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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL MINUTES 09151998 Meeting Sheet VIII) VIII VIII VIII VIII VIII IIII IIII 100875 Box: 19 Folder: PL MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1998 Document: PL MINUTES 09151998 1 _ CITY OF ST. ANTHONY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 3 SEPTEMBER 15, 1998 4 I. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 5 The meeting was called to order at 8:00 P.M. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Chair 6 Bergstrom. 7 II. ROLL CALL. 8 Commissioners present: Chair Bergstrom; Commissioners Horst, Kaczor, Makowske, and 9 Thompson. 10 Commissioners absent: Commissioner Gondorchin. 11 Also present: Kim Moore-Sykes, Management Assistant. 12 III. APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 18, 1998 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING 13 AGENDA. 14 Motion by Kaczor, second by Makowske to approve the August 18, 1998 Planning Commission 15 Meeting Agenda as presented. 16 17 Motion carried unanimously. 'I8 IV. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 18, 1998 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES. 19 Motion by Horst, second by Kaczor to approve the August 18, 1998 Planning Commission 20 Meeting Minutes with the following changes: 21 Page 3, after line 7, add "The City Attorney through Ms. Moore-Sykes indicated the size 22 variance was allowable within the garage setback permit." 23 24 Page 3, after line 34, add "In the absence of locating property iron, Mr. Jensen was instructed to 25 have a property survey completed prior to construction." 26 27 Page 4, line 42, change "Parks Commission's" to "Silver Point Park's" 28 29 Page 5, line 26, after "minor" add "technical" 30 31 Page 5, line 30, replace "apply" with "fit well" 32 33 Page 5, line 31, insert "from the Commissioners" after "suggestions" 34 35 Page 6, line 5, insert "fertilizer portion of the ordinance" after "proposed" 36 Page 7, line 5, change "attended" to "saw on television" 39 Page 7, line 8, insert "city-owned" before "liquor" Planning Commission Meeting Minutes • September 15, 1998 Page 2 1 Motion carried unanimously. 2 3 V. DESIGNATION OF PLANNING COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE TO THE CITY 4 COUNCIL. 5 Chair Bergstrom agreed to attend the September 22, 1998 City Council meeting. 6 VI. PUBLIC HEARING. -None. 7 VII. OTHER BUSINESS. 8 1. Welcome to NewlAppointed Planning Commissioner, GeorWagner. 9 Chair Bergstrom welcomed George Wagner to the Planning Commission, stating he was pleased 10 to hear of Mr. Wagner's nomination at the last regular City Council meeting. He added 11 Commissioner Wagner is appointed as an interim member through the end of the year. 12 2. Planning Proposal from Richard Krier. 13 Ms. Moore-Sykes introduced Richard Krier, who submitted a proposal in May 1998 in response 14 to the City's request for planning proposals for St. Anthony Shopping Center. Bergstrom dwelcomed Mr. Krier to the meeting. 17 Mr. Krier stated his interest in developing Kenzie Terrace which he believes can be done in a 18 relatively short amount of time. He added he has been involved in planning and redevelopment 19 for over 30 years in a variety of capacities in many different cities. He stated since the early 20 1980's he has been involved in many projects for the City of St. Anthony. Mr. Krier stated his 21 proven consulting specialization is the redevelopment of first ring suburbs and inner city 22 neighborhoods. 23 24 Mr. Krier proposed the Commission begin to consider the "what" in redeveloping Kenzie Terrace 25 as opposed to the "how". He added he will provide economic data, spend an evening with the 26 Planning Commission and City Council, and arrive at a strategy for Kenzie Terrace. He will 27 provide a 2-page summary of the economic data as well as a final report outlining the proposed 28 direction and vision for the Kenzie Terrace project. 29 30 Mr. Krier outlined the following options for the development of Kenzie Terrace: city park; 31 neighborhood shopping center; residential property; office showroom; or offices. He added it 32 will be necessary to determine whether the area can maintain a good neighborhood shopping 33 center. 34 35 Bergstrom asked whether the data provided by Mr. Krier would be presented in such a way that 36 conclusions could be drawn. Mr. Krier confirmed the data will give an indication of economic 'It conditions and whether the neighborhood economy is strong enough to support redevelopment. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes • September 15, 1998 Page 3 1 Horst stated if a general meeting is held, each member of the Planning Commission and City 2 Council has preconceived ideas about what they would like to see in Kenzie Terrace, and it will 3 be necessary to arrive at a consensus to direct the process. Mr. Krier agreed that by the end of 4 the evening there will be a consensus as the economic data provided will guide the decision. 5 6 Bergstrom asked whether Mr. Krier had questions for the Planning Commission. Mr. Krier 7 requested the Planning Commission's commitment to the process and to arriving at a decision. 8 9 Bergstrom thanked Mr. Krier for his proposal and added the Commission would deliberate and 10 he would be contacted in the near future. 11 3. Report from Parks Commission. 12 Bergstrom welcomed Parks Commissioner Koehntop to the meeting. Koehntop stated Wagner 13 also serves on the Parks Commission as a representative of Community Services and would 14 hopefully be able to assist with any questions the Planning Commission might have. Koehntop 15 stated his primary purpose was to update the Planning Commission on recent developments with 16 regard to the planning of Silver Point Park. Koehntop stated all of Silver Point Park will be excavated and lowered to become a storm water 19 holding area. He presented a depiction of the proposed elevation, new amenities and features. 20 He added a concern of residents near the park is the threat of stray balls from the ballfield which 21 have caused much damage for residents along Silver Lake Road. Wagner stated the lower level 22 of the park will help with that problem. 23 24 Bergstrom asked whether all existing structures would be removed and replaced. Koehntop 25 confirmed that none of the existing structures are salvageable. He added the picnic shelter and 26 warming shelter will be combined into one structure. 27 28 Koehntop stated the planners are proposing to stock pile the material to be excavated from Silver 29 Point Park. He that added the stock pile would be located in Central Park which will need to be 30 regraded next year and would therefore benefit from the stock pile. He stated the School Board 31 has reservations about this proposal with regard to the size of the stock pile and whether the park 32 will be usable. 33 34 Wagner stated the excavation and stock pile will be bid as an option. He added the proposal 35 seems to be a reasonable arrangement. 36 4. Storm Water Management Ordinance Recommendation. 37 Bergstrom distributed a draft memo outlining the Planning Commission's recommended changes to Draft Ordinance 1988-010 regarding Storm Water Management Practices. He reviewed Planning Commission Meeting Minutes • September 15, 1998 Page 4 1 specific suggestions for changes to language in the ordinance, as well as general 2 recommendations with regard to the scope of the document. 3 4 Bergstrom recommended the ordinance should be broken into two classes: commercial 5 residential and individual homeowners, which is not yet written. Horst stated the Planning 6 Commission is fortunate to have the benefit of Bergstrom's familiarity with water management. 7 8 Horst asked whether compliance with the Metropolitan Council will be maintained. Ms. Moore- 9 Sykes stated the water management plan meets their broad requirements and is therefore 10 acceptable. 11 5. Implementation Process for Update Comprehensive Plan 12 Bergstrom reviewed a draft memo reviewing the Planning Commission's recommendations for 13 the implementation of the 1998 Comprehensive Plan. He stated the memo itemizes those issues 14 and opportunities which the Planning Commission believes are necessary to implementation of 15 the Plan. 16 Bergstrom stated the Planning Commission had identified 3 focus issues as itemized in the memo: 19 1) Commercial redevelopment. This includes the redevelopment of Apache Plaza and St. 20 Anthony Shopping Center. Bergstrom stated the slow decline of the shopping center 21 exemplifies lack of direction on the part of the City. 22 23 Horst stated it is unfair to use such characterization when in fact the shopping center has 24 seen vast improvements since 1979. He added that he and other merchants have worked 25 hard to improve the quality of the center and are pleased with the progress and viability of 26 the center. 27 28 Bergstrom stated he would amend the memo to reflect Horst's comments. 29 30 Bergstrom drew attention to the recommendation that the City hire a half-time economic 31 development specialist to focus on redevelopment issues. He added the revenues from 32 the increase in property taxes as a result of this employee's efforts would offset the salary 33 dollars spent. 34 35 Horst stated the property manager for the Shopping Center works hard to attract new 36 tenants, and he questioned the ability of a City employee to be more effective. Bergstrom 37 stated the right person would have a set of skills to include an in depth knowledge of state 38 requirements and statutes; ability to take bids and acquire property; and work as liaison between the City and developers. 40 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes September 15, 1998 • Page 5 1 Wagner stated finding someone with such skill sets who is willing to work part-time 2 could be difficult Bergstrom stated it is possible, as he recently hired an MBA graduate 3 to work part-time in his office. 4 5 2) Maintenance of Residential Housing Stock. This is central to the ordinance and its 6 goals. Bergstrom recalled Marlene Szurak, Planning Commission Chair for Columbia 7 Heights, who stated that neighborhood residential housing stock problems could have 8 been avoided if the City had adopted a "housing code with teeth in it." 9 _ 10 3) City Infrastructure. This includes community "identity" projects such as the brick-like 11 crosswalks on 33rd Avenue. Bergstrom stated it is these amenities which make St. 12 Anthony a special place. 13 14 Horst commended Bergstrom for his hard work in preparing the draft recommendations. Wagner 15 added the memo contained good information. 16 17 Bergstrom asked whether the Commission wished to present the recommendations to the City Council with revisions to the section regarding St. Anthony Shopping Center, incorporating 49 Horst's comments. 20 21 Motion by Wagner, second by Kaczor to present the Recommendations of the Planning 22 Commission Regarding Implementation of 1998 Comprehensive Plan. 23 Motion carried unanimously. 24 VIII. COMMENTS. 25 Wagner stated he had reviewed the last few Commission meeting minutes, and was impressed by 26 the wide range of issues covered. He added he is pleased to be a part of the Commission once 27 again. 28 29 Kaczor stated he placed several phone calls regarding the sale of the Salvation Army camp and 30 made contact with Al Sanger, who works on special projects for the DNR. He added Mr. Sanger 31 had spoken to Mike Mornson, City Manager, and he understood the asking price for the camp 32 was $6 million. 33 34 Kaczor stated he had driven around inside the camp and was amazed at the size. He added he 35 would wish to see the camp converted to a regional park. Horst noted a recent related article in 36 the Northeaster, which confirmed that the camp is never closed to St. Anthony residents despite 37 a "private property" sign. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes • September 15, 1998 Page 6 1 Ms. Moore-Sykes stated a meeting was being organized with the DNR and Ramsey County to 2 determine future uses for the land if it is for sale. She added there are DNR grants available for 3 park development and Kathy Knapp, Community Services Director, is very knowledgeable 4 about the grant process. 5 6 Wagner stated the School Board is concerned that conversion of the camp to residential 7 properties will cause an overload in the school system. Bergstrom stated the City might decide 8 to own the entire property temporarily, and develop certain parts of it at a later date. 9 10 Kaczor stated the garage setback permit issue raised by Mr. Robert Jensen's request needs to be 11 revisited soon. Bergstrom agreed that the issue should be discussed and invited the formation of 12 a subcommittee/task force to arrive at some revisions to the permit process. 13 14 Makowske asked for an update on Exhaust Pro. Ms. Moore-Sykes stated the owners are doing 15 landscaping and adhering to their conditional use permit. She was in contact with the landlord, 16 who stated semi-trucks from Cub Foods were destroying their landscaping, and requested City 17 intervention. Ms. Moore-Sykes advised the owner to contact the trucking company directly with 40 complaints and to request reimbursement for the ruined landscaping. 20 Makowske asked whether vehicles were still parked on the property. Ms. Moore-Sykes 21 confirmed there were vehicles, although not as many as before. She added rental business are 22 allowed in commercial district, and the vehicles are not being repaired but are ready for use. 23 24 Thompson asked for an update on the Amoco on 37th Avenue. Ms. Moore-Sykes stated the 25 convenience store was eliminated and the gas station is now credit card only. 26 27 Horst stated the Commission had not discussed Mr. Krier's proposal. Bergstrom stated it would 28 be necessary for the Commission to make its recommendation to the City Council, and asked for 29 input from the Commissioners. 30 31 Horst stated he liked Mr. Krier and his proposal. Wagner stated Mr. Krier had not left the City 32 with a good feeling about him after previous contracts were completed. He suggested City 33 Councilmember George Marks might have some information on that. He added Mr. Krier's 34 approach seems logical, and his price is reasonable. 35 36 Makowske stated he preferred Mr. Krier's proposal to the one presented by BRW recently. He 37 added BRW's proposal was more detailed but he had some questions about their follow-up plan. 38 He stated he would be more inclined to contract with Mr. Krier even if there is no follow-up plan 39 involved. • Planning Commission Meeting Minutes September 15, 1998 • Page 7 1 Motion by Bergstrom, second by Horst to recommend Mr. Richard Krier be awarded the City's 2 contract for a planning proposal for the Kenzie Terrace redevelopment. 3 Motion carried unanimously. 4 Bergstrom stated that Gondorchin's absence from this meeting marks his fourth such absence 5 this year. He added according to the Commission by-laws, his commission would be terminated 6 unless Gondorchin submits a letter to the City Council requesting his continued appointment. 7 Bergstrom stated Gondorchin is aware of this development. He suggested the Commissioners 8 also write such a letter of support. 9 10 General Motion by Bergstrom, second by Wagner, in support of the continued appointment of 11 Gondorchin to serve on the Planning Commission despite his absences which were unavoidable 12 due to work-related travel. 13 Motion carried unanimously. IX. ADJOURNMENT. Motion by Kaczor, second by Horst to adjourn the meeting at 10:04 P.M. 16 Motion carried unanimously. 17 Respectfully submitted, 18 Mary Mullen, 19 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.