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11-10-03 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission November 10, 2003 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 November 10, 2003. Chair Pentel called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Those present were Chair Pentel and Commissioners Eck, McAleese, Rasmussen and Shaffer. Also present were Director of Planning and Development, Mark Grimes and Administrative Assistant, Lisa Wittman. Commissioners Groger and Keysser were absent. - I. Approval of Minutes - October 27, 2003 Planning Commission Meeting Shaffer referred to page six, paragraph three and stated the wording should be changed to say that a fire engine could not get "into" the parking lot, rather than "through" the parking lot. MOVED by Eck, seconded by Rasmussen and motion carried unanimously to approve the October 27, 2003 with the above noted change. II. Presentation of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) 2004..2008 - Don Taylor, City Finance Director Taylor stated that the CIP is being done earlier this year. He gave the Commissioners an analysis from the previous year's CIP and explained that the format for this year is the same, with seven sections and a summary at the beginning of each section. e Eck referred to the improvements at Highway 55 and Boone Avenue for 4.8 million dollars and asked if that included work being done this winter on the EAW project. Taylor stated that it did and that it would be funded by tax abatement bonds from General Mills. Eck asked how much of the 4.8 million is for the wetland portion. Taylor said he didn't know but that the majority of it is for the intersection, lights and access road. Pentel referred to the previous years' analysis that Taylor handed out and stated that sidewalks were initially at $100,000 but that they remained at $700,000 on page 119 of the current CIP. Taylor explained that in the previous CIP the City was planning to install sidewalks from Highway 55 to Douglas in 2003, but that it was moved to 2004. Pentel asked if all sidewalks are going to be built to concrete standards. Taylor said yes. Pentel referred to the tax increment bonds and stated that it looks as if the amount of increment is more and asked where the extra is. Taylor stated that Golden Hills is the one big TIF District left and that the 2003 legislature gave cities the option of extending. He said that he is going to the HRA to request a three year extension for some extra flexibility. He added that the only other TIF district the City has is Area B. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission November 10, 2003 Page 2 Pentel asked if the Olympic Printing site is the only site left to be redeveloped in the Golden Hills District. Taylor stated yes. Pentel asked if the funds regarding the Joint Water Commission are in the CIP. Taylor said he didn't include anything in the CIP regarding the JWC. Pentel asked how much money has been spent by the JWC. Taylor said $300,000 has been spent between the three cities. Rasmussen referred to page 22 and asked if there is a legal limit as to how many bonds the City can issue. Taylor stated yes and explained that there is no limit on special assessment bonds but that there is a limit on tax abatement bonds and that the City is no where near the legal limit. e MOVED by McAleese, seconded by Eck, and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval of the 2004-2008 Capital Improvement Program as it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. III. Review and comment on the Environmental Assessment Worksheet for Proposed General Mills Wetland and Floodplain Restoration Project Jupe Hale, Project Manager, WSB & Associates, stated that the wetland and floodplain restoration project began when General Mills expanded their headquarters and that they had to do their own EAW at that time. - Hale explained the improvements that will take place to the Highway 55/Boone Avenue intersection including closure of the frontage road and a new access road to the neighborhood south of KARE 11. He stated that Bassett Creek backs up and floods the intersection annually so the road needs to be raised and that they need more space to store water when flooding occurs and that they will be using a levee system on the creek which will keep the water in the creek. Andrea Moffatt, WSB & Associates showed pictures of the area where they are planning to provide the flood plain storage. She said they ended up looking at the General Mills site because of their long range plans and their possible need in the future for wetland and flood plain mitigation. She discussed the types of wetlands that will be in the area including deep marsh, open water and shallow marsh. She explained that the EAW is being done at this time because state rules require an EAW if five acres or more are being excavated. Pentel asked if the neighbors in the area were informed of this meeting. Hale said there was a meeting for the neighbors on November 6, 2003. Grimes asked if the property would be owned by General Mills. Hale said he thinks there will be a conservation easement. Shaffer asked what happened to BP Amoco's plans of constructing a new building at the intersection of Boone Ave. and Highway 55. Grimes said that BP is aware of these plans and that they are making some changes to their plans and the way their building is sited. Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission November 10, 2003 Page 3 Hale stated that BP is going to be giving more easements, moving their building and constructing a pond on their site. Rasmussen asked for the definition of a levee. Hale said it is a dirt mound or an embankment type of a berm. Moffatt added that the levee will keep the water in the creek and will keep it from flooding the road and intersection. Hale explained where the flood water will go and how it will be stored and stated that there will be a shut-off gate for when the creek is too high and a pump that will lift water over the levee. e McAleese asked Hale and Moffatt about their backgrounds. Hale said he is a civil engineer and Moffatt said she is a wetland biologist. Pentel asked how the land would be planted. Moffatt showed pictures and discussed the different types of plants and grasses that will be planted in the area. MOVED by McAleese, seconded by Eck and motion carried unanimously to recommend approval of the environmental assessment worksheet for proposed General Mills wetland and floodplain restoration project to the City Council. e -- Short Recess -- IV. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings Rasmussen reported on the November 5,2003 City Council meeting. V. Other Business Grimes told the Planning Commission that the Board of Zoning Appeals is planning their Holiday party on December 16, 2003 at Brookview and invited them to attend. Grimes showed the Commissioners a copy of the new split level remodeling plan book that was just completed for split level and split entry homes. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8 pm.