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01/11/2000 - Airport Relations Commission MINUTES OF THE EAGAN AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING JANUARY 11, 2000 A regular meeting of the Eagan Airport Relations Commission was held on Tuesday, January 11, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. Those present were Eric Drenckhahn, Ted Gladhill, Steve Soderling, Lance Staricha and Charles Thorkildson. Absent were Tom Pedersen and Nadim Zoberi. Also present was Jamie Verbrugge, Assistant City Administrator and Mary Swenson, Recording Secretary. AGENDA Upon motion by Drenckhahn, seconded by Thorkildson, the agenda was approved as presented. All members voted in favor. MINUTES Soderling made a motion to approve the minutes; Drenckhahn seconded the motion. All members voted in favor. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors to be heard. NORTH -SOUTH RUNWAY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Verbrugge stated he will continue work on the preliminary draft and will be mailing out further draft format in the near future for Commission feedback. CEDAR AVENUE AND HIGHWAY 13 REDEVELOPMENT REPORT Verbrugge gave a brief background on the Cedar Avenue/Highway 13 Redevelopment Task Force stating this area, known as Cedarvale, is the historic downtown Eagan. Verbrugge stated that it was decided approximately 18 months ago that this area needed a redevelopment vision and request for proposals went out to consultants and, then in March of last year, the City Council selected 15 members to act as a Task Force for the Cedarvale area. He stated the Task Force consisted of 5 representatives from the City's Advisory Commissions, 5 resident appointees and 5 representatives of the business community. Verbrugge stated the Task Force set up preliminary redevelopment guidelines on June 1, 1999 to act as boundaries to direct the creation of the redevelopment scenarios. Verbrugge discussed these guidelines stating the vision for the Cedar Avenue/Highway 13 area is to become more visible and their surroundings more attractive. Early in the process, the Task Force did a visual preferences exercise in which they viewed 50 slides and discussed what they liked and disliked while looking at slides of buildings, parking lots, parks, etc. and voted on a scale of one to five. He stated the next step was a four hour planning meeting in which the Task Force reviewed three alternatives. The Task Force combined all of the best elements of the three to create the Village Plaza Concept. Verbrugge showed a sketch of the Village Plaza Redevelopment Concept along with diagrams of the different phases of implementation. He further showed a map of existing conditions discussing Airport Relations Commission Minutes January 11, 2000/2 roads, housing, contours and where the Village Plaza would fit and in which noise zone. It was stated that the Village Plaza Concept was more of a visioning guide and more of a feel. He stated that Phase I is to be new mixed density housing; single family, apartments and townhomes and to re- work the Silver Bell/Beau D'Rue intersection. He further stated that Phase II is a vision of a large hotel /conference center and office complex which would be visible from the freeway and be a signature piece. Verbrugge stated that three hotels in Bloomington will be taken out of commission because of the new airport runway and this could fill the need of hotel space. He stated Phase IlI would be the retail plaza design; with shops, bars, restaurants and the retail component. He also stated that this phase would have some green space and be a very attractive area with community space on each end. Commission members discussed the Cedarvale area and decided it was approximately at the 3 mile line from the new runway. Gladhill stated the desperate need for additional housing in Eagan, but had hesitation to recommend housing that close to the runway. He further stated that multi- family dwellings would be better equipped for that area and stated if the homes were built properly, insulated better and developers and residents were notified ahead of time of the noise zone, he would then feel confident about his recommendation to the City Council. Drenckhahn agreed with Commissioner Gladhill and further stated that his residence is approximately the same distance to the airport as this area, but felt the proposed area when completed would be better equipped for sound because of steps taken during the developing stages. Soderling questioned the need for additional housing stating he felt the City of Eagan was already very crowded and traffic is heavy. He further questioned how developers will feel about an area with restrictions. Verbrugge stated that because of the rapid growth in Eagan with approximately 62,000 residents today, life cycle homes will be needed. Verbrugge discussed life cycle homes and explained the cycle starting with apartments as young people start out, then into townhomes, single family, up -scale single family, empty nesters moving back to a townhome and assisted living units such as condominiums. Commission members further discussed types of developments in noise zones, DB levels versus DNL and types of construction required for noise reduction. Staricha questioned housing in the Village Plaza Concept being in noise zone 4 and whether this area is the same as the Mendota Heights area that was previously discussed by the Commission. Verbrugge stated that the Hoffman Homes Development in Mendota Heights was partially in noise zone 3, but more importantly, was very close to the Eagan/Mendota Heights Corridor and was viewed as an encroachment on the utilization of the corridor in the future. Staricha further questioned that housing in this area could be located in a corridor off the North -South Runway, should a corridor be developed in the future. Verbrugge showed flight track maps of the residential area and discussed the area within these headings and contours. Chair Gladhill made a motion to send a letter to the City Council from the Eagan Airport Relations Commission in support of the Cedar Avenue and Highway 13 Redevelopment Concept insuring that the proposed guidelines are followed for construction, architectural standards and notification of noise impact to developers and residents; Drenckhahn seconded. Aye: 4 Nay: 1 Soderling commented that he still believes you should not build residential homes under airplanes even with the proper notification and insulation. He further stated that by comparison, it would be like the McKee Addition and Knox Lumber parking lot. Gladhill stated that the concept Airport Relations Commission Minutes January 11, 2000/3 included housing, retail and commercial and, for the concept to work, all three factors need to be present. Verbrugge stated he would do some unscientific testing and compare the McKee Addition to these flight tracks. Staricha commented that he liked the Village Plaza Redevelopment Concept and stated that there are not a lot of places in Eagan with no aircraft noise. Gladhill stated as an Eagan resident, this area represents our City and will be a key location for people moving into Eagan. He further stated that this area should be physically attractive and not the home of a commercial trucking firm. Thorkildson stated that the Lake Nokomis area in Minneapolis is a very attractive location and is also close to the airport. COMMISSION EVALUATIONS Verbrugge gave a brief overview of the Commission evaluations and stated that five Commissioners responded to the request to provide feedback. Staricha stated that it was his observation that the low scores were on issues that the Commission would have a hard time doing anything about or changing. Gladhill stated that he would like to see more communication and improved interaction with the City Council to insure that the Commission is on track with what the City Council perceives as issues and expectations. Gladhill further stated issues that were of benefit to the community; answers to test cell questions, additional ANOMS monitoring sites and significantly reducing the number of flights in violation of the corridor. Staricha stated additional issues that the Commission worked on during the past year such as eligibility for the Part 150 Program for the Valley View Plateau neighborhood, the Cedar Avenue and Highway 13 Task Force, Noise Abatement Departure Profiles, ANOMS, the Part 150 Update, Twin City Airport Task Force, Contract negotiations, web site development, North -South Runway Communications Plan, the MAC Communications Plan, defending the corridor and the cable TV program. Thorkildson agreed with the list of issues previously stated and further commented that airport noise is a never ending battle. He further stated that we are already dealing with a runway that won't open until 2004, but are projecting noise problems and reinforcing the message to the community. Verbrugge stated he will relate the list to the City Council. GOVERNOR'S AIRPORT FUNDING TASK FORCE Verbrugge stated what is expected to be the last meeting of the Governor's Airport Funding Task Force is scheduled for tomorrow, January 12, at Bloomington City Hall. He stated the draft report will be finalized and approved at tomorrow's meeting, then sent to the legislature by the 15 but there will probably be no action during the 2000 legislative session. LOW FREQUENCY NOISE POLICY COMMITTEE Verbrugge stated the Low Frequency Noise Policy Committee meeting was held yesterday, January 10, and that the noise experts could not reach a consensus on what the results from the low frequency noise impacts will be because new information has suddenly come to light regarding reverse thrust that has skewed their results. MASAC UPDATE Verbrugge stated there was a meeting today in which Bob Kirmis, Planner from the City of Eagan, attended regarding the Part 150 Update specific to communities impacted by the new North- Airport Relations Commission Minutes January 11, 2000/4 South Runway including Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville, Bloomington, Richfield and Minneapolis. He stated a letter was provided on the Commission's behalf that announced the intention of the City of Eagan is to eliminate the 100 degree flight heading on 17/35 and to phase -in aircraft on the North - South Runway once it is operational. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Soderling, seconded by Drenckhahn the Commission members adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. mis DATE SECRETARY