02/21/1995 - City Council Special AGENDA
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday
February 21, 1995
5:00 p.m.
I. ROLL CALL & ADOPTION OF AGENDA
II. PRESENTATION OF MLC HOUSING REPORT
IIL CAPONI ART PARK CORRESPONDENCE
IV. OTHER BUSINESS
V. ADJOURNMENT
MEMO
city of eagan
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES
DATE: FEBRUARY 17, 1995
SUBJECT: SPECIAL WORKSHOP/TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1995
A Special City Council meeting was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21,
1995, by action of the City Council at a recent regular meeting. The items to be
considered are as follows: 1) Presentation of MLC Housing Report, 2) Response to
February 6 Correspondence by Anthony Caponi and 3) Other Business.
MLC/AN OVERVIEW OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING & RELATED ISSUES REPORT
Enclosed without page number is a copy of a report entitled, "An Overview of Affordable
Housing and Related Issues"that was prepared for the Municipal Legislative Commission
by Thomas Research. The report presents an overview of the public policy issues
surrounding affordable housing, including issues such as land economics, employment,
public transportation and housing costs. The report found several examples of
questionable data being used for the public policy debate of affordable housing. These
examples include employment data developed initially by the Met Council, the free and
reduced school lunch program data developed initially by the Metropolitan Council and
the Council's exclusion of owner-occupied manufactured housing and multi-family housing
in its count of owner-occupied housing that is within each city.
Bob Renner, representing the Municipal Legislative Commission, and Cynthia Thomas,
of Thomas Research, will be present at 5:00 p.m. to highlight the report. Mr. Renner and
Ms. Thomas have made these presentations to each of the MLC membership city
councils.
There is no formal action required on this matter.
CAPON! ART PARK CORRESPONDENCE
Enclosed on without page number is a copy of a letter sent to the City Council by
Anthony Caponi providing a response to a letter the City Council sent Mr. Caponi dated
January 18, 1995. A copy of that correspondence is also enclosed without page number.
The City Administrator has assigned the overall coordination of the Caponi Art Park to
Assistant to the City Administrator Duffy. She is familiar with the project, knows Mr.
Caponi and can work through the City Administrator's office to facilitate and resolve the
matters identified in the recent City Council correspondence, as well as any additional
objectives the Council may wish to identify in response to the February 6 correspondence
from Mr. Caponi. Assistant to the City Administrator Duffy will coordinate work that is
done by various departments and meet with the special subcommittee consisting of City
Councilmembers Awada and Masin and Mr. Caponi on an every other month basis.
To help develop a response to the February 6 correspondence, the issues have been
identified as follows:
1. Thus far, the City and Mr. Caponi have worked with verbal understandings.
2. Mr. Caponi believes we should formalize what his and the City's
commitments and responsibilities are regarding the Art Park.
3. The City has asked for a site plan which can be reviewed.
4. Mr. Caponi is of the understanding that the large concept plan and model
which he and the then Landscape Architect, Steve Sullivan, developed was
all that was needed in the way of a plan.
5. Mr. Caponi would prefer not to develop a new site plan but would rather
update his working plan. He believes that going through a development
process for a new plan would undermine his position with Dakota County
that the Art Park is currently a reality.
6. Mr. Caponi has met with several fund raisers who agreed to be part of"our
working team"and to enlist a lawyer and an architect. (There is no mention
of whether these people are volunteers or will expect to be paid.)
7. Mr. Caponi also met with Dixon Bond, who "is well known for his leading
role in the building or the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul".
8. Mr. Caponi suggests that the City Council may want to hire someone like
Dixon Bond who can help guide the Art Park through the next stage of
development instead of paying for forming a trust for the land, which he
believes would merely put the land on hold.
9. Mr. Caponi has explored the various avenues for fund raising and feels well
qualified to raise money. However, he does not believe this can be done
until the land is transferred from private ownership to the non-profit
corporation.
10. He believes the City has the means and clout to resolve this situation.
11. "If the City wants the Art Park, it needs to exert more conspicuous
leadership as demonstrated with the ice arena project."
12. He asks the Council to review its position on the Art Park and that he be
included in the review.
OTHER BUSINESS,
It is possible that staff will have some development updates on community development
activities.
/S/ Thomas L. Hedges
City Administrator