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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Commission - 07/14/2015 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CONSERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2015 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Greg Olson (Chair), Laura Jester(Vice Chair), Prashant Shrikhande, Lori Tritz, Amanda Anderson, Gena Gerard STAFF: Regina Dean, Planning Division Tania Mahtani, Planning Division Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary GUEST: John Anderson, Conservation Minnesota L CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Commissioners Shrikhande and Gerard were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Jester added Item V.B. MOTION: Anderson moved, seconded by Jester, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Jester moved, seconded by Anderson, to approve the June 9, 2015 minutes. Motion carried 4-0. IV. PRESENTER V. REPORTS FROM STAFF A. LEED GREEN BUILDINGS IN EDEN PRAIRIE In response to a May request from the Conservation Commission (CC), Mahtani reviewed the status of local LEED buildings using the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)website as her primary source of information. Updates are as follows: CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 2 Liberty Plaza—includes high-tech HVAC systems, carbon dioxide monitors, motion light sensors, water efficient fixtures, and walking trails. Certification is in progress. Lake Smetana North— sustainable features are native low/no-irrigation plantings, state-of the art HVAC, and motion-sensored lights and water faucets. Gold-level certification was received in 2008. Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors—certification is in progress. No specific information was located on features. Milestone AV Technology—received LEED silver certification in 2012. Accomplishments include 30%percent reduction in water use with the implementation of low-flow fixtures, 15.5 percent of construction materials were made of recycled content, 89.5% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill, and recycled use of outside air to cool the building's data center without additional energy. AFI Eden Prairie office remodel—LEED gold certification is in progress. No specifics on green features were found. Margaret Cargill Buildinxpansion—LEED platinum certification is in progress and the building is under construction. Sustainable features being proposed include a green roof, photovoltaic systems, geothermal, water capture for irrigation, solar lighting, low-mow landscaping, and permeable pavers. Mahtani is unclear about the estimated opening date and whether certification would apply to the expansion only or to the entire campus. It is on the Commission's work plan to tour the site when it opens. In regards to how the City promotes LEED, Mahtani referred to the Land Use section of the City's Comprehensive Guide Plan on energy efficiency, sustainable buildings, LEED standards for building/design, storm water management, and landscaping. The Town Center Design Guidelines and Golden Triangle Study also serve as good resources. While LEED certification is not required for Town Center construction, it is the desired outcome and is encouraged. Tritz inquired if encouragement was by way of subsidies. Mahtani said there are no subsidies at this time, but there are negotiations through the development process in the form of waivers for setbacks or building heights. The Golden Triangle Study utilized a modified LEED checklist to assess a portion of the Golden Triangle area around the proposed light rail station. A report was then produced outlining existing sustainable features and recommendations for improvement. Olson asked if the City has compiled any metrics in terms of what percentage of the total commercial square footage in Eden Prairie is LEED-certified. Mahtani said she was not aware of anything being tracked. CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 3 Olson asked if any consideration had been given to recognizing recently- completed projects receiving designation. Mahtani said recognition is achieved through USGBC in the form of plaques. The City also has a recently-released community image award for nominated businesses based on a variety of criteria, a couple of which relate to sustainability. Anderson thanked Mahtani for her research. She said the CC has an opportunity to explore ways to be more engaged in LEED in general as it reviews proposals going forward. The best way to save the environment in terms of building is to not build. Modifying an existing building has a far lower carbon footprint than building new. When reviewing the master plan for Town Center, the CC should have a voice in helping the City think about the environmental impact of tearing down a building. Jester suggested using next month's meeting to prepare for City Manager, Rick Getschow's upcoming visit to the Commission in September. Mahtani said his primary agenda item would the successor to the 20-40-15 program the City is working on. Council will look to the Commission for feedback on that initiative. She expects this topic to take the bulk of the meeting time. Jester said if Mr. Getschow is agreeable, she would like Anderson's comments to be shared. She also wants to hear more about management of the city's natural areas. Olson requested getting specific points or questions Mr. Getschow plans to address ahead of time so commissioners can prepare feedback or questions of their own. Jester mentioned encouraging the City to look at the Envision process which uses a similar checklist to LEED for infrastructure. It is fairly new but is an impressive and robust system which can assist the City with focusing on the best options in staying sustainable. B. GREEN TEAM UPDATE Mahtani reported the Green Team is still in the planning stages. The goal of the program is to allow residents to earn and self-report points for making green improvements at home for which they can win prizes upon achieving certain point levels. Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer has indicated he will be looking for feedback from the Commission as the program develops. Olson asked if the City is aware of similar programs at other cities and how they are working and if City staff has observed residents or businesses taking leadership on their own in terms of implementing sustainable projects. Mahtani said she did not have information on other programs, but she does know Leslie Stovring has worked with a couple of groups on storm water-related items. Jester said last year's green crawl event showcasing sustainability efforts or conservation practices of Eden Prairie residents and businesses is probably the closest evidence of unprompted efforts. CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 4 Jester expressed disappointment the Green Team is not what she expected. She thought it would be a corps of volunteers working as a team on a project deemed significant by them or the City with city staff coordination. While the current concept is good and may be effective for small projects, she was really hoping to see a group of people tackling larger projects on behalf of the city or neighborhoods. Olson noted it is still a work in progress. VI. REPORTS FROM CHAIR A. REVIEW OF CONSERVATION COMMISSION 2015 WORK PLAN Olson said he considered Arbor Day, progress on GreenStep Cities, and participation in the Home and Garden Expo work plan highlights for the first two quarters of 2015. He asked for an update on invitations to local watershed districts. Jester said the Lower Minnesota Watershed District sent a representative to a meeting earlier this year. Olson mentioned he attended the open house for Nine Mile Creek Watershed District's new education center. Jester said she received a private tour the next day and was impressed by the cistern system, rain gardens, and permeable pavement. The water-friendly features are something to strive for in any future city facility. Mahtani said she will work on arranging a commission tour of the facility. Olson suggested October as a good time. Anderson inquired about the process for and role of student representatives. There have not been any students at CC meetings she has attended. Mahtani said the CC has three students. They do not attend during summer but will start in the fall. Dean arrived at 7:35 p.m. Jester said students are assigned, and it fulfills a school requirement. They typically have not interacted much in the way of providing input although they sometimes volunteer to staff booths for the Commission. Representatives are often part of the school's tree huggers group and have an interest in conservation. Anderson asked if students still receive credit if they don't attend and how to reach those students who really do want to be engaged. Mahtani said students apply and select their preferred commission. Dean said attendance is not reported to the school. Anderson suggested putting a welcome on the agenda when the new students start this fall and creating a plan to help engage them more and make it a safe environment where they feel comfortable participating. The CC could get ideas from other commissions with successful student attendance. Jester noted"Reports from Students" is a standing agenda item, but engaging them more is a good idea. Anderson suggested documenting incomplete items from the first two quarters and assessing in quarters three and four whether the Commission is taking on too much or what it can do differently to meet its objectives. Minimally she would like to be able to state in the year-end report to the Council the CC's efforts and, over time, its impact and measurements for success. Much of what the CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 5 Commission does is internally focused on how commissioners educate themselves. Goal-setting for next year should be based on what was learned this year. Olson said one impactful project he would like to see finished is the upgrading/ updating of presentation materials. That alone will be a noteworthy accomplishment going into 2016. Jester said commission members have diverse conservation backgrounds and areas of interest. There is a tendency to overextend themselves instead of focusing on one outcome. Anderson said more momentum can be gained if the Commission aligns its energy with significant City initiatives such as 20-40-15 and light rail. Integrating with what is happening in the City will make the CC more effective. Energy and transportation were the main topics addressed during her commission interview. Perhaps the Commission should focus its efforts there while still always keeping conservation at the forefront. She wants the group to really be viewed as an advocacy and advisory council for the City. Olson said individuals should consider what they are passionate about and would like to work on between meetings to bring back to the larger group. That, in and of itself, can create energy. If it is something the group wants to do, it will resonate. Anderson said if the work plan timeline permits, members should think about how to incorporate what Mr. Getschow presents into the CC's 2016 work plan. Dean said commission work plans are typically finalized after the year-end Council workshop as Council typically adds one or two item as part of their vision. Olson recommended having someone from Riley Purgatory Creek visit between now and the end of the year. It would be worthwhile to report back to Council the CC had spoken to all watershed districts within the span of a year. VIL REPORTS FROM COMMISSION VIII. CONTINUING BUSINESS A. WATER USE EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH GRAPHIC (cont. from 6/9/15) Tritz reported the graphics are in progress. She plans to re-create them with new software which can then be handed off to a graphic designer for maintenance. She showed commissioners a mock-up of one the graphics. To make it aesthetically- cohesive with other documents, she borrowed the City's logo, font, and colors. Each panel will have the graphic on top and text on the bottom with numbers pointing to the problems and solutions. She is in the process of looking over information she received from other commissioners. There is no existing graphic to use as a base for the first panel which will show the water table. One needs to be invented but more information CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 6 is needed first. A total of five graphics are planned; a couple will be ready for commissioner review next month. Jester asked for confirmation on what steps would follow. Mahtani said there would be some coordination with Rick Whalen and Leslie Stovring before going to Communications for appropriate sizing and final mockup. Printing will be done internally and then it will go to FedEx or Kinko's for duplication. Tritz said no additional mockup should be required as she will produce print-ready files. Olson said it would be nice for the graphics to have application to other mediums, online for example. Tritz agreed saying reutilizing and repurposing graphics across media is something we want to do. This is just a beginning step. IX. INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS/HANDOUTS A. UPCOMING CITY PROJECTS/DEVELOPMENT--PROJECT PROFILE Olson asked if the first variance on the profile involved shore property. Dean confirmed the shoreline property in question on Riley Lake was approved by the Planning Commission on June 22. It consists of two rural-zoned properties which the owner wants to combine into one lot. An existing seasonal cabin sits on one lot, and the owner wants to build a house, no closer to the lake, in the approximate location of the cabin. Zoning would remain rural. A best effort is being made to preserve as many trees as possible. One rendition of the house showed a much larger footprint and impact to trees, but it has since been reduced. The owner is working with the watershed district to include requirements from Riley Purgatory Creek. Jester asked if proximity to the lake is closer than it would be if they were building new because the cabin is closer than current setbacks allow. Dean said a variance was required from the 100-foot setback to the ordinary high water level. The current structure is at 64 feet. They are not getting any closer to the lake and will not be in the shore-impact zone. Jester asked what was between the house and the lake. Dean said the area is beach but they are working with the watershed district on making improvements as well as with Leslie Stovring on wetland mitigation. Mr. Getschow arrived at 8:00 p.m. Anderson said with the proposed Southwest Station and overall objectives for the City, she can understand the reasoning for, but is still saddened by, plans to tear down Santorini's. The lowest impact to our carbon footprint is to not tear down buildings. The number of years required to mitigate is substantive. Additionally, there are very few working family-type businesses remaining in Eden Prairie which don't resemble every other building. The issue is how to balance the carbon footprint with the need to beautify the city and generate revenue. Planning an 11,000 square-foot multi-tenant/retail space makes good business sense from a revenue standpoint, but along with that comes an opportunity to help developers think about how to incorporate existing buildings into planning. The CC can help them think differently. CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 7 Olson said figuring out how to make an existing building marketable is a conundrum in commercial real estate. Anderson agreed saying the area of town where Santorini's is located is hard to build on; but aesthetically and location wise, the structure has some very appealing features. Reasons must be compelling to invest in anything less inspiring. Olson it would be interesting to hear what the development community thinks about sustainability. Tritz said each construction project is a new opportunity for green and beautiful. She asked what that looks like and what encouragement, other than variances, exists for cities to build green, recycle and not just do business as usual. Anderson said she thinks some developers would be interested in sustainability. As a consumer, she is inclined to spend more money if she knows a company cared enough to invest in a LEED-certified building. This is the CC's opportunity to promote to developers this is part of the master plan and commissioners advocated for it. Dean announced tonight's Council approval of the Shops at Southwest Station project. The existing foundation and pilings will be used and the footprint will not be enlarged. The project includes the addition of bike parking, LED lighting, a rainwater garden, and handling of storm water according to the Riley-Purgatory rules. The City doesn't want to infringe on owners' rights, but at the same time staff needs to align with goals spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan and work within existing zoning codes and established policy as well as respond to feedback from commissions and City Council. Staff is actively working with the development community to achieve these goals in all projects. Anderson said the area is very precious with access to jobs, transportation, and food. It is possible for one to live in the area without a car and few places in the western suburbs can say that. It will be a shining star for Eden Prairie. Mahtani commented there is a lot of energy going into all stations, especially with regards to connectivity and access to the stations. Anderson said while there are opportunities for individuals to make an impact, businesses can do significantly more in terms of sustainability. She likes the idea of engaging them more in the City's overall efforts. X. UPCOMING EVENTS A. WORKSHOP ON THE WATER—LAKE MINNETONKA, JULY 23 Tritz is planning to attend. Jester noted different material will be covered this year than last. B. 2015 POLLINATOR SUMMIT—MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM,AUGUST 13 Mahtani will forward information about this event to commissioners. CONVERSATION COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2015 Page 8 XI. NEXT MEETING The next CC meeting will be Tuesday, August 11, 2015, 7:00 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A& B. Ben Knudson from Hennepin County's Environment and Energy Department will provide an update on their recycling programs including plans for organics. XIL ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Anderson moved, seconded by Jester, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Olson adjourned the meeting at 8:14 p.m.