HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/07/2004 Council Minutes•
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
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3 CITY OF LINO LAKES
4 MINUTES
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6 DATE : April 7, 2004
7 TIME STARTED : 5:35 p.m.
8 TIME ENDED : 10:10 p.m.
9 MEMBERS PRESENT : Councihnember Carlson, Dahl, Reinert
10 and Mayor Bergeson
11 MEMBERS ABSENT : Stoltz
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13 Staff members present: City Administrator, Gordon Heitke; Community Development
14 Director, Michael Grochala; City Engineer, Jim Studenski; City Planner, Jeff Smyser;
15 Public Services Director, Rick DeGardner (part); Economic Development Assistant,
16 Mary Alice Divine (part); Environmental Specialist, Marty Asleson (part) and Police
17 Sergeant, Steve Mortenson (part)
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19 COMMUNITY CELEBRATION, CHAD WAGNER
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21 Mr. Chad Wagner, Miller's on Main, indicated a memo from City Clerk Blair was
22 previously distributed to the City Council. The memo indicated a group of Lino Lakes
23 business persons organized by Mr. Wagner and Jason Anderson of First Bank have been
24 meeting regularly since January with the goal of initiating an annual community festival
25 in the City of Lino Lakes. The plans would include a weekend -long event held in late
26 summer, which has been tentatively named "Blue Heron Days." The proposed weekend
27 for the event is August 20 - 21, 2004.
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29 The festival committee has identified a number of activities including a parade, 5K race, a
30 pageant, classic car show and several related activities. The group has been working on
31 securing community support for sponsorship and ideas. The group is also seeking
32 Council direction and eventually, approval of the necessary permits to conduct the
33 festival activities.
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35 The memo indicated from Staff's perspective, the festival concept presents both
36 opportunities and challenges, as there is no similar event in existence in the City. After
37 reviewing information from other cities as to how they address community festivals, Staff
38 recommends that the request be implemented by application for three specific permits: 1)
39 a parade permit, 2) a 5K race permit, and 3) a community festival permit, which would
40 encompass events such as the car show. Separate approval would be required from
41 Anoka County for any activities that impact County roadways and food booths,
42 depending on their location. Receiving the requisite County approval would be a
43 condition of the City permit process.
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45 The memo also reviewed the City process for approval along with a timeline of necessary
46 City action.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
1 Mr. Wagner noted the route of the parade and indicated City Police would be needed for
2 the event. He stated he understands there is a financial impact for that service and he
3 hopes to have the funds to cover those costs.
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5 Mayor Bergeson advised Mr. Wagner to officially request those cost estimates from the
6 Police Department.
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8 Council directed Staff to draft a letter to the County indicating City support for the event.
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10 Councilmember Carlson advised Mr. Wagner to speak to Chief Pecchia regarding the
11 concern in relation to the sponsor of the pageant and age of entrants of the pageant.
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13 Mayor Bergeson stated all permit issues should be resolved before Council takes action
14 on the requests.
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16 This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 10, 2004, 6:30 p.m.
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18 PELTIER LAKE "NO WAKE ZONE", MARTY ASLESON
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20 Environmental Specialist Asleson advised Ordinance 03 — 02, Adopting Surface Water
21 Zoning Requirements For Peltier Lake, contains a "Sunset Clause" in section 8 of the
22 ordinance. Section 8 states the ordinance shall be repealed automatically on September 1,
23 2004.
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25 Environmental Specialist Asleson advised since the implementation of the No -Wake
26 Zone, it has been found that there has been a positive effect on the nesting habits of the
27 Great blue herons on Peltier Lake. Staff is requesting the City proceed with the process
28 to exclude the Sunset Clause within the ordinance. An amendment to the ordinance
29 approved by the City Council would exclude the Sunset Clause.
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31 Environmental Specialist Asleson distributed a letter from the Minnesota Lakes
32 Association indicating support for the exclusion of the Sunset Clause.
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34 Mayor Bergeson reviewed the proposed schedule for the removal of the Sunset Clause.
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36 Councilmember Reinert expressed concern regarding taking action on the Sunset Clause
37 prior to all information being gathered. He suggested moving back the Council action on
38 the Sunset Clause by a few weeks.
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40 It was the consensus of Council to direct staff to move forward with the ordinance
41 amendment and schedule a public hearing. Action can be delayed if any Councilmember
42 feels there is not enough information on the nesting season this spring.
43 Community Development Director Grochala advised the City should start the process to
44 get the new ordinance in effect before the Sunset Clause expires. There is flexibility on
45 action by the City Council.
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47 This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, May 10, 2004, 6:30 p.m.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
1 LAKE DRIVE/I35W INTERCHANGE STUDY, MICHAEL GROCHALA
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3 Community Development Director Grochala stated that as part of the Legacy at Woods
4 Edge development review process, a traffic study identified the necessary improvements
5 to Lake Drive that would be required to facilitate development. He reviewed the
6 necessary improvements noting while the feasibility study for the proposed
7 improvements, both internal and external to the Legacy site, is just commencing, the very
8 preliminary cost estimate for the Lake Drive improvements is approximately $2.4
9 million. It is anticipated that these improvements would be, for the most part temporary,
10 until the reconstruction of the I -35W interchange.
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12 Community Development Director Grochala stated that because of the estimated cost of
13 the Lake Drive improvements and the recognized need for improving the I -35W
14 interchange, staff is evaluating options to: 1) facilitate improvement of the interchange in
15 conjunction with the Legacy project: 2) minimize the extent of reconstruction if the
16 interchange is constructed at a later date; and 3) provide a planning base to pursue county,
17 state and/or federal funding for interchange improvements.
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19 Staff has requested a proposal from a consultant to determine the needed lane
20 configurations and geometry for the Lake Drive/I-35W interchange between Town Center
21 Parkway and Apollo Drive. Costs estimates would also be provided for the proposed
22 improvements. These services would be done for a cost not to exceed $22,500.
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• 24 Community Development Director Grochala stated given that Lake Drive improvements
25 are necessary to facilitate the Legacy at Woods Edge and YMCA project, it is staff s
26 opinion that any possibilities to incorporate the improvements into a more comprehensive
27 plan should be explored. Therefore staff is requesting City Council direction to pursue
28 the study and to approach Anoka County regarding a cost sharing. It is staff's intent to
29 bring the proposal to the City Council for authorization at the April 26, 2004, City
30 Council meeting.
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32 Council directed staff to move forward with the study as well as pursuing cost sharing
33 with Anoka County.
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35 Ms. Rhonda Sivarajah, Anoka County Commissioner, advised that typically the County
36 does share in the cost if a project is completed. She noted she has been working on
37 several interchanges within the County and trying to obtain federal funds for
38 improvements.
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40 This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, April 26, 2004, 6:30 p.m.
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42 STREET LIGHT REQUESTS, RICK DEGARDNER
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44 Public Services Director DeGardner advised that until 2001, the City had budgeted
45 dollars in the street lighting line item budget to provide funding for the installation of 1-2
46 streetlights each year. With the need to reduce the City's budget expenditures, the
• 47 provision for the budgeting for new streetlights has been eliminated since 2002.
48 Consequently, there are not any 2004 general fund dollars available for new streetlights.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
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2 Public Services Director DeGardner reviewed the current street light requests noting
3 installation costs are expected to increase 30% - 40% through this fall. Monthly
4 maintenance and utility costs for streetlights that are installed next year are expected to
5 increase from $6.00 per month to $15.00 per month. Obviously any additional
6 streetlights required the monthly maintenance and utility costs, which are budgeted in the
7 Streets Department.
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9 City Administrator Heitke indicated staff is looking for Council direction regarding street
10 light requests because currently there are no dollars budgeted for additional streetlights.
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12 Mayor Bergeson stated he believes the Council could discuss this issue during the next
13 budget process. The question is if any action should be taken prior to that process.
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15 Council directed staff to include the option of including a streetlight in the cost estimates
16 for Holly Drive and Holly Court. Council also directed staff to explore possible funding
17 sources for the installation of a streetlight at County Road 14 and Senior Center Parking
18 Lot. Staff will provide a report to the Council at a future meeting. The requests for
19 streetlights at Holly Drive and County Road J, 79th Street and Marilyn Drive, and Aqua
20 Circle (middle of the street) will be discussed during the 2005 budget process.
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22 HOLLY DRIVE LOCATION, JIM STUDENSKI
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24 City Engineer Studenski advised a neighborhood meeting was held on March 23 to
25 discuss the project and receive feedback from the residents regarding the improvements.
26 A concern was raised by several residents regarding the tree loss and the buffer loss that
27 will occur by installing the trail along the east side of Holly Drive between Cripple Creek
28 Pass and South Trappers Crossing. The property owners suggested that the trail system
29 should instead be run through the Trappers Crossing 2' and 3`d Addition current street
30 system. Following the meeting, staff has received concerns from other residents that
31 don't want the trail to be eliminated and sending traffic through the subdivision.
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33 City Engineer Studenski advised staff's review of eliminating this portion of the trail
34 system still has generally the same impacts to the trees that currently exist in the right -of -
35 way due to the grading necessary for the road construction and drainage issues. Staff has
36 been able to adjust the street and trail design to almost completely eliminate any grading
37 activity outside of the right-of-way. These changes would allow for preservation of some
38 existing trees previously identified for removal.
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40 Environmental Specialist Asleson has reviewed the area and found most of the trees
41 affected by the improvements to be of minimal value. Public Services Director
42 DeGardner supports following the City's Park and Trail System Plan, which shows the
43 trail following Holly Drive. Public Services Director DeGardner does not support using
44 the subdivision streets as the route for the trail system. Public Service has also proposed
45 additional landscaping (tree replacement) along the trail corridor.
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47 City Engineer Studenski advised staff is recommending to leave the trail system along
48 Holly Drive and to continue to try to minimize the tree loss from the improvements.
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
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• 2 Councilmember Dahl distributed a letter from Mark and Mary Payette indicating the
3 importance of safety in regard to the trail development, along with consideration to
4 minimize the tree loss in the trail design.
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6 PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN — STREET RECONSTRUCTION, JIM
7 STUDENSKI
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9 City Engineer Studenski advised that as part of the planning for maintenance of the City
10 streets, staff has updated the existing road conditions in order to plan ahead for the
11 scheduling and budgeting of these improvements. A condition rating of all the streets has
12 been performed and the streets were then placed into improvement categories depending
13 on their level of deterioration.
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15 City Engineer Studenski presented the pavement rating noting 85 miles of street areas
16 were identified. Improvements need to be made to maintain the current transportation
17 system. The pavement rating will enable the City to better budget costs pertaining to
18 street paving and maintenance. Staff will continue to work on the pavement ratings to
19 better prioritize and justify street improvement projects.
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21 City Engineer Studenski advised the Pavement Management would be presented
22 tomorrow evening at the joint City Council and Charter Commission meeting. He noted
23 that total street reconstruction typically costs approximately $1 million per mile.
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25 Community Development Director Grochala stated the City needs an effective plan for
26 long-term planning in terms of street improvement and street maintenance.
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28 Public Service Director DeGardner noted the City spent approximately $108,000 this year
29 on street improvements. That figure mainly includes materials only.
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31 City Administrator Heitke stated the City needs to take this information and develop a
32 long-term financial plan to fund street maintenance. Deferred maintenance is very costly.
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34 HOM FURNITURE PROJECT, MICHAEL GROCHALA
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36 Community Development Director Grochala advised the president and the real estate
37 director of HOM Furniture met with City staff on March 24. They are proposing to build
38 a large distribution facility and a furniture showroom on approximately 67 acres owned
39 by Gerald Rehbein on the southwest quadrant of 35E/County Road 14. Their initial
40 concept plan shows approximately 1.1 million sq. ft. of distribution showroom area.
41 Initial estimates suggest the market value of this facility will be in the range of $30
42 million.
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44 Community Development Director Grochala stated this use qualifies under the City's
45 Light Industrial zoning. The site is adjacent to existing sanitary sewer and water and is in
46 the Stage 1 growth area. The developers propose to serve the site with a road extending
• 47 from Main Street down 21' Ave., and then turning west through Centerville's industrial
48 park area. The road would not extend to Cedar Street on the south.
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
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2 Community Development Director Grochala reviewed some of the major items that
3 would need to be addressed for this project. He noted EDAC reviewed the concept plan
4 at its April 1 meeting and were in agreement that this was an excellent location for this
5 type of use. They voted unanimously, with one abstention, to recommend the City
6 Council support moving forward with this proposal.
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8 Economic Development Assistant Divine added this location would essentially be their
9 distribution center for the upper mid west. The facility may also be considered for their
10 corporate headquarters and would employ approximately 500 people. They would like
11 Council feedback regarding this proposal. There are significant hurdles to a project of
12 this size but staff believes those could be resolved in the Council has any interest in this
13 proposal.
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15 The majority of the City Council indicated there may be some possible interest in the
16 HOM Furniture project.
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18 COMMUNITY BUILDER'S COLLABORATIVE I35E MASTER PLANNING,
19 MICHAEL GROCHALA, MARY ALICE DIVINE
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21 Community Development Director Grochala advised John Feges of Benchmark
22 Community Builder Collaborative me with the City Council at a special work session on
23 March 17 regarding the 360 -acre site north County Road 14 and west of 35E. His goal at
• 24 that meeting was to explain how his development company prefers to take a team
25 approach, involving citizens and the City up front, to develop a Master Plan for a site.
26 This visioning process begins by bringing all the stakeholders together, and has
27 similarities to the 1995 City visioning process.
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29 Community Development Director Grochala stated Mr. Feges has not completed any
30 concept plans for the site. He is asking the Council to consider 1) whether this area
31 should be master planned; 2) whether this is the appropriate time to begin planning; and
32 3) what obstacles might impede the City's ability to master plan this site.
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34 Community Development Director Grochala stated the next step would be to hold a joint
35 meeting with the Council and advisory boards, if the Council wishes to move forward.
36 Staff has tentatively scheduled this meeting for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 29.
37
38 Economic Development Assistant Divine reviewed the steps Mr. Feges typically follows
39 to develop a master plan.
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41 Councilmember Carlson stated there is the question of whether or not this fits into the
42 Comprehensive Plan. She stated she does not want to make a commitment without
43 having more details. Another issue is the amount of multi -family housing in comparison
44 to single-family housing that is going to be built within the City.
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46 Councilmember Reinert stated the determining factor for him is if the City would end up
• 47 with a higher quality development through this process as opposed to allowing the area to
48 develop on its own.
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 7, 2004
NOT APPROVED BY MAJORITY OF COUNCIL ON 06-28-2004
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2 Councilmember Dahl stated she is very interested in the process but is also reserved. The
3 property owner has initiated this property's development. There are costs associated to
4 that. She stated she believes they will request a tax increment financing district (TIF).
5 She did indicate, however, this would be a good process to go through for development.
6
7 Councilmember Carlson stated she believes the City should go into the process and
8 investigate it.
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10 Council directed staff to set up a meeting on April 29 and inform the City's advisory
11 boards.
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13 SEWER SERVICE REQUEST — GREEN VALUE NURSERY, JIM STUDENSKI
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15 City Engineer Studenski advised the City received a letter from Green Value Nursery
16 located at 8301 20th Avenue North requesting sanitary sewer be extended to their
17 property. Staff has reviewed this request and determined it is not feasible to extend
18 sanitary sewer to their property at this time.
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20 City Engineer indicated it is staff' s intent to send a letter to Green Value Nursery
21 indicating their request is not feasible.
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23 REGULAR AGENDA, APRIL 12, 2004
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25 Item 6E, Century Farm North — Councilmember Carlson requested copies and
26 information of what occurred in terms of the park dedication for this development.
27 There were no other changes to the regular agenda.
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29 The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.
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31 These minutes were considered, but not approved by a majority of the Council at the regular
32 Council meeting held on June 28, 2004.
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37 Ann Bla , City Clerk
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41 Transcribed by:
42 Kim Points
43 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
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Bergeson, Mayor