10-28-2015 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL OCTOBER 28, 2015 former Bally's site. Kaufman also indicated that he would have to review the Arby's lease to see if there was any leverage to require building improvements. Kaufman reported that it may be possible that Wellington Management would be willing to make landscaping improvements. The City Administrator noted past City efforts to improve the driveway access situation off Minnesota Avenue given the separate drives for Arby's and the former Bally's site, and suggested that as part of the redevelopment the driveway situation should be looked at. The Council discussed whether or not additional analysis of providing TIF for the redevelopment of this site should be done by City staff. Fischer stated that he did not feel the property would redevelopment on its own. McGraw agreed and pointed out the blighted condition of the current building. McGraw felt that LA Fitness did a good job at maintaining their properties. McGraw stated that his only concern was increased traffic on Minnesota Avenue and that impact on the residents of Cobblestone Village. Keis pointed out that traffic levels would be similar to when Bally's Fitness was in operation. Keis commented on the police calls that were generated from Bally's. The Administrator noted that the majority were thefts from autos and from lockers. It was noted that LA Fitness would have to address security for its customers. Kaufman indicated that these types of thefts occur in waves moving from one area to another as security increases. McGraw asked the timeline for the redevelopment. Kaufman indicated that if construction can start in the spring, LA Fitness would open in October or November of 2016. The Administrator and Ruff pointed out that there is a process to establish a TIF District in this area. Ruff suggested that the initial public hearing establishing the district could be held in January. The Council suggested that if the City provides TIF assistance for this redevelopment project, that there has to be some effort to improve the appearance of the Arby's site. The minimum improvement would be upgrade of the landscaping of the site. Torkelson noted that the majority of this property is paved and asked the level of parking that LA Fitness would want. He indicated that in driving around the City and observing parking lot usage, it appears to him that about 40% of parking lots are utilized during peak times. Kaufman reported that LA Fitness has a ratio of about 7 parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of building. It is their feeling that that is the level of parking they need to serve both their customers and employees. The Administrator noted that a site analysis has not been done. He also 5