Loading...
2025-08-25 MIN PC Regular MeetingCITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, August 25, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 1. CALL TO ORDER AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT • Chair Ruby called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. and read the Land Acknowledgement • Regular Members Present: Amy Barnstorff, Adam Brookins, Gary Cohen, David Hill, Mike Ruby, Martin Sicotte, Eric Van Oss • Regular Members Absent: Chuck Segelbaum • Student Member, Status: Vacant • Staff Members Present: Jacquelyn Kramer, Senior Planner Steven Okey, Associate Planner • Council Member Present: None 2. CONSENT AGENDA: 2.A. Approval of agenda 2.B. Approval of July 14, 2025, meeting minutes • Ruby asked if there was any discussion or requested changes to the consent agenda. • Ruby asked for a motion to approve. • Cohen moved. • Sicotte seconded. • All voted in favor, and the motion passed. 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 3.A. Minor Subdivision at 200 Cutacross Road • Kramer presented the proposal. She noted that there was one email in regards to the application that asked about noxious weeds on the property; however, that does fall out of the scope of the criteria to be considered for a minor subdivision. She added that the applicant and design team had noted that they would look at how to remove the black locust before construction. She stated that this demonstrates the work that Staff does behind the scenes for a project, even when things don’t necessarily fall under official criteria, they are still trying to bring applicants into compliance as much as possible. She added that the City Council will take action on this application on September 16th, and once that is done, the Applicant will then apply for a final plat, which only has to go to the City Council • Ruby stated that he had a procedural question in terms of the flow of how it happened. The designs are already put out there as a concept, but the approval has nothing to do with the design. He noted that they could change the direction of the driveway through the process, which would trigger the Board of Zoning Appeals. He asked that this application be strictly, even with the designs present, a plat. • Kramer noted that the preliminary plat that is being shown is a fit test, demonstrating that it is possible to meet all the code requirements, but it is just a footprint, which shows the setbacks and that driveways could go in a different direction. She added that if the plans change, it would not necessarily have to go through another public process, unless a variance was added. • Ruby noted that the application stated a proposed driveway, and he was curious as to what that meant. • Kramer stated that the property lines and easements would not change and would stay as shown. • Ruby asked if there were any other questions for the Staff. Seeing none, he asked the Applicant if they would like to present. • Applicant, Dave Spencer of 203 Cutacross Road, spoke, • Spencer stated that he and his wife, Stacey, were sensitive to finding a reputable builder, CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, August 25, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 Sustainable 9, who seems to be very professional, they will be nice to deal with in the building process, and will keep the area very clean. He noted that in everything that has come up, the builder has been easy to work with. He added that when it came to the water, the ponds, the builder said they understood and would take care of it. He stated that for the invasive species, black locust, he was certain they would take care of it. • Ruby asked if there were any questions for the Applicant. • Ruby opened up the public hearing. • Resident Ruth Paradise, 8515 Duluth Street, spoke • Paradise noted that it is a good opportunity, and it meets all the requirements, and there does not seem to be a good reason to take this opportunity to have two homes where there was one. • Ruby opened the item for discussion. • Barnstorff noted that she has no concerns about this application and that it seems like it meets all requirements. She added that she thinks it is great to put into practice everything that was talked about a couple of weeks ago at the meeting, and to find more places to build more housing. • Sicotte stated that it exceeds all the minimums, it is adding more density, so it seems like a slam dunk, and he is supportive and has no concerns. • Cohen stated that over his time on the Planning Commission, which is almost two years, this area that the application is coming from has had a lot of possible subdivisions and other stuff, which in some cases has driven some neighbors crazy, but this application seems wonderful. He added that the fact that no one from the public is present in opposition, that is means that the surrounding neighbors are also appreciative of the work that has gone into it. He noted that it is nice to see one done without lots of controversy, and he fully supports the Applicant. • Hill noted that he likes the idea of two houses for one. He added that, based on the discussion from a few weeks ago and the fact that it meets every requirement that is needed, he thinks it is a great opportunity. • Ruby stated that he agrees with everyone and thinks that it is the right choice, and would vote in favor. • Ruby asked for a motion. • Cohen moved to approve the request for a minor subdivision at 200 Cutacross Road, subject to the findings and conditions in the staff report. • Barnstorff seconded the motion. • All voted in favor, and the motion passed. 4. NEW BUSINESS: 4.A. Zoning Code Amendments • Ruby introduced the topic of the zoning code amendments and stated that the Staff would provide an update on them. • Kramer stated that several zoning code amendments have been worked on and will continue to be worked on. She noted that she has heard back from almost everyone. She stated that the first code is the Missing Middle Housing Study, for which there was a meeting about a few weeks ago, and there is no immediate action on it, but there will be code amendments generated from those recommendations. She noted that Commissioner Van Oss volunteered, and she was hoping Commissioner Hill would volunteer as well. She stated that the next one is the Climate Equity Plan, which is similar to the last, having no code updates right now, but there will be hopefully, and Commissioner Barnstorff volunteered to serve on the Steering Committee. She noted that Commissioner Segelbaum was not present, but she asked if he would help with subdivision, conditional use permits, and variance updates, which he agreed CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, August 25, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 to. She added that Commissioner Sicotte would be helping with the Accessory Dwelling Units, ADUs, updates. She noted that there had only been one or two ADUs built since the ordinance passed, but they would like to see more, so the ordinance is being looked at to try to figure out what could be tweaked, what could make the process easier. She stated that they are always thinking about how the code can be made more user-friendly, especially for those who are not builders, and how code can be made easier for the Planning Commission to enforce and interpret the codes. She noted that Chair Ruby will be coordinating and facilitating all the meetings and public hearings, and helping to support everyone as they go through the code updates. She added that Commissioner Cohen and Steven Okey will be working on the parking code, which is not a complete overhaul, but some things are being looked at to change. • Ruby asked what the Climate Equity Plan is. • Kramer stated that the Climate Equity Plan is a plan that came from the City Council directive and is primarily being championed by the Environmental Commission. She noted that they are looking at short-term and long-term policies, ordinance updates, and incentive programs. She added that it is similar to the Missing Middle Study, which is very broad, and it will feed into the 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update, which takes place next year. She stated that there is a consultant who is helping to put together a large climate equity document, and from that document, there will be a list of recommendations of specific things to implement, which is where the anticipation of zoning code updates may come from. She added that it may be something like the Dark Skies Ordinance or updating the stormwater requirements. • Cohen asked if there are timeframes for the beginning or ending of some of the meetings. • Kramer shared a slide with information on the rest of the year for the Planning Commission schedule. She noted that on September 8th, there would be a work session on the parking code update. She noted that September 29th would be a rescheduled meeting for the sign code update, which is being led by the consultant Stan Tech. They made it through the legal review and are polishing up the revised ordinance, and should be able to put the public notice out soon. She added that on October 13th, they are hoping to do a parking update public hearing and to have a joint work session with the Environmental Commission, where they will talk about the Climate Equity Plan, and introduce the Environmental Commission to the Missing Middle Housing Study. • Ruby asked if it would be another phase of the Missing Middle Housing Study or if it would be the same. • Kramer stated that she was not entirely sure what the discussion would look like; it may be a little bit of an introduction, but there would be more documents from the consultant, and the consultant might have the feasibility analysis done by then. • Kramer stated that, through October and November, there should be a code amendment public hearing at every meeting. She noted that there will be a minor subdivision application next month, but beyond that, it is too early to say; however, there is nothing big on the horizon. She added that in December, they would discuss the 2026 work plan, vote on it, and adopt it on December 22nd. She noted that she does not like to have the Planning Commission meetings the week of Christmas and the holidays, so it may get pushed to January. She added that as far as which amendment or which public hearing will go when, she is not sure because it will depend on how much the City Attorney tears up the amendments and how long it takes to put them back together. • Van Oss asked when do we start our Comprehensive Plan 2050 work. • Kramer stated that outreach is supposed to start at the end of this year, and they are hoping, dependent upon budget approval, that there will be money for a consultant to help put the plan together. She added that, really, 2026 is when the big kickoff starts. She noted that the Met Council releases the system statements in mid-September, which consists of a packet for CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, August 25, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chamber 7800 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55427 each city that describes housing anticipated needs, water resources, transportation, and the number of units the City is supposed to plan for. • Ruby asked if the 3,000 number that was heard a few weeks ago could change when the Met Council comes back with information. • Kramer stated that the 3,000 number was from the last Comprehensive Plan Update, and was maybe updated slightly as new census data came in. She stated that the City’s urban classification has changed or gone up, but they have also renamed it. She noted that she believes the City is still second tier, with Minneapolis, St. Paul, and a couple of suburbs being the urban core, and then Golden Valley being the next level down. She added that when they released the numbers, Golden Valley had already zoned and guided to meet the anticipated density. She noted that the Staff is not worried about it. • Hill asked if changing the City from urban to urban edge could change the whole thing • Kramer stated that they have already done that. She noted that the growth and zoning that the City has already had are on track to meet what would be required, but the specific numbers have not been released yet. • Kramer noted to please let her know if someone is unable to attend a meeting. She shared the rest of the year for BZA rotation, with Commissioner Van Oss attending the following day, then Commissioner Barnstorff, Commissioner Hill, Commissioner Cohen, and Chair Ruby as the meeting happened. • Van Oss asked if there were plans to merge the Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission. • Kramer stated that she does not know where those talks are. She noted that other cities have done it, such as St. Louis Park, when she worked there, because there was not much interest in BZA, even less than in Golden Valley, and there were not a lot of variance applications, so Planning Commission just took over the role of BZA, and when there were variances, they would hold a BZA meeting, then gavel in and out, and then have the Planning Commission meeting to cut down on meetings. She noted that it kept it a little more consistent for applicants because the same people were reviewing the applications. • Ruby stated that he likes the concept because, with some of the rules changing, decisions could be made faster, and things could get done faster. • Ruby asked if there was anything else. 5. STAFF UPDATES: • Ruby asked if there were any council liaison reports. • Kramer stated that she had not heard from Councilmember Ginis, but Councilmember Ginis did thank Commissioners and Staff for the Missing Middle Housing Study Work Session, because she is very excited about it, and tells everyone about it. • Ruby asked if they were able to find a high school to serve on the board. • Kramer stated that there is not one right now, but she heard a rumor that interviews were happening or would happen soon. She noted that she thought there were some applicants, but they had not been holding interviews because the person who handled Staff had left for another job, and the new person had just started. She added that she thinks there has been a little bit of interest in the Planning Commission. 6. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Ruby adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.