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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-17-16-WS ,.It �-A DEN HILLS Approved: November 28, 2016 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION OCTOBER 17,2016 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 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden (arrived at 5:07), Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Jonathan Wicklund Absent: None Also present: Interim City Administrator Sue Iverson; Interim Public Works Director/City Engineer Sue Polka; Finance Analyst Dave Perrault; Senior Planner Matthew Bachler; Stacie Kvilvang, Ehlers&Associates; and City Clerk Julie Hanson 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Tree Contractor Licensing City Clerk Hanson stated at a previous work session, it was requested staff provide information pertaining to implementing licensing of tree contractors. It is at each individual City's discretion whether or not they require tree contractors to obtain a City license. So, while some cities do not require this licensing, those that do generally require the submittal of a City license application, Certificate of General Liability Insurance, Workers' Compensation Insurance (or waiver if a sole proprietor), and payment of a license fee. Once the license is issued, an updated list of licensed City tree contractors would be published on the City's website. It should be noted that tree care/trimming companies doing business in Minnesota are required to register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Should the Council wish to move forward with this City licensing requirement, determination of the fee and modification to City Code will be necessary. Mayor Grant questioned if other cities required tree contractors to be licensed. City Clerk Hanson explained that many cities have this requirement. Councilmember Wicklund asked if this was a problem for the City. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 2 Mayor Grant believed that the tree contractors and overnight parking in Arden Hills had been a problem this summer. Councilmember McClung supported the City licensing tree contractors as this process would assist in keeping some of the bad apples out of the mix. Councilmember Wicklund did not believe that it was necessary to license tree contractors and saw this as another hurdle for local business owners. Mayor Grant was of the opinion it would not hurt residents to have tree contractors licensed and insured with the City. Councilmember Holmes did not believe this was a problem for the City and did not support the additional licensing procedure. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the fact that tree contractors could come into Arden Hills from all over the state and are leaving their equipment on City streets. She stated these contractors were coming into the City and conducting work without insurance or full knowledge of how to properly trim trees. Mayor Grant stated he generally did not like additional regulation, however, in this case, he believed it would benefit the residents of Arden Hills to require tree contractors to be licensed. Councilmember Holden requested that if the licensing regulation moves forward that all insurance information be provided to the City. Mayor Grant asked for direction from the Council on how to proceed. Councilmember Holmes and Councilmember Wicklund opposed further regulation. Mayor Grant, Councilmember McClung and Councilmember Holden supported tree contractors being licensed within the City. Mayor Grant recommended the licensing fee be non-punitive and suggested the fee be $50. B. Language for Delinquent Utility Letters Finance Analyst Perrault explained the City Council previously requested to review whether or not language should be added to the delinquent certification letter informing residents that when their past due payments go to Council for certification that their information becomes publicly available. The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the added language. Staff reviewed a revised delinquent letter with the requested language. The Council may want to decide whether or not to include the language in fixture letters. Staff requested feedback as to whether or not to move forward with the new delinquent letters. Councilmember Wicklund supported the letter as is. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 3 Mayor Grant agreed and recommended the utility letter language remain as is. C. State Fair Parking Update Interim Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka stated during the City Council meeting on June 29, 2015, the Council approved Ordinance 2015-005 in Planning Case 15-011 for an amendment to Chapter 8 —Traffc and Motor Vehicles, Section 800.03 of the City Code, in order to include temporary parking restrictions. The amendment permitted the City Administrator or designee to restrict parking on City streets for up to thirty (30) days. The approved temporary parking restrictions include, but are not limited to, no parking, 2-hour parking, and parking on one side of the street. The amendment to the Code assists the City's Public Works Department and the County Sheriff when addressing parking concerns identified in residential areas for special events such as the State Fair. Interim Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka commented at the direction of the City administrator public works posted the state fair parking restrictions in 2015 and 2016. The signs were placed in two neighborhoods. The first neighborhood was Harriet Avenue and Benton Way. No parking was posted at both intersections of Harriet Avenue and Benton Way. The second neighborhood that had temporary no parking signs posted in 2015 was the Beckman Avenue / Jerold Avenue area. in this area, no parking was posted along the north side of Beckman Avenue from bake Johanna Boulevard to New Brighton Road. No parking was also posted at the intersections where Jerrold Avenue, Interim .Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka reported Edgewater Avenue and Glen Paul Avenue intersect with Prior Avenue. Also, the east end of Jerrold Avenue, Edgewater Avenue and Glen Paul Avenue were marked with no parking where they intersect with New Brighton Road. The north side of Edgewater Avenue from New Brighton Road to the west end was posted no parking. The south side of Jerrold Avenue from New Brighton Road to Prior Avenue was also posted no parking. Staff explained the purpose of this discussion is to determine if any revisions to the Temporary Parking Restrictions are warranted. Mayor Grant commented on the location of"No Parking"signs for 2016. Discussion ensued regarding the parking situation along Pine Tree and Glen Paul Avenue. Mayor Grant requested staff create a map noting where "No Parking" signs were posted for 2016. Councilmember McClung agreed this would be beneficial to the Council in addressing the concerns from year to year. He then asked that signs be posted on Benton Way. D. Street Patching Update Interim Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka stated Public Works staff has completed the fall pothole patching. He reviewed a map detailing the specific locations where patching has occurred. In addition to the repairs, staff also patched around gate valves and manholes in preparation for snow plowing season. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 4 E. City Newsletter Councilmember Wicklund stated the Communications Committee wanted to create a fresh look and feel for the City Newsletter. Ile reviewed the new newsletter design and requested feedback from the Council. Councilmember McClung thought the example newsletter looked good; however, he wanted more time to review the document. He recommended the newsletter be succinct but that the articles not become too brief He recognized the fact that the Communications Committee needed assistance and additional article writers. Councilmember Holden agreed stating the newsletter may require six pages instead of four. She was in favor of the newsletter having a bit more white space. Councilmember McClung supported this recommendation. Mayor Grant also supported a six-page newsletter going forward. He recommended the Arden Hills font remain at the top of the newsletter. He wanted to see less clip art and more photography brought into the newsletter. Councilmember Holmes suggested the City's Communications Consultant be brought in to review the newsletter. Councilmember Wicklund stated based on the comments, a new person may have to be brought in to assist with the City newsletter that had the skill set to complete the document in order to meet the Council's more modern and contemporary vision. He explained the City may benefit by seeking quotes from a graphic designer to assist with the newsletter. Councilmember McClung asked what feedback Councilmember Wicklund had received from the Communications Committee. Councilmember Wicklund indicated the feedback from the Committee has been neutral and believed there was no need to make a change. Councilmember Holmes believed the changes to the newsletter were quite drastic and questioned if the newsletter should be moving toward an electronic version. Councilmember Wicklund stated the newsletter would be available electronically on the City's website. Mayor Grant believed sending out the newsletter via mail was still an effective method. Councilmember Holden stated the seniors in the community would benefit by receiving the newsletter via mail. Councilmember McClung recommended residents have the option of receiving the newsletter via mail or email. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 5 Councilmember Wicklund stated he would seek quotes from a graphic designer and would make the Communications Committee aware of the City Council's recommendations. F. TCAAP Master Plan Update Senior Planner Bachler stated on October 10, 2016, the City Council met in a work session with the Master Development Team to review proposed changes to the TCAAP Redevelopment Code (TRC) and the Regulating Plan. Based on the feedback provided by the City Council, staff has updated the red-lined draft of the TRC. Staff incorporated revisions in the document where there was consensus support for a proposed change. The red-lines represented areas where further changes/clarification are needed based on Council direction and input from the Master Development Team. Senior Planner Bachler noted that the 'Town. Center District and Civic District sections remain unchanged from last time (redline), and are only a placeholder and will be changed after further discussions. No follow-up meetings have taken place between the Master Developer and any members of the City Council regarding the Town Center District since the work session on October 10, 2016. An updated copy of the TRC Master Land Use Plan was provided at the work session. Councilmember Holmes stated in order to address office mixed use, she wanted to have the definitions addressed. Senior Planner Bachler reviewed the definitions within the TRC for office mixed use. Councilmember Holmes asked if the office mixed use zoning district's primary focus was on employment. Ms. Kvilvang stated this was the case. Councilmember Holmes questioned if restaurants should be limited as has been done for retail. Councilmember Holden stated the idea for this area of the development was for commercial/ office. Mayor Grant requested further comment from staff on the movement of the blue versus red line. Ms. Kvilvang stated this started out 50150, however, in order to offer more flexibility, the line has been moved from all red noting 10 acres has been set aside for office and retail. Tom Shaver, Inland Partners, explained the proposed zoning line would work in conjunction with the adjacent office mixed use along the boulevard. He provided further clarification on why the change was being made. Councilmember Holden was uncertain how the developer was defining restaurant. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL, WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 6 Kent Carlson indicated restaurant could be defined as fast casual, sit down, formal dining, bar or fast food. He anticipated this area of the development would have fast casual and sit down restaurants. Councilmember Holden commented on her desire to have four sit down restaurants in this area of the development. She asked how much office space would fit in 15 acres. Mr. Shaver stated this would greatly depend on if structured parking was used or not. He estimated 200,000 square feet of office space would be created. Councilmember Holmes and Councilmember Wicklund were comfortable with the location of the blue/red line. Councilmember Holden stated she could support the location of the line, but requested a change to the language on Page 38, Item 2, removing the"but not limited to" language. Councilmember McClung indicated he could support the language change and suggested the line remain as is. Mr. Shaver encouraged the Council to consider how the market will evolve over the next five to ten years and the type of specialty medical uses that could be located in the office mixed use district. He stated for this reason,the developer was requesting flexibility in this area. Councilmember Holmes suggested the language be amended removing the word associated and read, "as part of". Councilmember Holden supported this language change. Mr. Shaver recommended the language be edited to read accessory retail. Councilmember Holden feared that under the current language a medical clinic could be 50% retail and the space could sell vitamins, glasses, and other pharmaceuticals. Councilmember Holmes suggested the accessory retail use percentage be reduced to 25%. Discussion shifted to Parks and Open Space. Councilmember Wicklund asked if all parks would shrink in size. Councilmember Holden questioned how much the parks and open spaces have been reduced or impacted from the original plan. Mr. Shaver stated the overall park acreage has been increased from 24 acres to 24.3 acres. He described the parks and open space plans further and noted which parks would be slightly reduced in size and which would be increasing. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 7 Councilmember Holden understood the developer needed some flexibility to be able to move the parks within the neighborhoods. Councilmember McClung requested further clarification on this matter and asked that staff report back to the City Council. He explained that any adjustments within that 10% would have to be brought to the Council for review and approval. Senior Planner Bachler discussed which items could be approved by the JDA and which would have to be referred to the City Council. Councilmember Wicklund wanted to see the developers have enough flexibility to be able to reduce the parks by 10%without requiring the developer to return to the City Council. Councilmember Holmes recommended the language remain as is. Mayor Grant agreed. Councilmember McClung believed it was in the developer's best interests to keep the parks as large as possible. Councilmember Holden reported she was still against allowing a 15-story building within the corporate campus. She asked if retail uses would be allowed in the Town Center. Senior Planner Bachler stated this would be allowed. Mayor Grant questioned if the TRC would allow for retail below grade. Councilmember Wicklund liked this idea and encouraged the developer to consider this option. Mr. Shaver stated the code was silent on this matter but indicated the developer could explore this concept. Senior Planner Bachler shifted the discussion to setbacks within residential neighborhoods. Councilmember .Holmes expressed concern that the TRC had no language to address a setback requirement from the wildlife corridor trail. Mr. Stutz explained there would be a 30-foot setback from the wildlife corridor. Further discussion ensued regarding the neighborhood setbacks and architectural elements. The Council was in favor of having a 30-foot setback in place for the wildlife corridor and recommended the 20-foot maximum setback for open spaces be eliminated. Mayor Grant recommended the warranty language within the TRC be eliminated. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 8 Ms. Kvilvang reviewed a timeline for the Public Open House, additional Council worksession meetings and approval of the TRC. She requested the Council review their calendars to see if they are able to attend the Public Open I louse. Councilmember Holmes did not want to meet on December 27, 2016. She asked if an additional meeting could be held on October 24, 2016. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson commented staff would not have comments back from the Mayor and Councilmember Holden's meeting with the developer on October 21 if an additional meeting was held on October 24, 2016. She asked if the Council wanted to meet at 6:00 p.m. on October 31, 2016. Ms. Kvilvang explained the Council would be discussing the Town Center and Civic District on October 31. Councilmember Holmes anticipated these topics would require a great deal of conversation. Mayor Grant agreed. Councilmember Holmes questioned when the Council would begin discussing the TCAAP budget. Ms. Kvilvang expected it would take her till the first part of November before she had a budget for the TCAAP development. She provided further comment on how the Open House would be broken down and staffed. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson asked if the Council would like to meet at 5:00 p.m. on October 31. Councilmember Wicklund was interested in meeting later if possible given the fact it was Halloween. He indicated he was fairly comfortable with the direction the Town Center was moving in. Councilmember Holden recommended the Council meet at 6:00 p.m. and suggested the EDA meeting be canceled. The Council was in agreement. Mayor Grant questioned when the Council was available to hold the public Open House. The Council was available to hold the Open House on November 17, 2016 and requested a postcard be sent to all Arden Hills residents. Interim City Ad min istrator/Di rector of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson questioned if the Council wanted the Communications Consultant present on October 31, 2016, to discuss the Open House event. AR-DEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 9 Mayor Grant recommended staff have the Communications Consultant at this meeting as he wanted to see a great deal of community involvement at the Open House. H. Political Signs Mayor Grant stated it has come to his attention political signs were being placed in County and City right of way. The County will not take down these signs unless they posed a safety concern. However, in one case, signs have been placed right on City property and this was upsetting to the adjacent property owner. Councilmember Holden stated she was only placing her signs on residential property when she had permission of the homeowner. Councilmember McClung indicated he was doing the same thing. He commented there were signs all over the community that were placed illegally within County right of way. Mayor Grant did not believe signs should be posted within City property and should be removed. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained Dave Scherbel, Building Official, contacted the sign owner within the triangle property and asked him to remove the sign. Further discussion ensued regarding how the Council was to manage the signs that were posted illegally within the City. Mayor Grant recommended that sign owners be contacted and that all signs be removed from City property within 48 hours after the call is made. G. Personnel Committee Update Mayor Grant explained negotiations for the City Administrator were ongoing. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden asked if"when kids are present" meant during school hours or during the entire school year. Councilmember Holmes stated after speaking with the County, she learned there was no definition. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson reported she would speak with Terry Soukkala regarding this matter. Councilmember Wicklund indicated the Ramsey County League of Local Government asked if the City wants to put an article in their newsletter. He explained the article would be due October 31, 2016. He questioned if the Communications Consultant should assist with this article and asked who would be working with the consultant. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 10 Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson suggested the Communications Consultant attend an upcoming worksession meeting in order for this matter to be addressed. Councilmember Holmes supported the Council holding a Special City Council meeting on October 24,2016, with the Communications Consultant. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson requested the Council also hold a Special City Council meeting in order to approve a Resolution between the City and the Met Council for the 2015 Sanitary Sewer Lining Project. There was consensus of the Council to hold a Special worksession meeting at 6:00 p.m. and Special Council meeting begin at 7:00 p.m. on October 24, 2016. Councilmember Wicklund asked for additional information on the tennis courts. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained the soil borings were completed and this information would be brought to the Council at the CIP work session in November. Councilmember Wicklund indicated he would be missing the Council meetings on November 14 and December 27, 2016. Councilmember Holmes stated she would also be missing the December 27, 2016 meeting. Councilmember Wicklund requested that further financial information be brought to the Council prior to the Open House. Mayor Grant and Councilmember Holmes shared this same concern. Mayor Grant did not believe that Arden Hills' residents should be responsible for purchasing the park property as this has already been done, by these same people, as citizens of Ramsey County. Councilmember Wicklund questioned how the TRC approval would feel if it were pushed into January of 2017. Councilmember McClung stated there may be three new members on the City Council. Mayor Grant did not want the decision rushed and understood if the decision moved into 2017, the new Councilmembers would have to make an informed decision on behalf of the City. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated she would be attending the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce Award luncheon with the Mayor on October 18, 2016. She explained the City was a candidate for an award based on its efforts regarding business retention. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—OCTOBER 17, 2016 11 ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjou ed the City Council Work Session at 8:28 p.m. (Ai1v ffe Manson Davi GrantClerk Mayor