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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998.07.29 CC Minutes - Joint meeting with Lino Lakes & White Bear TownshipJOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 JOINT CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF LINO LAKES CITY OF HUGO WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP MINUTES DATE : July 29,1998 TIME STARTED : 7:30 p.m. TIME ENDED : 9:50 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT : Council Members Bergeson, Dahl, Lyden, MEMBERS ABSENT : Council Member Neal and Mayor Sullivan Staff members present: Community Development Director, Brian Wessel; City Engineer/Public Works Director, David Ahrens; Assistant to the City Administrator, Dan Tesch; Consulting Engineers, John Powell and Joe Kern, Environmental Coordinator, Marty Asleson and Clerk -Treasurer Marilyn Anderson. City of Hugo: Council Members Andrew Goeffon, Debra Barnes, Warren Arcand, Jim LeRoux, Mayor Fran Miron; City Administrator, Bob Museus; Consulting Engineer, Tom Angus of OSM and Water Resource Engineer, Peter Willenbring of WSB. White Bear Township: Board Members Dick Sand, Bob Weisenburger and Linda Ford and Administrator, Bill Short Acting Mayor Chris Lyden welcomed everyone to the meeting and everyone introduced themselves. Acting Mayor Lyden explained that the purpose of the meeting is to present an exchange of comprehensive plan information by the three (3) entities represented tonight. Mr. Wessel explained the City of Lino Lakes, as all communities in the seven (7) county metropolitan area, is in the process of preparing a Comprehensive Land Use Plan as required by Metropolitan Council. He explained he would present the current status of the Lino Lakes Plan. Joe Kern, Transportation Engineer with SRF will present the transportation plan for the City and John Powell, consulting engineer with TKDA will present primarily the utility plan for this area. After these presentations, both Hugo and White Bear Township will be asked to present the current status of their respective Plans. These presentations should lead into a discussion of how each plan would affect the neighboring communities and how the three (3) communities could work together to, in effect, prepare a regional plan. Mr. Wessel explained that for the past four (4) years the City has concentrated most of its economic development efforts in the Apollo Business Park in the western portion of the City and Clearwater Creek Business Center located around the 1-35E/Main Street PAGE 1 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29, 1998 intersection. He noted the business and industrial development area around the I- 35W/Lake Drive area and particularly the new Town Center with the Civic Complex. Mr. Wessel said that he, and other City staff, are interested to hear what is happening at our eastern and southern boundaries. He thanked everyone for coming and participating in this discussion. Mr. Wessel explained the City will be continuing its commercial and industrial focus in the Clearwater Creek Business Center. To the south of Cedar Street, residential growth will continue its trend. He noted the R -BR district to the north of Main Street and explained how that area would maintain its rural character for the present and then would be rezoned for business use as commercial and industrial areas south of Main Street are completed. Drafting of the Lino Lakes comprehensive plan began about two (2) years ago with the establishment of the Comprehensive Plan Task Force. This group consists of various residents in the community, members of City boards and commissions and staff. Mr. Wessel is the staff liaison. He explained that the comprehensive plan draft will be presented to the City Council this fall and to Metropolitan Council later this fall. Mr. Wessel continued his presentation, referring to the area south of Cedar Street and noted that a proposal to'include some townhouse development along the Hugo border has been presented to the Task Force for their consideration. This development would be near the "greenway". The City is in the process of preparing an environmental inventory and would be most concerned about protecting some "green" areas. On the west side of I -35E, the Task Force is also looking at a proposal to provide medium density housing as a buffer to the freeway. These suggestions are currently being studied by the Task Force and they could change. Mr. Wessel explained how the City is planning to realign Otter Lake Road through the Clearwater Business Center. This will take the Main Street/Otter Lake Road intersection further to the east and eliminate the current dangerous intersection. The construction on the realignment will begin this fall. Mr. Kern presented a brief overview of the proposed transportation plan. He noted that the classification of the Lino Lakes highways will continue to be consistent with the State of Minnesota and County of Anoka classification of highways. Lake Drive is expected to be greatly impacted by continuing development. The interchange of Lake Drive/1-35W will be especially impacted and will require a new bridge, reconstruction of the ramps and the installation of signal lights. A new signal is planned for the Hodgson Road/Birch Street intersection in the near future. The City will continue to encourage Anoka County to install that signal at the earliest possible time. The Main Street/I-35W interchange near city hall is under study. Access ramps may not be constructed in the foreseeable future so that more attention can be given to the Lake Drive/1-35W interchange. The area around Centerville and the interchange at I -35E will see further growth as the southeast quadrant of the City continues to development. This will be a more congested area all the way west PAGE 2 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 to Centerville Road in the City of Centerville. The Task Force has been considering different scenarios that would link the west side with the east side of the City with possibly a bridge over I -35E, {not an interchange with ramps). That idea is not popular at this time and will be discussed f ether tomorrow at the regular Task Force meeting. Mr. Kern referred to the northeast quadrant of this area and explained that the Task Force does not see a need for additional bridges or access to I -35E in this area. The emphases in this area is 80th Street where a bridge without ramps is already in place to link with the regional road system. Mr. Powell briefly explained the utility issues for the southeast quadrant of the City. Utility installation in this area was prompted by the development of the Clearwater Creek subdivisions south of Cedar Street. He noted the location of the sanitary sewer lift station and the extension of trunk utilities to the north to Main Street. The sanitary sewer development on the west side of the freeway drains south to a lift station which eventually pumps into the Cedar Street lift station which ends up in the Metropolitan Council interceptor which runs along Cedar Street. Currently Metropolitan Council is in the design process for constructing a new gravity sewer which will pass through Hugo. The City has already constructed a new water tower located near the realigned Otter Lake Road and a well at the southeast intersection of Cedar Street and Clearwater Creek Drive. Utilities for the area south of Main Street are established. Development of the area north of Main Street will just required the extension of the utilities. Acting Mayor Lyden asked Mr. Willenbring to present the "greenway" development proposed for the south east quadrant of Lino Lakes and extending into the City of Centerville to the west, the City of Hugo to the east and White Bear Township to the south. He asked Mr.Willenbring to be frank about what he sees are the issues and how they impact each community. Mr. Willenbring explained the "Clearwater Creek greenway corridor project". It is a perspiration project which has a number of elements associated with it. The general alignment of the Clearwater Creek corridor was highlighted on a map presented by Mr. Willenbring. The corridor extends from the north outlet of Bald Eagle Lake north through Hugo and then west through Lino Lakes under I -35E into Centerville and eventually into the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes. There are three (3) distinct sections of the corridor, one in Hugo, one in Lino Lakes and one in Centerville. The three (3) cities have been working together for the past several years trying to get a grant from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources to try to protect the corridor and develop it for preservation. The general concept is to take the corridor in Hugo which consists of a fairly narrow creek or ditch where water ponds in the channel and spreads out over a fairly flat flood plain and widen and deepen it, in selected areas, to increase the flood plain storage, develop some additional wetland vegetation along the sides of the channel and provide a trail along one side or the other through the corridor. The purpose is to develop a "greenway" corridor and protect the natural vegetation, protect areas where there may be some agricultural activity, and identify the natural and environmental concerns. This project will not discharge more water down stream but, provide an area for the water that will discharge PAGE 3 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 to the channel to be held and then discharged slowly down stream so that it does not impact our neighbors. The trail is an integral component of the project that the three (3) cities will deal with. One of the principal issues or problems that has been experienced from the City of Hugo's perspective is developing a grant application and trying to promote the project to the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resource because the corridor continues through Lino Lakes, across I -35E and through Centerville. At this time it is believed that the trail alignment will have to deviate from the corridor along Clearwater Creek particularly as it runs through Centerville because that area has developed. It is believed that securing the property along Clearwater Creek cannot be accomplished and the trail cannot be extended through that area. It would be nice to continue the trail through these areas but it looks like Centerville will have to find an alternate alignment for the trail. He suggested bringing the trail south along Cedar Street or some other transportation component of this planning effort. The focus is to get the corridor trail system connected to the trails in the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park. In addition, Washington County is proposing a trail along Highway 61 in Hugo. There is an effort to provide a trail that would connect to the "greenway" corridor. There are a number of improvements proposed for the entire "greenway" corridor and Mr. Willenbrings group would like to feel that this plan has real vision. Securing the corridor of land would allow for this entire area, which has a fairly expansive flood plain, to be used for preservation purposes and access to a nice natural environment. The plan includes some prairie vegetation restoration along the corridor, expanding some of wetland areas, providing different types of vegetation and deeper water habitat by excavating a deeper channel in some parts of the corridor, making certain areas of the corridor available to canoe travel and developing a habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. Mr. Wessel explained that economic development is proceeding on the east side of the City under the premise that the "greenway" is going to be there both on the east and west side of I -35E. Mr. Powell explained that part of the Otter Lake Road realignment project is the excavation of a pond and the protection of some wetland areas. He noted a culvert that brings Clearwater Creek from Hugo into Lino Lakes under Elmcrest Avenue. When the water reaches the Lino Lakes side of Elmcrest the creek tends to surcharge. Rice Creek Watershed District has suggested that a pipe be installed directing water from that area to the wetlands. A trail is proposed through the ponding and wetland mitigation area that would tie into a trail that will be constructed along with the Otter Lake Road construction. Mr. Powell showed how the trail would wind through the wetlands and eventually to the Hugo/Lino Lakes border. The wetlands and the ponding in Lino Lakes -is provided for both the roadway and development which would occur outside of the buffer zone. At this time the trail is proposed to end at the municipal boundary, but could be extended into Hugo or extended north to Main Street or south to Cedar Street. Mr. Asleson notal that Lino Lakes calls the Clearwater Creek alignment area a pond/wetland mitigation area and Mr. Willenbring calls the area a "greenway". Mr. Powell said both references are achieving the same thing. We are achieving some of the wetland mitigation and also creating a green space with plantings. Mr. Asleson pointed PAGE 4 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29, 1998 out that the City is now considering the third phase of the Clearwater Creek residential development. He indicated the route of a trail through that phase. The Lino Lakes Environmental Board is at this moment considering the impact of the proposed development. The proposal is consistent with what Mr. Willenbring and Mr. Powell just outlined. Mr. Ahrens also noted that part of the "greenway" will be constructed this fall as part of the Otter Lake Road realignment project. He asked Mr. Willenbring what is the status of his work on the "greenway". Mr. Willenbring explained that Hugo is trying to implement some of the aspects of the project as part of the development to their industrial park. Plans and specifications have been prepared to provide some of the improvements to a selected part of the area. However, improvements in this area are only a small part of the overall plan. He noted that the Rice Creek Watershed District has included in their Comprehensive Plan the installation of an additional 48 inch culvert under I -35E and at the same time blocking off the larger culvert at the same location. The purpose of this is to provide a better hydraulic flow when water is at low stage. At this time, when it rains, water builds up in this area and remains in the ditch until it gets almost to the top of the bank or slightly above to get significant passage out of the area. The proposed plan increases the rate of discharge at low stage and cuts back the peak discharge by installing additional storage. Rice Creek Water District is estimating that the new culvert will be installed next year. Mr. Angus explained that Hugo is accepting bids tomorrow for construction of a street that links 130th Street to 140th Street. That street will form the western boundary of the industrial park. Mr. Museus explained that the type of industries in that park are related to rail traffic. He explained what type of industries are interested in locating in the industrial park. Mr. Museus also explained that Washington County will be given jurisdiction of Highway 61. The County plans to upgrade the road to a four (4) lane highway. Ms. Ford asked Mr. Willenbring if there has been any consideration. of connecting the Clearwater "greenway" to a potential trail around the north end of Bald Eagle Lake which could connect to a trail around Otter Lake down into the Ramsey Regional Park. Mr. Asleson explained that is part of what Lino Lakes is trying to accomplish with the trail extension through the third phase of Clearwater Creek. Ms. Ford said that to actually make the connection in Ramsey County, trails in Lino Lakes and in Hugo would have to come around the head of the Bald Eagle Lake either down Hugo Road in Hugo or west to Bald Eagle Boulevard in Lino Lakes. She asked if there has been any serious discussion about this area. Mr. Angus explained that is what Hugo is trying to accomplish at this time. A new subdivision call Woods of Bald Eagle is developing and a small portion of Ethan Avenue is going to be reconstructed this year. A trail along this portion of Ethan Avenue will also be constructed. In addition, next year another portion of Ethan Avenue will be reconstructed. As these segments of Ethan Avenue are reconstructed, trails will also be constructed. If the reconstruction continues, the trails will be extended down to Highway 61 and 125th Street. Ms. Ford explained that she asked the question for a specific reason. She has a friend who is a staff person at LCMO. She has been given the understanding by that person that if the PAGE 5 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29t 1998 communities participate and the counties too, the Burlington Northern (BN) track bed could become part of the trail system. The BN, whether it has rails or not is still a part of a designated regional corridor. The east link to Highway 61 and the BN provides a link to the regional facility. But Metropolitan Council would have to make the regional corridor a part of the regional system. Karen Cunningham referred to the small map that showed the ponds in Lino Lakes. She asked where Clearwater Creek runs now. Mr. Powell explained. Mr. Willenbring said that this map may be misleading and referred to a berm between the ditch and the pond. Mr. Wessel asked that the discussion continue with each municipality explaining their comprehensive plan pertaining to land use and transportation issues in this particular region. Mr. Museus explained that the revision of the Hugo comprehensive plan began some time ago prior to the Legislature mandating the revision. The plan was submitted to the Metropolitan Council last year and they did approve it subject to the City doing more work in two (2) areas; the transportation plan and the housing plan. At this time the Planning Commission is preparing a zoning map which he said would look similar to the plan he displayed. Currently the master plan has an area from about 160th Street south to about 120th Street and from Elmcrest Avenue to Goodhue Avenue developing in an urban pattern. The balance of the community residential pattern will be maintained in a rural environment with some exceptions. Basically, the area south of County Road 8A will be developing as rural residential which is, for the most part, what is happening now. There will be large lots. The area north of the current urban developing area to 180th Street will be maintained as an urban reserve and eventually it will be filled with urban development. A large portion of the city to the northeast will remain agricultural. Mr. Museus continued by pointing out the industrial area that will be developing along Highway 61, the commercial development closer to the Lino Lakes boundary and denser development following the current pattern, lower density residential in the rest of the area. In addition, industrial development is under discussion next to the Lino Lakes border which would be consistent with what is happening in Lino Lakes now. The benefit of placing industrial in this area is that the two (2) cities could share Elmcrest Avenue. This plan would include extending County Road 4 to Elmcrest so that traffic would move from Hugo to Elmcrest Avenue and then north to County Road 8A (Main Street) and ultimately the I -35E interchange. Mr. Museus said that one of the issues to be addressed is commuter rail transportation. There is a very good chance that commuter rail transportation will happen. Washington County, at a meeting last week, said that this will probably happen in the next five (5) to 10 years. If this does happen, the current Burlington Northern railbed would be utilized. Washington County has already asked Hugo to limit its connections on the west to Highway 61 to no more than one every mile which will force Hugo to find alternate routes out of the industrial area. PAGE 6 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29, 1998 Mr. Museus explained that at this time, Washington County owns the old Burlington Northern railbed from Chisago County to 145th Street and further down to County Road 8A (Main Street). Burlington Northern still owns the railbed south of County Road 8A. Mr. Sand explained that the problem is that the neighbors to the south are not looking at commuter rail. Mr. Museus said that area to the south is Ramsey County park reserve and Hugo would be supportive of whatever Ramsey County is planning there. He noted that the railbed continues into White Bear so that the commuter rail system could bypass the Park Reserve and go to the Soo Line. Mr. Museus was asked what the current population in Hugo is. He said approximately. 5,800. In about 15 or 20 years, the population will grow to about 15,000. Currently, rural residential lots sizes are 10 acres and sewered lots are 10,400 square feet. Residential development in the agricultural areas has basically the same requirements as rural residential lots. The rural residential areas will not receive sanitary sewer. Cluster housing may be used to tie into what is happening in Ramsey County, Grant Township and May Township. Mr. Angus explained that Hugo, as well as all other cities in the metropolitan areas, is under pressure from Metropolitan Council to develop a transportation plan. Hugo is looking at completing their transportation plan later this fall. The City has a lot of north/south routes including Highway 61 but the east/west routes are limited and traffic tends to come from the east into this area and either goes south on Highway 61 or east to I -35E. One concern is the limited number of accesses to I -35E. Mr. Angus said that there is the desire of a lot of people in Hugo to look at the potential of getting an interchange on 80th Street in Lino Lakes. As 80th Street extends east to the Hugo border, the street name changes to 140th Street. The Hugo transportation plan will look at the amount of traffic that is going to be generated and what impact it will have on Elmcrest and possibly 80th Street and a possible interchange on I -35E. . Mr. Angus addressed the issues of what is happening on the border of Hugo and Lino Lakes. Hugo is looking at possible problems east of Elmcrest Avenue and south of Main Street (County Road 8A in Hugo). He pointed out how this street comes to a "T" in Hugo and then turns right on Highway 61 south and then turns east again. Mr. Angus noted the areas in green on his map and indicated that these areas are proposed for development in the near future. The City already has some plats for that area. One of the issues is moving traffic from Highway 61 to the area of I -35E interchange. A lot of people say that traffic coming west on County Road 8A should continue to make the jog onto Highway 61, north into the City of Hugo and then turn left on County Road 8A (Main Street) and continue to the freeway. However, one thought is to extend a road west of Highway 61 across Clearwater Creek by coming from the area of 140th Street and Fenway and connecting to Cedar Street in Lino Lakes. First the city has to determine if there is the intention of ever extending a road west in this manner. If there is the intention, will the road go straight across and end at Cedar Street. This is something that will concern Lino Lakes. The other thought is to take the extended County Road 8A and swing the PAGE 7 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29, 1998 alignment to the north and connect to Main Street (the existing County Road 8A). The new intersection would require signal light. This plan was shown as Option A on the map. This option would bypass the downtown area of Hugo and take the industrial traffic out of downtown and bring it to the freeway. This plan is shown on the map as Option B. Acting Mayor Lyden said that Option B looked great. Mr. Angus noted that this is a controversial plan but all options should be reviewed. Mr. Angus noted that the Wenzel property located at the western border of Hugo and bordering Elmcrest Avenue. One of the preliminary concepts for development of the property indicates that there would be no use for Elmcrest Avenue. Hugo is under the impression that Lino Lakes does not have any intention of allowing the industrial property to the west of Elmcrest Avenue to have a direct connection to Elmcrest Avenue. As a result of that, Lino Lakes will probably not want to incur any additional expenses with Elmcrest Avenue. Hugo is looking at the possibility of eliminating Elmcrest Avenue totally. A gentleman in the audience asked how Option B would solve Hugo's transportation problem. The traffic still must make a right turn onto Elmcrest Avenue and a left turn onto Main Street. Mr. Museus said that this option is not being driven by Washington County. However, there probably will be some street connecting Highway 61 and Elmcrest Avenue. It has not been decided as to whether it will be a county road or a city street. In addition the Rice Creek Watershed District opposes Option B because it crosses Clearwater Creek twice. There are some environmental issues. Donna Carlson asked why the citizens are not finding out about this information. The citizens found out about this meeting through legal notices in the local newspaper. Mr. Angus explained that an informational meeting was held for the citizens of Hugo. However, this is the first presentation of Hugo's transportation plan to the City of Lino Lakes. This plan is in the preliminary process. The City of.Hugo has made no decisions. Ms. Carlson said that Lino Lakes was talking about a bridge over the freeway and extending Birch Street to the freeway which would make it very convenient for traffic to go west on Birch Street including industrial traffic from Hugo. Mr. Angus felt that industrial traffic would want to go the freeway interchange on Main Street. A gentleman in the audience said that traffic coming west from Hugo would not turn north on Elmcrest to Main Street, it would continue west on Cedar Street to Otter Lake Road and then south to the County Road J intersection. The gentleman noted that Cedar Street is not designed for industrial traffic. Another gentleman in the audience asked how the residents of Hugo are responding to these proposals. Mr. Angus explained the developer of the Wenzel property did not like Option B, the property owners in the area where Option A has County Road 8A swinging north to Main Street did not like Option A. Another gentleman in the audience said that Hugo should not impact Lino Lakes at all. PAGE 8 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 Acting Mayor Lyden suggested Option B2 and explained his idea. Mr. Museus explained that the area is already developed and wetlands would be impacted. There was another suggestion from a lady in the audience. Mr. Angus explained that development of the area is imminent. The lady asked why the residents concerns are not being considered before the developers concerns. Mr. Angus explained that it up to the City Council to decide upon an option after receiving all pertinent information. Acting Mayor Lyden discussed his option further and Mr. Museus again said that the wetlands would be impacted. Mr. Angus said that is something the City is taking a guess at. More studies have to be conducted. Another gentleman from the audience said that Hugo does have an east/west access to the freeway. He asked why Hugo could not improve Highway 61 by adding more lanes and widening Main Street to make it four (4) lanes. Main Street is a county road and is maintained by the county. Mr. Angus explained that one of the main concerns for Hugo is to reduce the traffic through the downtown area. The gentleman noted that downtown traffic is good for the businesses. Mr. Angus said that Hugo has to make a decision as to whether there will be a road crossing Clearwater Creek south of Main Street. If there is not to be a crossing, the city has to look at options for improving downtown traffic. However, if there is ultimately going to be a road crossing Clearwater Creek, the city should be looking at how the road will go from Highway 61 to Elmcrest Avenue. A gentleman from the audience asked if it has been decided that Elmcrest Avenue serves no purpose to the City of Lino Lakes. Acting Mayor Lyden said that the city has not had those discussions yet. Mr. Powell explained that the City did a detailed study in 1989 on that roadway and one of the problems here is that not only do we have three (3) cities in this area but also have three (3) counties. Elmcrest Avenue runs along the border between Anoka County and Washington County. He explained how state aid funds could be used to improve the road. At this time, from Lino Lakes perspective, Elmcrest Avenue is not taking a lot of traffic. However, the City is looking at this area again because the Metropolitan Council is looking at aligning a sewer interceptor across Cedar Street. If they go forward with this plan, that may provide an opportunity for the Metropolitan Council to pick up some of the cost of improving the roadway. Another gentleman in the audience said Metropolitan Council has already made the decision to construct the interceptor along Frenchman Road (Main Street). Mr. Sand explained that this looks like what White Bear Lake went through 25 years ago. He explained the decision to build a parkway that would take traffic off of I -35E and route the traffic out of downtown White Bear Lake. Downtown businesses did not like the idea of routing traffic away from the downtown. Today they have a parkway, however it is not a thoroughfare route but is for the industrial businesses along the parkway. Highway 96 continues to carry traffic to Highway 61 and through downtown. During the past two (2) years there has been considerable upgrading of Highway 96. PAGE 9 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 Several people in the audience spoke about Options A and B in Hugo. They noted the difference between Hugo's and the White Bear Lake's solution is that White Bear Lake found a way to get truck traffic to the freeway without going through down town. Hugo would have to construct either option to accomplish the same thing. Hugo Council Member Barnes said they do not want to route truck traffic out of down town. Bill Short asked Mr. Angus to explain if there is any way to direct traffic to the south. Mr. -Angus explained that from Country Road 8A (Main Street) south to the north end of Bald Eagle Lake, there is no good option of going west. Because 130th Street cannot be extended west of Highway 61 and because the county has dictated that there will not be more than one access per mile to Highway 61, 140th Street would be the next opportunity to go west. Between 130th Street and 140th Street, there will be some development. He explained the possible development and that there is not an opportunity for the past/west street. Mr. Wessel used Mr. Angus' map and penciled in the new alignment for Otter Lake Road north of Cedar Street. He explained that when the City was looking at economic development in this area, it was decided that rerouting Otter Lake Road could open land to the east for development. The easiest way to open the area was to reroute Otter Lake Road beginning at Main Street and take it to Cedar Street. This was not done because of the concern about mixing industrial traffic with residential traffic. Mr. Powell explained that the new alignment was designed keeping restrictive soil conditions and wetlands in mind. Mr. Angus was asked if all of the industrial area shown on the Hugo map currently exists. He said no and outlined the location of existing businesses. He also explained how the City planned to develop the balance of that area. He also noted farm fields and open land. The reason that industrial development is planned for this area is that the railroad is operating there. A gentleman in the audience spoke about the Lino Lakes proposal to extend Birch Street to the east and construct a bridge over the freeway and Hugo proposing that County Road 4A be extended to the Lino Lakes border, it appears that truck traffic will be routed from Hugo into Lino Lakes on Cedar Street and then to the Birch Street bridge. Hugo admits that it does not want trucks going through their downtown area, it seems to be Lino Lakes intention to allow this. Mr. Powell said that Lino Lakes would discourage the new Hugo east/west road from ending at Elmcrest Avenue and Cedar Street because of the residential development on the south side of Cedar Street. Mr. Wessel explained that there will be a Comprehensive Plan Task Force meeting tomorrow, Thursday, at city hall and the first item on the agenda is the transportation plan. Anoka County Commissioner, Margaret Langfield, will be attending to clarify Anoka County's plan for Birch Street. Joe Kern will be at this meeting to respond to the issues that were presented by residents at the meeting last week. Alan Brixius, Lino Lakes Consulting Planner will also attend this meeting to respond to the land use issues that PAGE 10 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 were presented. Staff recommendations will be presented to the Task Force and they will be discussing them and come to some conclusion about the Birch Street bridge over I -35E as well as the potential upgrade of Birch Street. He encourage all residents to attend that meeting. Mr. Short presented an I -35E corridor committee study. This study was prepared in 1993 and many issues discussed this evening are also discussed in this study. He suggested that Hugo and Lino Lakes review the study. Mr. Sand explained that MnDOT is looking at separating the I-35EJ694 traffic in the commons area. Mr. Short suggested that the communities get together and prepare a regional transportation plan. He said when communities cooperate,.the cooperation has more of an impact on MnDOT. Mr. Museus explained that the Hugo city council will be discussing their transportation plan shortly. He also noted that Hugo has been requested to extend sanitary sewer service around the north end of Bald Eagle Lake. Hugo has already received one call from a Lino Lakes residents asking if they could hook to that utility service. He suggested Hugo and Lino Lakes address this matter. Mr. Sand explained that there had been some talk about extending a sewer interceptor down Centerville Road but since White Bear Township has made sewer service available to the commercial development south of County Road J, there has been no more discussion about an interceptor. He said that White Bear Township is basically all developed and most of the town is sewered. The new comprehensive plan looks very similar to the 1984 plan. Mr. Weisenburger asked Mr. Kern if Lino Lakes is including the completion of the interchange at County Road J and the freeway in its transportation plan. Mr. Weisenburger said it would be in the best interest of Lino Lakes to have a complete interchange there because there is a lot of traffic going through Lino Lakes to the theaters. At this time, if anyone from Hugo wants to go to a movie, they have to go through Lino Lakes on Main Street to either Otter Lake Road or 20th Street and then south to the theater. In addition, if the trucks from the White Bear Township industrial development along Centerville Road want to go north on I -35E, they have to go through Lino Lakes to Main Street and then to the freeway. He noted that the north 1/2 of County Road J/1 -35E interchange is not in White Bear Township. Council Member Bergeson explained the Lino Lakes City Charter has made extending services in the City difficult because the residents have the ability to petition against assessments. He also noted that the land immediately adjoining County Road J on the north side was placed in a land trust and will not be available for development. Hugo Council Member Barnes asked if the Otter Lake Road/Main Street intersection will be signaled. Mr. Powell said that Anoka County has not addressed this question. Mr. Ahrens said that it probably will depend upon the industrial development. There has been no discussion about upgrading the freeway bridge although it is in the Centerville plan. Mr. Short noted that Vadnais Heights rebuilt the County Road E interchange at I -35E and PAGE 11 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 MnDOT will be repaying Vadnais Heights. This is one way to get the improvement when it is needed in the city. Ms. Carlson asked for a copy of the map showing Options A & B on the Hugo transportation plan. A gentleman in the audience asked if Hugo had plans for any other east/west route. Mr. Museus said the City is looking at another residential access to Lino Lakes. However, this is not in the transportation plan at this time. A gentleman asked why a north County Road J/1 -35E access is not a concern at this time. Mr. Wessel said it is under consideration, however there is not much interest for Lino Lakes to go north. It is included in the Lino Lakes transportation plan. White Bear Township Board Member Ford explained that it should be a concern to Lino Lakes as Mr. Weisenburger pointed out earlier. She suggested that the cities get together and present a "united front" insofar as this intersection is concerned and to look at other areas of cooperation. Council Member Bergeson asked if Lino Lakes and White Bear Township had an interest in completing the County Road J/1 -35E intersection, what would the process be. Mr. Kern said that the city has identified this as a concern in its transportation plan and will start addressing the need locally and then address it with MnDOT. Showing local coordination means a lot to MnDOT. He noted that there is some funding each year but the cities would have to use fixed criteria and prepare a clear understanding of how it would benefit the communities. Mr. Wessel said he thought it should be started by forming a coalition of the cities and the counties. The process could be started by using the I -35E study prepared by Mr. Short. . The final comments were as follows: Mr. Ahrens noted strong concerns about the proposed Option A which directs Hugo traffic into a Lino Lakes residential road. Mr. Kern agreed with Mr. Ahrens. He said that the Hugo will have to decide if they want a street crossing Clearwater Creek. Mr. Short supported crossing Clearwater Creek. Mr. Sand said that one of his concerns was hunting on Bald Eagle Lake and goose control. He noted that the traffic volume on Highway 61 in Hugo is much higher than it was before the construction of the freeway. It is a busy road and will get busier. Mr. Sand said he would support a north interchange on County Road J and the freeway. Mr. Weisenburger said his concern is the movement of traffic and would support light rail transit and/or bus. He felt that this would be a benefit to all of these communities. PAGE 12 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY Z9, 1998 Ms. Ford supported developing a light rail transit system to take traffic off of the roads. She suggested getting together with industrial employers and developing some sort of a "mini mouse" transit system because not all employees live in the twin cities. If employers can reduce cars in their parking lots, this means less traffic on our roads. Mr. Sand said he actually sees more reverse commuters. Ms. Ford felt it was important to get together and work on trail corridors to maximize state grants. She was referring to the "greenway" proposal. Mr. Willenbring said extending the "greenway" corridor south into Ramsey County would be an important portion of that system. He felt the communities should do a good job following up with requests for legislative funding. Ms. Ford suggested getting the Parks and Recreation Departments of each city into the process. She noted that' it is hard for a single city to get any funding. Mr. Willenbring expressed the need to do this as a cooperative effort. He stressed keeping everyone including the counties and Rice Creek Watershed District involved, Mr. Goeffon said that Hugo has to keep working on getting the people out of the industrial park area. Ms. Barnes noted that Hugo has been meeting with Lino Lakes for at least five (5) years and stressed the need to continue these meetings. She noted that the east/west route in Hugo is extremely important to Hugo and felt that the Rice Creek Watershed District should also be involved in this matter. Ms. Barnes said it is important to continue this focus because then they can see what impact Hugo's development has on neighboring communities. She felt that it was important for Hugo to "go back to the drawing board" and see what can be done. Mr. Arcand said the County Road J interchange is important and should be stressed. Mr. LeRoux thanked White Bear Township for coming and participating. He stated the Township is mostly a spectator in this discussion, however, their experience and expertise is needed. Mr. LeRoux said that unfortunately, often times, what communities are considering is retro -fit. The planning process was not in place and we did not have a crystal ball to know that this is where we would be. He felt that the cities need to consider the inplace residential development when planning transportation routes. Unfortunately there has been a hodge-podge of residential development and sometimes the provincialism that exists between communities is an inhibitor to getting anything accomplished. The Hugo Council is very interested in the neighboring communities. Mr. LeRoux felt that the continuity of city councils is nebulous at times in some of our communities so that creating these relationships between the city councils and getting things accomplished is difficult. As far as plan A and plan B are concerned, they have been discussed substantially in Hugo but maybe there is an alternative to each because each brings some tangible negatives to rectify. Maybe the need for this route has not PAGE 13 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29, 1998 arrived. If the need has not arrived, how much retrofitting will Hugo have to do in the future? This is a process that the council will have to work through. The council held a meeting in Hugo and gave the residents and businesses an opportunity to speak their mind. Unfortunately, in today's political environment, there is a lot of self interest as opposed to community interest. It is difficult to deal with this when we are suppose to be policy makers. Mr. LeRoux said that no decision has been made and this is just part of the process. He thanked everyone for coming this evening. Mr. Museus said that the future of Highway 61 will certainly include input from White Bear Township. He noted that Hugo just created a park board and suggested that the Hugo and Lino Lakes park boards meet on an annual basis in a similar manner as the councils do. As for street options A and B, he asked that the Lino Lakes Council discuss the options and give Hugo ideas. Mr. Museus also suggested that all interested parties in the "greenway" corridor get together and plan for the future. Mr. Miron said he appreciated all of the communities coming together. It is obvious tonight that Hugo will see the largest amount of growth in the near future. He also noted that the Hugo council has been visiting with Lino Lakes for a number of years and unfortunately, as Mr. LeRoux, the continuity has been lost and that is one of the reasons Hugo wanted to meet this evening. These road connections were talked about at previous meetings. Mr. Miron said that Hugo needs to continue to resurface them so that the new council members and mayor are apprised of what has been discussed in the past and determine where we are at. With regard to either of the street options A or B, there are a lot of negatives to them but the impetus behind at least starting to draw lines as development occurs. There is a very large area in Hugo that has the potential to develop in the very near future. Options are lost as properties develop so its important that we talk about the various options and preferable long before the actual need. Mr. Miron said he made notes of some of the issues talked about tonight and certainly we have to look at winter patrol (Bald Eagle Lake) and goose control, hunting on Bald Eagle.Lake, improvements to Highway 61, the County Road J interchange and light rail transit. The recreational trail corridors and park board meetings are also a part of the issues that face us that we could cooperate on and continue to meet on a regular basis. In addition, he suggested it would also be prudent to include Centerville in these conversation because these issues have an impact on Centerville and could see support on some of the things that we are trying to do. Mr. Miron said that the counties should be included in the discussion on park issues. We should make some effort to reach some of these goals. Mr. Tesch thanked everyone for coming this evening. He asked everyone to sign the register that was passed around to the audience. These persons will be notified about future meetings. Mr. Lyden said that the whole land issue is not as big of an issue as he had thought. Mr. Wessel said that as the Task Force goes through the whole comprehensive plan, we can talk about the issues raised tonight. He feels that every time the cities meet, it is always a valuable experience. Mr. Wessel said that the land use issue needs to be explored more. PAGE 14 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 Mr. Lyden suggested that each council designate a responsible person to be a conduit to the other cities and set up a structure to get the councils together on a regular basis. Ms. Dahl said that she also liked option B. She noted that if Elmcrest Avenue is to be closed, option B seems the better route and if you want a scenic route, option B would also be the route. She said that the interchange on County Road J and the freeway is worth looking into and wanted to know the pluses and minuses. Ms. Dahl said light rail transit is a good option for Lino Lakes, she liked hearing about the "greenway" corridor and the trail system and definitely did not want to see any dead ends on them. She felt that they should connect to Hugo and White Bear Township. Ms. Dahl said that she really liked all of the cities working together. She thanked everyone for their exchange of ideas. There is so much to consider and really wanted to hear everyone's ideas. This is the way we grow and get to know what is happening with our neighbors. Ms. Dahl hoped that there would be another joint meeting before the Comprehensive Plan is finished and approved. Mr. Powell referred to the possible trail around the east side Bald Eagle Lake and wanted to be sure that everyone was aware of Metropolitan Council's facility planning study in that area. He noted the alignment of future relief sewer service is in the area of the "greenway" corridor and said it may offer an opportunity to secure some funding with Metropolitan Council. Mr. Ahrens noted that the elimination of Elmcrest Avenue needs more discussion quickly. Ms. Cummingham asked if the development will have a huge impact on the White Bear schools. Mr. LeRoux asked that hunting on Bald Eagle Lake be added to this agenda to increase the communication between the communities that share a common body of water. Hugo has received a petition requesting that Bald Eagle Lake be closed to water fowl hunting. He noted that he is a water fowl hunter and would hate to see Bald Eagle Lake restricted. However, he is aware of other concerns. A committee, which he chaired, was formed and investigated the issue. He did talk to the Lino Lakes Police Department and obtained information about how Lino Lakes handles hunting complaints. He also noted that geese are a lake nuisance. The more we restrict hunting the more we allow these nuisance populations to survive. While investigating the hunting complaints it was determined that there is no way for a hunter to hunt on the north end of Bald Eagle Lake and meet the requirements of separation of residences and the requirement of blinding. It will be the committees recommendation to the Hugo council that Hugo close that portion of Hugo to duck hunting. He asked for comments from the other communities who have boundaries on that lake. He asked that the comments be forwarded to him very soon. The meeting was closed at 9:50 P.M. PAGE 15 JOINT COUNCIL MEETING JULY 29,1998 These minutes were considered, corrected and approved at a regular Council meeting held on September 14, 1998. Marilyn .Anderson, Clerk -Treasurer PAGE 16