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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 12/01/1998 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1998 7:30 PM, CITY CENTER Council Chamber 8080 Mitchell Road CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Jean Harris, Sherry Butcher-Younghans, Ronald Case, Ross Thorfinnson, Jr., and Nancy Tyra-Lukens, CITY COUNCIL STAFF: City Manager Chris Enger, Parks & Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert, Public Works Services Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram, Management Services Director Natalie Swaggert, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Council Recorder Barbara Anderson ROLL CALL/CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS Tyra-Lukens requested Item IX.A Southwest Metro Transit Commission be continued to the next agenda. Mayor Harris requested Item VIII.A Resolution for Final Plans for Reconstruction of CSAH 1 between TH 212 (Flying Cloud Drive) and Hennepin Town Road be moved to the front of the agenda after the Consent Agenda. MOTION: Tyra-Lukens moved, seconded by Thorfinnson, to approve the Agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 5-0. H. OPEN PODIUM III. MINUTES A. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998 MOTION: Butcher-Younghans moved, seconded by Tyra-Lukens, to approve the City Council Minutes from the meeting held Tuesday, November 3, 1998 as submitted. Motion carried 5-0. B. CITY COUNCIL/STAFF WORKSHOP HELD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1998 MOTION: Thorfinnson moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans, to approve the Minutes of the City Council/Staff Workshop held Tuesday, November 10, 1998 as submitted. Motion carried 5-0. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 2 C. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1998 MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans, to approve the Minutes of the City Council Meeting held Tuesday, November 17, 1998 as submitted. Motion carried 4-0-1. Thorfmnson abstained. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. CLERK'S LICENSE LIST B. AUTHORIZE APPROVAL TO AWARD BID FOR COMPUTER SOFTWARE C. APPROVE WATER TREATMENT PLANT EXPANSION PROJECT CHANGE ORDER NO. 5 D. APPROVE REQUEST FROM BOB BROWN TO DEDICATE 43 ACRES OF LAND TO THE CITY OF EDEN PRAT UE E. APPROVE KMC TELECOM INC. / REAFFRZMATION OF FRANCHISE AGREEMENT CONSENT MOTION: Tyra-Lukens moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans, to approve Items A-E on the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 5-0. VIII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. APPROVE RESOLUTION 98-210 FOR FINAL PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF CSAH 1, BETWEEN TH 212 (FLYING CLOUD DRIVEL AND HENNEPIN TOWN ROAD Mayor Harris noted that the Public Hearing on this item was held on October 24, 1998 to obtain public comments, and the City Council would accept no public input at the meeting this evening. She reviewed the reasons for the transportation plan and noted that it was important for everyone to understand that Hennepin County was responsible for a network of roadways which serve the metropolitan area. Hennepin County will assemble a transcript of the public testimony which will be forwarded to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and ultimately to the Federal Highway Administration for final action. She stated the City Council had arrived at a point where action was to approve the final plans is required. Eugene Dietz, Director of Public Works, reviewed the staff report and noted that staff recommended approval of the project. He reviewed the project chronology which began in 1994 with the approval of Federal funding. In 1996 the City began conversations with Hennepin County on the design of the CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 3 roadway. There were several public meetings held to provide information to the public and solicit public input. He noted the current accident rate on CSAH 1 is 3.34 accidents per million vehicle miles, which is over twice the county average for similar roads. There are substantial traffic volumes on this roadway and it is inadequate to accommodate the traffic use it has today. He described the accident projections for the roadway and commented that the safest facility is a divided 4-lane roadway with trails on both sides. The Transportation Plan shows that the traffic volumes on Pioneer Trail (CSAH 1) will be 20,000 vehicles per day with Highway 212 constructed. He compared Pioneer Trail to Eden Prairie Road and the need to have a four-lane divided roadway. He noted that the Townline Road project is a similar arterial roadway, and that traffic needs for the community as a whole must be considered when making transportation decisions. The proposed roadway will be 74 feet from curb to curb, and there will be bicycle paths 8 feet in width on each side of this roadway. He explained why there are few three-lane roadways being constructed today because traffic projections verify inadequate capacity. Federal and State design requirements must be followed when constructing roadways with federal and state funding. He explained how traffic is constrained at intersections with a 3-lane roadway and outlined the advantages of the 4-lane divided roadway, noting the much higher safety features with this type of road. He commented that providing pedestrian access on both sides of the roadway was of major importance with roadways of this type and volume of traffic. This roadway is part of the approved 1997 Transportation Plan, which was required by Met Council when the MUSA expansion was requested in 1995-96. He explained how the transportation planning is done under the auspices of Metropolitan Council to ensure that a model is developed which will accurately predict traffic volumes and provide a comprehensive solution to transportation planning. He described how minor arterials feed principal arterials to get traffic through the area. He noted that with the population projections for the City of Eden Prairie and those of surrounding Communities, the upgrading of CSAH 1 is one element of a system necessary to provide adequate roadway capacity for traffic to, through, and from Eden Prairie. He explained how the roadway would be funded and the projected costs of right- of-way acquisition. He noted that $3.2 million in federal funds have been secured, which is money that the City and Hennepin County will not have to spend. He stated that artificial weight limits cannot be imposed on CSAH 1 as part of the rules associated with funding requirements. The roadway has been designed for a 45 mph speed limit. Hennepin County is mandated to design the roadway for the posted speed limit. The City intends to enforce that speed limit rigorously. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 4 He discussed the issue of the closure of Portal Drive at Pioneer Trail and noted staff recommended that it remain open. Staff believes this is the best solution to the traffic patterns within the neighborhood. There will be a protected left-turn lane into the neighborhood and there are also alternatives to access the neighborhood from other roadways. He discussed mitigation measures that have been made and are proposed. Alignments, shifts and extensive use of retaining walls will substantially reduce right-of-way requirements. Additionally, this helps reduce the overall costs of the roadway. There will be a right-turn lane added to the Mill Creek neighborhood on the east side. The landscape plan will be in compliance with the City's Tree Preservation Ordinance. Hennepin County has agreed to add an additional $100,000 into the landscaping plan for a total estimated expenditure of$160,000. Some of this landscaping material will be installed on private property and this will require citizen participation in the finalization of these plans. The trail on both sides of the road are proposed to be reduced to 8 feet wide, as Hennepin County has agreed to support a variance from the 10 foot width requirement if state aid rules are not changed. The City cost to bury overhead power lines is estimated to be $500,000. Staff is recommending that the power line remain overhead, but that the City pay $65,000 to upgrade to a laminated square wooden pole with a low profile insulator. Hennepin County has also agreed to allow the poles to be located 6 feet before the curb. These same poles may be used to add lighting along the roadway in the future. Tyra-Lukens inquired if the $65,000 required for the poles had to be decided that evening, and Dietz responded that NSP was in the process of designing their system. Case inquired about the risk of requesting the speed limit be lowered to 40 mph and Dietz responded it was likely it would remain a maximum of 45 mph but there were no certainties. He explained the state procedure for setting speed limits. Case commented he thought that most of the roadway was posted at 40 mph in Bloomington and in Chanhassen, so there was a precedent to set the section of the road going through Eden Prairie at 40 mph also, so the entire road would be the same. He would like to pursue this to see if the speed limit can be lowered. He commented that the City Council has been very concerned about enforcement of speed limits in Eden Prairie and he would like to see the speed limit strictly enforced on this roadway as soon as it was built. MOTION: Thorfinnson moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans, to adopt Resolution 98-210 approving final construction plans for improvements to CSAH 1 from Trunk Highway 212 (Flying Cloud Drive) to Hennepin Town Road. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 5 Mayor Harris invited each Councilmember to make a statement regarding their their support or nonsupport of construction of the roadway. Case stated they were being asked to make a decision based on what will be best for the City overall. He commended the residents who were present for being part of the democratic process, which is very important to every community. He noted he had received letters and telephone calls regarding this project and had duly noted the concerns expressed by those residents. However, this is a way to get Hennepin County to spend money in a way that will help Eden Prairie and it's Transportation Plan. The need for similar roadway improvements may require the formation of a Transportation Commission to help inform and educate residents in the future. The Council has not been a group which rubber stamps projects. He has never questioned staffs desire to do it's best for Eden Prairie and it's residents. The Environmental Assessment was designed to raise issues and are not Environmental Impact Statements. He was supporting this project because he believed the traffic data given by staff was correct and this was something that needed to be addressed. He felt that if the roadway was not built the traffic would still be there and will increase in the future. Traffic has to go somewhere and that could cause more problems for other roadways if it is not on Pioneer Trail. If we do not upgrade our roadways it will result in gridlock when there are 65,000 residents living in Eden Prairie. If we don't enlarge the roadway which has been planned to be enlarged it will adversely impact all of Eden Prairie in the future. The current roadway is inadequate at present and must be upgraded to provide safe and efficient transportation for the residents of Eden Prairie. He supported the 4-lane divided highway with a median and bike trails on both sides, and would vote to improve the roadway. Butcher-Younghans stated she has received numerous letters and phone calls regarding this issue. She has lived near Pioneer Trail for the past 17 years and there has been a great deal of development during that time. There have been many new homes built, with many people moving in, which generates traffic. This creates the need for safer and better roads. The population that will come into Eden Prairie in the future will be concentrated in the southwest portion of the City and they will need transportation throughout the area. Many council members are involved with transportation boards throughout the metropolitan area. The City Council has also included citizen participation and involvement with City issues in the Community Forum which had transportation issues as one of the major segments for discussion by the residents. Everyone voiced strong concerns over the problems involved with transportation in the City of Eden Prairie. Pioneer Trail needs to be expanded because of safety issues and transportation needs throughout the area. The bike paths on both sides of the road and a pedestrian underpass will provide us with a much safer roadway then we have now. A 4-lane divided highway is the best roadway for our community. She CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 6 believed it was also a good business decision because the money that will be used to construct the roadway is already available in the State and County coffers. She supported the upgrading of Pioneer Trail. Tyra-Lukens commented that population growth in the metropolitan area will be 3.1 million people with only a few new roadways planned to be built. The transportation issues will only get worse as the area expands. Traffic congestion is a major concern of Eden Prairie residents. Traffic projections have been considered many times during the past years and it only shows that congestion is increasing. Upgrading existing roadways is the only answer because of the topography of the City and all the lakes and parks we have. We cannot add more collector streets in Eden Prairie and are forced to look at upgrading those roads which presently serve as our collector streets. Highway 5 will not relieve the congestion on Pioneer Trail. It can be difficult and painful to implement these changes but it needs to be done to improve the quality of life and safety issues on Pioneer Trail. A divided 4-lane highway gives us the opportunity to create a "parkway" look, not a "highway" look. Bike paths are needed along both sides of Pioneer Trail. Access will be better and safety will be improved. CSAH 1 has been a part of the Eden Prairie Transportation Plan for a long time, and the City Council has carefully evaluated this plan to ensure that this is the best possible design. Many changes were made to make this the best plan it could be. Speeds on the roadway were of great concern to the City Council and she was in support of greater enforcement when the roadway is completed. She noted that the process of communication between citizens and the Council could always be improved upon, and she felt many improvements had already been made, but it was a continuous process. She noted it was incumbent upon citizens to read the local newspaper, watch Council meetings on television and keep themselves informed. She supported the upgrading of CSAH 1 as proposed by Hennepin County. Thorfinnson noted he was present at the Public Hearing held by the County and heard all the citizen input. He had not prepared a statement because that would imply he had already made up his mind in advance. He had been out of town, which had made it difficult to respond to residents. Safety has been a major issue regarding this roadway. There were stop lights put in at Anderson Lakes Parkway and Highway 169 and at Highway 169 and Pioneer Trail. There were two fatalities at these intersections because the residents did not want overpasses constructed and the people who made those decisions listened to them. Transportation is not an easy issue because funding is difficult to obtain and projects are not completed as a whole. There is no question that without a full upgrade of I-494 alternate arterial routes will be essential. He noted he had read the entire transcript from the Public Hearing, and believed they will be looking at upgrading most of the major roadways in Eden Prairie in the future. He was concerned about what would happen if those roadways are not upgraded. He commented he was encouraged by Hennepin County's contributing additional funding to the landscaping plan. The community is all the residents of Eden CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 7 Prairie, not just those that live along Pioneer Trail. He supported upgrading CSAH 1 as recommended by Hennepin County. Mayor Harris stated this roadway was needed for both health and safety reasons. It will meet ADA requirements. It is pedestrian friendly, has bike trails along both sides and increases motoring and driving safety. The design represents an amalgamation of resident concerns and transportation needs. The roadway has been realigned twice based on resident input and modified according to resident interest, including: trail width, addition of retaining walls and a bus stop at Mill Creek, additional landscaping for screening and sound buffering, as well as a relocation of lightning closer to the road. Those issues have been addressed and no new issues have been raised since the Public Hearing. She supported the plans for the upgrading of CSAH 1, and firmly believes the roadway is needed for appropriate distribution of traffic within the community. Motion carried 5-0. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS/MEETINGS A. PROPOSED REFUNDING OF STERLING PONDS HOUSING REVENUE BONDS Uram noted staff had been required by the IRS to request the City Council to hold a Public Hearing regarding the refunding of Sterling Ponds Housing Revenue Bonds. The Public Hearing was opened. No one present wished to speak. MOTION: Thorfinnson moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans, to close the Public Hearing. Motion carried 5-0. VI. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS MOTION: Case moved, seconded by Thorfinnson, to approve the Payment of Claims as submitted. Motion carried on a Roll Call Vote with Butcher-Younghans, Case, Thorfinnson, Tyra-Lukens, and Harris voting "aye". VII. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS IX. REPORTS OF ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS A. SOUTHWEST METRO TRANSIT COMMISSION (Council member Nancy Tyra-Lukens) CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 8 This item was continued to the next City Council Agenda. X. APPOINTMENTS XI. REPORTS OF OFFICERS A. REPORTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS 1. Ross Thorrumson. Jr. - I-494 TDM Report Thorfinnson reviewed the status of projects along I-494 and noted they were still working on the TDM plan with Brad Hoyt and the building was going up. They are still in negotiation with Best Buy but this has been put on hold. The stop light and the high occupancy vehicle ramp at the corner of Valley View and I-494 had been resolved and he believed it had come together and an agreement would be forthcoming. 2. Ross Thorfinmson, Jr. and Sherry Butcher-Younghans - Report on AMA Conference Butcher-Younghans noted she attended the American Management Association conference and learned things that will be very useful in strategic planning meetings and some new tools they will be able to use. She attended a session on negotiating which is one of the things that will be useful in dealing with residents. They will be compiling this q information and preparing a report to the City Council at a later date. Thorfinnson commented in some ways the conference supported the 2001 Concept the City has been working on. He thought the City also needed to be looking at ways to predict the environment and project where we were going and adjust plans and strategies to be able to deal with things when they happen. Communication was also stressed. He thought perhaps this information could be combined with a Council Workshop which would not require the fall time allocation. B. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER C. REPORT OF PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICES DIRECTOR D. REPORT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL SERVICES DIRECTOR 1. Consolidation of Banking Services Uram stated staff was requesting the City Council to authorize consolidation of all the banking accounts into one bank, which will be Anchor Bank. This bank can meet all of the City's banking needs and CITY COUNCIL MINUTES December 1, 1998 Page 9 will save the City about $16,000 per year. This could be completed by January, 1999. MOTION: Butcher-Younghans moved, seconded by Case, to authorize the consolidation of all bank accounts into one financial institution. Motion carried 5-0. E. REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES DIRECTOR F. REPORT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES DIRECTOR G. REPORT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR H. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY XII. OTHER BUSINESS XIH. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Thorfinnson moved, seconded by Butcher-Younghans to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m.