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06-13-83 PC Minutes ��� MINUTES OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION June 13, 1983 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held in the Council Chambers of the Civic Center, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota. Vice Chairman Polachek call the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Those present were Commissioners Forster, Leppik, Polachek, Prazak, Singer and Tubman. Commissioner Thompson was absent. Also present was Alda Peikert, Assistant Planner. I . Approval of Minutes - May 23, 1983 It was moved by Commissioner Prazak, seconded by Commissioner Tubman and carried unanimously to approve the minutes of the May 23, 1983 Planning Commission meeting as recorded. II. Set Date for Informal Public Hearing - Rezoning APPLICANT: International Development, Inc. LOCATION: 7700 Wayzata Boulevard REQUEST: Change Zoning from Residential to Business and Professional Offices Zoning District Vice Chairman Polachek introduced this agenda item and recognized Mr. A1 Stobbe who was present to represent the proponent. It was moved by Commissioner ,Leppik, seconded by Commissioner Singer and carried unanimously to set an informal public hearing date of June 27, 1983 for consideration of rezoning of 7700 Wayzata Boulevard from the Residential to the Business and Professional Offices Zoning District to allow construction of an office building. III. Report on National APA Conference Vice Chairman Polachek introduced this agenda item and called on Commissioners Leppik and Tubman and on Assistant Planner Alda Peikert for a report on the National American Planning Association (APA) Conference held in Seattle in April 1983. Commissioner Leppik reported on the following sessions: 1 . Small Cities Mobile Workshop to the City of Bothell Commissioner Leppik reported on the City of Bothell riverfront project including development of a park, senior citizen center and housing, and a shopping area oriented toward the riverfront. Commissioner Leppik 215 Planning Commission Minutes - June 13, 1983 -2- pointed out similarities with the downtown Golden Valley redevelopment area adjacent to Bassett Creek and suggested similar focus on Bassett Creek as an asset within the Valley Square Area. r 2. Verbal Communications Workshop Commissioner Leppik reported on usefulness of the Verbal Communications session for Planning Commissioners and suggested attendance assuming it is offered at the APA Conference scheduled for Minneapolis in 1984. 3. Planning Commissioners Institute: Deciding with Others; Deciding for Others Commissioner Leppik reported that this session on Planning Commission decision making offered excellent background for Planning Commissioners. Commissioner Leppik added that the leader of the session is in the pro- cess of writing a book and suggested City purchase of the book for Planning Commissioner use when it becomes available. Commissioner Tubman reported on the following sessions: 1. Redevelopment of Suburban Commercial Centers (Cities of Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland) Commissioner Tubman reported that one of the most valuable sessions she attended was this seminar on three suburbs all in the process of rede- veloping post World War II shopping center cores similar to the Valley Square Area in Golden Valley. Commissioner Tubman stated that the case most similar to that of Golden Valley was the City of Redmond in that a Ridgedale type of regional shopping center was planned for a location 15 to 20 miles from Redmond. Instead of competing with the regional shopping center, Redmond strived for full use of the City's downtown area in the sense of including retail , office and residential uses and also in the sense of striving for both daytime and nighttime use. Redmond placed apartments and residential condominiums on the periphery of the downtown in response to demand from senior citizens in particular for housing within walking distance of shopping facilities. The architect for the project suggested that parking be located around the perimeter of the area with concentration on foot or bus travel within the core. This provided for a concentrated core area. According to Commissioner Tubman all three suburbs focused on creation of central core areas. One of the suburbs gave floor space or height incentives in return for conformance to a general architectural plan including creation of pedestrian corridors and addition of landscaping. In this manner the City achieved desired performance and visual con- tinuity without use of numerous restrictions. This City made the point ��� Planning Commission Minutes - June 13, 1983 -3- i that no matter how rational a plan the City prepares, a better develop- ment is achieved when developers are allowed flexibility for innovation and improvement on the plan. 2. Planning Commissioners Institute: Legal Issues for Commissioners Commissioner Tubman reported that leaders of this session emphasized the same point made at numerous other conferences that it is crucial that Planning Commissions document reasons for actions. Participants in the session were cautioned against the use of petitions as documen- tation supporting a decision due to the fact that petitions are hearsay at best and will not hold up in court as background for an action. Commissioner Tubman reported that in some states, especially in the case of large developments such as Planned Unit Developments (PUD's), developers have been recognized as having vested rights in a project prior to issuance of permits based on expenditures made in response to direction and suggestions from the City. The warning was not to impose serial and expensive requirements on a develper during the approval process without consideration of the fact that the developer may be acquiring vested rights in the project in the course of complying with those requirements. Ms. Peikert reported on the following sessions: 1. Cornerstone Project Mobile Workshop Ms. Peikert reported on a mixed use project currently partially completed in downtown Seattle and covering a six block area. Individual buildings contain mixed uses with retail and restaurants on ground floors. The development includes varied building heights ranging from four to twenty stories and includes a mix of new construc- tion with restored historical buildings. More interesting is the mix of financial arrangements, with one portion owned by Cornerstone Development but another portion developed in partnership with the ori- ginal landowner, Burlington Northern Railroad. Financial backing comes from Weyerhauser Corporation rather than from traditional lenders whose conservative outlook precludes financing an innovative mixed use pro- ject. The project is entirely market rate, as grant requests were turned down and tax increment financing has not passed in Washington state. Project developers reported that the office space pays for the project, that the building restorations broke even at best, and that desirable retailers and restaurants were sought out and offered favorable first year leases in return for signing of long term leases. 2. Miscellaneous items on Seattle from other mobile workshops Planning Commission Minutes - June 13, 1983 -4- ��7 Ms. Peikert reported that the City of Seattle has replaced its Comprehensive Plan with a series of Land Use Policies, starting with Residential Land Use Policies. Most applicable to the City of Golden Valley was information that the City of Seattle has required that major institutions, which use expanding areas of land and often develop strained relationships with surrounding neighborhoods, complete indivi- dual Institutional Land Use Policy documents detailing future plans and strategies. Institutions of this type pointed out on mobile workshops included the University of Washington, Seattle University and Providence Hospital . Ms. Peikert suggested that a similar requirement might be appropriate for colleges, medical centers and major churches in the City of Golden Valley. Ms. Peikert reported that the I-90 freeway construction project in Seattle bears similarities to the I-394 project affecting Golden Valley. The I-90 project was conceived 15 years ago, has been delayed by a series of lawsuits, and will be another nine years in construc- tion. Plans for I-90 include two freeway lids, points at which the freeway will be depressed and covered to avoid splitting of neigh- borhoods. The finished covering over the lids will be parkland. In the area of housing, Ms. Peikert shared two observations made by mobile workshop leaders: 1) That scattered site housing has been well received in Seattle, and 2) that long term experience with housing pro- jects has shown good management to be more important than original design. Commissioner Tubman reported that she attended two sessions on accessory housing and would share information from those sessions at the time of Commission discussion of accessory apartments. Commissioner Leppik asked that staff investigate the timing of an expected visit to the Twin Cities of an authority on accessory housing who addressed one of the sessions she attended. IV. Discussion of Accessory Apartments The Planning Commission agreed to postpone further discussion of accessory apartments until the next ►r�eting but to take action to recommend support of the proposed League of Women Voters survey on the subject. It was moved by Commissioner Forster and seconded by Commissioner Prazak to recommend that the City Council support a League of Women Voters survey on the issue of Accessory Apartments with support as requested by the League to cover expenses and at the same time maintain separate League identity. Commissioner Prazak asked who would provide the League with direction on con- tent of the questionnaire. Commissioner Leppik replied that the League would receive input and suggestions from City staff but would prepare the survey themselves in order to maintain its integrity as a League product. 21� Planning Commission Minutes - June 13, 1983 -5- A vote was taken and the motion carried unanimously. V. Recommendation on 1983 Jobs Bill Additional CDBG Appropriation It was moved by Commissioner Singer, seconded by Commissioner Polachek and carried unanimously to recommend that the City Council submit a proposal for City of Golden Valley use of $66,000 in 1983 Jobs Bill funds for the Housing Rehabilitation Grant Program. Commissioner Prazak reported that the Citizen Advisory Committee was scheduled to rr�et June 14, 1983 to review funding pro- posals amounting to $7 million for the allocation of approximately $1 million. Planning Commissioners agreed to postpone reports on the June 7, 1983 City Council meeting and on the Valley Squre Redevelopment Project until the next Planning Commission meeting in order to hear from Chairman Thompson who was absent. The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 P.M. Respectfully submitted, � _. �, Vice Chairman Polachek argaret' Leppik, Sec ary