10-09-17 PC Minutes - Comp Plan Special Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
October 9, 2017
A special meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall,
Council Chambers, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Monday,
October 9, 2017. Chair Baker called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Baker, Black, Blenker, Blum, Johnson,
Segelbaum, and Waldhauser. Also present were Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman
and Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner.
1. Comp Plan Work Session — Land Use
Zimmerman introduced the revised land use categories and highlighted ways in which
they were different from the current categories, including using "intensity" instead of
"density" for the residential land uses. The Commissioners discussed how the zoning
districts might be revised to align more closely with the new land use categories and
some potential changes to the lists of permitted and conditional uses.
Baker pointed out some parts of Theodore Wirth Park shown as Active Use and indicated
they really should be classified as Passive Use. In addition, the proposed Park and Ride
area near Golden Valley Road should be guided for Railroad use.
Goellner commented on the Institutional categories and talked about how the new break
down would better reflect impacts to surrounding properties.
Zimmerman and Goellner described the Flexible Use category and talked about the
possibility of creating finro different scales of mixed use nodes: one for neighborhoods and
one for regional attractions. Goellner said she would work to update the description of this
category.
Zimmerman reviewed the four Planning Districts that were being proposed for the
Comprehensive Plan to help guide redevelopment. The Commissioners discussed the
future of the Optum site. Baker indicated he would like to see future uses of the property
include restaurants and commercial spaces. Segelbaum asked about assigning
percentages of various uses to areas guided for Flexible Use and if that could be a way to
prevent too much land converting to multi-family housing. Black asked if zoning
designations could be specific under a Flexible Use scenario.
Waldhauser said she supported more neighborhood scale nodes of mixed use and would
like to see it incorporated into the land use plan where appropriate.
Baker indicated he would not be supportive of reguiding parcels along Glenwood Ave
south of Breck School to a new use until Breck was able to come to the City with a
proposal for the entire area.
The Commissioners discussed the opportunities to encourage commercial uses along
Golden Valley Road near the new Hello apartment building.
Special Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
October 9, 2017
Page 2
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 pm.
_. � \ • 'I.
W
n BI , S ta Li Wittman, Administrative Assistant