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05/06/1999 - City Council Special (2) Joint City Council and Advisory Planning Commission May 6, 1999 Page 1 of 4 00140 MINUTES OF THE JOINT ADVISORY PLANNING COMMISSION AND EAGAN CITY COUNCIL EAGAN, MINNESOTA May 6,1999 A joint Advisory Planning Commission and Eagan City Council meeting was held on Thursday, March 6, 1999 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Eagan Municipal Center Building. Present were Mayor Awada and Councilmembers Blomquist, Carlson, Bakken and Masin. Advisory Planning Commission members present included Chair Carla Heyl, Greg Steininger, Jerry Segal, Larry Frank, Meg Tilley and Ron Miller. Also present were City Administrator Hedges, Director of Public Works Colbert, Senior Planner Ridley, Planner Farnham, and Intern to the City Administrator Rathmann. Advisory Planning Commission members Gale Anderson and Gary Huusko were absent. TRAFFIC SIGNAL SIGN Administrator Hedges presented the sign that will be placed at the intersection of Wescott and Lexington. The sign will notify the public of the informative meeting regarding the placement of a traffic signal at Wescott and Lexington. The Council agreed the sign would be appropriate. JOINT APC AND COUNCIL REVIEW OF THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE PLAN Administrator Hedges provided a review of the comprehensive guide plan process. He stated that the intent is to distribute the rough draft of the plan to surrounding municipalities and school districts to begin the required review. He explained the meeting was set to review the sections of the plan and give direction where needed for particular sections of the plan. Administrator Hedges reminded the group that the draft plan is available at City Hall for review. Planner Farnham commented that two copies will also be available at the Dakota County Library- Wescott branch, in Eagan. Planner Farnham provided a brief summary of the introduction section of the comprehensive plan. A suggestion was made to expand the wording of bus system to public transportation system to include all types of public transit. The group agreed on the change. Planner Farnham provided a brief summary of the community background section of the comprehensive plan. There was a concern regarding the preservation of the Minnesota River Valley. Planner Farnham confirmed that the Minnesota River Valley plus an adjacent strip of prairie land has been preserved. There was a concern regarding the continual change of demographics in the City and if the City has a plan to respond to these changes. Planner Farnham responded that the City does not currently have a plan. Meg Tilley suggested placing this item on a "to do" list to concentrate on in the future. Planner Farnham provided a description of the land use section of the comprehensive plan. Mayor Awada questioned how the City can restrict the division of property on half acre lots and how can the City encourage the lower density developments. Planner Farnham stated that the Joint City Council and Advisory Planning Commission May 6, 1999 Page 2 of 4 00141 land use category dictates the density and the zoning dictates the use. Planner Farnham further stated that in the zoning, there is a minimum lot size and maybe it is the R-I minimum lot size that needs to be reviewed. Councilmember Blomquist stated that she is concerned that the proposed 0-4 units per acre density allows people with large lots to subdivide. She further stated that this should be mentioned in the narrative rather than being including in the zoning policies. Larry Frank stated that if the intent is to stop people that have one acre or greater lots the structure of the wording needs to be changed. Mayor A wada stated that the homes that are on quarter acre lots need to be compatible with the guide plan. Planner Farnham stated that 0-4 density was included in the new land use designation because it reflects what exists for single family development. She stated zoning is where control can best be gained and the land use section of the plan provides guidelines. Councilmember Blomquist commented that the initial concern was regarding one large development, that has now been developed, so the comprehensive guide plan must firm up the large lot zoning and the comprehensive guide can cover the smaller lots in a different manner. Councilmember Carlson stated that she is concerned about older neighborhoods that are interested in remaining how they currently are and the zoning allows property in their neighborhood to be subdivided because if a request for new development occurs, the city must accept the development to avoid litigation. She further stated the 0-4 density must be clarified so residents will be given approval or disapproval for subdivision. Planner Farnham stated that the zoning of property will control the lot size. Coucilmember Bakken stated large lots could be guided low denity but lot size controlled through zoning. The City could establish very strict performance standards for new small lot subdivisions. Mayor Awada stated that zoning categories must be stricter to prevent litigation in the future. Councilmember Blomquist commented that the Council didn't initiate rezoning in the Lone Oaks area, but it was requested by petition for estate zoning by the property owners. Jerry Segal stated that in older cities in the country lots have continued to get smaller because of the need for additional housing at lower costs. Larry Frank questioned whether or not the parks section of the plan was an appropriate location to include recreation uses. Councilmember Carlson stated that there are many designations for private property and there is only one designation for public property. Parks have many different intensities of use. Planner Farnham stated that the zoning ordinance is very vague and doesn't differentiate between types of parks, churches, and other quasi-public uses. There are many types of intensities of public property and the land use can remain the same, however the zoning should be amended to control the intensity. Councilmember Carlson questioned whether the public would understand that there are two maps to look at. Planner Farnham stated that it is the function of staff to explain the difference in the zoning and the comprehensive guide plan. Mayor A wada stated that the staff will need to provide more education to residents regarding the difference between the two. Administrator Hedges questioned the difference between Caponi Park and other public property. Chair Heyl questioned what the goal of the Comprehensive Plan is and if it is to include quasi-public as an institution or to consider it as a public facility. She questioned how to compare golf courses to City parks. Councilmember Masin stated the parks need to be accompanied with a description, such as passive vs. active park, regardless of what map they look at. Planner Farnham stated that there are so many varieties of public facilities that would cause a very confusing land use map. She noted that the park section includes a map specifically identifying parks by type of use and intensity. Councilmember Carlson suggested to change the zoning map to make it more detailed. Ron Miller stated that typically when a resident decides to buy a home, they look at the comprehensive plan to see the future land use map and then the zoning map for current zoning. Councilmember Carlson stated that there already are two park Joint City Council and Advisory Planning Commission May 6, 1999 Page 3 of4 00142 designations on the land use map. Councilmember Bakken stated that the comprehensive plan land use map should be as simple as possible and the zoning should have the details. Jerry Segal stated that when a map is defined with finite exactness, it becomes risky and suggested to keep it general to prevent questions. Councilmember Masin stated that flexibility is essential and it must be user-friendly and expectations must be clear by identifying what the City currently has. Larry Frank suggested an interested party look at the park map if interested in how active a park is. Planner Franham stated that land use is a guide and zoning can differentiate between intensities. Meg Tilley suggested creating a park map more detailed by breaking it down into classifications and adding narratives to the descriptions. Councilmember Bakken stated that there is a cross-reference to the 1994 Park Plan for further description. Mayor A wada stated that the comprehensive guide map is sufficient, but suggested making some revisions to the zoning map. Councilmember Bakken suggested to keep the land use map as is and reference the other sections of the plan. Chair Heyl stated that it should also differentiate between green space and recreational uses. The Advisory Planning Commission and City Council suggested that staff 1) provide more examples of uses allowed, 2) Only public park land should be shown as park. Planner F amham provided a brief summary of the airports section. Mayor A wada suggested the Airport Relations Commission review the narrative of the airports section. Planner Famham provided a brief summary of the public utilities section and stated that the sewer plan was updated in 1991 and the water supply plan was updated in 1996 and the water quality plan is currently being updated. She further stated that she will be contacting Director of Public Works Colbert for further input and a map will be included showing the location of the individual sewer treatment systems. Planner Farnham provided a brief overview of the Park System Plan. Chair Heyl commented on the narrow focus of the park title. Councilmember Blomquist suggested the title of the section should be the Parks and Recreation Systems Plan to include all park and recreational activities. Councilmember Masin stated that trails are becoming a large part of the overall transportation system. Planner Farnham stated that transportation trails are addressed in the transportation section. ~ Planner-Farnham gave an introduction to the Natural Resources section. There were no comments. Planner Farnham provided a summary of the Housing Section. Larry Frank stated that he felt many people could visualize where low-income housing may be the most appropriate and further commented that a successful public transit system may be more achievable than affordable housing. Greg Steininger stated that there is an inconsistency with housing and economic development, since people want to live where they work but there aren't enough places to live near work they can afford. He further stated that this should be noted in the comprehensive plan. Mayor Awada stated that an answer may be better public transit. Planner Farnham mentioned focusing on home fix-up programs and first time homebuyers programs as an option to retain existing affordable housing. Councilmember Masin stated that one level buildings are not a good use of land and further commented that two and three story buildings with a mix of uses should be a future priority. Planner Farnham stated that there is already a shortage of land for new mixed use developments, however these ideas can be used for special redevelopment districts. Joint City Council and Advisory Planning Commission May 6, 1999 Page 4 of 4 00143 Planner Farnham provided a summary of the Economic Development Section. Greg Steininger questioned whether a Community Development Agency should be established. Councilmember Blomquist stated that she doesn't see a need presently, but possibly in the future for redevelopment purposes. Staff was directed to mention in the plan the need to consider it in the future. Planner Farnham provided a summary of the Community Facilities Section and stated that a map of historical sites is being developed. Councilmember Masin suggested including the Arts and Humanities Society Organization in the review of the section. Jerry Segal questioned if this was an appropriate place to address public safety in the comprehensive plan. Planner Farnham noted that this section describes the public safety facilities and includes some policies in that regard. Mayor Awada stated that with minor modifications a draft plan is ready for review. The group thanked and complimented the Comprehensive Guide Committee and staff. Councilmember Blomquist gave a special thank you to Planner Farnham for her hard work. Mayor Awada suggested Tuesday, July 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. as a meeting date for a public open house for an informal staff and comprehensive guide committee meeting. Jerry suggested putting the plan on the City website. Administrator Hedges commented that a strategy should be determined for performance measures and to develop criteria for evaluating goals once they have been adopted within the compreehnssive guide plan. OTHER BUSINESS Mayor Awada stated that the Eagan Forever Green is presently holding their tree distribution. She stated there are over forty volunteers and great quality trees. Mayor Awada encouraged people to visit the distribution site. Mayor Awada mentioned the Eagan Forever Green trees on sale also on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. HJR/TLH .. May 6, 1999 Date