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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-13-14-R .It -` I�EN�HILLS Approved: November 24, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 13,2014 7:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Grant declared October 13, 2014, to be a non-holiday and therefore the Council could conduct City business. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, and Dave McClung Absent: Councilmember Ed Werner(excused) Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Assistant City Engineer John Anderson; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; and City Clerk Amy Dietl PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 2. PUBLIC INQUIRIESANFORMATIONAL None. 3. STAFF COMMENTS A. TCAAP Update Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that the City Council has held two meetings with Gateway Planning, the zoning consultant. Drafts of the TCAAP zoning ordinance are being discussed by the City Council, and further revisions are anticipated. Additional meetings with Gateway Planning are scheduled for November 3 and 17, 2014. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 2 Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that staff and consultants are scheduling work for the regulations and policies component of the master planning process. The current schedule for TCAAP meetings is as follows: October 13, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room • JDA Governance and Approval Process • Park Dedication Ordinance Discussion • Discuss Chapters 1-5 October 20, 2014, Regular Work Session at 5:00 pm, Council Chambers • Discuss Chapter 11 (Sign Standards) • County Road H • Spine Road Alignment October 27, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room (Note: EDA meeting at 6:00 pm—work session may be continued after regular meeting) • Water and Sewer System Update (Infrastructure) • Discuss Chapters 9-10 (Open Space Standards, Streetscape and Landscape Standards) November 3, 2014, Special Work Session at 6:00 pm, Council Chambers • Workshop with Gateway Planning o Discuss Chapter 8 (Street Design Standards) and Attachments o Discuss Cumulative Comments on TCAAP Zoning o Discuss Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map November 10, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room • Stormwater System Update (Infrastructure Team) November 17, 2014, Regular Work Session at 5:00 pm, Council Chambers • Final Workshop with Gateway Planning o Review entire document o Provide direction on remaining comments o Review complete Master Plan November 24, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room • Final review of draft zoning document, future land use map, and Comprehensive Plan amendment in preparation for public hearings at December 3, 2014 Planning Commission Meeting December 1, 2014, Special Work Session at 6:30 pm, Community Room • Spine Road/County Road I/Thumb Road Update (Infrastructure) December 8, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room • December Open House Meeting Preview (Infrastructure) ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 3 December 15, 2014, Special Regular Meeting at 7:00 pm, Council Chambers • Approve Final Master Plan • Approve TCAAP Zoning • Approve Future Land Use Map • Approve Comprehensive Plan Amendment December 22, 2014, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Council Chambers • If necessary to review TCAAP zoning December 29, 2014, Regular Meeting at 7:00 pm, Council Chambers • If necessary to approve TCAAP zoning January 11, 2015, Special Work Session at 5:30 pm, Community Room • Preliminary Plat Review (Infrastructure Team) January 25, 2015, Regular Meeting at 7:00 pm, Council Chambers • Receive Infrastructure Feasibility Report(Infrastructure Team) Staff anticipated that additional regular and special work session meetings will be scheduled to discuss regulations and policies, the infrastructure study, and other TCAAP issues. Future meeting topics will be defined as those dates draw nearer. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. August 25, 2014, Special City Council Work Session B. August 25, 2014, Regular City Council MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the August 25, 2014, special City Council work session minutes; and the August 25, 2014, regular City Council meeting minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 5. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Motion to Approve Consent Agenda Item - Claims and Payroll B. Motion to Approve Round Lake Road Area Improvement—Payment#4 MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as presented and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 6. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS None. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 4 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. TCAAP Development Discussion Opportunity for Residents Mayor Grant stated that under the Public Hearing section, citizens would have an opportunity to discuss ideas regarding the TCAAP development. Mayor Grant opened the public hearing at 7:05 p.m. With no one coming forward to speak, Mayor Grant closed the public hearing at 7:06 p.m. 8. NEW BUSINESS None. 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Gateway Sign—Cleveland/County Road D Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that as directed by the Council, staff has obtained a quote from Fourth Dimension for a Gateway sign to be located at the northeast corner of Cleveland and County Road D. This sign would be placed in a small easement on the property adjacent to bituminous trails on each side. This location makes it impractical to light the sign from an external source as the light would likely be damaged or at least covered by plowing operations. Therefore, the recommendation is for an internally lighted sign. Assistant City Engineer Anderson indicated that internally lighting the sign would require that it have a slightly different appearance from the two existing signs, although it would be constructed of generally the same materials. The difference in the signs is the area where the City logo and the name appear. That area would be made from green colored aluminum so the logo and name can be cut out and the Plexiglas placed to allow the light to shine through. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the easement document restricts the sign height to 41/2 feet and its length to 20 feet. However, using the 4 '/2 foot height, the general sign shape and proportion that is recommended is approximately 7.3 feet long. Assistant City Engineer Anderson commented that the quote for the manufacture and placement of the sign is $10,030.00. Staff reviewed a graphic prepared by Fourth Dimension showing the proposed sign and a photo of the existing City sign for comparison purposes. Other costs for the full installation of the sign would be the curbing around the sign and the Public Works staff's time for extending electrical service for the LED lighting, preparing the site, and placing landscape rock inside the curbing. Mayor Grant asked if the green portion of the sign could be made tan and the white portion be made green as this would more closely align with the Arden Hills' city colors. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 5 Tim Witz, Fourth Dimension, explained that he had provided staff with eight different sign renderings with varying background colors. He noted that he could do any combination of the colors as determined by the Council. He indicated that he could match the City's colors to keep the branding consistent. Discussion ensued regarding the sign colors and building material options. Mayor Grant stated that it would be his preference to keep the background of the sign tan with the lettering green, as this would be consistent with the Arden Hills' logo. Councilmember Holden noted that the proposed sign more closely matched the existing gateway signs. She stated that if tan were selected for the background, this would create a new color scheme that would be inconsistent. She also questioned if the City paid sales tax on this project. Councilmember Holmes supported the background being a beige or tan instead of white. Councilmember McClung explained that he did not like the sign at County Road E2 and Cleveland Avenue. He suggested that the tan and green color scheme be selected to improve visibility. He reported that he would not be supporting the gateway sign. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to recommend staff proceed with the installation of a 4 1/ foot high, 7 foot wide, internally lit gateway sign at the northeast corner of Cleveland Avenue and County Road D with a cost not to exceed $10,300 with a tan and green color scheme. The motion carried 3-1 (McClung opposed). B. County Road E Improvements—Public/Assessment Hearings Assistant City Engineer Anderson explained that the County Road E (B-2 District) improvements have a long history of studies, task forces and guide plans. After approving the Guide Plan Implementation Report on December 17, 2012, the Council adopted Resolution 2012- 054 ordering the Feasibility Report for the Country Road E (B-2 District) project. On March 31, 2014, Resolution 2014-019 was adopted which accepted the Feasibility Report and authorized the preparation of plans and specifications for the improvements. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that as was discussed at a work session on July 28, 2014, due to the long history with this project and the number of contacts with the property owners, the Public Hearing and the Assessment Hearing are planned to be held the same evening. Both are being held after final plans are completed but before the project is bid. The main reason for this is due to the fact that the largest component of the assessment calculation is the Xcel Energy installed street lighting and a firm quote has been received for that work. The other assessment items included in the design have been quantified and staff and the consultant are comfortable that the estimated costs are accurate. The City Attorney has concurred with this approach to the project. Assistant City Engineer Anderson noted some important items about this project: ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 6 1. Major components of the project are: • A mill and overlay of the street surface (this is a change from the County's original plan to seal coat the road). • Restriping to narrow the center turn lane and expand the shoulder area for bicyclists. • New medians with colored concrete. • Dual left turn lanes from eastbound CR E to northbound Lexington. • New signals at Lexington and Connelly and retrofitting of the Pine Tree signal for ADA pedestrian facilities. • New Xcel Energy lighting (changed by the Council from 200 foot spacing to 150 foot spacing so there is a light approximately every 75 feet on one side or the other). • Boulevard trees (approximately 55 trees of 5 different varieties). • Curb, driveways and sidewalk repair and construction of new sidewalk where none exists. • New sidewalk down Pine Tree to the Bethel facility. 2. The total cost of the project has risen to an estimated $2,067,046 (including overhead) mostly due to the County's change from seal coat to mill and overlay of the street surface and the decreased spacing of the lights. The County's share of the total project cost is estimated at $1,409,209 (68%). The City's share is estimated at $657,838 (32%). 3. The proposed assessment amount is $272,139.61 (approximately 41% of the City's share) 4. Assessment items generally include the following: • No assessment for boulevard trees. • Lighting assessment is 50% of the cost above $86,678.80 which has been determined to be the cost to replace the current lights with a basic Xcel Energy system on a 200 foot spacing. • No assessment for the sidewalk in front of E Street Flats as the developer has escrowed monies for the construction of this sidewalk with the redevelopment of that property. • Connelly Street improvements are still in the project with 50% assessment ($21,146.76)to the two Flaherty parking lots and Pot O Gold. Mr. Flaherty has asked previously for this to be removed from the project. In response to Mr. Flaherty's request, Public Works had the curve striped and a check with Ramsey County Sheriffs office did not reveal any significant accident history. • The remaining"City Share"of the project is 50% assessed to benefitted properties. 5. The Hunter Park Condominiums located at 4 Pine Tree Drive contain 72 individually owned units. The assessment was calculated based on the area of the property and then divided equally among the 72 unit owners. Each condominiums assessment will be less than $100.00. Assistant City Engineer Anderson recommended that the Council adopt three resolutions. One ordering the public hearing; one declaring the cost to be assessed; and one setting the public hearing date. Mayor Grant asked which light fixtures and poles the estimated expenses were based on. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 7 Assistant City Engineer Anderson explained that the expenses were based on the Vernon style light fixture with a fluted shaft and base. He indicated that the total lighting expense for these fixtures would be $323,000. After deducting $86,678, half of the expense for the lights would be assessed and the other half would be paid by the City. Councilmember McClung questioned the spacing for the new light fixtures. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the lights along the corridor would be 150 feet apart. Councilmember Holmes expressed concern that staff selected the Vernon style light fixture when Council had not made a final determination. For this reason, she was not comfortable bringing this matter to a Public Hearing. City Administrator Klaers commented that based on the July 28th Council work session, the majority of the Council directed staff to include these lighting costs in the assessments. The minutes reflected that the consensus of Council was to preliminarily proceed with the Vernon style light fixture. Councilmember Holmes proposed that the Council make a final decision on the light fixture this evening. She did not approve of the extra expense for the lighting when the fixtures virtually looked the same. She did not believe that the local businesses would want to assume the extra expense for the Vernon style light fixtures. Mayor Grant asked what the previous lighting expense was from Xcel Energy. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the engineer's original estimate was $575,000. He reported that staff had reduced this lighting budget to $445,250 in the March Feasibility Report and the lighting was reduced again to the current amount of$323,000 after receiving a bid from Xcel Energy. Councilmember Holden questioned the expense of the cobra-head light fixtures. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the basic cobra-head fixtures would cost the City $86,678. He reported that the Colonial lighting would cost the City$147,352. Councilmember McClung discussed the differences between the various lighting options. Councilmember Holmes requested further clarification on the lighting expense. City Administrator Klaers provided comment on the lighting expense and the spacing that was agreed upon by the Council along the corridor. He discussed how these elements impacted the amount that would be assessed for the project. He reported that during the recent corridor walking tour, the business owners were presented with the Vernon light fixture. Councilmember McClung asked if staff received any feedback on the Vernon light fixture. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 8 Assistant City Engineer Anderson indicated that a number of business owners thought the Vernon light fixture was nice. Councilmember Holden suggested that staff present both lighting options (Vernon and Colonial) at the public hearing for the business owners to review and discuss. MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to adopt Resolution #2014-049, ordering the Public Hearing for the County Road E improvements to be held on November 10, 2014. The motion carried (4-0). MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Mayor Grant seconded a motion to adopt Resolution #2014-050, declaring the cost to be assessed and ordering preparation of the Assessment Roll. Councilmember Holmes asked if the amount to be assessed was set in stone. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson reported that the amount to be assessed was a not to exceed amount and if changes were made to the selected fixtures, the numbers could be adjusted downward. Councilmember Holden requested an unbiased opinion from staff on the proposed Connelly Avenue improvement and to have this information presented at the public hearing. She asked if any of the medians would be red in color. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that the median color will be coordinated with Ramsey County. The motion carried (4-0). MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to adopt Resolution #2014-051, setting the date of the Assessment Hearing as November 10,2014. The motion carried (4-0). 10. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Holden reported that the Northeast Youth and Family Services Taste of Northeast Gala would be held on October 22°d. She encouraged the community to participate in this event. Councilmember Holden stated that she served on the Energy Resiliency Committee and recommended that the public bring energy conservation questions or comments to her prior to construction beginning on the TCAAP site. Councilmember Holden requested a current copy of the TCAAP Zoning Code Chapters 1 through 11 to review prior to the next work session. She asked that a topography map from Kimley-Horn be included. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—OCTOBER 13, 2014 9 Mayor Grant stated that he attended a meeting with Representative McCullum last Friday. An update was provided on TCAAP and a tour of the B-2 District was conducted. ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Mayor Grant seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). May r Grant adjourned the regular City Council meeting at 8:09 p.m. Amy Dietl David Grant City Clerk Mayor