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06-14-99 PC Minutes . . Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 A regular meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Conference Room, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, June 14, 1999. The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Shaffer at 8:00 p.m. Those present were Commissioners Eck, Groger, Hoffman, McAleese and Shaffer. Chair Pentel was absent. Also present were Mark Grimes, Director of Planning and Development, Beth Knoblauch, City Planner and Tammi Hall, Recording Secretary. I. Approval of Minutes - Mav 24. 1999 MOVED by Groger, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to approve the May 24, 1999 minutes as submitted. II. Informal Public Hearing - Minor Subdivision Applicant: James and Beverly Lester Address: 1645 and 1637 Lilac Drive North, Golden Valley, Minnesota Purpose: To allow for a minor subdivision of two lots so applicants can construct a new home on the lot fronting St. Croix Avenue Director of Planning and Development Mark Grimes stated that the Lesters have requested a minor subdivision of the property at 1645 and 1637 Lilac Drive North. He indicated that the 1645 lot is currently owned by the Lesters and is the location of their existing home. Grimes stated that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will be acquiring the east half of their property including the existing house sometime this year in order to make way for an improved Highway 100. MnDOT has already acquired the lot that is at 1637 Lilac Drive and the house is in the process of being moved off the lot. When MnDOT purchases the Lester's existing home, they want to build a new home on the westerly portion of their lot. Grimes indicated that to meet the minimum required lot size, the Lesters need an additional 20 feet of property from the adjacent lot which is owned by MnDOT. Grimes indicated that MnDOT has agreed to sell the needed 20 foot strip to the City who will in turn sell it to the Lesters. The only way that the 20 foot wide strip of property can be added on to the Lester property is to go through the subdivision process. He indicated that the minor subdivision will create two new, smaller lots to the west of the existing lots. Grimes stated that the proposed lot 1, where the Lesters plan to construct a new home, will be Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 Page 2 directly west of the existing Lester house. The proposed lot 2 is the remaining property owned by MnDOT. Grimes stated that, technically, this subdivision does not qualify as a minor subdivision, however, staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend to the City Council that a variance be granted to allow this to be considered a minor subdivision. Grimes reviewed the code requirements for a minor subdivision in regard to this case. Grimes stated that utilities are available to the site off either St. Croix Avenue or the frontage road. He indicated that no park dedication is required because the property is currently two lots and will remain two lots after the subdivision. Grimes stated that the property is not considered a plat but that staff believes there would be no benefit from requiring additional information to be submitted, as required with a full subdivision procedure, because of the detailed information that has been submitted by the Lesters and MnDOT regarding this subdivision. Grimes stated that the access to the new Lester home will be off St. Croix Avenue. He indicated that the new lots will be good residential lots due to the upgrading of Highway 100 and the eventual . construction of the sound wall. Mr. and Mrs. Lester were present. Mr. Lester stated that the City Environmental Technician, AI Lundstrom, had visited their property. Mr. Lester stated that Lundstrom indicated their property would be exempt from the City's Tree Preservation Ordinance. Mrs. Lester referred to a letter from Covenant Manor supporting the proposed minor subdivision requested by the Lesters. Mrs. Lester also stated that they had contacted Gary Johnson in the City Inspections Department and received approval to use 5555 St. Croix Avenue as the address for their new home. There was brief discussion regarding the adjacent property. Grimes stated that the lot on Welcome Circle has constructed their garage on the Woodfield lot, which is to the west of proposed lots 1 and 2. Grimes indicated that this will need to be resolved bY. MnDOT. He indicated that they may need to add to the property on Welcome Circle. He added that the Woodfield lot would still meet minimum size as required by code. Grimes stated that the property owners on Welcome Circle may be able to claim adverse possession. Commissioner McAleese stated that if the property is registered under torrens, which is the system used in Hennepin County, there cannot be a claim of adverse possession. The Lesters asked if it is possible to begin building before all the final paperwork has been completed. Grimes stated that they will be unable to get a building permit until the lot officially meets the City code size requirements. MOVED by Hoffman, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to recommend to the City Council approval of the variance to allow a minor subdivision and approval of the proposed minor subdivision as requested. '. e Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 Page 3 McAleese asked if staff anticipates any situations similar to the Lesters will be before the Commission as a result of the upgrading of Highway 100. Grimes responded that this is a very unique situation and that staff does not anticipate this occurring anywhere else along Highway 100. III. Reports on Meetinas of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority. City Council and Board of Zonina Appeals Commissioner Shaffer stated that the Transportation and Wastewater plans were reviewed at the City Council meeting. He added that the Animal Humane Society (AHS) proposed PUD was also reviewed and approved. Shaffer stated that there was some concern regarding the crematorium facility and the extent to which it will be used. City Planner Knoblauch stated that PCA requirements for crematoriums are minimal. She suggested that limits on the use of the crematorium should be included in the PUD. Commissioner Eck asked if the Council was concerned about the situation with the vacated France Avenue. Grimes stated that the Council felt there should be a formal letter from the Minneapolis Park Board granting permission for the AHS to use the Park Board's property. Grimes added that Sunnyridge Lane is being vacated. He indicated that half of the property will be vacated to the City of Golden Valley and half to the AHS. He indicated that the City's portion will probably be deeded for one dollar to AHS. IV. Other Business A. Workshop - Discussion concerning the HRA charge to review future redevelopment in the Golden Hills Redevelopment Area. Commissioner Hoffman stated that he was concerned about City involvement in redevelopment of the Olympic Printing site, since it appeared that the owner did not intend to sell the building. Grimes stated that, in the last year, the owners of Olympic Printing have had the property for sale. He stated that it is a difficult site because there are two separate buildings at different elevations. He indicated that there are some zoning deficiencies on the property, including setbacks and lack of curb and gutter in the parking area. He added that the loading area is a major concern because it is located too close to the street. Commissioner Groger asked about the designation of the property in the comprehensive plan. Knoblauch stated that staffs recommendation when the comprehensive plan was reviewed was to leave the designation as light industrial because it was unclear what would be done with the property. In regard to the surrounding area, Grimes stated that a development agreement is in place for the Baby + Teen property. He stated that the City has a development Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 Page 4 agreement with Duke for the three buildings in the west area and that Duke has the rights to develop the Breck Ice Arena block. Grimes stated that the HRA would like the Planning Commission to develop a program for approaching the redevelopment of this site. He indicated that Council Member Marty Micks had suggested a task force be created to address this issue, but Mayor Anderson felt that it should be the responsibility of the Planning Commission and that they could request input from other groups. Grimes suggested that the Commission would want to get input from groups that may be affected by the development, as well as the City Finance Department and the City Engineering Department. Shaffer asked if the scope of the redevelopment area had been defined by City Council. Knoblauch stated that the updated land use plan states that the City will be reviewing the 394 corridor. She stated that the Commission could recommend a review of the . entire area or specific segments. McAleese suggested that obtaining input from stakeholders in regard to redevelopment would be a time intensive process. He suggested that the Planning Commission oversee the process, but that a separate task force be formed which would include representatives from the Planning Commission. He suggested that it may be beneficial to form different task forces to look at different segments of the 394 corridor. Shaffer expressed concern with the effectiveness of a task force because of the varying interests and knowledge bases. He suggested that focus groups representing various interests could provide their input to the Planning Commission where the information could be analyzed and reviewed in a public meeting. Eck stated that Council Member Marty Micks had stressed the importance of ensuring that all stakeholders are represented. Grimes stated that the Planning Commission is _ best equipped to address this issue and that they can invite input from stakeholder groups to ensure that all interests are heard. Knoblauch stated that the goal will be to encourage citizen involvement in the planning process. She stated that the next Commission meeting could be dedicated to working out a plan and a recommendation to the City Council. Eck asked if the group of stakeholders had been defined. Shaffer stated that the stakeholder groups will differ depending upon the area to be addressed. McAleese suggested that it would be helpful to have a map of the area including identification of the areas where there are development agreements in place. Grimes stated that it would be unlikely that the Olympic Printing site would be purchased without City assistance. In regard to the suggestion that a portion of the Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 Page 5 property be used for open space, Knoblauch stated that this would be impossible without substantial investment from the City. There was discussion regarding the lack of a defined scope and focus in the directive from City Council. Groger suggested that the scope should be expanded beyond the Olympic Printing site. McAleese stated that the Commission will also need to define the level of detail to be included in their final recommendation regarding the redevelopment. Groger stated that he would prefer the final recommendation be a general statement of goals for the area. e Grimes suggested that the Commission contact the Golden Valley Business Council since they could be instrumental in organizing the input of the businesses along the corridor. McAleese stated that the Commission should also address a budget for the Task Force to cover miscellaneous expenses such as mailing, mapping, expert fees, etc. Grimes suggested that the Commission may also want to consult with traffic experts to discuss improving transit in this area. He stated that Minnetonka, Hopkins and St. Louis Park are all looking at circulator systems. Eck asked if there are statistics available on the number of people that both live and work in Golden Valley. Grimes responded that he did not know the exact number but would estimate approximately 10%. He indicated that the circulator system is also geared for lunch hour traffic and to transportation to MTC transit stations. e It was decided to dedicate the next Commission meeting to discussion of the 394 corridor redevelopment issue. The following items will be addressed: · define land area (scope) · define stakeholders · define process steps . define time frame · define goals and type of product · determine budget requirements There was discussion regarding whether or not an HRA member should be invited to attend the meeting. Grimes suggested that the Commission prepare their proposal and present it at a future HRA meeting. Grimes stated that the Commission will want input from the Engineering Department in regard to a traffic plan for this area. Groger suggested that it would be helpful to have a list of the properties in the area that are currently non-conforming. McAleese questioned if the Commission should tour the area. It was decided that Commission members should tour the area on their own prior to the next meeting. Staff will provide Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission June 14, 1999 Page 6 maps, a list of the non-conforming properties and aerial photos (if possible including property lines) for the next meeting. V. Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m. 1<~~ Richard Grager, Sec ry - e