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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/24/2006 Council Minutes (3)COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES DATE : April 24, 2006 TIME STARTED : 7:00 p.m. TIME ENDED : 8:10 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT : Councilmember Carlson, O'Donnell, Reinert, Stoltz and Mayor Bergeson MEMBERS ABSENT : None Staff members present: City Administrator, Gordon Heitke; City Attorney, Barry Sullivan; Finance Director, Al Rolek; City Planner, Jeff Smyser; Community Development Director, Michael Grochala; City Engineer, Jim Studenski; Associate Planner, Paul Bengtson; and City Clerk, Julianne Bartell OPEN MIKE No one was present for open mike. SETTING THE AGENDA Item 1G, Consider Approval of April 5, 2006 Special City Council Minutes (Joint meeting with Advisory Boards) was removed from the consent agenda. The agenda was approved as amended. STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS — MAYOR BERGESON Mayor Bergeson advised the Governor proclaimed last Saturday, April 22, 2006 as Art Hawkins Day in remembrance of Mr. Hawkins, a long time Lino Lakes resident who was an environmental advocate. Mayor Bergeson also stated the County received a $10,000 grant from R.E.I. to plant trees in the County park. Mayor Bergeson presented the annual State of the City Address. A copy of the Mayor's State of the City Address can be found at the end of these minutes. CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember Reinert moved to approve the Consent Agenda, as amended. Councilmember O'Donnell seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. ITEM Consideration of Expenditures: ACTION April 24, 2006 (Check No. 76389 — 76505, $593,181.53) Approved 1 COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED IIICentennial fire District (Check No. 15132 — • • 15176, $24,653.44) Approved Accepting Donation from Centennial Firefighters Relief Assn. For Replacement of Defibrillators in Centennial Schools Resolution No. 06-62, Approving Issuance of On -Sale Wine and Beer License, Sunday Sales, for Poblano's Mexican Restaurant, 730 Apollo Drive Resolution No. 06-63, Approving the Premises Permit Application by Centennial Youth Hockey Association to Conduct Charitable Gambling at Miller's on Main Approval of February 20 and 21, 2006 City Council Retreat Minutes Approval of April 3, 2006 Council Work Session Minutes Resolution No. 06-61, Accepting Bids and Awarding Contract, 2006 Overlay Project, Jim Studenski Resolution No. 06-60, Accepting Bids and Awarding Contract, 2006 Sealcoat Project, Jim Studenski Resolution No. 06-59, Authorizing Execution of Development Agreement, Century Farm North 4th Addition, Jim Studenski Resolution No. —6-69, Approving Final Plat of Century Farm North 4th Addition, Paul Bengtson Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved Approved FINANCE DEPARTMENT REPORT, AL ROLEK There was no report from the Finance Department. ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT REPORT, DAN TESCH There was no report from the Administration Department. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT REPORT, DAVE PECCHIA There was no report from the Public Safety Department. 2 • COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT REPORT, RICK DEGARDNER There was no report from the Public Service Department. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT REPORT Consideration of Resolution No. 06-53, Conditional Use Permit for Accessory Drive Through Facility and Restaurant Outdoor Dining Facilities, Millers Crossroads Shopping Center, Jeff Smyser — City Planner Smyser advised the Millers Crossroads development was approved in 2003 with Resolution No. 03-142. The project includes one commercial lot at the corner of Birch St. and Hodgson Road. This lot received approval for a conditional use permit for a daycare business that would have filled part of the commercial building. That business did not materialize and the building was never constructed. City Planner Smyser stated the current proposal includes a coffee shop in the east end of the building and a Subway sandwich shop in the west end. The applicant has requested a conditional use permit for an accessory drive through and outdoor seating for the coffee shop. Each of these is a conditional use, and staff has combined them into one conditional use permit. A public hearing was held on the request. If the drive through and outdoor seating facilities were not requested, the project would be reviewed administratively. The proposed building is almost exactly the same as what was approved in 2003, but with some improvements in materials. City Planner Smyser advised the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approving the project with 11 conditions. Two conditions have been met with revised plans. The remaining nine conditions are included in Resolution No. 06-53. Mr. Greg Schlenk, 3465 Longview Drive, came forward and stated he is representing the developer and is present to answer and Council questions. Councilmember Reinert moved to table Resolution No. 06-53, to the next City Council meeting for further discussion and review at the next Council work session. Councilmember O'Donnell seconded the motion. The Council determined further review would include the grading plan from the original development, additional screening for residents and drive through uses on that site. Motion passed unanimously. Consideration of Resolution No. 06-70, Amending the Planned Unit Development Conditional User Permit to Allow for Building Height in Excess of the District Standards and Revisions to the Site Layout, Apollo Landing, Paul Bengtson — Associate Planner Bengtson advised Equinox Development was previously approved by the City Council for a hotel that is proposed for lot 1 of the plan. The final plat application included the final building plans for the hotel as well as the final plat • for the site. Associate Planner Bengtson stated the developer is now requesting to add an additional floor of rooms increasing the total to 113 rooms. This will mean a five story structure with a height of 46 feet. 3 COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED • These heights are simply the roof deck height. Parapets will extend beyond that height; previously the parapet would have met the ordinance limit, while the current proposal will extend the parapets to 4.5 feet and 7 feet. • Associate Planner Bengtson stated that because the original approval tied the height of the buildings in Apollo Landing back to the zoning ordinance; and because Section 3 Subdivision 4 Letter C which is titled "Height" requires a Conditional Use Permit to exceed the height standards of the zoning district provisions, this request is considered an amendment to the existing conditional use permit for the planned unit development on the site and an amendment to the planned unit development final plan for the hotel itself. Associate Planner Bengtson noted a fifth condition of approval has been added per the Council work session: All roof mounted equipment shall be screened from view. Councilmember Carlson moved to approve Resolution No. 06-70, based on conditions in the staff report as well as the additional condition that all roof mounted equipment shall be screened from view. Councilmember Stoltz seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Legacy at Woods Edge Improvement Project, Michael Grochala Consideration of Resolution No. 06-66, Accepting Bids and Awarding Contract, Legacy at Woods Edge Phase 2 — Street Lighting Project — Community Development Director Grochala advised sealed bids were received and publicly opened on March 30, 2006. The bid package included two components as outlined in the staff report. Community Development Director Grochala stated the low bid received was submitted W. H. Response of Rockford, Minnesota in the amount of $628,935.84. The bid is approximately 35% under the engineers estimate. Councilmember O'Donnell moved to approve Resolution No. 06-66, as presented. Councilmember Reinert seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Consideration of Resolution No. —6-67, Accepting Bids and Awarding Contract, Legacy at Woods Edge Phase 3 — Streetscaping Improvement Project - Community Development Director Grochala advised sealed bids were received and publicly opened on March 23, 2006. The bid package included four components as outlined in the staff report. Community Development Director Grochala stated the low bid received was submitted by Jay Bros, Inc., of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of $1,549.732.38. Staff recommends adoption of Resolution No. 06-67 awarding the Base Bid to Jay Bros. Inc., of Forest Lake, Minnesota in the amount of $725,352.61. The resolution also reserves the City's right to award the Alternate 1 bid no later than October 24, 2006 per an agreement with Jay Bros., and rejects Bid Alternates 2 and 3. Councilmember Stoltz moved to approve Resolution No. 06-67, as presented. Councilmember Carlson seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Consideration of Resolution No. 06-68, Authorizing I -35E Corridor Roadway Improvement Cost Allocation Study, Michael Grochala — Community Development Director Grochala stated 4 • COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED during the last three years the City of Lino Lakes has worked extensively with Anoka County and the I-35W/E Coalition to pursue the reconstruction of the I-35E/Main Street Interchange. Those efforts have been successful in receiving federal funding for preliminary and final design work in the amount of $1,000,000. Additionally, the project has recently been selected for federal funding in the amount of $5,500,000 for construction in the 2009-2010 program funding years. Community Development Director Grochala stated staff has received a proposal from SRF Consulting Group, In., to prepare a Roadway Improvement Cost Allocation Study. The study will outline the roadway infrastructure improvements necessary to support future growth in this area over the next 25 years. Additionally, the costs associated with these improvements will be allocated to the appropriate existing and future development based on traffic generation. SRF is proposing to prepare the study in the amount of $16,000. Community Development Director Grochala advised the study is proposed to be funded from state dollars available to the City associated with the turn back of Trunk Highway 49. Anoka County has also indicated their interest in cost sharing the study up to 50%. Councilmember Reinert moved to approve Resolution No. 06-68, as presented. Councilmember O'Donnell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Consider February 27, 2006 Work Session Minutes (Councilmember Stoltz was absent) — Councilmember Reinert moved to approve the February 27, 2006 Work Session Minutes as presented. Councilmember Carlson seconded the motion. Motion passed with Councilmember Stoltz abstaining. Consider February 27, 2006 City Council Meeting Minutes (Councilmember Stoltz was absent) — Councilmember Reinert moved to approve the February 27, 2006 City Council Meeting Minutes as presented. Councilmember Carlson seconded the motion. Motion passed with Councilmember Stoltz abstaining. NEW BUSINESS There was no New Business. COMMUNITY CALENDAR APRIL 25, 2006 THROUGH MAY 8, 2006: Environmental Board Meeting, Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m. Park Board Meeting, Monday, May 1, 6:30 p.m. ADJOURN • There being no further business, Councilmember O'Donnell moved to adjourn at 8:10 p.m. Councilmember Carlson seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. 5 COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting, May 8, 2006. Juli. , e Bartell, Ci Clerk Transcribed by: Kim Points TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. STATE OF THE CITY 2006 ieffbi elird"U John Bergeson, Mayor As Mayor of the City of Lino Lakes, it is my privilege each year to deliver the State of the City address. It provides an opportunity to review our progress and share the course we are setting for the future. It is vitally important that we, as city officials, leverage our city's assets to the benefit of our residents and business owners. Our recently completed resident survey shows that location, natural amenities, neighborhoods and schools are what attract people to this community. It is our goal to ensure that what is highly valued by our residents is preserved, while providing conveniences, housing opportunities and additional tax base for our residents. This year, I want to take a look back to the hopes and dreams of the community 10 years ago when we completed a major public initiative called 20/20 Vision. I also want to briefly highlight some of the accomplishments of our city depai Intents. First the 20/20 vision in review: It's time to examine whether we have made progress towards that vision. In doing so, I would hope to set the stage for the new visioning process we will be undertaking later this summer. The 20/20 Vision participants from 10 years ago imagined the future Lino Lakes, and then recommended ways to move the city toward that vision. Major focuses of that process were on Growth Planning, the Environment, Parks, and Commercial Development. The Growth Planning Advisory Group called for "a plan that would control the type and quality of growth in a manner that would ultimately provide the benefits of available commercial services, broadened tax base, and city services, and yet still preserve the character of Lino Lakes." The Environmental Advisory Group recommendations included: • The enactment of zoning regulations, ordinances and special efforts to preserve areas of special environmental importance. • It recommended locating trails, buffers, and greenway corridors for maximum benefit to wildlife and to provide recreation opportunities. • Their recommendations asked for a master plan. The Environmental Advisory Group asked the city to provide resources that encourage the dedication of private property to complement the city's natural resource base. The Parks Advisory Group recommendations in the 20/20 Vision Plan were: • To develop a detailed development and construction plan specifically for trails. 6 • • COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED • To map current and future trails and to develop a long-term planning relationship with Anoka County to provide connections between the city and county trail systems. The final section of the 20/20 Vision Plan deals with Commercial Development. That advisory group said the city should pursue commercial business with characteristics that "fit" the community, including ones that are compatible with the environment, provide a business center, support multiple types of zoning, and support community activities and family values. Tonight I am proud to say that the city has made much progress towards these recommendations, and has set the stage for how we can continue to grow in a way that protects, enhances and preserves our valuable amenities. Lino Lakes was one of the first cities in the state to complete a detailed natural resources inventory. Our "Parks, Natural Open Space/Greenways and Trail System Plan" is a comprehensive study of our natural resources and provides guiding principles for the future. Those principles include: • An interconnected network of natural landscapes, greenways, parks and trails. • Finding ways to foster a high quality living environment within the context of ecological protection, land stewardship, long-term sustainability and economic viability. Now, those are all very lofty words. But words in a study by themselves don't accomplish much. It was critical to find a way to implement these principles. The city took a significant step forward when it amended the growth management ordinance in 2004 to encourage ecologically based "Conservation Development". This amendment has since brought recognition to Lino Lakes for being on the leading edge of "Conservation Development." Other cities, environmental and planning organizations, and the development community, are turning to Lino Lakes to find out how we're making it work. The idea was to provide design flexibility in creating new neighborhoods to achieve desired public values. Our first "Conservation Development" is underway. It has received much attention because it is environmentally sustainable, and workable. Our "Parks, Natural Open Space/Greenways, and Trail System Plan" can be implemented and paid for largely with private development dollars. In the past year our city staff has been asked to speak about conservation development at conferences sponsored by the Regional Greenways Collaborative, the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association, the Minnesota Depal lment of Natural Resources, the American Planning Association, and Minnesota Land Trust. The Pioneer Press recently reported on the Foxborough Estates conservation development in Lino Lakes. So, we now have a plan and a way to implement that plan. We are proud of our progress. We have tools, resources and experience we did not have 10 years ago. Since 2003, the city has increased funding for trail development. We have partnered with Anoka County to provide a paved trail segment connecting the Town Center with the regional park trail system. Soon, residents will be able to get from Pheasant Hills to city hall and the YMCA via off-road trails. Anyone who has lived in this city for any length of time is aware of the years of planning this city has put into creating a "downtown" Lino Lakes. We are proud to say it is underway, and the initiative we took as a city is paying off. As the 20/20 Vision Commercial Development Group recommended, it is compatible with the environment, provides a business center, supports multiple types of zoning, and supports community activities and family values. 7 • COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED Country Inn and Suites is going up, and townhomes are going through approvals. The YMCA is holding its groundbreaking on May 10. Anoka County has selected Lino Lakes Town Center for a future regional resource library. Hampton Inn is also building on the north side of 35W, and we are getting additional users in the Target/Kohl's development. The 20/20 Commercial Development advisory group also promoted "Community Unity" through better communication between city officials and citizens. Communications with residents, I believe, continues to improve. The city received high praise for the very public way that the environmental review of the 35W Corridor (the AUAR) was handled before its adoption last year. Our website is filled with information and is easy to use. We learned from the recent survey that 83% of our residents read the newsletter, which is considerably higher than the norm for suburban cities. We televise and replay our council and advisory board meetings on cable. Our staff is involved in the local chamber, and other local business organizations. Our recently completed city survey is a vital tool that provides insight into the residents' perceptions about the community. It was rewarding to receive such positive responses. It is also necessary and helpful to hear the negatives, and it helps us know where to focus our attention. An abbreviated summary of survey results will be in your next newsletter, and the full results will be on the city website soon. The city also plans to run a series of follow-up guest columns in the Quad Press to provide more detail to residents regarding the survey results. We continue to work on communication with our citizens, and look forward to resident involvement in our visioning process this summer. Another 20/20 Vision recommendation in 1996 was to monitor the adequacy of our roads and work with other agencies on transportation issues. We all know that transportation needs and lack of funding have grown dramatically since 1996 across the metro area. We are taking aggressive action, in cooperation with Anoka County and MN/Dot, to find ways to fund improvements at the 35W and 35E interchanges. Federal funds for 35E are programmed for 2009 construction, and we continue to work toward funding for the 35W interchange in 2007. Over the past 10 years we have made significant progress towards the goals of the 20/20 vision. We have an excellent base to begin our new visioning process and we look forward to a collaborative visioning process this summer. We were less successful in 2005 in funding the reconstruction of some of our most deteriorated local roads. The Lino Lakes City Charter does not allow general fund dollars to be used for local road reconstruction without voter approval. In 2005, for the second time, a road referendum was defeated. It is our role as elected city officials to provide basic services such as roads to our citizens. We are dependent upon support of residents to do this. It is not in the best financial interest of this city to continue to allow deterioration of our local road system. The city is undertaking a financial analysis this summer to study, among other things, our assessment policies, street maintenance and reconstruction schedules, outstanding debt and financing decisions, and reduction of state aids. Periodic review and adjustment is critical, and tough decisions, based on updated projections, need to be made. Our city council makes decisions based on the needs of the community and its affect on local property taxes. I'm pleased to say that the city portion of your tax dollar has again decreased. In 2004 it was 36% of your • property tax bill. In 2005 it was 35%, and in 2006 it was 34%. It's not a huge decrease, but in light on the increasing demands for services and amenities, I am proud that we are able to hold the line as we do. POLICE DEPARTMENT 8 • • COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 24, 2006 APPROVED I want to again acknowledge and honor Officer Shawn Silvera. His death in the line of duty in September 2005 truly moved us all and brought us together as a community in a new way. While we grieved, we found strength in the many people who united with us to share in commemorating our fallen hero. Shawn's wife, Jennifer, and his children, Jordan and Madelynn, will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Legislation has been proposed to designate the portion of I-35 from the site of the accident north to Washington County 2 (Broadway Street) in Forest Lake in Officer Silvera's honor. Representative Ray Vandeveer has authored this bill in the House, along with Representative Phil Krinkie. Senator Michele Bachmann is authoring a version of the bill in the Senate, along with Senator Mady Reiter. We are proud to be able to honor Officer Silvera's memory in this way. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Our finance department is always looking for ways to save costs. Just one example is the refinancing of bonds in 2005, which saved the city $123,000. And for the 10th year in a row, it has received national recognition for its financial management by being awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officer's Association. PARKS DEPARTMENT Our parks division of our public services department installed the Birch Street trail in 2005, a major link from Blackduck Drive to Pheasant Hills Drive. The dedicated staff is consistently renovating and replacing parks equipment, planting and replacing trees and seeding, sodding, and mulching our public areas to keep this city green. Our recreation division started on-line registration for recreation programs, processed 3,545 registrations, and held all the many regular and special events that become increasingly popular with each passing year—from the Family Turkey Shoot to tennis programs to summer playground activities. PUBLIC WORKS Our public works division patches our streets, replaces public signage, trims and removes trees. Our utilities division keeps our sewer and water systems operational and safe. They adopted Part 2 of the city's Wellhead Protection Plan and a Vulnerability Assessment Plan in 2005. BUILDING SERVICES Our building services in 2005 issued a total of 1,364 building permits for new construction and improvements valued at almost $54 million. Of these permits, 196 were for new construction of single family residences and townhomes, valued at almost $38 million. Commercial and industrial new construction and additions totaled over $6 million. CONCLUSION I want to thank the members of the city council and our excellent staff who, year after year, work so hard to make Lino Lakes a better place to live. I particularly want to thank our residents who took the time to participate in the recent survey, for your interest and attention to this community, and for your support. 9