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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-26-13-WS 'It ,fiIEN HILLS Approved: February 10, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION DECEMBER 26,2013 5:30 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the special City Council work session at 5:31 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes (via telephone), and Dave McClung Absent: Councilmember Ed Werner(excused) Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; City Planner Ryan Streff; and City Clerk Amy Dietl 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. TCAAP Master Plan Mayor Grant stated that the purpose of the special work session is to continue the review of the draft TCAAP Master Plan. He requested comment from Mr. Smalkowski regarding the traffic questions that were raised at the last work session. Brian Smalkowski, Kimley-Horn, addressed the questions raised by the Council from their December 16, 2013, meeting. He discussed potential access points from County Road I and how this would affect the thumb, both on the property value and in terms of public safety purposes. He explained that the County has been discussing these access points. He reviewed how the proposed connections would connect to the spine road and County Road H. Andrew Dresdner, Cuningham Group, reported that the spine road and the roadway connecting the thumb would be maintained by Ramsey County. The other roadways within TCAAP would be association or City maintained. He then reviewed how the trip rates were determined for the development. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 2 Mayor Grant requested that Mr. Dresdner provide a presentation to the Council addressing the questions on the TCAAP Master Plan and that the Council refrain from questions and comments until after the presentation. Mr. Dresdner stated that open space, parks and density are a concern for the Council in the proposed TCAAP Master Plan. He discussed how he devised the percentage of park space for TCAAP and how the proposed parks would meet the needs of the residents within the development. He indicated that 3.8% (145 acres) of the City's current land was used for parks and open space. The proposed Master Plan has 49 acres of the TCAAP site being used for parks and open space, including wetlands. He reviewed the wetlands within the site noting they could be used passively. Mr. Dresdner reviewed how he devised the number of employees and residents estimated for the TCAAP property. The proposed community space was discussed in further detail. He then explained how the mixed use space would develop in the Town Square area of TCAAP. It was his opinion that the mixed use space would be difficult to develop but it also would be quite valuable given the number of residents in the area. He indicated that the site would benefit from a variety of stores in different sizes. Mayor Grant asked for comments or questions from the Council. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the lack of green space near the Town Center. Mr. Dresdner indicated that smaller "tot lots" were being proposed within the housing developments. These tot lots could be part of the private developments and would be less than one mile from the Town Center area. Councilmember Holden questioned how the water feature would be more than a drainage ditch. Mr. Dresdner commented that the clay lining would help with the water feature, along with high quality plantings and maintenance. He reported that he would provide the Council with several examples of successful water features in the metro area. Councilmember Holden was in favor of having a more pronounced water feature, versus a drainage ditch. Councilmember McClung agreed that the water feature was a major amenity of the site and he did not see the proposed wetlands meeting that need. He wanted to see a"wow" factor similar to Centennial Lakes. Mr. Dresdner indicated that the proposed design followed the lay of the land while also meeting the wetland mitigation and storm water needs for the site. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 3 Mayor Grant asked if the army water was clean enough to be used to augment the water feature to ensure it would not go dry. He suggested bubblers and pumps be installed as well to improve the water quality in the wetlands. Mr. Dresdner stated that this could be investigated. Councilmember McClung expressed concern with the proposed roundabout and that the MnDOT roundabouts are generally too small. Mr. Smalkowski believed that the City and the County would be included in the design process. Mayor Grant agreed that the roundabouts in the Midwest differ from the roundabouts on the east coast or throughout Europe. He wanted to see the roundabout wide enough to safely get traffic in and out without panic. He stated that if the roundabout was done incorrectly, it would be a detriment to the entire project. Councilmember Holmes commented that the roundabout would be an extreme mistake in the proposed location given the fact that it was a major entrance to the development. She thought that people would avoid the roundabout and that it should not be used within TCAAP. She recommended the consultants bring the five roadways together in a different alignment. Mr. Smalkowski understood this property was a clean slate, however, in this part of the site, the only way to provide a connection to I-35W and the thumb property is by constructing a roundabout. It is the only logical configuration to provide the necessary access. He stated that roundabouts today are becoming more popular and provide a much safer design. Councilmember McClung explained that the roundabouts on the east coast are much broader and carried a higher capacity of traffic. He recommended that the proposed roundabout be designed in the same manner. He has concerns with the roundabout if it is designed like others throughout Minnesota. Mayor Grant stated that the thumb did have some constraints with how it could be developed, however, at this time it is a blank slate and access to and from this area needs to be carefully considered. Councilmember Holden did not oppose the roundabout. She asked if the bridge to the corporate campus would be able to be viewed from the roundabout. Mr. Smalkowski stated that the bridge would be across the spine road, after the roundabout. Councilmember McClung indicated that he is interested to hear the public comments regarding the proposed roundabout. Mayor Grant requested clarification on the proposed small, medium and large residential lots. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 4 Mr. Dresdner reviewed the lot sizes in detail with the Council. Councilmember McClung requested that the consultants research price points and proposed square footage for these lot sizes prior to the open house. Mayor Grant indicated that the home values in Arden Hills are higher than neighboring communities and this is a desirable community for people to live in given the pocket of good jobs in the surrounding area. Councilmember Holden wanted to see senior housing on the TCAAP site woven into the development. Mayor Grant was in favor of TCAAP having a mix of housing to meet the needs of homeowners throughout the various stages of life. Councilmember Holden recommended that the housing density be lowered by 10%. Mayor Grant stated that another alternative would be to improve the building materials and price points. He stated that the mix of housing will be very important. Councilmember McClung was comfortable with the density as proposed. He worried that if the density was decreased by too much, the area would not be able to support the proposed commercial and retail areas. He wanted to see more green space intermixed in the housing as this would better support the proposed density. Mayor Grant reported that the walking trail would be an amenity available in this development and would provide additional green space. This trail would go past The Hill and The Creek neighborhoods. He supported the proposed tot lots in the neighborhoods but recommended the consultants increase the active recreation areas to meet the needs of children and teens in the 8- 18 age range. Councilmember Holden agreed with Mayor Grant. Councilmember Holmes thought that the proposed density was too high. She suggested The Hill and The Creek neighborhoods have more high-end homes. Councilmember Holden questioned if the Town Center area would have parking to allow the area to draw customers from other neighborhoods in Arden Hills. Mr. Dresdner stated that Main Street would have parking on both sides of the street and there would be surface parking behind Main Street. He commented that the office space would have structured parking to handle its clientele. Councilmember Holden turned the discussion to the proposed commercial/industrial area. It was her opinion that at 82 acres, this portion of the project is too large. She suggested that the ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 5 TCAAP development be 55-60% residential with the remaining portion commercial. She did not want to see a large commercial/showroom area within TCAAP. Mayor Grant indicated that residential may build out faster than commercial space. I Councilmember McClung saw this to be a policy discussion with Ramsey County. Councilmember Holmes asked if the property would build out from south to north. She stated that this may be difficult given the location of the proposed commercial/industrial area. Mr. Dresdner stated that a project is typically developed to the highest value. The last lots to be developed are typically the most expensive. It was his opinion that the project did not have to move from south to north. The Town Center area could be built earlier. Councilmember Holden commented that a great deal of the build-out would hinge on the completion of utilities. Mr. Dresdner stated that if the commercial/industrial area was reduced in size, the residential area would be increased. He reviewed how this could impact the site. Mr. Smalkowski reported that it was not economically viable to build houses with basements on the south side of The Hill and for that reason, commercial/industrial was proposed for this area. Councilmember McClung questioned how the consultants were made aware that housing would not work in this area. Mr. Smalkowski indicated that this information was provided by Ramsey County. Councilmember McClung stated that he would like to hear from Ramsey County on this matter. Mayor Grant discussed the thumb property, noting 500,000 square feet of office space was being proposed. If a connection to County Road I was completed, an additional 100,000 square feet of office space would be added. He asked what the economic impact of the additional office space would be to the development. Mr. Dresdner estimated that the extra office space would add 300 jobs, along with additional property taxes. Mayor Grant asked if the Council would support the Master Plan moving forward to be reviewed by the JDA and the Planning Commission. Councilmember Holden questioned if staff and the consultants were aware of the Council's concerns on the plan as proposed. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 6 City Administrator Klaers summarized that the Council had concerns with the wetlands, surface water management/water feature, roundabouts, density, housing mix, green space and active recreation space. Councilmember McClung wanted to see the concerns of the Council incorporated into the consultants' presentations to the JDA and the Planning Commission. Mr. Dresdner stated that this could be done. Councilmember Holden requested that the commercial/industrial area, the flex space, also be marked as a concern for the Council. The Council was in favor of the plan moving forward with the staff and consultants including the concerns of the City Council. Mayor Grant questioned what feedback should be gathered from the JDA and the Planning Commission on the Master Plan. Councilmember McClung was in favor of gathering all feedback even if it contradicted the direction of the Council. Councilmember Holmes was in favor of listing areas where feedback should be gathered as this would show the plan was not set in stone. Mayor Grant suggested that the areas of concern be listed without details of Council's discussion. Councilmember Holmes asked what types of businesses would be located in the commercial/industrial area. She expressed concern that this area only had one job per 1,000 square feet of space. Mr. Dresdner provided several examples of the uses that could occupy this space noting medical research, product development, light assembly and prototyping as potential uses in this space. These uses would not be truck intensive and would not be distribution centers. Councilmember Holden recommended that the amount of commercial/industrial space be limited as she did not want a large amount of showrooms in this area. Councilmember McClung suspected that the TCAAP site would develop relatively quickly given the positive turn that the economy has taken. He was pleased that the County would be driving the development. Mayor Grant asked if the Council had any input on how the open house should be structured for the consultants. OMMMMOMW ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 26, 2013 7 Councilmember McClung was in favor of the consultants showing the proposed density and lot sizes. This would allow the Council to gather valuable feedback from the residents in attendance. Mayor Grant recommended that the consultants compare the proposed lot sizes, setbacks and parks to others in Arden Hills. This would provide residents with greater perspective. He was in favor of breaking The Hill neighborhood into two with a trail through the middle. Councilmember Holden suggested that the comment forms collected from the open house have an address line that can be filled out. She encouraged the consultants to work further on connecting the TCAAP property to the rest of Arden Hills. Mr. Dresdner appreciated the input from the Council stating it would assist staff in refining the Master Plan. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the special City Council work session at 7:35 p.m. Amy Died David Grant City Clerk Mayor ,--A EN HILLS Request for Special City Council Work Session A special meeting may be called b the Mayor or any two Councilmembers. g Y Y Y Y I Reason for meeting: TCAAP Master Plan Requested Date: 12/26/13 Requested time: 5:30 PM Open meeting X Closed meeting Sign atur f persons) making request: Mayor or Councilmember Date Councilmember Date -This section to be completed by City staff- Date received: Date meeting to be held: 12/26/13 Time of meeting: 5:30 PM Location: City Hall All necessary posting and notices have been completed. /Aiw*//`­�`�l� , Signature of City Clerk Date it City of Arden Hills • 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills,MN 55112-5743 Phone 651.792.7800 * Fax 651.634.5137 www.ci.arden-hills.mn.us