City Council

City Council Meeting Minutes

March 23, 2015

 

1.       Roll Call

Mayor Roe called the meeting to order at approximately 6:00 p.m.  Voting and Seating Order: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.  City Manager Patrick Trudgeon and City Attorney Mark Gaughan were also present.

 

2.         Pledge of Allegiance

 

3.        Approve Agenda

Laliberte moved, Etten seconded approval of the agenda as presented.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

4.       Public Comment

Mayor Roe called for public comment by members of the audience on any non-agenda items.  No one appeared to speak. 

 

5.        Council Communications, Reports, and Announcements

Mayor Roe announced an upcoming spring workshop series entitled, "Next Step to Zero Waste at Home" coming up at the Ramsey County Library on the afternoon of April 11, 2015.

 

Mayor Roe announced several other upcoming events, including upcoming Autumn Grove Park building dedication later this week, and an upcoming open house at the Harriet Alexander Nature Center, opportunity to view recent renovations.

 

Councilmember Laliberte noted the March quarterly meeting of the Ramsey County League of Local Governments would be hosted at the Roseville Fire Station this Thursday with the shared topic and discussion about railroad and pipeline issues.

 

6.         Recognitions, Donations and Communications

 

a.            Present the Roseville Fire Department with the "Firehouse Station
of the Year Award"

Mayor Roe recognized Fire Chief Tim O'Neil, who in turn introduced Battalion Chiefs David Brosnahan and Greg Peterson, John Loftus, and Architect Quinn Hudson with C & H who presented an award to the City Council and Fire Department from the
Fire House Magazine, top station design in country for year in volunteer category.  Mr. Hudson reviewed the criteria that were highlighted in the Station receiving this award, and Chief O'Neill presented copies of the article to Councilmembers.

 

Mayor Roe accepted the award on behalf of the community, the department, staff, and City Council.

 

Councilmember McGehee led her colleagues in expressing appreciation to Mr. Hudson and Fire Department staff.

 

b.            Introduce New Firefighters

Fire Chief O'Neill introduced the Departments six newest firefighters in attendance at tonight's meeting as part of the transition of the department from part- to full-time staffing as of March 4, 2015.  Each firefighter introduced themselves and provided a brief history of their service with the department.    

 

Mayor Roe expressed appreciation for these full-time firefighters, noting a badge ceremony and oath of office scheduled for April 3, 2015 in the City Hall Council Chambers.

 

7.        Approve Minutes

Comments and corrections to draft minutes had been submitted by the City Council prior to tonight's meeting and those revisions were incorporated into the draft presented in the Council packet.

 

a.            Approve February 17 and February 18 Policy Priority Planning Minutes

Mayor Roe noted the bench handout consisting of amendments to the February 17, 2015 planning minutes as submitted by Councilmember McGehee earlier today, and attached hereto and made a part hereof.

 

McGehee moved, Laliberte seconded, approval of February 17, as amended including corrections as provided by Councilmember McGehee, and the February 18, 2015 Policy Priority Planning Minutes as presented.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

b.            Approve Minutes of March 9, 2015 Meeting

­­­­­­Etten moved, Willmus seconded, approval of Meeting Minutes of March 9, 2015 as presented.

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

8.       Approve Consent Agenda

At the request of Mayor Roe, City Manager Patrick Trudgeon briefly reviewed those items being considered under the Consent Agenda; and as detailed in specific Requests for Council Action (RCA) and related attachments, dated March 23, 2015.

 

a.            Approve Payments

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval of the following claims and payments as presented and detailed.

 

ACH Payments	$2,015,244.53
76750 - 76888	804,366.11
TOTAL	$2,819,610.64

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

b.            Approve Business and Other Licenses and Permits

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval/renewal of business and other licenses and permits for terms as noted.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

c.            Approve Local Consent to the Knights of Columbus for their Consumption and Display of Intoxication Liquor Permit

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval of local consent for the Knights of Columbus' Consumption and Display of Intoxicating Liquor Permit at 2233 N Hamline, Suite B-12, for the period of April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2016.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

d.            Approve General Purchases and Sale of Surplus Items in Excess of $5,000

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval of general purchases and contracts for services, and where applicable, trade-in/sale of surplus equipment as noted in the RCA and Attachment A entitled, "2015 Capital Improvement Plan Summary," updated February 28, 2015.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

                                                                                   

e.            Accept Fire Department and Allina Health Emergency Medical Services Medical Direction and Oversight Contract Extension Agreement

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, authorizing the Fire Department to enter into a contract extension (Attachment A) with Allina Health Emergency Medical Services for medical oversight and education through December 31, 2015.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

f.             Approve 2014 Final Budget Adjustments

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval of year-end amendments to the 2014 budget, as presented and detailed in the RCA dated March 23, 2015.

 

Councilmember Laliberte asked the status of the City Council's previous request for an accounting of items being funded by the Communications Fund, with City Manager Trudgeon advising that the report was currently being prepared by Finance Director Miller for presentation in the near future.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

g.            Approve Contract with Granicus to Develop a Civic Engagement Module for Integration with City Website

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, approval of a two-year contract with Granicus (Attachment A) in the amount of $400 per month for a two-year total of $9,600 for development of the Granicus Citizen Participation Suite for the City of Roseville and integration of that module into the City's website.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

h.            Approve Amended Joint Powers Agreement for the North Suburban Communications Commission

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, adopted Resolution No.11214 (Attachment B) entitled, "A Resolution Amending the North Suburban Communications Commission Joint and Cooperative Agreement for Administration of a Cable Communications System;" approving an amended Joint Powers Agreement (Attachment A) with the North Suburban Communications Commission.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

i.             Reject Bids for Evergreen Park Stormwater Improvements

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, adoption of Resolution No. 11215 (Attachment A) entitled, "Resolution REJECTING Bids for Evergreen Stormwater Re-use Project."

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, City Engineer Culver reviewed the status of grant funds, the need to spend funds by the end of 2015, with staff currently in discussion with the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) on a possible extension if an alternate solution could be found.

 

Mr. Culver clarified that, since the earth work part of bids were all inclusive, and therefore difficult to say how much of the bids were related to the extra cost for that depth needed for the system.  If the contract was rebid and in light of the much higher bids received from other firms, Mr. Culver advised that there was a risk that another low bid in the future may come in at a much higher cost as well.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

9.            Consider Items Removed from Consent

 

10.         General Ordinances for Adoption

 

11.         Presentations

 

a.            Northeast Youth and Family Services (NYFS) Presentation

Mayor Roe welcomed NYFS President & CEO Jerry Hromatka for the annual presentation of the organization.  Mr. Hromatka noted that of the original 10 municipalities founding this partnership, thirty-eight years later, there remained 9 of those original 10 original supporters, creating a unique partnership to reach youth and families. 

 

With its recent merger, Mr. Hromatka noted that the newly-named Northeast Youth Family Service program had increased from two to three school districts and fifteen municipalities.  Mr. Hromatka noted that the three major foci of NYFS were: mental health, youth development and day treatment, serving over 4,000 youth, families and individuals in the area with a $3.2 million annual budget of which the City of Roseville currently contributes $52,000.

 

Mr. Hromatka thanked the City of Roseville for their ongoing support, and summarized the mission, current projects, trends, and successes and/or challenges, and future programs planned by the NYFS.

 

Mr. Hromatka advised that the NYFS Board, on which Mayor Roe serves, have considered that they need to increase their fundraising efforts, growing the list of donors, differences in contracts and grants, and other ways to become vibrant and vital in the future.  Mr. Hromatka provided a list of NYFS partnerships of communities, school districts, collaborations, faith communities and businesses.

 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Hromatka noted the need and desire to fit the senior population (e.g. senior chore program) in with the youth mission of NYFS.

 

Mayor Roe announced upcoming fundraisers, including the Mayors Golf Challenge as the fifteen mayors solicited sponsors to financially support the event, as well as the NYFS 2015 Leadership Luncheon featuring speaker Dr. Edward Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health, speaking on "Advancing Health Equity - The Central Challenge for MN."

 

12.         Public Hearings

 

13.         Budget Items

 

14.         Business Items (Action Items)

 

a.            Approve Change in Job Description of Community Service Officer within the Police Department

Police Chief Rick Mathwig and Community Relations Coordinator Corey Yunke summarized updates made on the requested Community Service Officer (CSO) job description since the previous presentation and changes to the department that included an unexpected recent retirement.  Chief Mathwig noted that this provided additional funding from the patrol division that could be used to help fund this position, requiring no additional tax levy money for 2015, nor in 2016 with use of existing budgeted monies and changes in the job description.

 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Chief Mathwig advised that a Department is currently in the hiring process to fill a position vacated by the retirement, but that the previous employee retired at a sergeant at a higher salary than a replacement officer starting at a lower salary, anticipated to be hired in August.  Chief Mathwig noted that 2016 funding projections for the position and department were still pending and had not yet been presented to the City Manager. 

 

Councilmember Etten expressed appreciation of the changes to the original plan made by staff, opining that they were excellent improvements in response to previous discussions and would serve the City well going forward.   Councilmember Etten encouraged Chief Mathwig to keep Mr. Yunke as the key lead component for community outreach with part-time staff as the primary community connection, and allowing other full-time staff to further strengthen that commitment and connection.

 

On page 2 of the RCA, lines 35-36, Councilmember Etten noted the language regarding preference for candidates with fluency in languages beyond English, and asked that the job description also include the language, "or demonstrated experience interacting with and organizing diverse communities."

 

Chief Mathwig duly noted this omission, and advised that the job description would be revised accordingly to include that language.

 

Councilmember McGehee also thanked staff for their careful listening to City Council requests, expressing the many things she appreciated about this revised request based on previous discussions, making it a much different job description.  Councilmember McGehee stated that she fully supported this job description as presented; and also was very supportive of the proposed seminars and their topics, as well as the inclusion of Mr. Yunke.  Councilmember McGehee cautioned that Mr. Yunke responsibilities overburden him, given his unique skills, and suggested other staff could crunch numbers and analyze data other than him to allow him to use his unique skill set.  Councilmember McGehee requested that staff return in six months with a report on how this is working.  Councilmember McGehee stated that the educational aspect was very important to her in pulling the CSO's together to not only work together but learn about the community they served.  Councilmember McGehee opined that this was an excellent improvement for the Department to hire the people needed to accomplish the job, and also allow the City to get the best people available to do that job.

 

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, authorizing a change to the Community Service Officer job description in the Police Department, as amended to include the following language: "or demonstrated experience interacting with and organizing diverse communities."

 

Mayor Roe expressed his support of the revised presentation, opining that it should prove very beneficial for participants as CSO's to report to the Lt. of Patrol as well as other roles to familiarize them with the overall department.  Mayor Roe also expressed his appreciation of the budget aspects in this proposal versus those originally presented in the requested Cadet position, providing a long-term budget solution, a very positive aspect for him and his support of the motion.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

b.            Appoint Members to the Community Engagement, Ethics, Finance, Human Rights, Parks & Recreation, Planning, and Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commissions

Mayor Roe expressed his interest in more discussion on the appointments than had been customary in recent appointments.

 

Councilmember Willmus advised that he would take Mayor Roe's comments into consideration.

 

Community Engagement

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, appointment of Sherry Sanders to a two year term on the Community Engagement Commission.

 

While not intending it to be a negative reflection on Ms. Sanders' capabilities, Mayor Roe noted that he had not included her as one of his finalists, noting the capabilities of candidates Eichenlaub and Christiansen as well, opining that during their interview they had expressed approaches that he considered valuable, putting them ahead of Ms. Sanders.  While not opposed to the motion, Mayor Roe noted his concern that the City Council was continuing to fill vacancies on the Human Rights Commission with candidates from a diverse background, yet not also populating other commissions with that same diversity.

 

Councilmember McGehee stated that she felt that, in her personal discussions with Ms. Sanders, she best understood the challenges of that commission, while Ms. Christiansen had only resided in Roseville for approximately three months.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Ethics, Human Rights, and Planning

Based on the apparent consensus among her colleagues for these specific commissions, Laliberte moved, Willmus seconded appointment of Sheran VanDriest and Todd Anderson to the Ethics Commission for respective three year terms; appointment of Arlene Christiansen to the Human Rights Commission for a term of one year; and appointment of James Bull and Chuck Gitzen the Planning Commission for respective three year terms.

 

Councilmember Laliberte noted there was not a lot of division on these candidates, and suggested this motion would allow more time for discussion on those with less clear agreement.

 

Councilmember McGehee sought further discussion on the appointment to the Ethics Commission, noting the listing of candidates Anderson and Dao in their choices for which commission they preferred to serve on, questioning the rationale of her colleagues in their appointments.

 

Councilmember Willmus opined that the skill sets of his preferred candidates qualified them from his perspective; expressing his concern in one candidate about the City's expectations versus a candidate's ability to commit to attending meetings and deliberate and discuss issues for recommendation to the City Council based on their interview comments.  Based on those concerns, Councilmember Willmus stated that he supported candidates Anderson and VanDriest for the Ethics Commission.

 

Councilmember Laliberte expressed her support and reservations on various candidates on attendance as well, along with the ability to obtain a countable vote versus pushing the City Council's mission and agenda for the various commissions.

 

Councilmember Etten, specific to the Human Rights Commission, noted his personal preference for Christiansen based on her international experience and past leadership and Vincent for her work with immigrant communities in past volunteer service as well as in her career.  Specific to Ms. Vincent, Councilmember Etten spoke in support of her comments on how to involve people in civic engagement and voting as it correlated with the Commission's work with the citizenship process, and the life and work skills she could emphasize in the work of the Commission.

 

Councilmember McGehee expressed her same appreciation of her potential work on the Human Rights Commission but also in general and the contributions she could make as well as to the Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commission as another woman on that board.

 

Sine three candidates expressed multiple interests, Councilmember Laliberte confessed that it had created some difficulty in her decision-making, sine all of the candidates were good and the points raised by her colleagues were valid.

 

While not wanting to push the issue, Councilmember Etten expressed his hope that if not appointed on this round, Ms. Vincent would choose to become involved in the process again in the future.

 

Mayor Roe echoed Councilmember Etten, opining that from his point of view, Ms. Vincent's skill set made her a higher choice for the Human Rights Commission, creating the dilemma for him in originally suggesting Ms. Christiansen's appointment to the Community Engagement Commission.  Mayor Roe also encouraged Ms. Vincent to seek out future vacancies as well.

 

Mayor Roe noted that there appeared to be a strong consensus of applicants for the Planning Commission as well.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Finance

Etten moved, Willmus seconded, appointment of Angela Byrne to a two year term on the Finance Commission.

 

Councilmember Etten noted Ms. Byrne's strong finance background in many areas including her auditing work for school districts providing her knowledge of public sector financing.  Councilmember Etten also noted the excellent job done by Ms. Byrne in performing her homework before her interview and knowing the intent for the Finance Commission; also providing a female balance to that commission as well.

 

While not included in her previous motion, Councilmember Laliberte opined that Ms. Byrne would be a great addition to the Commission, however, as a 34-year resident, she felt Mark Fiegen was a strong candidate as well in reviewing his application, including adding weight on the chair's support of that candidate as well.

 

Councilmember McGehee agreed she liked to consider the importance of including Chair's preferences, and even though she supported Ms. Byrne as a female representative on the commission and recognized her credentials, she spoke in support of appointing Mr. Fiegen based on her personal conversations with him.  Councilmember McGehee noted that the public sector finance background and female representation was already available to the commission with Chair Commissioner Robin Schroeder.

 

Councilmember Willmus agreed with Councilmember Etten, and reported that in his discussion with Chair Schroeder, he though she would be happy with either candidate, and in his efforts to mix the demographics of the commission as much as possible, spoke in support of the motion.

 

Councilmember Etten reported that in his discussions with Chair Schroeder, they had noted Ms. Byrne's experience in state government as well as with school districts; and opined that it was important, since the City operated in the public sector, and beneficial to have several candidates on the commission who had experience in the public sector.

 

Mayor Roe echoed the comments of Councilmember Etten.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Parks & Recreation

Mayor Roe noted that there were three vacancies: two for three year terms and one to fill a vacancy for one year.

 

Councilmember McGehee stated that she would advocate for Jamie Becker-Finn and John Heimerl to serve in the two, three year vacancies.

 

Councilmember Laliberte also expressed her interest in appointing Stuart Lenz and Nancy O'Brien based on their apparent support by her colleagues, as well as asking for additional discussion on candidates Daryl Brown and Monte Johnson based on their support by the Chair.  Councilmember Laliberte noted some of the candidates having expressed interest in several commissions and questioned whether or not that impacted their rankings.

 

Based on his knowledge of the experience and demographics shared by those commissioners currently leaving the Parks & Recreation Commission, Councilmember Etten expressed his interest in maintaining that balance of ages and interests on the commission.  Councilmember Etten reviewed the strengths brought by candidate Brown an active and capable volunteer in the community; however, he questioned the strength of his knowledge about or whether sufficient time had been spent in understanding the parks system.  Councilmember Etten opined that he found other candidates had taken time to understand the anticipated role on the commission and to him that showed what they might bring to each meeting.  Therefore, Councilmember Etten advised that he had ranked candidate Brown higher for a Planning Commission vacancy, having indicated more strengths in that area.

 

In referencing similar findings of Chair Holt, Councilmember Etten stated his preference for Jamie Becker-Finn, especially based on the great homework she had done prior to her interview, and her vitality and intelligence he'd observed during her interview.  Councilmember Etten admitted it was hard for him to sort out the other candidates; however, he recognized Luke Heikkila's involvement in the Imagine Roseville 2025 process and one of the goals in having people involved from throughout the community.  Councilmember Etten also expressed his appreciation in Mr. Heikkila's philosophy and including his daughter in meetings, speaking further of his commitment and involvement in the community.  Councilmember Etten further noted the long-term support of Nancy O'Brien and Monte Johnson for the park system.  Councilmember Etten admitted they were all excellent candidates, making the decision very difficult.

 

Councilmember Willmus agreed that the decision-making was difficult given the many good, solid candidates, each bringing their own unique qualifications and interests as a valuable asset to service on the commission.  Councilmember Willmus expressed his interest in Stuart Lenz based on his arts background, something he had long considered a missing part of the commission for some time.  Councilmember Willmus advised that he would advocate for Mr. Lenz based on that and as a means of getting the commission to think differently about things, opining that he would be a definite asset.

 

Willmus moved, Etten seconded, appointment of Nancy O'Brien for a three year term on the Parks & Recreation Commission.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

Mayor Roe admitted his difficulty in narrowing down the candidates as well; but agreed that Stuart Lenz brought the arts perspective to the table, an important factor for him.  Mayor Roe also stated his support for Jamie Becker-Finn and Luke Heikkila as well; and offered his support for either candidate; and confirmed his support of Ms. O'Brien's appointment as well.

 

Councilmember Laliberte agreed with her colleagues on the great pool of candidates; and also agreed with Councilmember Etten's views on Mr. Heikkila and what he could bring to the commission.  Based on her notes from that interview, Councilmember Laliberte opined that he would also bring knowledge that would add to communication efforts and disseminating messages, and offer advice in how to better clarify and deliver great messages to the community.

 

Speaking to the list provided by Councilmember Etten, Councilmember McGehee addressed the advantages of Jamie Becker-Finn in bringing her commitment to disabilities to the table as part of the park system and programs, an important and unique addition to bring to this large commission.  While agreeing with the needed arts perspective Mr. Lenz could bring to the table, Councilmember McGehee opined that the ability to provide access, activities and programming for disabled participants in the community was an important aspect moving forward to allow everyone to participate.

 

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, appointment of Jamie Becker-Finn to a three year term on the Parks & Recreation Commission.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

McGehee moved Stuart Lenz for appointment to the remaining one year vacancy on the Parks & Recreation Commission; with Mayor Roe ruling the motion failed for lack of a second.

 

Etten moved Luke Heikkila for appointment to the remaining one year vacancy on the Parks & Recreation Commission; with Mayor Roe ruling the motion failed for lack of a second.

 

Councilmember McGehee argued that beyond looking at a balance of ages on this commission, a more needed representative is the arts category, which was clearly lacking on the commission and should be addressed there not simply as a stand-alone issue.  Councilmember McGehee reiterated that all candidates were good and brought something unique to the table and she had found each one qualified during their interviews; however based on the need for balance on the commission for a variety of reasons, she supported appointment of Mr. Lenz.

 

Councilmember Willmus agreed that this was such a difficult decision due to the many great candidates available.

 

Based on Mr. Heikkila's experience as a producer for TPT, Councilmember Etten noted the potential advantages he could bring about different communication techniques.  However, Councilmember Etten noted his support for Mr. Lenz as well, given his lifelong commitment to arts in Roseville.

 

Based on tonight's discussion about the need for more emphasis on arts in the community, Councilmember Laliberte expressed her confidence that the message had and would be clearly received by the Parks & Recreation Commission and that they would incorporate it into their efforts.

 

Laliberte moved, Etten seconded, Luke Heikkila for appointment to the remaining one year vacancy on the Parks & Recreation Commission.

 

Councilmember McGehee opined it wasn't sufficient to ask the commission to put more emphasis on arts, but if it was desired by the City Council as a constant part of the mix it needed to be made clear.  Councilmember McGehee further opined that she had similar feelings about access, activities and programming for those with disabilities in the community, something that had been out of the mix far too long as well, when it should be an important aspect of a community parks system.

 

Councilmember Laliberte agreed with Councilmember McGehee to some extent, recognizing that due to the size of this particular commission, one person could not be taxed with seeing that an art program developed without the City Council clearly saying they wanted that to happen.

 

Councilmember Etten acknowledged his support for the arts component; however, he noted that the City Council had now created a new goal area for the commission at the bench tonight; and stated that he didn't want to make a decision on appointment of a commissioner based on that goal.  Councilmember Etten suggested that goal would be better addressed in future discussions, and encouraged that, over time, that goal could probably be achieved, but should not serve as a deciding factor in a commission appointment.

Councilmember McGehee argued one more time for addressing the need for  more diversity in age on the commission, noting the number of new young commissioners moving forward; and if parks were intended to serve all ages, then the commission should be represented accordingly.  Councilmember McGehee assured all that she had nothing against the appointment of Mr. Heikkila, but having the arts aspect as well as a difference in age representations was also important to her as various issues came up for discussion that needed advocacy.

 

Councilmember Willmus stated that he could not disagree with any comments made tonight by his colleagues, and opined Mr. Lenz would make a great commissioner.  However, since he felt strongly about both candidates, Councilmember Willmus noted he had to make a difficult choice between the two of them for this remaining vacancy.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

Abstentions: McGehee

Motion carried.

 

Public Works, Environment and Transportation

Mayor Roe noted those candidates with the highest rankings were Kody Thurnau, John Heimerl, and Mark Kaczmarek.  Based on his impressions from the interviews, Mayor Roe spoke in support of candidates Thurnau and Heimerl as the stronger candidates based on their interest in the commission.

 

Councilmember Laliberte also spoke in support of candidates Heimerl and Thurnau, noting that candidate Thurnau had listed the PWETC as his first choice .

 

Councilmember Etten noted the probable confusion in the tally forms used in general, and difficulty in determining a ranking order if any, or how rankings were sorted.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, advising that he had spoken to City Manager Trudgeon about improving the process for future vacancies.

 

Councilmember Etten agreed that candidate Thurnau was an excellent candidate based on his experience with GIS, environment and water experience; and also noted his favorable impressions with the written comments submitted by Mr. Thurnau and his understanding of the complexity of situations in working with neighborhoods, while recognizing the global picture and broader impacts.  In his notes from the interviews, Councilmember Etten advised that he written both candidate Thurnau and Kaczmarek as good systems and data people, having good detail and strong experience.  However, Councilmember Etten advised that he was leaning toward candidate Kaczmarek opining that he'd be easy to approach and was a strong community leader with potential connections and involvement in other aspects that would prove helpful at the table as well (e.g. Habitat for Humanity work).  Councilmember Etten spoke in support also of candidate Heimerl as another awesome potential appointee as well.

 

While not understanding the confusion expressed by her colleagues on the ranking and multiple choices of candidates for several commissions, Councilmember McGehee opined that there were good, qualified candidates; and of the remaining candidates, her second choice was Megan Vincent, based on her analytical skills and ability to do research as evidenced from her background.  Since a lot of work by the PWETC involved research on issues coming before them, whether at the request of staff or the City Council, Councilmember McGehee opined that she would be a good appointee.  Councilmember McGehee agreed with appointment of Mr. Thurnau as her first choice as well.

 

Councilmember Laliberte advised that she had also looked at candidate Vincent for those specific reasons as expressed by Councilmember McGehee, noting her favorable impressions from the interview and her application.  However, when reviewing her personal notes of the interview, Councilmember Laliberte admitted she had difficult defining Ms. Vincent's interest specifically in the PWETC, since the majority of the interview had focused on her other choice of the Human Rights Commission, with little shared about the PWETC.

 

Laliberte moved, Etten seconded, appointment of Kody Thurnau and John Heimerl to three year terms respectively on the Public Works, Environment, and Transportation Commission.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

In the future, Councilmember Willmus asked that candidates only be able to select one or two choices versus five choices when applying to serve.

 

City Manager Trudgeon recognized the difficulties created in this last "free form" application process, admitting that candidate choices of commissions needed to be limited to one or two to avoid getting out of control as it had this year with the number of candidates and their many expressed options.

 

Councilmember Willmus also requested staff provide, as part of the interview process, handmade placards with names of candidates for assistance when reviewing interview videos as well as for the benefit of the viewing audience.

 

City Manager Trudgeon agreed that would be helpful, and also suggested asking C-TV to include a banner showing the candidate names as part of their playback.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, noting that the placard was also a good idea for TV Producers during the interview process, noting that the order of interviews frequently got out of order.

Recess

Mayor Roe recessed the meeting at approximately 8:00  p.m., and reconvened at approximately 8:10 p.m.

 

15.         Business Items - Presentations/Discussions

 

a.            Twin Lakes Public Input Process and Next Steps

At the request of Mayor Roe, Community Development Director Paul Bilotta provided an overview of previous discussions in September of 2014 some items related to the Twin Lakes Redevelopment Area and potential revisions to land use regulations in that area.  Mr. Bilotta noted that those discussions, and subsequent community meetings, had also included input from the business community, property owners and residential neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity.  Mr. Bilotta advised that the most significant portion of the discussions involved current rezoned areas for high density residential (HDR) and whether it was more appropriate to have the area rezoned commercial mixed use (CMU) or variables depending on actual parcels.

 

Mr. Bilotta referenced the RCA as it detailed background discussions and reference materials available to-date, and eight specific areas suggested by staff on which to focus and provide clearer direction to staff moving forward (page 8, lines 294 - 306).  Mr. Bilotta noted that the overall discussion covered a wide range of Twin Lakes area topics, and staff was seeking the specific guidance of the City Council in moving forward.

 

Mayor Roe suggested working from that list of eight questions for tonight's discussion to remain focused on the process.

 

Initial discussion among staff and Councilmembers included clarification of staff's recommendation for a brownfields consultant, identification of subareas based on the recent Twin Lakes planning  survey that that appeared to support acceptance of industrial type uses (Subareas  4 and/or 5); and other uses that might be preferred (e.g. office, daycare, medical, townhomes, luxury apartments; cooperative apartments, etc.).

 

Further discussion included preferred uses from the survey for each subarea based on community feedback; and how best to define the survey results for uses acceptable and those not acceptable.

 

Brownfields Consultant

Councilmember Etten questioned if hiring someone to facilitate public/private joint work to clean up the area (e.g. grant awards) could or would address the City's long term goals.

 

Mr. Bilotta responded that the City's goal should be to identify what contaminants are actually out there, allowing strategies to be developed to move forward and subsequently address liability issues with and for existing land owners.  Mr. Bilotta noted that there were grant opportunities available if the land goes into different ownership, while recognizing the liability; and advised that there were also other joint options (e.g. ground leases).  Mr. Bilotta advised that a consultant would be able to better position the City and/or property owners to get in the brownfield grant cycle more effectively.

 

Councilmember Etten asked for a timeframe to receive a consultant's report and what further work they would address; and asked for identification of resources to pay for the consultant, anticipated that would be through applicable tax increment financing (TIF).

 

Mr. Bilotta responded that staff could prepare a request for proposals (RFP) fairly quickly to seek a brownfields consultant, anticipating they could be on board mid-summer to preliminarily identify contaminants and their extent, and suggest necessary action steps.  Subsequently, Mr. Bilotta anticipated further defining those action steps during the fall at a cost he estimated at $10,000 prior to preparation of Phase I and Phase II reports, which would then come back before the City Council for their approval of any further actions.

 

Councilmember McGehee thanked staff for the detailed report, and noted the reference in the RCA where staff had identified that the City has had funds available to hire this consultant, but had not done so to-date or used any other resources to address this problem, nor had anything been planned for the immediate future before this discussion.  Councilmember McGehee further quoted the report advising that funds from other agencies were available for clean-up purposes, but often required significant lead time for grant the application process.  Councilmember McGehee opined that the lack of a strategic action plan was an accurate picture of the history of this development; that the capability was there but the City had never stepped up to the plate.  Councilmember McGehee further opined that the question now was whether or not the City was willing to acknowledge the existence of these brownfields and do something about them now.

 

Mayor Roe questioned what type of firm a brownfields consultant worked in: whether legal, engineering or a combination, and also questioned how many there were who specialized in this type of work.

 

Mr. Bilotta responded that a brownfields consultant would be from an environmental engineering firm, typically a larger firm specializing in regulatory issues with the Environmental Protection Agency, with multi-disciplines over a larger and more complex area, not simply in testing and developing Phase I and Phase II reports.  Mr. Bilotta advised that there were several such firms in the metropolitan area and there would be no need to seek a consultant from out-of-state.

 

Councilmember Willmus questioned if Councilmember McGehee's comments meant she was supportive of moving forward with efforts to identify and clean-up brownfield areas.

 

Councilmember McGehee responded that she was supportive of moving forward if the City intended to develop the area, opining that there were significant issues needing to be addressed and there was no strategic plan in place, even though the City had been given Port Authority status for the purpose of cleaning up the area and yet had not done so.  Councilmember McGehee opined that a consultant could provide the detailed information needed to move forward.

 

Councilmember Laliberte noted the current activity and development going on in the area, and questioned whether a brownfields consultant would factor in all those things or only focus on areas yet to be developed.  Councilmember Laliberte reminded her colleagues that the City didn't own any of this land, and questioned what would
be potentially done with the information versus current lack of interest by
existing property owners in cleaning up the area even with increased interest from developers.

 

Mr. Bilotta advised that past, current and prospective development would all be tied together in the work of the consultant.  When a private property developed and environmental reports were done by other firms as part of that development, Mr. Bilotta noted that it was necessary for someone to review those environmental reports, but admitted there was no one on the in-house staff with that level of technical ability at this time (e.g. hauling or burying soils).  Mr. Bilotta clarified that brownfield clean-up occurred on the redevelopment side and often current property owners did not see economic reasons to provide that analysis themselves or pursue grants on their own.  Mr. Bilotta advised that by taking this step forward, the City could assist property owners to move things ahead faster, noting that real estate deals did not work well with uncertainties, and things considered minor by a seller were viewed with a worst case scenario lens by purchasers, often creating a large gap between the two.  If the market was able to characterize that and facilitate more deals by closing that gap, Mr. Bilotta opined that the City would not be duplicating the private sector but providing an ability for review of the realities.  Mr. Bilotta noted that the most problematic and largest beneficiaries of such a study would be the former Dorso, PIK and similar sites.

 

Councilmember McGehee recalled during the work by the City's Public Works and Engineering Departments in cleaning up the PIK site, contamination had been found much worse than anticipated, significantly increasing the money needed to move the contaminated material off-site.  Councilmember McGehee opined that this was not something that would escape other potential buyers in this area; and sited several developments that had been lost to other communities due to not having the properties shovel-ready.  Councilmember McGehee further opined that this was an important piece of developing this area, and was not intended to serve as a handout for current property owners, but would ultimately serve to benefit the entire community.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Bilotta confirmed that funding for the consultant would come from the TIF Hazardous Substance Subdistrict not currently being used; and $10,000 would not significantly impact that fund.

 

Etten moved, Willmus seconded, directing staff to create request for proposals seeking a strategic brownfields consultant for the Twin Lakes Redevelopment Area.

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Mr. Bilotta asked the City Council to provide direction on how much public input they wanted to incorporate into these eight areas providing further direction, with Mayor Roe thanking Mr. Bilotta for the reminder to include that as applicable during this discussion process.

 

Subareas indicating little support for residential uses (Subareas 2, 5, 6, or 7) and whether rezoning was indicated for a more traditional commercial versus a mixed use district.

Mayor Roe opined that, depending on the subarea, further consideration was needed for actual uses not allowed in other commercial districts and applicable setbacks, which may agree with survey results, or indicate the need to look at more defined CMU subdistricts.  Whatever the consensus, Mayor Roe opined hat zoning changes, if and when needed, could and should be applied based on uses in reality.  While supporting further discussion, Mayor Roe stated he preferred to leave the option for more commercial-oriented CMU zoning as an alternate choice in portions of some of those subareas.

 

Councilmember Etten opined that it might make sense to make some adjustments in subareas 6 and 7, but expressed his concern in limiting all commercial uses near Langton Lake and subarea 5 along Fairview Avenue for an apartment building, suggesting that be moved to subarea 2 further away from the neighborhood.  Councilmember Etten opined there may be some areas better suited for housing, but expressed his concern in limiting things near Langton Lake, since some uses may prove a positive connection for housing developments.  Councilmember Etten noted that, at one time, there had been talk of not allowing commercial uses on the south side of Langton Lake, and now with discussions leaning toward limiting it in other areas, he was even more concerned.

 

Councilmember McGehee agreed with the comments of Mayor Roe and Councilmember Etten, opining that she was not a proponent of blanket zoning for an entire subarea without clearly defining acceptable uses in commercial areas.  Councilmember McGehee admitted that her definition of CMU was very different than what had been implemented and she'd reviewed the list of uses in that zoning district, causing her to be very hesitant to apply blanket zoning or definitions in any of the subareas right now.  Given the number of places these discussions taken to-date with this development area, Councilmember McGehee asked that the process go back to the actual intent for the area, noting varying goals from a second CenterPointe type development to a Maple Grove concept, neither of which had been achieved.  Councilmember McGehee stated she was not interested in another patchwork development project, and expressed her hopes that a brownfields consultant would be able to help with that, opining that she didn't see any advantages for anyone in using a piecemeal approach.

 

At the request of Councilmember Willmus, Mr. Bilotta confirmed that when CenterPointe had developed it had been done as a Planned Unit Development (PUD).

 

Similar to his colleagues, Councilmember Willmus agreed that he was reluctant to take a brush in zoning the area pretending to know how the overall area was specifically going to develop and make those judgments from dais.  However, Councilmember Willmus stated he would like to reconsider PUD's as a tool providing the City Council to retain some control over uses they preferred and those not preferred, and the ability to encourage and market some of the community's preferred
aesthetics.

 

Mayor Roe asked for staff's feedback on the possibility of leaving the zoning as CMU, but allowing some uses only through a PUD for more specificity.  Mayor Roe noted that the current challenge with CMU zoning was it allowed many uses without more clearly defining or limiting some of the uses.

 

Mr. Bilotta stated that there were a number of permitted uses in the current CMU zoning and table of uses, creating situations where the City Council did not see an application if permitted; and suggested that process and the table of uses be reviewed and revised, especially in the specific CMU zoned area along Cleveland Avenue, based on what went well and what didn't in the recent past as that developed.  Mr. Bilotta opined that a review of and reinstatement of the PUD process to provide for more defined uses was long overdue and needed to be reinstated.

 

From his personal perspective, Mayor Roe stated that CMU zoning could specify that, in certain areas, certain uses are not permitted but could be considered as part of PUD process, providing the City Council to participate in the approval process to condition certain uses.

 

Councilmember McGehee strongly seconded the remarks of Councilmember Willmus about the PUD process, and expressed her comfort with some uses only permitted by a PUD, allowing the City Council to respond to meet the expectations and desires of their constituency, while still providing more flexibility for land owners.

 

Mayor Roe opined that the key was to let developers know the base for acceptable or non-acceptable uses and the process for any deviations to include the City Council.  Mayor Roe noted the difference between a PUD and Conditional Uses, with PUD's allowing more discretion, a positive that was coming out of this discussion.  However, Mayor Roe opined that a discussion was still needed on preferred uses from the neighborhood and whether or not they matched current zoning designations and how the process moved forward after that community input to the Planning Commission for their recommendation on zoning to the City Council.

 

City Manager Trudgeon recognized this clear feedback from the City Council directing staff on PUD's. However, Mr. Trudgeon cautioned cognizance and care of what is or is not permitted with the expectation that every use will be talked about at length.  Mr. Trudgeon clarified that this meant if a particular use met the standards and applied for a permit, they were ready to go.  If it was the City Council's intent that all uses be permitted, Mr. Trudgeon cautioned that this could set the City up for uses it may actually not prefer.  While listing uses may seem to be the shortest approach, Mr. Trudgeon suggested more discussion was needed on whether or not a use is permitted or only with a PUD, with uses receiving some hard thought as to which side they fell into.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, opining that was the key component and anticipated it would be a difficult discussion and may not receive unanimous agreement, with some 3/2 votes often.  Based on tonight's and future discussions, Mayor Roe stated that it made sense to set some groundwork on permitted uses, acknowledging that it may be a short list, or may include some uses with a PUD and others with a Conditional Use, but the conversation needed to occur.

 

Councilmember McGehee reiterated her support of PUD's, and spoke in opposition to the comments of City Manager Trudgeon, opining that she'd prefer to err on the side of more work being done by the City Council in considering specific uses.  However, Councilmember McGehee expressed her interest in seeing what staff brought back as the new face of what was being done, opining that over the last fifteen years, the City had not done a good job in determining appropriate uses while meeting the preferences of the community.

 

Mayor Roe noted the need for the process to involve more public input, suggesting a neighborhood workshop.

 

Councilmember McGehee agreed, but expressed her interest in involving the entire community in that input, not just the neighborhoods adjacent to Twin Lakes, as what happens to the City's tax base was hugely important to the broader community.

 

Mayor Roe noted that this discussion had broadened into staff's question number 6 as well (any other uses reconsidered as permitted, conditional or prohibited based on feedback received from the community to-date).

 

Regarding big box retail, Mayor Roe asked Mr. Bilotta technical question on how to define that in the zoning code, noting the past struggles with that definition during the 2010 zoning code update and previous comprehensive plan update.

 

Mr. Bilotta noted the complexity of that question, advising that typically big box was defined based on the size of individual units.  However, Mr. Bilotta also noted that a 40,000 square foot Best Buy was different than a building of the same size developed as a strip center with ten tenants.  While big box is generally defined as warehouse size and the height is typically 35', a strip center on a different site would vary as well.  Mr. Bilotta noted the numerous definitions of big box, but the typical definition involving size and height.

 

Mayor Roe noted that previous conversations seemed to center on square footage, and questioned if that was the only thing to consider; and expressed appreciation for Mr. Bilotta's reference as well to height as part of that definition of big box, which should also be part of future discussions on permitted or prohibited uses.

 

Any further restrictions for big box retail or 24-hour operations in any areas

Councilmember McGehee expressed her support for defining big box by square footage, and reasonable limitations on single, stand-along uses.  In terms of 24-hour operations and retail, Councilmember McGehee opined that there had been consistency within the community that Roseville had enough retail and it was not something people wanted to consider for 24-hour operations, and she didn't
think it was supported by the community-at-large.

 

Mr. Bilotta noted, in subarea 7 (e.g. boat company), big box had been universally hated until that area had been separated out as a subarea from others, and if looking for an area to allow more big box, this seemed to be the area least objectionable, noting the location of the drainage ditch in relationship to County Road C versus along Fairview Avenue.

 

Councilmember McGehee opined hat 24-hour operations were still a big issue for her.

 

Mayor Roe noted the need to address 24-hour operations consistently in determining if they were not supported across theboard.  Mayor Roe noted that another option in considering a 24-hour operation could be addressed under current code and property performance standards addressing height, screening, buffers, traffic patterns, loading times and other requirements needing to be met.  Whether or not those code requirements were being enforced or not, Mayor Roe noted the standards that could be applied still were outlined in current code.

 

Councilmember Laliberte questioned Mr. Bilotta on why the least objectionable area appeared to be Subarea 7 for this type of use, and whether that was due to its proximity to Snelling Avenue.

 

Mr. Bilotta responded that, in reviewing past comments that were more intense and passionate, he suspected that the location off County Road C was the big issue to move traffic beyond Fairview Avenue versus Cleveland Avenue.  With the drainage ditch separating that area and the northern part of subarea 2 being closer to Langton Lake Park with some overlap perceived, Mr. Bilotta stated that those comments had been heard from residents in Applewood and/or Cherrywood development sites.  Mr. Bilotta noted that residents apparently viewed Cleveland Avenue differently, with the retail area next to the strip mall housing Byerly's already being perceived as an existing retail area.  However, Mr. Bilotta noted that the neighborhood representative, Ms. McCormick, may have more input based on those discussions.

 

At the rest of Councilmember Willmus, Mr. Bilotta defined several existing businesses (e.g. the Tile Shop classified as a big box retail, and the unique Fireplace Store to the north falling on the edge of home improvement uses).

 

Councilmember Willmus questioned if categorically stating 'no more retail" in this area was appropriate or clearly defining where it made sense, perhaps along major arterials in the area (e.g. County Road C).  Councilmember Willmus also cautioned the need to qualify 24-hour operations in order not to preclude preferred uses needing 24-hour operations, such as the hospital type use being considered several hours ago.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, noting the need to clearly describe uses and operating hours for those uses in all formats, not just for retail.

 

Recognizing that some type of retail was likely to occur in subarea 7, whether big box or other retail, Councilmember Etten expressed his insistence for a traffic study as part of any of those future developments, especially at those intersections already identified in the most recent traffic study update as at or below optimal operations now.  Councilmember Etten opined that any future traffic impacts needed to become part of the development and planning processes in that area.

 

Mr. Bilotta clarified that staff anticipated traffic would be a major part of any development on that site, requiring a traffic study, even with the drainage ditch separating it somewhat as far as which direction traffic would flow, but concentrating that traffic into the most difficult area.

 

Given the complexities, Mayor Roe suggested it may be necessary to consider a Conditional Use, not just provide for retail as a permitted use for this area.

 

Councilmember McGehee agreed with Councilmember Willmus' comments about 24-hour operations, and clarified that she was not precluding retail in a smaller sense, with requests from residents in this area seeking retail and service options to serve their immediate community versus the regional community.  Councilmember McGehee further seconded the remarks made by Councilmember Etten about traffic concerns with no good resolution identified as yet for that area.

 

In conclusion, Mayor Roe sought consensus as to whether the body was open to considering limiting big box uses and 24-hour operations in other subareas beyond subarea 7.

 

Councilmember McGehee spoke against 24-hour operations for retail, but her approval if the use involved a nursing home or hospital use.

 

Mayor Roe summarized the preference for activities to define if a use was problematic or not.  Mayor Roe noted that some current uses may fall under extended hours of operations.

 

Height restrictions

Councilmember Willmus stated that his primary concern was about height on parcels adjoining residential properties, and he would consider some sort of delineation or determination based on solar access.

 

Councilmember Etten concurred, agreeing that those areas directly adjoining single-family residential properties, but sought additional feedback on luxury apartment uses and if they fell above the bar for subarea 4, since they could be four stories in height.  Councilmember Etten noted the need to address how height was limited throughout the area for office buildings (e.g. corporate headquarters) or whether there should also be limitations for those uses in areas direction adjoining single family neighborhoods until a further Conditional use or PUD process was used.  As an example, Councilmember Etten used the area on the north side of Terrace Drive with current retail uses significantly lower than some residential properties; and questioned whether height differentials made that adjacent use acceptable.

 

Councilmember McGehee agreed with the adjacent neighborhood height comments and solar access consideration; and also noted significant issues occurring in the past around parks and viewing the park, with existing residential properties not wanting anything imposing on their view of those natural areas.

 

Councilmember Laliberte agreed with the comments expressed by her colleagues.

 

Mayor Roe also agreed, and noted past discussions around parks and low and medium density zoning (LDR and MDR) with shorter height allowances being considered relative to their distance from property lines.  Mayor Roe suggested height could be increased if a parcel was big enough and far enough away, providing for a stair step approach.

 

Upgrade versus Redevelopment

Mayor Roe noted that this question (#5, page 8, lines 300-301) was specific to subarea 6.

 

Councilmember Willmus expressed his interest in considering upgrades versus redevelopment as something to be further looked at, using as an example buildings similar to those off County Road B-2 and Cleveland Avenue where upgrades had been accomplished with improved facades and/or parking lots redone.

 

Councilmember Laliberte expressed her total agreement with that, using subarea 6 as a good example of where such an approach would work.  Councilmember Laliberte agreed that it may not be necessary to demolish existing buildings for redevelopment if existing buildings could be repurposed and made more aesthetically pleasing.

 

Regarding staff's question as to whether or not the City Council would consider incentives, Mayor Roe expressed his support in doing so, suggesting that the Roseville Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) would be the most appropriate entity to provide that help through some of their programs.  Even though the HRA and City are all the same family, Mayor Roe noted advantages in the HRA taking the lead in such redevelopments or upgrades.  As an example, Mayor Roe noted the former strip center off County Road B housing a former grocery story and now repurposed for an engineering firm.  Mayor Roe noted the advantages in past attempts if there had been incentives to address that type of re-use, as well as addressing parking lots and other aesthetic or logistical issues.

 

Councilmember Laliberte expressed her interest in more discussion by either the HRA or the City Council in taking steps to provide landowners with assistance by visualizing those types of upgrades specific to their property.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, noting there may be other consultants that could assist with those efforts to help the HRA or City Council through the process (e.g. a development or marketing consultant) that could be funded through economic development efforts and/or use of TIF funding to help those owners see what it could look like.

 

Mr. Bilotta used the south side of Terrace Drive as an example of how buildings could be refaced and/or parking lots revamped, noting the ongoing interest expressed by the public in bringing more green into development and parking areas.  In transitioning such uses from trucking into quasi-retail (e.g. Brewstillery) by bringing in landscaping or lighting amenities, Mr. Bilotta advised that area watershed districts were also interested to address and mitigate potential drainage issues with some funding from them also available.  Mr. Bilotta advised that at a future meeting, staff would have additional information about ways to capture and improve green areas.

 

Mayor Roe asked that the discussion also include subarea 1 as well.

 

Councilmember Laliberte asked that, if upgrades were to be a consideration for subarea 6, it would be interesting to discuss them for subarea 4 as well, including the area west of Fairview Avenue as suggested by Mayor Roe.

 

In conclusion, and with consensus of the Council, Mayor Roe noted the potential for subareas 1, 4 and 6.

 

Langton Lake Park Expansion

Councilmember Etten expressed his strong support for considering such an expansion, noting this City Council had shown their willingness to purchase land on the west side of the lake to buffer the park from development. Councilmember Etten noted his continued request, since serving on the Parks & Recreation Commission, to sit down with developers and create a plan to cordon off this area by working with owners to set it aside.  Councilmember Etten noted a strip of land on the south side of the park that could become a great asset, which he would love to see happen, but if not at a minimum buffers placed in the zoning code for that region providing more space between developments and the park.  Councilmember Etten reiterated his strong support of that concept, or through the option to buy a strip of land adjoining the park and turning it into a boulevard to expand green space and bring in higher-quality development.

 

Councilmember Willmus stated his interest in looking at the notion of acquiring additional parcels, as long as it was done in conjunction with the Parks Master Plan and what it identified for this area.  Councilmember Willmus noted another means to accomplish the same thing and that had already been discussed and offering even greater protection for the park and lake would be the PUD tool that he'd
suggested.  Councilmember Willmus advised that it would allow the City Council to go above and beyond typical green space requirements in areas adjoining parks, a tool he'd look to employ here, providing the added advantage of not having to remove the property from the tax rolls.

 

Mayor Roe concurred, noting this would allow the green space to be part of the development project, while still accessible for the community.

 

Councilmember McGehee advised that she'd support almost anything to get additional southern protection for the lake, noting that it was a shallow lake but was becoming healthier and she didn't want to lose that progress however the City Council could achieve that goal.

 

Councilmember Laliberte stated that she was open to the idea, and she liked the PUD idea as a way to work with developers to keep the property on the tax tolls while providing access and a buffer at the same time.

 

Mayor Roe noted the potential for park dedication as land too.

 

Councilmember Etten noted that was his intent in previous comments.

 

Rezoning the HDR zoned area north of Terrace Drive or other action

(Subarea 4, Question #8, lines 305-306)

 

Councilmember McGehee stated she would like to consider, as part of the map provided by staff, all available parcels designated HDR zoning throughout the City.  Councilmember McGehee noted that an attempt had been made during the comprehensive plan update process to meet supposed requests by the Metropolitan Council for more density in the community, which had been attempted through sprinkling HDR zoning as much as possible.  However, Councilmember McGehee expressed her interest in looking at that again citywide to determine where that was appropriate or not appropriate.

 

Councilmember Laliberte agreed with Councilmember McGehee's comments, and while attempting to create upgraded housing options and meet medium density options, it would be good to review the entire city to determine if those HDR designated areas remain appropriate in today's reality.

 

In talking about subarea 4, Councilmember Willmus echoed the comments of his colleagues, and in Councilmember Laliberte's earlier suggestion to consider a revitalization program for existing buildings expressed his openness to doing so.  Councilmember Willmus noted that one thing seen that didn't come forward for this subarea from the planning survey respondents was their acceptance of some lighter industrial uses in the Twin Lakes area.  If that can be accomplished in a manner consistent with the expectations of the neighborhood, Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of looking into that.

 

Mayor Roe noted that the neighborhood petition was specific to their desire to rezone to medium density residential (MDR); and based on that zoning such a designation would preclude a medical clinic, daycare or other similar use.  Mayor Roe suggested rezoning should include consideration to allow uses such as those versus only uses currently allowed in MDR designated zoning areas.

 

Councilmember Willmus noted that there was no action taken on the petitions yet in whether or not to rezone from HDR to CMU.

 

Mayor Roe recognized that, but wanted to clarify the limitations on uses for MDR versus HDR zoning.

 

Councilmember Laliberte agreed that he intent was in agreement with considering such uses.

 

Councilmember Etten opined that, whether expanding CMU designations or having a PUD process for some uses through expanding it, HDR beyond luxury apartments appeared to be undesirable.  Councilmember Etten noted the money expended by the Vogel Company in their building purchase in that zone, and suggested if they had a sense of permanence, it would give them and other landowners the assurance that the City Council was behind them, at which time things would move in the desired direction for all.

 

When discussing building upgrades, Councilmember McGehee opined that other uses (e.g. hair salons, coffee shops, small restaurants, etc.) would fit into that type of format and meet community desires as well (e.g. example along County Road B-2).

 

Mayor Roe asked staff for a clarification of the previous rezoning of the Twin Lakes area as CMU.

 

Mr. Bilotta responded that the process had been reviewed and approved for recommendation by the Planning Commission and subsequently tabled by the City Council to a date uncertain.

 

Conceivably then, Mayor Roe noted that since the public hearing process had been completed, the City Council could choose the option at this time to take action and rezone the area as CMU if finding it was important enough to do to remove the HDR designation.  Mayor Roe noted that such an action would still leave unresolved some issues related to height, uses, etc.

 

Councilmember Willmus agreed that this was an option; however, he expressed his hesitation in a blanket CMU designation as well and suggested developing a hybrid CMU in the interim for this subarea.

 

Mayor Roe clarified that, if the CMU designation was changed, the Planning Commission public hearing process would need to occur.

 

Councilmember McGehee expressed her willingness to consider switching from HDR to CMU, provided she was able to review the entire list of proposed uses.

 

Mayor Roe noted that the table of uses was also in the process of being updated.

 

Councilmember McGehee clarified that she was not interested in rezoning to CMU on the fly using the table of uses previously presented by staff, and suggested a new hybrid CMU could be developed later.

 

Mayor Roe cautioned that this could potentially create the dilemma of being on a different track.

 

Mr. Bilotta suggested that the City Council look at CMU uses before moving to extend it, since it remained a very sensitive issue.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Bilotta confirmed that any change of the use table required an additional Planning Commission review and public hearing process.

 

In conclusion, and with consensus of the body, Mayor Roe confirmed the interest in looking to a development or marketing consultant, directing staff to look into that and bring it back to the  City Council for further review and discussion.

 

Public Comment

Lisa McCormick, Wheeler Street

Ms. McCormick stated that she was encouraged by tonight's discussion and sought to address Mr. Bilotta's reference to survey results.  For the record, Ms. McCormick urged caution in using those survey results in isolation without seeking further neighborhood comments, noting that while 130 people attended, only 65 actual surveys had been returned.  Of those responses, Ms. McCormick noted the apparent confusion of many residents on the process itself.

 

In addition, before that input process, Ms. McCormick noted the considerable amount of communication in the neighborhood and concerns with the economic tax base of the area requiring the use of industrial uses for this area to adequately address that tax base.  Therefore, Ms. McCormick questioned if people were responding to their feelings on best uses or which of several choices was the best answer; causing her to have concerns about the quality of the responses. 

 

Ms. McCormick addressed several questions about staff's list of eight questions.  Specific to the petitions, one seeking general input on the Twin Lakes area and the other specifically addressing height restrictions, Ms. McCormick noted that each contained 80 signatures and asked that they be given some weight in the Council's decision-making as well.

 

Until the last few moments of this discussion, when Mayor Roe suggested reopening discussions to rezone to CMU from HDR, Ms. McCormick stated that she felt compelled to remind the City Council that they had previously promised the neighborhood a seat at the table since initial discussions began last September and this good faith planning process.  However, Ms. McCormick expressed her disappointment that to-date, no dialogue had occurred. 

 

Ms. McCormick offered her support of a brownfields consultant, but reiterated the neighborhood's request for a voice as part of the three-legged stool going forward. Ms. McCormick asked that the City Council hold a work session specific to this, and suggested it be done in April.  Ms. McCormick offered to bring forward community representatives, suggesting five property owners, to talk some things through.  From what she had heard tonight, Ms. McCormick opined that everyone could be satisfied with the outcome of that discussion, but in all fairness, she thought it would be good to have that discussion and raise some of those points, especially in subarea 4.  Ms. McCormick noted the considerable conversations to-date about that area, and as noted by Councilmember Etten, she suggested that the Vogel's may also appreciate some certainty as well as the neighbor seeing their interests being supported.

 

While not opposed to industrial uses, Ms. McCormick noted in the staff report there had been no mention of the comprehensive plan or community survey, and she wanted to point out that previous discussions had indicated the significant industrial area of the community would be west of I-35W, and development further to the east would be more similar to that of the CenterPointe development, moving industrial uses far away from this area to the west side.  Ms. McCormick noted that, in reviewing the zoning map displayed by staff, a specific industrial use was not included in the CMU designated zoning district.

 

In addressing the community survey, Ms. McCormick noted that 51% of respondents felt the most connection was to their neighborhood, while 32% rated safety as a primary feature in that comfort level.  Ms. McCormick opined that there was a good reason to reference visioning documents since people put their time and effort into them, and suggested that be taken into consideration as well.

 

Ms. McCormick expressed appreciation for the City Council addressing these long overdue zoning issues; and reiterated her specific request for the neighborhood to be involved in the upcoming April 13, 2015 City Council Worksession.

 

Dan Regan, Property owner representative of a 20-acre parcel in Subarea 7

Mr. Regan advised that he had been observing and attending these meetings for several years now, and encouraged everyone to finally resolve these issues and do what they could to make some progress.  Mr. Regan agreed with the opinion of Ms. McCormick to have a work session and finally get all opinions out in the open allowing a frank discussion on uses and where they may or may not occur, and those areas where they may occur that may not necessarily be preferred but could be accepted in certain areas. 

 

Mr. Regan expressed appreciation for the public input and quantifiable options addressed; however, he respectfully asked that the City Council complete this zoning process allowing the City and developers to stop spinning their wheels.  Mr. Regan noted the value in continuing the process and in defining uses for subareas and whether or not to allow some uses as a PUD.  As touched upon earlier by Mr. Bilotta regarding brownfields, Mr. Regan noted that had a lot to do with the uncertainty of what could or could not be done; and from a developer's perspective,
if there was too much uncertainty they were not going to invest their time and resources in pursuing those opportunities.  Mr. Regan encouraged the City Council to make this a priority, which would prove beneficial to all parties, as well as getting it off the City Council's list of pending issues.

 

For clarification, Mayor Roe advised that his comment referenced by Ms. McCormick in an option to expedite the process was only for the purpose of getting a sense as to any level of support from the City Council, which he did not find.  Mayor Roe clarified that he was not suggesting in any way that the public process be bypassed, and was only seeking a consensus of the City Council.

 

As to the April 13, 2015 City Council Worksession, Mayor Roe advised that more discussion and time was needed by staff and the City Council to determine their next step before seeking public input in a work session format.  However, Mayor Roe recognized the value of such a discussion and open dialogue, noting the different ways to get that input, whether through workshops with active public participation of through opportunities to seek broader community input.  While a work session may be part of that process, Mayor Roe noted the need for the City to figure out that process.

 

Councilmember McGehee expressed her willingness to make herself available for a special session upon receipt of timely responses from staff on next steps, and when appropriate to have a specific discussion on Twin Lakes outside a regular agenda.

 

Mayor Roe clarified the take away for staff would be to provide different options, noting the work session request, and previous discussions as well as tonight's discussion.  Mayor Roe agreed that everyone would benefit from having some finality to this versus remaining in neutral.

 

Councilmember McGehee asked Mr. Bilotta to e-mail the City Council specific wording from the petitions submitted by the neighborhood.

 

b.            Dale Street Fire Station Site Redevelopment

Mr. Bilotta briefly reviewed the requested actions as detailed in the RCA dated March 23, 2015.

 

At the request of Mayor Roe, City Attorney Gaughan recommended withholding action on the first two requests in open session until after the closed session when a potential proposed purchase price for the property was determined, and then subsequently dictate direction to staff to enter into the referenced agreements.

 

In accordance with Minnesota State Statute, Chapter 13.D.05 and exceptions to open meeting laws, Mayor Roe advised that he would entertain a motion to move into closed session.

 

At approximately 9:35 p.m., Laliberte  moved, McGehee seconded, moving into closed executive session for the purpose of discussing property acquisition of 657, 661, 667, 675 Cope Avenue and 2325 Dale Street N.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION

 

Mayor Roe convened the City Council in Closed Executive Session at approximately 9:36 P.M. for the purpose of discussing possible land acquisition at 657, 661, 667, and 675 Cope Avenue, and 2325 Dale Street North. In addition to the Council members, City Manager Trudgeon, City Attorney Gaughan, and Community Development Director Bilotta were also present. At approximately 9:45 p.m., Willmus moved, Laliberte seconded, adjourning the closed session and reconvening in open session to complete requested staff motions as outlined in the RCA dated March 23, 2015.

 

Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

OPEN SESSION

Mayor Roe provided a brief summary of the discussion of property acquisition of 657, 661, 667, 675 Cope Avenue and 2325 Dale Street N during the closed executive session.

 

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, presenting an offer to the Roseville Housing & Redevelopment Authority (RHRA) for the RHRA-owned land in the Dale Street Project (657, 661, 667, 675 Cope Avenue and 2325 Dale Street N), including provisions to eliminate all RHRA liability related to the transaction; at the offer discussed in closed session.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

Willmus moved, McGehee seconded, directing staff to negotiate a predevelopment agreement with Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation as outlined in the RCA, subject to acceptance of offer by the RHRA for the land.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, directing staff to negotiate a development agreement with the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation, subject to acceptance of offer by the RHRA for the land and the predevelopment agreement.

 

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten, and Roe.

Nays: None.

 

City Manager Trudgeon advised that the RHRA would be meeting on March 31, 2015 to consider their response to the City's offer and tonight's action.

 

16.         City Manager Future Agenda Review

City Manager Trudgeon briefly reviewed upcoming agendas.

 

17.         Councilmember-Initiated Items for Future Meetings

 

18.         Adjourn

Etten moved, Willmus seconded, adjournment of the meeting at approximately 9:50 p.m.

           Roll Call

Ayes: Laliberte, McGehee, Willmus, Etten and Roe.

Nays: None.