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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-16-13-WS -fi QEENHins Approved: January 27, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION DECEMBER 16, 2013 5:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council work session at 5:09 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Community Development Intern Matthew Bachler; City Planner Ryan Streff; and City Clerk Amy Died 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. TCAAP Redevelopment Partnership Update Jonathan Weinhagen, Regional Director of St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, introduced himself to the Council and discussed the work that has been completed by the TCAAP Redevelopment Partnership (TRP). He explained that this group was established to educate the public and build support for the project and the legislative funding requests. He noted that several positive articles have been printed in the Pioneer Press regarding the TCAAP site. Mr. Weinhagen reported that a panel was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to gather feedback on TCAAP. There were nearly 100 people in attendance which was a great show of support. He then provided comment on the information gathered from this session. He discussed how the Mounds View School District was using the TCAAP site for its science program. Councilmember Holden suggested that the TRP group meet with the local colleges and inform them of the opportunities on the TCAAP property as well. Mr. Weinhagen reported that he will speak with representatives from Bethel and Northwestern. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 2 Councilmember McClung encouraged Mr. Weinhagen to address the traffic concerns that MnDOT has created on 1-694 with the State. He expressed concern with how traffic would flow in and out of TCAAP given the current congestion surrounding this property. Mayor Grant commented that I-694 eastbound traffic is an issue. He stated that MnDOT needs to resolve the traffic issues. He appreciates the partnerships that the TRP is creating to raise awareness of the TCAAP redevelopment and recommended Mr. Weinhagen use this initiative to bring light to the traffic concerns. Mr. Weinhagan explained that the partnerships being created are continuing to evolve. He appreciated the concerns expressed by the Council and stated that he will continue to work on behalf of TCAAP. He stated that in 2014, he will provide the Council with TRP updates on a more regular basis. Mayor Grant thanked Mr. Weinhagen for the report provided to the Council. B. TCAAP Master Plan Mayor Grant suggested that the Council hear the entire presentation from staff and consultants and ask questions at the end. Andrew Dresdner, Cuningham Group, reviewed the TCAAP Master Plan timeline with the Council. He explained that the JDA and Planning Commission will review the Master Plan on January 6 and January 8, 2014, respectively. A public open house is scheduled for January 22, 2014, at 5:30 in the Marsden Conference Room of the Ramsey County Public Works facility. Mr. Dresdner reported that the Master Plan will define the vision and overall goals for the TCAAP site. He indicated that his group is working to bring together the requests from the Council and the public to create a development that the residents will love. He reviewed the comments received from the public to-date. Mr. Dresdner explained that the Master Plan will work to keep the TCAAP site connected. He then discussed how the rest of Arden Hills was developed and reviewed the five design principles that would be followed for the TCAAP property. He stated that a balanced land use approach will be taken with regard to residential and commercial spaces. The spine road, open space, site constraints, wetlands,topography, and unique site features were reviewed. Mr. Dresdner reviewed a proposed sketch for the site including the location of the spine road. He recommended that the site have three neighborhoods (The Creek, The Town and The Hill), with commercial and retail districts located more closely to the highway given the high level of visibility. Another retail area would be placed in the core of the site. He discussed how each of the three neighborhoods would have a range of housing types, be distinct and separate, but remain connected through trails and open spaces. He explained how the open spaces would work hard and benefit the entire development. He provided comment on the number of acres that serve the site as wetlands. He reported that the natural amenities (creek, wetlands and topography) on the site would greatly benefit the homeowners and the entire community. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 3 Mr. Dresdner discussed the economic development proposed for the site. He noted that the majority of this space would be developed to the west and south of the spine road and in the thumb. He commented that the thumb was proposed to be a single corporate user since over 500,000 square feet of office space would be available for building construction. He noted that the town center area would provide for multi-tenant office buildings. Mr. Dresdner estimated that the TCAAP site would have 1,700 residential units, 2,000,000 square feet of office space and 300,000 square feet of retail space. The housing on TCAAP would encompass 168 acres. He explained that 156 acres would be used for office; 13 acres would be set aside for mixed use; and 18 acres for retail. As layed out, TCAAP could accommodate approximately 4,000 jobs and about 4,000 residents. Mayor Grant asked for comments from the Council on the draft Master Plan. Councilmember Holden recommended that the TCAAP property be connected by trails to the rest of Arden Hills. Mr. Dresdner stated that a trail connection could be made at Highway 96 to the rest of Arden Hills. Discussion ensued regarding the importance of a trail connection from the TCAAP property to Arden Hills. Councilmember Holden asked how many people attended the TCAAP open house on September 17, 2013. Mr. Dresdner stated that approximately 150 people attended the open house. Councilmember Holden questioned who would be removing the wells on the TCAAP site. Heather Worthington, Deputy County Manager for Ramsey County, discussed the agreement language stating that the wells would have to be addressed by the County and the MPCA. She commented that some wells would have to be removed. Councilmember Holden stated that it would have been nice for the Council to have a copy of the handouts from the Cuningham Group prior to the meeting. She questioned what percentage of the acreage was residential, retail and commercial. She was in favor of having more residential than commercial space. Mr. Dresdner reviewed the distribution of space in further detail with the Council. Brian Smalkowski, Kimley-Horn, commented that the location of the spine road nicely divides the development between commercial and residential spaces. Councilmember Holden inquired if the Army or the National Guard would be maintaining the water tower. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 4 Mr. Dresdner stated that he would look into this. Councilmember Holden questioned if additional AHATS property becomes available, could it be incorporated into the TCAAP development. Mr. Dresdner stated that stub roads could be completed in the neighborhoods, along with trail connections to the AHATS site. Councilmember Holden expressed her concern that the water feature not become an unattractive drainage ditch. Councilmember Werner requested further comment on the vision for the proposed amphitheater. Mr. Dresdner anticipated that the amphitheater could hold simple outdoor events, but would not be a large feature. Mayor Grant stated that 1,700 homes on roughly 170 acres was being proposed. He asked how many dwelling units were being proposed for each neighborhood. Mr. Dresdner indicated that 350 homes were proposed for The Creek, and The Creek neighborhood would be approximately 41 acres. The Town neighborhood was proposed to be 55 acres in size and would have 700-800 homes. The Hill neighborhood would be approximately 72 acres and would have 550 homes. Mayor Grant discussed the AUAR and asked if the spine road could support the level of traffic that would be generated by the proposed development. Mr. Dresdner stated that there was quite a range between the low and high AUAR scenarios, but noted that the low AUAR scenario would have 20,000 vehicles per day. This was light traffic for a four-lane roadway. Under maximum build scenario, the spine road could support 30,000 vehicles per day. Mayor Grant questioned the level of traffic that the access points at County Road H and Highway 96 could support. Mr. Dresdner stated that the interchanges could be designed to support the max build, but this would depend on the final configuration of land uses on the site. He commented that both of these intersections were slated for reconstruction over the next two years. Mayor Grant inquired how many bridges would be required in the development given the proposed water features. He wanted to be assured the County was considering the expense for the bridges along with the spine road. Mr. Dresdner indicated that the spine road would cross the water feature twice; therefore, two bridges would be required. One of which, however, would likely only require a culvert design. Ms. Worthington commented that the bridges would be a part of the spine road project. f l ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 5 Councilmember Holmes discussed her concerns with the access to and from the TCAAP site. She expressed concern with how emergency traffic would access the site from County Road I. Mr. Dresdner stated that the impacts of a connection to County Road I were being studied. Ms. Worthington indicated that an emergency access road was being discussed by the County, along with the County's goals for tax capacity and job creation. She reported that she should have more information for the Council to review in January or February. Councilmember Holden asked if the site could handle the proposed density without a connection to County Road I. Mr. Dresdner stated that this would be possible with proper roadway configurations at the other two interchanges. Mayor Grant clarified that County Road H and Highway 96 would be able to support the traffic that would be generated by the proposed development. He then directed the conversation to utilities within the TCAAP site and questioned where utilities would be located along the spine road. Public Works Director Maurer discussed how utilities could be placed through this corridor. He reported that the City should complete the utilities in conjunction with the County as it completed the spine road. Mayor Grant questioned the overall value of the build-out of the TCAAP property. Mr. Dresdner did not have a range in mind and could only speculate. Mark Ruff, Ehlers & Associates, estimated that the commercial side of the property could be valued at $200-500 million. The housing could be valued at approximately $200,000 to $350,000 per unit. Mayor Grant requested further information on the two proposed parks. Mr. Dresdner discussed the parks and trails proposed for the TCAAP site in further detail with the Council. He commented that the two parks would each be approximately five acres in size. A socceribaseball field combination would be provided in each park. Several tot lots were also being proposed for the residential neighborhoods. Councilmember Holmes wanted to see a ball field located within each of the three neighborhoods to allow the children within the neighborhoods to play sports. She wanted to see the active park area size increased. Mayor Grant agreed stating that the residents of Arden Hills enjoy the parks and trails. He also understood that this was a draft plan but encouraged staff to reconsider the size of the parks. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 6 Councilmember McClung requested that the Council receive a copy of the slide show to allow for further review of the proposal. Councilmember Holmes questioned how the draft Master Plan would be reviewed by the Planning Commission and JDA when all of the comments from the Council have not been considered in the proposed plan. Mr. Dresdner stated that it was his intent to gather feedback from each of the groups and report back to the Council with a revised draft plan. Councilmember Holden asked if any changes would be made to the plan prior to going before the JDA. Mr. Dresdner proposed that the current plan be reviewed as is with the JDA and Planning Commission and that the Council's concerns be expressed. Councilmember Holmes stated that it was her opinion that the plan was not ready to pass along until more of the Council's questions and concerns were addressed. Councilmember Holden commented that she would like to receive more clear definitions on the recreational space. Councilmember Holmes questioned how the flex business space would be used. She did not want to see this location become an area with showrooms. Mr. Dresdner defined how the flex business space would be used and the users that would be attracted to this area. Councilmember Holmes stated that she still had a large number of questions regarding the plan and questioned if it was ready to go before the Planning Commission and JDA. Councilmember Holden questioned if the water feature would be able to be used by the public. Sandra Rolph, Cuningham Group, commented that there were companies that maintained wetlands, which would allow the City to open up the landscape and allow the wetland to be used by the City for a park area in the summer and for ice skating in the winter. She further discussed the public buildings and amenities proposed for this area. Councilmember Holmes asked if a park and ride would be located on the TCAAP site. Mr. Dresdner stated that there were no plans for a park and ride on the TCAAP site, however, transit services were being reviewed. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed on the Master Plan. Councilmember Holden was in favor of reviewing the Master Plan again prior to the JDA meeting,through a special Council work session. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 7 Mayor Grant asked if staff would be able to prepare for a special work session prior to the JDA meeting. Mr. Dresdner did not think he could revise the plans to meet the Council's needs prior to the January 6th meeting. City Administrator Klaers questioned what would be the minimum level of revisions that would allow for the Council to move forward with the Master Plan. Councilmember Holmes indicated that she was not comfortable with the current plan as presented. She requested more clarification on the issues raised by the Council before the Master Plan moves forward. She was in favor of the plan being reviewed again by the Council before January 6 th Mayor Grant was in favor with the plan moving forward to the Planning Commission and JDA. Councilmember McClung stated that if the plan were to move forward that it do so with a provision that this was a draft preliminary plan, and that the Council's concerns be expressed. Councilmember Holden wanted to see the Council provided with the handouts to allow for an in-depth review of the report prior to the plan moving forward. She indicated that the Council had concerns with the large concepts of land use, and for this reason, the plan should be further reviewed before being passed along. Mayor Grant stated that the Council would need to call a special meeting prior to the end of December. He encouraged the Council to jot down their concerns and forward them to staff. Councilmember Holmes inquired why staff was proposing to move the Master Plan to the JDA without taking into consideration the comments and concerns of the City Council. She recommended the Master Plan timeline be pushed back. Councilmember Werner suggested that the next stop for the Master Plan be the JDA. Councilmember McClung reiterated that the Master Plan presented this evening was the consultants plan and not the City Council's preliminary plan. He understood the need to move the Master Plan along to continue to gather feedback. However, he would have liked to have received more details prior to this evening's meeting. This would have prepared the Council to ask educated and detailed questions, while providing feedback on the proposed plan. Councilmember Holden stated that if this plan were to move forward to the JDA and the Planning Commission it would not be the Council's plan; it would be the consultant's plan. Councilmember McClung anticipated that if the current plan was to move forward to the JDA and the Planning Commission, that many of the same concerns would be raised. Councilmember Holden inquired when staff received the Master Plan proposal. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 8 Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that staff received the proposal last week and discussed how to present the information to the Council. Staff was in favor of having the Cuningham Group present the Council with the plan at the work session and did not feel the handouts would have been effective in conveying the rationale and details behind the plan. Mayor Grant asked if the Council was available for a special work session on December 30tH Councilmember Holmes was not available on that date. She suggested January 2nd Mr. Dresdner reported that he would not be available December 27th through January 3rd Mayor Grant recommended that the Council meet on December 26th as it would be important to have Mr. Dresdner in attendance. Councilmember Werner stated that he would have to review his schedule to see if he would be able to attend on the 26tH Mayor Grant, Councilmember Holden and Councilmember McClung were available to meet on December 26tH Mayor Grant encouraged Councilmember Holmes to send her questions to staff prior to the 26tH Mayor Grant questioned if Council was in favor of allowing the County to review the proposed Master Plan. The Council was in favor of allowing this presentation with the caveat that the plans were not approved by the City. City Administrator Klaers reviewed a possible revised timeline for the Master Plan. He proposed having the JDA and Planning Commission review the draft Master Plan informally in January and any comments received be brought back to the Council. Another Council review of the Master Plan would then take place in February. He stated that if this approach to gathering input on the draft plan was followed, the Council may not need to hold the special meeting on December 26tH David Sand, Chair of the JDA, understood that the holidays were approaching and the Council had a great deal of data to absorb. He anticipated that the JDA meeting on January 6th would be informational only. He assumed that the Planning Commission meeting on January 8th would be the same. He encouraged the Council to keep the proposed timeline and gather information from these groups, along with the public on January 22nd. This would allow for more formal action to be taken in February. Councilmember Holmes stated that if this route were taken, the JDA and Planning Commission would be providing comments on a plan that has not even considered the comments of the City Council. The Council was favor of meeting on December 26th at 5:30 p.m. to further discuss the Master Plan. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 9 Mayor Grant recessed the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Mayor Grant reconvened the meeting at 8:06 p.m. C. City Council Retreat on Team Building and Respectful Workplace City Administrator Klaers indicated that in July, the Council did a follow-up session of the May/June Council-staff training on sexual harassment and hostile work environment. One result of this session was Council consensus that they would like to continue the work on team building and respectful workplace with Sheila Krejci using a new tool that measures the "Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team". City Administrator Klaers indicated that in September, the Council had expressed interest in having a retreat and working on this in a full or half day approach. The results from the profiles of the Leadership Team have shown scores for all areas of the five behaviors (trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and results) that could be improved. Given the test results and the desires of the Council to work in this area, a discussion is needed regarding how the Council would like to structure the retreat. City Administrator Klaers stated that the Council expressed a desire to hold a retreat on a Friday afternoon and a Saturday morning as has been done in the past. He reported that the process would be interactive with a great deal of activities to demonstrate the five behavior areas. It would also facilitate and help if each member could read the book as pre-work. The City would need everyone's commitment to attend in order for the work to be effective. Mayor Grant stated that he was not available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. He explained that he would be available Friday evening or all day Saturday. Councilmember McClung explained that he too was not available during the work day due to his work schedule. Councilmember Werner preferred the session to be broken into two days. Councilmember Holden was in favor of holding the sessions on two week day evenings, so the retreat would not interfere with a weekend. Mayor Grant suggested the Council seek dates in January. Councilmember McClung stated that he could make this work. He proposed holding the meetings on January 23`d and 24th, or January 28th and 29th. Mayor Grant suggested February 41h and February 6th City Administrator Klaers explained that he would review this with Ms. Krejci to see if these dates were available. He commented that a Friday and Saturday may be the best option. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—DECEMBER 16, 2013 10 Councilmember McClung suggested, and the Council concurred, on March 7th and 8th with a second option being March 14th and 15th Mayor Grant requested that the weekday options be pursued first with Ms. Krejci. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Werner mentioned that he spoke with Public Works Director Maurer regarding snow removal. He stated that he appreciated the work completed by the public works department. Councilmember Holmes encouraged staff to work on the procedure for applying for overnight parking via the City's website as it was extremely difficult to navigate. Mayor Grant recommended that staff investigate this procedure further and report back to the Council. Councilmember McClung explained that he has received a number of emails regarding the poor work completed by MnDOT. He stated that he has been responding to residents with a link to the Governor, the Commissioner of Transportation, our Senator, our Representative and the Chair of the Metropolitan Council. All complaints should be directed to these individuals. He expressed frustration with the increased traffic levels on 1-694 after the road construction was complete. Mayor Grant indicated that there will be a ribbon cutting open house event for Title Boxing Club on January 23`d Councilmember Holden recommended that staff put a posting on the website addressing the snow and ice removal concerns. Mayor Grant suggested that the entire snow removal procedure be posted on the City's website. Public Works Director Maurer stated that he would post this information to the City's website. City Administrator Klaers reported that he sent out the franchise fee letter to the Council last Friday and is awaiting feedback from the Council. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council work session at 8:35 p.m. Amy Dietl 0 David Grant City Clerk Mayor