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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission - 08/27/2001 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY PLANNING BOARD WORKSHOP MONDAY,AUGUST 27, 2001 6:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Heritage Rooms I & II 8080 Mitchell Road BOARD MEMBERS: Ken Brooks, Frantz Corneille, Randy Foote, Vicki Koenig, Kathy Nelson, Fred Seymour, Paul Sodt, Susan Stock, Ray Stoelting STAFF MEMBERS: Mike Franzen, City Planner Scott Kipp, Senior Planner Alan Gray, City Engineer BOARD MEMBERS: Ken Brooks, Frantz Corneille, Randy Foote, Vicki Koenig, Kathy Nelson, Paul Sodt, Fred Seymour, Susan Stock, Ray Stoelting STAFF MEMBERS: Stu Fox, Manager of Parks & Natural Resources Mike Franzen, City Planner Alan Gray, City Engineer Scott Kipp, Senior Planner David Lindahl, HRA Manager Leslie Stovring, Environmental Coordinator I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Corneille called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. Present: Commissioners Corneille, Brooks, Foote, Nelson, Seymour, Stock, Stoelting. II. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. Parks and Open Space Bob Lambert showed the service area map; one area not yet served is in the south central area near Riley Creek. Neighborhood parks are proposed to be within half mile of everyone in Eden Prairie. MAC acquired space Eden Prairie was planning to purchase for the park to serve the south central area. The City will negotiate with MAC for use of the land or search for other land nearby to the west along the creek. The proposed park was near Eden Prairie Road, the Atkins property. Acreage along Riley Creek is expected to be dedicated as density transfer; the land is steep and hilly. The Planning Board reviewed Crestwood Park earlier this year. It was acquired 11 years ago and was formerly a bean field, but about four-tenths of an acre became a Community Planning Board Workshop Minutes August 27, 2001 Page 2 wetland when it was no longer farmed. The City will redesign the park and mitigate wetland loss; the park will come up for review in September. The Purgatory Creek Recreation Area will be surrounded by multifamily housing and provide open space and trails. Renovation of existing parks is a goal in the next few years. Curb and gutter, park shelters, and playgrounds will be upgraded. Park usage has changed somewhat in the last ten years. Less than half the softball teams are present compared to ten years ago. Lacrosse, football, and soccer are up. Some softball fields may be converted to accommodate the growing sports. School age population will peak in 2010 and then begin to decline. Sodt inquired about other communities' changing parks needs and how they have been addressed. Lambert stated the Minneapolis Park System was acquired in the 1800's for preservation of open space, boating and skating. Some large meadows were converted to ballfield complexes. There is constant change in every park system. In the last ten years there have been more changes than in the last fifty years. Frisbee golf and mountain biking are popular. Crestwood Park will be graded and soccer, volleyball, hockey, and a park shelter will be put in. Use of outdoor skating rinks is declining, but neighbors still want them. There are petitions each year for outdoor rinks. The Crestwood Park outdoor hockey rink will be the last one built in town. Nelson asked about putting in another disc golf course near the lake. Lambert said it requires too large an area. A trails map is provided in the comp plan. In 1976 a hikeway/bikeway task force studied the need for a City-wide trail system. The spine system was completed first, County Road 4, Pioneer Trail, Mitchell Road, Valley View Road, Duck Lake Trail and Anderson Lakes Parkway. When those are complete, a trail should provide access from each neighborhood to schools, parks and shopping areas. Sidewalks should be placed along residential streets. Recreational trails are located within large parks. Another type of trail, the LRT trail, is operated by Hennepin Parks temporarily. It is an ag lime trail. Stock inquired whether any trails were groomed for skiing. Lambert stated Staring Lake has groomed cross-country ski trails. The High School grooms trails that the City maintains and prepares in fall. People have skied on the LRT. Last year there were two petitions to plow snow off of it in the winter so people could walk on it. Stock asked how many kilometers of ski trails there were. Fox said about 7 kilometers. Community Planning Board Workshop Minutes August 27, 2001 Page 3 Nelson stated there were no Big Wheel or tricycle trails within parks offering a safe and hard surface, around the outside of neighborhood parks. There are many places where there are no sidewalks and they are not safe for kids. Nelson noted parents should still be able to see the children. Lambert said there was one at Miller, and there are plazas that would accommodate them at Staring Lake Park and Homeward Hills Park. Other parks have short sections of trails that would be ideal for Big Wheels. Nelson said there should be more. It could be a block long in each park. Sodt stated there was a similar trail behind the senior center. Lambert said a challenge will be the Creek Valley trails. Along Lower Purgatory Creek down to Riverview Road, the last section of ownership will be difficult to acquire. Along Riley Creek there will be some resistance to that as well; however, these trails will become the most important components of the City trail system.. Stoelting asked about the role of conservation easements in these areas. Lambert stated there are trail easements within each conservation easement. Although the City has easements and/or ownership of the land, adjacent residents will object. Koenig asked about the Edenbrook Conservation Area. Lambert said Edenbrook is a 200 acre conservation area the City owns. The City notified residents that there was a plan to construct a trail through that area and the residents objected. Council stated they would not spend the money that year where trails were not wanted, but trails would eventually go in the Edenbrook Conservation Area. The Richard T. Anderson Conservation area is a very nice piece of land. There is a 250 foot difference in elevation. There are two streams. When more land is acquired trout ponds will be redeveloped. Trails were put in last winter. This fall or next spring an access will be put in. In Riley Creek Woods, an old-growth forest, was purchased. Development has gone up around it. Trails will be developed there; access will be carefully developed. Prairie Bluff Conservation Area is similar. West Gate Park, 23 acres, is near Eden Prairie Lawn & Garden. A half mile trail may be put around it. An outdoor swimming facility was identified as a need in the community survey. A committee should work with consultants to determine the feasibility for such a facility. The Community Center should be considered for major remodeling by adding some facilities, and expanding. The Round Lake Water quality project is ongoing. This is the first year in the last five that the beach has been open all year long. There is a three year study on the beach in an effort to improve water quality. Community Planning Board Workshop Minutes August 27, 2001 Page 4 Nelson asked whether the canoes and rowboats would be back on Round Lake. Lambert said boat rental was closed because of lack of use. It will only open if we get a sufficient number of people using Round Lake beach again. Sodt asked about a third ice rink at the community center. Lambert said a consultant was hired to determine the feasibility. The committee obtained written commitments for $1,300,000. $3.5-$4.0 million was the estimated cost. The committee believes it can be built for under $3 million. They will be reporting to the City Council in October. Stock inquired why Eden Prairie did not have a private high school. Lambert stated Southwest Christian tried; the available land is limited and it creates traffic issues. Stoelting inquired about the future revenue change with cash park fees. Lambert said park dedication fees are provided to acquire land and build parks. Renovations should be paid through general funds. After ten years, the City will rely on tax dollars, grants, and revenue bonds to renovate and build parks. Corneille asked whether Eden Prairie was competitive with other cities. Lambert said it was in the top five in cash park fees per unit residential and per acre for Minnesota. Koenig inquired about Birch Island Woods. Lambert stated there were $40-60 million worth of unfunded projects and over $23 million worth of projects that are funded over the next six years. He recommended a referendum for Birch Island Woods. The County wants $650,000 for 31 acres. Half of the frontage on Birch Island Road is owned by the Picha family. If the City purchases it, they should purchase the Picha frontage. This is about $1.5 million and does not include assessments for future upgrades to the roads. There are many people in favor of preserving such properties. This year the school has a referendum coming up. He suggested a two-year option from the County and from the Picha family. III. ADJOURNMENT The workshop adjourned at 7:30 p.m.