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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/13/2019LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 5 August 13, 2019 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. Roll CaII Councilors present: Roxanne Grove, Kelly Dolphin, Jeff Dains, Andi Moffatt, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. Councilors absent: None. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Miles Cline, Deputy City Clerk. Approvals Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any additions to the meeting agenda. Gaasch stated that she would like to add membership to the Leadership St. Paul program to the Additional Items section. There being nothing else, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the July 23, 2019 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Dolphin moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to approve the minutes of the July 23, 2019 city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the claims totaling $123,978.82. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the Consent Agenda thereby approving the 2019 Infrastructure Improvement Project Pay Request No. 3 and the performance agreement with Blue Stratum for the August Farmers Market. Informational Presentations/Reports A. 2019 Infrastructure Improvement Project Administrator Butkowski provided an overview of progress on the project. 13. Farmers Market — August 15 Assistant to the City Administrator Bownik highlighted the vendors and entertainment for the August 15 Farmers Market. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 5 August 13, 2019 C. City Council Updates Councilor Dains shared that he and Councilor Grove participated in the community cleanup event. Dains also visited all of the Lauderdale Night to Unite parties and will attend a Ramsey County League of Local Government meeting. Councilor Grove added that she picked up 30 pounds of trash during the cleanup. Councilor Moffatt and Mayor Gaasch stated that they enjoyed all of the community participation from the various block parties. Public Hearings A. Public Comment of Conditional Use Permit Application by Lauderdale BP to Open Service Bays Bownik approached the Council to present the conditional use permit application submitted by Lauderdale BP to reopen three service bays for automobile service and repair. Mayor Gaasch opened the floor at 7:54 p.m. to anyone in attendance that wanted to address the Council on this matter. Anne Feider, 1698 Eustis Street, expressed her concerns about an 8 p.m. closing time, overnight parking, and the potential for garbage collection issues. There being no other parties interested in speaking, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor at 7:58 p.m. Council members expressed their general support for the reopening of the service pays if impacts to neighbors could be addressed. This discussion will continue with the official public hearing which will be held at the September 10 city council meeting. Discussion/Action Items A. Redevelopment of Luther Seminary Owned Land — Presentation by CommonBond Communities and Master Properties Minnesota, LLC David Motzenbecker presented the concept plans for the land they are purchasing from Luther Seminary. The presentation emphasized their vision of creating affordable family housing on the Lauderdale portion of the property in addition to preserving some of "Breck Woods." Council members asked them to address in particular the financial commitment they were asking of the City to support the affordable housing, their plans for preservation of the woods, access to and within the site, their lack of community engagement to date, and storm water mitigation. Cecile Bedor, Executive Vice President of Real Estate at CommonBond Communities, addressed the affordable housing questions. She said they did not exactly know yet the financial pieces that would be needed to pull the project together. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 5 August 13, 2019 Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to anyone in attendance that wanted to address the Council on this matter. Cynthia Ahlgren, 1563 Fulham Street, stated that she was a member of Friends of Breck Woods. She was concerned about the development of the alleyway behind Fulham Street, building on sloped land, the recharge aquifer in the woods, and the size of the clearing required to build what was proposed. Wayne Sisel, 1567 Fulham Street, stated that he is also a member of Friends of Breck Woods. He was worried about the number of units proposed, tree loss, erosion, and run off. Marie Minervini, 2135 Hoyt Avenue West, Falcon Heights, was apprehensive about the 500 proposed units and its impact on Como Avenue and on -street parking in the neighborhood. Michelle Mason-Bizri, 1588 Fulham Street, Falcon Heights, said she represented the University Grove Homeowners Association. The Association feels left out of the discussion and have concerns about the impact of the project to abutting neighborhoods. Josh Hauser, 1778 Eustis Street, stated that the dead trees mentioned by the developer are still valuable to the environment. He continued to say that he would like to see Lauderdale live up to its Green Step City status. Steve Ahlgren, 1563 Fulham Street, believed that substantial tree removal would be involved in this project, and would like to see an environmental committee created. Ann Dains, 1743 Carl Street, shared her concerns about the loss of a critical mass of habitat this project would create. Steve Merrill, 1794 Eustis Street, stated his concerns about how much change Lauderdale can handle. He is worried about the wood chapel on the St. Paul side of the site and protecting the site in general. The council took a short recess from 9:19 p.m. to 9:27 p.m. B. Abandonment of Front Yard Parking and Establishment of Rear Yard Parking at 1811-1813 Eustis Street Butkowski said as part of the 2019 Infrastructure Improvement Project, the City identified driveways that don't conform to code and researched whether the City or County had permitted them. Where records didn't show the driveways were lawful, staff notified the owners that curbing would be installed but the City could remove gravel and reestablish grass if they wished. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 5 August 13, 2019 At 1811-1813 Eustis Street, the owner was informed barrier curbing would be installed at 1811 Eustis Street, but they would receive a curb cut for 1813 Eustis Street as they had the ability to create a code compliant driveway and parking pad on that side of the duplex. After considering the options, the owner asked that both access points be closed so that he could create parking off the rear of his property via the alley. As it is a duplex, he would like to create adequate parking to get tenants vehicles off the street to comply with winter parking rules and because parking on the west side of Eustis Street was eliminated. Previously, the City has allowed this in other two -to -four unit dwellings. The issue has not arisen in some time and recent revisions to the driveway and parking ordinance do not adequately address it. The limitations on parking pad size stem from the presumption that they supplement existing driveways and garages (creating 2-3 parking spaces on lots). In order to accommodate the necessary parking, the owner of the duplex would need to exceed the 240 square foot limit. He would like to create space for six vehicles. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to allow for the creation of up to six parking spaces off the alley at 1811-1813 Eustis Street subject to the owner completing agreements necessary to permanently eliminate the parking off of Eustis Street. This was seconded by Councilor Grove and carried unanimously. Additional Items A. Leadership St. Paul Program Mayor Gaasch asked the Council for support in joining the Leadership St. Paul program to have increased interaction with the broader local community. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to support Mayor Gaasch joining the Leadership St. Paul program. This was seconded by Councilor Dolphin and carried unanimously. Set Agenda for Next Meeting Administrator Butkowski stated that the August 27 council meeting may include GARE training, and the 2020 Budget and Levy. Work Session A. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to anyone in attendance that wanted to address the Council. Heather Brian, 1778 Eustis Street, was interested in knowing the timeline for the church project. Edisson Siouffy, SuperUSA owner, stated that he is interested in purchasing the service station next door to his business. He was open to establishing a business the council wants to see in that location. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 5 of 5 August 13, 2019 There being no other parties interested in speaking, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. B. Housing Revenue Bonds and Affordable Housing Tax Credit Discussion with Staff from Ehlers and Associates At the last meeting, the Council discussed the State's method of allocating housing revenue bonds and tax credits. This is the process Real Estate Equities was working through to finance the redevelopment of 1795 Eustis Street. Patrick Ostrom of Real Estate Equities and Keith Dahl of Ehlers and Associates provided an update on the August allocation process and the group discussed strategies for the securing financing in the January 2020 allocation cycle. C. 2020 Budget and Levy Discussion Administrator Butkowski walked through a preliminary version of the 2020 budget and levy with the Council. The budget was a best guess as the fiscal disparities numbers have not been released. D. Community Development Updates Butkowski stated that all of the Eustis Street houses previously owned by the City have been sold. She also stated that construction of new homes has begun on the Walnut Street and Fulham Street properties as well. Adj ournment Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to adjourn the meeting at 10:23 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk