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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 11/09/2004 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY,NOVEMBER 9, 2004 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case, Jan Mosman, and Philip Young CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Dan Carlson,Fire Chief George Esbensen,Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Historic Preservation Specialist John Gertz, Communications Manager Pat Brink,Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters Heritage Room H I. DISCUSSION OF CUMMINS GRILL HOUSE The City has been exploring ways to fund restoration of the historic Cummins Grill House and provide access to the public. Because the house is located on land purchased with LAWCON grant money, it is subject to restrictions that limit its use. Last summer Council directed Park and Recreation Director Bob Lambert to inquire whether the DNR would allow the City to trade the land for comparable open space in Eden Prairie, The City would then enter into a public/private partnership to restore the home and put it to commercial use. Lambert received a response from Wayne Sames at the DNR that was "generally positive;"however, Sames said more information and a formal proposal would be required before a decision could be reached. City Manager Scott Neal said staff is looking for general direction from the Council on how to proceed. Neal said Council basically has three options: ■ Buy out of LAWCON requirements and spin the house off into a public/private partnership similar to the Dunn Bros. at the Smith Douglas More House. ■ Raze the house. ■ Repair the house and program it like any other City facility. Neal noted this would require substantial funding currently not in the CIP. The land on which the house sits was purchased with a LAWCON grant in 1976. The grant was for public outdoor recreation space, and the building itself was not part of the grant. City Council Morkshop November 9, 2004—page 2 When the Grills moved out of the house in 1979, Lambert recommended bulldozing the home;however, Council decided to let it stand. At the time, the City's Historic Commission did not believe public funds would be required to update and maintain the building. To remove LAWCON restrictions, the City must have the land appraised and offer comparable land at or more than the cost of the land to be replaced. LAWCON will then analyze the impact of a conversion and decide whether or not to allow it. Lambert said LAWCON does value historic preservation, and he feels there is a good chance the City can put together a successful proposal. Councilmember Case asked if it would make any difference if the City sold the land or leased it. Lambert said it would not make a difference as far as LAWCON is concerned; however leasing rather than selling would allow the City to maintain greater control. Both Case and Tyra-Lukens said razing the building is a not viable option, especially since the City has already invested$221,000 in its maintenance and renovation. Case said since Dunn Bros. has been"incredibly successful,"he would like to see something similar pursued for the Cummins Grill House with haste. Butcher said she has no problem with pursuing a public/private partnership,but it is important for Council to publicly discuss all alternatives first. Mosman said the state of the home will require expenditure of some money to make it marketable. Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah noted there is $72,000 in the 2005 budget, mainly for exterior maintenance. Case said there are changes the City should make before leasing the building in order to ensure they are done correctly. He said these items should be completed this winter while proceeding with the LAWCON land swap. Case said that although some people believe historic preservation should be privately funded, he believes historic buildings are part of the community's identity and add to the quality of life. He believes it is the Council's responsibility to own and run these buildings. Case said he asked Mona Hanson, a fellow teacher and former member of the Historic and Culture Commission, to visit the work shop. Hanson said that when she was on the Commission back in 1980, she had three goals for the Cummins Grill House: 1)to see it given the respect it deserves; 2) to keep it from being demolished, and 3)to restore the home to its original state to foster an appreciation of its history. She said she is impressed with what has been done at the Smith Douglas More House and would be happy to see a similar partnership at the Cummins Grill House. Councilmember Young said if the conclusion from this discussion is to move forward with attempting to remove the LAWCON grant,the Council must be sensitive to potential costs. Lambert one key parcel remains to be purchased for the parks system. It is in the lower Purgatory Creek valley, and would be work well for the proposed land swap. He said the tricky part will be locating a lessee who agrees to the constraints related to adaptive reuse. City Council Workshop November 9, 2004—page 3 It is likely that potential lessees will ask the City to provide substantial support, and Council will have to decide if it is worthwhile to expend the funds. Young said that in the case of the More House, he would have proposed that the tenant incur the cost of improvements and the City give them a good deal on the rent in return. Case said that at the time everyone agreed the deal that was struck was the only way to proceed and this may prove to be the case with the Grill House. Neal said staff has been given clear direction from Council to explore adaptive reuse options for the Grill House and to proceed with efforts to remove LAWCON restrictions. Council asked staff to prepare a formal motion for the November 23 Council meeting. Council Chamber II. OPEN FORUM III. OPEN PODIUM IV. ADJOURNMENT