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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 01-27-2003 . . . ~ ~~HILLS MEETING MINUTES APPROVED CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 27, 2003, 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the Regular City Council meeting at 7:02 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: Councilmember David Grant, with prior notice. Also present were City Administrator, Joe Lynch; City Attorney, Jerry Filla; Director of Community Services, Aaron Parrish; Director of Operations and Maintenance, Thomas Moore; City Planner, Peter Hellegers; Deputy ClerkfHuman Resources Director, Cynthia Young; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. 1. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Council member Larson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the January 27, 2003, Regular City Council meeting, The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 2. APPRO V AL OF MINUTES A. January 13, 2003 City Council Meeting City Administrator Lynch requested the following changes: None. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 2 . Council member Larson requested the following changes: None. Councilmember Rem requested the following changes: Page 3, second paragraph add the following: In order to determine the exact nature of problems in the current system and the most effective remedies, staff recommended that the Council order a study of the system, called a commissioning, to be done by Johnson Controls for an amount not to exceed $8,000.00." Also, add what contract it was pertaining to. Page 4, paragraph 1, last line add the words development team between thorough and meeting. Page 5, first paragraph add: "This issue will be discussed at a future work session meeting for formal action by the Council". Page 5, item B, add the Resolutions. Councilmember Holden requested the following changes: None. . Mayor Aplikowski requested the following changes: Page 4, strike friendly under the first paragraph. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the January 13, 2003, City Council Meeting Minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 3. CONSENT CALENDAR Councilmember Rem requested Items B, C, and D be pulled from the Consent Agenda. Mayor Aplikowski requested under Item F, strike Communications Committee and replace it with Newsletter Committee a. b. c. . d. Claims and Payroll /\uthorize Distribution of a Letter to the General Services ,^.dministration (GSA), "'\uthorize Distribution of Letters Regarding the Potential Post Office Facility Resolution No. 03 17: "'\uthorize Installation of Water Level Monitoring Equipment in Karth Lake . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 3 e. Resolution No. 03-18: Approving the Rice Creek North Regional Trail Master Plan Amendment f. Resolution No. 03-19: Appointing Council Member Brenda Holden as Liaison to the Communications Newsletter Committee. g. Resolution No. 03-20: Appointing Craig Wilson to the North Suburban Communications Commission. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 4. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL A. Legislative Update Senator Chaudhary and Representative Samuelson updated the Council on Legislative activities for 2003, 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 6. COMMUNITY SERVICES A. PLANNING 1. Guidant (AUAR) Final Mr. Parrish stated, based on information submitted during the public comment period for the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR), SRF Consulting prepared the final AUAR document for the Council's review and comment. He noted much of the AUAR document remained unchanged from when the Council approved the public comment draft of the AUAR, this version included Appendix D and E. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 4 Donna Alexander, SRF Consulting Group, stated there was a specific distribution list, which they could provide to thc Council. She noted the agencies that received the draft AUAR would also receive the final AUAR. MOTION: Counci]member Rem moved and Counci]member Larson seconded a motion to approve the Fina] AUAR and Mitigation Plan for Distribution. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). Counci]member Rem distributed a petition that had been prepared by a [Guidant] neighborhood group. She stated the neighbors expected a response from the Council. Mr. Parrish noted this petition was submitted in anticipation of a parking ramp on the Guidant property. He noted the parking ramp was part of an older plan that was submitted in 200], and was no longer being considered at this time. Mayor Aplikowski requested staff make Guidant aware of this petition and consider it as a part of the process. Counci]member Larson requested staff acknowledge written receipt of the petition to the neighbors who signed the petition. Mr. Parrish noted staff would send a Jetter acknowledging the petition and include responses to the comments in the petition. Mayor Ap]ikowski requested the Council be copied on any correspondence sent. 2. Planning Case No. 03-01: Davison Company Site Plan Review; CR E and Pine Tree Drive Mr. Hellegers stated the applicant was requesting approval of a Site Plan to accommodate a drive-in bank at 1240 County Road E West. He noted the Planning Commission recommended approval of this Site Plan, subject to conditions as noted in the staff report. Council member Larson stated he would like to see the elimination of the curb cut on County Road E. He indicated it may be a mistake to add curb cuts, unless there was a vel)' good reason to do so. He noted this property was one of the few properties that could have an entry and an exit onto a side street. He stated if they were going to add curb cuts, it was better to add them to properties that did not have the abilities for ingress and egress, as this property did. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 5 . Todd Mohal!:en, Mohal!:en Architects, 1415 E. Wayzata Boulevard, #200, Wayzata, MN, stated it would only be a right hand turn exit onto County Road E. He noted they would post a sign stating no left hand turn. He indicated they wanted to reduce the amount of traffic that was crossing in front of the bank and that was the reason they wanted a right hand exit onto County Road E. He indicated they believed this plan was the most convenient plan for the customers, He stated, with respect to the anchor, their preference would be to have it located along Pine Tree Drive. He stated he believed the anchor was not signage, but a sculpture. Councilmember Rem stated she believed entering and eXltmg through one entrance would sufficiently serve the customers. She stated she understood the reason they wanted the right hand turn exit, but for safety reasons, she felt it would be better to not have a right hand turn exit onto County Road E. . Rob Davidson, Davidson Companies, stated the idea of a right hand turn exit was in order to move the traffic through the site and be a safety precaution to those who utilized the site. He noted the entire site would be utilized fully. He stated he believed the proposal would serve the community as a whole, He noted having all the traffic exit onto Pine Tree Drive was a safety issue for the pedestrians exiting the bank, Mr. Filla noted any violation of the right hand turn exit could not be ticketed because there is currently no City or County signage there. He stated only if there was an accident on County Road E, due to someone turning left, could a ticket be issued. He suggested they reserve the right to revisit the Site Plan once they had experienced what was going to happen, and let the Council reserve the right to eliminate the turn at that time. Mr. Davidson replied if they found the intersection to be dangerous, they would be willing to eliminate the right hand turn exit. . Councilmember Larson suggested they not add the exit, but instead look at how the internal traffic flowed within the site. If there was some showing made in the future that the arrangement was a danger to the bank customers then, the Council could reconsider this again, . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27,2003 6 The applicant agreed that they would be willing to forego a right hand turn exit onto County Road E at this time, if it was understood that if there was a danger to the bank customers' safety, they could come back to the Council for reconsideration. The Council agreed with the applicant's suggestion. Mr. Filla recommended the following language: 4. That the revised site plan from Case #03-0 I prepared by Mohagen Architects Ltd., dated January 27, 2003, and signed by the City Planner, be amended to eliminate the direct access to County Road E, but reserving the applicant's right to submit a revised site plan for review at a future date, be attached to the Special Use Permit from case #02-29. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve Planning Case No. 03-0 I: The Davidson Companies, 1240 West County Road E, Site Plan Review, subject to conditions as noted in staffs January 22, 2003, report and subject to the language on Condition No.4 as recommended by the City Attorney and subject to Condition No. 14 being stricken, Mr. Hellegers requested clarification from the Council as to the location of the anchor. After discussion, the Council decided either location A or B as indicated in the staffs report was agreeable as the anchor location. Mayor Aplikowski requested an amendment to the motion changing recommendation No. 15 to read: "The company symbol identified as an anchor can be located at either point A or B, at the discretion of the applicant, but will not be located along County Road E." Council member Larson accepted the amendment. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). B. TCAAP UPDATE None. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 7 7. OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE A. Operations and Maintenance None. B. Recreation None. C. Authorize Distribution of a Letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) Mr. Parrish stated a letter had been drafted to the GSA and Army indicating the City's interest in pursuing acquisition of TCAAP property via Early Transfer Authority. He noted the letter requests that a Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer (FOSET) be prepared. Councilmember Rem requested the salutation on the letter state "Dear Mr. Rotondo," She also requested adding a sentence specifying the sites to be transferred and that the Transfer Area Map be attached to the letter. Mayor Aplikowski stated she was in favor of not attaching the map, but simply requesting a land transfer from the GSA. Councilmember Holden stated she did not see the harm in putting in the language and attaching the transfer area map as requested by Councilmember Rem. Councilmember Larson stated he was comfortable with the language as it was in the proposed letter. He noted the boundaries on the map were not definite or attached to anything. He stated the map was not based on any survey, and the proper analysis as to where the wildlife corridor would be located had not yet been made. Mayor Aplikowski stated the purpose of this letter was to indicate the interest of thc City of Arden Hills. She requested the Council not change the main intent of the letter and asked for the Council's support. She noted they would have other . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27,2003 8 changes in the future to work with the other groups, but this was simply a letter to the GSA indicating the City wanted the land. Councilmember Holden requested the typographical error and spacing issues be corrected in the letter. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to authorize distribution of a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) dated January 27, 2003. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). D. Authorize Distribution of Letters Regarding the Potential Post Office Facility Mr. Parrish stated five letters had been drafted communicating the Council's perspective relative to the potential site of a Post Office distribution facility within TCAAP. Council member Larson stated his concern was that he thought they had reached a different consensus at the Work Session, He noted he believed there was a consensus among the Council that the Post Office facility was not appropriate for the City of Arden Hills. He indicated this was fundamentally not a use that the City of Arden Hills wanted to see located on the TCAAP property, He noted this property would not generate tax revenue. He stated the uses would not be compatible with the remainder of the site. He indicated he was in agreement with the previously drafted letters indicating strong opposition to the proposed Post Office facility, He noted the Council needed to take a stronger position on this Issue. Mayor Aplikowski stated she did not want offensive wording in the letters, and she had deliberately struck some of those words. She stated it was her thought to have representatives of the Post Office come in and talk about this, She stated no one in the City wanted to see a truck terminal located on the TCAAP property, but the decision was not up to the City. She believed it would be more effective to have everyone sit down and discuss this, rather than close off any doors. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 9 Councilmember Rem requested the last sentence in the letter to Mr. Eales be struck. Mayor Aplikowski requested staff prepare two letters, one with the sentence in and one with the sentence removed, Councilmember Larson stated he would not be voting for this. He indicated he would not support this type of a facility on TCAAP. He stated he believed the City had to stick up for their interests. Mayor Aplikowski noted the City did not own the land and the Federal Government could do whatever they wanted to do with the land. She stated she did not see any point in using strong language in opposition in the letters. Councilmember Holden stated the letters did indicate the City was in opposition to the Post Office facility. She stated by her voting for the signing of the letters did not mean she was voting for the Post Office facility. Mayor Aplikowski suggested the following language be added to the letters: "We are requesting a meeting with representatives of the Post Office to discuss the exact nature of their interest and to inform them of our concerns and opposition to this request." Councilmember Larson stated this or a similar phrase on all of the letters would improve the letters, and he would not oppose the motion. Mr. Parrish stated he would add the appropriate opposition clause to the letters. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Council member Holden seconded a motion to authorize distribution of letters regarding the potential post office facility as amended to Senator Norm Coleman, Senator Mark Dayton, Representative Betty McCollum, GSA Senior Advisor Ralph Conner, and U.S. Post Office Representative David Eales. The motion carried (4-0) ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 10 . E. Resolution No. 03-17: Authorize Installation of Water Level Monitoring Equipment in Karth Lake Mr. Moore stated this Resolution would authorize installation of water level monitoring equipment in Karth Lake. He summarized for the Council the type of water level monitoring equipment to be installed in the lake. Councilmember Larson requested this information be posted on the web site and/or in the next newsletter. Mr. Moore stated staff would notify the residents in the Karth Lake area letting them know this action had been taken after the monitoring equipment was installed as well as placing the information on the City's website. Mayor Aplikowski requested a letter be sent to the Karth Lake residents informing them of what was going to take place prior to the installation of the water level monitoring equipment in Karth Lake. . MOTION: Councilmember Rem moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve Resolution No. 03-17: Authorize Installation of Water Level Monitoring Equipment in Karth Lake. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). 8. CITY COUNCIL REPORTS Council member Holden - None. Councilmember Larson reminded the Council they needed to do the City Administrator's evaluation at some point in the near future, He stated Ingredients Coffee Shop was now open and he had spoken with the owner. He indicated the owner had a concern regarding his inability to place a sign in the window advertising the coffee shop, He noted the owner would also like to have a wine license. He asked staff to go over the requirements for a wine license with him, and to research what options he would have for advertising/signage on the property. . Councilmember Rem requested an article be placed in the newsletter thanking all of the residents who applied for the City Council vacancy. She noted the next TCAAP/RAB meeting on February 3, 2003, at the Arsenal at 7:00 p.m. She . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 I I indicated the next TCAAP Master Planning Advisory Panel meeting was scheduled for February 4,2003, at City Hall. She noted the Shores grand opening will be on Friday, January 31, 2003, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. She stated on Thursday, January 23, 2003, the RCLLG handed out information on the meeting scheduled for Saturday, March 8, 2003, from 8:30 a.m. to noon to discuss various topics related to the state budget deficit. She indicated the Pioneer Press article today about BridgePoint and recent discovered soil contamination might be of interest to Arden Hills residents. Mayor Aplikowski asked the Council when they wanted to schedule a Town Hall meeting. After discussion, the Council decided to tentatively schedule a Town Hall meeting on April 12, 2003. 9. ADMINISTRA nON A. Closed Executive Session 1. Personnel Action: Request for Continuation of Appeal Hearing Council recessed the Regular City Council meeting at 9:44 p,m. to attend the Closed Executive Session pursuant to a request of a City employee with regard to a performance review and the appropriate provisions of the Minnesota Open Meeting Law. No action was taken at the executive session. The matter was continued until February 6,2003, at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Aplikowski reconvened the Regular City Council Meeting at 10:26 p.m. RECESS Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the Regular City Council i;Ying at 10:28 p.m. ,/ ~~~ q-,~. 'Beverly A iko ski Mayor '._~'Yt~ J~e'i'nch City-Administrator . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 27, 2003 12 NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Monday, February 10, 2003, at 7:00 p.m, at the Arden Hills Council Chambers.