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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES EDA 08.15.23MINUTES FOR THE EDA MEETING OF AUGUST 15, 2023 President Weidt called the meeting to order at 5:26pm. PRESENT: Chrun, Denaway, Klein, Puleo, Weidt ABSENT: Arcand, Roberts STAFF PRESENT: Rachel Juba, Community Development Director Max Gort, Associate Planner Bryan Bear, City Administrator APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE EDA MEETING OF MAY 16, 2023 Commissioner Klein made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Chrun, to approve the May 16, 2023 EDA meeting minutes. Ayes: All. Nay: None. Motion carried. UPDATE ON MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY CORRIDOR Staff provided background on the Minnesota Technology Corridor, which is a designated corridor situated along I-35 with abundant fiber, water, and power access. The area consists of the Cities of Hugo, Forest Lake, Centerville, Columbus, and Lino Lakes, as well as Washington and Anoka Counties. Scannell Properties considering developing 3.5 million sq ft of industrial developmen t on 270 acres in Lino Lakes and Columbus, and are working on a land use study to build a large business campus that would likely include distribution centers. The corridor team is also engaging with MnDOT and Anoka County for full interchange on 170th Street over 35E and 35W. Staff has also been in discussion with Lino Lakes about the extension of Otter Lake Road. Lino has ideas about how traffic will continue to flow, especially as Otter Lake Road would merge into Elmcrest Avenue and paving. President Weidt asks which proposed route is best, and Commissioner Denaway comments the middle route. Juba says that discussions will continue to happen, and that Lino Lakes says the extension could be built in 2025 depending on grant funding. President Weidt asks if there would be more benefit to a connection south of Heritage Parkway. Juba says that discussions about a connection to Heritage Parkway are in the works. Bear comments on resident request for trail on Elmcrest, says that Otter Lake Road’s extension will include a trail alignment. Bear says that tech corridor property would likely see warehouse buildings constructed first, while developers pitch corporate headquarters style campuses. Bear says that corridor discussions highlight the importance of alignment with comprehensive plans. Commissioner Denaway asks if Scannell Properties is interested in the properties due to a single ownership, Juba says yes. Bear states that there are not many single owner parcel groups that are along interstate highways in the metro area. UPDATE ON HIGHWAY 61 VISIONING STUDY Washington County Staff along with City Staff would like to hold a joint workshop to discuss the Highway 61 Visioning Study with the EDA and Planning Commission. The workshop was scheduled on Thursday, August 24th, 2023 at 7:30 PM. Commissioner Puleo asks why we should consider the feel of the highway without knowing the end width of the highway, and ahead of development on the north side of the City. Juba says that those items are all interconnected, including the layout and transit issues. Commissioner Klein comments that the feel of the road shouldn’t matter if the surroundings are unpleasant. President Weidt comments that County Road 8 has a certain feel that’s different from 61. Bear states a common theme from residents since he’s been with the City of Hugo is that 61 can be better. Access has always been restricted on the west side of the highway, and with a change in access capabilities the west side of the highway could feel very different. Commissioner Puleo comments that the visioning process doesn’t makes sense without development interest in the northern part of the community. Bear states that a complete rethinking of the corridor vastly re-opens options for development and access along the whole corridor if the process is handled correctly. Bear explains the process that White Bear Lake went through to oppose the purple line, and how the Met Council routed the corridor away from the City of White Bear Lake, removing the transit corridor for Hugo. Commissioner Chrun asks if White Bear Lake could reverse their decision. Bear says that it was not White Bear Lake’s decision to make. President Weidt comments that the Premier Bank project corridor would feel very different without the 100 feet of transit right of way. UPDATE ON 2023 GOALS Juba highlights the goals adopted by the EDA in January, one of which to be reviewing commercial land uses and the review of approaching apartments. Staff will be starting the process of evaluating these uses including mixed use as a zoning district. This process will be the next step in these goals. Commissioner Klein asks about whether there has been outside pressure to develop affordable and workforce housing. Juba says right now the Met Council requires 3 units per acre over the MUSA, as well as having affordable housing goals that we plan for but aren’t required. Bear says that there is a new sales tax in the metro geared toward affordable housing, and each City is allocated an amount of that sales tax for the purposes of affordable housing. UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT Juba states that staff is continuing to work with Denny Trooien and DNR on changing the plan for Downtown Hugo on the City-owned property on Egg Lake. The DNR hasn’t aproved the way that staff calculated the average setback from the OHWL, along with a new requirement of a 30 foot setback from the lake. Mr. Trooien is working on a new plan but the 30 foot mark is difficult to reach. Staff is still of the opinion that the plan approved by the City Council does a good job of improving the water quality of the lake while developing the property with quality design. The EDA and staff will want to push Denny to start construction once the DNR hurdle is over. Commissioner Puleo asks what could develop on the site if Mr. Trooien’s project falls through. Juba says anything that could meet approval criteria could be developed there. Commissioner Puleo comments that the property has been marketed for development for too long, and that the City may want to consider alternative possibilities since tax revenue isn’t being generated. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Klein made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Denaway, to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 PM. Ayes: All Nay: None Motion carried. Respectfully submitted. Max Gort, Associate Planner