Planning Commission - 10/30/1973 MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION
• TUESDAY,. OCTOBER 30, 1973 VILLAGE HALL 7:30 p.m.
Members Present: Chairwoman Norma Schee, Wayne Brown, Don
Sorensen, Don' Teslow, Joan Meyers
Member of Park and Recreation Commission Paul Enblom, and interested
citizens Bearman, Hillger, Helle, Carlson, Hess.
Consultant Ray Maculans.
Village Planner Dick Putnam
I. WORK SESSION ON SMETANA LAKE PLANNING.
Putnam presented the Staff Report to the Planning Commission dealing with
the Smetana Lake Sector dated October 29, 1973. The report attempted to'
analyze the 1968 Comprehensive Guide Plan as it relates to planning in the
Smetana Sector and that the changes proposed or expected within land use
and transportation system were a refinement and an intended outcome of
the Guide Plan process. The lack of community facilities was noted
such as open space, parks, schools, community centers, etc. in the
Smetana Sector which was a direct response to the proposed use of the
Guide Plan of industrial.
Smetana Lake will primarily have an influence upon neighboring sectors
through the traffic that is generated to and from its industrial and residential
development. A limited number of access points will constrain traffic
utilizing the major freeway networks, forcing some of the trips to local
arterial.streets such as;Shady Oak Road or Valley View. It was pointed
out that the Edina strip east of Washington Avenue is dictating some of the
uses in the graveled areas as office/warehouse. However, the treatment
of Nine Mile Creek in Edina's side of Washington Avenue is not necessarily
going to be utilized through Eden Prairie's Nine Mile Creek valley. The
question of the DIMJIM report for Southdale and the heavy traffic generated
onto Valley View Road from the Eden Prairie Center to Southdale was discussed
and it was pointed out by Mr. Putnam that Valley View, through Edina and
Eden Prairie, would not be a major through trip for those going between the
major centers but rather to feed the residential areas and industrial areas.
The impact upon Section 36 in Minnetonka would be of a competing nature
with industrial and commercial land uses whereas the development of the
Bryant Lake area in Eden Prairie as a residential area should complement
the industrial and residential proposed within the Smetana area.
Considerable time was spend discussing the traffic analysis necessary to
determine land use within the Smetana Sector. The areas covered dealt with
the demand and capacity of the road systems in that four lane capacities on
Valley View may well be very necessary to carry the traffic generated. The
i
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peak hour characteristics of traffic were felt to be very important in that
a number of peaks will influence the traffic on Valley View Road for the
shopping center, residential, and industrial that would use this street,
thereby prolonging the peaks but spreading it out over a longer number of
hours, thereby reducing spot congestion times. Land use types and
intensities proposed will most certainly influence the traffic characteristics
within the arearin that industrial has a more abrupt and higher peak than
residential, for example. The facility type ' seemed to indicate
a four lane road along Valley View, at least near the Major Center
Area. The construction of Shady Oak Road should most certainly be of a
four lane arterial street variety. Locational impacts of the road systems
are critical in three areas: the intersection of Valley View Road and 18 and
Washington Avenue; the location of the intersection of Valley View Road
with the Ring Route, and the connection between 18 and the Ring Route on
Valley View Road. Many problems exist in these areas that were discussed.
Mr. Helle, landowner in the area, expressed the feeling that Valley View
Road could be upgraded where it is by cutting the high areas and enlarging
the road as it crosses the creek through the Village park property and that
any thought of constructing the road outside of the existing right of way
was unrealistic.
Paul Enblom, member of the Park and Recreation Commission; School Board,
• and a resident of the area, felt that the enlargement of Valley View Road
'o serve his properties or others was unwarranted and that he
would encourage the retention of the small scale Valley View Road.
The environmental impacts-within the area were discussed in two areas.
Che is the graveled areas which, due to their excavations, present little
problem for dommercial or industrial development. The primary area of
concern is that of the remaining creek valley and hill forms adjacent to
Nine Mile Creek and Smetana Lake. The Planner summarized reports from
Pat Kennedy, Director of the Soil Conservation Service, and John Dickson,
consulting engineer from the Watershed District, both agreeing with the
conclusion that the slopes and woodland areas associated with Nine Mile
Creek should be retained and developed in appropriate fashion. It was
indicated that proper development of multiple residential of . medium
or low density ' might be possible along the creek valley. Don
Sorensen suggested that the residential should be considered of a low
density type if desired. Putnam indicated this would certainly be the case,
but that the provision of community facilities
such as schools, children's parks, etc. would be required if a large area
was developed as low density single family, for what could be a rather
limited number of people.
An alternate to the consultant's proposal was presented briefly for discussion.
This was a composite of Scheme A and B from Mr. Maculans' report. It
incorporated relocating the Valley View Road south of its present location
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with a new creek crossing south of the Village park land in the open area.
It attempted to retain the hills adjacent to Nine Mile Creek area through
residential development while. permitting a substantial component of
industrial in the graveled areas.
Mrs. Meyers questioned the potential of highway commercial at the
northern intersection of Shady Oak and 212 and the traffic problems within
that sector most certainly will exist and any additional highway service
may compound these problems.
Paul Enblom noted that the problems with the intersection and the provision
of road access from the Ring Route to his property and Ed Peterson's property
was not necessary and that if that would aid in
solving some of the access problems to this site, that access would not
have to be provided from Co. Rd. 39 and the Ring Route. Putnam indicated
that this was a new development and that it should be given close con—
sideration, which could mean the relocation of Co. Rd. 39.
Mr. Helle expressed concern that we are making the whole situation too
complicated, and that Valley View Road should be enlarged and straightened
out for the industrial traffic generated, and that there should be-a connection
between the Ring Route and Shady Oak Road. However, it was his feeling
that Valley View Road should be the primary tie to Co. Rd. 18's intersection
with Shady Oak Road Ving into Valley View rather than Shady Oak. He also
pointed out that the County had no plans to do anything with Shady Oak
Road. He also felt that the taxing policies of the Village were unfair to him
in that his land was valued at much too high a rate.
II. The other items discussed were Planning Projects.
A. The.community seminars discussed were:
1. The Neighborhood Commercial Center, which would deal primarily
with what the community believed they needed for commercial
facilities and how they should be provided. Tentative date was
scheduled for Nov. 14; however, this has been changed to
November 29 (Thursday) at the Village Hall.
2. This will deal with revisions of Zoning Ordinance, particularly'
dealing with building types, heights, and densities. To gain the
opinion of the community regarding the provision of taller buildings
of concrete construction, due to the change in state laws, a seminar
with those interested would aid in getting resident input and aiding
decision makers in making policy.
3. Controlled aowth and Airport Expansionwill be two other seminars
held after the first of the year, which are felt to be very important
in planning as well as development of Eden Prairie.
B. Planning Sectors: ...
1. The Duck Lake/Round Lake Sector, on which we are currently working
with Don Rippel will be finished after the Smetana Lake Sector Study
has been completed. We would hope that community meetings in the
Duck Lake area with presentation of alternate plans would occur in
late November or early December, with completion after first of the year.
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2. The Bluff Sector Study is currently in a low gear with HNTB doing
traffic analysis work in the area upon the proposed land uses
submitted by the joint development team, representing Hustads,
The Preserve, Eden Land, and Olympic Hills . Community meetings
and more detailed analysis will occur during the early months of
1974.
3 . The Bryant ' Lake Study should be considered as the extension of
utilities and the decision to begin some development work within
the Shady Oak P.U.D. seem likely in 1974 or early 1975 . To
correspond with the location of the Crosstown, this planning
effort would be most timely in mid-1974.
4. Other important planning projects were the internal road systems
within the Southwest Quadrant for the M.C.A. , development of
the Major Center Area Task Force final report, the research and
development of a Zoning Ordinance specially tailored for the
M.C.A. (extremely critical; major task which must be begun
and finished over the next 3-4 months) , and of course the review
and processing of development applications, both large scale
and small scale.
Meeting adjourned at approx. 11 p.m.
• Respectfully submitted,
Dick Putnam, Village Planner