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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997 05-05 CPTFMMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TASK FORCE OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA MAY 5, 1997 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Myrna Kragness called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. in the City council chambers. ROLL CALL Members of the task force present included: Mayor Kragness, Councilmembers Kathleen Carmody, Debra Hillstrom, Kay Lasman, and Robert Peppe; Planning Commissioners Rex Newman, Brian Walker, and Tim Willson; appointed public members: Jerry Blarney, Dale Greenwald, Tony Kuefler, and Tom Kouri; Diane Spector; Secretary to the Planning Commission/Planning and Zoning Specialist Ronald Warren; Planning Consultants Bill Webber and Suzanne Rhees, BRW, Inc.; and Recording Secretary Lorri Kopischke. Appointed public members excused were Graydon Boeck, Donald Booth, Maurice Britts, Jim Cole, Tom Donaldson, Mark Holmes, Lisa Hunter, Toni Johns, Diane Reem, Frank Slawson, Ron Thomas, and Caroll Vomhof. Refer to Comprehensive Plan Undate Task Force Anointed: 1-13-97 (attached) for complete listing of names and affiliations of the 24-member task force. It was noted that Donald Booth has resigned from the Planning Commission. REVIEW AGENDA Mr. Weber explained the discussion this evening will focus on the Neighborhood and Housing Plan and Park Planning issues. There is currently no draft chapter of the Park Plan as the Park and Recreation Commission is in the process of working through some issues. One task force member suggested an enhancement he would like to see would be a transportation system or network to provide the opportunity to all residents of Brooklyn Center to use public transportation to get around the City. This would benefit the citizens and the businesses in the city. Mr. Weber stated he would relay this suggestion to Mr. Heppelman. He suggested a demand responsive system rather than a standard route may be a possibility. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOUSING PLAN Ms. Rhees outlined the Ownership and Rental Assistance Programs. This includes Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Programs of MHFA's Minnesota City Participation Program and the MFHA's Minnesota Mortgage Program. It is anticipated that the City will continue to participate in these programs. It also includes the Acquisition and Redevelopment Programs. This program is administered by the City HRA and is anticipated to continue. 5-5-97 Ms. Rhees outlined Housing Rehabilitation and Maintenance Programs. This includes the CDBG- funded Housing Rehabilitation Program and the H.O.M.E. program which will both continue in the City. The City will also continue to work with private non-profit groups such as Habitat for Humanity. Also in this category is Rehabilitation Loans which is a longstanding MHFA program which provides up to $15,000 as a loan to homeowners for rehabilitation projects. Also included is Remodeling Assistance. Ms. Rhees stated the City should increase their efforts in this area. This assistance can strengthen the single family housing market and provide an incentive for people to stay in the city and improve their homes. Ms. Rhees explained the Multi-Family Housing Initiatives. There is a perception that Brooklyn Center has "more than its share" of multi-family housing. Much of this perception is based on design and concentration of the housing. Ms. Rhees suggested improvements could be made by providing affordable senior housing possibly in the Brooklyn Boulevard corridor, reducing the concentration of multi-family housing, and utilizing design guidelines for multi-family housing and attached housing. Ms. Rhees explained the Neighborhood Stabilization and Infrastructure Improvement. This would include a Street and Utilities Improvement Program, through which streets are replaced, curb and gutter installed, and sanitary sewer, storm sewer and water lines are reconstructed or replaced. Also included would be Road Corridor Enhancements. This effort would include three interconnected loops which would connect most neighborhoods and the City Center and may include coordinated, attractive street lighting, shade trees, sidewalks, bike lanes and directional and neighborhood signs, This would improve the sense of neighborhood identity and improve circulation. Ms. Rhees explained specific redevelopment efforts would include 53rd Avenue and the Gateway area. The city could also utilize official controls including code enforcement efforts and zoning initiatives to encourage life cycle housing. Ms. Rhees then presented each neighborhood section in the City and asked task force members which efforts they felt would be most beneficial in each section. In the northeast neighborhood members felt reduction in multiple housing units, redevelopment projects in the Gateway area, zoning overlay initiatives, and road corridor improvements would be most beneficial. Ms. Rhees explained that although the area south of the school is currently a stable neighborhood, it could possibly be changed to non-residential in the future. Task force members expressed concern that this speculation could provide the wrong image to residents and have a tremendous impact on property values. In the northwest neighborhood task force members suggested road corridor enhancement projects, zoning initiatives on the Brooklyn Boulevard corridor, remodeling assistance, and street and utility improvement programs be utilized. In the west central neighborhood task force members suggested continued street and utility improvement programs, remodeling assistance, homebuyer programs, and affordable senior housing along the Brooklyn Boulevard corridor. In the central neighborhood task force members suggested road corridor enhancement on Brooklyn Boulevard and Xerxes, homebuyer and remodeling assistance, affordable senior housing on Brooklyn Boulevard (if not included on the other side), street and utility improvement programs, rehabilitation loans, and acquisition and redevelopment programs on 61st and 63rd Avenues. In the southwest neighborhood 5-5-97 2 task force members suggested rehabilitation loans, acquisition and redevelopment programs, zoning initiatives and street and utility improvement programs. Ms. Rhees suggested a housing redevelopment project in the area of Twin Lakes may be the best method to spread amenity value back into the neighborhood by providing an open area surrounded by housing with shared access to the lake. In the southeast neighborhood task force members suggested homebuyer programs, acquisition and redevelopment programs, affordable senior housing, street and utility improvement programs, and road corridor enhancements. Ms. Rhees presented overheads drawn from the book "Making Housing Homes", by the University of Minnesota. She noted the basic position of the design guidelines in this book is that single-family detached housing is the most desirable because it contains all the qualities people are looking for. It also suggests that these same qualities can be reproduced in other housing types. Multi-family housing units can benefit by providing shared open space to the rear, defining open space and property ownership, and improving the open space with amenities. Two other major elements of design include a pedestrian system and on-site parking. Mr. Weber presented slides illustrating a number of home designs. He stated multi-family housing is an asset for the community if the design is correct. Entryways should face the street, private and public space design and the relationship to the street and sidewalk are very important. Green space is also very important and helps to sustain a neighborhood. The city needs to exercise zoning control over all types of housing. Most of the redevelopment in Brooklyn Center will be infill and will include city participation in some matter. The City will then have an opportunity to exercise housing design guidelines. DISCUSSION OF PARK PLANNING ISSUES Ms. Spector introduced a revised classification scheme for park facilities which has been discussed by the City Council and Park and Recreation Commission. This classification system has taken into account the city's limited resources and the changing demographics of the neighborhoods. Classification would include Community Parks, relatively large parks serving as a recreational focus point for a quadrant of the city; Neighborhood Parks including playlots, playgrounds, and playfields; and Special Use Parks and Open Spaces providing specialized or single purpose recreational or leisure activities. Ms. Spector presented an overhead describing the location of each park and described the proposed changes. Task force members expressed concern with regard to diminished amounts of playfields. It was also suggested that the parks be designed to attract the type of residents the city would like rather than change the parks to accommodate the current residents use. Ms. Spector noted buildings and fields will not be removed but over time if the demand decreases, they may not be replaced. The overall intent is to focus the city's resources. Task force members expressed concern that parks were being taken away from the residents. They suggested an education process be undertaken to explain this process to the community. Ms. Spector 5-5-97 3 explained the public would be involved in these decisions as they would be discussed as part of the Capitol Improvement Budget. There was consensual support by task force members of the revised Park Classification System. Ms. Spector stated the document would now be expanded to provide the narrative necessary for the Comprehensive Plan. SET DATE FOR NEXT MEETING Mr. Weber stated BRW would now prepare a draft document plan. He suggested the next meeting of the task force should be at 7 p.m., Monday, July 21, in the City council chambers. This would allow BRW sufficient time to prepare the document. ADJOURNMENT The meeting concluded at 9:46 p.m. Recorded and transcribed by: Lorri Kopischke TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial Y2~~ Chair D "'7~~ 5-5-97 4