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2018-10-23 Planning Comm MinutesOctober 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 1 of 13 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES October 23, 2018 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve at 7:00 P.M. The following Commissioners were present: Chair Litton Field, Jr., Commissioners John Mazzitello, Patrick Corbett, Michael Noonan, Mary Magnuson, Michael Toth, and Brian Petschel. Those absent: None Approval of Agenda The agenda was approved as submitted. Approval of September 25, 2018 Minutes and acknowledgement of the written comments submitted at the September 25, 2018 Comprehensive Plan Open House and additional emails for the public record COMMISSIONER TOTH MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAZZITELLO TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE WRITTEN COMMENTS AND ADDITIONAL EMAILS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD, AS PRESENTED. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 Mendota Heights 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update Chair Field noted that at the September 25, 2018 Planning Commission meeting, in a public hearing capacity, they had completed discussion on several chapters of the draft 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The goal of the current meeting was to continue said discussion, starting with Chapter 7. He then requested Planning Consultant Phil Carlson from Stantec to highlight some of the items in those chapters and the maps that, in the current reiteration, are still a work in process. Planning Consultant Phil Carlson from Stantec explained that this was a continuation of a discussion of the draft 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a work in progress. This process has been going for a couple of years. There have been parts of the plan that were discussed in detail at previous meetings and chapters that have been developed with the help of citizens, city staff, and the consultants. Mr. Carlson believed the Natural Resources Plan, and the Resilience Plan to follow, to be an excellent example of grass roots work in the community; citizens taking ownership of issues they felt were important, to take the initiative, and to develop the information and bring their interest to October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 2 of 13 this. However, again this is a work in process. The Planning Commission had the benefit of a year and a half of work to put together the previous chapters; whereas these were pulled together in a much shorter period of time. Understandably, the Commission will want to review them and refine as appropriate. Nevertheless, they represent an important part of the Comprehensive Plan process. Early on, the natural setting of Mendota Heights was one of the most im portant issues that came out in the discussion; something that folks value highly and want to make sure is passed on to future generations. In response to the reference to maps mentioned by Chair Field, Mr. Carlson noted that the Comprehensive Plan is a document with numerous goals, policies, maps, statistics, etc. Sometimes, just the land use map is the poster for the land use plan. This is unfair because there is a lot more to it; many more layers of information and city policy that goes into it. Nevertheless, it is a way of representing some of the important issues in the community. So there has been significant discussion of some of the changes that were discussed by the Planning Commission over the months to take two neighborhoods in the city that have significantly smaller lot sizes and create a new Comprehensive Plan designations for them – what has been called LR-5 and LR-9 in the northeast part of the city and in Friendly Hills. That has been the source of some strong discussion. A map has been prepared showing what the land use plan might look like without those designations; reverting to the previous plan that has been in effect for many years, that has one single-family, one low density designation. This is by no means the final draft of the plan; it is only a draft to show what it might look like without the two new designations. This tonight is a continuation of the public hearing that occurred last month and a joint Planning Commission/City Council workshop more recently. City staff has been wo rking to put together a compilation of what potential changes and discussions came out of that and the drafts as they have evolved. This is a continuation of the work the Planning Commission has done to welcome discussion of the plan. Chair Field stated that the Planning Commission and the City Council had a joint meeting on October 15, 2018 and this draft of the proposed Future Land Use was the product of that discussion; while not a public meeting the public was welcome to attend. If residents have comments to make on the proposed plan, that would certainly be in order this evening. Community Development Director Tim Benetti noted that a few months ago, there was some interested residents and citizens who were very concerned about the Natural Resources Plan and wanted a very strong section or dedication to this natural resource. A citizen’s advisory committee was formed with people very interested in what the natural resources do for the community, in an effort to help protect and preserve those. The committee started with a great kick-off meeting and eventually they pared it down to be reviewed by their editorial board; which consisted of members from the original citizen’s advisory committee. This editorial board created this new Chapter 7: Natural Resources Plan. Chair Field announced the re-opening of the previously tabled public hearing on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 3 of 13 Don Selg, 867 Bluebill Drive, lives in the Rogers Lake Development and has been there for 45 years. He expressed his urgency and concern he had regarding what is what is going on, not just in Mendota Heights but on a global level. The ozone layer has depleted approximately 5% between 1970 and 1998. The protocol, or global agreement, to discontinue use of CFC’s has resulted in the ozone declining another 0.5%. There is still a definite sense of urgency to address this. He continued by discussing the UV index. During the 1970’s and 1980’s it was fairly stable. That increased by 9% and has stabilized since the mid-1990’s; however, it is still a definite issue. There is still a hole in the ozone, which is what is causing the issue. Mr. Selg noted that this last season, in the Twin Cities area, there were record breaking heat temperature for the longest duration, with daily temperatures staying above 70 degrees. The average percent increase, since air conditioning was first implemented, was 5%. So the area has had a very significant summer with respect to the cooling degree days and the amount of heat that was experienced. Pollution is the greatest environmental risk to human health, estimated to be the cause of 4.3 million premature deaths every year from ambient outdoor pollution. The annual death rate has now decreased by 12% since 1990; so it has gotten better. The thought is that we have to consider that, from a human life standpoint. The UN Environmental Consulate has come out and said that the next 20 years is going to be significant on human life – but it is already happening. In regards to annual deforestation, the rain forest stores massive amounts of carbon, which serve as carbon sinks – absorbing carbon released into the atmosphere from fossil fuels. When forests are cut down, just the opposite happens. They release that carbon back into the atmosphere. That accounts for 20% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, coming from felling the world’s forests. This is significant, especially when considering the amount of oxygen that they supply. This loss of oxygen is needed for the air we breathe and to replenish the ozone layer. 18% of the world tree population is utilized or lost each year; including those lost to wild fires. The following recommendations were made by Mr. Selg to rectify these issues here in Mendota Heights:  If the Par 3 golf course, or the golf course in Eagan, were to shut down for any reason, they be converted into solar panel farms covering the fairways and the greens, surrounded by forests with park-like functions like walking and bicycle trails  Plant numerous trees in the area to replace the ones removed for development, destroyed by wild fires, or lost to disease; and then take care of those trees to ensure they flourish Given the topics being covered, the country also needs a new breakthrough technology to replace the internal combustion engine. The solar energy can provide electric power and the electric car could replace the internal combustion engine as well. Heat is not needed to charge the batteries of electric vehicles. There is a limit on how much solar power we can generate. The internal combustion engine has been in place for over 100 years. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 4 of 13 Mr. Selg has experience upgrading engine systems to meet EPA standards. The government is not necessarily going to drive this fast enough; they are spelling out requirements going out 10 – 20 years in the future, which is not fast enough – we have to make it happen faster. The degree of urgency and the need for action on these items is high. Rachel Quick, 554 Junction Lane, was one of the editors of the Natural Resource document, along with many others who contributed much more to the document than she did. It is meant to be encompassing and inspirational. If it looks difficult and challenging – it should be. With the exception of the Commissions’ good edits and title change, she would encourage them to accept the Resources Document as is. This is meant to be a vision for Mendota Heights as they focus on the value of the beauty of the city and the open spaces, it is critical that they aim very high. They borrowed from other very successful natural resources plans in other cities to create this document and, if this could be moved forward and take the next steps of getting that natural resources management plan, she believed that the city would be a leader in protecting the green spaces. Debra Ost, lives in Bridgeview Shores near the corner of Dodd Road and Mendota Heights Road and has been a resident of Mendota Heights for 32 years. She expressed her appreciation for all of the hard work on this; however, she agrees with Mr. Selg regarding a sense of urgency. What she sees lacking in the Comprehensive Plan is outcomes. There is a lot of “establish, investigate, study, encourage”, and that sort of language but this is for 2040, which is 23 years from now. She did not believe that there is enough time to study; there has to be a little bit of study but something needs to start happening. She would like to see this plan be more action oriented; have a plan that has a list of accomplishments to be reached by a certain date. Councilmember Noonan asked what sort of outcomes would Ms. Ost challenge the Commission to pay attention to, specific areas where she would like to see outcomes specified. Ms. Ost replied that in the time she has been living in Bridgeview Shores, she has seen the quality of Pagel Pond go downhill. Also, the smell on Huber Drive from the pond there is horrible. It didn’t used to be like that. She would like to see the city enforce and not allow residents to put their fertilizer into the ponds; she would like to see improvements in the water quality; she would to see something being done rather than just talking about it. Brian Aukema, 707 Evergreen Knolls, moved to Mendota Heights with his wife and two boys in 2010 when he accepted a faculty position at the University of Minnesota. He received a lot of well- meaning advice from colleagues on where to live close to the St. Paul Campus. He has a statistics degree and is typically driven by data; therefore, he put together as much data as he could and built a statistical model on the best place to live. With all of the data he input, he came to the conclusion that, out of 110 suburbs in the Twin Cities Metro Area, Mendota Heights is the best place to live. He and his family are very happy here. In his job at the Univ. of Minnesota, he has the privilege of advising municipalities, cities, states, and countries on science-based solutions for managing their natural resources; especially around invasive threats to forests. He often starts by asking a city if they have a plan. He has heard some concerns here that perhaps the document under review may be overly prescriptive or too ambitious; October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 5 of 13 however, he did not share those concerns as this is a guiding document for the city for the next few decades. He expressed his support for the Comprehensive Plan. He also thanked Mr. Benetti and members of the Commission for providing this space for citizens with interest and expertise in city planning and natural resource management to provide some guidance for this document. He encouraged the adoption of these chapters to keep Mendota Heights the best place to live. Beth Pearlman, 1773 Diane Road, also expressed her appreciation for having this hearing and for listening to the citizens and letting them contribute to this document. She believes there is a dual track here:  A document with vision – the city needs to have a general vision, goals, mission statement of where they want to end up. Far reaching and visionary are important aspects of this document; setting goals that are too small will not solve this huge problem that affects everyone and their children  Implementation and urgency – one of the provisions in this is to make sure there is a way forward with a Commission that would actually take up the implementation and the urgency of what has to be done more tactically as well as strategically. This document has both paths, the strategic path and the path to tactics. She encouraged adoption of the plan as is it a broad, visionary, and far reaching document. Many have read this and smarter people than her have contributed to it. The adoption of this document, even though it is a long-range thing, does not preclude the city from taking immediate and important action. Ms. Pearlman expressed her appreciation to the residents who worked on this document. She then asked the Commission if they had any questions about things in the document that they felt were inappropriate, too much, too little, way out of line, or anything they had issues with. Commissioner Noonan replied that he had some issues with respect – the document is to guide the efforts of Mendota Heights. Certain of the priorities speak to compelling others to do action or take on responsibilities. In light in going through and hearing what’s said; the goals are fine, it is th e priorities where the rubber hits the road, which would ultimately provide some of the direction to go to that tactical plan. He believed there were things that do not necessarily need to be said because they cannot be controlled. For example, the very first speaker spoke about four big picture issues under Resiliency. He believed everyone was sensitive and are concerned about them; however, the question is, what can we do about it. In this small corner of the world, with approximately 11,000 people, what can be done about ozone depletion? These are global issues that need to be tackled. The Commission would like to hear what is said and then reflect on that in light of what is written on paper. Commissioner Toth stated that he realizes that the plan calls for the formation of a Natural Resources Sustainability Commission and then asked for a brief description of what the business would be before that commission. Ms. Quick returned and replied that they did submit a charter document for a Natural Resources and Sustainability Commission; the idea being that, similar to people coming to the Planning Commission with variance requests; people would come to this new commission for review of things that would impact natural resources. For instance, if they are cutting down trees the commission could advise them on replacements or other plantings; taking the expertise of the residents in helping to meet the goals of being a more sustainable city. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 6 of 13 Commissioner Toth asked for clarification that part of setting up that commission would be identifying which decisions need to go through . . . Ms. Quick replied that this would not necessarily be the case. The commission would likely start with the Natural Resources Management Plan, where there would be a whole assessment of what needs to be tackled with the city in priority order. Then there would be a more natural progress to look at what is being done now; for instance, there is an infill project so they would email Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek about maybe considering some different seed grass plantings instead of turf, doing some native plants, etc. where the members of this group would have more familiarity with areas of impact and can advise. Michael Farley, 2281 Ocala Court, has been a resident of Mendota Heights since 1999. He expressed his appreciation to the people who came up with this document; there is a lot of good stuff in it. He took objection and did not agree with the urgency of the problem at hand. He found some of the language inflammatory; for instance, where it reads that ‘climate trends suggest that over the next 50 years we will experience increased precipitation’ is not sourced. Instead of making this an ‘us versus them’ type of document, include descriptions of what ‘extreme weather’ means – does it mean blizzard or 125 degrees. He believed that type of language to be very nebulous and it scared him that this is going someplace that a lot of people in the city do not want it to go. A commission and advisory board would be fabulous – a source of information; however, if governance ability was given to that advisory board then the city would risk the independence of the community and risk having an alternate form of government. Talking about getting things done brings up the topic of funding. There is no place in the document that talks about funding sources, which is another source of concern for people that are more in the fiscal conservative side. This is a fabulous document that includes things the residents could aspire to, everyone wants to be good stewards of the community and the environment, but there needs to be a look at the fiscal side and at the unintended consequences side. Commissioner Magnuson asked staff if the Natural Resources and Sustainability Commission would be much like the Planning Commission, in that they would have no power and would be advisory in nature. They would be a group that would address these issues and study them and then make appropriate recommendations to either the City Council or some other body. City Administrator Mark McNeill replied this is something that would need to be determined; ultimately the City Council would make that decision. Mr. Carlson noted that State Statute gives all legal authority in the city to the City Council. Nothing is going to happen in terms of officially adopting plans or spending money without the City Council’s approval of that. The Planning Commission is mentioned in State Statute and one of their duties, as mention in the State Statute, is to recommend a plan for the community, which is exactly what is being done tonight. However, they do not have the authority to adopt it on their own. The City Council can delegate its authority to various commissions and staff, but ultimately everything rests with the City Council. He did not believe that Mendota Heights, or any other city, October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 7 of 13 can create a commission that has some governmental power as the power rests with the City Council. Jill Smith, 625 Hampshire Drive, has been a resident for 30 years. She stated that the Resiliency section is a wonderful thing to put into the Comprehensive Plan and is something that everyone should be aware of. However, one of the things that concerns her is that this is really too lofty for what Mendota Heights can actually achieve. She believes that the city should concentrate on those things that are achievable within the city and not go overboard. There are a number of other agencies that deal with these things; and if they want to be referenced, that would be fine. She did not want the burden of many of these things put on the city except to perhaps educate and support efforts within the community. There are some things that she did not understand; for instance, the food system efforts in Mendota Heights and the second bullet point that refers to farming operations. The Burrows Farm was the last known farm in the city; she asked if they planned on having more farms in the city with the remaining 1% of land available. If they are not going to have farms, why is this language even in there? She found other areas that she did not go into, that may not be completely up-to-date. She also echoed Commissioner Noonan’s comments on this and believes the Commission is on the right track for what can be done and what should be considered for this; keeping in mind that this is important for the future of everyone – not just Mendota Heights. The city and residents need to do their part, but not everything can be done. Tamara Will, 788 Hokah Avenue, expressed her support of both the Natural Resources and the Resiliency chapters. She believed these to be aspirational documents and hoped that there would be tactical plans to support these and a funding source identified. Without a funding source or a staff person in place, these aspirational documents will not go any furt her than this. They are important and there is urgency. One of the things that could be done to help realize the goals in these sections is the program called Green Steps Cities. They have roadmaps for how to do these things; there are things that lead cities all of the way through this. St. Louis Park, MN is on the forefront of this effort and have some wonderful things going on. There are steps and people to help the city accomplish these goals. As for examples, in 2007 Governor Pawlenty signed the Next Generation Energy Act calling for a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and 80% by 2050. This is something that could be adopted in Mendota Heights. She encouraged the city to do that. As far as the question of what could be done since this is a small city, Ms. Will likened it to voting. It is pretty much accepted that each individual vote makes a difference as each vote is combined with other votes. The same thing applies here. The city is a small; however, it is important that each small city and each person does its part in order to combat climate change and preserve our natural resources. Sue Light, 2270 Wagon Wheel Court, stated that as a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener she has had the opportunity to work with the city’s Public Works department on several October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 8 of 13 sustainable landscape projects. Our natural resources are so important to the quality of life within the city. Sometimes we take for granted that our air quality, water quality, trees, life sustaining plants, and insects would always be here for us. Unless everyone is proactive and has a plan, that might not be true. The Natural Resources chapter is the guide the city can use over the next 20 years. Among other things, the chapter talks about looking for ways to improve habitat for pollinators and other important insects. The city has already started doing this as they plan road reconstruction within the city. When Victoria Road was reconstructed several years ago, native flowers and grasses were seeded instead of rip-wrap or turf grass. In the current road reconstruction, many of the residents have signed on to have rain gardens installed on their properties. These changes not only benefit the pollinators, filter the water, and increase biodiversity; the city does not need to mow as often when these turf alternatives are installed on city property. The plan also talks about using native plant buffers around bodies of water to improve water quality. There are a lot of good sustainable ideas like this in this chapter. They all cannot be done at once; however, the city needs to have aspirational goals for its natural resources. Nature and natural areas are not just in counties, state, or national parks. They are right here in the city and there needs to be a plan to preserve them. Kate Christensen, 2280 Ocala Court, has been a resident for 44 years. She expressed concerns about the Resiliency section as she believed it goes beyond what Mendota Heights government can and should do. There are some good lofty passages; however, care needs to be taken to ensure they are not conflicting. One thing that she found to be silly was the Food System. The city does not need to dictate what goes into people’s mouths. The city can have a Farmer’s Market and residents can plant a garden; however, she did not believe it belonged in the Comprehensive Plan. She believed what could be done in the Comprehensive Plan was to focus that chapter on preparedness, planning, and perhaps disaster recovery. Some of those actions and concerns could also be included in that section for planning. David Hiner, 1295 Kendon Lane, has lived in the Furlong neighborhood since 1981. He stated that the city needs to have some kind of plan put together as he has had to fight for so many issues in his neighborhood – water and sewer for one. In the meantime, a lot of other things have happened that have been very discouraging. The Lemay Lake Shores property has been built, a road was put through the swamp that has caused all of the runoff and the fertilizer overflowing into Lemay Lake; the lake quality has gone way down every year. Augusta Shores has been built on the other end and a pipe has been installed leading into the swamp, leading into the lake, and has eroded a huge amount of silt into the lake. Requests have been put in to fix this and it has not been done. He questioned the need for a Comprehensive Plan when tax dollars are given more consideration than the environment. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 9 of 13 Amelia Vandarious, 1312 Wachtler Avenue, wished to address two points: 1. During the discussion of the Natural Resources and Sustainability Commission, it was definitely discussed as being in an advisory and educational capacity. The purpose of this Commission would be to work on the implementation plan for the Natural Resources and Resiliency chapters; and provide the specific steps that have been requested. 2. In respect to what a small city can do she noted that the city is small, but when other cities view Mendota Heights they can see that every decision made is an opportunity to support natural resources; hopefully leading the way for other cities to make the same type of decisions Alexis Ludwig Vogen, 1580 Boardwalk Court, moved to the city approximately 14 years ago. There were three things that led her and her husband to move to the city:  Location  Schools  The natural resources of the neighborhood They loved the mature trees as they were driving through neighborhoods, loved the proximity to other natural resources like the Mississippi River, and all of the trail systems going through Mendota Heights. They have loved seeing the expansion of that through the years. They look out onto woods from their yard and it is an incredibly part of their living experience in the city. Natural resources, as stated in the Comprehensive Plan, is an important part of Mendota Heights. It is what the city delivers that is unique and different from many other neighboring communities that has amazing proximity to St. Paul and Minneapolis, and yet this wonderful hamlet sensibility to it. She expressed her support for a focus on natural resources and having it included in the Comprehensive Plan. In her day job, she works for a large fortune 100 company and leads their environmental sustainability and compliance team. She participated to some extent in this documentation and wanted everyone to understand that she lives in her day job trying to explain wonky terms to people who are unfamiliar with them. She wanted people to not be afraid of some of the terms in the document; there was a pretty practical lens that she tried to apply. She has worked in business longer than in sustainability so there is always a fiscal and a practical lens to the work she does. In terms of urgency she recently learned a fun and interesting fact; the State of Minnesota, since 1970, has warmed in the winter months four degrees. Most people that have grown up here know that because they can feel it. There are impacts in the community, and there will continue to be impacts, of climate change. This is an important aspect to have in the Comprehensive Plan. The city needs to be prepared to think about it as a community and what can be done locally; things that can make a difference. Nissa Tupper, 1696 James Road, was in attendance on behalf of her family and many other community members to support both the Natural Resources and the Resili ency chapters. One of the reasons why she and her family moved here was the appeal of the natural environment that characterizes the community. It is critical to the city’s character, livability, and vitality. It is very October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 10 of 13 important that the city proactively care of this. She was excited when she learned that the city was looking for community input on the Natural Resources and Resiliency sections of the plan as it helped her become an active community member. She was fortunate to be part of both chapters and was so impressed by the technical expertise that was at the table and learning what her neighbors do on a day-to-day basis and hear their perspective. The passion they have for the community was impressive. She specifically wanted to acknowledge the importance of approving the resilience chapter. It is something that is new for the city and other communities as well; and something that other communities have been doing for some time. It is not mandatory this planning cycle with the Metropolitan Council, but it was an option. This is something that can help the city stand apart as a community who articulates what they care about, what their goals are, and holds the city accountable. Resiliency is the city’s ability to adapt and bounce back when things d o not go as planned. With climate change a lot of things are not going as planned. This is only going to continue. The region is seeing more floods, more extreme heat days, more unhealthy air quality days, more harmful algae blooms, and more bacterial-borne diseases like lime disease. Those are all impacting our environment around us and our health. We need to build a resilience in order to reduce risk to those hazards and to protect the community. The Resiliency chapter may seem overwhelming to some; however, it outlines 20-year goals for climate action, food system, and energy; and are completely in-line with what many other jurisdictions in the Twin Cities Metro Area are already doing. They have been vetted in best practices not only in our region but elsewhere. Some of the items might be new; but they are not lofty and unattainable. They offer the city opportunities to innovate. Some of the items can be started next year. It is good that the Comprehensive Plan also stretches the city and is guiding the city for the next 20 years. Articulating the goals and planning for them, and being open to new ideas is a good idea. One idea may be to identify strategies for leveraging economic opportunities in a green economy; which would be perfect for a comprehensive plan document. It is a long range plan allowing the city time to unpack some of these things, try to understand what it means for the city, how attainable it is, and coordinate the work. The balance of immediate and long-term strategies is what makes the Resiliency chapter strong. She requested the Planning Commission help the city put the foundation in place so they can build a more resilient community and prioritize it. Cindy Johnson, 1755 Victoria Road, is one of the master gardeners who has collaborated with the city for the past three years and one of the editors of the Natural Resources chapter. She shared an email earlier about the work that they have accomplished in collaboration with the city. The mission of the U of M Master Gardeners is to use research-based horticultural knowledge and practices to deliver educational outreach and project-based efforts to the community. Specifically, their focus is on sustainable landscape practices that enhance and protect the environment. The October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 11 of 13 2040 Comprehensive Plan summarizes the area’s abundant and diverse natural resources uniquely special to Mendota Heights very well. Looking beyond the summary, there are 11 goals to cover all of this diverse natural resources. The city is small, yet they have a great number and variety of natural resources which happen to be one of the attributes that can honestly be said that every single resident values. They can describe it differently; however, they range from river bluff to prairie to forested areas, lake, wetlands, rivers, streams, and creeks. Within each of these areas thrives an eco-system of plants, insects, animals that are specific to that area. Unlike other chapters of the Comprehensive Plan, there is more to address than these goals. For instance, in Transportation there are roads and maybe they vary a little in the type of road, but they are still a road. In Natural Resources, there are trees; however there are different kinds of trees, trees of different species that are beneficial and provide for humans, birds, and animals; and then there are invasive trees (i.e. buckthorn) that destroy the eco-system. Then there are trees that are different near streams than those trees that are in a prairie or a forested area. There are also shrubs, grasses, flowers, forbs, and soil and water throughout the area. There are many eco-systems within the larger context of Natural Resources so it makes sense that there would be more to guide the city in the Natural Resources section of the Comprehensive Plan. The city is so unique that Mendota Heights is one of the very few locations left in North America where bee scientists have found the Rusty Patch Bumblebee; a native bumblebee that was common across the U.S. and into Canada but is now on the endangered species list. Very few have been found; but they have been found in Mendota Heights. The Natural Resources section of the Comprehensive Plan has been written as a guide to provide a direction for the city. For example, the plan says in 7.2.7 “Develop and implement city strategies to increase tree canopy. These strategies should explore an expansion of funding and incentives to plant, retain, and promote tree species diversity.” That is a general recommendation to develop a plan for tree planting with an emphasis on diversity, while exploring how it might be funded. In contract, the Natural Resources Landscape Management Plan is a tool that supports the Comprehensive Plan by identifying the current state of each natural resource within the city with the prioritization of specific actions to be taken to prevent further loss or improvement of that resource in a specific area. She encouraged the Planning Commission to approve the Natural Resource section of the Comprehensive Plan with little to no edits. Chadwick Vandarious, 1312 Wachtler Avenue, stated that he has been very impressed by the people who spoke. Normally passion is much more emotional; however, the people who spoke were thoughtful, well researched, and either rehearsed or were the most impressive public speakers he has ever seen. He believed there was an abundance of this resource – people who care. To not put people like this on commission – to waste this resource – is just leaving money on the table. If a commission were created, people just like this would become a part of it and the city would not have to worry about finding something for them to do. These are people are thoughtful and motivated and they will find plenty to do to help make this community better. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 12 of 13 COMMISSIONER MAZZITELLO MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER NOONAN, TO CONTINUE THE PUBLIC HEARING TO THE NOVEMBER 27, 2018 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING IN CASE THERE ARE REVISIONS TO THE PLAN AYES; 7 NAYS: 0 Chair Field noted that there was mention at the workshop meeting about having another with staff and asked for thoughts from the Commission. Commissioner Noonan felt it would be appropriate given that this is really the first time they have heard input on the Natural Resources and the Resilience sections. Being given the opportunity to go through these sections line-by-line would be appropriate in a work session and give them time to reflect upon what was said and seeing what is put down in writing. There was some strong testimony given with respect to the Resilience section, specifically some pointed concerns about the food system; as well as concerns from the Commission on that same topic. He believed the Commission needed a thoughtful deliberative process which would take place at the work session to allow them to address these sections and take another look at chapters 1-6. Chair Field stated that they have had a workshop as a Planning Commission, a workshop with the City Council, and then he asked City Administrator Mark McNeill if he had any thoughts on having another workshop meeting with the City Council. Mr. McNeill replied that the Council could be available for that; however, they respect the work that the Planning Commission has done and if it is something that the Commission would like to do and then recommend it after the public hearing continuation in November, that would probably work well. Commissioner Noonan commented that the Commission had a good work session on October 15, 2018 where they talked about substantive issues. The challenge now is for the Commission to roll up its sleeves and work through the plan to prepare a product that can be presented to the community for one last set of comments; and ultimately for them to finish their job, which is to recommend something to the City Council. Commissioner Magnuson stated that the Commission has not looked at all at the Critical Area Plan or the Implementation Chapter. If a workshop is scheduled, they should plan on Natural Resources, Resilience, Implementation, and Critical Area. Chair Field suggested that, tomorrow, Mr. Benetti and the Commission look at some dates possibly two weeks before the next Planning Commission Meeting of November 27, 2018 for a workshop. He encouraged all of the residents in attendance, and anyone else who wished, to come to the workshop meeting. The date and time would be posted to the city’s website. All should know that this would not be a public hearing but all comments are welcome, minutes would not be recorded; it is a chance for discussion in a public setting their thoughts on things and try to ge t some work done so when they come to the public hearing in November meeting they are more thoughtful and have worked through some of the issues. October 23, 2018 Mendota Heights Planning Commission Meeting Page 13 of 13 Discuss Public Hearing Policy at Planning Commission Meetings Chair Field noted that he read the Public Hearing Guidelines at the beginning of the session this evening. The practice this evening demonstrates, at least to him, what the Commission is trying to do with item #2 “A reasonable attempt shall be made to limit comments to not longer than 3 minutes”. He would prefer to say “An attempt shall be made to keep comments to a reasonable period of time, at the discretion of the chair”. COMMISSIONER MAZZITELLO MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER PETSCHEL, TO EDIT ITEM #2 OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING GUIDELINES TO READ “AN ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE TO KEEP COMMENTS TO A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME, AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR” AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 Staff Update on Approved or Pending Developments Community Development Director Tim Benetti informed the Commission that the variance request for ISD #197, Henry Sibley High School, were approved by the City Council. There are two lots split requests that will be heard at the November 27, 2018 Planning Commission Meeting. Adjournment COMMISSIONER MAGNUSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER TOTH, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:35 P.M. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0