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1986-12-02 Counciil minutesPage No. 2336 December 2, 1986 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA Minutes of the Closed Session and Regular Meeting Held Tuesday, December 2, 1986 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the closed session of the City Council, City of Mendota Heights was held at 7:00 o'clock P.M. at City Hall, 750 South Plaza Drive, Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Acting Mayor Witt called the closed session to order at 7:00 o'clock P.M. The following members were present: Acting Mayor Witt, Councilmembers Cummins and Hartmann. Also present was Mayor-elect Mertensotto. Mayor Lockwood arrived at 7:15. Councilmember Blesener had notified the Council that she would be late. The purpose of the closed session was to discuss with the City Administrator 1987 labor contract negotiations. The meeting was tape recorded per requirements of the Minnesota Open Meeting law, and the tape is on file in the City Clerk's office. The meeting was adjourned to the regular Council meeting at 7:30. AGENDA Councilmember Cummins moved adoption of the ADOPTION agenda for the meeting, including items contained in the add-on agenda and the deletion of Item 9j, Discussion with District 197 School Board, and the moving to the Consent Calendar Item 9d., IOS sign permit request, and Item 9e., Sign Permit Request for Cherry Rich Line. Councilmember Hartmann seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 APPROVAL OF Councilmember Witt moved approval of the MINUTES minutes of the November 12th Land Use Workshop as amended. Mayor Lockwood seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Councilmember Witt moved approval of the minutes of the November 18th meeting with corrections. Councilmember Hartmann seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 CONSENT CALENDAR Councilmember Cummins moved approval of the consent calendar as submitted and recommended Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 FIRE REPORT Page No. 2337 December 2, 1986 for approval as part of the regular agenda, along with authorization for execution of all necessary documents contained therein. a. Acknowledgement of the Fire Department monthly report for October. b. Acknowledgement of the minutes of the November 25th Planning Commission meeting. c. Acknowledgement of a rate increase notice from the St. Paul Water Utility. d. Approval of Change Order No. 3 to the Copperfield Phase I improvement contract e. Approval of the List of Claims dated December 2, 1986 and totalling $155,735.54. f. Approval of the list of granting licenses to: Kuehn Excavating Zdrazil Excavating Maplewood Sewer & Water Charles D. Hess M & 0 Concrete Mery Henslin Heating & Air Conditioning Service, Inc. contractor licenses, Excavating License Excavating License Excavating License Masonry License Masonry License Gas Piping License g. Approval of the issuance of a sign permit to IOS as recommended by the Code Enforcement Officer. h. Approval of the issuance of a sign permit to Cherry-Richline as recommended by the Code Enforcement Officer. Councilmember Hartmann seconded the motion. Fire Chief Maczko was present to report on the recent Country Club Markets warehouse fire and answer Council questions. Chief Maczko informed Council that the it has been determined that the fire was caused by the placement of a cardboard box too close to a radiant heater. He stated that the preliminary damage estimate is $1.25 million to $1.5 million. Chief Maczko stated CASE NO. 86-31, MAGER Page No. 2338 December 2, 1986 that the fire was very large and involved, that the incident command system was utilized for the first time, and that there was excellent cooperation from the Dakota County Mutual Aid Association. He stated that fire departments from Eagan and Inver Grove assisted at the fire scene and that Apple Valley, West St. Paul and Burnsville were on standby to cover the communities involved in the fire-fighting activity. He informed Council that 410 manhours were logged on November 20th and 21st. Councilmember Blesener arrived at 7:55 P.M. The Council commended Chief Maczko and the Volunteer Fire Department as well as the other fire departments involved for their excellent joint effort. Mr. Floyd Unruh and Mr. Dave Doyle, representing the Houchens and Anderson families, were present to request approval of the preliminary plat for the Rolling Woods Addition (Mager subdivision). Mr. Doyle described the proposed plat which involved two parcels of land totalling 9.5 acres of land located on Dodd Road north of the United Methodist Church. In response to a question from Councilmember Witt, Mr. Doyle explained the location of a proposed access to the Ratchye property from Mager Court. He also informed the Council that the developers plan to retain as many trees as possible and cause as little disruption of the land as possible. Councilmember Blesener expressed concern over the double-frontage of lots 17 and 18 and suggested some possible changes, including shifting Westlie Court and reducing the radius of the Court and reconfiguring some of the lots to increase the size of Lots 17 and 18 and save some of the trees on Westlie Court. Mr. Doyle responded that there would be a negative impact on Lots 11 and 12 and that shifting the road would require removing more trees than the currently proposed location would. Public Works Director Danielson suggested that the feasibility hearing for Warrior Ponds scheduled for December 16th be cancelled so that Ayes: 4 Nays: 1 Blesener Page No. 2339 December 2, 1986 the feasibility report can be expanded to include Rolling Woods. He further suggested that a feasibility hearing could be held for both developments next spring. Several members of the Council objected to the use of the name Westlie Court and felt that it would create confusion in the future and should be changed. Councilmember Cummins moved approval of the preliminary plat for the Rolling Woods Addition with the condition that the name of the proposed Westlie Court be changed to Wesley Court. Mayor Lockwood seconded the motion. Mr. John Houchens asked for Council consideration on the portion of the Public Works Director's report on the Rolling Woods plat relating to the collection of deferred assessments against his property. Mr. Houchens stated that at the time the assessment roll that affected his property was adopted he thought that the assessment was deferred, not the payment of the assessment. He felt that the Council should assess all of the property under the new project rather than requiring payment of the deferment and accrued interest. Public Works Director Danielson stated that it is not envisioned that Lot 3 and part of Lot 4 of the new plat will be assessed for water in the new project because water is available to 1 the lot under the project for which the assessment was deferred. Mr. Danielson also explained his recommendation on reducing the sanitary sewer assessment deferment. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 CASE NO. 86-39, SWENSON Councilmember Cummins moved to reduce the original sanitary sewer assessment deferment against the Houchens property to $975, resulting in an amount of $6,731.00 due as principal and interest on the deferred assessment. Councilmember Hartmann seconded the motion. Mr. Dave Goodlund was present on behalf of Mr. Pat Marren, Mr. John Vesley and Ms. Carmen Swenson to request approval of the preliminary Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 CASE NO. 86-25, DOBIE (STRATFORD WOODS) Page No. 2340 December 2, 1986 plat of Spring Creek Acres. Mr. Goodlund explained that it is proposed to plat four existing parcels of land into 11 lots and that the three existing homes will remain. There was some discussion over the tax forfeit property adjacent to the preliminary plat on Marie Avenue. Mr. Goodlund stated that consideration had been given to acquiring the land and including it within the plat, however it has been decided that the land will not be acquired. Councilmember Blesener felt that the tree-line along Marie should be preserved and asked whether the developer would agree to a scenic easement. Mr. Goodlund stated that the intention of the property owners is that there will be a covenant to allow only the necessary removal of trees and that the property owners want to keep as many of the trees as is possible. Councilmember Blesener moved approval of the preliminary plat for Spring Creek Acres. Councilmember Cummins seconded the motion. Mayor Lockwood stated that the reason the matter is on the agenda is that at the last meeting a motion was made to reconsider action taken on November 10th so that there would be no feeling that the Council did not discuss enough new information at prior meetings. The Council acknowledged reports from the Public Works Director and City Administrator, City Planner Dahlgren, and a proposal by John Voss, President of Urban Planning and Design, prepared on behalf of the Stratford Road residents. Mr. Dave Sellergren, legal counsel for Mr. Dobie, stated that Mr. Dobie has spent many hours working on the proposed plat with his engineers and the Public Works Director. He stated that Mr. Dobie continues to prefer the through street proposal which was approved on November 10th. He referred to the November 28th staff report which he felt indicated that Stratford Road was always intended to be a Page No. 2341 December 2, 1986 through street. He also pointed out that the Public Works Director, Acting Police Chief and City Planner have all recommended that Stratford Road be a through street. He felt that it was originally platted as a dead end with the intent that it would ultimately go through. Mr. Sellergren stated that the through street proposal is better than a cul -de -sac in terms of site grading, safety and environmental impact. Mr. Rick Sathre, the project engineer, commented on the various cul -de -sac alternatives. He stated that all the cul -de -sac plans that have been studied, including that prepared by Mr. Voss, have the failing that the cul -de -sac length is over the ordinance maximum. With reference to Mr. Dahlgren's alternatives, he stated that layout number one works well with the terrain but that he finds fault with the hammerhead design on the second cul -de -sac, stating that it is a bad element to use as an everyday terminus to the road. Mr. Dahlgren's second sketch is very close to the Voss plan except that the Dahlgren option was to continue the cul -de -sac westerly to an existing home and would create a significant disturbance to a treed backyard. Also, the hammerhead used to provide a terminus at the end of Stratford Road would result in the loss of many trees on both the Dahlgren and Voss sketches. Mr. Sathre stated that from a non -road standpoint, the problem with all of the cul -de- sac plans is that the disturbance for utility installation would be the same as if the road went through. He pointed out that another disadvantage of both the Voss plan and the Dahlgren sketch number one is that double frontage lots would be created. He stated that lot 6 on the Voss plan is shallow and a home placed on the lot would suffer the impact of headlights at the front and back; the lot just east of the hammerhead appears to be just under 12,000 square feet, and another of the lots would be 13,600 square feet. He pointed out that on the Voss proposal there would be two substandard lots and one undesirable lot just to keep the street from going through. Mr. Sathre responded to comments in Mr. Voss' letter regarding terrain and vegetation, savings to the developer, and affects of the cul -de -sac Page No. 2342 December 2, 1986 proposals on existing Stratford Road residents. Mr. Sathre felt that from an engineering and planning standpoint, the through street proposal makes the most sense. Mayor Lockwood referred to the City Planner's report dated December 2nd and pointed out that Mr. Dahlgren suggests that cul-de-sacs are not the best solution. Mr. John Roszak stated that there is an obvious difference of opinion from the experts and expressed his appreciation that Council has provided the opportunity for the Stratford Road residents to be heard tonight. He stated that there is a dispute over what will happen to the tree cover, and showed aerial photos of the land. He stated that Mr. Voss has concluded that there would be minimum impact from the cul- de-sacs. He stated that there is less crime on cul-de-sacs than through streets and that cul- de-sacs are safer because there are fewer exits than in a through street situation. He felt that the cul-de-sac length maximum is arbitrary and that installation of utilities in a cul-de- sac arrangement would be less disruptive to the terrain than construction of a through street would be. With respect to the lot size issue raised by Mr. Sathre, Mr. Roszak stated that he would presume that lots adjacent to the undersized ones could be reduced in size to provide more area for the undersized lots. He stated that Council must balance the interest of the neighborhood, the City and the developer. Mr. Sellergren stated that it is very clear that the developer prefers the through street proposal. He felt that there is ample basis for approving the through street -- there are three staff reports and, a Planning Commission recommendation to support it. Responding adjustment this could standards, undersized to Mr. Roszak's suggestion on of lot lines, Mr. Dobie stated that be done in order to meet City but so would only create other lots. Ayes: 2 Nays: 3 Blesener Cummins Witt ) . PA ".1 • CT, r n.- _--- "..s Ayes: 3 Nays: 2 Lockwood Hartmann LLOYD'S MEATS Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 STREET LIGHTS Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 CITY HALL Page No. 2343 December 2, 1986 Mayor Lockwood called for a new vote on the November 10th motion approving the preliminary plat with a through street. Councilmember Blesener moved that the preliminary plat for Stratford Woods be denied on the following basis: that the history of the area and the expectations of the neighbors is that Stratford Lane would be a cul-de-sac; that a through street is not necessary in this location; that it was unclear to the homeowners on Stratford that Stratford would be a cul-de- sac and they were misled by the developer of Rolling Green; and that cul-de-sacs provide increased privacy and increased public safety. Councilmember Witt seconded the motion. On the recommendation of the Code Enforcement Officer, Councilmember Cummins moved approval of a building permit for an addition to the Lloyd's Meats building at 1455 Mendota Heights Road, in accordance with plans submitted on November 10th. Councilmember Hartmann seconded the motion. On the recommendation of the Public Works Director, Councilmember Hartmann moved to authorize staff to order Northern States Power Company to install their standard street light at Lakeview and Trunk Highway 55. Councilmember Witt seconded the motion. Mr. Bob Pierce, Dick Gilyard and Dave Kelly, from Lindberg-Pierce Architects, were present to discuss the City Hall project with the Council. Councilmember Blesener stated that she feels the Council should try to communicate to the architects its concerns on the type of building Page No. 2344 December 2, 1986 and type of image the Council wishes to achieve so that Lindberg-Pierce can tell Council if they can fulfill Council expectations. Councilmember Hartmann stated that he was not impressed during the City Hall tours with the reception areas of the facilities toured. He stated that the area designed for City Hall should be a very inviting, warm area. Council- member Cummins stated, and the Council concurred, that Mendota Heights is primarily a residential community and the City Hall should convey warmth and a residential look and character. He stated that he does not envision City Hall as having a contemporary design or an institutional design or character. He asked whether the architects could provide any examples of work they have done as a commercial building that captures this character. Mr. Pierce suggested that the seminar center at the VA Hospital does some of what Councilmember Cummins has described. Mr. Gilyard stated that the firm has not done precisely what has been described but that he is confident his firm can respond to what has been described and will continue with on-going dialogue with the Council. It was the concensus of the Council that the structure should not have an institutional appearance, either inside or outside. The Council suggested that the architects view the Strub building on Highway 13 and an office building at Bush Lake Road and Highway 100 for examples of the type of design that is appropriate. There was discussion over the projected project schedule and Council's involvement in the process. The architects were directed to return to the next Council meeting and to provide pictures of facilities they have designed which might project the character the Council is seeking. ECONOMIC COUNCIL The Council acknowledged a memo from the City Administrator and a request from the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce for participation in the St. Paul East Metro Economic Development Page No. 2345 December 2, 1986 Council. It was the concensus of Council that any commitment to participate be postponed until after a proposed Northern Dakota County Chamber of Commerce meeting with developers has been conducted. AMBULANCE Councilmember Blesener moved approval of the CONTRACT Divine Redeemer Ambulance contract. Councilmember Cummins seconded the motion. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Blesener expressed concern over the status of clean-up of a structure on West Circle Court which was blown down during a storm several weeks ago. Councilmember Hartmann reported on a hole in the pavement at the intersection of Miriam and Chippewa. ADJOURN Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Councilmember,0 Witt stated that an oversized garage is being constructed on a lot at Marie and Delaware that does not appear to conform to the Zoning Ordinance. Councilmember Hartmann noted that the structure is over-large and was concerned whether a permit has been issued and whether the owner is planning to store trucks in it. There being no further business to come before the Council, Councilmember Hartmann moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Witt seconded the motion. TIME OF ADJOURNMENT: 11:05 O'clock P.M. yathleen M. Swanson City Clerk ATTEST: Robert G. Lockwood Mayor