Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-20-15-WS lt ,--SIZEN�HILLS Approved: February 23, 2015 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 20, 2015 5:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Pro-Tem McClung called to order the City Council work session at 5:10 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant (arrived at 5:16 p.m.); Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Dave McClung, and Robert Woodburn Absent: Councilmember Fran Holmes (excused) Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; City Planner Ryan Streff; Associate Planner Matthew Bachler; and City Clerk Amy Dietl 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. TCAAP Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that three TCAAP topics are scheduled for discussion at this meeting. First, a presentation will be made by Ramsey County; then JDA Attorney Michael Norton will discuss a land use approval flow chart; and finally, Chapters 4 and 5 of the TCAAP Redevelopment Code(TRC)will be reviewed. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that representatives of Ramsey County are present to discuss the TCAAP project. Mark Ruff, Ehlers and Associates, and County Commissioner Blake Huffman will be discussing proposed expenditures and revenues. County Commissioner Blake Huffman thanked the Council for their time. He provided comment on the County's vision and goals for the TCAAP site. The main goals were property cleanup, quality jobs, a strong property tax base, public transit and energy resiliency. He then requested that Mark Ruff review the numbers for the project and the next steps for TCAAP. Mark Ruff, Ehlers and Associates, spoke to the Council regarding the various land uses proposed for TCAAP. He discussed how the goals were linked together, how important residential density is to achieving the goals, and how critical transit lines would be to job growth. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 2 Discussion ensued regarding the correlation between transit and jobs as well as the importance of housing density and tax base. Councilmember Holden expressed concern about building too much office space as there was already a surplus in the area. Mr. Ruff commented that a corporate user would be a great option for TCAAP. Mayor Grant discussed the comments the Council received from Mattamy Homes at a previous work session. He questioned where the County's concerns derived. County Commissioner Huffman stated that one concern for the TCAAP site was whether the market could support higher density housing in the Town Center. He indicated that with the City's proposed housing numbers, the site was at risk of not meeting the County's goals for jobs. He stated that the County would like to see a block-by-block fit analysis of TCAAP to better understand how many housing units would fit on the site. He recommended that the Council have Kimley-Horn reevaluate and ensure that the numbers are correct. He indicated that the County would fund this Kimley-Horn study. Councilmember McClung indicated that the Council has not been close to the 1,300 housing unit number that is shown in the chart on page 8 of the PowerPoint presentation. County Commissioner Huffman wanted to see the proposed housing unit numbers developed on the site more closely meet the County's plan in order to ensure the area's transit needs would be met. Mayor Grant stated that a fit analysis would delay the approval of the TRC and questioned if that would be acceptable to the County. County Commissioner Huffman understood that the TRC may be delayed but stated that the County would have much more market confidence if the fit analysis was completed. He reported that Mr. Ruff and Heather Worthington, Deputy County Manager for Ramsey County, were on board with this recommendation as well. He reiterated that it was much more important to get the TRC done right than having it done on a certain date. Councilmember McClung expressed concern that the County's goals were too broad and had no numerical value attached. He was surprised that the County was just bringing these issues to the Council now. Councilmember Holden stated that since the beginning of this process, the County has been influencing the master planning with such input as the location of the spine road, etc. She questioned when the City's needs would be considered. County Commissioner Huffman explained that the fit analysis would just provide the City and the County with some firm numbers. He did not want the TRC to become a lose-win situation. He understood that the City also had needs. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 3 Councilmember Holden requested further comment on the market study completed by the County. She questioned why the County wanted so much flex office space as it would have the lowest paying jobs. County Commissioner Huffman discussed the market study numbers with the Council. He reported that the County was willing to pay Kimley-Horn to provide the City with further analysis information. Mr. Ruff provided comment on the differences between multi-story office and single-story office. Mayor Grant explained that the Council has created the TRC without the County's financial numbers. He stated that the Council was unaware of how the numbers would be impacted if office space were increased, or commercial space was decreased, etc. Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed the uses that would be allowed on parcels zoned office. City Administrator Klaers commented that the goal of staff was to present the Council with the land use map on January 26th County Commissioner Huffman feared that if a fit analysis was completed after the TRC document was approved, changes to the TRC may become necessary. He understood that the fit analysis would take time for Kimley-Horn to complete and that it would delay the approval of the TRC. Mayor Grant stated that he did not believe it was a bad idea to have a fit analysis completed prior to bringing the site to market. Councilmember Holden stated that this would also allow the Council to determine appropriate lot sizes and where setbacks should be placed. She discussed how the City's plans have been altered due to the suggestions being made by the County regarding the spine road and location of retail parcels. She reported that the Council has made adjustments to meet the County's needs. She questioned how the TCAAP site would remain vibrant with all these changes. County Commissioner Huffman believed that these questions would be addressed by Kimley- Horn through the fit analysis. Mayor Grant inquired how the County would evaluate future developments to ensure that the TCAAP site had"good jobs". He asked how the County would make decisions on land sales. County Commissioner Huffman discussed the conversations held with Red River. He provided further comment on how the County would approach the sale of future land. Mayor Grant believed that it would be very beneficial for the Council to further understand and be provided with this information. He recommended that the County put some sort of matrix in place based upon the goals that need to be accomplished. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 4 Councilmember Holden expressed frustration with the communication level between the City and the County. She explained that there is no guarantee on the transit needs and wants. She questioned how long the County thought the TCAAP build-out would take. County Commissioner Huffman stated that the County was estimating that it would take 10 to 15 years to build-out the site. He believed that the goals of the County have been very clear to the City. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed. Councilmember Woodburn suggested that the Council continue to finish its document and allow the County to complete a fit analysis if that is their wish. Mayor Grant was in favor of the City finishing its process. Councilmember Holden expressed concern regarding how the City would meet the County's shared vision for the site. She requested further information on what would be provided through the fit analysis. County Commissioner Huffman stated that the County wanted to have the retail, commercial, and residential developments all fit into the TRC. He then discussed the benefits of a completed fit analysis. Mayor Grant commented that the City and the County do have similar goals. One difference may be that the City wants to maximize things. For this reason,he recommended that the Council continue with the TRC and allow the County to complete a fit analysis. Councilmember Holden discussed the City's timeline for the TRC approval. She recommended that the County speak with Kimley-Horn regarding how long it would take to complete a fit analysis. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that the density numbers within the TRC were maximum figures. City Administrator Klaers discussed how the fit analysis could help locate the placement of roads in order to analyze how many units could fit in each neighborhood per acre. It could also allow the City to see where additional flexibility would need to be built into the TRC in order to achieve the density being considered. Councilmember Holden feared that the fit analysis may provide the City with information that goes against its current plan. County Commissioner Huffman understood this to be the fact, but he stated that if the fit analysis was completed prior to the TRC being completed, it would assist the City and the County in making the proper plans for the TCAAP site before the City adopts the TRC. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 5 Mayor Grant commented that the Council was in general agreement to allow the County to proceed with the fit analysis. It was his opinion that the fit analysis would show that the businesses that move into the TCAAP site would determine the success of the retail and residential neighborhoods. County Commissioner Huffman encouraged the Council to not approve the TRC until the fit analysis was complete. Councilmember Holden discussed the large number of jobs that Arden Hills had already created. She questioned why transit was not already available in the City. County Commissioner Huffman recommended that transit be discussed at a future meeting. City Administrator Klaers stated that based on the discussion this evening, and the need for a fit analysis to be completed, he anticipated that the Council would not be approving the TRC until mid or late March at the earliest. This timeline would require the City to have the County start the fit test by the end of February. Mayor Grant believed that the County was comfortable with this delay in order to complete the fit analysis. TCAAP Land Use Approval Process Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that a draft land use approval process flow chart has been created and has been reviewed by the City and JDA Attorneys. JDA Attorney Norton reviewed a flow chart with the Council regarding the land use approval process for TCAAP. He provided additional comment on Chapter 3 of the TRC. Councilmember Woodburn questioned how long it would take applicants to move from the top to the bottom of the flow chart. JDA Attorney Norton anticipated that the approval process would take 60 to 90 days. Councilmember Woodburn was in favor of the process being shortened. Community Development Director Hutmacher asked whether the Council was supportive of staff drafting language that would allow greater flexibility within the parameters of the vision. The Council further discussed the City's options and level of flexibility that should be provided within Chapter 3. Mayor Grant discussed how the number of units and some level of flexibility could improve the tax base for the City. He was in favor of developers having a higher level of flexibility within the code. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 6 Community Development Director Hutmacher discussed how developers were now building larger homes on smaller lots. Councilmember Holden believed that the 10 acre standard for Special Development Plans was too low. Mayor Grant recommended that this standard be increased to 15 acres. Councilmember McClung supported the flow chart. He questioned whether the flexibility amounts and the land size was reasonable. He recommended that the language remain as is and allow the area for a Special Development Plan to be increased to somewhere between 10 and 15 acres. Councilmember Holden suggested that Special Development Plans have a residential size limit and a commercial/industrial size limit. She wanted to see the TCAAP site have very nice sustainable houses with various sizes and styles. JDA Attorney Norton believed that the Council could set these standards for Special Development Plans. Mayor Grant recommended that the residential limit for the Hill and the Creek neighborhoods be set at 25 acres. In addition, the commercial, retail, neighborhood transition, flex and Town Center zones should have a 10 acre limit. Councilmember Holden supported these numbers. Councilmember McClung did not want flexibility levels to be hamstringed. Councilmember Woodburn agreed. Mayor Grant explained that the Council did not have a consensus to change the language at this time. Councilmember McClung questioned the difference between NT1 and NT2. Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that the proposed NT2 subzone would be higher in density than NT1. She provided further comment on the uses that would be allowed within the NT zoning district. Councilmember Holden discussed the differences between a nursing home and assisted living. She asked if the Council wanted a nursing home with assisted living and if this would be allowed within TCAAP. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that a nursing home would be allowed in the Neighborhood Transition zoning district and in the Town Center. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 7 Councilmember Holden believed that the County did not want senior housing in the Town Center, which would mean it would have to be located in Neighborhood Transition. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained the benefits of a mix of inter- generational housing on TCAAP as this would allow the City's population to age in place without having to move out of the community. She anticipated that higher density housing products, such as apartment complexes, would have to be located in the Town Center. Councilmember McClung was in favor of keeping senior housing in NT and NT2. Mayor Grant agreed with this recommendation. Chapters 4 and 5, TCAAP Redevelopment Code Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated that City Council comments and direction on Chapters 4 and 5 of the TCAAP zoning have been incorporated. Based on the City's schedule for approval of the TRC, this January 20th work session will be the last opportunity for the City Council to review Chapters 4 and 5 prior to presentation of the full draft TRC on February 2, 2015. Community Development Director Hutmacher noted that the key changes to Chapters 4 and 5 since the last City Council review are: • Addition of definitions clarifying right-of-way, property line, setbacks, and gross density. • Addition of definitions for low, medium, and high density development with density parameters. Density requirements will also be incorporated into Chapter 6 prior to February 2. • Addition of residential subzones to Table 5.1. • Changes to Table 5.2 for consistency to Table 5.1. Councilmember Woodburn discussed several items of concern with staff. Councilmember Holden indicated that she would speak with Community Development Director Hutmacher further regarding her concerns. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden asked if staff would be representing the City at an upcoming Rotary event. City Planner Streff commented that he would be representing the City at this event. He stated that he would email the Council with further information on the Rotary Variety Night event scheduled for Sunday, January 31St. He explained that he had additional tickets if any Councilmembers wanted to attend. ADJOURN ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JANUARY 20, 2015 8 Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council work session at 8:23 p.m. i Amy Dietl David Grant City Clerk Mayor