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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 09-14 CCM Work Session MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 CITY HALL—COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council/Economic Development Authority (EDA) met in Work Session called to order by Mayor/President Tim Willson at 8:51 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor/President Tim Willson and Councilmembers/Commissioners April Graves, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Lin Myszkowski, and Dan Ryan. Also present were City Manager Curt Boganey, Finance Director Nate Reinhardt, Public Works Director/City Engineer Steve Lillehaug, Director of Business and Development Gary Eitel, Director of Community Activities, Recreation and Services Jim Glasoe, Planning and Zoning Specialist Tim Benetti, Assistant City Manager/Director of Building & Community Standards Vickie Schleuning, City Attorney Troy Gilchrist, and Denise Bosch, TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. AMPHITHEATER PAVER INSCRIPTION POLICY—continued Councilmember/Commissioner Graves stated that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the wording from the second draft be more of a suggestion. Mayor/President Willson stated that it is good to list those things that are not allowed but also to provide direction on what is allowable. Councilmember/Commissioner Myszkowski stated that if the drafts can be merged, it would be fine with her. Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated that he would go with draft two in interest of brevity and to avoid the issues revolving around a limited public forum and litigation. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson stated she likes the creative draft but believes that for legal issues we should give more direction. Mayor/President Willson stated that he believed it was a consensus of sorts to look at a language change on how the two drafts can be merged together. Mr. Boganey stated that staff will merge the documents and bring them back for the City Council/EDA's consideration. 09/14/15 4- SISTER STUDY UPDATE Mr. Boganey reported on a recommendation that the City Council consider providing direction to staff regarding proceeding with adoption of a new Sister Cities Program. He stated that the City continues to receive inquiries from individuals that would like a relationship and what he learned from a visit to Liberia is that the concept behind the Sister Cities Program is that these would be person-to-person exchanges/relationships to foster goodwill, knowledge and growth and create opportunities to learn from each other. He stated that the City's current arrangement looks like a government-to-government relationship and that the new proposal would not change the relationship but clarify that it is a community-to-community relationship and clarify the goals, purpose and criteria for each Sister City relationship. The commission would make reports and recommendations to the City Council and would promote relationships and provide support for the committees. It would also monitor the progress of the relationship. This proposal would put in place a process so that someone is responsible for keeping track of what is going on. Mayor/President Willson stated that he is looking forward to having that sort of bonding in place. He stated that he has been approached by school teachers at Earle Brown Elementary regarding a program of cultural awareness between our Sister City using Skype or a pen pal concept. He would very much like to see a commission look in to that. Councilmember/Commissioner M szkowki thanked Mr. Boganey for the work and research that Y g Y went into the proposal. She stated that she is excited to see it move forward. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson stated that she thinks it is a great idea, but is concerned about finding members for the commission. Councilmember/Commissioner Graves stated she isn't aware of how the Sister City was picked, but thinks that if there was a commission of community members interested in having that kind of relationship that having a process would help them. She stated that she likes the idea of a variety of Sister Cities. She stated her support. Mayor/President Willson stated that he has been approached by other West African people that would like a Sister City relationship. He stated that he thinks this is a good direction. Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated his appreciation to Mr. Boganey. He stated he is concerned that the composition and management of the proposed commission would promote the Sister City relationships with the City's principal populations. He asked if the commission arrangement would be one that uses staff time. He stated his support. Mr. Boganey stated that he believes that the staff time can be managed and reinforced that a lot of the work will fall to the committees and not to the commission. It will take a group of citizens that have an interest in this relationship and the committees are independent of the City and the commission. They will work through the commission to get the City Council's endorsement. He would recommend that the City pay the annual dues to be a member of Sister Cities International. 09/14/15 -2- Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated these relationships may address the world's challenges in small ways. Mayor/President Willson stated he is very heartened by what Germany, Norway and Finland are doing to welcome Syrian refugees. He stated that Germany's chancellor has said that she is of the opinion that this will change the face of Germany. Mr. Boganey stated that Liberian Vice President Boakai will be in Minnesota in October. Mr. Boganey will arrange a meeting with City Councilmembers. DISCUSSION OF HENNEPIN COUNTY ACTIVE LIVING • TRAVEL DEMAND MAND MANAGEMENT POLICY Public Works Director/City Engineer Steve Lillehaug, provided a PowerPoint presentation on the City's Travel Demand Policy that included an explanation of what it is; why it is important; the current comprehensive plan; past developments in the City; why the City needs a policy; an outline of the policy; a two tiered approach; plan requirements; administration and compliance; the travel demand management plan; and the travel demand management policy. Mayor/President Willson talked about this discussion regarding livable communities taking place at the ground breaking ceremony for the New Millennium Academy and reported that the academy invited the Lucht family to the ceremony; he talked about the fact that bus routes were considered at the FBI site; and he asked how the Met Council is getting involved in coordinating regional traffic. Mr. Lillehaug replied the Met Council asks cities to incorporate it in their Comprehensive Plans. He stated that he is not aware of any specific required thresholds. Mayor/President Willson asked if the Met Council was giving direction. Mr. Lillehaug replied that there is a wide range of travel demand policies through the metropolitan area with some cities such as Bloomington having more complex plans. Mayor/President Willson stated he would like to see consistency across the metro so we are not hurting our re-development plan with our travel demand policies. He agrees that it should be kept as simple as possible. Mr. Lillehaug replied that the travel demand policy needs to be flexible and not so stringent that it would drive away prospective developers. Mr. Lillehaug asked the City Council/EDA if the Travel Demand Policy supports the strategic priorities of the City. He recommended that the City Council/EDA consider the policy and provide feedback so that he can adjust the draft policy and bring it back for adoption. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson expressed her concern about the impact on business, noting that she likes the concept but that the City is really getting into how businesses manage their work schedule. She asked what businesses are given in return. Mr. Lillehaug replied that they may not incur financial responsibility for local improvements. 09/14/15 -3- Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated that he see a need for this policy and spoke about an article he will share that addresses creating company incentives to change individual behaviors. He stated he shares Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson's concerns. He asked if the Public Works Department will be able to communicate with MTC to request improvements of bus service. He would like to see some way to incentivize employees to lessen their use of cars. Councilmember/Commissioner Graves commented on how much the New Millennium Academy was willing to do to address traffic issues. She stated this would be more of a standard procedure for larger new developments in the City and it is forward thinking. She likes Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan's question about the buses and connecting with the entities such as Met Council. She stated that the policy will have to be general and that she likes the idea of having it in the development agreement but it could be a detraction. She stated that there would be incentives and she would be supportive of the plan. Councilmember/Commissioner Myszkowski stated her concern is that if there is not a uniform policy throughout the region, development could go elsewhere. She stated that if staff feels comfortable, she supports it. Mr. Lillehaug stated that he is comfortable with the policy because it is flexible. The business determines its goals and there are incentives built in. He stated that businesses expect a travel demand policy. Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan asked if a developer could come back and re-negotiate their plan. Mr. Lillehaug answered affirmatively. City Attorney Troy Gilchrist stated that the option to negotiate could be placed in the agreement. Councilmember/Commissioner Graves asked how many reports are required per year. Mr. Lillehaug replied there would be one due in year two. Mr. Boganey stated that he thinks the staff has built a significant amount of flexibility into the policy and he isn't overly concerned because there is room for negotiation and the level of commitment is voluntary. He stated that in today's world, this policy would not be received as onerous. He pointed out that by having a policy it sends a message that the City is concerned about the environment and may attract better corporate citizens. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson asked for clarification if the developer was setting up the plan. Mr. Lillehaug replied that the engineering department would do the compliance. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson asked who was filling out the report on an annual basis. Mr. Lillehaug replied that the property owner is filling out the report. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson asked how the policy is aligned with neighboring cities. Mr. Lillehaug replied that there are not that many communities implementing 09/14/15 -4- a policy to this extent and that it is up to the property owner to come up with the level they want to report on an annual basis. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson stated that it seems like Big Brother telling business how to manage themselves. Mr. Lillehaug replied that the City is asking them to give the City a goal and the City does not want to punish the developer-. • DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE OPPORTUNITY SITE Planning and Zoning Specialist Tim Benetti presented the Active Living Design Guidelines for the Opportunity Site, specifically a proposed Planning and Development Application for the Opportunity Site; an introduction to the Active Living Design for Opportunity Site Development; and an Active Living Design for Opportunity Site Development Checklist with a point system. He asked for the City Council/EDA's support regarding the guidelines. He stated that the Planning Commission has received verbal updates on this new process and asked for recommendations and input from the City Council/EDA. Councilmember/Commissioner Myszkowski stated that she really liked the guidelines and checklist. She asked about Zipcars. Mr. Benetti stated that a developer could propose this. Mayor/President Willson stated that the City Council/EDA supports the guidelines but that the Planning Commission needs to take this under consideration and come back to the City Council/EDA with recommendations. Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated he supports the guidelines. Councilmember/Commissioner Graves stated that she supports the guidelines but would want buildings assessed on an individual basis. Mr. Benetti replied that these guidelines are not a requirement but an encouragement. REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE OPPORTUNITY SITE Director of Business and Development Gary Eitel provided background, the strategic goal regarding targeted redevelopment, and presented a preliminary development agreement(Contract for Exclusive Negotiations with Sand Development LLC) for the development of a market rate apartment and commercial Planned Unit Development within the southern portion of the Opportunity Site. He asked the City Council/EDA if they wished to proceed with the development. Mayor/President Willson reported on conversations he had with New Millenium Academy developers and that the general consensus was in order to entice the millennial generation of residents, the City needs to provide upper scale housing and amenities. Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan stated that he supports the development plan. He asked if the City serving as the master developer would give the City more control. Mr. Eitel replied that he believes the City would have ultimate control because it owns the land. 09/14/15 -5- Mayor/President Willson stated that the key is that the City owns it. Councilmember/Commissioner Lawrence-Anderson stated she supports the development plan. The majority consensus of the City Council/EDA was to move forward with the development plan. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember/Commissioner Ryan moved and Councilmember/Commissioner Myszkowski seconded adjournment of the City Council/Economic Development Authority Work Session at 10:25 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 09/14/15 -6- STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER) The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, certifies: 1. That attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Work Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on September 14, 2015. 2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. 3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its September 28, 2015, Regular Session. City Clerk Mayor 09/14/15 -7-