01-25-16 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 25, 2016
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,
January 25, 2016. Chair Segelbaum called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Blum, Johnson, Segelbaum, and
Waldhauser. Also present was Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman, Associate
Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner, and Administrative Assistant Lisa Wittman.
Commissioners Baker, Cera and Kluchka were absent.
1. Approval of Minutes
December 28, 2015, Regular Planning Commission Meeting
MOVED by Waldhauser, seconded by Johnson and motion carried unanimously to
approve the December 28, 2015, minutes as submitted.
2. Review of METRO Blue Line Extension Municipal Consent Plans
Zimmerman explained that the METRO Blue Line Extension plans are reaching the point
of municipal consent and staff is looking for comments or feedback the Planning
Commission may have to pass onto the City Council. Segelbaum asked if there will be a
public hearing as part of the municipal consent process. Zimmerman said yes. He stated
that there will be an open house and a public hearing on February 2 and the Council will
consider the municipal consent plans on February 16.
Zimmerman showed the Commissioners a map of the proposed METRO Blue Line and
gave a brief history of the project including the route selection process, the track location,
the location and layout of stations, and the various committees and opportunities for the
public to comment. He added that a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is
expected in the summer of 2016 and there will still be check-ins and ongoing
communication with the Metropolitan Council after the municipal consent process is
finished.
Segelbaum asked if the Blue Line budget has been scaled back. Zimmerman stated that
the budget for the Blue Line has not been scaled back yet, but it could be revisited and
adjusted because of issues similar to the Southwest Line.
Segelbaum asked about the items of concern listed in the staff report. Zimmerman stated
that the City feels the concerns are being addressed. He referred to the map of the line
and discussed the plans for Golden Valley including: the location of the Traction Power
Substations, the BNSF freight rail tracks being located in the westerly 50 feet of the rail
corridor, enhanced bus pullouts, enhanced bike and pedestrian facilities, a reconstructed
trail within Theodore Wirth Park, and a reconstructed Plymouth Avenue Bridge which
would provide space for the trail and Bassett Creek in the westerly portal.
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January 25, 2016
Page 2
Segelbaum asked if the City would have any control of the work being done
simultaneously through the major thoroughfares in the City. Zimmerman said he believes
the City will have input and added that the construction will be phased over three years.
Zimmerman noted that there will be a park and ride facility at the Golden Valley Road
station which will provide approximately 100 parking spaces for cars as well as parking for
bikes. Segelbaum asked how likely it is that finro stations will be built. Zimmerman said
that the scope of the project includes both stations. Goellner stated that the Blue Line
process is moving faster than the Southwest project so she doesn't think any stations will
be cut from the budget. Waldhauser asked if the ramp at the Golden Valley Road station
will be one story. Zimmerman said yes. Segelbaum asked if parking elsewhere will be
restricted. Zimmerman said parking isn't restricted in the plans yet, but there will likely be
future discussions about parking.
Zimmerman stated that Sochacki Park will be used for construction staging and in
exchange there will be mitigation, restoration and enhancements done to the park.
Waldhauser asked if there will be something done about compaction that will occur.
Zimmerman said he thinks they will, but he hasn't seen plans for that yet.
Segelbaum asked if there will be fencing installed along the length of the track. Goellner
said that will be shown later in the design. Zimmerman pointed out on the map where
some of the fencing and walls will be installed. He added that there will need to be a
balance with letting wildlife across the tracks to access the park and keeping people off
the tracks.
Johnson asked which station is next on the line to the north. Goellner said the next station
is at 42"d Avenue in Robbinsdale. Johnson asked about the rationale for having the two
Golden Valley stations so close to each other. Zimmerman stated that the Plymouth
station will serve more Minneapolis residents and the one on Golden Valley Road will
serve more Golden Valley residents. Goellner added that the light rail would still get from
Brooklyn Park to downtown in 30 minutes, so the timing didn't change much by adding a
second station.
Johnson asked if the Met Council is in charge of running the METRO Blue Line.
Zimmerman stated that Metro Transit will run the Blue Line.
Segelbaum asked if the Planning Commission will be involved in further development
opportunities. Zimmerman stated that as part of the Comprehensive Plan update there
will be a land use plan done around the stations that shows the City arriving at a certain
density in the future.
Waldhauser asked if the City Council has come to a decision about keeping the fire
station in that area. Zimmerman said a study is being done, but he hasn't heard anything
about it yet.
Zimmerman noted that construction of the line would take place in 2018-2020 with the
opening in 2021.
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January 25, 2016
Page 3
Blum asked if there would be video surveillance at the stations. Zimmerman said security
items such as call boxes, video surveillance, and lighting aren't in the design plans yet,
but they will be.
Blum asked if there is any concern that the parking lot in the park near the Plymouth
Avenue station would be overburdened. Zimmerman said the Park Board does have
concerns about that, and are working on ways to address those concerns.
Waldhauser asked if any of the Highway 55 changes will affect access to the south.
Zimmerman said no.
Johnson asked what station is next in line to the south. Goellner said there will be a
station at Penn and Highway 55. She added that riders will be able to get on the light rail
at the Golden Valley Road station and go directly to the airport without changing trains.
After discussion Zimmerman stated that the Planning Commission could forward any
comments they have to him and he would pass them on to the City Council.
3. 2040 Comprehensive Plan Discussion — Community Planning, Community
Background, Land Use
Segelbaum stated that staff would like to review the first three chapters of the existing
Comprehensive Plan and is interested in understanding what demographic data would
be most useful for enhancing the community background chapter, and to begin to
identify land use issues and challenges that would be most prominent during the
update. Zimmerman added that the idea is to look at what was done during the last
Comprehensive Plan update and what to change in this update. He said staff is starting
to consider how to approach this update including things that should be kept, things that
should be removed, and looking forward at demographic information regarding where
Golden Valley is headed.
Segelbaum asked why the existing Comprehensive Plan is called the 2030 plan and the
new plan will be called the 2040 plan. Zimmerman stated that the plan covers 30 years
and is updated every 10 years. Goellner said the Metropolitan Council has the same
time structure for their plans as well.
Johnson said he would like the words "review and update" used when discussing the
Comprehensive plan because the law says cities should be "reviewing and updating"
their Comprehensive Plans. Johnson also said he is questioning what the Planning
Commission's charge is regarding updating the Comprehensive Plan and if economic
competitiveness and sustainability and resilience are in the charter of what they should
be doing. He said he is not saying economic competitiveness and sustainability and
resilience chapters aren't important, he is just trying to understand how it became the
charter of the Met Council. Zimmerman explained that the Met Council doesn't require
economic competitiveness and sustainability and resilience chapters, but they have said
that these are areas cities are becoming more interested in and if cities want to address
those issues they will help review the plans and help determine how they fit in with the
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January 25, 2016
Page 4
larger metro area. Waldhauser said to some extent these issues are addressed in the
existing Comprehensive Plan, they just weren't called out as separate categories. She
said she thinks these are important topics to Golden Valley residents and the City
Council and she sees this as an opportunity to make a Comprehensive Plan for the City,
not just to meet the Met Council's requirements. Johnson said he is concerned about
issues taking on a life of their own and drawing all the energy in different directions.
Johnson asked what the word sustainability means. Goellner said it generally means
keeping resources ready for the next generation.
Goellner handed out information regarding US Census demographic data which
includes data in the existing Comprehensive Plan and potential additional data that
could be used in the updated Comprehensive Plan to help understand and plan for
trends. Zimmerman stated that knowing what has changed since the last
Comprehensive Plan update is also helpful.
Waldhauser said she thinks the potential additional demographic data that should be
included in the Comprehensive Plan update include: the age of Golden Valley residents
and how fast that is changing, homeownership rates and the increase of rental
properties, the cost of housing by area in the community, income for individuals and
families, the degree of poverty, and disability information since the light rail project
would make Golden Valley more accessible.
Segelbaum said he is interested in the population change in the City during the day
versus the evening since that impacts building the City for residents and businesses.
Blum said he is interested in information regarding commuters to and from Golden
Valley and how that has changed. He is also interested in seeing information on foliage
coverage, impervious surface coverage, and a breakdown of the zoning districts and
land use shown in a different color scheme that is easier to read. He said some of the
census information he would like to see includes: the number of people that are
employed or retired, families with children versus single person households because it
may correlate with renting versus owning, traffic accident data, car ownership data,
carbon footprint information, and how many cars a family has to own to live in Golden
Valley to help understand the importance of public transportation.
Waldhauser said she would like to focus on the distribution of families and individuals by
income rather than by race. She said she thinks economic segregation is a growing
problem and something we can address as a community. Blum suggested having data
showing income and location.
Johnson said he would be interested in knowing how accurate past predictions have
been. He said he would also like to see a model of what it would look like if Golden
Valley's density was maxed out. Zimmerman said that information can be obtained
through reviewing the density allowed in each zoning district and category. He also said
that changes that are likely to happen can be discussed in the land use issues and
challenges portion of the Comprehensive Plan. He added that the City currently has a
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January 25, 2016
Page 5
Zoning Map and a future Land Use Map, but it would also be helpful to create an
Existing Land Use Map to use for comparison.
The Commission discussed various areas that may have the opportunity for change
such as the areas around the Light Rail stations, the Douglas Drive Corridor, and the
Highway 55/Winnetka area. Zimmerman stated that staff would also like to review the I-
394 Mixed Use Zoning District and the possibility of having other mixed use areas
elsewhere in the City.
Waldhauser said she would like to see data about what schools Golden Valley kids go
to, and where kids come from to go to Golden Valley schools.
Johnson referred to the proposed sustainability and resilience chapter and questioned if
it is within the Comprehensive Plan's purview to change existing items such as requiring
high efficiency water heaters for example, or if it only applies to future changes as
development occurs or areas change. He questioned what is really most efficient if the
City really wants to make changes. Zimmerman stated that the implementation portion
of the policies and goals should help address sustainability issues. Goellner stated that
the City should look at its existing infrastructure and not put all of the responsibility on
developers to make changes. She added that the Comprehensive Plan update should
also look at the existing housing stock and consider allowing things such as "granny
flats" to address the goal of wanting more affordable housing for seniors, growing
families, and multi-generational housing.
Blum referred to the second sentence in the first bullet point under Land Use Issues and
Challenges on page 3-5 in the Land Use chapter of the existing Comprehensive Plan
and said he is concerned about saying the City only supports one particular type of
aesthetic or design. Waldhauser suggested language regarding preserving the variety
of housing in Golden Valley.
Blum referred to the second sentence in the third bullet point under Land Use Issues
and Challenges on page 3-5 regarding promotion of the Valley Square district as a
community shopping destination and asked why the focus is just on one shopping area.
Zimmerman suggested focusing on different types of nodes instead. Segelbaum
suggested promoting locally owned businesses, rather than chain stores. Zimmerman
stated that could be addressed in the Economic Development section. Goellner added
that breaking the chapters into goals, objectives, and policies is a classic way to format
a comprehensive plan and suggested keeping it in this format. Zimmerman agreed that
it is a good way to check if the goals and policies are still relevant to the City. Goellner
stated that it is also good to think about how objectives are being met when reviewing
development applications. Waldhauser said it would be good to avoid general
statements that are too broad and are sometimes used against the Planning
Commission during public hearings.
Johnson asked if the Planning Commission reviews the entire Comprehensive Plan or if
other groups are responsible for other chapters. Zimmerman said other groups will
amend different sections of the plan, but ultimately the Planning Commission will review
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January 25, 2016
Page 6
the entire document and there will be check-ins and meetings along the way with other
commissions and the City Council.
Blum referred to the last sentence on page 3-13 which states "...the City shall continue
to support economic development and job creation in concentrations serviceable by
transit" and said he would like that to be more prominent and more detailed.
Zimmerman stated that he would like the Commissioners to think about ideas for a
theme that could be used to help tie the different chapters together such as St. Louis
Park's theme of livability. Goellner said she would also like to consider how the first few
chapters can be more forward looking. Zimmerman discussed some of the
inconsistencies he's aware of between the future Land Use Map and the Zoning Map.
Blum said it would be interesting to see some statistics about why people move or stay
and identify what competitive advantage Golden Valley has in keeping people here and
getting people to move here.
Johnson asked if there is any market research data available regarding land use that
can help with decision making. Goellner said there is data available and that ULI
provides an advisory service as well. Zimmerman said the Met Council has a local
planning handbook that has case studies and models to help with development goals.
Segelbaum asked about the next steps and further training. Goellner reminded the
Commission about the upcoming education event for Commissioners on February 29.
She said staff will focus on getting more data prepared.
4. Reports on Meetings of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, City
Council, Board of Zoning Appeals and other Meetings
Zimmerman gave an update on the 3.9.4 Apartment project and stated that a PUD
amendment application from Central Park West regarding their proposed hotel will be
coming to the Planning Commission for review in February.
5. Other Business
• Council Liaison Report
No report was given.
6. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm.
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John Kluchk , Secretary Lisa Wittman, Administrative Assistant