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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024/04/24 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionOfficial Minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota April 24, 2024 Council members present: Paul Baudhuin, Sue Budd, Yolanda Farris, Mayor Pro Tem Lynette Dumalag, Margaret Rog Council members absent: Tim Brausen, Mayor Nadia Mohamed Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), engineering project manager (Mr. Sullivan), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), finance director (Ms. Cruver), park superintendent (Mr. Umphrey), public works director (Mr. Hall), deputy city clerk (Ms. Scott- Lerdal) Guests: Danny McCullough, Stephen Shurson, Jonathan Flemming, Kelly Grissman - Three Rivers Park District representatives Discussion items. 1. Three Rivers Canadian Pacific (CP) regional rail trail update Mr. Sullivan presented the staff report. Three representatives from the Three Rivers Park District presented an in-depth look at the history of and the long-range plans of the park district. Council Member Rog asked whether the 15-year plan for the Louisiana Avenue corridor is based on staff’s assessment of pavement conditions on when the street would be improved. She also asked what the 15-year plan is based on. Ms. Heiser stated Louisiana Avenue is a concrete road and is currently in good shape. She added the portion north of Minnetonka Boulevard will need some maintenance within the next 15 years, however, the portion south of Minnetonka Boulevard will not need improvements for about 20 years. Council Member Rog asked about the CP railbed and about the timeframe of a potential sale. Mr. McCullough stated Three Rivers has no way of knowing when CP would be available as part of the trail. He noted they do not believe it will turn over soon, so alternate plans need to be made by Three Rivers. Ms. Grissman stated they are looking at alternative route today so that this trail is not delayed. She shared that in spots, the railroad is on hills and in other areas it is in wetlands, so it is not really feasible that it be used as part of the trail. Council Member Rog asked why the CP railbed is still being considered. Ms. Grissman stated if it were sold, then the trail could be constructed over the railbed. Council Member Rog asked about the prospective usage of the trail. Mr. McCullough stated Three Rivers will look at those numbers when they start looking at alignment. Ms. Grissman stated when Cedar Lake is up and running, that is 500,000 -750,000 visits per year, and since this trail will not run to Minneapolis and have a different commuter function, it will most likely have fewer users than that. DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -2- April 24, 2024 Council Member Rog asked if council agrees with the Dakota Avenue option that staff proposes, would that mean taking out curbs and curb extensions that were put in in 2019. Ms. Heiser stated the trail would replace the on-street bike lanes. She added that would most likely be in 20 years, when the road is redone. Council Member Budd asked if the curb change is at Three Rivers’ expense. Ms. Heiser stated yes and added anything that is part of building the trail on Dakota Avenue is at Three Rivers expense. Council Member Rog asked about the 19-foot right-of-way on Louisiana Avenue and keeping the four lane roads as they are today. Ms. Heiser pointed out that for the intersection to function, it requires turn lanes. Council Member Baudhuin asked whether Dakota Avenue residences have driveways with no alleys. Ms. Heiser stated it depends where the residence is located on Dakota Avenue and pointed to the map for clarification. Council Member Baudhuin asked what kind of questions were asked for feedback from residents. Mr. McCollough stated at the events, they would show a large map with route options through St. Louis Park and then ask folks their opinion and which ones they thought would work best. He added they also asked if residents would walk or bike to destinations within the city. Council Member Baudhuin asked if there were any demographic data collected at the events. Ms. Grissman stated they did not collect that type of detailed information but tallied how many people stopped to talk with them at each event. Mr. McCollough added Three Rivers did record residents’ comments. Council Member Budd asked about the Dakota Avenue option that shows keeping the trees, noting the eight-foot and five-foot trails on the east side, and asked which trail is for walking and which is for biking. Mr. McCollough explained that typically, all trails are used for both biking and walking, but they could design narrower trails for walking and another wider one for biking, depending on what the city wants. Mr. McCollough stated the residents on Dakota Avenue were very passionate about parking and also keeping the trees. Council Member Farris stated the information was all clear and she thanked the Three Rivers staff for their presentation. Council Member Budd asked if the city has a decision-making role in the design phase of the trail. Mr. McCollough responded that the city does absolutely have a decision-making role, while Ms. Grissman added everything proposed is in the city right-of-way. Though Three Rivers will be paying for the trail, they must satisfy the city’s requirements. DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -3- April 24, 2024 Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag asked about maintenance and who is responsible for the trail. Mr. McCollough stated Three Rivers operates and maintains the whole trail and has maintenance responsibility for it. He clarified that Three Rivers has a partnership in the winter and pays the city to maintain snow removal. Council Member Rog asked how soon the project could commence. Mr. Flemming stated typically federal funding will build these trails and the next grant round is in 2026, which would award projects in 2030 or 2031. He added there are variables including evaluation, along with tapping other federal funding streams, so the project could commence sooner. Council Member Baudhuin stated he sees this as an opportunity to rethink Louisiana Avenue. When we look at the values of the city and the climate action plan, Louisiana Avenue does not reflect the values of the city and it was designed only for cars. He added this is a great opportunity to change Louisiana Avenue. At the public hearing, 11 of the 12 residents who shared testimony live on Dakota Avenue do not want the trail there. Others want the trail to be built on Louisiana Avenue. He stated Louisiana Avenue is too busy and he would love to see it slow down and quiet down, especially with its very large residential neighborhood. He added if this were on Dakota Avenue, it would be used more and would be safer as well. Louisiana would also connect to the light rail and the transit center on Hwy. 394, adding there is a huge gap there and he hopes there are plans to rethink this. Council Member Baudhuin observed that tree removal on Dakota Avenue is also a concern and he likes the model that shows keeping trees. He stressed this is an important project and added it will also be helpful to have Three Rivers do this and share some of the costs. Council Member Baudhuin stated he supports a north-south trail. Council Member Rog added while she sees value in both routes, she agrees Dakota Avenue is not ideal for bikers currently. She stated this is an opportunity to attend to Louisiana Avenue which does not meet the city’s values. She stated the council has prioritized biking and walking over driving and Louisiana Avenue is not bikeable or walkable in many areas. She stated the city’s commitment should be to improving “bikeability” and the sidewalk; there are so many opportunities to improve this area. She added it will only get more expensive to improve Louisiana Avenue and this is a great opportunity to share costs with Three Rivers. Council Member Rog stated this is an opportunity to be strategic and she added she approves of option SLP 1. She is curious about the availability of federal funds for Louisiana Avenue to help reduce costs. Council Member Farris stated she supports SLP 1 also, and asked if there is a way to make Louisiana Avenue safe, and added she has concerns about Dakota Avenue as well with many children biking to the high school. Ms. Heiser noted the city has applied four times for federal funding on roads, and been turned down, as it is very competitive. She asked the council how this project can fit into the CIP process, adding this will be discussed in the next topic discussion. She stated she agrees Louisiana Avenue needs to be accessible on foot and by bike, but added it is a very costly project. While the priorities are in place for biking and walking, at the core there are a lot of things that can promote that in many ways. She stated Dakota Avenue is the recommended DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -4- April 24, 2024 option and would replace the on-street biking with an off-street facility and would be paid for by Three Rivers. Council Member Budd thanked Ms. Heiser for that clarification and stated she would like to see a nice trail to get to the light rail station at some point. She added there is significant difference in the connectivity with Dakota Avenue, which makes her lean toward that option. She noted residents in her ward are passionate about this, and noted broader opinions have to be weighed. She stated that the city will deal with Louisiana Avenue in time, but noted she is not supportive of choosing it today. She stated she supports a north-south route and the recommended action. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag read letters from Council Member Brausen and Mayor Mohamed. In his letter, Council Member Brausen shared support of SLP 4 route and stated this is an opportunity to rebuild on Louisiana Avenue, while also noting the Texas and Virginia Avenue bike trail is important. In her letter, Mayor Mohamed stated she is supportive of the SLP 4 route and appreciates Three Rivers funding of the project. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag stated she would like to look at Louisiana Avenue, but it is a whole large package and a competitive process for funding also. She stated Three Rivers is a partner willing to do this work for the city and she is supportive also of SLP 4. Council Member Rog stated she does not think going with Dakota Avenue is a bad thing, but noted her frustration is the suggestion that the council is not in a position to prioritize projects for funding. She stated there are good reasons to look at Dakota Avenue, and maybe expedite Louisiana Avenue and benefit from Three Rivers funding. Council Member Farris stated she is in favor of Dakota Avenue option because of the timeliness of the project. It was the consensus of the city council to support the Dakota option plans presented. Ms. Heiser stated next steps will be for staff to meet with Three Rivers and come back to council asking for support of the route for the long-range plan. Council Member Rog shared concerns from many residents who want the city council to commit to save the trees on Dakota Avenue. Council Member Baudhuin stated this is a concern for him as well and the neighborhood must be preserved there, especially the tree canopy. 2. Engineering projects not in the 10-year capital plan Ms. Heiser presented the staff report. Council members were asked for their direction regarding three infrastructure projects with city funding only, and three infrastructure projects with partnership support. Council Member Baudhuin observed that the city will not be able to upgrade Louisiana Avenue without a large tax increase. Ms. Keller stated that may not be the case as over time, the deteriorating road condition will warrant upgrades and strategic work. DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -5- April 24, 2024 Council Member Rog asked about prioritizing biking and walking as a criterion. She is concerned about not seeking federal funding at this time. Ms. Heiser clarified that staff is actively and aggressively pursuing federal funding. Council Member Rog observed that if staff is pursuing federal funding, it seems like that process could shorten the timeframe for work on Louisiana Avenue. Ms. Heiser shared that in order for staff to pursue federal funding, a project must be included in the CIP. She added this is an extremely competitive process. In the past, the city pursued funding from four different areas of funding and were turned down twice, obtaining $2 million in earmarked funding when successful. Council Member Rog observed that if Louisiana Avenue is not part of the CIP and the funding application process has not started, it will take even longer. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag asked if some items in the CIP need to be deprioritized, and if that is helpful to know when looking at other opportunities. Ms. Heiser stated that is why she started by looking only at what is in the 10-year CIP to date. She agreed this is the prioritizing conversation that needs to happen and council will need to make decisions. As engineering is staffed today, they would not be able to provide three large projects like this in one year and it would be very challenging to add in Louisiana Avenue. Council Member Rog asked how long the Cedar Lou project was in the 10-year CIP and if it was completed within 10 years. Ms. Heiser stated yes, although it was delayed a couple of times due to funding packages. Council Member Rog stated if a project is not in the CIP, staff cannot pursue funding. She asked if there were a risk for the Louisiana Avenue project to be in the CIP while knowing the city does not yet have the right combination of funding. Ms. Cruver stated the CIP also includes staff capacity and what is a feasible project as well. It is different than just including projects and must represent what is actually possible to do. However, there is more maneuverability in operations. On the capital side, financing is so layered with bonding and tax levies, so it is difficult to make changes in the short term. Council Member Rog questioned the conversation when there is a strong desire not to change priorities or add new projects to the CIP. Ms. Cruver stated council certainly has input and final approval over projects, but noted this process is illustrating the factors that go into the staff recommended CIP. Ms. Heiser added she does not recommend adding the Louisiana Avenue project at this point, with so many unknowns. If funding is received for a CIP project, it must be spent within a certain timeframe or the funding is lost. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag asked for an overview of past practice – how did projects move from a study session discussion to the Capital Improvement Plan? Ms. Heiser gave the example of the pavement management program, which was approved by council in 2004, which defined the approach of using pavement condition to drive the CIP. Similar annual programs that are in the CIP have been discussed and approved by council, driving the CIP by council direction. As costs increased, modifications to the programs were brought back to council. Ms. Keller also noted DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -6- April 24, 2024 staff made recommendations based on the strategies set up by council. Ms. Heiser added council direction also then evolved the CIP into different directions over time. Council Member Baudhuin stated a project like Louisiana Avenue will have a massive effect on CIP and he asked how the council then strategizes getting it onto the CIP. He stated he is concerned it will keep being deferred. Ms. Cruver described that to add Louisiana Avenue to the CIP, something else would have to be deprioritized in order to make it room. She added that the prioritization of Louisiana Avenue will change over time as the road conditions worsen. Ms. Keller pointed out that to date, council has stated that the worsening of a road’s condition is the criterion for putting a project on CIP. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag stated this is a policy decision which can be a further study session discussion. She summarized the policy question that the council will need to look at the six projects on the CIP tonight. Ms. Heiser stated staff needs to know which non-mandatory projects the council wants staff to work on. Council Member Rog stated construction fatigue is an issue, so to have improved and safer Louisiana Avenue would be a huge step forward for the community as a whole. She observed that lived experience and traveling safely through the city is what the community cares about. Council Member Rog stated she appreciates the Dakota Park bridge coming back into this conversation. Costs would have been substantially lower as planned in conjunction with the Dakota Park trail, but at this point, the Dakota Park bridge is not an investment that she supports. She is very supportive of the Minnetonka Boulevard reconstruction for $15 million, noting this is a safety issue. She also stated the Louisiana Avenue construction will not be done, so she will not pursue this, and noted she is supportive of getting Louisiana Avenue on the CIP as soon as possible. She added she is also supportive of the Minnehaha Greenway Cedar Lake and taking advantage of the opportunity in front of the city. She added she is open to being persuaded to support the delamination project also. Council Member Budd added she approves of the signals, Minnetonka Boulevard and water mains, the Greenway connection, the delamination project and spreading costs over time. She added she supports removing the Dakota Bridge project from the CIP and noted Louisiana Avenue would be too much to do at this time. Council Member Farris stated she is glad the Dakota Avenue bridge project is being removed because it does not support the city as a whole. She stated she supports the Minnehaha Greenway and Minnetonka Boulevard projects, and Louisiana Avenue is too big to consider at this time. She noted she will support the majority on the delamination project, as she is not familiar with the process. Council Member Baudhuin stated he is more interested in the three partnership projects including the Minnehaha and Minnetonka projects. He was neutral regarding the other three projects and does not support the Dakota Bridge project. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag shared comments from Council Member Brausen and Mayor Mohamed related to the CIP. Council Member Brausen stated he supports the three DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -7- April 24, 2024 partnership infrastructure projects and is not in support of the three city infrastructure projects. Mayor Mohamed stated she supports delaying of the Louisiana Avenue project and is supportive of the three single upgrades. She is supportive of the Greenway and is not supportive of the Dakota Bridge project. She added she has no opinion on the delamination project. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag stated she supports the three infrastructure projects and loves the Greenway connecting to the trail, especially moving through the affordable areas of the city. She added she is not in support of the three city infrastructure projects. Council Member Rog added she supports the delamination project, especially seeing that the costs can be spread over three years, which is a cost benefit. She encouraged the council to consider this as well as the improvement to safety. Council Member Baudhuin stated if the cost is spread out, and the project does not negatively affect the other priorities, he would support the delamination project. Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag added she would like to look at the delamination project as a whole, and noted there are other priorities. Council Member Budd added there was a window of time, and so it could be added in over time, but not in the short term. Referring to her intention to follow the majority’s position, Council Member Farris confirmed she will support the delamination project. Council Member Baudhuin thanked staff for their work on this report. Written Reports Council Member Budd noted the metrics in the diversity, equity and inclusion tool was helpful in providing baseline information in the second quarter development update report. Council Member Budd asked if the council would see a draft of the pre-eviction notice form. Ms. Keller stated a final draft will be reviewed by the council before it is published. Opportunities for changes to the ordinance could occur when the first reading is presented to the council for approval. She noted she will discuss this with the city attorney and follow up with the council. Council Member Rog observed that in the pre-eviction notice report, the city’s survey showed significant support or neutrality on the ordinance. She stated this was different from the 30 days’ notice. She added the renters were supportive and landlords were neutral or supportive or a few were not in support. She stated this feels a little rushed that council makes this decision on the first reading without seeing if the proposed change adds confusion. She shared there is not enough time to review the form before approving, and there are ways to make the language more comforting and easier for tenants to understand. Ms. Keller added she will discuss this with the city attorney, and the conversation can be postponed if needed. DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672 Study session minutes -8- April 24, 2024 Mayor Pro Tem Dumalag agreed she would prefer more time to discuss and understand the ordinance before approving as well, adding that state law will ultimately supersede the city’s ordinance. Council Member Rog shared that upon reading the greater land trust report for the Minnetonka Boulevard project, the funding sources were listed, but the CPF funds were not noted, including the $3 million grant. Ms. Keller reminded council there is no meeting April 29 and also that she will be at a conference most of next week. 3. Quarterly development update – 2nd quarter 2024 4. Second amendment to the preliminary development agreement with Greater Minnesota Housing Corporation – Ward 1 5. 2023 housing activity report 6. Pre-eviction notice ordinance Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) The meeting adjourned at 9:16 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: D513954B-63EC-40E0-9427-1EE7CDAF6672