3-23-15 Agenda PacketAGENDA
GOLDEN VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
Regular Meeting
Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road
Council Conference Room, Monday, March 23, 2015
7:00 PM
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Regular and Joint Meeting Minutes — February 23, 2015
3. Annual Report Review
4. By -Law Review
5. Chair and Vice -Chair Elections
6. Program/Project Updates (Staff)
a) Monthly
1. Water Resources (provide updates to DeCola Ponds, TMDLs,
Wetlands, and other)
2. Private Developments
3. Blue Line LRT Extension
b) Quarterly
1. Recycling/Solid Waste
2. Inflow/infiltration
c) Semiannually
1. Energy (133 Benchmarking, Solar, Building & Lighting projects)
7. Commission Member Council Reports (Commissioners)
8. Other Business
9. Adjourn
This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72 -hour request. Please call
763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats
may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette,; etc.
GOLDEN VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
Regular Meeting
Minutes
February 23, 2015
Present: Commissioners Tracy Anderson, Lynn Gitelis, Dawn Hill, Larry
Johnson, Jim Stremel, Eric Eckman, Public Works Specialist; and
Lisa Nesbitt, Administrative Assistant
Absent: Commissioner: Tonia Galonska and Debra Yahle
Call to Order
Stremel called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes — January 26, 2015
MOVED by Hill, seconded by Gitelis, and the motion carried unanimously to
approve the minutes of the January 26, 2015 regular meeting.
Program/Project Updates
The complete program/project summary is on file.
Commission Member Council Reports
None.
Other Business
The commissioners discussed the 2015 Work Plan and the annual report. These
items will be reviewed at the March meeting and then presented to Council at a
future work session.
Adjourn
MOVED by Gitelis, seconded by Hill, and the motion carried to adjourn.
Lisa Nesbitt
Administrative Assistant
Joint Meeting of the
Golden Valley Environmental Commission, and Open Space and Recreation
Commission
February 23, 2015
A joint meeting of the Environmental Commission and Open Space and Recreation
Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall, Council Chambers, 200 Brookview
Parkway, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday, February 23, 2015. Chair Jim Stremel
called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.
Those present were, Environmental Commissioners Anderson, Gitelis, Hill, Johnson and
Stremel; Open Space and Recreation Commissioner Steinberg. Also present was Public orks
Specialist Eric Eckman, Park Maintenance Supervisor Al Lundstrom, Administrative Assist nt
Lisa Nesbitt and Deric Deuschle from Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH)
Approval of Joint Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2014
MOVED by Gitelis, seconded by Anderson and the motion carried unanimously to approve the
minutes of the November 24, 2014 joint meeting.
Natural Resource Management Plan
Eckman opened the discussion with a brief review of the survey findings and then went on to
outline the main points within Sections 5 and 6. Comments/suggestions from the
commissioners included:
• Include the section number in the footer
Section 5
• Include a paragraph regarding strategies for dealing with invasive species and
invasive pests.
Section 6
• Commissioners suggested including the estimated cost for ongoing maintenance for
each improvement project listed in the implementation matrix.
• Include the need to develop a maintenance schedule, to complete the tree inventory]
and develop educational topics and schedule.
• Include task item to look for available funding
Additional comments can be submitted to staff through March 15tH
MOVED by Gitelis, seconded by Johnson and the motion carried unanimously to approve the
draft, as it will be amended.
The Plan will be presented at a Council/Manager meeting in April.
3. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.
Lisa Nesbitt
Administrative Assistant
C1ry of
go1de;nK11*d`1*1i
Y
2014 ANNUAL REPORT
GOLDEN VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
Prepared by Jim Stremel, Chair
April 2015
In accordance with Section 2.50, Subd. 4 of the Golden Valley City Code, and the bylaws of the
Environmental Commission, the Golden Valley Environmental Commission submits the
following summary of its 2014 activities and accomplishments, and the proposed
recommendations for the Commission's 2015 work plan priorities.
The primary focus of the Environmental Commission during 2014 was developing the City's first
Natural Resources Management Plan.
In addition, at the monthly Commission meetings, program and project updates were routinely
received from staff. Updates provide the Commission with an opportunity to review and
provide comment on current projects and programs, from an environmental perspective, and
to identify issues that the Commission may want to address in the future.
Natural Resources Management Plan
The Commission worked jointly with the Open Space and Recreation Commission to develop a
draft plan that will be forwarded to City Council for review at a work session in the near future.
Major contributions include:
• Plan scoping process — the Commission provided a framework for the plan, including
brainstorming issues and concerns, and ideas that need to be incorporated into the
plan.
• Citizen Survey —the Commission developed a qualitative survey to solicit community
input on natural resources and the City's Nature Areas and Open Spaces.
• Vision, Goals and Objectives — the Commission provided direction to staff and the
consultant as the plan was developed.
Guidelines for City -owned Open Space parcels and right-of-way
In response to inquiries and requests from the public about City -owned vacant parcels and
unimproved rights-of-way, staff created an inventory of all City -owned open space parcels and
rights-of-way and asked the Commission for direction on how to respond to requests and also
encroachments, and explore ways to improve the use and appearance of these properties.
With input from City staff, the City Attorney, and other cities, the Commission created general
guidelines which are summarized in a memorandum from Eric Eckman, attached to this report.
These guidelines may be further refined and incorporated into the appendix of the Natural
Resources Management Plan or future natural resource communications to the public.
New Initiatives for Greener Practices
As directed by City Council, the Environmental Commission worked to develop a list of new
initiatives for greener practices that residents, businesses, or the larger community may engage]
in. The Commission brainstormed to form a large list, organized it by category, and evaluated
the list to determine which ideas to recommend pursuing in 2015. Two ideas rose to the top of
the list:
• Composting and Organics/Food Waste Recycling options available to Golden Valley
residents
-,
• Evaluation of transportation options and alternatives in GoIJ& Vey
These items are discussed in a bit more detail below in the 20�w - * lan priorities section of
this report. The full list of greener practices is attached to thlkieportference.
Curbside Recycling Program
January 1, 2012 was the start of the City's single -sort curbside recycling prograhe,City has
been tracking the progress of its program, which is summarized in the attached orandum
from Mark Ray.
Recommendations for 2015 Work Plan Priorities
The Commission is presenting the following initiatives as recommendations for its 2015 work
plan, in order of priority.
1. Composting and Organics/Food Waste Recycling
a. Explore the ot'ons available to Golden Valley residents
b. Research emerging technologies and programs
c. Comm tate in tion to citizens
2. Transportatrori rnative f._ valuation
a. Identify a :va t sr ation options available to Golden Valley residents,
including a p _ Tian11 FT a review.
b. Develop a co m ations plan*`to inform residents about the available
transportation opt i incl ding alternatives to automobile use.
c. Explore potential tram ation planning efforts and efficiencies that would
enhance service withi ; olden Valley.
3. Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP) implementation
a. Establish natural resource based educational topics
b. Develop a natural resources communications plan (including schedule) to better
inform residents about natural resources in Golden Valley
c. Oversee completion of a detailed field inventory of all City -owned open space
parcels, as recommended in NRMP
d. Explore the expansion of natural resource based citizen participation, volunteer
opportunities and grant opportunities and prioritize these efforts within the
nature areas and open spaces.
G:\Environmental Commission\Annual Report\2015 GVEC Annual Report.docx
BYLAWS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY
Article I: Mission Statement
The Environmental Commission has been established to advise and make
recommendations to the City Council in matters relating to and affecting the
environment. Specifically, the Commission shall:
Develop and make recommendations to educate the public on environmental
regulations, policies, practices and tools;
2. Develop and make recommendations as an advisory review body for
amendments to or revisions of the city's Surface Water Management Plan and
provide advice as requested by the Council on other city programs and
initiatives;
3. Review and make recommendations regarding the city's existing environmental
ordinances, policies and guidelines;
4. Develop and make recommendations on management practices for the city's
nature areas, public and private ponding areas, and other such city -owned
properties as directed by the City Council;
5. Participate, as directed by the City Council, in local activities initiated by other
public and quasi -public agencies regarding environmental issues;
6. Advise and recommend such other functions or procedures as may be assigned
to them by the City Code or the Council.
Article II: Membership, Meetings, Attendance and Annual Report
Membership
a. The Environmental Commission membership shall consist of seven (7)
members who shall serve three-year staggered terms. Emphasis in
appointments will be based on knowledge of environmental issues and their
relationships to the natural environment and quality of life in the City.
2. Meetings
a. The Commission will hold monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of the
month at 7:00 p.m.
b. A quorum consisting of a majority of the appointed membership is
necessary to transact the business of the Commission.
C. The Commission may hold special meetings to complete or initiate
business at the call of the chairperson or at the request of three members
d. Each member shall be notified at least 48 hours notice of a special
meeting regarding the time, place and purpose of the meeting.
e. All meetings will be open to the public.
3. Attendance
Attendance is required at all meetings. Absences in one year should not exceed
three consecutive meetings or more than 25 percent of the total meetings for the
year. A standardized letter of warning will be sent from the respective chair to
any member after two missed meetings. If a member exceeds the allowable
number of absences, the Mayor will send a standardized letter, stating that the
member must step down because of the importance of regular attendance. If
the Commission feels there are extenuating circumstances in a case of a
member who has not met the attendance requirements, the Commission may
send a letter to the Council explaining the situation and requesting an exception.
If a member is unable to attend a meeting, that member should contact the staff
liaison, who will inform the chair if a quorum cannot be attained and the meeting
will be cancelled.
4. Annual Report
On March 1 of each year, the Commission shall provide the City Council with a
written annual report outlining its activities over the past year and its proposed
activities for the upcoming year.
Article III: Appointment, Terms and Vacancies
1. Appointments
The Council shall make appointments to the Commission at its last meeting in
April, effective May 1. The members shall begin their term at the Commission's
first meeting in May.
2. Terms
Members will serve three-year staggered terms.
3. Vacancies
If a vacancy occurs before the end of the term, interim appointments may be
made by the Council.
GAEnvironmental Corn mission\Miscellaneous\Bylaws\BylawRevisionMarch2015-redline. doc
Article IV: Officers, Elections and Duties
Officers
The Environmental Commission will have two officers: a chairperson and a vice
N member shall serve as Ghair for mere than tfi�in ie�rc in three
chairperson. ..r�-la�fl...,,.,..,..�...,......, ..,, .,..w.. ,.,, ,,,.,,� , u
„ea peried7Terms of office shall be for a maximum of two years and shall
rotate. The Chair and Vice -Chair shall not serve consecutive terms.
2. Election of Officers
The Commission will elect officers at the May meeting each year. Officers will
serve until the next election.
3. Duties of Officers
The Commission Chairperson will:
➢ Work with staff liaison to develop meeting agendas.
➢ Conduct and preside over monthly meetings in a productive, timely manner.
➢ Monitor and ensure the progress of the Commission.
➢ Report to the City Council.
➢ Assure that the Commission conducts its activities within its mission and
bylaws.
The Commission Vice Chairperson will:
➢ Preside over any meeting in the Chairperson's absence.
Article V: Amendments and Revisions
The Commission will review these bylaws every three years, at the March meeting.
Members will present recommendations for changes and amendments. These bylaws
can be altered or amended at any regular monthly Commission meeting, provided that
notice of the proposed changes and amendments is mailed to each member at least
ten business days before the meeting. The Council must review and approve any
changes to, and has final authority regarding, these bylaws.
Revised by the Env. Comm. 06/27/05;
Adopted by the Env. Comm. 07/24/00;
Adopted by the City Council 09/05/00.
GAEnvironmental Com miss ion\MisceIla neous\Bylaws\BylawRevis ion March201 5 -red line. doc
CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees,
Boards and Councils
INTRODUCTION:
The City Council wishes to express its appreciation to the many citizens who take time
away from their personal and professional lives to serve the community through their
membership on the Council's advisory groups. Golden Valley has had a history of
extensive citizen involvement. At present approximately 60 advisory commission, board,
and committee members participate in providing specialized expertise so that Council
decisions can be made with more complete background and knowledge than would
otherwise be possible. The Council and the entire community benefit from this invaluable
service.
Golden Valley is a statutory city. The legislature established it as a city in the early 1970's.
The State Statutes provide: "In any such city, there shall be...no administrative board or
commission... the Council shall itself perform the duties and exercise the powers and shall
govern and administer the functions for which no independent boards are authorized by
statute. The Council, may, however, create boards or commissions to advise the Council
with respect to any municipal function or activity or to investigate any subject of interest in
the City." This Council, and others before it, recognizes the many advantages to be gained
from this approach.
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to the Council's advisory commissio
The Council is directly responsible for the actions of its advisory commissions. It is hoped
that through these guidelines the expectations of the Council, with respect to its advisory
commissions will be clearly understood and followed. The Mayor and Council Members
welcome any request for discussion or clarification of information that is contained or
thought appropriate to be contained in these guidelines. The goals of the Council are bett
communication with its advisory commissions and better service to the citizens of Golden
Valley.
CURRENT GOLDEN VALLEY STANDING COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS:
The Golden Valley City Council currently has five standing advisory commissions. They
are:
Environmental Commission
Human Rights Commission
Open Space and Recreation Commission
Planning Commission
Teen Committee
There is one advisory foundation: Golden Valley Human Services Fund.
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils
Page 2
The Civil Service Commission is an independent commission that has absolute control and
supervision over the employment, promotion, discharge, and suspension of police officers,
of the Police Department, as stipulated under State Statutes.
The Board of Zoning Appeals hears requests for variances from the City Zoning Code and',
makes final determination on all requests unless such requests are denied and appealed to
the City Council as stipulated under State Statutes.
Short term advisory committees are appointed as needed.
These Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils apply to
each of these groups as appropriate and as permitted by the laws and ordinances which
establish them.
I. LEGAL BASIS OF ADVISORY COMMISSIONS
As stated above the State Statutes govern the creation of Council advisory groups. These
groups are authorized to exercise all duties which the Council has legally assigned to them.
They are frequently authorized to conduct research and make recommendations. It should
be remembered, however, that advisory commissions may not make decisions on behalf of
the Council. In many cities, it is routine practice for the Council to accept an advisory
commission recommendation if the commission has done a thorough and competent job. I
must be emphasized, however, that it is the Council's final decision on the matter and not
simply the commission recommendation which is effective to bind the municipality. No
recommendation of any advisory commission takes effect unless it has been adopted by
formal action of the Council. These advisory commissions may be organized in any manner
deemed appropriate by the Council. The City Council may create and dissolve them,
appoint persons to serve on them, and exercise powers of general supervision over them.''.
A Planning Commission, however, must be established by ordinance and, once established
may be dissolved only by an ordinance, which passes, by 2/3 majority vote of the Council.,
II. OPEN MEETING LAW
All meetings of all public bodies in Golden Valley must be open to the public. There can b
no such thing as a "closed", "private", or "executive" meeting or session. The only
exceptions that have been recognized in the past are certain disciplinary actions conducts
by the Police Civil Service Commission and some personnel and legal matters before the
Council.
The Minnesota Statute requiring City Council meetings to be open to the public has been it:
existence for many years. A 1973 amendment and court decisions and rulings by the
Minnesota Attorney General have made commissions, subcommittees, and other public
bodies subject to the statute. Any person violating the open meeting requirement is subject
to civil penalty.
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils
Page 3
Commissions and committees should be careful to observe the requirements of holding alll
meetings in public places and posting notices of meeting dates and times at the City Hall.
Scheduling of meetings with the Manager's Office will help prevent conflict with other
groups over meeting times when public participation is particularly desired. Commission,
board, and committee meetings will not be held on designated legal holidays or recognized
religious holidays.
Any questions regarding the meaning or application of the Open Meeting Law should be
directed to the City Council. The Council will seek such advice from the City Attorney as
may be necessary.
III. COMMISSION ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES
A. Term of Office: Appointments to commissions are made effective May 1 of each year.
The length of each appointment is provided in the governing ordinance or resolution ar
is designated by the Council at the time of the appointment. Each permanent advisory
commission should elect officers not later than its second meeting after May 1 in each
year. The term of office should be one year, unless otherwise specified by the Council,
prior to each election. (Chairpersons of special committees may be appointed by the
Council.)
Voluntary resignations from a commission should be communicated by letter or email
from the person resigning to the Mayor.
Chair and Vice -Chair. The Chair and Vice -Chair shall be elected from the Commissio
membership by its members at its regular Annual Meeting. Terms of office shall be for
maximum of two years and shall rotate. The Chair and Vice -Chair shall not serve
consecutive terms.
B. Attendance: Absences in one year should not exceed three consecutive meetings or
more than 25 percent of the total meetings for the year. (25 percent of meetings would
be three meetings for groups meeting once a month and six meetings for groups
meeting twice a month.) If a member is unable to attend a meeting, that member shoul
contact the staff liaison, who will inform the chair if a quorum cannot be attained and th
meeting will be cancelled.
A standardized letter of warning will be sent from the respective chair to any member
after two consecutive and two total for groups meeting once a month. For those meeting
twice a month the letter would be sent from the chair after two consecutive or five total
absences. If a member exceeds the allowable number of absences the Mayor will sen
a standardized letter stating the member must step down because of the importance of
regular attendance and the number of citizens interested in serving. If a Commission
feels there are extenuating circumstances in a case of a member who has not met the
attendance requirements, the Commission may send a letter to the Council explaining
the situation and request an exception.
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils
Page 4
I
C. By -Laws or Rules of Procedure: Each commission shall propose By -Laws or Rules o
Procedure governing its work. Such proposed By -Laws or Rules of Procedure should be
submitted to the Council for review and approval prior to implementation.
D. Orientation: It shall be the responsibility of the staff liaison to provide to each new
member as soon as possible after that member's appointment, copies of the enabling
ordinance for the board or commission and its current By -Laws or Rules of Procedure,
minutes of meetings of the last one year, these Guidelines, and any other information
necessary to orient of new members. (Note: Council Members who are liaison to a
Commission will meet with the Chairperson and new members as part of the
orientation.)
E. Acting as a private citizen: A commission member testifying before the Council as a
private citizen should clearly note before testimony that he/she is testifying as a privat
citizen.
F Expenditures: Each Commission is authorized to incur those specific expenditures
included in its final budget, as adopted by the Council. Any other expenditures require
specific Council approval prior to the time the obligation is incurred. Council approval is
necessary prior to solicitation of funding from outside sources for any purpose.
G Minutes: A person will be provided by the City to take minutes for the advisory boards
and commissions. All such minutes are matters of public record and shall be kept at th
City Hall. The unapproved minutes will be circulated to the City Council in a timely
manner to allow the Council to be informed on recent actions. The Council will receive
and file approved minutes at the next regular Council Meeting following the approval o.
the minutes by the respective board or commission.
Minutes serve the dual function of making an historical record of commission
proceedings and of informing the Council regarding the commission's activities. The
minutes should, therefore, contain an accurate report of the sequence of events and
names of citizens who appear and are heard. In addition to the formal action of the
commission, a summary of the reasoning underlying such action should be included in
the minutes.
H. Staff Liaison: The Council has adopted a policy of providing a staff liaison for each
commission. The purpose of this policy is to provide direct information to each
commission regarding City policy and practices within its area of interest.
The City operates under the "Plan B City Manager" form of government, in which all
employees are hired and supervised by the City Manager, who in turn is responsible to,,
the Council. Neither the Council nor any commission member has the authority to direct
staff personnel. Any commission recommendations for modification of City policy and
practices should be directed to the Council. The liaison will periodically inform the Chair
on the members' attendance, particularly when warnings must be sent as provided in
Section 111.6, and copy to the City Manager to forward to the City Council.
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils
Page 5
Council Liaison(s): Each year, at its organizational meeting, the Council shall assign
one or more liaison to each Board or Commission. The Council Liaison(s) will meet at
least annually with the Board or Commission to which he or she is assigned. These
meetings can serve as an informal means for the exchange of information between the
Council and the Board or Commission, but all formal communication shall follow
procedures as outlined in Section IV.
J. Subcommittees: From time to time, the Council may appoint subcommittees of certain
commissions in order that special attention be concentrated in specified areas. At the
same time, the Council also wants the opinion of the commission regarding each
subcommittee's recommendations.
Each subcommittee should submit any report or recommendations intended for the
Council, first to the Commission for review and comment. Such review and comment
should take place at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Commission. If it doe
not, the report or recommendation of the subcommittee shall be forwarded to the
Council without Commission consent.
The subcommittee report or recommendation, together with the commission's
comments, should be submitted to the Council at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
As in the case of commission presentations, a spokesperson for the subcommittee
should attend the Council meeting and be prepared to make a presentation and answer
questions.
The Commission is free to appoint subcommittees of their membership as the
commission sees a need.
IV. COMMUNICATIONS TO AND FROM COMMISSIONS
A. Council Requests to Commissions: From time to time, the Council will refer items to'
commissions for recommendation. The purpose of such a referral is to assist the
Council in gathering all pertinent facts and sharpening the issues. The request will be
referred to the commission in writing by the Mayor.
The Council would request a written report from each commission with regard to each
such referral. The report should set forth all the pertinent facts and detailed
recommendations from the commission. The report should be submitted to the Council
Administrative Assistant the Wednesday before the Council meeting so that it may be
included in the agenda.
Any time a commission report comes before the Council, one representative of the
commission should be present to make a presentation and answer questions. In the
event there is a difference of opinion on the commission, a minority report may be
presented in the same manner.
Guidelines for Advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards and Councils
Page 6
B. Commission Requests to Council: Any commission request or recommendation for
Council action or legal opinion should be communicated by letter from the chairperson
to the Mayor, giving a full explanation of the background of the matter. Along with the
letter, the commission should submit or refer to the pertinent portion of its minutes on
the subject.
C.
The letter to the Mayor should be delivered to the Council Administrative Assistant on
the Wednesday before the Council meeting. A presentation for the commission should
be made by a representative from the commission. A minority report may also be
presented.
Communications with those other than the City Council: Based upon past
experience, the Council believes that there is some potential for misunderstanding
regarding communications with persons and governmental units or agencies other than
the City Council of Golden Valley. It is essential that members of commissions
understand and observe appropriate policies and practices in this regard.
The essential principle involved is that the Council alone has the responsibility and
authority to adopt the decisions, policies, and recommendations of the City of Golden
Valley. The Council values the opinions and advice of its commissions and invites the
communication of the same to the Council. The Council will take such opinions and
advice into account in formulating the City's official position.
This method of proceeding does not preclude a commission from gathering such
information as may be pertinent to its activities. Commissions are free, without prior
Council approval, to make inquiries and to give necessary background for such
inquiries, but careful consideration must be given that these communications cannot be
reasonably construed as statements of official City policy and opinion.
The matter of distribution of information to the public is one that is not capable of
specific rules of practice. In general, any such communication which purports to, or ha:
the effect of communicating an official City position or decision, should be submitted to
the Council for prior approval. Other types of communications, which are purely
informational and do not involve unresolved questions of City policy, may be
disseminated without prior Council approval.
Adopted by the City Council - August 6, 2001
Amended - September 20, 2005
Amended - September 3, 20113
Amended — March 3, 20115
PROGRAM/PROJECT UPDATES — MARCH 2015
PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS
6701 Country Club Drive (Struthers Parkinson's Center)—Final PUD Amendment. Construction
of outdoor memory care walk and building expansion. Recommended for approval by the
Planning Commission on February 23. Scheduled for City Council on March 17.
6161 Golden Valley Road (CenterPoint)—Preliminary PUD. Construction of an office/warehous
building on the property that currently contains the peak shaving equipment and operations.
Scheduled for Planning Commission on March 23.
Hotel Parking—Text Amendment. Staff is recommending an amendment to modify the current
parking requirements for hotels from 1.5 spaces per room to 1 space per room. Scheduled for
Planning Commission on March 23.
Height and Side Setback Interpretation—Text Amendment. Based on concerns from residents,
staff has reviewed the current height and side setback requirements for the R-1 Zoning District.
With direction from the Planning Commission, staff will prepare a text amendment to
grandfather single family homes that have submitted building plans for review prior to April 15,
2015. Plans submitted after this date will be reviewed based on the original intent of the 2008
zoning text amendments regulating side setbacks. Scheduled for Planning Commission on
March 23.
Central Park West—Final PUD. Master plan for development of two office towers, two
residential buildings, a hotel, a park, and a parking ramp on the vacant St. Louis Park and
Golden Valley land east of the West End. The parking ramp, a portion of the park, and a portion
of one of the residential buildings are proposed to be located within Golden Valley.
Recommended for approval by the Planning Commission on March 9. Scheduled for City
Council on April 7.
Accessory Structures in the R-1 Zoning District—Text Amendment. Due to changes in the State
building code, the size at which accessory structures require a building permit has increased
from 120 square feet to 200 square feet. Staff is recommending the Zoning Code text be
amended to be consistent with State building code. Planning Commission recommended
approval on March 9. Scheduled for City Council on April 7.
BOTTINEAU TRANSITWAY (Metro Blue Line Extension)
Station Area Planning—The project consultants have begun work on the final report. A
complete draft should be available for review and comment by the Bottineau PAC on April 13. A
final open house to share the contents of the final report and outline next steps in the station
area planning process is being scheduled for mid-May.
Project Planning—The Metropolitan Council hosted a Community Workshop on February 26 at
the Church of St. Margaret Mary to receive public input on the benefits and impacts of the two
potential LRT station locations. Participation was high with over 150 people attending. Based on
this and other information, the Project Office will be approaching the Corridor Management
Committee with a recommendation in April or May regarding adding a second Golden Valley
station to the project budget.
Engineering staff have met with staff from the Three Rivers Park District and the Minneapolis
Park and Recreation Board to begin discussions regarding future trails and trail connections in
the Golden Valley Road station area.
HIGHWAY 55 BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT)
The Highway 55 corridor was studied for potential use with Bus Rapid Transit. Based on the
evaluation, it received high scores compared to other corridors in the Twin Cities area. Staff will
continue to work with the cities of Plymouth and Minneapolis to explore the possibility of
including this corridor in plans for future transit improvements.
RECYCLING/SOLID WASTE
See memo from Mark Ray
city of MWgoldvalV,
l
Y
Date: March 9, 2015
MEMORANDUM
Public Works Department
763-593-8030 / 763-593-3988 (fax)
To: Marc Nevinski, Physical Development Director
From: Mark Ray, PE, Recycling Coordinator
Subject: 2014 Recycling Program Recap
Recycling Tonnage
The amount of material collected over the past few years has been:
• 2014 — 2,153.42 tons (4,306,849 pounds)
• 2013 - 2,237.75 tons (4,475,497 pounds)
• 2012 — 2,361.95 tons (4,723,900 pounds)
The City has received various amounts of revenue sharing over the past few years. In general, the
trend for revenue sharing has been decreasing due to both market value declining, and a
decrease in the weight of materials collected. While the decrease in weight of materials collected
may sound like recycling is decreasing, manufacturers are also using less packaging, and
newspaper/other paper subscriptions/mailings are also on the decline.
• 2014 - $12,832.72
* 2013 - $22,364.67
• 2012 - $74,514.64
Multi-family/Commercial/Institutional Recycling
Currently, four properties participate in the program.
Recycling in the Parks
Recycling in the parks will resume April 1, 2015 (weather permitting) and continue until the end
of October (weather permitting). Recycling carts are permanently located at Brookview Park,
Brookview Lawn Bowling, and Isaacson Park (Little League fields). Other recycling carts are moved
to various parks on a temporary basis depending on rentals or other needs.
G:\Environmental Commission\Memos\2014 Recycling summary.doo
Presentations
Staff presented at Peaceful Valley Montessori Academy in 2014. This was the second consecutive
year of the presentation.
Mighty Tidy Day
The annual Mighty Tidy Day was Saturday, October 11, at Brookview Park.
Attendance history:
• 2014 —543 trips (made by 487 unique vehicles)
• 2013 — 549 trips
• 2012 — 488 trips
Items brought to the event included:
• 5,950 pounds of Ns
• 5,805 pounds of miscellaneous electronics
• 299 batteries
• 532 fluorescent bulbs
* 117 appliances
• 15.06 tons of trash
• 78 tires
• 9,726 pounds of paper was shredded
• Bridging collected 13,500 pounds of furniture and housewares (nearly an entire semi -
truck)
• PRISM filled their van and extra items were transported separately
Fall Leaf Drop
The Fall Leaf Drop continues to occur over three weekends in late October and early November.
• 2014 -1,238 unique vehicles made 2,267 trips to drop off leaves
• 2013 - 723 unique vehicles made 1,318 trips to drop off leaves
• 2012 —1,216 unique vehicles made 2,202 trips to drop off leaves
2015 Fall Leaf Drop
The annual Fall Leaf Drop Off event will occur on the following days at Brookview Park:
• Saturday, October 31, from 8 am to 1 pm
• Friday, November 6, from 8 am to 4 pm
• Saturday, November 7, from 8 am to 1 pm
• Saturday, November 14, from 7 am to 1 pm
2014 Initiatives — Check-in
1. Have more residents sign up for the City's recycling updates email listserve. As of earlier
this year (2015), 1,160 emails (some being City staff) are registered to receive updates.
This is a 36% increase from 851 emails at the start of 2014.
G:\Environmental Commission\Memos\2014 Recycling Summary.docx
2. Mail a recycling informational flyer to all curbside recycling customers in early 2013. This
is done as part of the requirement from Hennepin County for recycling education efforts.
The mailing occurred in late 2014 as part of a coordinated communication effort to
educate residents not to put carts in the street due to the impact on street maintenance
operations.
3. Continue to evaluate the recycling in the Parks pilot program. Due to the success of this
program, it is no longer considered a pilot program. While the number of parks has not
expanded, the number of carts in the parks has increased due to demand.
4. Provide more promotion on Hennepin County's A -to -Z Guide for Disposal, Choose to
Reuse Program, Recycle Half, and Fix -It Clinics. This effort will continue in 2015. The City
also hosted a Fix -It -Clinic in December 2014 and hopes to repeat this in 2015.
2015 Initiatives
1. Continue to promote residents signing up for the City's recycling updates email listserve.
2. Mail a recycling informational flyer to all curbside recycling customers in late 2015.
3. Continue the Recycling in the Parks program.
4. Continue to promote Hennepin County's A -to -Z Guide for Disposal, Choose to Reuse
Program, Recycle Half, and Fix -It Clinics.
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