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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-07 Minutes for Approval --A I��EN HILLS Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA WORK SESSION MEETING JANUARY 22, 2007; 5:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Stan Harpstead called to order the work session meeting at 5:07 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead, Councilmembers David Grant (5:30 PM), Brenda Holden, David McClung, and Fran Holmes Absent: None Also present were: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Community Development Director, Karen Barton; Assistant City Administrator, Schawn Johnson; Finance Director, • Sue Iverson; Public Works Director, Greg Hoag; and Civil Engineer, Kris Giga Others present were: Five Year CIP- Mayor Stan Harpstead requested that items 2.A. and 2.B. be switched on the agenda. Members of the City Council agreed to the proposed agenda change. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe provided the City Council with background information regarding the proposed five year CIP program. The City Council last adopted a five year CIP in 2004. In the future, it is City staffs intention to present the future CIP's to the City Council as part of the budget process. City Administrator Wolfe recommended that City Council consider adopting the proposed five year CIP at a future City Council meeting. The proposed CIP will provide a starting point for City Council and City staff to initiate future improvement project discussions. City staff is also in the process of entering the five year CIP into the City's Plan-It Software that'will be utilized to track future CIP expenditures. Civil Engineer Kris Giga provided the City Council with an overview of the proposed five year (2007-2012) CIP plan. • ARDEN HELLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 2007 Projects 2007 PMP Mill and Overlay: As discussed at previous Council meetings and in the feasibility report, the 2007 PMP was expanded to include the streets proposed for the 2009 PMP. Some of the streets originally suggested for mill and overlay are now being considered for seal coats. Spot utility repair has been incorporated into the project, including items such as gate valve repair, catch basin/manhole improvements, and sanitary sewer pipe repair. Funding source: General Capital Fund, General Fund, Enterprise Funds (Watermain, Surface Water, Sanitary Sewer), and Assessments. 2007 Seal coat: The seal coat project has been listed as a separate line item in the spreadsheet. These costs are not assessed to residents, and for easier tracking, staff separated the costs from the PMP costs. Based on the feasibility report, two additional neighborhoods have been added to the proposed seal coat project: the Chatham Avenue neighborhood, and the Harriet Avenue/Pine Tree Drive neighborhood. The estimated costs for the 2007 PMP are lower than staff originally anticipated, and balance the increase in costs for the seal coat project. Funding source: General Capital Fund. 2008 Projects 2008 PMP Reconstruct: The proposed project for 2008 includes the neighborhood south of County Road E and east of Snelling Avenue. The streets include: Arden Place, Forest Lane, Skiles Lane, Glenarden Road, Glenarden Court, and North Snelling Avenue. Utility work will be incorporated into this project as needed. With the continuing increase in stormwater requirements, it is anticipated that the stormwater costs will be the highest of the utility costs. Funding source: General Capital Fund, General Fund, Enterprise Funds (Watermain, Surface Water, Sanitary Sewer), and Assessments. The City of Arden Hills has received a request from the City of Roseville regarding its next area for street reconstruction, the Asbury Avenue/ Ridgewood Road neighborhood (Roseville's "Neighborhood 10"). City limits are midblock; some properties are even divided by the border. Roseville would like us to consider the option of extending their project up to Glenhill Road, which would include approximately 300 feet of Asbury Avenue and 400 feet of Ridgewood Road located within Arden Hills. Estimated costs for these segments are approximately $125,000, which includes some funding for storm sewer improvements that will be needed. While the estimated costs for the 2008 PMP exceed the $1 million guideline, 2007 and 2009 projects are estimated at less than $1 • 2 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 • million, creating a balance over three years. Given the close proximity of this neighborhood to the proposed 2008 PMP, this would be another good candidate for combining projects in an effort to reduce construction costs by creating a more lucrative project for contractors. 2009 Proiects 2009 PMP Reconstruct: Since streets previously proposed in 2009 were shifted to 2007, staff has shifted the previously proposed 2011 project to 2009. Past practice has been to alternate reconstruction and mill and overlay projects every year. Since staff is not recommending mill and overlays on streets with insufficient subgrade, this is resulting in more streets that are in need of reconstruction than mill and overlay. Therefore, we are proposing reconstruction projects in smaller neighborhoods in the "off' years to continue raising the City-wide average PCI. This change may affect the enterprise funds, as mill and overlay projects typically don't involve major utility work. Funding source: General Capital Fund, General Fund, Enterprise Funds (Watermain, Surface Water, Sanitary Sewer), Assessments. 2009 Seal coat: Based on changes to the 2007 seal coat project, staff has made some minor revisions to • the proposed 2009 seal coat project. Funding source: General Capital Fund. 2010 Projects 2010 PMP Reconstruct: No change has been made to the proposed improvements in 2010. Funding source: General Capital Fund, General Fund, Enterprise Funds (Watermain, Surface Water, Sanitary Sewer), State Aid Funds, Assessments. 2011 Projects 2011 PMP Reconstruct/Mill and Overlay: Staff reviewed projects preliminarily identified for 2012-2016 and selected a mill and overlay project to shift to 2011 in an effort to continue capturing streets before they deteriorate to a point of needing reconstruction. The proposed 2011 project involves the Wyncrest and Nursery Hill neighborhoods. Amble Road is the only road within these neighborhoods that does not have curb and gutter, therefore, it is proposed as a reconstruct as a part of this project. Utility repairs would be made as necessary. • 3 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 Funding source: General Capital Fund, General Fund, Enterprise Funds (Watermain, • Surface Water, Sanitary Sewer),Assessments. 2011 Seal coat: Staff has made some minor revisions to the proposed seal coat project for 2011. Funding source: General Capital Fund. Councilmember David McClung asked if City staff is making an assumption that the subgrade is poor if a street does not have curb and gutter. Civil Engineer Kris Giga noted that typically streets that were constructed in the 1960's have a poor soil base due to the way the streets were constructed at that time. Councilmember Holden asked if the reconstruction of streets without curb and gutter is an engineering philosophy or is this practice justifiable. Ms Giga stated that streets that do not have curb and gutter typically have a minimal sub-base and would not be a good candidate for mill and overlay. Councilmember Holden requested that the City does not plan future reconstruction projects based solely on the fact that a street does not have curb and gutter. Councilmember Holmes inquired about the GoodPointe report that has the City maintaining an • average PCI rating of seventy-five for the City. Civil Engineer Kris Giga noted that the City is being more proactive in the beginning of the CIP plan to ensure that the City's average PCI rating will be around seventy-five. Councilmember Holden asked about the status of replacing future lift stations. Public Works Director Greg Hoag noted that City staff is currently evaluating the status of the City's older lift stations. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe stated that City staff is currently evaluating the need for a SCADA system and possible improvements to the City's lift stations. The City will evaluate the proposed projects in the CIP on a yearly basis. Councilmember Holden asked City staff for a cost estimate regarding how much the City spends per year on patching and repairing Snelling Avenue. Public Works Director Greg Hoag said that the City has spent roughly $30,000 over the last five years on labor and materials to repair Snelling Avenue. • 4 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 Councilmember McClung said that he is concerned about the proposed reconstruction cost for • Snelling Avnue. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe noted that City Council could push back the Snelling Avenue project to a future year. Councilmember Grant inquired about the PCI rating for Glenarden Road and Skiles Lane. Civil Engineer Kris Giga estimated that the PCI ratings for these streets are less than fifty. Members of the City Council requested that the proposed five year CIP plan be discussed at the next City Council meeting. TCAAP Framework Vision Discussion- Mayor Stan Harpstead asked members of the City Council, City staff, CRR, and the Hosington Koegler Group Inc. (HKGi), to identify the three most important issues that they see facing the TCAAP site as we begin discussing the framework vision and master planning process. The following is a listing of the items that were mentioned by the meeting participants: Jeff McMenimen (HKG* 1. Diversity of Uses-(Housing, Office Space, Commerical, Open Space) 2. Central Open Space • 3. Integrated Road Network Fran Holmes: 1. Throw out the Current Vision 2. Defined neighborhoods with limited access Michelle Wolfe: 1. Good integration of public space 2. Water feature-utilization of storm water feature 3. Divesity of Uses 4. Connectivity of the project David McClung: 1. Higher prominence of the two entrances into the development 2. Diversity of different uses-Integrate with current Arden Hills 3. Highway 10/Highway 96 Office Showroom 4. Central meeting place or gathering spot for the City of Arden Hills Gen McJilton (CRR): 1. Diversity of use 2. Storm water relationship 3. Traffic/access issues • 4. No spokes or wheel type development projects 5 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22,2007 Brenda Holden: • 1. Economic Viability 2. Clear definition of density 3. Protection of the wildlife corridor 4. Questions the need for a transit center 5. Continuity of uses Karen Barton: 1. Make the project a destination for people 2. Integrate the new project with Arden Hills 3. Variety of life cycle housing 4. Sustainable/green construction Rick Collins (CRR): 1. Diversity of uses 2. Noteworthy place 3. Economic viability Bruce Chamberlin(HKGi): 1. Interlinked public open spaces 2. Design sustainability 3. Walkability Schawn Johnson: • 1. Desirability of the location 2. Transportation issues 3. Life cycle housing David Grant: 1. Economic viability-sustainable over time 2. Lower density 3. Eliminate transit center 4. Owner occupied units 5. Value created through amenities Stan Harpstead: 1. Use the National Guard land as a visual center 2. Smaller water feature (Pond connection within retail) 3. Implement economic engines early on is the development process 4. Residential area to touch highway 96 5. Residential loops James Lehnhoff 1. Life cycle housing 2. Multi-model transportation • 6 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 • 3. Adaptive-reuse construction 4. Integration Dave Hamernick(in audience,National Guard): 1. Compatibility with National Guard 2. Public open space Susan Iverson: 1. Affordable next generation housing Kris Giga: 1. Environmentally friendly development 2. Integrated/Looped road network 3. Smaller neighborhoods Mayor Harpstead requested input from the group regarding proposed land use types, locations, and other development concerns. Councilmember Grant noted that his primary concern is that the development project is able to withstand changes in the market place. Mayor tan Harpstead recommended that the City hold on to certain parcels of land for future Y S rP Y • open space. Councilmember Holden raised concerns about the proposed density levels at the TCAAP site. City Planner James Lehnhoff noted that the zoning of the land may need to be amended. Councilmember Holmes requested the implementation of a common meeting space for the community off of Highway 96. Councilmember Grant noted that he is concerned about the additional cost for cul-de-sac road ways and the additional costs for maintaining them. Public Works Director Greg Hoag noted that cul-de-sacs are very difficult to plow. His preference is for through streets. Mayor Stan Harpstead asked for clarification regarding what is considered open space. Mr. Bruce Chamberlin noted that a parkway, park space, non-developed areas, and storm water ponds are considered open space. Mayor Harpptead proposed that 10% of the development be reserved for open space. This does not take into consideration the wild life corridor region. • 7 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 Mayor Harpstead requested the group's input regarding site access to the TCAAP site. • Mr. Jeff McMenimen noted that a number of residents expressed concern at the Town Hall meeting regarding traffic levels on Highway 96. Councilmember McClung said that he is concerned about site access on the north side of Highway 96. Community Development Director Karen Barton said that the City and County may have to address the need for traffic lights at the different access points. Mayor Harpstead requested input from the group regarding the proposed storm water feature. Councilmember Holden requested a smaller water feature. Councilmember McClung suggested that more than one water feature be created. Mayor Harsptead asked if space should be reserved on the TCAAP site for future public buildings. City Administrator Wolfe noted that it may be a good idea to have a place holder for future public buildings. Mayor Harpstead noted that this will be an on-going discussion as we work on creating a master • plan for the TCAAP site. City Administrator Wolfe asked members of the City Council if they would be available to attend a 6:15 PM work session on January 29th A majority of the City Council noted that they would be able to attend a work session meeting at 6:15 PM to discuss the November development site tour. Overview of the City of Arden Hills Emergency Management Plan and Procedures- Public Works Director Greg Hoag introduced Mr. Judd Freed (Ramsey County Emergency Management Director) and Ms. Krysta Reuter (Ramsey County Emergency Management Coordinator) to the City Council. Mr. Freed and Ms. Reuter provided the City Council with an overview of the emergency management services provided by Ramsey County, required National Incident Management Services (NIMS) training, and the county-wide Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). In 2005, the City Council adopted the City's current Emergency Operation Procedures and Ramsey County Emergency Management Plan. Mr. Freed noted that City Council and City department heads are required to complete the National Incident Management System training requirements: IS-700, IS-800, IS-100, IS-200, IS- 300, and IS-400. The classes can be completed on-line or through a certified instructor. • 8 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22,2007 • Mr. Greg Hoag stated that the City has two certified MnIMS instructor's (Assistant City Administrator and Public Works Director)on-staff. Councilmember Holden asked if the City is required to participate in mutual aid requests from other cities. Mr. Judd Freed noted that the City is not obligated to participate in a mutual aid request. The City controls its own resources. Councilmember Holden asked if Ramsey County has compiled a list of available generators. Mr. Judd Freed stated that Ramsey County has compiled a partial list of generators. The problem that the County is experiencing is that each generator has a different connection and is not compatible with each other. Mayor Harpstead thanked Mr. Freed and Ms. Reuter for attending the work session meeting. City staff will be scheduling NIMS training for new City Councilmembers and City staff in the near future. Comprehensive Plan Update Karen Barton, Community Development Director,provided the City Council with an overview of the comprehensive plan schedule and process. The City last updated the comprehensive plan in • 1998; therefore, our next update is due in late 2008. Staff began the update process in late 2006 and will proceed with the update process in 2007. The anticipated completion date for the comprehensive plan is late 2007 or early 2008. Because staff anticipated the need for a consultant to assist with the comprehensive plan update process, City staff has included $40,000 in the 2007 budget for the hiring of a consulting firm. Additionally, as part of the TCAAP redevelopment process, the Met Council will require an amendment to our comprehensive plan. Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. (HKGi)has been contracted by CRR to prepare the amendment for the TCAAP redevelopment. City staff was included in the selection process and concurred with the selection of HKGi as the master planning consultant. Because of the timing of both the comprehensive plan amendment and the update, staff is recommending that a dual-track process would be the most efficient method to complete both projects in a timely manner. Depending on the timing of the TCAAP project, the City may end up with two separate processes (an amendment and the update), or possibly combining both processes into one process. Since HKGi had already been contracted by CRR to complete the amendment, staff believes it would be cost effective and provide economies of scale for the City to contract with HKGi to assist with the comprehensive plan update. Staff has met with HKGi and has requested that they prepare a scope of services and estimate to assist us with the preparation of the comprehensive plan update. City staff anticipates bringing • a contract to Council in the next month for approval. 9 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 Mayor Harpstead asked if HKGi has experience in completing comprehensive plan updates. • City Administrator Michelle Wolfe stated that HKGi has completed comprehensive plans in the past and is very qualified for this assignment. Councilmember Holmes noted that there was an article in the Minneapolis Star&Tribune regarding size limitations for new homes being constructed in established neighborhoods. City Administrator Wolfe stated that it was a similar process to when the City limited the height of new garages. Members of the City Council were comfortable with receiving a proposal from HKGi for assisting the City with completing the comprehensive plan update. TCAAP Update Community Development Director Karen Barton stated that the GSA has requested an extension to review the City's purchase offer for the TCAAP property. Mayor Harpstead noted that the property sale negotiations are on-going and the City Council cannot discuss some details at an open meeting. If members of the City Council would like to discuss this issue in greater detail, he advised them to contact Ms. Barton for further information. Ms. Barton informed the City Council that the TCAAP Advisory Group will be having its first • meeting on February 1" at City hall. Council Comments and Requests- Councilmember Grant requested that City staff contact Ramsey County to have the City Hall directions changed on the County's annual tax statement. The directions to front door at City Hall are incorrect. Requested that City staff create a back-up computer disk with the City's emergency management plan in case City Hall was ever inoperable due to an emergency situation, this would allow the City to have a copy of the plan at all times. Councilmember Holden inquired about the proposed dates for the City Council/Department Head retreat. Mayor Harpstead asked for comments from Councilmember Grant and Councilmember Holden about the last year's retreat facilitator. Councilmember Grant and Councilmember Hoiden requested that the City hire a new retreat facilitator for this year. • 10 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 • Councilmember Holden requested a contact number at City Hall in case she is ever running late to a meeting. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe noted that all department heads are carrying cell phones and a list of the telephone numbers will be distributed to the City Council in the near future. Councilmember Holmes stated that she received a complaint from a resident regarding potholes on Glenpaul Avenue. Public Works Director Greg Hoag said that he would have City staff look into the situation. Councilmember Holmes thanked the Public Works department for the great outdoor ice at the local skating rinks. Councilmember McClung said that he has received a lot of positive feedback regarding the Town Hall meeting. He also attended a Lake Johanna Fire Board and Relief meeting last week. If any of the City Councilmember would like a meeting recap please feel free to contact him. Mayor Harpstead welcomed Sue Iverson (Finance Director/Treasurer)to the City of Arden Hills. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe noted that the February Work Session discussion items are scheduled to be: • • I-35W Corridor Coalition; • Committee/Commission Discussion. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe asked if the City Council would like to receive copies of the League of MN Cities Friday's legislative fax update. Members of the City Council requested this information be sent to them. Mayor Harpstead requested an update on the Clear Channel bill board situation. Community Development Director Karen Barton stated that City staff is currently working with City Attorney Jerry Filla on this issue. The City's sign code does not allow electronic message board type signs. City staff has met with Clear Channel and requested that the sign be removed. Members of the City Council recommended a sign moratorium be implemented to allow time to update the ordinance as it relates to electronic billboards. Mayor Harpstead provided the City Council with an update regarding the proposed expansion project at Bethel University. Mayor Stan Harpstead adjourned the Work Session meeting at 9:10 p.m. • 11 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—January 22, 2007 Stanley D. Harpstead Michelle A. Wolfe Mayor City Administrator • 12 lt - RPEN HILLS Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA WORK SESSION MEETING DECEMBER 11, 2006; 6:30 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the work session meeting at 6:35 p.m. Present: Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, David Grant, Vincent Pellegrin, Brenda Holden(arrived at 6:40) Absent: None Also present were: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Community Development • Director, Karen Barton; and Attorney Steve Bubul, Kennedy and Graven Preliminary Development Agreement Discussion- Karen Barton stated that Steve Bubul from Kennedy and Graven law firm was here to provide an update on the status of the preliminary development agreement with CRR, LLC. Mr. Bubul distributed a summary of key-issues to the Council and discussed each issue: ■ Developer Mileposts ■ City and Developer's rights to terminate the Offer to Purchase ■ City Reimbursable costs and security ■ Developer Reimbursable costs ■ Rights of transfer Councilmember Brenda Holden asked how the City reimbursable costs are calculated. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe responded that the costs would be determined through proposals and best estimates. Councilmember Gregg Larson asked Mr. Bubul if there are any differences between this preliminary development agreement and other agreements that he has put together in the past. • Mr. Bubul replied that the proposed preliminary development agreement is similar in many ways,but different in regards to the scope and size of the project and the amount of money that the developer is investing. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—December 11, 2006 2 • Councilmember David Grant noted that the developer is investing a substantial amount of money in the project,but that they also stand to make a substantial profit. Attorney Steve Bubul stated that since CRR is still negotiating,he assumes that they believe that they will make a profit. Councilmember David Grant asked what the financial risks to the City are. Attorney Steve Bubul responded that the City's only real risk is in the amount of security provided by CRR. The City's risk is minimal. Councilmember David Grant asked Mr. Bubul if he felt comfortable with the risk. Mr. Bubul responded that he felt comfortable that we would reach an acceptable agreement and added that the developer is well-known and that he feels much more secure with their financial abilities. Councilmember Brenda Holden asked if the Developer's right to terminate would carry through to the Master Development Agreement. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe responded that it only applies to the Offer to Purchase. Councilmember Brenda Holden asked how the budget will be determined. • City Administrator Michelle Wolfe replied that staff will obtain quotes from consultants and then put together a budget that will be reviewed by the City Council. City Administrator Michelle Wolfe stated that the Developer Reimbursable cost is a key issue. We've limited the scope and want to keep it limited. She also noted that this type of language is not unusual in these types of agreements. Mayor Beverly Aplikowski requested that the time limit for the Developer Reimbursable costs be limited to two years. Mayor Beverly Aplikowski adjourned the Work Session meeting at 6:58 p.m. Stanley D. Harpstead Michelle A. Wolfe Mayor City Administrator \\Metro-inet.us\ardenhillsWdmin\Council\Minutes\Special\2006\12-11-06 Work Session Minutes.doc is -- IPEN HILLS • Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA CITY COUNCILWORK SESSION WITH EDC OCTOBER 30,2006; 6:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the work session meeting at 6:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers David Grant, Gregg Larson, Brenda Holden, and Vincent Pellegrin. Absent: None. Also present were City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Community Development Director, Karen Barton; and Economic Development Chair, Bruce Kunkel. • Arden Hills Economic Development Strategic Plan- Ms. Barton stated that at the last Council meeting, Mr. Bruce Kunkel, Economic Development Commission Chair,presented the draft Arden Hills Economic Development Strategic Plan. The plan was being brought back for further discussion. Ms. Barton further stated that Arden Hills did not currently have a business retention program or an economic development program and was home to over 500 employers. Councilmember Grant asked if a list of business licenses for those 500 businesses could be provided. Ms. Barton stated that the City did not require licensing of all businesses therefore, a list of city licensed businesses could not be provided that would include all 500 plus businesses. The list that was available was one that the EDC created from a purchased list that contained SIC and NAIC codes and their own research. Councilmember Holden asked what the definition of a business was, specifically if a massage therapist working out of their home was regarded a business. Ms. Barton stated that not all of the 500 businesses were required to be licensed by the City, but were licensed by the State. Small businesses could be as small as one person working out of their home doing massage therapy. Councilmember Holden stated that the business list for the Celebrating Arden Hills sponsorship letters only contained about 100 businesses. Since this list contained over 500 businesses, Councilmember Holden asked if the City knew that the other 400 businesses existed when the • sponsorship letters were sent out. Ms. Barton stated that since there was no Strategic Plan, 1 Economic Development Plan or Business Retention Program in place,this information was not • available until the EDC recently pulled it together. Ms. Wolfe stated that the City clearly did not have a very good comprehensive list of businesses. The generation of the business list was the biggest initial impact of the EDC's work and a side benefit was that it could be used for fundraising purposes. This list was used to send out invitations for the upcoming business luncheon and as undelivered invitations were returned,the business list would be updated. Mayor Aplikowski stated that the City did not have the extensive knowledge it does now. She thanked the EDC members who used their own resources to gather this information. Ms. Barton stated that one of the purposes of tonight's meeting was to hear the Council's questions, concerns and/or comments about the plan. Ms. Barton further stated that this plan was projected over a five-year period. Certain things would be started in year one whereas others would not take place until the fifth year. The costs associated with implementing this plan were outlined in the proposed budget. City Staff and the EDC members want to bring this plan back for Council approval at a regular Council meeting in the near future, so the implementation of the plan in 2007 could be appropriately budgeted for. Ms. Wolfe stated that this was a comprehensive plan and was proposed to be implemented over the next four to five years. The time constraint was with trying to finalize the budget to have a proposed budget at the November Work Session, and preparing for truth in taxation and the final levy, which are in December. If there were going to be cost items implemented in 2007, staff • needed preliminary direction to include them in the 2007 budget. If additional discussion was needed for the long term plan,we could continue to have them,but there was a need to talk about what items the Council was comfortable with that could be moved forward and budgeted for. Councilmember Grant asked what the final product of this plan was. Mr. Kunkel stated in regards to the Red Fox/Grey Fox area, if nothing was done with this plan,this area would be extremely deteriorated 15 years from now. Arden Hills residents would hold us accountable, one way or another, for what was not done. If done properly, this property could have a vitality and life that we could be excited about. We could see new businesses that not only serve our residents in terms of the services they provide,but employment of a significant nature as well. Also, an opportunity that could exist through a development plan would be working with the existing businesses to determine growth and where new businesses were if we wanted to retain all those businesses. It would be a strategic decision. We would probably not fight to retain every business that existed in Arden Hills,but we could strategically look at how the City could grow economically. Councilmember Grant asked if the northwestern quadrant of Arden Hills was seen as a redevelopment area and if so,what it would be designed for. Ms. Wolfe stated it would have to be done in phases. The first piece would be assessment, looking at strategic decisions and making them. The simplest answer was to be proactive instead of reactive, and possibly avoid the position of trying to quickly react because businesses were starting to leave the City. A proactive step could perhaps be trying to identify ahead of time factors that may prompt • 2 • businesses to leave: such as expansion limitation of their current location or building quality standards. Councilmember Grant asked if there were current statistics on Arden Hills businesses leaving and if there were problems to fix in that regard? Mayor Aplikowski stated from past experience of visiting businesses, some of it was the feel good stuff,but some of it was the need for more space. Would this business be one that we would want to cultivate since there was an opportunity of possibly encouraging businesses to grow within the city? Right now, we don't know what those pools of businesses are. Ms. Wolfe stated in response to Councilmember Grant's original question of what are would be getting, we would get resources, data and information. Councilmember Grant stated he didn't think businesses would say that they want to be in Arden Hills. He thought that as businesses looked for a location in the surrounding communities of Little Canada, Shoreview, and New Brighton,that the image of Arden Hills simply stood out as a more desirable location. There may be a nice building on a nice corner in New Brighton or Little Canada but maybe we have the trump card in being a more positively viewed community. Councilmember Holden stated that in addition, they would look at the bottom line. If New Brighton taxes were 15 percent and ours were 6 percent, this would be another selling factor. • Ms. Wolfe stated that another factor and a key thing when businesses look to locate,relocate or expand, was the need for information quickly. One of the products of this plan would be the development of that information. In fact, some of the information that the EDC pulled together was used to provide to DEED when there was a company looking for a location. Councilmember Pellegrin stated that the thought of the increased involvement of Council with the upcoming TCAAP project and its implications in addition to the routine responsibilities of the Council was sobering. The Council already had to devote a lot of their time to their routine responsibilities and now there would be the added responsibilities associated with TCAAP. One of Councilmember Pellegrin's on-going themes, which were also mentioned in the plan, was the strengthening of the City Administrator position. Councilmember Pellegrin commented that he would like to see that change happen in year one because it would set the tone and give the person who was accountable and responsible the authority to carry out the mission. Mr. Kunkel stated that TCAAP didn't have to be developed in three years, and that it would be over the next ten to twenty years,which was still a staggering amount of work to do. Mr. Kunkel commented that in the time he spent with the Council over the years, he had been surprised and sometimes not surprised at the level of detail that the Council got involved in. Mr. Kunkel further stated that a way of empowering staff must be sought or those on the Council would be overwhelmed with the burden of all that needed to happen. Ms. Wolfe stated that such a change would require a referendum and it could be a big • undertaking. She stated that since she was in that position she didn't want the appearance of 3 advocating for herself therefore she thought the consultant idea may be a good idea should Council choose to pursue it. The change would require some investment in terms of educating • the public about what it would mean,the impact on the Council and their decisions, the impact on the community and the impact on how business was conducted. Councilmember Larson stated that the Council needed to put more trust in staff and more trust in acting as leaders and establishing visions. He voiced that he liked the broadness of the plan and the level at which it was drafted. There were different ways to bring fruition to some of the things in the plan. Staff should take this list of planned activities and come back to Council with recommendations of how to bring these things forward. Councilmember Larson further stated that that he thought if the Council was doing their job as Council members they should not be dealing in the detail since that was not what they we were elected to do. Councilmember Grant stated that he was concerned with the medium sized businesses that would want to relocate. Larger companies like Land O'Lakes or Boston Scientific could be acquired or their business downturns and they would likely have several plants across the country to consider. Small businesses, consisting of two employees or a mom and dad in their garage would move for whatever reason they choose and it will be hard to retain them. Ms. Wolfe stated that this related back to what Mr. Kunkel said about being strategic in determining where it makes most sense to target our efforts. Perhaps for business retention purposes, certain aspects make more sense to target medium sized businesses, versus small and large businesses. The underlying thing was a strategic approach,but first the information must be available. • Mr. Kunkel stated that the City needed to be prepared to deal in the global economy,but if a decision was made to close Boston Scientific or Land O'Lakes,he believed that the Economic Development Commission would want us to be strategic. We would not be able to influence the decision makers of those companies regarding whether or not be keep those offices/operations here,but we would have a role in who we would want to bring in. That was where we would need to think strategically and this acquired knowledge would help us accomplish that. Councilmember Grant stated that the plan timeline was 15 years. If that was put up against the TCAAP schedule,would TCAAP benefit as a result? Would it be reasonable for TCAAP and the developers to be partners with this economic client since they would also be recipients of the benefit? Mayor Aplikowski stated it could be entirely possible. One reason for this plan coming together was because the EDC did not want a north and south Arden Hills. The intent was to blend the two sections. Everything in the plan would eventually benefit not only current business,but also future businesses. Ms. Barton stated that ultimately, when looking at this in relation to TCAAP, our efforts would benefit the developer,but would also benefit the City as well since we would be in a proactive situation as oppose to reactive. We would have more influence on what businesses are attracted here as opposed to waiting to see who would show up. 4 • Councilmember Grant stated that the EDC wanted to blend TCAAP with the rest of Arden Hills to prevent a new town/old town scenario. He the questioned if there would be redevelopment in the Red Fox/Grey Fox area? Mr. Kunkel stated it was certainly part of it. Ms. Wolfe stated that there was concern that TCAAP would be separated from the rest of the City, but the rest of the City was also bisected by major roadways. Perhaps common themes, identities and/or activities, could be identified that would help blend the City. Ms. Barton stated that the next step in the process was to receive Council direction regarding how they felt about the plan. She asked if there were other changes that the Council recommended or wanted to see happen before the plan was brought back for Council action. Council Larson stated he would like to see the whole issue of staff move forward. It would take a conscientious effort from the Council to give the authority to the city manager and make that person accountable to carry out the mission. Councilmember Holden stated that she thought this was a very aggressive plan. She couldn't see the items listed under year one and two only taking two years. Councilmember Grant stated that he didn't think all the gateway signs could be put in in two years. • Councilmember Larson stated he viewed the laundry list of things as starting points. The Council should accept the plan and direct staff to move forward with the process. In the course of making some of the things happen, this list could possibly change and be different as time went on. Councilmember Holden stated she had a problem with the development sites on page 17,number 12. She stated with the current language, it shouted out eminent domain. Her interpretation was that nonperforming or underperforming land would be taken to allow for higher performing purposes. Eminent domain was a sore issue and she would not approve the plan with the current language. Ms. Barton stated the intent was to focus on areas that were under utilized and to look at zoning changes and to provide incentives when negotiating with key partners. It was not the intent to focus on eminent domain,but the language could be clarified to state that the City did not intend to take properties. Councilmember Grant stated that when recruiting consultants,whether for parks,master plan or economic plan, they typically put everything on the plate. He stated he saw this as a cafeteria plan. He would rather see staff work on funding specifically with our developing partner, since they stand to benefit greatly from this. Councilmember Holden stated that the financial plan that was adopted more or less stated that • current text taxpayers should not pay for operating costs of TCAAP. She further stated that she 5 could see where some current residents would want it funded by the partnership since money was used for staff to bring in businesses to TCAAP. Councilmember Larson stated that the economic development plan talked about public financing and that public financing would not affect the rest of the community. When staff came back to the City Council with their report they talked about the context of public financing. He further stated that there was a corollary to saying that we were not going to have any expenses whatsoever in the development of TCAAP fall back on our taxpayers,which is that we would not have any revenue and benefits that fall back on the rest of the City either. We are all going to benefit in the long run from TCAAP. Mayor Aplikowski stated this was a broad plan for the entire city and was going to cost us a little bit of money. The next step was to prioritize and get something into the 2007 budget if we were going to buy into this at all. Councilmember Holden asked if the traffic issues with people trying to get out of Boston Scientific onto Lexington was addressed? Mr. Kunkel stated that he did not recall talking specifically about trying to get people out on specific roads,but part of the dilemma was that some of the roads are out of the City's control. Ms. Wolfe stated that as the next step,perhaps staff could take Council's feedback tonight into consideration and come back to the Council at a later time with a year one proposal for Council consideration and possibly to be incorporated into the budget process. Mayor Aplikowski stated she wanted to see a list that could be prioritized down the road and • recommended that the entire Council be informed of whatever feedback was given. Councilmember Larson stated that a lot of time and money was put into this. At a minimum, the Council should accept this plan; thank the Economic Commission for their work and direct staff to move forward to develop the framework to carrying out things. Mayor Aplikowski suggested the Council get feedback to Ms. Barton or Ms. Wolfe. The plan and feedback would be brought back to the next meeting and if there were substantial changes, it would then go back to the EDC. Councilmember Holden asked how the Chamber was envisioned to help in this. Ms. Barton stated that the Chamber needed to be a strategic partner,but that could be challenging since the Chamber did not work just for Arden Hills,but for a number of surrounding cities as well. It was definitely part of the plan to get the Chamber involved and to be more of a partner in our economic development efforts. Councilmember Holden stated that one of the concerns facing the existing businesses in the area by the corner of Lexington and County Road E was how to attract desired businesses without hurting the existing businesses in the City. Mr. Kunkel stated that it required being careful on how to proceed and that due diligence was very important. 6 • Mayor Aplikowski stated that the bottom line was what was presented to staff, how it was handled by staff, then what is moved forward to Council and finally what Council would approve. She further stated that this was a good start since it provided a broad base for Council to work. Comments should be given to staff and staff would then bring it back to the November I P meeting. Mayor Aplikowski thanked Mr. Bruce Kunkel for his time TCAAP Preliminary Development Agreement- Ms. Wolfe stated that during the update at the regular meeting,Ms. Barton mentioned that work was progressing in the preliminary development agreement update. This item was listed under this work session, but there wasn't anything else to update other than what Ms. Barton had already mentioned during the regular meeting, therefore, this may need to be put on the next meeting agenda. TCAAP Master Planning Process- Mr. Bruce Chamberlain, landscape architect and principal with Hoisen Koegler Group stated that they were a land planning and master planning firm of Minneapolis. They have done a number of projects that have some similarities to the TCAAP project. Their involvement here was with the master plan component, working through the PUD submittal and also coordinating with the City on the comp plan amendment. There were other consultant groups that would be part to the • team as well who were not present, but they were all working together as a team under the direction of CRR. Mr. Chamberlain handed out a cover memo and schedule for a number of components of the project. There were six phases of work that was identified, including the master plan,AUAR and PUD. Highlighted in the memo were a number of ways that Mr. Chamberlain suggested to keep the community involved. A tour of some of the other projects within the twin cities was scheduled for Saturday,November 18th. The focus was to look at a number of projects that were fairly recent around the twin cities area that was relative to the kind of things that may happen on the TCAAP property,both good and bad aspects. The project teams are listed on the first page of the memo. It was anticipated that there would be 50-60 project team meetings throughout the 20 month process from the master plan to the point where things started to happen on the property itself. The project teams consisted of City staff, the development group from CRR, and the consultant teams. The focus would mainly be on coordination, to ensure all teams were communicating and that all bases were covered on all activities that needed to be addressed. Mr. Chamberlain also suggested the creation of an advisory team. This would be a smaller group and it was suggested that they hold 10 meetings, on a monthly basis. The advisory team meetings would be the first step in a two stage process in working with the community. It would be followed up by a City Council/Planning Commission work session, similar to this meeting. There would be about eight of those meetings throughout the 16- month time frame. Mr. Chamberlain suggested going to the public at large in an open • house format a couple of times during that time. The first would be in January, in a town hall 7 forum. Mr. Chamberlain suggested having displays and making it an interactive opportunity to • get feedback. It would be the intent to try to understand the community values to get a sense on where the community stood regarding the TCAAP redevelopment. The concerns and desires would then be use as a foundation for putting together some concept alternatives and land use alternatives. Also on the schedule were some major milestones. Those milestones were points in the process where City Council approval for certain items would be requested. Also suggested were five newsletters that would be mailed to the public as well as updated on a designated page on the City's website. The newsletters would come at key points in the process to keep everyone informed on the redevelopment process and the upcoming public workshops. The master plan process would be a fairly Iong process. It would be roughly a year starting now and going through until the ultimate goal of a master plan sketch plan approval, sometime around the first part of November 2007. Part of the January meeting would be the identification of some goals and strengths and the determination of land use plan and development program. We would also look at a number of land use alternatives, stepping back or up in scale of what was part of the Framework Vision. And finally,the refinement of alternatives into a preferred master plan and making it part of the larger phasing plan. The AUAR would deal with traffic and environmental analysis. Those are the two key components of some of the background information that would be collected. It was anticipated that the final AUAR be adopted in November/December 2007. Also projected for adoption in December 2007 was the comprehensive plan amendment. In the PUD process, schematic plans for the phase-one project would be prepared. Obviously this property would be developed over • many phases and multiple years. Phase one of the PUD process would create plans for initial activities, review the PUD plan process, document preparation, in conjunction with City staff and City Council review. Finally that would lead to the point where some work could be done on the site starting with environmental clean up. The important point is that there is a lot of work to be done as part of the project. The development team is very interested in walking through this process with the City of Arden Hills and making sure communication lines are very open and making sure the result of what is created as part of this process is something that is a vision of the development team, but also the community. Mr. Eric Anderson stated that looking at the schedule, it didn't look too overwhelming,but this was only the land planning part. The big picture would have three concurrent linear processes that when looked at separately look pretty understandable,but when put together, they become a Rubix cube of a process with land planning, another layer on top of that with the environmental, not necessarily AUAR,but MPCA, PCA that type of environmental and then the development, structuring, financing, contracts, like the purchase agreement and amendment to that and the GSA activities. Councilmember Grant asked if the GSA was coordinating the other consultants in the process. Ms. Gen McJilton stated that was part of the master plan therefore they were working with her and Ms. Barton to coordinate it. The different consultants would feed into different pieces. Ms. Gen McJilton and Ms. Barton were ultimately the two coordinating it. Mr. Bruce Chamberlain's 8 • role was master planner and he would bring in the plans for discuss whereas Ms. Gen McJilton and Ms. Barton would be quarterbacking. Ms. Gen McJilton stated that a list of everyone who proposed on the project and what they proposed their role to be was handed out. Across the top listed the firms that were selected. Some teams that came in were broken up to form what the development team and staff felt made the best team. Ms. Gen McJilton went through the list of those that were selected and the area they would be responsible for. Ms. Barton stated that staff recommendation of the development of the advisory team be one or two members of the PTRC, Planning commission,EDC, Council, a couple of residents at large and keeping it to 10-12 members. Ms. Gen McJilton stated that they would also have a technical panel talking to MnDOT,Ramsey County and surrounding cities to get their feedback. It would be done as part of the AUAR and be part of planning and understanding traffic. Councilmember Holden expressed concern about the newsletter. With a newsletter going out in March 2007, it would almost be six months before additional information was given. Knowing that there was a lot going on and in trying to get the community revved up for this, it may be better to send out newsletters quarterly. Ms. Barton asked the Council to check their calendars for availability on December 2nd for a • tour. Once the Council has replied back with their availability, staff would them inform the Planning Commission of the date and time of the tour. The list of possibly sites would not be finalized yet for another couple of weeks. It was anticipated that the tour would include 10-12 sites. Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at10:35 p.m. Stanley D. Harpstead Michelle Wolfe Mayor City Administrator 9