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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-21-14-WS ,.It ,-AI�EN HILLS Approved: June 30, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 21,2014 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 5:04 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; City Attorney Joel Jamnik; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Parks and Recreation Manager Olson; Associate Planner Matthew Bachler; City Planner Ryan Streff; City Clerk Amy Dietl; PTRC Co-Chair John VanValkenburg; PTRC Member Steve Scott; and PTRC Member Rich Straumann APPROVAL OF AGENDA The Council accepted the agenda as presented. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Arden Plaza Amended and Restated Development Agreement Associate Planner Bachler stated that to date, the City has approved four separate planning cases related to the Arden Plaza redevelopment project on the southwest corner of County Road E and Lexington Avenue: • Planning Case 09-011: Master PUD for three development phases, Final PUD for Phase One, and preliminary and final plat. • Planning Case 10-008: PUD Amendment to allow for a one-year extension for submitting building permit applications for each of the three phases and for filing the final plat. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 2 • Planning Case 11-016: PUD Amendment to revise the number of lots, reduce the number of buildings to be constructed on the lots, and approve a revised preliminary and final plat. • Planning Case 13-010: PUD Amendment to permit additional wall and window signage for the Walgreens building on Lot 1. Associate Planner Bachler explained that in April 2013, staff was notified by the City Attorney that the development agreements pertaining to Planning Case 09-011, Planning Case 10-008, and Planning Case 11-016 were not properly recorded with Ramsey County. Subsequently, staff began working with the City Attorney to update the documents to reflect changes in ownership so the documents could be recorded. However, because of the substantive changes that occurred in the lot configuration and site plan following the approval of the Master PUD in 2009, there were several inconsistencies between the redevelopment plans as outlined in the Master PUD Agreement and what the stated plans were in the ensuing documents. This resulted in uncertainty in terms of what phases and buildings had actually been approved by the City. In order to address this issue, staff has been working with the City Attorney and the property owners within Arden Plaza to draft an Amended and Revised Development Agreement that accurately establishes the approvals and conditions for the redevelopment of the three lots on the site. This single document encompasses all previous development agreements and amendments, and going forward will be the principle regulatory document for the property. The conditions approved in Planning Case 13-010 regarding the additional signage for the Walgreens building have also been incorporated into the revised document. Associate Planner Bachler reported that the Amended and Revised Development Agreement includes two substantive changes from what was originally approved by the City Council in the previous agreements. Staff supports these requests. 1. Arden Plaza, LLC has requested to include an extension for the Phase II and Phase III application deadlines. The following chart outlines the existing requirements for the submittals for these two phases and the change proposed by Arden Plaza, LLC: Existing Proposed Requirements Changes Submittal of PUD—Final No later than June 1, 2013 No later than June 1, 2015 Plan for Phase lI Submittal of PUD—Final No later than June 1, 2014 No later than June 1, 2016 Plan for Phase III 2. The Pamela Couch Trust and the JGC Trust jointly own Lot 1 where the Walgreens building is located. The trustee has requested to remove the condition that waives their right to appeal assessments levied against Lot 1 related to the B-2 District streetscape improvements. Since the development agreement between the City and NLD Arden Hills, LLC, the developer for Walgreens, was not properly recorded this agreement would not have shown up on the title report when the property was purchased by the Trusts in October 2012. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 3 While the property is owned by the Pamela Couch Trust and the JGC Trust, under the terms of the lease, Walgreens is responsible for paying all property taxes, including special assessments. The lease agreement also obligates the Trusts to support Walgreens in their appeal of any taxes. The trustee is concerned that by agreeing to waive their right to appeal, the Trusts could be put in a position where they are not able to fulfill the terms of the lease if Walgreens were to appeal the B-2 District streetscape improvement assessments. Associate Planner Bachler stated that other than these two items, the Amended and Revised Development Agreement accurately reflects the conditions and approvals as approved by the City Council in Planning Case 09-011, Planning Case 10-008, Planning Case 11-016, and Planning Case 13-010. It should be noted that several conditions included in the previously approved agreements that were subsequently satisfied by the property owners have been removed from the revised agreement. Associate Planner Bachler explained that due to the substantive changes that have been proposed, formal approval of the Arden Plaza Amended and Restated Development Agreement by the City Council will be required. Staff has shared a draft version of the Agreement with the Arden Plaza property owners and they do not have any additional objections. Following City Council review of the document, the City Attorney will complete a property title search to ensure that all relevant individuals and entities sign the document. The agreement would then be brought to the City Council for final approval. Staff requested that the Council provide feedback. Mayor Grant summarized that when the Trust bought this property they never saw the agreement backing them because it was never filed. Associate Planner Bachler stated that this was the case. He reported that the Trust supports the document, except for one condition. He noted that the current draft has been reviewed by Arden Plaza, LLC and the Trust. Mayor Grant asked how the City failed to file the four documents and questioned what steps staff will be taking to ensure this does not happen in the future. Associate Planner Bachler explained that with the four documents related to Planning Cases 09- 11, 10-08 and 11-16, there was an attempt to record them with the County in February of 2012. However, they were not recorded properly and therefore did not show up on a title search. He reported that he was not on City staff at the time and was not certain why the documents were recorded with such a delay, following the previous approval. City Attorney Jamnik stated that part of the problem could be that the project was a moving target, where the developer was continually changing plans. There was discussion about revisions and changes, which necessitated another plan. The plans should have been recorded or filed, and for some reason, they were not. He reported that this was not much of a problem unless the properties changed hands. Mayor Grant stated that if the forms had been filed properly in February of 2012, then the Trust would have seen all of this information when they purchased the property in October of 2012. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 4 City Attorney Jamnik reported that this was the case. However, when the forms were filed in February of 2012, they were sent to the County Recorder's office and the County did not highlight the fact that some of the property (Lot 1, Block 1) was Torrens. This information should have been sent to the Register of Title's Office for recording, and should have been flagged by the County staff and reported back to the City. The City has not confirmed if this was completed. He stated that his office was not originally part of this recording, but.was now involved with the recording of all documents. His office confirms whether the paperwork has been properly recorded or not, and will ensure that this does not occur again. Mayor Grant questioned what assurances the Council has that documents have been filed properly over the past five years. He inquired if the Council needed to contact the County to ensure that filings have been completed. City Attorney Jamnik indicated that he has not conducted an audit and does not suspect that this is necessary. He reported that his office has taken steps to properly record the paperwork for the Planning Cases in question. He stated that he can look at past filings, if directed by the City Council. Mayor Grant inquired how the Council wanted to proceed with past filings. Councilmember McClung commented that Ramsey County is one of the top ten counties in Minnesota for Torrens property. He would like to see the Council establish a policy to ensure this does not happen again. He is concerned that there might be other unresolved or unfiled matters and would like to find a way to confirm that all filings with the County have been properly recorded. Mayor Grant did not believe the Council could establish a methodology for solving this problem tonight, but he encouraged staff to ensure that all paperwork is filed properly with the County. He suggested that staff begin by researching all prominent and important cases. An audit could be completed on these cases. Perhaps after looking at these cases, staff will have an idea if the City needs to look deeper. Mayor Grant added that the paperwork was not filed until 2012. City Attorney Jamnik reiterated that his only explanation for the confusion is due to the fact that the development was a moving target,but that each document should have been recorded after the action of the Council. Mayor Grant supported the proposed application deadline extensions for Phase Il and Phase III of the Arden Plaza redevelopment project. Councilmember Holden did not support the extensions. She questioned how the deadlines could be extended when the timeframe had expired. City Attorney Jamnik stated that it is not uncommon for cities to grant an extension for deadlines after the timeframe has expired. Councilmember Holmes did not object to the extension of the deadlines. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 5 Councilmember McClung reported that the applicant was aware of the deadlines and for this reason, he does not support the proposed change. Councilmember Werner was in favor of extending the Phase II and Phase III deadlines. Mayor Grant commented that it would be within the City's right to have the applicant reapply. Councilmember Holden was willing to compromise and suggested that both of the existing deadline requirements be no later than June 1, 2014, with the understanding that the applicant could request an extension. Mayor Grant suggested that this be moved to July 1, 2014. There was Council consensus on this change. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed with the second amendment to the development agreement. City Attorney Jamnik suggested that the Council wait on the second amendment and address it if the applicant requests an extension. The matter could be reviewed by Council at that time. The Council agreed with this recommendation. Staff was directed to bring this item back to the Council as a Consent Item extending the deadline applications for Phase II and Phase III to July 1, 2014. B. 2014 Preliminary Budget Parameters Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained that staff has identified a number of factors that will influence the 2015 Budget. Some of the factors are as follows: • Tax Levy— what is the Council's comfort level? Last year it was a 3.0% increase. A 1% levy increase translates to approximately$30,000. • Overall budget changes—preferences/limits? • Personnel. • Salaries and Benefits. We are currently undergoing a Compensation Study which will give us some good data to consider around the time of our budget discussions in August (this data will take into account our benefits with the salaries as a total package when doing comparisons). • Increase in employee benefits costs (health and dental). We do not have preliminary numbers for these costs yet, but will be getting these in the next few months. The City participates in the Lake Country Service Cooperative health insurance pool. There are about 60 City, County and other Governmental Agencies that participate in this pool. The current City contribution towards health and dental is $699.61 per month. In 2013 the City discontinued the Co-Pay Plan and added another high-deductible plan and added a third high-deductible that complies with the new Health Care Act just to be safe (this is a very high deductible and the Co-op allowed members to add this for compliance purposes). Over the past few years, the City has equally shared rate increases with the employees. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 6 Staff would recommend continuing to use this formula. (The City's cost per employee per month has only increased by $22 over the last seven years since we started the High Deductible plans with HSAs. We have also gotten back over$40,000 in dividends in three of the last four years from the Co-op). • Update the five year CIP. Staff is currently in the process of updating the current plan to discuss with the City Council at the June work session. Does the City Council have any feedback or direction they would like to provide staff with in regard to the CIP? • An area where staff sees a need is in park funding. Park dedication fees are generally limited to capital improvements, not general repair and maintenance items, and there is not a steady stream of income. The PIR fund is used for a lot of the larger park expenditures and for some matching funds for grants. In looking at the financial plan, staff sees a need to set up a reserve for park improvements. This fund would then be a funding source for items which are included in the CIP. • Another area is street improvement funding as we corrected the structural problems in the budget last year and discontinued the $200,000 transfer from the General Fund to the PIR and moved the street maintenance items from the PIR to the General Fund Streets department — this was basically a wash as the amounts were close to the same amount. In looking at the financial plan, staff sees a need to find a funding source to build up reserves for this fund. • Another area where staff sees a need is in the EDA Budget. We need to find a permanent funding source for general economic development activities. Also the Round Lake TIF District will be expiring in 2015 and the City Council/EDA budgeted this fund balance after the bond is paid(February of 2015) for the Round Lake Road improvement project. • As a step in creating a quality budget document, performance measures/service indicators should be established for each department. Some of these may come about as a result of the community survey (if one is done) as areas that the Council would like to improve. Goals and objectives also need to be established for each department. These would need to be established in 2015, then in subsequent years actual performance can be tracked to show progress against these goals. This would provide Council and the public another tool to evaluate city services. Staff would appreciate input from the Council on this matter. Staff reviewed a proposed budget calendar and requested direction from the Council as it continues with the 2015 Budgeting process. Councilmember Holden wanted to start the tax levy at 5.0% based on the feedback received from the public. This would allow the City to begin setting money aside for Snelling Avenue road repairs. She recommended that salary increases be discussed after the compensation study is complete, and she suggested that health care cost increases be paid by employees. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson noted that the compensation study will include salary and benefit for comparable cities. Councilmember McClung preferred to have a 0% levy increase. He is comfortable with the Council giving department heads up to a 1% increase for their budgets. It is his understanding that residents believe taxes are already too high and that they do not want additional fees (franchise fees). He does not support a 5.0% levy, unless there is a very good plan or explanation ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 7 for the residents. He does not support a staffing increase or a benefit increase for employees. He is in favor of the Council further discussing the structural funding issues at a future work session. Councilmember Holmes had concerns with contributions made into employees' HSA accounts. She indicated that she would need more time to think about a levy increase. Councilmember Werner stated that for preliminary discussion purposes, he would be open to discussing a 5%tax levy. Mayor Grant reported that inflation in 2013 was 1.5%. For this reason, he could support a 2% levy increase. He agreed that health care cost increases be borne by the employees. Based on the conversation with the public regarding franchise fees, he wanted to see the City hold the line on taxes. Councilmember Holden stated that there are gaps in the budget and Snelling Avenue was not slated to be replaced until 2028. She stated that she believes if the City continues to use reserves for projects, the City might not have enough money to complete this project. She anticipated that the City will end up right around 3% in 2015 given the increases needed each year to cover increases in public safety. Councilmember Holmes commented that the City has MSA funds that may become available for Old Snelling. She requested that staff provide the Council with information on these funds. Mayor Grant recommended that the Snelling issue be left out of the 2015 budget cycle. He suggested that staff try and come in at a 3%levy increase. Councilmember Holden wanted to know how much money is available for roads. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated that the CIP would be reviewed in June, which would give the City an idea of what road construction projects are planned and how they would be funded for 2015. She explained that she would proceed with a 3% levy increase. Mayor Grant approved of staff proceeding in this direction, with the caveat that it could be cut back to 2% or I%, with the understanding that roads and the PIR could increase this number. C. Single Stream Recycling City Planner Streff explained that the City of Arden Hills has contracted for curbside recycling service since 1992, for single family, duplex, triplex and fourplex residential dwelling units. Currently the City utilizes a dual stream collection process that requires residents to separate recyclables into two groups of materials: 1) all food and beverage containers; and 2) all paper and fiber products. Eureka Recycling has submitted a request to change the collection method from dual stream to single stream collection. The change to single stream would also include the expansion of recyclable plastic food packaging containers (#4 and#5)to be collected including; ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 8 • Tubs and bowls such as yogurt,butter and produce containers; • Transparent deli and"to go" containers City Planner Streff indicated that Eureka currently only targets plastic bottle types #1 and #2 in Arden Hills. Single stream collection allows the comingling of recyclable materials into one container. However, before the transition to single stream can take place, the recycling contract requires that written approval be obtained from the City. Eureka Recycling is currently transitioning several communities that they serve (including Lauderdale, Roseville, St. Paul and White Bear Lake) to single stream recycling. Eureka recently converted their material recovery facility(MRF)to be able to process materials from a single stream method. City Planner Streff reported that cities throughout the Twin Cities metro area, Minnesota and the country are continuing to make the transition to single stream recycling collection. Single stream recycling improves convenience to residents and therefore, increases recycling rates and participation. The net result is an increase in the overall amount of materials recycled. Staff has prepared two options for the Council to consider for implementing a single stream recycling collection system. _Option 1 Transition the City's recycling program to single stream collection while continuing to use the recycling bins that are currently being used by City residents. Other than moving to the single stream method and adding additional plastics, no other services provided by the recycling contract or the recycling program would be changed. There would be no impact to the cost, frequency of pickup, or route changes during the initial transition to single stream collection. Before any official changes to the program take place, the City and Eureka would provide educational materials to residents to ensure correct collection procedures. Once the transition to single stream collection has been made, the City would then begin discussions on how to most effectively switch the program from recycling bins to recycling carts. A new contract could be negotiated for the services needed for a single stream collection system with the use of carts. The City would decide if they should own the recycling carts or if the contractor should own the carts. In either case, the contractor could be tasked with managing the carts including: conducting the cart roll-out and cart storage, inventory, repairs, and replacements. The City would also need to consider the frequency of collection, types and sizes of carts, cart distribution, impacts to revenue share, recycling and processing fees, and other value added services such as multifamily recycling,public education and organics collection. Option 2 Delay the transition from dual stream to single stream collection until a new contract is negotiated between the City and a recycling contractor. At that time, the City would need to determine if the recycling carts should be purchased by the City or the contractor. The City would also need to consider the frequency of collection, types and sizes of carts, cart distribution, impacts to revenue share, recycling and processing fees, and other value added services such as multifamily recycling, public education and organics collection. City Planner Streff requested comment from the Council on how to proceed. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 9 Councilmember Holden questioned when the City's recycling contract was up for negotiation. City Planner Streff reported that the contract ran through March of 2015. Mayor Grant preferred to see a competitive bid for recycling services. Councilmember Werner stated that Shoreview has single stream recycling. He anticipated that this service would cost the City more money. City Planner Streff reviewed the pricing information stating that the rates would vary depending on whether the City kept weekly pickup, or changed to every other week pickup, for recyclables. Councilmember Holden asked if there was a market now for the#4 and#5 plastics. City Planner Streff understood that #3 and #6 plastics were the only recyclables that had no market. All other plastic recyclables had a market. Chris Goodwin, Eureka Recycling, stated that the reason #4 and #5 plastics were not collected before was because there was not a proper chain of custody. He reported that over the past five years, there has been a lot of market development in the plastics industry for these materials. Mayor Grant stated that if the City were to move to single stream recycling, residents may have a difficult time storing the larger container. This would then create a code enforcement issue if residents stored the container outside of their garage. Councilmember McClung commented that he has received a number of phone calls from residents requesting single stream recycling, with the large carts. He supported the single stream recycling and wanted to see staff pursue this option. He believed that the project should be competitively bid. Councilmember Holden questioned if the current recycling contract could be amended to allow for single stream recycling. City Planner Streff explained that a contract amendment would allow for single stream recycling through March 1, 2015, without purchasing carts and changing vendors. He indicated that staff could pursue bids from other vendors in the meantime, to assist in lowering the costs to residents. Mayor Grant discussed the revenue share plan with Eureka. He inquired if the revenue sharing would continue going forward. City Planner Streff understood that the City currently receives 50%of the revenues from Eureka, but that could change if the City were to pursue single stream recycling or other recycling vendors. Mayor Grant asked if Eureka had the ability to manage single stream recycling from the City's current bins. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 10 Mr. Goodwin reported that Eureka does have the ability at their plant to collect and manage single stream recycling. He indicated that the City could move to carts at a later time. He discussed the education process that needs to take place in order to move from dual to single stream. Councilmember Werner questioned if the fees for recycling would increase if the City changed to single stream. Mr. Goodwin stated that there could be a slight increase in the processing fees, but noted that participation would likely increase greatly, which would increase the amount of revenue share. Councilmember Holmes inquired if the City had to move to carts. Mr. Goodwin commented that the carts were easy and had a great deal of capacity. He noted that there were smaller carts available for residents. He reported that the carts were more efficient for the drivers. Further discussion ensued regarding the options available for recycling bins and pickup. Councilmember Holden was in favor of the Council selecting Option #1, maintaining the use of the existing bins with staff completing the competitive bid or RFP process for single stream recycling between now and March 2015. There was Council consensus to direct staff to proceed in this manner. D. Ramsey County • Economic Prosperity Presentation Ryan O'Connor, Ramsey County Policy and Planning Director, provided the Council with a presentation on the County's efforts to address economic prosperity. He commented that the County wants to address concentrated areas of financial poverty. The diversity of the County was discussed along with how the County would be addressing employment, housing, capacity, investment and education. Mr. O'Connor reviewed the land uses throughout the County noting that Ramsey County was extremely small in size, while being densely populated with a large percentage of institutional property. In order for the County to thrive, there needed to be a healthy mix of all land uses. The thriving employment base for the County was noted, along with the high unemployment rate. Mr. O'Connor described how the areas of concentrated poverty lacked good means of public transportation. He believed that this was a regional area of concern that needed to be addressed. He anticipated that transportation corridors in the County would continue to be an area of contention, stating that the County would need partnership from cities. Mr. O'Connor reviewed the plans the County had moving forward and asked for questions or comments from the Council. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 11 Councilmember Holden expressed frustration that the City of Arden Hills could not get a bus line given the City's large employment base. Mr. O'Connor understood that this was a concern. He further discussed how the Met Council made investments in the region for transportation. Councilmember McClung requested a copy of tonight's presentation from the County. Mr. O'Connor was more than happy to provide the City with this information and encouraged the Council to continue having a conversation with the County regarding economic prosperity. Mayor Grant summarized the County's efforts as needing to provide better jobs, reduce poverty, while addressing transportation and the education gap. • TCAAP Development Goals Heather Worthington, Ramsey County Deputy County Manager, provided the Council with a preview of the County's development goals for TCAAP. She explained that she is working with Mark Ruff on the projections for property tax revenue and infrastructure improvements. This information will be provided to the County Board on May 13th. She would then come to the City of Arden Hills with this information. Councilmember Holden questioned if the County was drawing its conclusions from the proposed Master Plan. Ms. Worthington stated that the proposed Master Plan was the foundation the County was using to build assumptions. Councilmember McClung asked if the numbers would be provided in a range. Ms. Worthington believed that Mark Ruff had used the City's minimum and maximums as the bookends. She reported that the County's goal was to break even on this project which was taken into account through the projections. Councilmember Holden noted that the proposed residential minimum was 71/z% over the City's current plan. Mayor Grant looked forward to hearing additional financial information from the County in inid- May. E. TCAAP Items • Council Goals for TCAAP Regional Water Resources Amenity Public Works Director Maurer stated that there has been a significant amount of discussion about the regional storm water management approach for the development of TCAAP. The draft Master Plan shows a blue/green spine winding its way through TCAAP from south to north ultimately outletting into Rice Creek near the County Road H access point to the site. In meetings with Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) staff, they are very supportive of this approach. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 12 There have been illustrative drawings showing how a regional storm water feature can be an amenity to the area providing passive recreational opportunities. But thus far there has been very little discussion with the Council about what their goals are for making this regional storm water feature a real amenity to the site and the City. The purpose of this agenda item is to begin this goal discussion. Public Works Director Maurer commented that before a real goal discussion can be conducted it is important to provide some detail regarding the various Federal, State and Regional agencies that may have jurisdiction over at least a portion of the things happening in the blue/green spine area. The first of these items is wetlands. Public Works Director Maurer noted that as discussed in the AUAR, there are 14.4 acres of wetlands on the TCAAP site. The largest single wetland, and possibly the most undisturbed wetland, is within the blue/green spine. It is a type 2/3 wetland approximately 4 acres in size. Examples of typical type 2 and 3 wetlands from the RCWD website are attached to the staff memo. This type of wetland generally does not have standing water but can be flooded seasonally. It is generally saturated ground a few inches below the surface. Vegetation is typically grasses, sedges and rushes. Public Works Director Maurer reported that there are two agencies that could have jurisdiction over each wetland. The first is the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) that has authority if the wetland is determined to be "jurisdictional" which generally means it is navigable or connected to navigable water. The second agency is the State Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) which is administrated by RCWD as the Local Government Unit (LGU). A Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) would review the County's application to address the wetlands on the site. WCA rules require what is called sequencing whereby the applicant must show efforts to avoid, minimize, rectify, reduce and replace in that order. So even if the County tries to remove all wetlands from TCAAP (most of the 14.4 acres are degraded areas), the final say on what happens to the 4 acre wetland in the blue/green spine rests with possibly the COE and WCA. Public Works Director Maurer indicated that the next agency that will have say over how the blue/green spine looks and operates is the Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD). They are the agency responsible for storm water runoff quality, volume control, and runoff rate control. Generally the RCWD water quality requirement is to provide storage for 1.1 inches of rainfall over the impervious area of the entire site. This will result in a fairly large volume of water; approximately 20 acre-feet of infiltration area or 40 acre-feet of ponding. In addition, as detailed in the AUAR, the rate control requirement imposed by RCWD for TCAAP will be 80% of the predevelopment peak runoff rate. This again will result in a significant amount of ponding to detain the runoff and meter it out at the maximum allowable rate (the actual maximum rate will depend on what RCWD determines is the pre-existing condition). As much as possible these ponding and quality control requirements are expected to be met utilizing the blue/green spine area(actual calculations for these requirements are part of the City/County RFP). Public Works Director Maurer stated that as part of our new MS4 permit, the City will be required to come up with policies and regulations for storm water management dealing with Total Phosphorus and Total Suspended Solids in the runoff stream (RCWD will be doing the same). These requirements could possibly be more restrictive than the current RCWD regulations. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 13 Public Works Director Maurer explained that it is possible and maybe likely that a Storm Water Management plan that meets all of these required regulations will also meet the Council's goal for the aesthetic and passive recreational use of the blue/green spine. However, if the Council can provide some specificity as to what you are expecting for aesthetics and passive recreational use, these items can either be included in or added to the storm water management plan for TCAAP. Some thoughts/questions to help define expectations might be: • Does the Council want standing water along the entire length of blue/green spine at all times? (The blue/green spine as shown on the draft master plan is 25-30 acres. Just the RCWD requirement for water quality treatment would mean this area is flooded approximately 1.5 feet deep before adding rate control ponding.) • Typically wetlands under WCA and ponds under RCWD will have a buffer strip 5-15 feet wide around them of native or natural growth; is that what the Council envisions? The buffer strip works to prevent contaminants in the runoff from reaching the wetland or ponding area and it also helps discourage large populations of geese. Does the Council envision the area with a natural buffer? • Does the Council want to see some kind of water feature(i.e., water fountain) in the Town Center area of the blue/green spine(the area near the existing water treatment building)? • The draft master plan shows a series of trails throughout the blue/green spine. There would also likely be benches, trash receptacles and possibly pedestrian scale lighting. Is there anything else the Council would like to have there for passive recreation? • It is likely that the City would be responsible for maintenance of the area both from a water resources area and a passive park area. Is the Council alright with the City having maintenance responsibility for the area? Staff hoped that the information presented regarding the regulatory constraints would assist the Council in establishing realistic goals for the area from an aesthetic and passive recreation standpoint. Councilmember Holden asked who would be responsible for buying wetland credits. Public Works Director Maurer reported that the County as land owner would be responsible for purchasing the credits or the future developer. He further discussed the AUAR along with the water runoff rate restrictions. Councilmember Holden wanted to be ensured the City would not incur any expense for the wetland mitigation that would be needed on TCAAP. Councilmember McClung believed that the water feature on TCAAP would be important and it would need to hold a great deal of water for the site. Public Works Director Maurer stated that this was the case, with the understanding that the water feature may have to be phased in as the site develops. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with how the water treatment plant would be incorporated into the site and the water feature. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 14 Public Works Director Maurer anticipated that the water feature would have to be incorporated into the plan to coordinate with how water naturally flows on the site. He stated the City would have a better understanding of how this will be conducted after the mass grading plan was complete. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that the Army was planning to remove the barbed wire fence. Councilmember Holden stated that she did not want to have the water feature view be limited by the water treatment plant. She did not want to see the water feature appear to be a drainage ditch. Mayor Grant believed that the City could make more decisions on this after the mass grading plan was complete. Councilmember Holmes did not want the water feature to be wild and full of algae. Councilmember McClung asked if any of the area surrounding the water feature could be green. Public Works Director Maurer believed that a portion of this area could be green, but noted the water feature could flood at times. He stated the water feature could be bordered with boulders or concrete. Councilmember Holden questioned the consensus of Council on the water feature. She wanted to see at least three larger ponds on the TCAAP site to assist with managing water on the site. She was not in favor of a fountain. Councilmember Holden inquired if there would be enough space near the water feature for a small amphitheater. Community Development Director Hutmacher commented that only a small scale gathering area would fit into this area. Mayor Grant questioned the size of the three small ponds. Public Works Director Maurer anticipated that the three ponds would have two to five acres of open water. Councilmember McClung stated that when he conceptualizes the water features on the TCAAP site, he sees 50% being manicured and 50% being wetland/streams. He wanted to see the space be similar to Centennial Lakes. He hoped to see trails and picnic areas near the water features as this would allow residents to recreate. Councilmember Holmes and Councilmember Holden agreed. • TCAAP Park Recommendations Public Works Director Maurer explained that the City Council asked the Parks Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC) to conduct a park analysis of the master plan draft and bring a ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 15 recommendation back. After discussion and review at their regular March 18, 2014 meeting, the PTRC formed subcommittees to further review the analysis. The subcommittees met and presented their recommendations to the PTRC for review at their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. After a comprehensive discussion and review, the PTRC had made a recommendation to the Council. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson discussed the proposed park plans for TCAAP in further detail with the Council. She reported a soccer/baseball complex would serve a great purpose on this site. The potential for a splash pad was discussed by the PTRC. The other proposed amenities for the park were described at length and staff requested comments from the Council. Councilmember Holden wanted to see senior playground amenities in the Town Center area, due to the fact senior housing could be located in this area. Councilmember McClung agreed and suggested that the PTRC consider how to create recreational areas for the Town Center area for all ages, as it would be densely populated. Public Works Director Maurer believed that the parks would be valuable to the surrounding developments. He understood that the City would have to evaluate the expense of the parks further, both the construction and ongoing maintenance. Councilmember McClung appreciated the work completed by staff and the PTRC by recognizing the deficiencies in the draft plan. Councilmember Holden asked if the tennis courts should be considered given the expense and questioned if the courts south of Highway 96 would be reconstructed. Public Works Director Maurer stated that tennis courts were lacking in the City and the PTRC believed these were a valuable asset for the City to have. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson discussed the resurfacing schedule for the tennis courts. Mayor Grant questioned if the Council supported the 21.9 acres and park configuration as suggested by the PTRC. Councilmember Werner was pleased that the plan had four parks planned. He believed the plan was well thought out. Councilmember Holmes thought the plan from the PTRC was great. She liked the idea of a sports complex. Mayor Grant wanted to be sure the TCAAP site had plenty of space for recreational activities for residents. Councilmember Holden questioned if the proposed parks and acreage was the maximum or minimum. She commented the park land and park development would be costly. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 21, 2014 16 PTRC Co-Chair Van Valkenburg indicated that the proposed plan was a minimum, as the PTRC did not have an understanding of costs. Councilmember McClung stated that the number of potential residents on TCAAP would be substantial and he believed the proposed plan properly met the ratio of residents to park land. He discussed how the proposed sports complex and parks would meet the recreational needs of the entire City. Mayor Grant commented that based on the Council discussion this evening, nine acres of park land that is in the draft plan is not sufficient. The Council recommended the park plan be more closely aligned with the PTRC's recommendation. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Werner encouraged the Council to read an article from the Star Tribune regarding potholes. Councilmember Holden stated that she attended the Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday. She commended staff for their efforts. Mayor Grant commented that he has had several residents contact him regarding frozen water lines. This issue may have to be discussed further by the Council, as some residents have left their water running for weeks and these residents may be expecting a reimbursement. After speaking with staff, he did not believe the City should reimburse these residents. Councilmember McClung did not believe the City was responsible for the harsh winter. Mayor Grant requested information from staff on Perry Park. Public Works Director Maurer stated that the City would be placing a fence on the ball field at Perry Park. After this work is completed, the field will be leveled and seeded. City Administrator Klaers noted that there will be a Round Lake meeting on April 22, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council work session at 8:35 p.m. am,1=6� tLl Amy Dietl U David Grant City Clerk Mayor