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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 06/01/1999 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE COUNCIL/STAFF WORKSHOP TUESDAY, DUNE 19 1999 5:00 - 6:55 PM, CITY CENTER HERITAGE ROOM H CITY COUNCIL: Acting Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher- Younghans, Ronald Case, and Ross Thorfinnson, Jr. CITY STAFF: City Manager Chris Enger, Public Safety Services Director Jim Clark, 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 Engineer Al Gray, HRA Manager David Lindahl, and Council Recorder Peggy Rasmussen OTHER: I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER—ACTING MAYOR NANCY TYRA LUKENS Acting Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Thorfinnson arrived for the meeting at 5:35 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Butcher-Younghans moved,seconded by Case,to approve the agenda. Motion approved 3-0. III. PRESENTATION"OF PROPOSED TRAFFIC DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM) (David Lindahl and Gene Dietz) Lindahl presented his outline of Traffic Mitigation Strategy in the Golden Triangle-Market Center areas of the City. He said this is a draft strategy only and requested input from the Councilmembers on how to reduce peak-hour traffic congestion in these locations, improve access to the regional system and increase road capacity wherever possible. Suggested methods to achieve these goals were reviewed. COUNCIL/STAFF WORKSHOP MINUTES June 1, 1999 Page 2 A likely reduction of 3%-6% could be achieved in peak-hour congestion by the following methods: • Adopting a zoning ordinance that requires Transportation Demand Management(TDM) plans to be submitted and implemented by developers, employers or property managers for all new office or office warehouse developments and redevelopments anywhere in the City. This ordinance would also apply to all existing buildings that are"internally" subdivided. ' • Forming a private coalition(Transportation Management Association)of businesses and developers with common transportation concerns to help develop and implement solutions to the problem. • Consideration of residential and mixed-use developments on all remaining parcels in the Golden Triangle area. • Consideration of requiring parking"maximums"for office and industrial developments as an incentive to get employers to use TDM. Improving access to the regional system by the following methods would likely result in 3%- 6%reduction in traffic congestion: • Identifying and mapping areas where additional access ramps can be added to the Golden Triangle and Market Center areas through collaboration with the I-494 Commission and MnDOT. • Determining which access ramps will provide the most reduction on peak-hour traffic and prioritize accordingly. • Identifying businesses willing to share the costs for building additional ramps or High Occupancy Vehicle(HOV)related improvements. Increasing road capacity by the following methods would likely reduce traffic congestion by at least 5%: • Identifying where additional capacity on the local system will clearly help reduce peak- hour congestion in the Golden Triangle and Market Center areas. • Amending the Capital Improvement Program(CIP) in the City Transportation Plan to include additional capacity projects, and prioritize as necessary. • Continuing to support the I-494 Corridor Commission's efforts in getting interim HOV and full-capacity improvements completed on I-494. Funding Sources need to be identified in the following ways: COUNCIL/STAFF WORKSHOP MINUTES June 1, 1999 Page 3 • Explore the feasibility of creating a special taxing jurisdiction or assessment district in both areas to generate revenue to help pay for added capacity. Businesses that participate in TDM would pay less. • Develop programs for cost-sharing road improvements with developersibusinesses through use of Tax Abatement or other tools. Package the ADC program so that it's easily replicated elsewhere. • Identify grant programs (federal, state,or regional)or other possible funding sources to help pay for additional access. Dietz displayed a map showing population and business area densities in the City. He said there are 25,000-30,000 people living and working in Eden Prairie, and if a transit service could take people easily and quickly from where they live to where they work,there would be an incentive to use the transit service. Employers may be persuaded to subsidize the cost of transit. The City can try to get the business community to see what employees'needs are. IV. COUNCIL/STAFF DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION Butcher-Younghans inquired if there is a statewide plan or a regional plan Eden Prairie could follow. Lindahl responded the Metropolitan Council supports TDM. However,it has never been successful in the metro area for various reasons, one of which might be that people haven't as yet felt the need for it. Case asked where TDM has worked around the country. Lindahl replied where there were statewide mandates because of air quality problems,but most of these have been repealed, with California being the most notable example. Thorfinnson said Atlanta has the poorest air quality in the country and has lost federal funding until it is improved. The City is setting up TDMs and TMAs of businesses, which voted to tax themselves to make traffic improvements. Thorfinnson reported the I-494 Corridor Commission has been meeting for a number of months with MnDOT and Hennepin County. The Commission has been discussing transit and TDM along the corridor and identified improvements all along the corridor. These have been prioritized and then reduced to the top 10 or 15. However,these were not on MnDOT's construction list. The Commission has asked MnDOT to put them on the list for the near future. There are capacity problems today on I-494,but between 2002-2008 there will be a reduction in road capacity because of the amount of construction that will be needed. Enger suggested a better balance of jobs to housing is needed. Anything built in the Golden Triangle in the future should reflect this balance. The biggest issue now at the Planning Commission is the height of buildings in proposed developments, but Enger believes the Commission should be granting variances for height and density in the Golden Triangle and Market Center areas. COUNCIL/STAFF WORKSHOP MINUTES June 1, 1999 Page 4 Lambert pointed out one issue that is always part of the planting process in residential areas is lack of nearby park facilities. Enger replied it would be necessary to match the demographic of the number of people we would expect in a residential area with what their recreational needs might be. Recreational facilities could be provided within the complex itself, such as swimming pools. To pay for it would require a combination of using Cash Park Fees and the building owners providing some recreational amenities. Dietz suggested that one floor could be used for day care and anyone willing to relocate there would get subsidized day care. Enger said the Edinborough Center in Edina is an example of mixing recreational,housing and business areas. This could be done in Eden Prairie. The Metro Council is encouraging communities to develop this type of density. Tyra-Luken suggested establishing some guidelines for multi-use buildings so that the City doesn't end up with more density than would be desirable. Enger said he would look into this. Tyra-Lukens asked what the time frame is for getting details of the TDM plan worked out. Lindahl said for some components of the plan it will only take weeks,for others-six months to a year. He will assemble a team of staff to discuss whether the City should hire an additional staff person or retain a business consultant to get TMA up and running. He will then get back to the Council. Thorfumson said he would like an ordinance on TDM very soon. The next step will be to require these people to be members of a TMA and to move it forward. There is a need to monitor all the TDM plans. TMA is needed to make sure the plans are self-enforced. V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. COUNCIL FORUM—6:30—6:55 PM VI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Butcher-Younghans moved, seconded by Case,to adjourn the meeting. Tyra- Lukens adjourned the meeting at 6:30 p.m.