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02/06/1986 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 6, 1986 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Martin at 7:10 P.M. Members present were Martin, Porter, Ketcham, Alt, Masin, Bertz, Kubik, Caponi and Thurston. Richard Carroll had notified staff he would be unable to attend. Also present were Parks & Recreation Director, Ken Vraa; Landscape Architect/Parks Planner, Stephen Sullivan; Planner, Jim Sturm and Administrative Assistant, Liz Witt. Dorothy Peterson introduced newly-hired Recreation Supervisor, Paula Sunder, to the Commission. Chairman Martin welcomed newly-appointed Commission member, Bob Porter. Other guests were present to address specific items on the agenda. AGENDA Items were added to Park Development and Other Business. Commission member Thurston moved, Kubik seconded, that the agenda be approved as amended. The motion carried. MINUTES OF JANUARY 9, 1986 A correction was noted on page four that it was Commission member Alt, not Masin, who commented on three wheelers being operated on City streets. Sandy Bertz moved, Ketcham seconded, the minutes be approved as corrected. The motion carried. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Parks & Recreation Director, Vraa, called for nomination for Commission chairman. Roger Martin was the only nominee and was elected unanimously. Chairman Martin then called for nominations for vice-chair; Carolyn Thurston was nominated and elected by unanimous ballot. Chairman Martin then called for nominations for secretary. Richard Carroll was the lone nominee and elected by unanimous ballot. Following the election of officers the committee assignments were made. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS A. STUART'S FIRST ADDITION - STUART NOLAN Planner, Jim Sturm, reviewed the development proposal for the Commission. He noted there are to be 144 rental units with a recreaiton building in an R-4 zoned district just west of Tomark near Lexington and Yankee Doodle Road. One bedroom units will rent for $575 and two bedrooms for $675 per month. Director Vraa said that Lexington Avenue is to be upgraded and that the City should recommend trail dedication along Lexington payable when the improvement takes place. Carolyn Thurston made the motion, seconded by Alt, to recommend cash dedication for the units and trail dedication on Lexington to be paid when Lexington is upgraded. All voted in favor. 1 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 B. BUR OAK BILLS - HARSTAD CO. Jim Sturm noted that proposal is the former South Delaware Hills P.U.D. It consists of 111 acres bounded by Hwys. 149 and 55 and Inver Grove Heights. The current proposal is for 204 single family homes all on lots of greater than 12,000 sq. ft. He said that Harstad Co. wishes to abandon the P.U.D. concept and proceed with R-1 zoning. The Planning Commission approved the proposal subject to concerns of the Parks & Recreation Commission and amendment of the P.U.D. agreement. Planner Sturm said the Planning Commission approved the proposal after their concerns with cul-de-sacs and grading had been addressed. He noted that the park dedication has been sharply reduced from the original P.U.D. proposed dedication and that some of the proposed trail is lower than the high water elevation of 820'. Mr. Jim Merila, Registered Engineer for the Harstad Companies, then presented a brief slide show of other Harstaa development and various shots of the Eagan site. He said the main access to the development would be off Highway 149. There would be an interior looped street, thus reducing the number of cul-de- sacs originally proposed. Mr. Merila noted there are 25 1/2 acres of park and pond area, most of which are under the high water elevation of 820'. He said the Company worked with Eagan Parks Consultant, Tim Erkkila, to provide a concept plan for the proposed activity site in the NW corner of the 25 acres. The developer is prepared to do some grading and build retaining walls by the tennis courts. Mr. Merila cited a cost of $200 per lineal foot of roadway which would prohibit giving up 400-600' for access purposes. He did say that the proposed ball field area is at the 820' level so it's conceivable that it could be under water some of the time. He did not think that this situation was unusual for ball fields in many communities. He noted the City has proposed to construct a pedestrian bridge along the south edge of Bur Oak pond which could connect to the trail in the development. Mr. Merila noted that the trail will be constructed at the 817' level even though that level is 3' under the 820' high water elevation. He noted that the pond itself is set at an 809' control level. He concluded by saying that the difference between the original and present proposal was an exchange of park along the eastern edge of the pond for a piece in the north and one in the south. Mr. Ken Briggs, Development Director for Harstad Companies then spoke to the Commission. He noted there are 100 less units with this proposal than with the original P.U.D. He said the neighbors are supportive and the Planning Commission gave unanimous approval. He stated further that there will be no P.U.D. arrangment with the proposal. He said that to meet code requirements, the developer is to give a certain amount of parkland - period. Mr. Briggs stated that it would cost too much to provide a 600', or even a 400', access to the park as asked for by staff. He said the Harstad Companies is providing usable parkland of more than 10% and they have no further obligation. 2 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. Feruary 6, 1986 Commission. member Bertz noted that the developer picked up at least 12 lots with the new park configuation and "gave" the City a small, steep parcel in exchange. She said the current proposal is not giving the City adequate usable parkland. The limited access.. does not allow for adequate parking. The proposed overlay of ball and soccer fields is dangerous. The developer gave pieces of' land which are under water, have steep slopes or are on the pipeline. Mr. Briggs responded that the developer is meeting the required, park dedication-and--how-the City-Jays out the amenities-is its responsibility, not the developer's. Chairman Martin addressed.another concern - that of the proposed trail set an an 817' level which is 3'- less than the "100 year" high water elevation of 820'. He noted there is already an unusable trail around a pond in Eagan and he didn't want to'have another. Chairman Martin said pond outlets are getting plugged with all the additional sediment from so much construction and now those ponds are always at the high water elevation. After additional discussion, Director Vraa showed the development with an overlay of water and topo features which impact a potential park. Of the 25.6 acres which the Harstad.Companies proposes to dedicate, the pond area and area of greater than 14% s lope 'amount to 19.6 acres. The remaining six acres are in three pieces of 2.9 acres, 1.8 acres and 1.3 acres. He reminded the Commission that water can be credited for 50% as long as 70% of it is above the high water mark. Hj.felt the 1.8 acre parcel was not useful to either the developer or the City. Mr. Vraa said the developer had followed the letter of the law, but not the intent. Mr.. Vraa._entinued. Because the developer insists on abandoning the P.U.D, the.Commiagion should-determine if this (his) proposal meets the 10% parkland dedication requirement. If not, what should be done so it meets City standards? He also-stated that Parks Planning Consultant, Tim Erkkila, had called and stated that he did assist the.-de vel oper with a park concept; but the developer changed the plan and-Mr. Erkkila made it clear he has no ownership in the present plan. Director Vraa reviewed the specific concerns with the play area of the park saying that the developer did propose to do some grading and lower the-height of the retaining walls. He voiced concern, however with the proposed parking lot location and proximity of the adjacent homes. He.-was also concerned with the overlay of ball/soccer fields and the location of the ball field under the high water elevation. He then showed staff a proposed- concept plan for the park which moved the amenities to provide better utility access and greater road frontage for access. Ken Briggs objected to the staff plan. He said the Eagan code does not spell out specifics of parks dedication. The developer is required to give 11 acres which is 10% of a 111 acre parcel. The developer objects to taking of street frontage of 600' for access because that is over and above what is required. He felt there was no need to have open access to the park because the park was for the neighborhood. "Outsiders" should not be invited in via open access. Mr. Briggs cited a San Francisco Parks Planner who advocates little or no access to a park. 3 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 Chairman Martin said the developer is telling the City what land it can have for park-and--the Commission does not find the proposal acceptable. Carolyn-Thurston said that the Commission -is_charged to provide quality parks. She noted i -was apparent the developer was hung up on the use of street-- frontage for park access. Ms. Thurston said the City is interested in usable land for parks and the' developer has taken all of the usable land for lots. Three small pieces have been provided, none of which really address the'need for active parkland that has been demonstrated for.that park service area.. Mr. Briggs said Harstad Companies cannot develop the land and pay an additional one-half to three-fourths of a million dollars to accomodate road frontage for a..City park. He said that if the Commission could not accept the present proposal, then the property will revert back to the old P.U.D. with its greater housing density. Commission member Caponi said that the City cannot use land and -trails which are under water. He felt if the City accepted the parkland and trail as proposed, then the City would be faced with water problems and the developer would be long gone. Mr. Caponi noted that a good park will increase the value of surrounding land. Mr. Briggs said the parcel would be worth much more without a park. He said, further, that most people who live by parks hate them. He said the developer intended to deepen the pond, thus enlarging the storage capacity subject to approval by the Department of Natural Resources. Commission member Kubik noted there is an excess of land that the City cannot use for a park. He asked if there were a better piece somewhere on the parcel. . Ken Briggs said,,that the developer had to-pay for 25 acres of water and'cannot. afford to provide the road frontage staff had proposed. The-concept plan proposed by Mr..,Erkkila was then, reviewed. Chairman Martin said that space is needed for active play and that he felt a larger road access than is being shown by the developer is necessary. He is apprehensive about the trail being placed at the 817' level in the first place. He thinks enlarging the pond's storage capacity might serve to raise the water level even more. , Mr. Briggs said he woul-d like to work with the Commission- and if it's more space than they want for parks, the developer will provide it, but he won't provide it if'he has to give up road frontage. George Kubik asked if it would be possible for staff to meet with the developer and see if there might be some alternatives which might be acceptable to the City and the developer and the Commission could look at it in March. Mr. Briggs said he intended to be on the February 18 City Council agenda regardless of the Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission's recommendation. 4 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 After further-discuss±on, Commission member Caponi made i motion, seconded by Kubik, that staff meet with the developer to consider alternative designs to peetCit3 needs. Staff should bring the following concerns to the discussion and return to the Commission in March: -1. There is a need for active parkland in the area. = 2. The trail should not be below the 820' elevation. 3. There must be adequate access to the park. 4. There should be adequate, internal parking in the park. •5.- Safety must-be-foremost-when locating recreational amenities. The motion was approved unanimously. Commission member Kubik requested staff to review bounceback of the pond area, the potential for flooding and--ether related engineering data. Chairman -Martin added erosion control to the review- list. These issues will be Included in the March agenda with the Bur Oak proposal. C. ADVENT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH The church is to be constructed south of the Westbury Addition and the contractor wishes to drain the site into Patrick Eagan Park. Director Vraa said the staff will be meeting with church representatives to provide for temporary drainage until Lexington Avenue is upgraded. George Kubik moved, Main seconded, to recommend there be no cash dedication unless the use changes. Trail dedication is required, but would be postpon"d until Lex-ingtma is upgraded. The motion passed. D. K. CHARLES DEVELOPMENT fianner Jim Sturm explained the proposal as 18,000 sq. ft. of strip shopping' center with 13,000 sq. ft. in retail and 5,000 sq. ft. in food stores. The center will be located near the intersection of Duckwood and Crestwood. The Planning Commission has approved the preliminary plat. Commission member Alt made the motion, seconded by Bertz, to recommend cash dedication for the center and the landscape plan as shown be implemented. The motion carried. E. 'UPDATE - JIM STURM Planner Sturm stated that the Remick Addition by Highview Park had been approved wFiile the Greensboro proposal was continued. Upcoming for the February Planning Commission agenda are: Lexington Third consisting of 10 lots; Park Knoll which is a single family development and a 23 acre site owned by Opus Corporation which might feature a long term residential hotel, a gas station, fast food and restaurant facilities. OLD BUSINESS A. PARK/SCHOOL SITE ACQUISITION - SECTION 14 Director Vraa explained the land survey completed for the site revealed that there is not as much land in the proposed site as originally thought. In order to make the site work, Mr. Vraa proposes the City and school district jointly purchase Parcel A, an adjoining five acre piece. The purchase price for Parcel A is reportedly $45,000. Stephen Sullivan described various 5 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 concept plans utilizing Parcel A. He reaffirmed the need to acquire Parcel A because the surveyed parcel did not allow sufficient space for field distances &road access. Chairman Martin asked if the City was to participate in a partial or the' entire purchase of Parcel A with the school district. Commission member Caponi asked who and how is the jointly-owned site administered. Director Vraa stated the school district was primarily concerned with siting the building, road;i etc. leaving the City to be concerned with the rest of the land-assuming both awould. work together. The director stated that he was hopeful that-the district will buy the entire 33.05 acres and the City will purchase 11 from the district. Commission member Caponi made the motion, seconded by Kubik, to recommend that staff work with the district towards reaching a joint purchase agreement for up to one-third of the entire site and that the City have full use of the land. All voted in favor. B. PARK DEDICATION REVIEW This item was deferred to the next meeting. C. VOLUNTEERS & _CONTRIBUTORS RECOGNITION - COMMITTEE REPORT Special Issues Committee Chair, Roger Martin, stated that the committee agreed that the people who are park volunteers should be honored or given some recognition. Included in the packet is a list of awards which might be given with a brief description of recipient qualifications. Awards range from a plaque to pens. Commission member Thurston moved, Bertz seconded, to approve the recognitions program-as recommended. The motion carried. D. PARK LOCATION - SECTION 21 _ This item was deferred to--the next-meeting.- E. DRAFT LETTER - DAKOTA COUNTY BICYCLE TRAILS PLAN The Commission reviewed the original letter along with another which made some changes. Commission members were appreciative of the effort and on a motion by Kubik, seconded by Ketcham, approved the Caponi revised draft which will be submitted to the newspaper in March. Commission members were encouraged to write individual letters too. NEW BUSINESS A. ROAD NAME A request had been received to name the connecting road into Blackhawk Park after former Mayor, Leo Murphy. There was some discussion, then the Commission referred the item to, the Park Names Committee. Committee Chair, Richard Carroll, will set a meeting date soon. 6 Adv..Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 B. 1986 BUDGET Director Vraa distributed the 1986 City budgets. He noted some corrections to the parks section. r C.- LETTER OF SUPPORT - PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON. RICAN OUTDOORS The President established a Commission to study the quality and quantity of recreational opportunities in the nation. The State--of.Minnesota then established a Commission of Minnesota Resources which will address Minnesota needs. Director Vraa recommends the City send a letter of support emphasizing the importance and continuing need to expand/improve recreational opportunities. Commission member Kubik moved, Martin seconded, to approve sending a letter of support for the federal and state commissions. The motion carried. PARK DEVELOPMENT.. A. PARK SHELTER BUILDINGS Director Vraa and Landscape Architect, Stephen Sullivan, presented the new design for the park building at Goat Hill Park. The tower had been deleted and the resulting structure keeps the continuity with other Eagan park structures. The building was also shifted on the site to allow for a view of the pleasure skating rink. Commission members favored the new design, but were still concerned with the lack of windows for viewing the remaining play areas. After further- discussion, Carolyn Thurston made a motion, seconded by Kubik, to approve the new design and requested that other exterior applications be -explored to make it a more interesting building. The architects are to address the present lack of view of the play field by adding more windows and/or shifting the building on the site. All voted in favor. Director Vraa then reviewed the costs for the park shelter buildings. He said projected costs are $462,000 which include a $30,000 contingency. He asked for direction in case the bids went over estimate. After some discussion, Commission member-Kubik moved, seconded by Bertz, to approve the encumberance of $462,000 from the Park Site Fund. The Commission is concerned with the total costs and will.allow flexibility on individual structure costs. If total costs are unreasonably high, the Commission prefers to review again. A11 voted in favor. L B. PARK CONCEPT PLAN REVIEW & COST PROJECTIONS Blue Cross/Blue Shield Park - The City will acquire 10.5 acres and not 12 with the acquisition to be completed within_ 60 days. One ball field was eliminated and the park access was relocated. Park Planner/Landscape Architect, Stephen Sullivan, described park amenities and locations of each. Director Vraa noted that the 10.5 acres appears sufficient and there is no significant benefit in acquiring all 12 acres with this revised plan. Member George Kubik moved, Martin seconded, to accept the Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan as presented. The motion carried. 7 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 COACHMAN/QUARRY HILL PARK Stephen Sullivan presented the concept plan for Quarry Hill Park. He noted it is very similar to what was originally proposed. George Kubik moved, Thurston seconded, to accept the plan for Quarry Hill Park as presented. The motion- earried: _ 7. MEADOWLANDS S. - e Stephen Sullivan noted that plan-is also similar to what was originally proposed. Internal trails are tied to the Highline Trail; there are sliding hills and a frog catching deck. The Commission was reminded that the two tennia'courts were deleted in the bond proposed. Commission: member Alt-moved, Bertzrseconded, to accept the plan-for Meadowlands-Park as presented. PILOT KNOB PARK Director Vraa stated there is a natural gas line through the site and it lies fairly shallow in the-ground. This means the City cannot grade enough to establish a sufficient base for the hockey rinks. Stephen Sullivan presented three designs-which would-call for 10,000, 5,000 or 2,000 cubic yards of fill accordingly. The Commission discussed the three plans and preferred Alternate C)which was the least expensiveyhaving the tot lots by the tennis courts and away from the road. On a motion by Caponi, seconded by Martin, the Commission recommended Alternate C be prepared as the preferred-concept plan., The motion carried. SOUTH OAKS PAR[ This- concept plan was modified somewhat because more accurate topos dictated change. -There is only-room for one tennis court unless the Commission saw the need to eliminate additional trees. There are some steep grades, but most of the area is very flat and more fill is needed to create drainage. A few oak trees will have to be• removda• and there will be a- trail-and stairs to the beach. -It was -noted that the-canoe launch was not included so some shifting around will have to take place in order to accomodate it. Commission member Kubik moved, seconded by Ketcham, to accept the plan for South Oaks Park with the addition of a canoe launch. :The motion carried.- G. UPDATE - OHMANN PROPERTY birestorVraa_said that Mrs. Lemond has agreed to $13,000 per acre for 15 acres. There will be no written agreement until the estate is settled. There is no activity on the property to the north which Derrick Land Company is planning to develop. Chairman Martin expressed concern that a great deal of time has passed and still no athletic site. The Commission should relook at the property east of Highway 149 and make a decision if it caztafford to risk the wait on the Ohmann parcel. An athletic site must be acquired soon. 8 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. February 6, 1986 OTHER BUSINESS & REPORTS A. UPDATE STORM SEWER IMPROVEMENTS - BARN PARK This item was deferred to the next meeting. B. GOLF NETTING, BATTING CAGE This item was deferred to the next meeting. C. WINTER WEEKEND Chairman Martin asked that all members review the weekend schedule and volitnteer to assist with at least one activity. -Members should contact Dorothy Peterson with their preferences as soon as possible. ADJOURNMENT Commission member Alt moved, Kubik seconded, that the meeting be adjourned. Time of adjournment was 11:20. DATED: ADVISORY PARKS & RECREATION SECRETA ine :.e: C a to 9