CC_Minutes_2011_0509 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, May 09, 2011 Page 7 lic input on Twin Lakes regulating map; following which the Commission would hold a special meeting in June with a Public Hearing to hear additional public comment; fol- lowed by recommendation to the City Council the end of June, not allowing much time to ensure that the regulating map fits with the Twin Lakes vision, given that not everyone seems to agree on what that vision is, based on various processes over a number of years. Chair Boerigter expressed his concern that by the time the regulating map was presented to the City Council, it may be found not to be the vision of the City Council; and require more in-depth discussions on the Twin Lakes redevelopment area. Councilmember Johnson encouraged individual Commissioners to reiterate, at the time of their voting on recommendations to the City Council, their rationale in voting an issue up or down; allowing the City Council to review those meeting minutes and discern their in- tent and any reservations. Councilmember McGehee expressed her interest in hearing comments from the Commis- sion, such as this one, whether a process is too accelerated to allow sufficient public comment and consideration prior to the item being recommended to the City Council. Mayor Roe suggested that it was reasonable if the Commission wanted to continue a pub- lic hearing to the next month, and opined that it should present no problem from the City Council's perspective. Related to the Twin Lakes regulating map, Mayor Roe noted that the City Council recognized its purpose to establish how uses related to each other and the street, and not to provide a 3-D model of how Twin Lakes will look. Councilmember Pust suggested that individual Commissioners share their views on what Twin Lakes should look like; and when prompted by Chair Boerigter that individual Councilmembers share their views first; declined. Commissioner Gisselquist noted that the Twin Lakes redevelopment area had been des- ignated as Community Mixed Use, suggesting businesses below and residential units above in some of those instances; but that it was not meant to be destination retail such as a mini-Rosedale. Personally, Commissioner Gisselquist opined that it may actually make a good place for retail; while recognizing the controversial nature of such an opinion; he saw the area moving more toward a medium retail area with some residential mixes. Chair Boerigter shared his personal vision, and based on what had happened with various proposals over the last few years; opining that the area would encompass more office use than retail; with retail limited and tied to residential in that area, as well as commer- cial/office uses. When considering traditional mixed uses, Chair Boerigter opined that it was thought of in terms of retail on the first floor, and office or residential above, similar to the developments at Snelling and Larpenteur or Rice Street in Little Canada. Chair Boerigter saw those uses as much more limited, since the area won't have those types of mixed use buildings, and therefore shouldn't be the City's vision. Chair Boerigter didn't anticipate significant residential uses either, but more commercial/office uses; and from his perspective, suggested that those uses were consistent with citizen preferences ex-