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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-30-99 WS• City Council Work Session Monday, August 30, 1999 5:30 p.m. City Hall North Meeting Room Present: Mayor Zaun, Councilmembers Sindt, Luick, Mulvihill, Ryan; Robert Erickson, City Administrator, Steve Michaud, Parks and Recreation Director; Michael Sobota Community and Economic Development Director; John Hennen, Administrative Assistant; Lea Guenther, Public Information Coordinator; Ron Mullenbach, Associate Planner; Roger Knutson, City Attorney; Alan Brixius, NAC; Karl Drotning, Planning Commission Chair; Bob Temple and Sara Blood, Thisweek News. Mayor Zaun called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Item No. 1 Interview Environmental Affairs Committee Applicant Roger Walia The City Council interviewed applicant Roger Walia for a position on the Environmental Affairs Committee. Item No. 2 Presentation by Bob Temple Regarding Merger of Thisweek News and Life and Time Newspapers Lea Guenther, Public Information Coordinator, introduced Mr. Bob Temple, General Manager of Thisweek. Mr. Temple indicated that ECM, which purchased Thisweek and subsequently the • Life and Times, is excited about the merger of the two newspapers. Effective September 4, a new publication titled Thisweek -Life and Times will replace the current Lakeville Thisweek and Life and Times. Thisweek intends to continue operation of the full-service newspaper office formerly operated by the Life and Times in downtown Lakeville. The office will serve the Lakeville and Farmington areas. Mr. Temple indicated that the merger will allow Lakeville residents to enjoy expanded news and school district coverage and it will provide additional advertisements. The Thisweek newspaper will serve as the City's official newspaper. The newspaper will essentially have two main sections -the current Thisweek main section and a "Life and Times" news section that will have many of the same characteristics as the current Life and Times. To address concerns raised by City staff, Thisweek is proposing to keep the Lakeville Messages page on the last page of the "Life and Times" section. References to the Messages page will also be included on the front page of each issue. An alternative is to place the Messages page in the center of the first section printed on extended stock, but is not recommended. It was thought that this alternative would tie advertisements too closely to the Messages page. Discussion occurred regarding distribution to residents in Lakeville with a Rosemount zip code (Valley Park - 55068) and Farmington zip code (55044). Mr. Temple stated that because ECM owns the distribution. company, the distribution could be handled according to City boundaries, rather than postal zip code. Councilmember Sindt asked whether the newspaper will increase in size. Mr. Temple stated • that the paper will be larger and indicated the paper will continue to be free. August 30, 1999 City Council Work Session Minutes P. 2 • The Council asked Mr. Temple to aftend a September City Council meeting to introduce himself and present the changes to the paper involved with the merger (i.e. proposed layout, distribution, etc.) Item No. 3 Discuss Appraisal of All Saints Catholic Church and School South Campus City Attorney Roger Knutson was present to discuss the recently completed appraisal of the All Saints Catholic Church and School South Campus. The City retained C.E. LaSalle and Associates to complete an appraisal on the property. City staff is now prepared to sit down with the All Saints Church representatives to negotiate the sale of the property. Mr. Erickson stated that the City's negotiation team would consist of Mr. Knutson, Finance Director Dennis Feller, and himself. Father Tiffany has indicated the church is ready to begin negotiations. Mayor Zaun asked whether the City Council should officially authorize Mr. Knutson to proceed with the negotiations. This would provide the public an opportunity to follow the process. Mr. Knutson indicated that it would be appropriate for the City Council to consider a resolution authorizing the City Attorney and staff to proceed with negotiations at the September 7th City Council meeting. The resolution could be considered as a regular agenda item which would allow the public to be informed about the process. The City Council directed the Cify Attorney to provide updates on fhe progress under the Staff Announce section of the agenda at future City Council meetings. • Item No. 4 Update on Acquisition of Northeast Park Parks and Recreation Director Steve Michaud was present to update the City Council on the acquisition of northeast park. Mr. Michaud introduced Gene and Mary Hokenson, 6872 162"d St. W, who worked in support of the 1994 park bond referendum that was successful in providing funding for the acquisition of northeast park. Mr. Michaud also introduced Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee member Pat Messinger. Mr. Michaud stated that the City has been negotiating with Mr. Leo Tutewohl for the acquisition of a portion of his property for several years. Recently the City was awarded a grant in the amount of $295,000 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the acquisition of the property for a park. Mr. Knutson stated that because of negotiations, he is not able to provide specific information to the City Council at this time. Mr. Knutson has prepared a letter that City Council members confidentially received that will be sent to Mr. Tutewohl unless the City Council provides him direction to the contrary. Mr. Erickson stated that this issue has become time sensitive because of the DNR grant for acquisition costs. Mayor Zaun noted that the second page of the letter indicates that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommends that the City pursue condemnation if an agreement for the sale of the land is not reached in a certain period of time. • August 30, 1999 City Council Work Session Minutes P. 3 • Councilmember Ryan asked for what purposes the grant was supposed to be used. Mr. Michaud stated that the grant could be used for acquisition of scenic natural areas. Limited recreational use of the land is also allowed. Mr. Michaud provided a concept plan identifying some softball fields on site. Mr. Ryan indicated he would hope the City can be more creative than developing the area into softball fields. He went on to say that he opposes condemnation of the property for park purposes. Councilmember Ryan stated that he does not understand why this property was guided for single-family uses in the 1998 Comprehensive Land Use Plan and believes the City should not use the guided single-family designation as a bargaining chip. Councilmember Mulvihill stated that the acquisition of this property has been pursued for a long time. Mr. Tutewohl has been willing to sell at times, but then comes back with other stipulations. Many residents in that area of the City have been very patient and approved a park bond referendum for the acquisition. Councilmember Ryan stated that the City should not make this issue Mr. Tutewohl's problem. Ms. Messinger stated that this area has been designated as a park search area for 7-8 years. The City's residents passed a park bond referendum specifically for the acquisition of a northeast park, but have been extremely patient while the City has negotiated with Mr. Tutewohl. Mr. Hokenson added that the park was the main selling point of the referendum and shouldn't be delayed any longer. • Councilmember Ryan stated that the City should not force someone to sell his or her property for park purposes and indicated Mr. Tutewohl may not be ready to retire yet. Again, he stated that the condemnation process should not be used for the acquisition of park land. The Council directed Mr. Knufson to keep the City Council informed of the process as it develops, Item No. 5 Review R-5A Medium Density Standards Community and Economic Development Director Michael Sobota presented the R-5A Zoning District standards for discussion by the City Council. The City Council last discussed the topic at their May 27"' work session. Since that time, the draft standards have been presented to the development community on July 13th and the Planning Commission on July 15th. Staff received substantial feedback from both groups. Planning Commission Chair Karl Drotning stated that the Planning. Commission held a work session on August 19th before their regular meeting to once again discuss the direction of the Zoning Ordinance update. Planning Commission members believe that are too many variables • related to performance standards for mid-density housing to complete the R-5A District independently. Mr. Drotning noted that Planning Commission members listed such variables as environmental protection, housing styles, and flexibility. Members did not believe that the proposed R-5A ordinance provides enough flexibility to ensure that the highest quality mid- density development will be achieved. In summary, it was the consensus of the Planning • Commission that the R-5A District standards be completed as part of the overall Zoning Ordinance update. August 30, 1999 City Council Work Session Minutes P. 4 • Planning Consultant Alan Brixius of Northwest Associated Consultants added that with each step his firm has taken, .new issues have arisen. By integrating the R-5A District standards as part of the overall Zoning Ordinance update, it will be possible to address all of the issues within a variety of zoning districts. Mayor Zaun stated that it appears as though growth in the community is occurring so fast that the City maybe losing sight of what we want to accomplish. The City now faces significant issues related to transportation, schools, and residential growth. It might be helpful for everyone to take a breath and look at the big picture. Councilmember Ryan stated that he agrees with Mayor Zaun. In addition, he stated that the draft R-5A District standards do not address density. Mr. Erickson replied that David Licht of Northwest Associated Consultants has stated that multiple mid-density housing districts will. be required to set varying levels of density. Mr. Brixius agreed that the medium density designation alone may require three or four corresponding zoning districts. Mr. Knutson stated that the Metropolitan Council approved Lakeville's 1998 Comprehensive Plan Update on August 18th. Therefore, the City may now implement the new land use plan. However, until the zoning ordinance update is complete, the City must process all development proposals under the current standards. . Councilmember Sindt stated that her understanding was that the R-5A District was being pursued alone due to Councilmember Ryan's opposition to .the use of the Planned Unit Development (PUD). She asked whether other communities used the PUD. Mr. Brixius stated that all of his other client communities rely on the PUD for processing .mid and high-density housing developments. In addition, because Lakeville is a high growth community, it will require a variety of mid-density housing districts to handle the diversity of developments, which will likely be proposed. At the December 21, 1998 meeting and their February 26-27 work session, the City Council expressed the desire to have multi-family development achieve the same quality as the City's single-family developments. The City has until March 18, 2000 to bring their Zoning Ordinance and Map into consistency with the recently approved 1998 Comprehensive Plan Update. Following completion of the zoning ordinance update, the City will then be mailing a Comprehensive Plan/Zoning handbook to all Lakeville residents. Until the Zoning Ordinance update is complete, however, the City will be forced to process developer requests for PUDs. Councilmember Mulvihill stated that she is sensing a need for a time out to complete the Zoning Ordinance Update. Mayor Zaun stated that the City Council should consider and evaluate all the alternatives before them, but indicated that a moratorium is certainly an option. A time out would also give staff time to work on funding for transportation improvements and the school district time to review their current situation. Mr. Erickson stated that the City Council could consider asix-month moratorium. This would provide staff enough time to complete the Zoning Ordinance update and would not interfere with August 30, 1999 City Council Work Session Minutes P. 5 the construction season for developers. Mr. Knutson stated that two developers have indicated to him that they would not like to see the performance standards change in the middle of their review process. It would beneficial for both sides to have a clear set of standards from beginning to end in review of all housing development proposals. Mr. Sobota added that staff has received numerous calls from developers requesting to know what the standards are or will be. Without direction from the City Council, staff is not prepared to respond to these questions. Mr. Drotning also stated that a time out would also provide time to enhance community awareness and education related to development in the community. Mr. Knutson indicated that the timing appears to be very good for a time out. The Council directed Mr. Knutson to provide an ordinance with alternatives to the City Council under "New Business" at the September 7f" meeting regarding the establishment of a moratorium. Item No. 6 City Council comments on August 10, 1999 letter from Sean Regan regarding Environmental Affairs Committee review of Airlake Development Fourth Addition Mayor Zaun stated that Clay Van De Bogart, Chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee, contacted him and requested a meeting to discuss his own actions at a recent EAC meeting regarding review of Airlake Development Fourth Addition. Mr. Van De Bogart apologized for his conduct at the meeting and stated that he would be willing to step down from his position if the City Council wanted him to do so, Councilmember Mulvihill stated that she gives Mr. Van De Bogart credit for calling Mayor Zaun. Councilmember Sindt stated that she had spoken with Mr. Regan. Mr. Regan was understanding of the situation. Item No. 7 Other Business Regarding the 2000 and 2001 budget, Mr. Erickson stated that a special City Council meeting will be needed to consider the preliminary budget and tax levy. The City Council agreed to set a special City Council meeting to consider this item at their September 7th meeting. They agreed to meet on September 14th from 8-9:00 a.m. Councilmember Sindt stated that the City Council may want to consider reviewing the purpose of each advisory committee and whether they may be overlapping. Councilmember Ryan stated that the Environmental Affairs Committee and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee may possibly have overlapping responsibilities. Mayor Zaun stated that environmental issues are very hot issues in society and stated that the issue is probably best considered at a retreat. Mr. Erickson asked whether two members of the City Council would be willing to interview Meals on Wheels applicants. Mayor Zaun and Councilmember Sindt volunteered. Councilmember Ryan asked whether a community water park should be considered and asked whether the facilities are profitable. Mr. Erickson stated that Inver Grove Heights has just i ~ August 30, 1999 City Council Work Session Minutes P. 6 • announced that they will be spending $4 million to construct an indoor water park. The difficulty for cities is providing operational costs under current levy limits. Mayor Zaun indicated that young individuals may be coming before the City Council in the future to address their concern that they are second-class citizens. The teens are concerned about the image they have in the community. Item No. 8 Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Su Henneri, ~ydministrative Assistant • C