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12/11/1990 - City Council SpecialMINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EAGAN CITY COUNCIL Eagan, Minnesota December 11, 1990 A special meeting of the Eagan City Council was held on Tuesday, December 11, 1990 at 5:30 p.m. in the lunchroom of the Municipal Center building. Present were Mayor Egan, City Councilmembers Gustafson, McCrea, Pawlenty and Wachter. Also present were members of the Airport Relations Committee, including Larry Alderks, George Martin, Becky Newell, Tim Ring, Bob Hafvenstein, Greg Langen and Jerry Woetfel. Also present were Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein and City Administrator Hedges. Mayor Egan welcomed members of the Airport Relations Committee and reinforced the City Council's objective to meet with all advisory committees and commissions on a more regular basis. He further stated that following the presentation by Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein, the City Council would like to discuss the recommendation of the Airport Relations Committee regarding concepts for considering additional runway improvements at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and any other issues relative to airport operations. Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein explained the arrival and departure impacts for each of the concepts that consider additional runway improvements at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. He specifically addressed the planned probable and possible impact on the community depending on how headings should be directed if fanned over the community illustrating each of the alternatives. Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein further discussed the accuracy of the Metropolitan Airport Commission's assumptions for each of the concepts that were presented. City Councilmember Gustafson spoke to the MAC rationale for supporting Concept C which is an obvious impact for the City of Eagan. He also discussed the significance of the FAA who is in control of the flight patterns and operations. City Councilmember Gustafson stated the City should be specific regarding a new location if the recommendation to support a new location for the airport is chosen. He further indicated that a south location would be most practical and more than likely not impact the south metro economy of the 1-494 strip, City of Eagan and other communities. He further expressed an opinion that frequency of operations is possibly a greater concern than actual noise. City Councilmember Pawlenty stated that, according to the report, if a new airport was authorized in 1991, the opening would not occur until 2006 which is a 15 year timetable. City Councilmember Wachter expressed his concern with the cost of new construction, which is far more expensive than revamping the existing airport to accommodate the increased operations. He further questioned the timetable as to when a decision is necessary by the Metropolitan Council regarding the dual track study. Assistant to the City Administrator Hohenstein stated that originally the Legislature was requiring a decision in late 1990; however, a one year extension has been granted and a decision is expected during the summer or early fall of 1991. Mayor Egan indicated that the airport issue was entering a new phase and that 1991 would be a very busy year with respect to this issue. He indicated that he agreed with Councilmember Gustafson that a north relocation would negatively affect the City of Eagan far more than a south relocation would. He stated that it would be hard to quantify the economic impact on Eagan but that it would have to be considered in any discussion of relocation versus expansion. He also stated that the economic impact would have to be considered in the context of the potential impacts on all Eagan residents, both those associated with the airport and those not. He stated that if the City were to support relocation as an option, it would be dependent upon which location was chosen. "...)(!1-:.:t! r Page 2/ Special Council Meeting December 11, 1990 Alderks stated that he was pleased by the responses of the City Council to the recommendation of the committee. He stated that the committee was very concerned about the business impact of a potential relocation and that all interests both business and residential would have to be balanced in approaching this decision. He stated that the frequency of overflight will continue to be an issue even if quieter planes dominate the fleet. He said that frequency and noise would continue to be issues in the context of the FAA's willingness to operate within a confined area indefinitely. He stated that one of the most important issues is that the current airport site is to small to absorb enough expansion to make it competitive with major airports around the United States. He stated that discussion of relocation should be based on a specified area or radius from the current site. Mayor Egan stated that no one has quantified airport impact on the local economy. He stated that this would be an important ingredient to consider before making a final decision. He stated that he would also like to know what effect expansion would have on local property values. Hafvenstein stated that he supported use of the existing terminal facility with light rail to a new site to maintain the viability of the 494 strip. Egan agreed, stating that if a site were relocated lt would have to be tied into the long term light rail transit plan. Newell said that 50% of the Minneapolis /St. Paul International Airport users treated the facility as a hub and never left the airport site. Therefore, she stated for those users it didn't matter where the airport was located. For origination and destination users, she stated that the transportation system in place endorses a southern location. Mayor Egan stated that this consideration would be important because it is difficult to project trends into the distant future. As an example, he indicated that Northwest Airlines' current investment in Eagan is comparable to the cost of a single Stage 3 aircraft. tf the airport were to move north, Northwest Airlines may move too. Martin agreed that Eagan's policy should be tied to light rail and a clear preference for a southern location. He stated that in some ways a southem location would cause Eagan to be in the middle of the metropolitan economic development triangle between the two downtowns and the airport. He stated that the limited space at the current airport will also raise safety concerns if traffic demand continues to increase. He stated that reuse of the current site would also raise dramatic development issues and affect property values. Pawlenty agreed that it would be important to identify costs both pro and con for expansion and relocation, but indicated that the complexity and speculative nature of such data may make it hard to compile. He stated that it was important for the City to continue to be part of the process even if we sometimes feel we do not have power over it. He stated that it is important in any decision to recognize the FAA's role in supporting interstate commerce. He said that while we can affect the FAA to some extent, the City must carefully consider the effect decisions will have on the community. He stated that many well placed people do not believe that a new airport will ever be built and as a consequence it is important for the City to have a position with respect to the current site. Woelfel agreed with these points but stated that taking a position on the current site might tend to weaken a position on relocation if the City were to pursue that strategy. He stated that a fall back plan might be prudent, however. With respect to process, it was suggested that the transition in the Govemor's office may present opportunities for Eagan to acquire more direct MAC representation than currently exists. It was suggested that this alternative be pursued. Egan stated that it was very important for Dakota County and Eagan to make their wishes known because the North Metro Mayor's Association is very active to promote a northem location. Hohenstein stated that Dakota County and Dakota County cities are considering a policy to support a southern site with the understanding that it would be worse to have the airport move to the north metro area than to stay in the south metro area. Ring stated that despite responsible land use planning, our residential areas receive unacceptable Page 3/ Special Council Meeting December 11, 1990 levels of impact. He stated that none of the runways being proposed appeared acceptable for Eagan neighborhoods. The Council stated that the City should have a position on both tracks of the dual track planning process and that the committee should identify which of the runway alternatives would be least offensive to the community. It was also suggested that the committee tie in specific references to the value of south metro transportation and the integration of Tight rail transit in a position to build support for a southem site for a relocation track. Aiderks stated that it was important to phrase the City's position carefully so that it is not perceived as a preference but rather a lesser of evils. Mayor Egan drew the discussion to a close and thanked the committee for its work and participation in this issue and the meeting. He indicated that the Committee and Council would work together in the coming months to finalize this position. The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. fl cemher 11. 1990 Date ADJOURNMENT TLH