HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-11-05 Council Work Session MINUTES
OF THE JOINT WORK SESSION OF THE
EDINA CITY COUNCIL AND
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TASK FORCE
HELD AT CITY HALL
NOVEMBER 5,2007
5:00 P.M.
Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m. in the Community Room of City Hall.
Answering rollcall were: Members Bennett, Housh, Masica, Swenson and Mayor Hovland.
Present from the Comprehensive Plan Task Force were Steve Brown, Mike Fischer, John
Lonsbury, Michael Schroeder and Kevin Staunton. Staff present included: Gordon Hughes,
City Manager; Heather Worthington, Assistant City Manager; Wayne Houle, City
Engineer/Director of Public Works; Cary Teague, Planning Director; Ceil Smith, Assistant to
the City Manager; and Jennifer Bennerotte,Communications &Marketing Director.
Mayor Hovland said the purpose of the special work session was to review two proposals
received for the relocation and redevelopment of the Edina Public Works Facility.
Assistant Manager Worthington reviewed the project's history: in September, the City Council
directed staff to send out a request for proposals (RFP) to developers who may have an
interest in the site and a relocation option for the Public Works Building. The existing Public
Works Building, 5146 Eden Ave.,was constructed in the 1960s on approximately 3.5 acres, and
has been outgrown by the Public Works Department. Additionally, the City would like to see
better air handling, segregation of divisions, and more indoor storage for equipment and
trucks in a new facility. A relocation site for a new Public Works Building must be in Edina,
ideally on industrially zoned property in the southwest quadrant of the City and with a
minimum of seven acres of land. A new site must have good access to surrounding roadways.
Two RFPs were received - one from Opus and one from Ryan Companies.anies. Usin video and a
PowerPoint presentation, Assistant Manager Worthington and Director Houle described each
proposal and its pros and cons.
Opus proposed to construct roughly 150,000-square-foot,
five-story medical -
ry office building, supported by a five level parking structure. The new Public
Works facility would be relocated to the current ConAgra site at 7450 74th Ave.
Strengths of the proposal include:
• Better compatibility of use with surrounding commercial/retail uses at Minnesota
Highway 100 and Vernon Avenue.
• Utilizes unique topography of the site for parking.
• Intensification of use was appropriate for area adjacent to major highway.
• Access for the site was better suited to a commercial use, rather than a fleet use such as
Public Works.
Weakness of the proposal include:
• Only one type of use - office - was planned, rather than a mixed-use approach on the
existing Public Works site.
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Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/November 5,2007
• A variance would be needed for the medical building. The proposal called for five
stories, but Edina Code allows only four stories.
• The ConAgra building would not meet projected space needs, but was better than the
building proposed by Ryan Companies.
• The ConAgra site area was not as large as desired.
Ryan Companies proposed two alternatives for development on the current Public Works site.
The first option was a two-story medical or professional office building with surface parking.
The second option was a three-story building with a one-level parking ramp. The new Public
Works facility could be relocated to the current Gabbert's warehouse at 7215 Cahill Road.
Strengths of the proposal include:
• Proposed use on the existing Public Works site was compatible with surrounding land
uses.
• Utilizes unique topography of the site for parking.
• Access for the site was better suited to a commercial use, rather than a fleet use such as
Public Works.
Weaknesses of the proposal include:
• Does not intensify land use in keeping with location near major highway.
• Does not include park-and-ride component, which will lessen impact on surrounding
highways.
• Only one type of use - office -was planned, rather than a mixed-use approach.
• Gabbert's site size and area did not meet minimum requirements for a Public Works
Facility.
• Building did not meet minimum requirements for a Public Works facility.
Members of the Comp Plan Task Force shared their vision for redevelopment of the area
where both developers propose relocating the Public Works Facility. The larger
redevelopment area has been dubbed "Cahill Gardens" or "Centennial West." The vision was
to redevelop the site to be similar to the Centennial Lakes development.
Members of the Comp Plan Task Force said relocating a Public Works Facility in that area of
the community must be done with that vision in mind so that it would not impede future
development.
Along with the Council, the Comp Plan Task Force agreed that the stronger of the two
proposals was that submitted by Opus. The Council agreed to formally consider the two
proposals at its Nov. 20 meeting.
Mayor Hovland declared the meeting adjourned at approximately 6:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Ma gen ity Clerk
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