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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-21-08-WS ~ ~HILLS Approved: May 12, 2008 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION APRIL 21, 2008; 6:00 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Stan Harpstead called to order the City Council Worksession meeting at 6:03 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead; Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, and David McClung. Absent: None. Also present: Interim City Administrator Jim Willis; Assistant City Administrator Noah Simon; City Planner James Lehnhoff; Planner Michelle Olson; Steve Bubul of Kennedy & Graven; Rick Collins, Erick Anderson, and Gen McJilton of Ryan; and Recording Secretary Carol Hamer. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Closed Meeting Pursuant to MS13D.05 Subd. 3(b) to Discuss Clear Channel Outdoor. Inc. Litigation with KMCIT Attorney Mayor Harpstead indicated that pursuant to MS13D.05 Subd. 3(b), the Council will be meeting in closed session to discuss the Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. Litigation with the KMCIT Attorney. MOTION: Mayor Harpstead moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to recess the City Council Work Session to closed session. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). The Council recessed to closed session at 6:03 p.m. The Council reconvened at 6:4 I. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -April 21, 2008 2 APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Councilmember Holden requested the following additions to the agenda: . Discussion on B2 Zone Steering Committee . Discussion on Rental License Steering Committee . Discussion of project manager during the TCAAP discussion MOTION: Mayor Harpstead moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). B. TCAAP - Status Review ofProiect Mayor Harpstead stated he would like to begin by saying that a meeting was requested with the City Council to touch base on the process of the Master Development Agreement to ensure that things are proceeding under the required time limits. He requested everyone to be open and frank, and to get the concerns on the table in order to identifY solutions. Mr. Rick Collins, Ryan Companies, stated they ap-preciate the chance for this meeting. He provided an overview of the City and developer roles in the TCAAP project. He stated Ryan Rehbein Land Development (RRLD) believes there is a need for a public/private partnership on all aspects of the design, including the thought behind it, the evaluation of the development, financing, etc. Without that sort of participation it is their belief that they are likely to run out of calendar time before the proposed closing date. He stated RRLD also believes that rather than the traditional role where staff brings something forward and Council provides input, more frequent Council input and discussion is needed. Mr. Collins stated this project is likely to be the largest project done in the City of Arden Hills and it will have very high public visibility. They would hope that a public/private partnership would mean there would be an agreement on the individual and common objectives, and that they roll up their sleeves and dive in to achieve that vision. Mr. Collins stated RRLD is asking for a closer relationship with Council and the structure of decision making in Arden Hills. He provided an overview of the following joint roles RRLD believes the developer and City should both have a stake in and should proceed on jointly: . Agreement on a conceptual master plan . Agreement on a joint investment plan . Develop and execute a joint communications plan that delivers the City's messages as well as has input from the developer . Plans need to be flexible to accommodate market realities as they might change . This development must be owned together with mutual visible support and commitment to the project between the City and the developer Mr. Collins stated the first step is closing on the land purchase from the Army/GSA. The development of TCAAP is a 3 leg stool that includes the Army/GSA; Master Planning; and Highways. The development only moves forward to land purchase and into the development if all of the legs of the stool are completed and sturdy; they need to make sure they are making progress on each of the legs. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -April 21, 2008 3 Mr. Collins provided an overview of the following in relation to the TCCAP Project: Key Issue List . Arrny/GSA . Master Planning . Highways Accomplishments . Public process . Master planning . Land transfer progress . Highway progress Umesolved o Resolution of density and public financing components . Actions after density and economics are determined Mr. Collins stated in relation to progress made to date, they are likely furthest along with the Army/GSA in all of the three legs. He stated June 30, 2009 is the proposed closing date. There are approximately 39 City Council meetings between now and June 30, 2009. The largest concern of RRLD is that if they cannot find a way to change the process they will simply run out of time and will not achieve the goals for approval prior to closing, which is required for them to manage their risks. He provided an overview of the following requests for the City Council to consider and discuss jointly with RRLD: . Joint agreement and approval of schedule for decision making and approval necessary to work on all three legs of the stool in order to proceed to closing. RRLD would propose working with Stacy K vilvang in terms on the draft schedule prior to the May 12th Council meeting. . Request for immediate commencement of discussions and negotiations relating to the project financial models and public financing in order to proceed to project models and development densities. . After the above discussions are better framed, Council would be requested to approve a conceptual master plan and a conceptual public financing framework. . A joint commitment between RRLD and the City to completion and Council approval of a term sheet as a milestone towards a master development agreement. o Reassessment of the highway infrastructure funding status and the pursuit of funds. There are roles the City and Council should play and roles the developer and outside legal firm should play. . Commitment by the City and RRLD to finalize, approve and implement a joint communication plan. o Identification of things the City and RRLD can accomplish together that help to foster a "We are in this together" approach to the development. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21, 2008 4 Mr. Collins stated there is very little to the above requests from a specific time deadline, except for a commitroent on the part of RRLD to work with Stacy Kvilvang to come forward with a draft schedule by May 12'h. Mayor Harpstead stated the City has set up a master development agreement negotiating team, which the Council is not part of, and they will continue with that process. He stressed the importance of adhering to the public process. Councilmember Holden pointed out that the Council has committed to holding special meetings if necessary to move things along. Mr. Collins expressed concern with meeting the required timeline for the proposed closing date. He stressed the need to make progress on multiple fronts in order to meet the required timeline. Discussion ensued regarding the negotiating team process. Interim City Administrator Willis stated it is understandable as they go forward there will be times when the developer will need some sort of indication as to the City's position. The Council may not be able to provide the final answer due to the process issue. However, they can informally indicate through the negotiating team where they are heading, which gives the negotiating team a basis to negotiate with the developer and at least tentative ideas that are not binding. During that period it is likely that both sides will find things they thought could be done together that will have to be changed. He believes there could be a partuership as long as councilmembers are involved enough in the meetings. It will take some time on the part of Council to meet, perhaps more often or with less notice than would otherwise be desired. Councilmember McClung stressed that the Council has made a commitment to do what is needed and meet when necessary, but there needs to be a reason for scheduling meetings. He requested that the Council be provided with what was presented by Mr. Collins this evening. Additional discussion ensued regarding the negotiating team process. Mr. Collins stated the only thing specific in his request tonight is for the Council to receive a draft schedule from the negotiating team at the May 12th Council meeting for decisions that need to be made. Mayor Harpstead stressed that the schedule would be a draft schedule. He stated the importance of recognizing that some of the decisions can be delegated by the Council to the negotiating team and may come through a consensus of Council at a worksession to the negotiating team to move forward. Councilmember Holden stressed the importance of realistic/true dates to be included III the timeline. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21,2008 5 Mayor Harpstead requested discussion from the Council on whether the process of the negotiating team is the desired process to continue with, whether there is an effective process of interaction between the negotiating team and Council, and whether a developer negotiating with the City to take over the land transfer is the right path for the City. Councilmember Holden expressed concern regarding meetings with GSA that had been canceled by the developer. She stated the importance of a commitment from RRLD to work together in this area. Councilmember Grant stated his position that the process for the land transfer is right, but the lack of progress from GSA is frustrating. Councilmember McClung stated he would hope the land transfer process will be completed, but at this point he does not have confidence that it will be completed within the next couple of years. Mr. Bubul stated he understands well the limit of the negotiating team's role as negotiators versus the Council's role as decision makers. There are times when this type of meeting is not a bad idea. He stated if the negotiating team is not certain about something they can come back to Council and do their best to communicate that. They are all aware that a lot of time has gone by and something needs to be done to speed it up, and the negotiating team can works on ways to improve that. Councilmember McClung stated his position that the developer should submit what they need to the negotiating team who would evaluate it prior to presenting it to the Council. Mr. Bubul indicated the requests Mr. Collins has made are fairly administrative and for the most part relate to scheduling. The negotiating team will present Council with the schedule after discussing it with the developer. Councilmember Holmes requested Council discussion regarding whether to involve the TCAAP Master Development Advisory Group (MDAG) in this process. She suggested writing the Committee a letter thanking them for their involvement and informing them that their services are not currently needed due to the interim phase, but that their service may be needed in the future. Discussion ensued regarding the preferred timeframe to include MDAG in the TCAAP Project process. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to draft a letter to be sent to the MDAG under the Mayor's signature on behalf of the Council thanking the Committee for their service, and informing them that the Committee will likely be convened again when the time is right if they choose to continue serving. Mr. Collins, Mr. Anderson and Ms. McJilton left the meeting. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -April 21, 2008 6 C. Comprehensive Plan Update and Discussion City Planner Lehnhoff stated Council has been provided with the most recent draft of the Comprehensive Plan Update. To stay on schedule revisions to the Plan should be wrapped up to the 98% level in June in order to have a review by the Planning Commission and approval by the City Council and allow time for review from adjacent communities. Council and staff discussed the following sections of the Draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan dated April 18,2008: I) Introduction; 2) Community Profile; 3) City Vision; 4) Active Living; 5) Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) Property Redevelopment; 6) Land Use; 9) Parks and Recreation. The following amendments were requested by Council; Draft Revised City Vision Statement City Planner Lehnhoff noted the draft revised City Vision Statement. He distributed emailed comments and suggestions on the revised city vision submitted by Bill Henry. It was the consensus ol the City Council that the drafi revised City Vision Statement should remain as included in the April J 8, 2008 Draft. 2. Community Profile Staff to verifY that the students residing in the City are included in Housing Units and People per Housing Unit Chart on page] O. 4. Active Livine City Planner Lehnhoff stated active living elements are represented throughout the rest of the Plan. The goal for this chapter is to tie together a more recognizable active living topic. 4.1 Active Livine Principles Amend Principle No. 2 as follows: "Everyone, regar-dless of age, gender, sClmal orientation, language, etlmieity, economic status or ability, should have safe, convenient and affordable choices for physical activity." Amend Principle No.4 as follows: "Development patterns should encourage mixed uses and eom]laet active living design where appropriate as well as a variety of transportation choices." Amend Principle No.8 as follows: 'The City should collaborate with municipalities and other governing bodies should to plan for ongoing..." Amend Principle No. 9 as follows: "The Community Citv's governmg and planning processes... " 5. Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plan (TCCAP) Property Redevelopment Goal Statement Staff to consider alternate positive language as opposed to the term "compatible" in the TCAAP Property Redevelopment Goal Statement. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21, 2008 7 5.1 Introduction Paragraph 1, sentence 3: "...the federal government started construction on the property for munitions production during World War II and ultimately for the Korean and Vietnam WaFS all militarv conflicts through (insert last date the property was used)... " Changes in Proposed TCAAP Land Reuse Chart: Park Preserve/Arden Hills Army Training Site Additional paragraph on the overall process for the TCAAP land transfer. 5.2 Environmental Cleanup Second sentence: "...cleanup of the groundwater will continue for a flUmsor of as much as 40 years." Last sentence: "... Where needed, the property will be cleaned up..." 5.4 Redevelopment Timeline Second sentence: The statement"... the development timeline will depend on market conditions" should be amended to note that there will be a number of influences on the development timeline. 6. Land Use Discussion ensued regarding density requirements based on the land use plan. Interim City Administrator Willis advised the land use plan must mathematically show that the density requirements can be achieved. Last bullet point: Explore the possibility of crcatiHg a community gatheriHg space additional public and/or private communitv gathering spaces. 6.3 Existine Land Use - 2008 Staff to clarifY the acreage in the 2008 Existing Land Use Chart. Staff to clarify the wording in the first paragraph. It was noted that the following statements included in the paragraph are inconsistent: "Since the 2008 current land use..." and "The 2008 land use..." 6.4 Future Land Use Staff to look at amending the language in the first sentence. Deletion of the phrase "south of Highway 96" from as many places as possible in the Plan. Discussion ensued regarding land use calculations. City Planner Lehnhoff advised the three to six units per acre calculation for low density residential housing is based on the affordable housing aspect. Calculations could be amended to a low density calculation of three to five units per acre. The consensus of the City Council was as follows on future land use classifications for the following properties: . 6.4.2: Former City Hall/Public Works Property: Neighborhood Business . 6.4.3: B-2 General Business District Small Area Plan: commercial . 6.4.4: Lexington Avenue Small Area Plan: as shown on the future land use map . 6.4.5: Manufactured Home Community: Current land use classification to remain. o Staff will work on the wording in this section. It should be noted that the land use is medium residential. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21, 2008 8 6.4.6 TCCAP Redevelopment Staff to verify the acreage in the Proposed TCAAP Land Reuse Chart and whether the water treatment facility is included in the acreage calculation for Institutional, Roads, and Other Public Uses. Strike the third sentence in the third paragraph. Third and fourth paragraphs moved to Section 6.4.7. City Planner Lehnhoff suggested this paragraph may be moved to the Housing Section of the Plan. 6.4.7 Development Capacity and Net Residential Density Second paragraph, last sentence: "... three units per net residential acre or greater." 6.5 2030 Reeional Development Framework Move this section up earlier in the Plan with a statement about how the Plan supports these Metropolitan Council policies. 6.6 Implementation Strateeies Fifth bullet point: "...ensure the construction of sustainable high quality..." Eighth bullet point: "...classifications for all future residential, commercial and industrial development. . ." Additional bullet point: Work with AHATS to evaluate development to occur on TCAAP property. It was the consensus of the City Council to move to discussion on the Parks and Recreation section of the Comprehensive Plan and to direct staff to schedule an additional worksession discussion to discuss the remainder of the Comprehensive Plan. 9. Park and Recreation Discussion ensued regarding the Park and Recreation section of the Comprehensive Plan. The consensus of the Council was to direct staff to make the following amendments: Recreation should be added to statements in the Plan that refer to pursuing outside funding for parks and trails. Additional focus is needed in addressing how to work with individuals as they age in the community, i.e. possibly a senior recreation committee. Benches and amenities on the trails are important elements to include. Goal Statement "Create a comprehensive, weH--maintained, and interconnected..." Fourth bullet point under the goal statement: Staff to work on language (eliminate verbiage of protect and encourage access) Tenth bullet point: "...other governmental and educational and private entities.." 9.1 Parks. Trails and Open Space Plan First paragraph, second sentence: "...a community plmming process completed in 2002..." ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21,2008 9 First paragraph, fourth sentence: "... the PTOS Plan set-recommended a framework..." Second paragraph, first sentence: "Wffile progress has been made on implementing the 2002 PTOS Plan, HH1eh remains to be done." Delete 7th bullet point. Include a section to reflect that the PTOS Plan is input, rather than recommendations; potentially eliminate the bullet points of trends in recent years. 9.2 Reeional Park and Recreation System Fifth paragraph, last sentence: "... the park offers an array of facilities amenities..." 9.3 Arden Hills Park and Recreation System Include lakes that are in TCAAP First paragraph, last sentence: "...controlled access roads prcvont interfere with convenient access to some parks..." Second paragraph, second sentence: "though the beach and public access to Lake Josephine is are in Roseville." 9.4 Parks and Recreation Maintenance. Uperades. and Expansions First paragraph: Include information regarding ADA accessibility. First paragraph, last sentence: "... which included eJetensi':e public input." 9.4.1 Park Renovation and Uperades City Planner Lehnhoff indicated this section is carried over from the 2002 Plan. First paragraph, first sentence: "...based upon a five to ten multi year capital improvement plan (CIP)." Include a statement that the proposed park renovation and upgrades are from the 2002 Plan and need to be evaluated prior to implementation. Staff to condense and work on the language in this section. 9.4.2 Recreation First sentence: 'The city currently has an extensive vouth recreation program..." Delete the third sentence. Staff to add to this and broaden or add detail to the goals in the recreation section. It was the consensus of the City Council to continue the discussion on the recreation section of the Plan at a future worksession. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS B2 Zone Steering Committee ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21,2008 10 City Planner Lehnhoff stated he recommends 12 to IS participants for the B2 Zone Steering Committee due to the aggressive planning schedule. An introductory meeting will be scheduled for May Slh or May 6th. Discussion ensued regarding possible participants for the Committee. City Planner Lehnhoff indicated he will provide Mayor Harpstead with the list of potential participants with the appointments to be included on the agenda of the next City Council meeting. Rental License Task Force Assistant City Administrator Simon reported over the last couple of weeks staff has met with a number of jurisdictions that run rental licensing programs. The idea for a Rental License Task Force came from the City of Roseville; the task force helped this city get to the nuts and bolts of the issues. There are a number of people in the community who are interested in this issue, and this would allow the opportunity to create an ordinance based on the feedback of the task force. Discussion ensued regarding the issue of whether the desired direction is to proceed with rental licensing or requiring registration of rental properties, and whether a task force is needed. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to proceed with forming a focus group of interested citizens to solicit input from on the issue of rentallicensinglrental registration, rather than to create a task force or committee, Council Comments and Requests for Information Councilmember Grant stated his support on the recent change in the agenda packets to include topic titles. He suggested inserts of background information such as city ordinances could be eliminated from Council packets by obtaining the information through the City website. Interim City Administrator Willis requested councilmembers that do not want paper copies of background inserts included in Council packets to notify him by email. Councilmember Grant inquired about plans to clean up the old city hall property. Planner Olson replied there is a list of clean up items planned on the site. Councilmember Grant suggested a 9:00 p.m. adjournment time for Council worksessions. It was the consensus of the City Council to limit worksessions to four hours. Councilmember Grant inquired about the status of the Chesapeake Project. City Planner Lehnhoff indicated the project is included on the next City Council meeting agenda. It did not come forward sooner due to scheduling conflicts. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - April 21, 2008 11 Councilmember Grant inquired about the status of the T-Mobile Project. Interim City Administrator Willis indicated it is included on the next City Council meeting agenda. The City Attorney sent T -Mobile a draft lease and they sent back revised draft lease. Councilmember Grant inquired about the ability for the City to sell one acre of marsh to the resident that had asked about purchasing land as a wetland buffer. Planner Olson replied the City Attorney has indicated this would be doable, but the pricing may be tricky. Mayor Harpstead stated Land of Lakes has asked if the City can facilitate the process to make an access between their facility and the facility they use in Shoreview. Currently people are walking down County Road F, which is a problem in the winter. Councilmember Holden asked if the City has responded to the manufactured home community regarding the resolution they submitted. Interim City Administrator Willis indicated the Council could consider adopting a resolution indicating their support for the workforce housing at the manufactured home park. Discussion ensued regarding the request of the manufactured home park and that there has not been a response by the City. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to prepare a potential response to the manufactured home park and an alternative resolution for Council consideration. Staff Comments City Planner Lehnhoff requested input from Council on whether to post the Draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan on the City website. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to post the Draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan on the City website with a statement that the Plan is unapproved and subject to change. . . Worksession meeting at IO:37 p.m. .- ,->'-- a- -