2020-06-22 EC Minutes7800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, MN 55427
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Environmental Commission
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
city of
goldenl01
June 22, 2020 — 6:30 pm
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1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Seys at 6:30.
2. Roll Call
Commissioners present: Scott Seys, Debra Yahle, Tonia Galonska, Dawn Hill, Jim Stremmel,
Wendy Weirich, Shannon Hansen
Commissioners absent: None
Council Members present: None
Staff present: Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor;
Drew Chirpich, Environmental Specialist
Emma Pierson, MN GreenCorps Member;
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant
3. Approval of Agenda
MOTION by Commissioner Hill, seconded by Commissioner Yahle to approve the agenda of June
22, 2020 and the motion carried.
4. Approval of May 18, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes
MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Weirich to approve the minutes
of May 18, 2020 as submitted and the motion carried.
5. Old Business
A. Update on Commission Bylaws
i. At its last meeting City Council approved the changes to the bylaws proposed by
the Commission in 2019. The Commission reviewed its bylaws in 2020 and had no
changes. The Commission is set to review its bylaws again in 2023.
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City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 2
April 27, 2019 — 6:30 pm
B. Partners in Energy Update (PIE)
i. 2-year Cooperative Program with Xcel Energy.
ii. City is working on developing an Energy Action Plan.
1. 6 months of planning.
2. 18 months of implementation.
iii. Currently in the recruitment phase of a 12-14 member team. Recruitment has
begun.
1. It is an open process.
2. The fillable form application is ready to go.
3. Council Member Larry Fonnest will oversee/chair the selection
committee along with some staff members.
4. The recommendation for the planning action team members will be
forwarded to the council for approval hopefully by the second council
meeting in July.
5. Webpage will be live soon —The landing page will have a description of
what the members duties and responsibilities will be, what PIE is, and
the application.
6. Communications will be posting a news feed on the website, as well as
Facebook and Twitter posts.
iv. There will be 3-5 workshops between July and December to create the Energy
Action Plan.
C. Curbside Organics Collection Update
i. Commission's recommendation and report went before the Council/Manager
Meeting on June 9. Council acknowledged the Commission's good work and
directed staff to carry out the recommendation to implement an All -In
Everyone Pays city contract for curbside organics collection.
ii. Next will be to iron out the details of a city contract and request for proposal
(RFP).
iii. Next steps:
1. Letting the community know about the program. Continue to provide
information and education about what's going to happen.
2. Promote the program.
3. Staff will look at the more technical details:
a. Continue to work with haulers, Hennepin County, and other
cities around Golden Valley.
b. Will use contracts and RFP's from other cities as a guide for our
contract.
c. Will look into costs to run program and how to run it.
d. Will talk about it again in a couple of months at an EC meeting
when there is more information to share then bring it to
another Council/Manager meeting before issuing the RFP.
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 3
April 27, 2019 — 6:30 pm
4. We're looking to issue the RFP late this year and award the contract by
early next year.
5. In 2021 we'll work with the Communications staff and Hennepin County
to promote the program to make sure people know how to participate
and what they can recycle.
6. Still shooting for January 1, 2022.
7. This will go before the Council at one or more televised meetings to
award the contract, approve the budget, and change the ordinance as
needed.
6. New Business
A. Environmental Justice Collaboration
i. Proposed collaboration between the EC Commission and the Human Rights
Commission to look at equity and environmental and climate justice in Golden
Valley.
ii. Possible joint commission meeting in future.
iii. Three -Prong Approach:
1. Educational Seminar with a focus on climate change and climate equity.
a. In person seminar may not be possible due to the pandemic.
b. Would be open to the general public in Golden Valley.
2. Technical/mapping analysis to identify areas of the City that may have
inequities in green space and green amenities, trees and vegetation, access
to parks and trails.
3. Community Service event that mayor may not be paired with 1 & 2 above.
a. Is there an area or property in the City where we can partner and
plant trees, rain garden, or community garden?
b. How would that work with the COVID-19 pandemic?
c. Other commissioner ideas included:
i. Local food and pollinator gardens with edible plant options.
ii. Transportation — ped, bike, transit, etc.
iv. Staff reviewed statistics and mapping from the US Census and local sources:
a. Majority of homes were built between 1951 and 1970.
b. Staff reviewed average home value by census block to view the
wide range of values.
c. Staff reviewed percent renter -occupied households by census block.
d. Demographic make-up in City: White 85% (compared with 79% in
MN), Black 8%, Asian 5%, Latinx 2%, Indigenous 1 %.
e. There are 10 NOAH (Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing)
properties in Golden Valley.
f. Staff reviewed percent age 65 and older by census block group.
g. Impervious surface area - staff reviewed maps of percent
impervious cover by census block. There are several areas that are
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 4
April 27, 2019 — 6:30 pm
over 50% impervious surface coverage, many with multi -family
housing present.
h. The City has about 40% overall tree canopy coverage (30%-40% is
considered good and the City's goal is to maintain over 40%):
i. Studies show a person's quality of life, physical health, and
mental health are better with more trees and natural
vegetation.
ii. There are several pockets in the City where there is
inadequate tree cover (under 40%).
iii. Public trees have been inventoried within public Rights of
Way, parks, Brookview golf course, city campuses, and many
nature areas and open spaces.
v. Golden Valley is hiring an Equity Manager to work on diversity and inclusion, and
address inequities in the organization and the larger community.
vi. Where do we have vulnerable populations that are more susceptible to the
impacts of climate change?
vii. Where can we invest in the community that has been historically lacking and that
would benefit traditionally underrepresented groups?
More information and maps, including a mashup of all layers above, will be shown to the
commission in July to see if there are areas of the City to target for partnership and
investment in green amenities.
B. Downtown Study
i. June 9 — Council gave direction to staff at the council manager meeting to go
forward with phase 3. Phase 1 & 2 studies are completed.
Focuses of Phase 2 — Live, Work, Play.
1. Walkable, bikeable. A lot of new trails, sidewalks and connections to
transit.
2. Highlight Bassett Creek corridor better.
iii. Phase 3 will focus more on design guidelines and small area plans. Areas (or
quadrants) are divided by the Winnetka Ave and Golden Valley Rd intersection.
1. Will work first on the NE Quadrant (City Hall/Library) and SW Quadrant
areas.
a. NE Quadrant: Possibly move the Public Works buildings elsewhere
in the community. Move City Hall, Police and Fire closer to where
the library is located in a consolidated campus near the creek, and
build a mix of residential, commercial, retail and office space with
more green space and ped connections.
b. SW Quadrant: Staff showed the concept plans for this area form
the phase 2 study.
2. The Commission brainstormed ideas for environmental considerations and
discussed potential design guidelines to forward to the City's planning
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
April 27, 2019 — 6:30 pm
consultant for the phase 3 study. The list of ideas will be refined for review
and approval at the commission's July meeting.
C. Pollinators
i. Inventory of Chemicals — staff presented a list of chemicals used on city properties,
which may be posted on the City's pollinator webpage for informational purposes.
A list of the City's best practices and procedures for applying chemicals will be
presented and discussed at the July meeting.
i. Developing New Plots and Habitats — staff discussed ideas for including edible
plants in the pollinator plots being developed throughout the City. The commission
was supportive of the idea.
D. Program/Project Updates
Question on Narrow Lots and what exactly this means:
1. Single-family residential properties in Golden Valley come in a variety of
shapes and sizes. A vast majority of residential lots were created under
regulations that require at least 80 feet of width and at least 10,000 square
feet of area per lot. However, pockets of the city were planned (platted)
before those rules were in place, resulting in blocks of properties that are
only 60, 50, or even 40 feet wide and that may be as small as 5,000 square
feet.
2. Recent development pressures on these narrower lots concerned some
neighbors and prompted the City Council to take action. The City is
studying potential issues regarding narrow lots so the Council can consider
whether to make zoning code changes by spring 2020.
E. Council Updates
i. None
F. Other Business
i. No update on a new student member.
7. Adjournment
MOTION by Commissioner Yahle, seconded by Commissioner Stremmel to adjourn the
meeting at 8:26 pm and the motion carried.
r_rIt*716
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant
Scott Seys, Chair