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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-18 CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARK AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES JULY 18, 1979 7:30 P.M. Roll call: Present were Trued, Lovelace, Rice, Storlie, Cramer. Absent were Novak, Smith. Also present were Bob Nelson from City Council, Charles Johnson from the Planning Commission and Steve Michaud. 79 -43 Motion was made by Storlie, seconded by Trued to approve the June 20th, 1979 committee minutes. Motion passed. Park Directors report: Mrs. Barb Kemmer from the Valley Park area was present to present a petition with reference to a bicycle trail along Cedar Avenue from Valley Park to Apple Valley. The petition consisted of over 600 signatures and was presented to the park and recreation committee. A discussion of this petition followed with Park Director Michaud stating that he had met with Mr. Mike Bassett, Apple Valley Park and Recreation Director, and discussed some of the ideas and actions that could be taken with reference to this trail. Mrs. Kemmer had talked to Mr. Chuck Lowery, Park and Recreation Director for Dakota County, and it was suggested that Mr. Jerry Holenkamp, the County Commissioner representing this area of Dakota County, be contacted concerning the addition of funding the 1980 budget to assist with the trail development. Steve also mentioned that Mr. Bassett had mentioned to him that plans and specifica- tions are now being drawn for the widening of Cedar Avenue down to the new elementary school and that Dakota County should be contacted as soon as possible as to implementing the trail into the specifications being drawn presently. Further on in the discussion it was mentioned that Cedar Avenue and 160th Street is a very dangerous intersection with much traffic and that in the near future this would have to be a controlled intersection. 79 -44 After further discussion motion was made by Trued, seconded by Cramer to receive the petition and recommend it on to City Council. Motion passed. 79 -45 Motion was made by Trued, seconded by Rice to ask Barb Kemmer to personally deliver her petition to the Lakeville City Council and that our committee recommends a favorable reaction and that the recommendation concerning the implementation of the trail and the petition be give hastily implementation. Motion passed. The next order of business was the Lake Villa Golf Estates, a plat being proposed by Mr. Bryon Watschke, which is located west of 35W and north of Minnreg golf course. Mr. Carl Dale was also present to give a presenta- tion to the committee. His presentation consisted of detail overlays of the platted area depicting the rough topography and steep slopes existing throughout the plat. The plat consists of 125 acres and roughly 195 single family homes. Several committee members have flown over this area 0 0 2 and reviewed this plat at two previous meetings. Major concerns of the committee were that most wetlands and ponding areas be preserved. The plat presented did show public easements around all wetlands and drain age areas and the system by which the city would control all ponding levels. The possibility of easements for crosscountry skiing exists. The Park Director stated that the general layout and topography of the land is not condusive to any large scale park development. The general consensus for the Orchard Lake area is the need for an active recreational area which at this time does not seem feasible for the Lake Villa Golf Estates plat. The general consensus of the committee was that a cash contribution would be recommended in lieu of park dedication. In later discussions concerning this plat the question did arise of the need of a play area for small children within that plat. This question has not been resolved and the plat was tabled until the next meeting when more information can be gathered and this idea of a play area can be discussed further. The next order of business was a discussion on the Fox Run plat. Presenting the plat was Mr. Paul Johnson, representing the J. Rap Development Company. Fox Run is an area south of the existing Dodd Park development and west of Flagstaff Avenue consisting of 89 acres and approximately 200 lots with 2 large outlots existing. Mr. Johnson was presenting a preliminary con- ceptual drawing of the proposed plat. H6 outlined the general sketch plan and proceeded to discuss the possibility of donating outlot A as a park dedication. Outlot A consists of 6.5 acres. Outlot A is somewhat unique in that this particular area is under lease with the State of Minnesota for a ten year period for the purpose of gravel excavation. Mr. Johnson explained that recreational uses could be used during excavation and there existed a potential revenue source for the city. The area is proposed to excavating of depths of 15 or 20 feet throughout the entire area. Mr. Johnson thought that this area would be condusive to recreational develop- ment either as a large ponding area or as a large shelter area to be developed inside the hole. Several questions still remain to be answered concerning the leasing of this property from the estate and this plat was tabled until further progress with other committees and until the prelimi- nary stages have been accomplished. Mr. Charles Johnson from the Planning Commission was present and began to discuss the Park and Open Space Plan prepared by the park and recreation committee. Mr. Johnson brought up several points concerning the terminology within the book. Mr. Johnson also alerted the committee to the problem existing in the Clays Acres area with respects to park dedication. He offered a couple suggestions for the future development of that area and where the park should be located. He also discussed the park and recreation committees policies with respects to tot -lot development and neighborhood development and their uses with respects to organized athletics and small children in neighborhood use. Mr. Johnson offered several constructive suggestions to the committee. The committee thanked Mr. Johnson for taking the time to come down and discuss some of these questions. It was also mentioned that this was the first time a planning commission member had come to our committee and actually opened up viable communications between the two committees. The committee was very receptive to this and asked if Mr. Johnson would act as a liasion between the two committees in keeping the channels of communication open. A future meeting of both committees should be planned to discuss means of working together and coming together 3 on ideas concerning park dedications and future development within the city. Mr. Johnson was not actually representing the planning commission this evening but was there to offer personal feelings concerning park development and other matters. The committee then got into a discussion concerning legal terminology in our park dedication ordinance with reference to land being dedicated for use of parks. The question was asked whether the terminology could be changed by using the word escrow or by other means for us to be able to sell land at a later date when at such time that land is not feasible fo park use or it does not serve adequate populations or age group classifi- cations as it did at one time. The committee also discussed the problem of single lot developments .whereby a contractor buys one plat, builds on it, buys another lot next door, builds on it, and so on down the line. The contractor builds several homes without any type of contribution to park dedication ordinance. The committee felt that something should be added that any development, single homes up to large plats, should have a cash dedication or land dedication requirement. The committee then discussed Mr. Schweich's plat west of Dodd Boulevard and south of 192nd Street. His plat consists of 154 acres with many single family dwellings and proposed 84 quads, fourplexes. Mr. Schweich's plat also shows 22.5 acres in the northeast section of the plat. The Park Director and other committee members have looked at this land and talked with residents in the area. Most of this land to the northwest is very wet and unusable. The park land shown is divided by a large drainage way which is extremely wet and flowing with water most of the spring. The committee felt with the dense proposal of 84 quads that some type of play area or park area should be included in this plat more contiguous to the developed area rather than north of the ditch in the wet areas. There was a question brought up that there may be some rezoning that the intense development from single family to R3 -B was not a very good idea and that additional zoning changes may be made. 79 -46 Motion was made by Trued, seconded by Cramer that the park location in the preliminary sketch plan of Schweich's plat is unacceptable at this time and that the plat be tabled until further zoning questions are resolved and alternative park locations are prepared. Motion passed. It was mentioned by Chairman Rice that any further plats coming to the park and recreation committee for recommendation and consideration should have representatives from the developers or architectural firms developing the plat areas. Proper notices will be given to the developer and if repre- sentation does not show the,plat will be tabled until such time that repre- sentation can be provided. The committee also discussed the problem of once a recommendation leaves the committee, goes on to the planning commission and city council, the park committee has never been informed as to what prodecures and the development contracts are with reference to the cash contributions 4 or the monies received, and when and how much. Chairman Rice and the committee wishes to request that this information be provided to them as soon as possible so that they may keep on top of what monies are being dedicated and where the monies are being put and what the status of the park dedication fund is on an ongoing basis. 79 -47 Motion was made by Rice, seconded by Storlie to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. Respectfully submitted, Steve Michaud, Director Parks and Recreation Department GSM /mmk