifies her about meetings and, depending on her schedule, she will try to be there as
often as possible and especially when needed.
Councilmember Lindberg added he does not want his schedule to stand in the way of a good
public process and he make a valiant effort to be at ward meetings, as he feels a responsibility to
be there.
Councilmember Brausen stated he appreciates staff checking with him before the meeting date is
set, and if he can't be there, it's typically fine, but if it's an important topic, he will be there.
Councilmember Hallfin noted to the other councilmembers, that if they cannot attend a meeting,
please notify him and he and/or Councilmember Miller will always make every effort to step in.
Mayor Spano added he too would step forward in place of council members who cannot attend a
meeting. He asked staff and the council members to please let him know the dates of the
meetings as well.
Mr. Hannening added that when meeting dates are provided, staff prefers to hear back by a
certain date from the councilmembers if they are able to attend or not. Then the meeting date can
be established.
Ms. Heiser discussed the Texas Avenue meeting and noted that approximately 80-100 people
were in attendance. She stated the room was small and they could have held it in a bigger
facility. She added that going forward, staff will have a facilitator at these meetings, along with
staff members. She added that feedback and involvement is part of this process and feedback on
design is encouraged; however, scope is not discussed at these meetings. She added staff will
continue to work on messaging this to the public.
Study Session Minutes -4- August 8, 2016
Councilmember Brausen stated it would be helpful to have a general agenda prior to the meeting,
in case he was to arrive late at a meeting.
Councilmember Lindberg agreed and added some expectations he had related to meetings. He
noted it would be helpful to have information in advance, especially on items where residents
will be providing feedback, to allow him to best frame responses at the meeting.
Councilmember Sanger stated she appreciates the staff report, but thought it was incomplete. She
stated staff needs to provide current information and updates as they become available. She
added there are other approaches that can be used in the public process, and it sounds like the
signs on the roadways are a good example.
Councilmember Sanger noted part of this public process is on the council's shoulders, and not
just staff. She added in the past, the council has presented comments that are confusing or
conflicting, and this needs to be addressed. She noted that it is helpful to staff when public
meetings are structured so groups are subdivided into smaller groups. However, sometimes the
small groups don't hear what their neighbors are saying and they want to see if others have the
same viewpoint. She added we need to be careful about how we structure our meetings.
Mr. Harmening commented there are dozens of ways to do meetings and staff has done training
on how to do these types of meetings. He added one of the reasons the city has open houses or
small groups is that not everyone is willing to speak in front of 80 people, especially if a
conflicting topic is being discussed. That is the reason for doing small groups and then having
report outs. Bigger groups can be negative and people can get intimidated. In order to get input
from all, and not just from the loudest people, meetings need to be structured.
Councilmember Sanger stated these are not the only ways of doing meeting, and some folks just
want to say something one time. This can be a helpful way in having others hear and learn from
each other.
Mayor Spano added he's been to meetings where some people won't speak and one person
speaks for the whole group, so he agrees that smaller groups help more people to give input. He
added it's an intimidating process. He stated we also need to ask what the role is of the council
members at meetings, and it is important for the council to be careful and mindful of the input
they provide.
Councilmember Mavity stated when looking at the public engagement process, staff and council
do a great job, but we need to use the tools that are available. She noted we need to make sure to
use teelmology to reach the young families in Browndale and Minnekanda Vista, who have good
opinions and moved to St. Louis Park for a reason. She added we are not getting representation
in a balanced way and there are so many amazing ways technology can be used to get input. She
stated she feels staff and council should be doing more of this.
Councilmember Lindberg stated he views his role as a councilmember as a listening role. He
added some people, from his perspective, can get out of hand, adding we don't want to see this
happen or see people turning negative against staff. That is why a structured meeting is the best
process.
Councilmember Hallfin added the city does a good job of managing the public process and at a
high level. He noted staff reaches out to all citizens, but if some people are not getting
Study Session Minutes -5- August 8, 2016
information, then citizens need to do some of the work of getting the information. He stated
sometimes he hears from a resident after a meeting that it's a done deal so the meeting didn't
even matter. He said he tells residents that's not the case and that council is still discussing the
issues with the neighborhood, or the developer, and it won't be finalized until there is a vote. He
stated this needs to be clarified by staff at the meetings.
Councilmember Sanger added this is a perfect example of it being the council's responsibility to
be clear with no confusion or mixed messages. She added the council and staff need to do a
better job of this. She added when a person gets disruptive or unruly at a meeting, staff should
not take the role of police officer, and it should be a councilmember who takes over and keeps
the person in line.
Councilmember Lindberg agreed and stated it is the council's responsibility to do this; however,
it is also the council's responsibility to structure the meetings in the best way possible.
Councilmember Mavity added staff has to have a plan. Mayor Spann added the facilitator will be
helpful in these types of situations.
Mr. Harmening stated staff will need to do a better job to ensure the meeting and conversation is
framed correctly before going out into the community.
Councilmember Lindberg agreed and noted he has a responsibility to the people he represents to
be clear and have the "why and if' conversations. He added if he is unclear in some areas, or
things were decided before he was on the council, it can make these conversations difficult.
Councilmember Mavity agreed and stated the most painful times for her on the council have
been when there is lack of clarity.
Mr. Harmening stated that staff will always be developing more tools to assist with this process.
He noted that it is his hope to see a community engagement manual developed in the near future.
This manual would be useful, especially for new staff.
Councilmember Mavity asked about the engagement process, stating she still hasn't seen
anything in the spectrum about engagement and innovative ideas. Ms. Heiser stated staff is
working on a demo project on bikeways and how they can happen in St. Louis Park. She stated
the idea is to engage and get feedback, and it is the first time the city has done this type of
engagement process. She stated on September 18, from 1-4 p.m., this demo project will be held
and staff will discuss "the how" and how biking can happen in the city.
Ms. Heiser stated it was her understanding that when a project is approved by council, it will
proceed, but that residents can give their input at meetings about how the project moves forward.
Councilmember Sanger questioned what was actually approved several years ago when council
approved the Connect the Park! Project. It was her understanding that the council only approved
concepts and not that actual segments would be constructed. Ms. Heiser had a different
understanding. From this, the council recognized that it is important that staff and council are on
the same page in terms of what is actually being approved and what forward action will be taken
as a result of the approval, so that residents receive a consistent message.
Councilmember Sanger asked staff to distribute handouts about the September 18 event at
neighborhood meetings. She added she has had questions about how this will affect parking on
the streets.
Study Session Minutes -6- August 8, 2016
4. Meeting with Congressman Ellison
Mr. Harmening asked the council for input on the upcoming meeting with Congressman Ellison.
Mr. Harmening along with Councilmembers Brausen, Miller, and Mayor Spano will meet with
the Congressman for one hour next week. The following topics were noted:
• Housing— Ask the Congressman to talk to others about affordable housing in other cities
and keep the pressure on others, also.
• SWLRT and transportation funding in general.
• Assuming Democrats gain some seats in the election, pursue eliminating Citizens United.
• How to help advance the environmental cause through federal opportunities.
• Share issues on Reilly consent agreement and water quality issues in general. Also, note
that St. Louis Park is working on a racial equity cohort.
• Aircraft noise.
• What we can do to help Congressman Ellison.
Councilmember Mavity had a question on Written Report #6 — Building Readiness Ordinance —
related to the portion about surveillance camera readiness. She asked if this was really needed,
noting everyone has a job to keep their own property safe, and the city should not care how they do
it. Mr. Harmening thanked her for the feedback and stated this is for large parking decks and
underground parking structures. Councilmember Mavity stated this portion of the ordinance needs
more clarity, and she felt it is a bit of an overreach, especially for secure parking areas for residents
of a building. Mr. Harmening stated staff will need to be more specific and precise on where this
would be required and why.
Communications/Meeting Check -In (Verbal)
Mr. Harmening noted that there will be some personnel changes coming soon in the police
department. Both the Chief and Deputy Chief will be retiring as of September 30, 2016. He
informed Council that he is considering using an executive search firm and making the search
open to both internal and external candidates. The Council was supportive of using a search firm
and an internal and external recruitment process.
The council agreed they are content with Mr. Harmening's handling of the recruitment process
and will act as advisors if Mr. Harmening is in need of advice, related to the process.
Mr. Harmening will begin the process immediately
Mayor Spano reported that Rachel Harris, Chairperson of the Environment and Sustainability
Commission, has resigned her position, effective immediately. Mayor Spano led a discussion
about the commission and its work over the last few years. The council noted the commission
was developed by the council, and it was formed to advise the council on issues of interest and
priority to the council. It was the consensus of the council that the most important work of the
commission now will be to help develop and implement a climate action plan. Other areas that
the commission would be asked to work on include participating in the upcoming visioning and
comp plan process, Green Step Cities, and finishing up the development of a living streets
policy. The Council directed that Mr. Harmening work with the commission to modify their
work plan in light of the direction above.
Study Session Minutes -7- August 8, 2016
Councilmember Brausen asked for feedback on National Night Out from the council members.
He noted feedback he received included positive comments on sidewalks, infrastructure, and
bike lanes.
Mayor Spano stated he spent most of the evening at Meadowbrook, noting there were a lot of
nice folks there and lots of good energy. He added he heard feedback from four residents who
had moved to St. Louis Park from other areas in the metro and that they love the energy and
sense of community here in St. Louis Park. They added they loved to walls and had heard great
things about the city, prompting them to move here.
Councilmember Mavity went to the Excelsior and Grand event, but noted there was bad sound,
and it was hard to have a group conversation there. She added she went to seven events, and
overall there was great energy and positive comments. She also got questions about the progress
of light rail.
Couneilmember Sanger stated she heard a variety of comments. Some had to do with Twin
Lakes and the fact that folks can no longer canoe there. She stated these folks want to put
pressure on the DNR and watershed to clean up the lake. She added she was also impressed by
how many people were so positive about city police officers.
Councilmember Lindberg stated he stayed on his block, and the police officers who came were
terrific. He noted there were many comments, including comments about the Texa-Tonka and
281h Street bike lanes.
Commissioner Brausen thanked staff for their response at all the different locations, especially
with the fire engine, police squad car, and log grabber truck visits.
Councilmember Hallfin stated he visited an event in Birchwood, and talked with a nice couple
who had moved into the neighborhood and remodeled their home. He noted they love the
neighborhood and the city.
Councilmember Sanger stated she had a question from a resident who was educated and very
environmentally aware about the "bad drinking water" in St. Louis Park. She stated she told him
the water is safe for drinking but also noted that staff and the council need to do a better job of
communicating that our drinking water is safe.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only:
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Floodplain Ordinance and Floodplain District Map Amendments
Building Readiness Ordinance
Arlington Row Plat Revision and PUD Amendments
Update on Redevelopment contract with Cedar Lake Rd Apartments LLC
West End Center Renovations (aka
Meliss I anted , City Clerk