03-12-18 PC Minutes (Comp Plan)
Special Meeting of the
Golden Valley Planning Commission
March 12, 2018
A special meeting of the Planning Commission was held at the Golden Valley City Hall,
Council Conference Room, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota, on
Monday, March 12, 2018. Chair Baker called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
Those present were Planning Commissioners Baker, Black, Blum, Brookins, Johnson,
Segelbaum, and Waldhauser. Also present were Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman
and Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner. Commissioner Angell was absent.
1. Comp Plan Work Session – Intro/Community Profile
Zimmerman introduced the Intro/Community Profile chapter and highlighted some of the
key points and reported feedback he had received to date including: adding a description
of some of the social engagement efforts by the residents of Golden Valley and explaining
why the City’s estimates of households and population exceeds the forecasts of the Met
Council.
Baker asked if the language in the chapter was too focused on growth and development.
Zimmerman clarified that managing growth was a requirement of the Met Council, but as
a fully developed community Golden Valley should really be thinking about how the city
will reinvest and redevelop. He also implied that the Comp Plan is focused not just on
physical growth, but also on growth in terms of community values about inclusion,
increased variety and choices in housing and transportation, environmental values, and
more. Zimmerman noted that this chapter can clarify that the City will not be growing in
population just for the sake of growing, and that planning efforts are focused on
reinvestment and reinvention in response the community’s values. Infill development is a
result of those efforts, but not the goal. Growing in a sustainable manner will be
emphasized. Baker suggested adding sustainability as a focus of the introduction.
Blum asked about the two word cloud images and if they were really representative of the
vision of the residents. Baker agreed that they may be slanted towards those who
attended the open house or visited the web site. Zimmerman stated that he would add
more emphasis on the results of the Community Survey, which was sampled from the
population as a whole. Blum added that he did not want to lose the focus on preservation
of the existing large suburban lots in the City. Goellner agreed that it would continue to be
a priority, but that the plan focused more on the aspects of change.
Johnson suggested adding language to encourage the City to partner with others to
provide safe and secure senior housing. He also asked if the Comp Plan should be
questioning the metro area’s fiscal disparities program and how it impacts the ability of
Golden Valley to pay for infrastructure improvements.
Special Meeting of the Golden Valley Planning Commission
March 12, 2018
Page 2
2. Discussion of Planning Articles
Zimmerman referenced several planning-related articles he had sent out in recent months
that dealt with how inner ring suburbs are redeveloping and changing. Baker stated that
he was pleased to see how well-positioned Golden Valley is in terms of its location and
assets.
Blum stated that he has visited New Rochelle, the subject of one of the articles, and
provided examples of how he was able to experience the city while walking down Main
Street. Segelbaum observed that in many big box retail seems to have hurt Main Street
businesses.
Baker stated that Commissioner conversations on articles or other relevant planning
topics were worthwhile and that more should be planned in the future.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.
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Ro BI , . etary Lisa ittman, Administrative Assistant