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02-23-98 PC Minutes~ Off; Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Chambers, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, February 23, 1998. The meeting was called to order by Chair Pentel at 7pm. Those present were Chair Pentel and Commissioners Groger, Johnson, Kapsner, Martens, McAleese and Prazak. Also present were Beth Knoblauch, City Planner and Mary Dold, Administrative Secretary. I. Approval of Minutes -February 9, 1998 Chair Pentel noted one spelling error found on the last line of page 8. The word "portable" should be changed to "affordable". MOVED by McAleese; seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to approve the February 9, 1998 minutes as submitted with the correction of the one word found on page 8. II. Informal Public Hearing -Conditional Use Permit No. 72 Applicant: Bright Start Children's Centers Address: 1710 Douglas Drive North, Golden Valley, Minnesota Subject: To allow for the operation of a day care in a portion of the building. City Planner Beth Knoblauch reviewed the staff report prepared by Director Mark Grimes. Knoblauch told the commission. and audience that the applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit (C.U.P.) in order to operate a day care center in the Business and Professional Office zoning district. Knoblauch explained that the day care operation would use approximately 7,000 sq.ft. of the building; it would serve 131 children (20 being infants); there would be 15- 20 employees on site; and operating hours would be from 6:30am to 6pm. She said there are six parking spaces to the south of the entrance for drop off, and employees can park elsewhere on the site to avoid using spaces close to the entrance of the day care. Knoblauch continued her review by saying that the plans for the center would be reviewed by the State also. The Inspections Department has completed a preliminary review of the site. Other than a sign for the day care, there would be no lag Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 2 significant change to the site. The space to the east of the building, where a volleyball court exists, would be turned into a divided play ground area. Bright Start said they would try to maintain as much landscaping as possible. The playground area would be enclosed by a six foot fence made of a wood material on the sides and rear, with a chain link fence around 1/3rd of the sides and on the front. Knoblauch reviewed the 10 "Factors for Consideration" as follows: 1. Demonstrated Need. Bright Start has identified a market for this use. 2. Consistency with Comprehensive Plan. The Comp. Plan Map identifies the site, including the play area as Business and Professional Office. The day care is in conformity with the plan. 3. Effect on Property Values in the Area. The most significant change would be the play area. With fencing and limited hours, staff does not believe there would be an impact on property values. 4. Impact of Traffic Generation. The day care would generate approximately 420 trips per day; 120 trips would be between 7-8am. The street system is capable of handling this amount of additional traffic. 5. Impact of Population or Density Increases. There will be no increase population except during the hours of operation of the day care. 6. Increase in Noise Levels. The vehicle traffic should not cause a noise problem. Children will be in the playground; children will make noise, but the 6' fence should help mitigate this noise. 7. Odors, Dust, Smoke, Gas, or Vibration. There will be no increase in pollutants because of this day care. 8. Flies, Rats, Other Animals or Vermin. Staff does not expect any of these creatures to be attracted by a day care. 9. Visual Appearance. The appearance of the building will remain the same except for the permitted signage. The playground and open space will be screened and landscaped. 10.Other Impacts. No other impacts were identified. Knoblauch told the commission that staff recommends approval of the requested C.U.P. with the following conditions: 1. The site and building plans submitted by Bright Start, prepared by Gary Bressler Architect, and dated 2/5/98 become a part of this permit. 2. A landscape plan for the open space/playground area shall be submitted as part of the permit. This plan should include details about the types of new material to be planted and identification of which existing materials will be kept. The City Forester shall review the landscape plan. ~\ Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 3 3. No more than 30 children shall be in the playground/open space area at one time. (This item was corrected at the meeting. The representative for Bright Start, Terri Taylor, told the commission that there are two areas to the playground and there could possibly be up to 50 children on the playground at one time.) 4. The hours of operation shall be Gam to 6pm, Monday through Friday. (This item was corrected at the meeting. The hours of operation would. be 6:30am to 6pm.) 5. The day care center shall be limited to 131 children. 6. The State of Minnesota shall approve all plans for the day care center. 7. The City Inspection Department shall approve all plans for construction. 8. All other applicable local, state, and federal requirements shall be met. 9. Failure to comply with one or more of the above conditions shall be grounds for revocation of the C.U.P. Commissioner Martens questioned whether these conditions were set in stone and could more be added. Knoblauch said yes, other points can be looked at. Martens said that safety would be a good point to look at. Knoblauch commented that the State probably has very stringent rules and regulations which the day care must adhere to. Commissioner Kapsner asked if the playground area had setbacks. Knoblauch answered there are setbacks for parking lots but not for playgrounds. She said the fence may need a permit depending on its height, but there are no setback regulations for fences that will border the playground. Commissioner Groger noted that the house to the east is approximately 50 to 60 feet from the playground area. Groger commented on the parking requirements saying that the property barely meets the current zoning of the property. He asked staff if there was a different parking requirement for a day care use vs. office, and if so which requirement is the commission suppose to be looking at. Knoblauch noted that with a day care use there would be a surplus of parking. Terri Taylor, Regional Director for Bright Start, 1821 University Avenue, St. Paul, reviewed the site pointing out the playground area. She said the playground has two areas, the right side could hold 30 children and the left side 15-20 children. ~: ySC 'l µ'd~ '4+.~~ s4 Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 4 Taylor told the commission that the children would use the playground area in the morning and afternoon, somewhere between 3 to 5:30pm. She said the older children, during the summer months would be on field trips some days. Taylor noted that the children would have lunch and then nap. Commissioner Kapsner asked if in some of their other locations the hours of operation were different; Taylor said no. Kapsner asked if the school age children would be dropped off by bus. Taylor explained which Robbinsdale District school would be associated with the center. She said that the school age children would be at the center for a short time in the am and pm. They would have their own room where they would have a snack, do projects or homework and get outside for a little time. Taylor also said that during the winter months they may not have an opportunity to get outside because it gets dark early. Martens said he had safety questions concerning the playground being located across the driveway from the entrance. Taylor explained that there would be a crosswalk from the entrance of the building across the driveway. She said the children are escorted to the playground using a rope with hoops that each child must hang on to. Groger asked about the height of the playground equipment. Taylor said that it would be age appropriate in height. Groger asked if there was a minimum or maximum size requirement for the playground. Taylor commented that the requirement for the playground is 75 feet per child and this space is a little bit more than what is required. Groger asked Taylor what the teacher to child ratio for the day care. Taylor recited the figures to the commission for each age group. Groger asked Taylor how many months of the year the playground would be in use. ' Taylor said it would be shoveled all year, and depending on the temperature the children could use the playground all year round. Pentel asked if there was a water source on playground; Taylor said she was unaware of any. Pentel asked if buses would use the driveway to the back of the building. Taylor said that she would prefer if buses did not come through the back, and still needed to talk with the transportation people about the route. 'li" c Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 5 Pentel asked if the day care would use St. Croix Park. Taylor responded that they would like to use the park system and that it would be a fun field trip for the pre- school and school-aged children. Commissioner McAleese asked Taylor to review, on the site plan, where the fencing is located relative to the lot lines. Taylor reviewed the site plan noting the privacy fence on the east side which wraps around on the south and north sides and that a chain link fence is located to the front. Chair Pentel opened the informal public hearing. Phyllis Perkins, 1431 W. Constance Drive, said she was concerned about 1) the playground being located 50 feet from her house and the noise that will come from the children on the playground; 2) the headlights from the cars early in the morning that would shine directly into her bedroom; and 3) believes the enjoyment and quality of her life would be affected.. Groger asked her if she knew when the proposed playground parcel was sold off. Perkins thought it was about 20 years ago when PACE Labs went in. Michael Maccanelli, 6121 St. Croix Avenue, believes property values in the area would decrease and that traffic would use the back driveway which runs directly past his house to get to the day care. He said he was not looking forward to having cars going back and forth all day long. Maccanelli said he understands the need for child care. He questioned how staff could make a recommendation without first talking with the residents affected by the proposal. He said he was unclear on what age group would use the playground and how the center is proposing to keep local children out of this area after hours. He said he bought at this location because the PACE building buffers the noise coming from Douglas Drive. Maccanelli said he works and lives at his house and is concerned with the traffic along the back parking area. Joe Strom, 1441 W. Constance Drive, said his property abuts the proposed playground and this use would have a negative affect on his property value as did PACE when it went in. He commented that his wife is home with their children and she and their retired neighbors would have to listen to children on the playground all day long. He believes the playground is not big enough for 50 children. Strom also believes the neighborhood children would use this playground after hours as a hangout. Strom also told the commission that he knew nothing about the meeting until he talked with Commissioner Groger the day before the meeting. Pentel asked Strom how long he has lived on Constance; Strom said seven years. Commissioner Johnson asked if the volleyball court was there when he moved in; Strom said yes. l Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 6 Strom said that if this proposal should go through he would like some kind of payback from the City for the amount of money he would lose on his property. Gwen Wiebesick, 6145 St. Croix Avenue, talked about the growth of the PACE building going from a cracker box to the size it is now. She is worried about the number of cars that would use the back driveway all day long. She told the commission that people used to sit on the berm and eat lunch and she would clean up the mess left behind; she is afraid this would happen again. She said that she was thinking about selling and was told that something should be done about the dirt pile at northeast corner of the Golden Valley Corporate Center (formerly known as PACE). Dean Knudson, 2320 Brookridge Ave. No., said he was speaking on behalf of the parents in the Bright Start community. He said the organization was well run and a stable business employing 15-20 people. He believes this is a great training process for people entering into the child care. field. Knudson said that Bright Start has done a good job on educating parents and the community on traffic and parking at the facility now located. in Robbinsdale. He talked about the transition of neighborhoods going from elderly to young families and also noted the need for child care in the proposed area. Martins asked Knudson if he had any concerns about the playground being separated from the building. Knudson said no because staff would handle the situation appropriately concerning the safety of the children. Sandra Braun, 1320 Florida Avenue No., said that she spent two months looking for day care, which has been next to impossible, and finally found Bright Start. She said. she researched this day care before committing to it. She believes the limited amount of time the children would use the playground area would not have a negative impact on the residents in the area. Braun talked about staff doing a good job of supervising the children indoors and out. She told the commission that not everyone drops their children off at 6:30am and picks them up at 6pm. She said that she has visited Bright Start on three separate occasions and never found more than 4 cars delivering or picking up children. Joanne Strom, 1441 W. Constance Drive, is concerned about having 50 screaming children in her backyard and believes that her .property would not be saleable with this playground abutting her property. Chair Pentel closed the informal public hearing. Pentel asked Terri Taylor to come forward to answer questions. Pentel asked Taylor to state when the daycare would be closed. Taylor said the six major holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, and weekends. 'a ~" Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 7 Pentel asked if the playground is locked during the day. Taylor said the playground area would be locked on weekends and in the evenings but not during working hours. Pentel asked how high the chain link fence would be; Taylor said 5 feet. Pentel commented on general questions from the audience noting that the commission and staff cannot ascertain how and when trips would be made to the day care center, nor can they determine what would happen to property values in this area if the proposed day care went into the PACE location. City Planner Knoblauch said that she could talk with the Hennepin County Assessors to find out if they can some how determine what would happen with property valuations if this kind of facility opened in the area. Pentel asked Administrative Secretary Dold the process for mailings. Dold commented that notices were mailed out in time for residents to receive the notice 10 days before the meeting. She said she had just now talked with Mr. Strom about not receiving notice. He stated that his wife had the notice but never shared it with him. Pentel told the audience that the proper time for staff to receive input concerning proposals are at the informal public. hearing of the Planning Commission and the formal public hearing of the City Council. Pentel said that she would ask staff to investigate the number of vehicles parked on the northeast side of the parking lot. Knoblauch said that she was unaware of the dirt piles located on the east side of the parking lot and would talk with Inspections first thing on Tuesday morning. Pentel asked Taylor how long the lease would be for; Taylor said 10 years. McAleese asked Taylor to describe how the operation works at the day care center in Robbinsdale and how close are homes to the playground area. Taylor said that the playground is connected to the building and is fenced off and the nearest homes are across the street. Martens said his main concern is the location of the playground to the building. Taylor said that if she had a choice she would like to see them not separated. Martens asked how the children would be taken to the playground from the building. Taylor said the children are taken in groups in which they hold onto hoops on a rope and that there is a teacher in front and the rear to make sure there are no doddlers. Martens asked Taylor what stops children from leaving the playground area. Taylor commented that they are taught that they cannot leave the area without a teacher. Groger asked if Bright Start had searched for other property and what kind of market search did they do. Taylor said they have been looking around for other property. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 8 She said they had surveyed parents, mapped out where parents lived and worked to try to find an area that would meet the needs of the parents. Johnson asked what areas they had looked at. Taylor said in New Hope in the area of Hwy. 169 and 36`h. Johnson asked what kind of sites they were looking for. Taylor said free-standing. Martens commented on the area where the dock doors are located on the northeast side and asked if this could be considered warehouse space, then maybe not all the parking is needed and the playground could be placed elsewhere on the site closer to the building. Knoblauch commented that the area in question is not warehouse space, but was used for PACE vehicles. She said that when Director Grimes calculated the parking it was based on office. use only because that is how the building is being leased. Knoblauch said that if the owners guaranteed that this space would never be used for office, maybe staff can look at this again. She said that she would discuss this with Director Grimes. Martens asked staff if the parking on this site was being utilized. The audience uttered that it is never full. Martens said that this would be a good thing for staff to look into. Kapsner commented that looking at the site plan, he does not see anywhere else the playground could go. McAleese commented that parents would be coming from the north, south and east and could Taylor give some percentages on what routes parents would use. Taylor said that most of the parents would be coming from Robbinsdale but cannot say what travel route would be used. Chair Pentel reopened the informal public hearing, stating that she would only hear new information. Joanne Strom, 1441 W. Constance Drive, said that she would not even be able to go into her house to get away from the noise of the children. She said she was not opposed to day cares but is to the playground. She questioned whether it made a difference being at the meeting. Mike Maccanelli, 6121 St. Croix Ave. No., told the commission that the traffic on Douglas is very heavy and is concerned about people having to stop on Douglas to make the turn into the site. He said that if they use St. Croix they would then be running in front of his house and using the back driveway. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 9 Joe Strom, 1441 W. Constance Drive, asked how many trees would be removed, and if the cotton wood has to come down, a large piece of greenery would be removed from the site. Maureen Lampert, Director of Bright Start, commented on drop off at the day care noting that not everyone comes at 6:30am, that maybe four families arrive by 6:45am, and 8 families by lam. She said some children come later in the morning depending upon when the parent needs to be at work. Lampert said parents come anywhere from 3-6pm to pick up their children. McAleese asked when staff personnel arrive. Lampert said two come at 6:30am, by 6:45 the cook comes in and by lam two more staff come in and so on. Gwen Wiebesick, 6145 St. Croix Avenue, questioned how long the building would be occupied by office personnel once the noise from the children filter through the building. Gary Bressler, Architect, 9800 Primrose Av. No., Stillwater, commented that he has worked for Bright Start since 1978. He talked about other facilities that have remote playground areas referring to one specific one that is 700 feet away from the main building and has never posed a problem. Bressler noted that in 50% of the municipalities, day cares are called a residential business and put next to residential areas. Johnson asked Bressler if parking could be displaced, could the playground be put elsewhere by removing asphalt. Bressler said yes, but the business owner may not appreciate this because office space would have to be eliminated in order to meet parking requirements. Martens questioned whether this could not be a possibility and asked the applicant and staff to review this. Knoblauch said this could be restrictive because of fire lane issues and movement through the site. Pentel commented that the commission should not get involved in redoing the site plan and should start deliberations. Martens said that if Bressler says it is impossible to do, the commission will need to go with that statement. Bressler added that the only other place the play ground could go would be at the north end of the site and that would be approximately 600 feet from the entrance. Pentel closed the informal public hearing. Groger said that he could not support the proposal. He said it was very unusual and a very unfortunate situation that the proposed playground parcel was sold off. Groger said that he would like to see Bright Start come to Golden Valley because there is a real need for day care in the city. He said if this proposal should be approved, he ~~ Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 10 encourages the applicants to look at alternatives on the property and to look at the option of placing a privacy fence along the rear property line. Martens agreed with Groger's comments noting the safety issue with the playground. He believes the neighbors are being impacted and they have the right to have their views heard which is taking place now. Martens said the propose use was appropriate for the site and believed the traffic concern would be worked out. He encouraged the applicant to look at a reduced playground somewhere else on the site. Prazak agreed with Groger and Martens. He said he was concerned about the distance between the house and playground. Johnson also agreed with the other commissioners. She stated that there must be another way to locate the playground on this property which would not impact the neighbors as badly. She said she would be voting against the proposal. McAleese said he too was voting against the proposal. He said commenting on procedural matters, with the majority of the commission voting against the proposal and not knowing how this item will go forward, he noted staff recommendations, item no. 2 concerning the City Foresters comments and would like to have the added language at the end of the sentence of "and approve the landscape plan". He suggested as part of No. 3 that the playground area be locked during the hours of non-operation. He agrees that a privacy fence should be constructed along the entire rear of the property. McAleese reviewed his comments relative to the "Factors of Consideration" as follows: 1. Demonstrated Need. People have appeared before the commission demonstrating that there is a need for day care in Golden Valley. 2. Consistency with Comprehensive Plan. He said that he was not convinced that this is a consistent and appropriate use in this area. He said when the commission previously amended the zoning code it was to allow ancillary usage that would provide day care service for business and professional office area. It was a day care island. within the use and here is a primary use and different that what we intended with. the amendment and maybe the amendment needs to be revisited. 3. Effect on Property Values. The commission cannot determine this factor but believes the presence of children and the playground will make the affected houses much more difficult to sell ~y Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 11 4. Impact of Traffic Generation. The traffic really concerns him in that this will create 120 additional trips during the peak driving period. Douglas and Duluth is an extremely busy intersection. He suspects people would use the back route along St. Croix and come in the back driveway. 5. Impact of Population or Density Increases. Agrees with staff that there would be no increase. 6. Increase in Noise Level. Believes it will be a large problem. 7. Odors. Dust, Smoke, Gas, or Vibration. Agrees with staff that there would be no effect. 8. Flies, Rats, Other Animals or Vermin. Agrees with staff that there would be no effect. 9. Visual Appearance. Believes that with the addition of a privacy fence views would be affected as would be the case if the trees were removed. 10.Other Impacts. Believes there would be an impact. McAleese said that if this proposal does go forward he would like to see something done about the playground area concerning the safety of the children crossing the driveway. Kapsner commented that the traffic situation does not bother him and that this is a professional company who would deal with the safety issue.. He commented, as did McAleese, that the commission had a hand in making this proposal come forward in that the addition that the day care is proposing to be housed in was approved by the commission and believes the site is stretched to its limits. Kapsner said that he cannot go along with the location of the play area and if it were located away from the houses, he could then support the proposal. Pentel also stated that she could not support the request for a C.U.P. She also believes that the staff will make sure that the children would get to and from the play area safely. She believes the fencing around the playground, which would be easy to get into after hours would become a potential problem with children hanging out. Pentel asked how staff would like the commission to proceed regarding the motion. Knoblauch commented that the conditions would be dealt with in the case that the City Council would approve the request. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 12 Pentel said that she concurs with the comments from McAleese regarding his findings on the 10 "Factors for Consideration" noting the noise factor. MOVED by Groger to deny the request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a day care operation on a portion of the property located at 1710 Douglas Drive; however, if the City Council should approve the C.U.P. the commission would recommend staff's recommendations with some amendments as follows: 1. The site and building plans submitted by Bright Start, prepared by Gary Bressler Architect, and dated 2/5/98 become a part of this permit. 2. A landscape plan for the open space/playground area shall be submitted as part of the C.U.P. Permit. This plan should include details about the types of new material to be planted and identified of which existing materials will be kept. The City Forester shall review and approve the landscape plan. 3. No more than 30 children shall be in the playground/open space area at one time. (The commission agreed that if the Council wishes, they can raise the number to the requested amount per the applicant.) The playground/open space area will be locked during non-operational hours. 4. The hours of operation shall be 6:30am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. 5. The day care center shall be limited to 131 children. 6. The State of Minnesota shall approve all plans for the day care center. 7. The City Inspection Department shall approve all plans for construction. 8. All other applicable local, state, and federal requirements shall be met. 9. Failure to comply with one or more of the above conditions shall be grounds for revocation of the C.U.P. 10.A privacy fence be added along the entire length of the rear property line due to the number of possible trips along the back driveway. The motion was seconded by Johnson and the vote was unanimous to recommend to the City Council denial of the request for a Conditional Use Permit for Bright Start Children's Center. 1 Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 13 III. Informal Public Hearing -Capital Improvement Program (CIP Don Taylor, Finance Director and Fred Salsbury, Director of Public Works were present to answer questions from the commission regarding the CIP. The Commission reviewed information handed out at the meeting. Prazak noted on the handout that the Medley Park soccer field project was dropped from the CIP. Taylor said under the "Parks" section the city is planning for a soccer field at the Arts School which will negate the need for the field at Medley Park. Taylor noted that the fencing planned along the south side of Hwy. 55, abutting Brookview Golf Course, was also dropped from the CIP. Pentel said that she believes this was a good move because the fence would have detracted from the beautiful views of Brookview. Taylor also noted that the Pavement Management Program was put on hold in 1997. and beginning in 1998 there would be an accelerated program. Pentel asked about other big budgeted items in 1997, such as the Schaper property. Taylor said that the City came in on target for most of its programs. He said Schaper was completed in 1997 with minor work remaining for 1998. The Commission reviewed several projects noted in the CIP as follows: Pentel asked Taylor why the open space, from the Hidden Lakes Development, on Sweeney Lake does not appear on the map (page 4). Taylor said this open space would be included on next years map. Pentel referred to the "Finance" section and the extension of sewer lines and would Hidden Lakes absorb these costs. Taylor said that Hidden Lakes would install the sewer lines, but City crews would inspect the lines and bill Hidden Lakes the cost of inspection. Pentel noted the sidewalk construction funds (page 127) and asked Salsbury if there had been any new sidewalk construction. Salsbury commented some sidewalks are tied in with street projects and that when the street program was on hold, the sidewalk projects were held up. He said the Sidewalk Committee should be getting together soon to discuss sidewalks for Area B. Pentel asked if funds are not spent each year would money remain in the fund. Taylor commented that remaining funds would go into the next year's budget, but these funds are not accumulative. Martens asked about the pros and cons of sidewalks. Salsbury said there are pros and cons to the sidewalks. He said when most street programs come up for construction, residents don't want to see sidewalks, but on the other hand residents throughout the City would like to see sidewalks, and philosophically, the City will need to deal with this issue. Salsbury said there are financial complications by adding more sidewalks because the City is responsible for sidewalk snow removal. Pentel said that she could not decipher from the CIP whether Brookview Golf Course was making or spending money, and is the City looking at renting out its club house. 11~: Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 14 She said that the community is looking for places for its youth and wondered who is benefiting and is it a broad segment of the community or just the golf course. Taylor referred to page 12 of the Finance section and reviewed this operation. Taylor explained how the golf course funds are used. He noted that the building is rented by the Golf Course. Taylor commented on the Building Fund noting that the expenditures are not for new buildings but to pay off major remodeling projects of the Administrative building anal the Public Safety building. Pentel noted under the Parks Fund that nothing was budgeted for the Hidden Lakes Park on Sweeney Lake. Salsbury commented that this is being paid by Hidden Lakes. Pentel asked about the lighting for the proposed soccer field at the Arts High School and who would be paying for them. Taylor commented that the City would be putting in the lights and the cost and maintenance would be shared jointly.. Kapsner asked how long the lease is that the Arts High School signed. Taylor said 20 years, that it needs to be long term to justify the expenditure. He said the majority of capital funds is going into the land. Taylor also said the City would be paying for most of the maintenance items but electricity, etc.. would be shared. Taylor commented on the Golf Course fund (page 111) noting the driving range improvements. He briefly talked about the need for higher netting along 1-394 because of golf balls going out of Brookview and hitting cars on I-394. This netting should help eliminate claims that the City pays on these drifting balls. Martens asked about park usage and has staff looked at the City's population and how the City parks would be used in the future concerning how money is spent. Taylor commented that this is something that is reviewed and studied because of the demand on the City's parks. He said that Park and Rec does try to look ahead. McAleese commented that the commission would be reviewing, as part of the comp plan, the section on parks. Pentel moved onto the next section of the CIP -streets, noting that the biggest project is Xenia. Taylor noted page 132 of the CIP. He referred to an enclosed map locating where the proposed extension of Xenia Avenue would be located referencing the right-of-way land and crossing over Glenwood Avenue. to the north. Taylor said this road improve-ment was a recommendation from a consulting firm as part of a traffic management study of the Golden Hills area. He said the school seems to be very much in favor of this improvement because of the problems with the intersection at Turners Crossroad and Glenwood. He briefly talked about the houses that needed to be purchased along with the railroad right-of-way. ~.r`v Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 15 McAleese questioned if he had missed a Planning Commission meeting when this was formally discussed. City Planner Knoblauch said he had not. McAleese said that he was not sure the Planning Commission had to review this, but one of the reasons the commission reviews the CIP is to determine the consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. He said one of the things happening here is the elimination of affordable housing stock in Golden Valley. Knoblauch commented that this is also a very large transportation amendment and we do have a transportation section of the Comprehensive Plan. McAleese believes that something has gone wrong with the process in that it sounds like the decisions have been made and the Planning Commission is not doing its job. Taylor said that the City has not gone into formal decisions yet other than buying some homes. Pentel said that she has children at Meadowbrook and that the School District is happy to have this extra land, but some people are concerned about losing affordable housing and that the City needs to maintain its commitment to affordable housing. McAleese commented on the maps regarding the pavement reconstruction and said it was difficult to distinguish between the names of the road and the projects. Taylor said that he could get something to the commission that was more detailed. McAleese said that it was important only because sometimes the commissioners receive phones calls concerning a project. Pentel asked whether the City was still investigating using wells located at the General Mills "Bell Research" site. Salsbury commented that the City is negotiating with the City of Minneapolis and nothing has happened yet. He said that if the dollar increase is significant, the City of Golden Valley would need to look at alternative water supplies. Pentel opened the informal public hearing; seeing and hearing no one, Pentel closed the informal public hearing. MOVED by Prazak, seconded by Groger and motion carried unanimously to recommend to the City Council approval of the Capital Improvement Program. IV. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council and Board of Zoning Appeals No reports were given. V. Other Business A. Land Use Plan -Presentation by Subcommittee Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission February 23, 1998 Page 16 This item was tabled to the next regular meeting of the Planning Commission due to the lateness of the hour. B. Philosophy of Sidewalks in Golden Valley It was suggested by one of the commissioners that the topic of the philosophy of sidewalks in Golden Valley be placed on a Planning Commission agenda. VI. Adjournment The Chair adjourned the meeting at 10pm ly John"son, Secretary 1 1