1994-04-21 Council-Plng Comm Workshop91
JOINT CITY COUNCIL / PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP
TRUNK HIGHWAY 55 DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION
MINUTES
April 21,, 1994
(Revised)
The Special Joint Workshop meeting of the City Council and the
Planning Commission of the City of Mendota Heights was called to
order at 7:30 o'clock p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City
Hall, 1.101 Victoria Curve. City Council members present included:
Mayor Mertensotto and Council members Huber, Koch, Krebsbach and
Smith. Commission members present included- Chair Dwyer and
Commissioners Friel, Hunter, Koll, and Tilsen. Commissioners
Dreelan and Duggan were excused. Staff members present included:
Lawell, Danielson, Uban and Batchelder. Mr. George Milliman was a
guest. Parks and Recreation Commissioner Stan Linnell was also
present.
General Discussion
Mayor Mertensotto explained the City Council's preliminary
selection of Sites 5A and 6 as the preferred sites for the
Senior Housing project. The Mayor informed the group of the
Council's decision on softball and baseball use at Mendakota
Park.
The Council and Commission discussed Senior Housing.
Commissioner Tilsen felt a traffic management plan was needed.
Transit services and other supporting services were discussed.
Mayor Mertensotto stated it was important to get the land
analysis and acquisition process underway.
Highway 55 Corridor
City Administrator Tom Lawell began by describing the need to
pro-actively plan for the opening of the Mendota Bridge and
the land uses in the immediate highway corridors. Lawell
stated it was important for the Council and the Commission to
determine the zoning and comprehensive land use plan
designations for the Highway 55 corridor and to consider what
impacts on current designations will be caused by the new
highway system.
Lawell stated it was important to have the appropriate land
use and zoning designations in place prior to receiving
applications from developers. Lawell stated the City could
expect an increase in commercial/industrial development
pressure in the Highway 55 Corridor area with'the opening of
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the Mendota Bridge.
Lawell stated the City had completed a Highway 55 Corridor
Study in 1988 that provided some useful information. Lawell
described the following sites:
Garron Site Acacia Parcel
Mulvihill Area United Properties vacant land
Furlong neighborhood Resurrection Cemetery land
George's Golf Tee Rogers Road area
MIST Site visitation site
Lawell reviewed the current zoning designations and the
current comprehensive land use designations. Commissioner
Friel pointed out that the setbacks along Highway 55 vary with
the zoning designations. Lawell reviewed Airport Noise
Exposure and stated this is the
by air noise. Lawell reviewed
Council Noise Zones.
area of the City most impacted
LDN Contours and Metropolitan
Future airport expansion plans were discussed. The potential
for a north-south runway and for a third parallel runway were
discussed. Mayor Mertensotto stated this is the issue that
Mendota Heights would have to proactive on and that the third
parallel runway to the north would have to be opposed.
Lawell reviewed topography and vacant lands in the study area.
Lake Augusta and its forested slopes were discussed. The
highway realignments were reviewed. The future traffic
patterns on Highway 110 and Highway 55 were discussed.
Danielson stated that the Highway 110 from I-35E to the bridge
would be a busier section of road than in the past.
Lawell reviewed the development options from the 1988 Highway
55 Corridor Study with the two configurations for Acacia
Boulevard.
Following the review of prepared materials, the Council and
Commission began a discussion of development goals for the
area. Lawell began the discussion by inquiring which land
uses were preferred - commercial services for traffic and
business, residential, office with views. Soundproofing in
Furlong neighborhood was discussed. Lawell stated 10 homes
had been insulated with the average expenditure being $15,000
and the maximum $25,000 with the major costs being air
conditioning, windows, and doors. Lawell stated it appeared
to be working successfully.
Traffic on Highway 110 was discussed. Council member Krebsbach
expressed a concern for the potential increase in traffic on
Lexington Avenue from Highway 110. Commissioner Hunter stated
he feels a SuperAmerica on the Curley property would be
K
positive and would help support the B-1 property west of
Lexington Avenue and south of Highway 110. A gas station use
on the Curley property was discussed. Council member Smith
stated she was not opposed to gas station, just to a "high
volume" type station. Mayor Mertensotto stated that the
Vivisibility techniques" employed by gas stations had to be
controlled. Council member Krebsbach stated this use belonged
on Highway 55. Neighborhood sized businesses were preferred
for the Curley site and that it should complement the City
Hall architecture.
The B-1 Zoning district (Gould site) was discussed. There was
a consensus that this should remain an office park without
truck traffic, loading docks, and warehouse uses. Mayor
Mertensotto stated that the B-1 District should be amended to
require underground parking in order to control fleet vehicle
and outside storage of trucks/vehicles.
Banking uses were discussed for the Outlot A of the Gould site
and for the Curley site. Lawell stated that Outlot A had been
acquired by the City for conservation purposes (storm water
ponding) . There was a concern that Outlot A would be too
small for a bank and would be needed for storm water ponding.
Council member
be pushed to
Council member
up the Curley
or to draw
Krebsbach pref
the four corne
Huber stated that commercial development should
Highway 55 or to the Dodd/Highway 110 area.
Krebsbach stated she felt the goal was to clean
,Iorner but not to increase traffic on Lexington
eople off of Highway 110. Council member
Brred to keep a green space triangle at each of
rs of the Lexington and 110 intersection.
Setbacks along Highway 55 were discussed and there was some
understanding that there should be a consistency for setbacks
in this corridor. Land uses were discussed. Residential uses
in the air noise zones were discussed. Mayor Mertensotto felt
it was inappropriate to put more homes in the air noise zone
and felt that any new residential would have to be north of
new Highway 13 and that south of new Highway 13 should be
strictly commercial.
The B-3 Zoning Districts (M.I.S.T. site and greenhouse/motel)
were reviewed and discussed. Restaurant uses were discussed
as possible commercial uses. Huber inquired who we would be
trying to serve with commercial uses in the Highway 55 area -
Highway 55 traffic or local traffic? Some Council members and
Commissioners felt the commercial services should support the
business and industrial park. The group discussed potential
commercial uses in the Rogers Road area and the area along the
frontage road north of the Mendota Heights Motel.
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The Garron site was reviewed and discussed. The Council and
Commission considered potential "gateway" uses for this site.
They felt a business use on the Garron site was preferrable
and that airport noise was extreme for residential use, but
that the land and view were very attractive and an appropriate
use would have to be noise attenuated and attractive as an
approach to the City.
Commissioner Linnell raised the issue of establishing a County
Park on the western Resurrection Cemetery site. He stated
that the northern portion of the County is under served by
County parks and that this area is wooded and very attractive
for park uses. The Council and Commission directed staff to
contact the County on this issue.
Planner Consultant John Uban was directed to submit a proposal
to City Council for a study of the Highway 55 corridor that
would provide options for appropriate land use and zoning
designations. The study should include possible rezoning
sites, potential developments and land use options as
discussed this evening. The study should include discussions
with large landowners and employers. The study would be
processed through the Planning Commission.
The Council and Commission directed staff to research the
strip of land in the City of Mendota that is south of Highway
110.
There being no further business,
adjourned at 10:15 o'clock p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
1-7-�
Kevin Batchelder
( a t
Administrative A
the Joint Workshop was