11-21-94 Valley Square Area C Task Force Minutes VALLEY SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT
AREA C TASK FORCE
Minutes of Novernber 21, 1994 Meeting
Present: Griffiths, Hackett and Alternate Rockman, Jafvert, Johnson, LeSuer,
Martens, Mundt, Pentel , Rappaport, Schmidt, Strande. Absent: None. (NOTE:
Hackett and Rockman each missed a part of the meeting. )
Chair Mundt called the meeting to order in the Council Conference Room at 6:34
PM.
Minutes
MOVED by Schmidt, seconded by Rappaport and motion carried unanimously to
approve the minutes of November 9, 1994 as presented.
On-Site Tour - Visual Impressions
Chair Mundt asked the members to share their visual impressions after the on-
site walking tour on Sunday, November 13. The following issues were raised:
° There is about a 15 ft. drop from Golden Valley Road to Highway 55.
This can allow for creative design on the site.
° Drainage retention for the site must be dealt with -- could this be an
amenity, or could the City purchase rights off site?
° A sea of parking would be the first impression under a lot of the
plans -- perhaps buildings should be located to break up the parking and
shared parking should be explored.
° There's a lot of noise near Highway 55, which decreases as you move to
the north end of the site -- perhaps buildings and landscaping could
help to screen the noise, but multi-family housing might be adversely
affected by the noise.
° There is significant landscaping going in along Winnetka and at the
southwest and northwest corners of the block which become additional
"givens".
° There is no sidewalk planned along Highway 55 or from the highway to the
driveway on Winnetka.
° There is a desire for better pedestrian access to and from the block
along Winnetka at places other than street intersections.
° A bus stop has been included in the development of Golden Valley Road at
the northeast corner of the site.
° Existing pedestrian bridge across Highway 55 is not very attractive and
could be enhanced to improve appearance and usefulness.
-2-
Post Office Negotiations
Jeanne Andre presented the preliminary site plan for the Post Office and fielded
questions about the development process. After some discussion the Task Force
voted on two Area C criteria which are to be forwarded to the Housing and
Redevelopment Authority now as an interim report for consideration as part of
the development agreement for the Post Office.
MOVED by Martens, seconded by Johnson and motion carried unanimously to adopt
the following Interim Criteria C-1 for Area C Redevelopment: An easement for
passive public recreation on the westerly portion of the Post Office site
reserved for future expansion should be provided in perpetuity, or until the
Post Office expands its facility, so that the new Post Office will be more
accessible and relate aesthetically to the future development of Area C to the
south and west.
MOVED by Schmidt, seconded by Strande and motion carried unanimously to adopt
the following Interim Criteria C-2 for Area C redevelopment: The amount of parking
for Area C is to be maximized which will increase the density and value of the
potential uses to be developed and provide for the highest and best use of Area
C. Suggestion: a parking level or levels for public parking could be developed
below the Post Office garage at the south side of the proposed building.
1981 Valley Square Redevelopment Plan
Lloyd Jafvert highlighted elements of the Valley Square Redevelopment Land Use
Recommendations as presented in the 1981 report. He noted that he believes many
of the conclusions in the report are still valid as are the maps which high-
light strengths and weaknesses of the downtown.
Points for the Task Force to consider are as follows:
° The plan called for consolidation of retail in the district and con-
version to neighborhood convenience-type retail , which would actually mean a net
loss of 8,000 sq. ft. of retail .
° Area C was proposed to combine daytime otfice and service uses with
complimentary nighttime uses such as restaurant and theater.
° Area A was considered to be the driving force financially for the
district. Since Area A has not developed, it may turn out that other parts of
the district, if done well , may end up enhancing the financial viability of Area
A.
° The plan highlights the need for a mix of retail space focusing on
retail convenience goods and the possibility of 26,000 sq. ft. of additional
medical/office space.
Jafvert believes that whatever happens in Area C should relate to all of Valley
Square on such issues as increased density, improved pedestrian access, taking
advantage of the creek, and creation of a viable retail core with housing and
office support.
. , ,
-3-
The Committee discussed how the development of criteria for Area C should
relate to the rest of the area. Consensus is that issues of massing, siting,
density, access and public space should relate to all of Valley Square.
Site Plans
Jeanne Andre presented a sampling of site plans submitted by developers or pre-
pared by planners for Area C. Members discussed advantages and disadvantages of
the plans.
Future Task Force Activities - Schedule
The meeting schedule for the rest of the Task Force activities was discussed
with the following schedule established:
Date Time
December 5 6:45 PM
December 22 6:30 PM
January 3 6:30 PM
January 19 6:30 PM
January 26 6:30 PM
Ideas suggested for possible meetings include a report on the Peter Calthorpe
video, review of slides, discussion with developers and/or planners on the
nature of the criteria, Consultant Sam Poppleton, development of the criteria,
and completion of the agenda for this meeting which includes reports on the
streetscape, definition of tasks, recommendation on mission/responsibilities,
and meeting with the City Manager to discuss the criteria. Chair Mundt will
outline agenda activities for the future meetings.
Visitor Comments
A visitor inquired about the proposed Hennepin County bike trail and how it
might relate to Area C. Paula Pentel reported on the proposed trail which will
follow the railroad right-of-way west of Rhode Island, proceed down Rhode Island
and connect to Golden Valley Road at the northeast corner of Area C. It was
pointed out that the Valley Square area is the only place the trail will inter-
sect a retail area.
MOVED by Rappaport, seconded by Griffiths and motion carried unanimously to
adjourn the meeting at 10:00 PM.
Jeanne Andre
HRA Coordinator
JA:pb