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07/02/1996 - City Council Special MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EAGAN CITY COUNCIL fits' Eagan, Minnesota • July 2, 1996 A special workshop meeting of the Eagan City Council was held on Tuesday, July 2, 1996 at 5:00 p.m. at the Eagan Municipal Center. Present were Mayor Egan and City Councilmembers Wachter, Masin, Awada and Hunter. Also present were City Administrator Tom Hedges, Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein and Senior Planner Ridley. PRESENTATION BY DAN OREN/SOUTH HALF OF DART PARCEL City Administrator Hedges stated that, along with Senior Planners Freese and Ridley, he met with Dan Oren to review a concept for the development of the south half of the DART property located in the northeast quadrant of Yankee Doodle Road and Lexington Avenue. He stated that Mr. Oren would like approximately 10 to 15 minutes of time and would also like to receive some direction regarding the type of use so he can continue marketing his property. Mr. Oren introduced Francis Bulbulian who made a presentation regarding various examples of clustering residential and commercial development that is occurring in other communities. He further stated that the breakdown of the 200 acre parcel includes the central park - 63 acres, recreation - 3 acres, dwelling units - 33 acres, civic, commercial and office - 14 acres, office warehouse - 14 acres and light industrial -73 acres. He stated that the plan is to provide a showcase area that will complement Carriage Hills Golf Course, the Yankee Doodle Road corridor and Promenade development. City Councilmember Masin asked about airport noise. Assistant City Administrator Hohenstein stated that the Airport Relations Commission would like to meet with the City Council and review airport noise issues for proposed development north of Yankee Doodle Road at a point in the near future. He further stated that any change in redesignation of the property will require a Comprehensive Guide Plan review. City Councilmember Masin further asked about County road noise. The City Administrator stated that Mr. Oren was apprised of the County's recent initiative to require noise mitigation measures for any residential development adjacent to County roads. City Councilmember Wachter stated that he likes the concept of residential; however, had numerous design questions relative to the type of units, density, etc., that would be reviewed at the time a formal proposal is processed before the City. Mayor Egan stated that he likes the proposal conceptually; however, he questioned whether it is marketable as presented. City Councilmember Hunter stated that he would prefer that residential stay away from the north side of Yankee Doodle Road; however, the Central Area Task Force did recommend a complete plan that provides a certain level of density that would allow for pedestrian movement intermixing housing, business and recreation. He stated that the park would buffer the industrial park on the north and likes the idea of small shops; however, he did express some concern about the amount of park land that is proposed as being under water. Mayor Egan feels the proposal might be better than the Eagan Promenade in the sense that it provides a better sense of place and more interaction of residential and commercial neighborhoods. City Councilmember Awada had stated that she is concerned about the development, especially the residential units as shown and asked if the units will have garages facing the residential streets due to small lots and density. She also expressed concern about too many townhomes. City Councilmember Awada also stated that there should be additional analysis regarding the central area park theme that will allow the City to perform the type of park activities identified in that study. City Councilmember Masin asked if the developer will work with the City to satisfy the park needs identified in the central park report stating further that the City might need to purchase some park land to satisfy the objectives of the central park theme. Mayor Egan thanked Dan Oren and Francis Bulbulian for their presentation. PARK REFERENDUM TASK FORCE City Administrator Hedges stated that the Park Referendum Task Force met on June 26 to discuss the status of the proposed referendum. The Task Force was asked to address the two (2) dates which include the Primary Election, scheduled for September 10 and the General Election which will be held on November 5. He further stated that Councilmembers have requested more specific information about the EAGAN SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING;JULY 2, 1996 PAGE 2 0 :. ,.f5 • purpose of the park bond referendum,as an example,what priorities are under consideration for acquisition and how the funds will be designated in the proposed referendum. Lee Markell, representing the Task Force, presented the candidate sites stating that the sites represent approximately 500 acres of land. He stated that the amount of the referendum will not allow the City to purchase all the sites. City Councilmember Wachter stated that he would like a list of the sites and specifically, criteria on how each park could be used, for consideration at the July 16 meeting. City Councilmember Hunter asked that the list be reviewed by the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission and supported the request for information by City Councilmember Wachter. Task Force Member Markell stated that each site will have an appraisal. Referendum Task Force Member Vincent explained that the process is similar to the City of Maplewood where 99 parcels were presented to the community; however, all those parcels were not purchased as a result of the referendum. City Councilmember Awada suggested that signs be placed on each of the parcels so that the community is aware of locations. City Councilmember Hunter asked if acquisition and betterment can be placed on the ballot as one referendum question. The City Administrator answered yes. He further asked if there can be flexibility in how betterment is defined allowing the City Council to use dollars for active park land, a nature center or some other purpose as they deem appropriate. The City Administrator stated that this is a legal question and will require some review by the City Attorney. City Councilmember Hunter also asked what is the 10 to 15 year development plan for the parks system. He expressed some concern that the voters need to know the total cost and expectation for park development over the next several years. City Councilmember Wachter stated that the amount and date need to be determined and there should be flexibility in how the referendum is phrased that will provide an enhancement for the entire community. Mayor Egan stated that enhancement suggests improving existing parks which may be appropriate. City Councilmember Awada asked that the City consider a hypothetical question, that if $800,000 was the only amount to be allocated for betterment in the foreseeable future, how would those dollars be allocated. City Councilmember Awada thanked the City Administrator for his information relative to the bond referendum dates. Mayor Egan discussed the date stating that he was supportive of the General Election, November 5 date. He stated that this provides an opportunity to educate the people properly over the next several months. City Councilmembers Hunter and Wachter supported the General Election date for reasons stated by the Mayor. City Councilmembers Awada and Masin suggested that the September 10 Primary date would be a better choice, since the number of questions on the ballots are limited and the analysis the City Administrator provided by Springsted implies that there has been more favorable support for referendums at Primary Elections than General Elections according to their data compiled since 1994. After further discussion, the City Administrator was directed to prepare the resolutions for consideration at the July 16 City Council meeting. OTHER BUSINESS There being no further business. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. to the regular Council meeting. TLH 11111 July 2, 1996 • • Date City Clerk