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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/07/2003 Council Minutes• • • CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES DATE : May 7, 2003 TIME STARTED : 5:32 p.m. TIME ENDED : 9:40 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT : Councilmember Dahl (6:23), Carlson, O'Donnell, Reinert and Mayor Bergeson MEMBERS ABSENT : None Staff members present: City Administrator, Linda Waite Smith; Community Development Director, Michael Grochala (part); City Engineer, Jim Studenski (part); Chief of Police, Dave Pecchia (part); City Planner, Jeff Smyser (part); Economic Development Assistant, Mary Alice Divine (part); Fire Chief, Milo Bennett (part); Public Services Director, Rick DeGardner (part); and City Clerk, Ann Blair VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL, HARTFORD GROUP, MICHAEL GROCHALA & MARY ALICE DIVINE Economic Development Assistant Divine advised Staff has been meeting with the Hartford Group regarding the Village development. Concept plans have been submitted and reviewed. Staff is asking the Council for authorization to begin preparation of a traffic study and EAW at the Council meeting on Monday. Economic Development Assistant Divine introduced the development team indicating a presentation will be made by Elizabeth Kautz and Bill Griffith. Ms. Kautz, Hartford Group, came forward and stated a presentation will be made and feedback is welcome. She stated the development group is very excited to share the concept plans with the Council. Mr. Bill Griffith, Larkin, Hoffman, stated he believes the team has a very exciting concept and believes it takes advantage of a great site and long period of planning by the City. He reviewed the Hartford Group background noting the Hartford Group is unique because they have in-house engineering and architectural services. Mr. Griffith reviewed the site plan for Legacy at Woods Edge noting it is conceptual. The site plan includes curbside parking, green space, retail shops and housing, center open archways, possibly senior housing, pedestrian pathways, for sale townhomes and multi -family housing. He advised the site plan is designed for pedestrians and includes shared parking concepts. • CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED Mr. Griffith stated he really enjoys working with the Hartford Group and the plan will be refined until everyone is comfortable. The goal is to break ground next spring. The project is a true partnership and details will have to be worked out in relation to funds. Ms. Kautz stated the team has added to all the hard work the City has already done on that site. Mayor Bergeson stated the Council will be asking hard questions of the development team and the Council does take some time to make decisions. This is a very important project for the City and ample review time will be necessary. Councilmember Reinert inquired about the number of rental units compared to for - purchase units. Mr. Griffith advised the plan calls for 295 multi -family units with 138 for -sale townhomes. Mayor Bergeson asked if constructing a hotel close to owned units is a problem. Mr. Griffith stated they do not have a project with a hotel in it. The team has not found a strong need for hotels in urban areas. Ms. Kautz advised a market study will be done to determine the need for a hotel. Councilmember Carlson stated she is glad the plan does not include a lot of parking. She inquired about the possibility of a pedestrian bridge to Target and Kohls. Ms. Kautz stated a walkway would be great if the City can get a federal grant. Such walkways are very expensive. Community Development Director Grochala stated the City is trying to incorporate a walkway into the reconstruction of the bridge over I35W. Mr. Griffith stated there is also a lot of underground parking included in the plan. Councilmember Carlson inquired about wetland replacement. Ms. Kautz advised the development team will be working with SEH to identify all wetland and environmental aspects of the plan. Councilmember Carlson stated she does not see any open fields or play areas on the plan. She asked if the fields would be part of the YMCA development. Community Development Director Grochala stated Staff would be looking for opportunities for play areas. The plan will also try to tie the development into the regional park. • Ms. Kautz noted the green area on the sited plan is a park area. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED • Councilmember Carlson inquired about the size of housing included in the plan. • • Mr. Griffith stated the typical range for multi -family is 850-1500 sq. ft; townhomes 1,200 —1600 sq. ft; and apartments 750-1,500 sq. ft. Mayor Bergeson inquired about the types of retail development. Mr. Griffith stated the intent of the plan is for small shops as opposed to larger box type developments. The larger retail spaces could include a sit down restaurant. Councilmember O'Donnell stated the YMCA is a big part of the Village development. He asked if the development team is looking at the two projects independently. Ms. Kautz stated the development team is meeting with the YMCA and will continue to do so. Mr. Griffith advised the plan accommodates the YMCA, but is not contingent on that development. Councilmember Reinert inquired about the units per acre on the residential housing and the number of affordable units. Mr. Griffith stated the units per acre are consistent with the Calthorpe study. This would result in approximately 20% of the units being affordable housing. Ms. Kautz stated the development team will continue to work with City Staff. The team does have a purchase agreement with the Taggs. Staff will distribute to the Council a proposed schedule for the project. Preparation of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 12, 2003, 6:30 p.m. BUILDING CODE ADOPTION, MICHAEL GROCHALA, MILO BENNETT Community Development Director Grochala advised this issue was discussed at the last Council meeting. There were issues with the adoption of Chapter 13.06 due to hangers in the airpark. Chapter 13.06 states anything over 2,000 sq. ft. is considered a moderate concern. Staff does believe the largest plane that can land at the airpark could be stored in a 2,000 sq. ft. hanger. Fire Chief Bennett stated a lot of research was done on this issue and the hangers and planes are an issue. He indicated he believes two planes could be stored in a 2,000 sq. ft. hanger. The code considered any hanger over 2,000 sq. ft. a commercial use. There is, however, an exception to that code: if a hanger is over 2,000 sq. ft., there is no City water available, and there is 60 feet clear around the building on all sides, the Building Official and the Fire Chief can then waive the sprinkler requirement. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED Mayor Bergeson stated he believes it would be irresponsible to throw out the whole • ordinance due to the hanger concern. • • Councilmember Dahl arrived at the meeting at 6:23 p.m. This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 12, 2003, 6:30 p.m. MILLER'S ON MAIN, SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT REQUEST, CHAD WAGNER & ANN BLAIR City Clerk Blair advised a handout was previously distributed regarding this issue. The handout included background information, checklist items/information required and a Staff recommendation for approval of a special event permit. The City does not have a specific ordinance in relation to special events. The Council may want to consider developing a special event ordinance. City Clerk Blair stated she developed a checklist that would be incorporated into a special event ordinance if the Council determines an ordinance should be written. Based on the checklist and conditions, Staff is recommending approval of the special event request. Staff is also recommending that a separate application be prepared for the proposed Chamber of Commerce events which accompany this special event as those plans are formulated. Mr. Chad Wagner, Miller's on Main, stated he has reviewed the checklist and conditions. He requested the details of the medical tent be addressed with Staff. He also asked that research be done on the $300,000 bond requirement. Lastly, he would like to modify the number of outside telephone lines that might be required. City Clerk Blair recommended checklist #4, relating to the County and right-of-way parking be moved to a condition of approval. Mr. Wagner advised he is talking to the County about parking. There is a permit available to allow right-of-way parking. He stated he believes all the outstanding issues can be addressed with City Staff Chief Pecchia stated the department needs to know as soon as possible about the Chamber events. Staff also needs to know how to respond to other requests for special events. He noted the department can staff the events but it is costly. Mayor Bergeson stated those costs should be addressed when the Council discusses a new ordinance. Councilmember Carlson asked if the event is being sponsored by the City. City Clerk Blair advised the City is not sponsoring the event. This item will be added to the regular Council agenda Monday, May 12, 2003, 6:30 p.m. • • • CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED CENTURY FARM NORTH, JEFF SMYSER & GARY UHDE Mayor Bergeson stated he should have added a condition of approval to the preliminary plat that a sign be placed at the barrier that indicates a street will eventually be constructed. He requested the developer put a sign up even though that was not a condition of approval. Mr. Uhde, Developer of Century Farm North, advised he will put a sign up and the street plans will be disclosed on all of their brochures. City Planner Smyser advised the first reading of the rezone, preliminary plat and MUSA allocation was approved at the last Council meeting. Monday the second reading will be on the agenda. A public hearing and consideration of first reading for the vacation of Carl Street is also on the agenda. There will also be a first reading of the Pinto Lane vacation. City Engineer Studenski advised Staff is also requesting approval for accepting the Century Farm North Lift Station Feasibility Study. City Planner Smyser stated the grading plan was discussed at the last meeting. Staff received the revised plan late this afternoon. Staff will review the revised plan and try to have a recommendation to the Council in the Friday update. Mr. John Johnson, Engineer for Century Farm North, stated several people met at the site last week to discuss the outstanding issues. There is a revised plan that was reached by consensus. He distributed and reviewed the revised grading plan noting many new trees will be brought in according to the Environmental Specialist's specification. The intent of the plan is to maximize screening and maintain existing drainage. The revised plan will save more brush and trees. He stated he does believe a neighborhood consensus was reached on the revised plan. Mr. Johnson stated he would like consensus from the Council this evening regarding the grading plan so the transporting and silt fencing can begin. Councilmember Dahl stated she is concerned about the trees surviving a transplant. She inquired about a back up plan if the trees do die. Mr. Uhde stated every day that goes by the chance of the trees surviving is diminished. He stated he would like to move forward right away. He indicated he would do some additional plantings if some trees are lost but they will not be the same size. City Planner Smyser stated the revised grading plan is for the pond only, which relates to condition #23 in the staff report. He noted that plan is only part of the bigger grading plan. Staff can write up a resolution stating condition #23 has been met and action can be taken on Monday. Staff has to review the revised plan before a recommendation can be given. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED City Engineer Studenski stated he does not have a problem with the clearing and • grubbing. The grading cannot start until a Staff recommendation is given. Mr. Brandon Almich, representative for the neighborhood, stated he was present at the neighborhood meeting. He indicated he believes the developer has met the neighbors' concerns. Mr. Uhde stated he used to be able to start the grading before the development agreement was in place by signing a blank agreement. He stated he needs to begin the grading as soon as possible. Community Development Director Grochala advised the City procedure does not allow grading until the development agreement is executed. The City has gotten stricter about the procedure. The City does have a standard template for the agreement but the specified plans need to be included in the agreement. Mr. Uhde stated the risk to the City relating to grading is minimal. He stated he used to sign a letter that indicates the City is not responsible if the plan is not approved. Community Development Director Grochala stated that if the Council feels comfortable with the grading plan, the project can move forward once the securities are obtained. Mayor Bergeson asked if there has been staff review of the area excluding the pond. • City Engineer Studenski advised the overall grading plan is fine. However, the plan has been revised several times. Staff needs to review the final grading plan. • Community Development Director Grochala stated he does not have an issue with the clearing and grubbing as long as residents are agreeable. He stated he believes Staff can have the grading portion of the agreement completed by the May 27, 2003 City Council meeting. Mayor Bergeson stated he believes the developer has done what the Council had asked him to do. The question about what can and what cannot be done prior to the approval of the development agreement should be discussed with Staff. Councilmember Carlson stated she does support following a Staff recommendation. This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 12, 2003, 6:30 p.m. EAGLE BROOK EAW, JEFF SMYSER City Administrator Waite Smith distributed written comments from a resident and noted other written comments regarding this issue were previously distributed. City Planner Smyser advised additional information regarding the EAW was received at the last Council meeting. Staff did not see anything that would change the current Staff recommendation. The Staff report has not changed since the last meeting except for a CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED clarification on the response document and the addition of a letter from the DNR. He • advised the response document could be amended per Council direction. • 1 Mayor Bergeson stated the Council needs to determine if more public comment will be allowed. Councilmember Reinert stated he also did not receive any information at the last meeting that changed his opinion on the EAW. He stated he believes all the issues can be handled through permits. Councilmember Carlson stated she had hoped that her three questions would more specifically addressed in the document. The Council determined limited comments by representatives of the interested parties will be taken at the Monday night Council meeting. Councilmember Carlson requested a copy of the septic plan. This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 12, 2003, 6:30 p.m. REGULAR AGENDA, MAY 12, 2003 Item 7C, Consider 1st Reading of Ordinance No. 11 — 03, Amending Permitted Hours of Construction Set Forth in City Code, Jeff Smyser — This item was removed from the regular agenda. There were no other changes to the regular agenda. All Staff members were excused from the remainder of the meeting except City Administrator, Linda Waite Smith, Public Services Director, Rick DeGardner and City Clerk Ann Blair. PRESENTATION OF IEA REPORT — HVAC AND BUILDING ENVELOP STUDY, SLADE SMITH City Administrator Waite Smith stated the final report of the building study will be presented this evening. After the presentation meeting the Council will adjourn to a closed meeting to discuss the matter with the Attorney. Mr. Slade Smith, IEA, referred to the final copy of the building report that was delivered to the Council on Monday. He reviewed the background of this issue, as to various causes of fungal growth. Mr. Smith presented the findings of the report advising that based on the evaluation and testing of the building envelope, it appears that maintenance and design issues as well as failure in the wall systems may have contributed to the mold problem. In regard to the maintenance issue, he indicated he does not believe a thorough training of the systems was given to the City Staff. • • • CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED Mr. Smith also reviewed the recommendations outlined in the report advising further investigation of the wall systems is necessary to verify anomalies identified during the thermal imaging evaluation. That will entail some destructive investigation. If there is mortar build up, the entire building would have to be inspected. City Administrator Waite Smith stated the real issue is there may be other potential problems. Once those problems are identified, they have to be corrected. Mr. Smith excused himself from the closed portion of the meeting. The Council adjourned to a closed meeting for the purpose of discussing the building envelope issue with Attorney Joan Quade at 9:03 p.m. Following the closed meeting, at 9:27 p.m. the Council reconvened their regular work session meeting. Mr. Smith returned to the regular Council work session. Councilmember O'Donnell inquired about a time frame and estimated cost. Mr. Slade stated he has to obtain a proposal from the architect regarding the time frame. The cost to further investigate will be approximately $8,000. He stated he believes the report should be available by the beginning of June 2003. DISCUSSION REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT TO PROCEED WITH FORMULATION OF GOVERNANCE POLICIES, LINDA WAITE SMITH Mayor Bergeson stated Facilitator Emil Angelica suggested at the goal setting/team building meeting the City work on formulation of governance policies. The Council needs to determine if they would like to move forward with that. Councilmember Reinert stated the Council should have another meeting with the facilitator to finish what was started. Councilmember Carlson stated she would like to have the information prior to the meeting so she can be more prepared. The Council directed Staff to schedule another meeting with the facilitator. City Administrator Waite Smith distributed a projection of market value for the City years 2003-2008 that was previously requested by the Council. She advised that the meetings to discuss the Quad Cities Police Department are scheduled on May 22 and May 29, 2003. The meeting location will rotate alphabetically in each city. The meetings have not been advertised. The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7, 2003 APPROVED These minutes were considered, corrected and approved at the regular Council meeting held on • June 9, 2003. Ann Blair, City Clerk John Bergeson, Mayor Transcribed by: Kim Points TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. • • 9