01-23-17 PC Minutes Regular Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 23, 2017
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 23, 2017. Chair Segelbaum called the meeting to order at 7:08 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Baker, Blenker, Johnson, Kluchka,
Segelbaum, and Waldhauser. Also present were Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman,
Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner, and Administrative Assistant Lisa
Wittman. Commissioner Blum was absent.
1. Approval of Minutes
November 14, 2016, Regular Planning Commission Meeting
Baker referred to the fifth paragraph on page five and stated that the word "they" in the
last sentence should be changed to "the City."
Waldhauser referred to the sixth paragraph on page five and stated that the word "they" in
the first sentence should be changed to "the Planning Commission."
Waldhauser referred to the discussion on page seven regarding outdoor storage in a side
or rear yard and questioned if the discussion was about "allowing" paved surfaces for
storage, or if it was about "requiring" storage to be located on a paved surface. The
consensus was to change the wording from "allowing" to "requiring."
Waldhauser referred to the third paragraph on page nine and stated that the word "not"
should be removed from the first sentence.
MOVED by Waldhauser, seconded by Baker and motion carried unanimously to approve
the November 14, 2016, minutes with the above noted corrections.
2. Discussion of 2016 Planning Commission Annual Report
Zimmerman presented the 2016 Planning Commission Annual Report. He discussed
some of the highlights in the report which include: the number of applications considered,
the number of Zoning Code text amendments reviewed, the number of staff led
discussions/presentations, planning applications by type, the number of planning
applications recommended for approval or denial, and some of the major projects
considered by the Commission.
Baker noted that the top three trends in the types of applications in the last five years
have been Conditional Use Permits (CUP), Planned Unit Developments (PUD), and
Subdivisions. Zimmerman noted that a number of the Subdivision proposals came after
the recession in 2014 which prompted the Subdivision Moratorium. He stated that Light
Industrial and Industrial uses have not been as hot as Commercial uses which has
Minutes of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
January 23, 2017
Page 2
prompted applicants to ask for Conditional Use Permits in the Light Industrial and
Industrial zoning districts.
Johnson questioned if it would be worth noting in the report the changes or impacts the
City has seen since the PUD section of the Zoning Code was amended. Kluchka agreed
that the information might be valuable to measure. Zimmerman stated that he could break
out the types of PUDs shown in the report.
Zimmerman showed the Commissioners several maps from the report which showed
where various types of planning applications were clustered. Baker said it might be
helpful to highlight the "clustered" areas and show how they relate to the Land Use Map.
Kluchka said there might be value in showing projects that have been approved and are
pending but haven't been built yet and it might be useful to provide a TIF status.
Zimmerman agreed.
Johnson asked if there has been any significant difference in City Council decisions
versus Planning Commission recommendations. Zimmerman said there weren't any
differences between the two in 2016.
Segelbaum discussed some of the messages the Planning Commission has sent to the
City Council regarding issues they've heard from residents during public hearings such as
the concerns about traffic with Central Park West and opinions about the use of the R-2
Zoning District.
Waldhauser referred to the duties of the Planning Commission shown in the report and
said she didn't realize the Planning Commission could conduct special studies at the
initiative of the Planning Commission and/or specific direction from the City Council. She
also referred to the duties regarding HRA projects and said it seems that the Planning
Commission has just been informed of HRA projects and has not really been reviewing
them. Segelbaum agreed that the language regarding the duties of the Planning
Commission could be clearer. Baker stated that the Comprehensive Plan update process
will be a good catalyst to the things the Planning Commission wants to address.
3. Discussion of 2016 Board of Zoning Appeals Annual Report
Goellner referred to the 2016 BZA Annual Report which summarizes the variances
requested in 2016 as well as variances over the past five years. She discussed some of
the highlights in the report which include: the total number of variances, variance
requests by type and area, and BZA decisions (approved, denied, or tabled requests).
Goellner referred to maps of the City and discussed some of the variances in particular
areas such as the Tyrol area which has challenging lot sizes and topography. She
discussed some of the trends and noted that there were no overwhelming increases in
the amount of variances in 2016 versus prior years. She added that side and front yard
variances and variances from the articulation requirement were the most popular
requests.
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January 23, 2017
Page 3
Baker said he would like to see the trends in the number of variances approved.
Goellner said that future annual reports will be enhanced to show more data and trends.
Waldhauser stated that reviewing the duties of the Board of Zoning Appeals was
helpful.
Segelbaum referred to front yard variance requests and stated that historically, the
Board of Zoning Appeals has been protective of front yards. He asked the
Commissioners if they feel that is still the case. Waldhauser said she thinks the Board
does a good job of protecting front yards and views. Johnson said he thinks the Board
has been consistent and has good group discussions. Kluchka agreed and said the
Board is very specific about considering practical difficulties when making their
decisions. Goellner added that staff tries to work with applicants and to make it clear to
them that they should try to exhaust all other options before applying for a variance.
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 Douglas Drive reconstruction project and stated that
the project should be complete in the fall of 2017. He stated that the Cornerstone Creek
apartments are now open and that construction on the Hello apartments is still ongoing.
Kluchka asked about the Highway 55 slip ramp project schedule. Zimmerman stated that
the City has been working with MnDOT and that the project should begin in the spring or
early summer. Zimmerman gave an update on the Liberty Crossing project and the Talo
apartment project.
Johnson stated he was reviewing the state statute regarding comprehensive plans and
noted that the Planning Commission is supposed to approve the Plan but he did not see
that in the timeline Zimmerman gave to the Commissioners. Zimmerman explained that
there will be a series of checkpoints along the way, there will be a joint commission
meeting when a draft copy of the Plan is ready, the Plan will go to neighboring
communities for their review, and then it will come back to the Planning Commission for
approval before it goes to the City Council for final approval.
5. Other Business
• Council Liaison Report
Council Member Schmidgall gave an update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force
process. Zimmerman noted that the Task Force's work will be in the Transportation
chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. Goellner stated that it will also be on the
Comprehensive Plan page on the City's web site.
Schmidgall gave an update on the Brookview Community Center construction. He also
told the Commissioners about a group trying to organize a cross country skiing event
near Sweeney and Twin Lakes.
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January 23, 2017
Page 4
6. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 pm.
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John Klu a, Secretary Lisa Wittman, Administrative Assistant