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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 05/02/2017 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Ron Case and Kathy Nelson PLANNING COMMISSION: Michael deSanctis, Ed Farr, Mark Freiberg, Ann Higgins, John Kirk, Travis Wuttke CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief James DeMann, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, City Planner Julie Klima, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Jan Curielli GUESTS: John Houseal and Jaemi Jackson, Houseal Lavigne Associates Workshop - Heritage Room H I. ASPIRE EDEN PRAIRIE Mayor Tyra-Lukens called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Julie Klima, City Planner, stated the purpose of the meeting was to provide an overview of recent community outreach for the Aspire Eden Prairie 2040 plan. She said Mr. Houseal and Ms Jackson have met with individual property owners over the last two days and will give a broad update on their work. Prior to this week, staff identified special areas of study in the community: neighborhood commercial development in southwest Eden Prairie; reuse of the Flying Cloud landfill area; and opportunities for residents to use the online interactive mapping tool, S-map, in order to be active in the Aspire 2040 plan. Klima reported the residents in southwest Eden Prairie did not feel a need for additional commercial development in that area and would prefer the City focus on currently established areas. Staff contacted MPCA regarding plans to reuse the Flying Cloud landfill. The MPCA said they are putting together a land use plan for the landfill and will be coming to the City for comments on that plan in the next few months. Houseal Lavigne has provided S-map as an online mapping tool that residents can use to be active in the Aspire 2040 plan. There will also be an update to the transportation plan to be incorporated into the comprehensive plan. There is a transportation map online that allows residents to identify issues with traffic in the City. Residents will be able to give input online until the end of May. John Houseal, representing Houseal Lavigne Associates, said online users can click on a composite map and scroll to see all the points people have dropped on the map with an accompanying comment. Users can also click on a specific issue to see comments about the issue. He reviewed the focused outreach he and Ms Jackson did in the community the last two days. He complimented staff on a phenomenal job of organizing many interviews with City Council Workshop Minutes May 2, 2017 Page 2 businesses and property owners in the Crosstown and Martin Drive industrial areas and with nine focus groups on community issues. In addition, they worked with staff subject matter experts, held a workshop with the Parks & Recreation and Conservation Commissions, and worked with other groups. Jaemi Jackson, Houseal Lavigne Associates, reviewed the interviews they conducted with key persons in the two industrial areas. They had ten interviews with property owners in the Martin Drive area to determine what that area will be in the future. One of the takeaways from those interviews is that a conflict exists because the visibility of the area from Hwy 212 makes the area good for retail,but the access to Hwy212/Hwy 5 makes it good for distribution. The conclusion may be to make that area into a more dynamic version of itself. The interviews with key persons in the Crosstown industrial area showed they are happy with being in an area of industrial uses that is quite isolated by berms along the trails, railroad tracks and the future Southwest Light Rail. People in neighborhoods around the Crosstown area are not being negatively affected by the industrial uses. The Crosstown area does have potential for improvements and for some redevelopment. Mr. Houseal noted the Crosstown area provides critical services to the community while being well-buffered from the surrounding neighborhoods. Nelson noted she would like to include trail enhancements in both of the industrial areas. Mr. Houseal responded trail enhancements came up as part of the transportation discussion. Ms Jackson and Mr. Houseal reviewed the nine topic areas covered in the focus group discussions: 1. Diversity in the Community Discussions about diversity in the community centered around how we can be more welcoming to people from different backgrounds. Suggestions included having a welcome packet with information about resources and services in Eden Prairie and having regular local community events to help people become acquainted with others. The group also discussed Eden Prairie's goals for diversity and some actionable items to move towards the goals. 2. Historical Preservation The eight participants in the discussion with the Heritage Preservation Commission and the Historical Society determined there was a need for increased public access and more information about the importance of historic preservation. There is also a need to identify and preserve additional historic sites, to develop incentives for homeowners to preserve historic sites, and to maintain our historic sites. 3. Parks & Recreation and Conservation Commissions There were 21 participants in the joint meeting of the Parks & Recreation and Conservation Commissions. They determined there was a need for education about the parks programs and about conservation in general. There was also a need for increased energy efficiency and increased recreational programming for diverse user groups. They City Council Workshop Minutes May 2, 2017 Page 3 suggested strategies such as working with the local schools for programming, connecting the existing parks with the trail system and increasing programming to reach diverse user groups. 4. Economic Competitiveness There were 12 participants in the discussion about economic competitiveness. The issues identified included leakage (people going outside of Eden Prairie for work, dining and recreation), a need for a community and regional destination, and a lack of walkable retail neighborhoods. There is also a problem with people being able to walk in the industrial areas. Employees will go to a place they want to live to get a job, so quality of life attributes are very important. The goals and strategies to achieve the goals included relocating Walmart, reviewing and reducing City regulations, and revising some of the zoning ordinances to dovetail with the objectives. Getschow noted a recent example would be our zoning to allow more food trucks and brew pubs. He noted the Council has also expressed a desire for a higher level of control over landscaping. 5. Housing Development The seven participants in the housing developers' session expressed a desire to understand the housing policy of the City because they felt there wasn't a clear vision for housing within the City. There was concern about affordable and market-rate housing because of increased land and construction costs. They suggested adjusting the ordinances to allow by-right development that aligns with the market, reducing impact fees, and identifying areas for parcel assembly and redevelopment. Mr. Houseal said the developers want guidance and certainty and are unclear about the term "affordable housing." 6. Affordable Housing Development The takeaways from the discussion with affordable housing developers were a need for incentives to offset the cost of development and a desire to understand affordable housing needs of the community. Suggestions regarding goals and strategies included increasing incentives such as TIF and other financial resources, examining the possibility of by-right affordable housing development where it could be done by code without a lengthy process of public hearings, and developing an affordable housing policy to provide direction. Tyra-Lukens asked if other cities do by-right development. Rosow replied some cities have pre-zoned areas but still go through a site plan review. 7. Housing Users The four participants in the housing users' discussion expressed concern about housing affordability, inclusivity and acceptance of diverse residents in the neighborhoods, and lifecycle housing options. They wanted to have a diverse mix of housing type and price points. Goals suggested by the group included setting higher expectations for developers City Council Workshop Minutes May 2, 2017 Page 4 to include affordable housing and educating the public about the value of affordable housing. 8. Transportation The transportation discussion was facilitated by SRF, the consulting firm doing the City's transportation plan. The 30 participants in the session discussed three subtopics: roadways, multi-mobility, and freight and aviation. The participants felt the roadways are well maintained, and there is good connectivity. They also liked the yellow flashing traffic signals. Some of the weaknesses with the roadways included signage (especially around the mall),peak period congestion, signal timing and commuter traffic. They also suggested the use of roundabouts. Nelson commented the Council hears a lot about problems people have getting from Point A to Point B. On the subtopic of multi-mobility, the group felt Southwest Transit, especially the Prime service, is an asset, as is our robust trail network. One of the weaknesses is the issue of first mile/last mile for multi-mobility. Opportunities include use of future technology (such as Lyft and Uber), expanded transit service hours, and closing gaps in the trail system. Integration of the transit system is important, as are safe pedestrian crossings. Nelson said she was concerned about the limited transportation options for those with disabilities, especially on the weekends and at night. The third subtopic dealt with freight and aviation. Positive comments were made about the great airport facility, our modern rail infrastructure, and accessibility for freight. Weaknesses mentioned were the rail crossing at the high school and increased airport noise. Priority items were continued attention to airport noise and safe railroad crossings. Ellis noted we are looking into quiet zones for train whistles. 9. Arts and Culture The five participants in the arts and culture group believed awareness of the Art Center and its purpose was an issue, as was the lack of a place to display local art. They suggested goals and strategies including better utilization of existing assets, increased exposure to arts, partnering with the High School to create a branding for the Art Center, and increased funding for the arts. Tyra-Lukens asked about the process for what goes into the Aspire plan. Mr. Houseal replied this is just one point where we get input from the community. They also look at the community surveys completed over the years, current commission and staff work plans, and their assessments from working with staff. Jeremiah said there will be a do-it-yourself kit to get more feedback from other groups. Klima noted a lot of people in the focus groups said they wanted to get one of the kits to use in their neighborhood or group meetings. She thought we will get a much broader expansion with the kits. City Council Workshop Minutes May 2, 2017 Page 5 Aho asked about the time period for input. Klima said input will continue through the end of June. Butcher Wickstrom asked if they will be able to capture perspectives on how we can keep our grown-up kids here in the community. Mr. Houseal replied one of the biggest consumers of kits is often the schools. Klima said they will be working on outreach to the schools. Tyra- Lukens suggested they contact certain teachers at the schools to help with that outreach. Nelson commented it is important to get input from younger people. Mr. Houseal said the do-it-yourself kits are one of the best ways reach out to a broad spectrum of groups. The kit will include identification of the group, the name of the group facilitator and when the kit was completed, so they will be able to analyze input from the various groups. Nelson noted some people like the fact our zoning map has stayed pretty constant. Mr. Houseal responded we have to plan with the context and character of Eden Prairie as a starting point. Open Podium - Council Chamber IV. ADJOURNMENT