Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJoint PC.CC Minutes 9.23.2025 - ApprovedCITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Joint Planning Commission & City Council Meeting City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES September 23, 2025 at 7:00 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 P.M. B. ROLL CALL: Mike Tracy _X_ Laura Paynter _X_ Jacob Brooks _X_ Rick Seifert _X_ Jim Mogen _X_ Jeremy Hallowanger _X_ Jake Anderson _X_ Randy Gustafson _X_ Melanie Leehy _X_ Eric Meyer _X_ Jim Wassenberg _X_ Paula Mielke _X_ City Administrator Jack Linehan _X_ Staff Liaison Hannah Lynch _X_ C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Seifert to approve the agenda. Agenda was approved by consent. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. June 24, 2025 – Workshop 2. August 6, 2025 – Joint Workshop with City Council A motion was made by Commissioner Paynter to approve minutes from June 24, 2025 and August 6, 2025. Minutes were approved by consent. E. PUBLIC HEARING – None. F. NEW BUSINESS 1. Approval of Les Bolstad Golf Course Sale Goals and Guiding Principles Staff Liaison Lynch presented the updated Goals and Guiding Principles for the Les Bolstad Golf Course redevelopment. Seven key topics were outlined: connectivity, green space, self-sustaining development, housing mix, sustainability, commercial uses, and development funding. She summarized results from the public open house and online survey, noting that green space ranked as the top community priority, followed by connectivity and sustainability. The Commission and Council discussed edits and clarifications to the document, including: - Adding “schools” under self-sustaining development to address educational impacts. - Adding “St. Paul” under connectivity for regional trail linkages. - Inserting language on environmental mitigation under development funding. - Modifying “Housing Mix” to include “quality and thoughtful design.” - Clarifying the definition of light industrial uses as enclosed, small-scale operations (e.g. breweries, commercial kitchens). - Including “pollinator-friendly” plantings under sustainability. - Removing numerical ranking of principles and reformatting as bullet points. - Adding language encouraging developers to minimize construction impacts and act as good neighbors during the building process. Public comments were received from several residents and Leslie Krieger, Assistant Vice President for Planning, Space, and Real Estate at the University of Minnesota, who described the University’s process for sale and RFP issuance. Resident comments: - Bob Haight – 1477 California – Would like the Planning Commission to develop 3-5 land use alternatives with specifics and quantify how they perform. - Colleen Wilson – 2202 Folwell – Requested information about how the golf course will be maintained in the time between the sale and the development. Suggested a guiding principle around that timeframe and process to ensure the land is kept free from trash and fencing is placed around it. - Bob Cudeck – 2203 Folwell – Would like the City to coordinate with Luther Seminary to keep the two developments in sync. Link the walking paths/green space. He is concerned about Hoyt becoming increasingly busy and would like to coordinate the traffic and impact on the City with the surrounding cities. - Tom Fisher – Minnesota Design Center – Is working to develop a plan for the golf course redevelopment with his team to support the guiding principles, achieve comprehensive plan goals, preserve ½ of the site for green space, and provide a maximum value to the University and City of Falcon Heights. - Larry Overske – Roseville Resident – prior basketball player for the University of Minnesota, a golf coach, and a member of the golf club for over 50 years. He pointed to the contamination at the Hillcrest golf course as a concern and is also concerned about the over 100 years of history the city and University will lose. Stated the University will lose donors over this decision. - Kevin Campbell – 1722 Pascal – Would like the City to consider require electric only at the new development; no natural gas. They would also like to see electric lines buried. - Karen Tang – 2108 Folwell - Would like to see a mix of housing types to increase accessibility to residents of different walks of life and to create a diverse community. Would like to see higher density and possibly a small grocery and/or café. After discussion, a motion was made by Commissioner Meyer, seconded by Commissioner Mogen, to approve the Les Bolstad Golf Course Goals and Guiding Principles as amended. Motion passed unanimously. A motion was then made by Councilmember Mielke, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, to approve the same document as recommended by the Planning Commission. Motion passed unanimously. G. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Staff Liaison Report - Staff Liaison Linehan thanked all participants and stated the amended document would be sent to the University of Minnesota. 2. Council Liaison Report - Councilmembers commended staff and volunteers for their work. No additional items were reported. H. PUBLIC COMMENTS - Jenny Allen - 1490 Idaho – Commented that the City needs to make sure any consultant the City uses is of equal level and expertise/power as the developer. - Additional public comment urged the City to remain flexible and realistic about development costs. I. ADJOURN A motion was made by Commissioner Hallowanger to adjourn the meeting. Meeting was adjourned by consent at 8:38 PM.