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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_03Feb05 CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES February 5, 2003 Mayor Sue Gehrz convened the Council workshop at 6:00 PM. PRESENT: Council members Laura Kuettel, Robert Lamb, Peter Lindstrom and Richard Talbot. Also present. City Administrator Heather Worthington and Deputy Clerk Mary Shea Kodluboy Discussion of Consultant Services The general consensus of the Council was that they would like to see and review a list of all of the City’s consultants at least once a year. Mid-year might be the most opportune time to do such a review. Discussion of Service Provision with Tax Exempt Entities The general consensus of the Council was the encouragement of financial arrangements with tax-exempt entities as opportunities present themselves. SE Corner Discussion Mr. George Sherman, Sherman Associates, Inc., developer for the SE Corner redevelopment project, and his design team of Alliant Engineering and Elness Swensen Graham Architects Inc., were in attendance to review and discuss the project with the City Council. Mr. Daniel Cornejo, SEH, was in attendance as the City’s consultant. Mr. Sherman said that they have been working on development contracts and preparing for about six weeks of asbestos and lead paint remediation prior to demolition. It is projected that remediation of both will cost about $300,000. After demolition is completed they hope to begin construction sometime between June 1 and August 1, with construction to take about 12-14 months. The buildings will be of wood frame construction, with 35% of the exterior brick masonry, 30% stucco, and the balance cement fiberboard. The courtyard area will have softer exteriors. The life expectancy for the buildings is 75 years and 20-25 years for the mechanicals. Mr. Sherman emphasized that he still owns every building he has built. Mr. Sherman and his associates described the design layout for the respective buildings, the underground and above ground parking, exterior lighting, landscaping, and the rock garden detention pond. It was emphasized that the runoff rates will be slower than before but that improvements will need to be made to the stormwater system. They aren’t sure if the cottonwood trees will survive. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES -2- February 5, 2003 3. SE Corner Discussion (continued) Administrator Worthington said there had been discussion about using more evergreens. She asked them to send letters to the home owners and apartment building owners inviting them to meet to let everyone know what they would like. She also mentioned that the Met Council is concerned about the bus stacking problem at the Snelling and Larpenteur intersection and will be giving $60,000 for a bus shelter. There was a brief discussion about the senior building’s accessibility to the buses. Mayor Gehrz said that she toured “The Shores” in Shoreview and talked with the tenants. They were very positive. The buildings were very quiet, she found the units very lovely and came away from the tour very excited. She said it appears that the senior units being proposed for the SE Corner will be smaller. Mr. Sherman said it is a tight site and they will be putting more units on it. They will still be fairly good sized. Mayor Gehrz said that she wants to make sure they are responsive to the market. Mr. Cornejo, consultant for the City, gave a brief review of vehicular movements, furniture movement in the hallways, lighting vis-à-vis personal safety, fencing, hard and soft landscaping. He said the parking ratios appear fine. He expressed concern about the rooftop mechanicals and asked if the parapet will be high enough to cover the equipment on the roof. Mr. Sherman said that the higher the parapet goes, the greater the snow load issue. Mr. Cornejo suggested that in addition to light poles in the courtyard area, the developer might want to consider exterior building lighting and, as an example, he mentioned the high line lighting that is being used on a building at Victoria and Grand. There was no further discussion and the Council workshop adjourned at 9:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Mary Shea Kodluboy Deputy Clerk.