11-27-17 PC Minutes - Comp Plan Special Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
November 27, 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,
November 27, 2017. Vice Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Black, Blenker, Blum, Brookins, Johnson,
Segelbaum, and Waldhauser. Also present were Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman
and Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner.
Commissioner Brookins was sworn in by Vice Chair Johnson.
1. Comp Plan Work Session — Resilience and Sustainability
Zimmerman gave a recap of the Comprehensive Plan process, what had been done to
date, and the anticipated schedule for review and approval of the 2040 Comp Plan
through the rest of 2017 and into 2018.
Goellner introduced the draft Resilience and Sustainability chapter and mentioned that
one challenge was to balance the language in the document between the aspirational and
the pragmatic. Segelbaum recommended that staff be selective about where to use
stronger language in the plan.
Segelbaum asked about the timing of the public comment period for the 2040 Comp Plan.
Blum suggested that an open-ended survey could be a good way to garner more
responses during the comment period. Zimmerman said that the Communications staff
would provide a variety of ways for community members to provide input during the public
comment period in 2018.
Johnson suggested that the introduction of each chapter include an outline or bulleted list
of the main points or key takeaways from the chapter. The list could potentially include
what is new, different, or actionable since the last Comp Plan update.
Blum stated he hoped there were ways to achieve the goals and objectives without
having to resort to trade-offs, such as accommodating both solar energy and enhanced
vegetation by placing solar panels on commercial-industrial properties and trees in
residential neighborhoods, for example. Waldhauser said that perhaps "green" policies
should be implemented to the same degree as required storm water regulations.
Blum wondered if Goal 4 (Protect and Enhance the Natural Environment) should be
moved to be Goal 1 since he felt this was the top priority of those who responded to the
Community Survey and who attended the Comp Plan open houses. �Goellner replied that
the Environmental Commission, who drafting the chapter text, had other reasons for
putting Clean Energy as Goal 1, but that she would inquire with the staff liaison for the
Environmental Commission about this idea.
Special Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
November 27, 2017
Page 2
Blenker asked about the City's policies for converting turf to native plantings.
Blum said he would be interested in tying more financial incentives to the Goals of the
Plan, including fining property owners who do not remove invasive species from their
yards. He also worried that showing the City's tree canopy coverage at 40% while
indicating that the healthy level is only 30% might provide future justification for an
increase in tree removals.
Brookins asked if there should be additional mention of homes and buildings as
infrastructure in the Built Environment section of the Existing Conditions. Segelbaum
asked if resiliency/sustainability pays for itself or if the City needs to be tying more money
to these improvements. Waldhauser stated that studies have linked examples of green or
sustainable practices to increased community health.
The Commissioners pointed out the challenge in addressing aspects of sustainability that
are also covered in other chapters of the Plan. Zimmerman stated that some of these
overarching relationships could be explored further in the introductory chapter.
2. Comp Plan Work Session — Parks and Natural Resources
Zimmerman introduced the Parks chapter and mentioned some of the comments that had
been submitted regarding edits, including rewriting Goal 4 (Grow Brookview Golf and
Recreation Area) to separate golf activities from other amenities.
He also noted that comments included placing more emphasis on passive recreation due
to its importance to residents.
Zimmerman added that comments were received about revisiting the calculations for the
ratio of acres of parkland to number of residents. Waldhauser noted that neighborhood
parks are well spread out in the community. Zimmerman stated that the trail system
should continue connecting neighborhood residents to community and regional parks
within the City.
Blum stated that he would like the plan to go further with exploring ways to support or
enhance the park system with private funds (naming rights, sponsorships, etc.).
Waldhauser noted the importance of native species, but asked whether the City Forester
and other staff are aware of which native species are truly sustainable in the long term.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.
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Ron lum, Secretary Lis Wittman, Administrative Assistant