City Council - 03/06/2007 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP
& OPEN FORUM/OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2007 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Phil Young, Councilmembers Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher, Jon
Duckstad, and Kathy Nelson
PLANNING COMMISSION: Chair Ray Stoelting; Commissioners John Kirk, Vicki Koenig,
Peter Rocheford, Jon Stoltz, and Frank Powell
CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George
Esbensen, Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert,
Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz,
Senior Planner Scott Kipp, Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric
Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room H
I. GUIDE PLAN UPDATE
Monique MacKenzie of SRF gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Comprehensive
Guide Plan update. She gave an overview of work completed to date, including:
• Eight Planning Commission workshops
• A Demographic study
• Review of the land use and housing chapters
• Review of growth projections
• An public open house
• Web site postings
• A housing focus group
• An initial meeting with Met Council staff
Mackenzie reviewed key demographic trends. The new forecast anticipates a population
of up to 77,431 by 2030.
The housing focus group developed a number of recommendations, including:
• New housing in MCA and GTA should include a mix of housing types
• Monitor and preserve existing affordable housing
• Provide a range of senior housing to address a wide range of needs
• Design housing with walking access to services
• Creation of Workforce housing
City Council Workshop Minutes
March 6,2007—page 2
Mackenzie said the Met Council indicated it is positive for the City to plan for focused
growth in the Town Center and Golden Triangle, clustered next to open space corridors
and LRT service.
Mackenzie said the Planning Commission has identified the MCA and GTA as the two
primary areas for land use change. There are no significant land use change
recommendations outside of the MCA and GTA.
MCA recommendations include:
• Creation of a compact, walkable Town Center with mixed land use and higher density
residential neighborhoods (7-10 stories)
• Increased commercial in the Town Center
GTA recommendations include:
• Continuation of the current pattern of industrial, research and development, and
office-tech uses
• Higher density residential development within 1/2 mile of proposed future LRT station
• A moderate amount of new office development(due to concerns about traffic
congestion)
Transportation recommendations include:
• Targeted improvements to expand road capacity and make needed connections
• Expanded roadway and transit infrastructure in the GTA and MCA
• Incorporation of new biking and walking facilities to improve connections and access
to the existing trail system
Housing recommendations include:
• Supporting existing single family neighborhoods as they age and residents change
preferences
• New housing located with access to parks, services and transit, to meet"maintenance
free" lifestyle choices
• Preservation of existing affordable housing stock and increase of owner-occupied
affordable housing
Mackenzie reviewed upcoming steps in the process, and asked for input from the Council
and Planning Commission members on the recommendations. Mayor Young asked for
input on the concept of adding multi-family housing,particularly buildings up to 10
stories.
Councilmember Butcher said past Councils did not want the population to increase
drastically; however, Butcher said with the prospect of light rail and redevelopment in the
GTA and MCA, higher densities seem reasonable. Councilmember Nelson said that,
based on the design of the buildings, she would like to see the Presbyterian Homes site
take advantage of its prime location, which could in turn drive an entertainment
component for the area. Planning Commission member Peter Rocheford said he thinks
height is the way to go. He said you can fit more in with a greater value when you add
height. Aho said it will be important to ensure good mixed modes of transportation are
City Council Workshop Minutes
March 6,2007—page 3
available to support these developments. He said there are very good examples of this
kind of development with attractive buildings in Edina and Bloomington. Koenig said
she would not want to see the height of buildings overwhelm the Purgatory Creek
Recreation Area open space. Nelson said support of mixed-use among the public is
dependent on the inclusion of details such as awnings, tree, flowers, etc. Planning
Commission member Frank Powell raised a concern about whether or not the GTA and
MCA will accommodate senior housing. He advocated evaluating senior housing options
in other areas as well.
Council Chamber
II. OPEN FORUM
No one was scheduled to speak at Open Forum.
III. OPEN PODIUM
No one requested to speak at Open Podium.
IV. ADJOURNMENT