Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/29/2000 Environmental Board MinutesENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES DATE : March 29, 2000 TIME STARTED : 6:30 P.M. TIME ENDED : 8:40 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT : Maurine Davidson, Amy Donlin, J.P. Houchins, Rod Kukonen, Scott Lanyon, and Teresa O'Connell MEMBERS ABSENT : None. Staff members present: Environmental Coordinator Marty Asleson, and Community Development Director Brian Wessel. CALL TO ORDER Chair Houchins called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Houchins requested corrections on Page to add'tle comments made by Asleson under Solid Waste Update and to correct highway 25`to County'Ditch 25. Kukonen requested a correction on page 2, Project Funding Update, to correct the spelling of Linda Waite -Smith. Davidson moved to approve the F ebruary23, 2000 meeting minutes, as revised above. ,- O'Connell seconded the motion Motioncarried unanimously. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Asleson noted the attendance of Archie Lessard representing Dairy Queen and requested that project review be considered earlier in the meeting. Chair Houchins asked that item 6B be considered following Approval of the Agenda. The Commission agreed. Davidson added item' 7A comments on Sustainable Housing. Chair Houchins added 7B, Review of Goals; 7C, Environmental Board Vacancies; and 7D Elect Chair and Vice Chair. The agenda was approved as revised above. PROJECT REVIEW B. Dairy Queen — Asleson explained this would be the second building proposed for the west side of I -35E in the Lino Lakes Business District. The site is just south of the ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 Tschida Convenience Store and the applicant is Don Rolf of Archnet, Inc. The proposed lot area is 29,223 square feet and the required "green area" is 30% or 8,767 square feet. The proposal indicates 37% green area or 10,945 square feet. Surface water for the Dairy Queen will be diverted via storm sewer pipe to a proposed ponding area adjacent to Rice Creek. There are no zone-one/zone two areas on the site. There are no significant ecological delineations on the site. Soils are classified as BD (moderate infiltration rate [drained]/ high runoff potential [undrained]) and B (moderate infiltration rate). The LW soil classification to the south is a loamy soil type. Site elevations gradually slope to Clearwater Creek. Davidson asked if the revised landscape plan has been submitted. Asleson stated it has not and that could be placed as a condition of approval, if desired.. Wessell noted this project will be considered by the Planning Commission on April 12, 2000 and the City Council on May 8, 2000 so it is not possible to delay consideration. He suggested that a contingency approval be considered, if desired. Asleson presented the proposed ponding plan for the other side of the freeway and explained how drainage will be accommodated Chair" Houchins asked how the water will get from one pond to the next. Asleson explained there are culverts in place and advised that something similar in nature is beirg,proposed for the Dairy Queen site. Donlin stated she would like a more clear explanation of the drainage pattern. Asleson advised that the Watershed District did"review,;and approve the proposed drainage for the Dairy Queen site. Donlin stated her concern with the `C -Store due to the intensity of lighting. Lessard advised that the Dairy Queer proposes to use shoebox lighting in the parking lot. Donlin stated her support for low profile, shoebox lighting. Lanyon concurred. Davidson moved to approve the revised Dairy Queen site plan subject to the applicant's continued work with staff on the landscape plan and lighting plan and subject to input from City staff and.,other groups as applicable. Lanyon seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizens were present for comment. Wessell noted the presence of Julie Farnum who is present to address item 5F. Chair Houchins asked that item 5F be considered next. The Commission agreed. 2 ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD BUSINESS F. Draft Tree Preservation Ordinance — Asleson presented the draft Tree Preservation Ordinance, noting a consultant was hired to assist staff with this ordinance. This ordinance would replace the tree protection language in the Shade Tree Ordinance which implied the need to conformity with the Tree Preservation Policy that was approved some time ago. He explained the new ordinance would provide for a tree replacement schedule and includes language that would integrate with the City's Environmental Management Handbook. Julie Farnum, TKDA, presented an overview and background of the City's desire to update the tree preservation ordinance to provide clarity and organization. She reviewed her effort on this task as well as to address the landscape issues. Farnum stated the initial process is to start with the ordinance currently in place to assure there is no duplication. She noted this proposed ordinance would address development on private property, not public property, and address how to deal with a developerof private property. She stated the City has already done a lot of work on the Environmental Handbook and explained that she would like to integrate that into this document. Farnum ;noted the organization of the ordinance is straight forward and offered to answer questions. After a page by page review, the following changes were made to the Tree Preservation and Replacement Ordinance: • Page 1, Section I, third bullet point, ehan°ge from "Enhance Development" to "Enhanced Quality of Development" • Page 2, Section II, include definition of "critical damage" • Page 4, Section III, A, 2, obtain legal opinion regarding tree preservation on individualsingle-family lots • Page 4, Section III, B, 3, add words "and reviewed by the Environmental Board, advisory boards, and the City Council" • Page 5, Section III, C, 1, c), address leverage the City has with a builder of single- family units in violation with their Tree Preservation Plan • Page 8, Section IV, C, 3, add language indicating the Tree Fund will be used for "acquisition of plant materials or environmental restoration" • Page 9, Section V, A, 3, add language to indicate: "permission of the City or sustains critical damage, as determined by the City Forester, the applicant shall replace each tree..." 3 ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 • Page 10, Section V, B, 4, change "reasonable timeframe" to indicate "within 60 calendar days" Consensus was reached to direct staff to make the above noted revisions which the Environmental Board will review and consider at their next meeting. A. Land Use Planning Workshop — Asleson noted the conference information contained in the meeting packet and asked members to let him know if they are interested in attending. Kukonen advised of what this workshop will entail and volunteered to attend. O'Connell stated she is also interested and will notify staff if her schedule will permit her to attend. B. GIS Agreement — Asleson presented the draft GIS agreement and draft joint powers agreement for use of Digital Parcel Base Map Database. He explained the purpose of the agreement is to give Anoka County public agency GIS users a quarterly upgrade of parcel and street GIS database. He stated this is being provided as an informational item. In response to Chair Houchins, Asleson explained the information can only be used in- house and not sold or shared with other agencies ;,. Wessell stated Asleson has provided leadership in this area of GIS information and the City's engineering staff is interested in this data He explained that he had requested a GIS Technician staff position for Year 2000 but it' was cut from the budget so he requested a consulting budget to conduct a needs assessment and determine how to best incorporate GIS capability into Lino Lakes.. He advised that by May 1, 2000, a task force will be in place to research; the issue and prepare a recommendation for City Council consideration. Donlin stated her concern that the watershed issues in neighboring communities also be addressed C. DNR Project Update -Asleson reported that the DNR Smart Growth project went to the City Council with a recommendation that the Planning & Zoning Commission review it which will''occur on April 12, 2000. He noted the recently published newspaper article about Hugo., D. Earth Day — O'Connell stated she has been collecting a lot of information for Earth Day which will be held on April 22, 2000. Asleson advised of the planned events including efforts by Anoka County, Mn/DOT, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and residents. Chair Houchins suggested the Environmental Board offer GIS demonstrations, show the Management Plan, and related maps including an ecological map. Lanyon asked if the Earth Day event should also be used for education of property owners about environmental issues such as the ecological impact of mowing down to the water's 4 ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 edge. Asleson advised that the topic of preservation will occur. Chair Houchins stated he will ask the Watershed District to also address that aspect as part of their presentation. E. Arbor Day — Asleson announced that Arbor Day is scheduled for Friday, May 5, 2000 at Lino Lakes Elementary School and advised of activities during that event. He urged members to attend and participate, if possible. F. Draft Tree Preservation Ordinance — This item was considered earlier in the meeting. G. Environmental Education / Draft Resident Information — Asleson noted the rough draft environmental education / information handout for residents moving into the Clearwater Creek III development. He noted there were many buffers and open spaces designed into the third phase of the Clearwater Creek development. One of the development requirements was that the developer would draft an environmental education and informational handout for residents. Asleson asked for the Board's input. Following review of the draft, members requested the following revisions: • Include comment in opening paragraph to indicate the resident is being guaranteed open space similar to a golf course except that the golf course is replaced by high quality natural areas • Advise resident that they can't impact into public places • Encourage resident to be a good steward • Page 1, 4th paragraph, last sentence, revise to state: "Preservation of mature wooded sites will benefit wildlife and add visual diversity to the development." • Page 2, 3rd paragraph, 3rd line, revise to state "Water running off lawns may carry nutrients and pesticides that may harm adjacent or natural communities located..." • Create a separate page with "Dos" and "Don'ts" in bullet format including information on the,composition of fertilizer and comment about environmental impact of mowing lawns down to the water's edge • Create separate handout addressing how to create a healthy lawn Consensus was reached to hold a future discussion regarding what should be included in an informational packet for new homeowners. PROJECT REVIEW - continued A. Lino Lakes Bank — Asleson reported the proposal is to locate the Lino Lakes bank in the Lino Lakes Business Center on the east side of I -35E. The survey indicates a 1.43 acre parcel. He advised the surface water from this area is diverted to the retention / greenway area to the south. Soils classifications include B (moderate infiltration rate), a hydric soil classification including MU (muck), and a CU (cut and fill) area to the south. Asleson stated his understanding that wetland mitigation is considered in the ponding area to the south and there is no significant ecological delineations on this site. He recommended approval of the plan with landscape plan materials review. ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 Lanyon asked who is responsible for assuring conditions of the landscape plan are met. Asleson stated staff is responsible. With regard to the east side of Lino Lakes, Chair Houchins commented on the importance of the Chain Of Lakes as a natural resource. He noted the community is relying on sending drainage from this site to a detention pond which would typically remove 50% of the nutrients. He stated if a detention pond is located next to Clearwater Creek, it would mean there would be infiltration of some materials into the Creek. He urged the City to assure appropriate measures to better protect Clearwater Creek. Wessell concurred with Chair Houchins and stated staff will further' address this issue during their staff meeting. Lanyon moved to approve the Lino Lakes Bank plan subject to landscape plan materials review (standard and appropriate site materials), irrigation for all sod areas, and standard conditions as established by City staff Davidson seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. B. Dairy Queen — This item was considered earlier in the:meeting. OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Comments on Sustainable Communities Davidson advised of a presentation related to outdoor lighting and alternatives. She stated if the Board is interested, this person could be invited to make a presentationat a future meeting. Davidson advised that a Sustainable Lakes Workbook by the Minnesota Lakes Association will be availablesoon. Asleson stated staff will contact them to learn more about the publication. B. Review of Goals - Chair Houchins stated he would like the Environmental Board to periodically review their identified goals. He advised of a comment he heard about the DNR planting Reed Canary Grass. Discussion occurred about the best process to undertake short and long-term projects. Staff was asked to review maps of City property and identify a possible short-term project, including the one mentioned by Chair Houchins. Chair Houchins noted the goal to continue efforts of public education which will be discussed at the next meeting regarding a new resident handout. Chair Houchins noted the goal related to the green infrastructure within the City will be further defined by the DNR project. 6 ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD MEETING MARCH 29, 2000 C. Environmental Board Vacancies - Chair Houchins noted a Environmental Board vacancy was created with Lori Frisk-Thompson's resignation. He advised that he will also be resigning from the Environmental Board which will create a second vacancy. He stated he will officially submit his resignation to the City Council at their next meeting. Discussion occurred regarding possible candidates. D. Elect Chair and Vice Chair - Following a brief discussion, Lanyon was nominated for the position of Acting Chair and Davidson for the position of Vice Chair. The nomination carried unanimously. CLOSE MEETING AND CONFIRM NEXT MEETING DATE Chair Houchins adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. The next meeting date will be April 26, 2000 Transcribed by: Carla Wirth TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. 7