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Home My WebLink About2011 11-15 HCP AGENDA BROOKLYN CENTER HOUSING COMMISSION November 15, 2011 7:00 p.m. Council Commission Room Brooklyn Center City Hall 1. Call to Order: 7:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes- September 20, 2011 Note: The October Meeting was canceled do to the Special Election for Senator Linda Schied's term of office. 5. Chairperson's Report 6. Council Liaison Report 7. Continued Review & Discussion on Candidate Garden Sites and Establishing a Community Garden Program for 2012. 8. Other Business 9. Adjournment: 8:30 MEMORANDUM TO: Chairperson Kris Lawrence — Anderson and Commission Members From: Gary Eitel, Director of Business & Development Date: November 10, 2011 Subject: Continued Review & Discussion on Candidate Garden Sites and Establishing a Community Garden Program for 2012 A presentation will be provided at the meeting on the following items: • October 12, 2011 Park and Recreation Commission Meeting and their recommendation on candidate sites for community gardening: - Crystal Airport Site (a cooperative agreement with Brooklyn Park and Crystal for approx. 20 -30 garden plots) - Centennial Park West ( a site east of the hockey rink for approx. 50+ garden plots) - Happy Hollow ( a site adjacent to Malborg's Greenhouse for approx. 20+ garden plots ) Attached for your reference is a copy of Jim Glasoe's, Director of Community Activities, Recreation, and Services memorandum of this meeting. Copies of their individual site reviews will be available at the meeting. • October 26, 2011 the above sites were visited by Chairperson Kris Lawrence- Anderson and myself. Slides of the following sites will be provided at the meeting Centennial, Kylawn, Happy Hollow, and the Crystal Airport site. • Discussion on garden plot layout: - Size /dimensions of garden plots and aisle width - Perimeter fencing and allowable materials - Water source and proximity to the garden plots - Parking Area, proximity to garden plots, and compatibility of shared use • Gardening Policies • Schedule to achieve City Council approval for a late March program kick -off MEMORANDUM DATE: October 13, 2011 TO: Gary Eitel, Business and Development Director FROM: Jim Glasoe, Director of Community Activities, Recreation and Services SUBJECT: Parks and Recreation Commission Recommendation- Possible Community Gardens Locations At last evening's Park and Recreation Commission meeting, the Park & Recreation Commission continued their discussion relating to the Housing Commission's request to identify possible park locations for a Community Gardens program. As a part of their review, the Commission reviewed and discussed the attached matrix's regarding potential park locations for the locating of community garden plots. Site criteria evaluated included general location, water supply, soil, site storage for material, parking, access issues, proximity to residential properties and safety. After careful consideration, the Commission recommended three locations they felt held the most potential to successfully site Community Gardens. The first site identified was the combined Brooklyn Park/Crystal site at 63` Avenue and Douglas Drive. The Commission felt this location provided the most potential to get a community gardens program up and running quickly, as the site already contained all of the essential elements to support a successful program. Also identified was the Centennial Park West location at Nash Road and Brooklyn Drive. As the site included ample space for 50+ gardens and storage, the Commission felt the site lent itself well for community gardens. Conditions also noted as positive were, water supply in adjacent shelter building, no residences in close proximity, adequate parking and good site access. In addition to the above attributes, a few concerns were also identified, these included: the current soil conditions, the fact the area is prone to minor flooding, the proximity of the parking to the actual garden locations, and the fact is it adjacent to Shingle Creek. The last site that was identified as having potential was the Happy Hollow site at 50' and Abbott Avenues. This site was viewed as having the potential to site 20+ garden plots. Attributes noted included; water supply to park, no residences in close proximity, adequate parking and good site access. In addition to the above attributes, a few concerns were also identified, these included: the current soil conditions, the fact the garden location is a distance from the parking, sun conditions, as a result of significant tree cover and the location adjacent to a commercial building. As always, please let me know if you have any questions, or would like additional information. cc: Curt Boganey, City Manager Park & Recreation Commission MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 COUNCIL COMMISSION ROOM CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission was called to order by Chairperson Lawrence - Anderson at 7:07 p.m. ROLL CALL Chairperson Kris Lawrence- Anderson, Commissioners Kathie Amdahl, Peggy Lynn, Chereen i Norstrud, Ephraim Olani, and Judy Thorbus. Also present were Council Liaison Carol Kleven and Director of Business and Development Gary Eitel. Commissioner Tracy Groves was absent from the meeting. APPROVAL OFAGENDA There was a motion by Commissioner Amdahl and seconded by Commissioner Thorbus to approve the agenda as submitted. The motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — July 19, 2011 There was a motion by Commissioner Amdahl and seconded by Commissioner Norstrud to approve the July 19, 2011 Housing Commission minutes as submitted. The motion passed. CHAIRPERSONS REPORT Chairperson Lawrence - Anderson reported on the following: - The special election to fill the vacancy on the City Council - The Bellvue Neighborhood Meeting held on September 15 commenting on the Police Chief's report on domestic crimes and the collaborative of efforts of the Brooklyn Center- Brooklyn Park Youth Council. - Introduced Peggy Lynn, recent appointment by the Mayor to serve on the Housing Commission. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT Councilmember Kleven informed Commission members of recent Council items, including: - The certification of delinquent sewer and water utility fees and nonpayment of other fees/ fines (nuisance abatement costs, vacant building registration costs) to Hennepin County for collection as part of the property owners real estate taxes. - An amendment to the Shingle Creek Crossing Planned Unit Development (PUD) plans that would separate the Sears building from the Food Court Building. - The work on the 2012 Budget and certification of a preliminary levy to Hennepin County. - Councilmember Kleven expressed the Council's appreciation to Tom Bublitz for his years to the community. Page 1 9 -20 -11 COMMUNITY GARDENS: REVIEW PRELIMINARYSITE EVAL UATIONS FROMSTAFF The Commission reviewed the staff memorandum on their investigation of the following parks as potential Community Garden Sites: Centennial, Centennial - West, Kylawn, Northport, Happy Hollow, East Palmer, West Palmer, Bellvue, and Evergreen and the following criteria that were used in recommending candidate sites as suitable for gardening: 1. Access to water (hydrant), 2. Parking, 3. Ease of walking access to the site, 4. Proximity to existing residential (i.e. site not located too close to residential). The Commission reviewed the aerial photographs which identified a potential garden of each of the three candidate sites identified by staff- - Centennial —West (an 80'x170' area east if the hockey rink and near Shingle Creek), - East Palmer (a 50'x220/ area north of the parking lot and running parallel to Oliver Ave), and - Kylawn (an 80'x140' area south of the parking lot and park shelter). They also discussed staff investigation on the potential of joining the Cities of Brooklyn Park and Crystal in their community garden program located at the Crystal Airport. The following items were discussed: - A concern was expressed on the Centennial —West site and its proximity to Shingle Creek/ potential flooding. - Application of the review criteria to the three candidate sites, - Public involvement in the review — selection process - The value of community gardening and potential benefits that would be available if a program would evolve that would include garden sites throughout the community. The consensus of the Commission was to rank East Palmer and Kylawn as their initial top two candidate sites, noting that additional review on these three sites and the Crystal Airport Site should continue. The Commission discussed a schedule that could facilitate a March 15, 2012 kick-off for a Brooklyn Center Community Garden program and identified tasks which should be completed by December: - List of benefits of community gardening, - Development of conceptual garden plot layout - Development of gardening application, policies, and program rules & regulations, and - Creating a Mission Statement for a Community Program. UPDATE ON NEW NEIGHBOR WELCOME PROGRAM The Commission was informed that there would be no further bag drop offs this year. OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business to be addressed by the Commission. Page 2 9 -20 -11 ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner Thorbus and seconded by Commissioner Norstrud to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed. The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission adjourned at 8:31 p.m. Chairman Page 3 9 -20 -11