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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-02-12 CHC PacketAgenda Community Health Commission City Of Edina, Minnesota Council Chambers, Edina City Hall - 4801 West 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 Monday, February 12, 2018 6:30 PM I.Call To Order II.Roll Call III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes A.2018-01-08, Minutes: Community Health Commission V.Community Comment During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share relevant issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit the number of speakers on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking, items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment. Individuals should not expect the Chair or Board/Commission Members to respond to their comments tonight. Instead, the Board/Commission might refer the matter to sta% for consideration at a future meeting. VI.Reports/Recommendations A.Energy and Environment Comprehensive Plan Chapter Review B.Public Health Law Center Review - Report VII.Correspondence And Petitions A.Correspondence VIII.Chair And Member Comments IX.Sta/ Comments X.Adjournment The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli1cation, an interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. DRAFT MINUTES Community Health Commission January 8, 2018 at 6:30 PM City Hall, Community Room I.Call To Order II.Roll Call Present: Britta Orr, Alison Pence, Amanda Herr, Andrew Johnson-Cowley, Steve Sarles, Marnie Pardo. Edina Transportation Commission Members: Aboubekrine Kane and Lori Richman. Absent: Greg Wright, Christy Zilka, Connie Weston, Om Jahagirdar III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda Item 6.B. removed from Agenda. Motion by Alison Pence to Approve Meeting Agenda. Seconded by Steve Sarles. Motion Carried. IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes Motion by Andrew Johnson-Cowley to Approve December 11, 2017 Meeting Minutes. Seconded by Alison Pence. Motion Carried. A.December 11, 2017 Draft Minutes V.Community Comment VI.Reports/Recommendations A.Comprehensive Plan Review - Transportation Presentation by Commission Member Andrew Johnson-Cowley and group discussion of Transportation chapter in 2008 Comprehensive Plan. Sections 7-3 – 7-15: Current conditions within the city of Edina •Of note – nothing in the vehicular or transit portion of the report discuss the health attributes of transportation at all. •Pedestrian facilities discusses the future sidewalk strategies and improvements. •In 2006, the BETF received a grant from BCBS and prepared a report – Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan Sections 7-15 – 7-38: Trends and Challenges •Sidewalks and paths provide for safe movement of individuals and encourages active lifestyles. •Identification of current conditions and problem areas within the city •Provide a vision for system-wide improvements •Guiding principle for the vision of bicycles within the city related to health is to promote it to improve community health – no specifics were given. •TDM – Transportation Demand Management •Requirements for TDM in any redevelopment proposal – more “teeth” •As Edina ages, the demand for transit services will increase •Focus on vehicular use is discussed. Recommendations: •Include strategies for transportation needs in the underserved/elderly population as they relate to community health (food, exercise, safety) •Increase visibility of strategies to encourage walking and bicycling as HEALTHY alternatives to driving. •Increase support facilities for walkers and bicyclers – water, directions, distance markers, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, etc. •Recognize that lighting is an important aspect to a transportation plan as a way to provide security and safety for walkers and bicyclers. •Require a health assessment to major redevelopment areas to include benefits of the redevelopment plan to community health strategies Discussion with ETC members regarding focus on Health and Transportation coordination. Commissions will work with one another in future to incorporate Health-in-all-Policies concepts into transportation planning and design. B.Comprehensive Plan Chapter Review - Energy and Environment Removed from Agenda VII.Chair And Member Comments VIII.Staff Comments IX.Adjournment Date: February 12, 2018 Agenda Item #: VI.A. To:Community Health Commission Item Type: From:Christy Zilka Item Activity: Subject:Energy and Environment Comprehensive Plan Chapter Review CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: Date: February 12, 2018 Agenda Item #: VI.B. To:Community Health Commission Item Type: Report and Recommendation From:Margaret Perez, Bloomington Public Health Item Activity: Subject:Public Health Law Center Review - Report Information CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: Margaret will present the final report from the Public Health Law Center review of the City's codes and policies. ATTACHMENTS: Description Active Transportation Summary Healthy Eating Summary Edina Active Transportation Opportunities Summary, Last Updated December 21, 2017 - Page 1 Opportunities to Increase Walking and Bicycling Edina, Minnesota Local policy initiatives play a pivotal role in promoting the health of a community, including supporting active transportation options such as walking, rolling, and biking. A variety of policy options are available to help residents of all ages and abilities make active transportation a part of their daily lives. This document provides an overview of Edina’s municipal ordinances, policies, and plans impacting the active transportation system, and provides recommendations for improving access to active transportation through Edina’s comprehensive plan update, as well as future plans and code amendments. Edina’s policies primarily impact the active transportation system in the following areas: • Active Transportation Policies and Plans • Land Use and Local Zoning Designations • Bicycle Parking • Traffic Calming • Municipal Recognition Programs STATE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY A number of Minnesota state laws impact active transportation and how bicyclists and pedestrians move throughout the state and the authority municipal governments have to regulate certain areas. Areas impacted by state law include, but are not limited to: • Signage • Funding Transportation Facilities • Speed Limits • Pedestrian and Bicyclist Rights and Responsibilities • Accessibility Standards for Individuals with Disabilities • Design, Construction, and Maintenance Edina Active Transportation Opportunities Summary, Last Updated December 21, 2017 - Page 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY Active Transportation Policies and Plans Edina promotes active transportation by maintaining a citywide network of sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes. Edina’s Living Streets Policy lays the groundwork for fulfilling the city’s Living Streets vision by including specific implementation steps, performance measures, and benchmarks.1 The Living Streets Plan and Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plans act as the primary implementation arms of this policy by establishing design guidelines and community engagement processes, as well as recommending specific bicycle and pedestrian network improvements.2 Finally, Edina’s municipal code provides requirements for sidewalk construction.3 Opportunities to improve Edina’s active transportation policies and plans include: • Guide land use and transportation sections of the Comprehensive Plan according to the visions and recommendations established in the Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan and Living Streets Plan. • Designate specific departments or staff members accountable for implementation, performance measurement, and progress toward Living Streets benchmarks. • Monitor trends or changes in sidewalk and trail construction over time. • Evaluate the impact of any cases in which property owners would be assessed for street reconstruction costs not covered by the PACS fund. Explore options to reduce or mitigate property assessment costs in cases of resident financial hardship. Land Use and Local Zoning Designations In addition to transportation infrastructure, land use patterns impact the pedestrian environment by determining what destinations are available within walking or biking distance, the number and variety of available destinations, and the distance between destinations. For example, if the only buildings within a quarter-mile of a resident’s home are other homes, they can’t easily walk or bike to the store, work, school, or any other daily destinations. Zoning ordinances can make residents more likely to choose active transportation options by: • Conditionally permitting duplexes and accessory dwelling units in R-1 residential districts. • Exploring options for permitting accessory dwelling units. • Implement a Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District, with design standards to improve bike and pedestrian accessibility.4 • Providing incentives for office developments that provide changing space and showers for bicycle commuters. Edina Active Transportation Opportunities Summary, Last Updated December 21, 2017 - Page 3 • Reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements where appropriate to avoid an oversupply of off-street parking and encourage more efficient use of space. • Assessing benefits of a code amendment allowing residential uses in some commercial zoning districts (similar to Bloomington’s §21.302.02 Residential Uses in Commercial Zoning Districts). Bicycle Parking Secure and easily accessible bicycle parking facilities are a much-needed amenity for residents considering biking as an alternative to driving. Edina currently requires nonresidential developments with 20 or more required spaces to include bicycle racks.5 Opportunities to improve the availability of bike parking in Edina include: • Amend ordinance to require bike parking at multi-family residential developments. • Assess bike parking availability near destinations where it isn’t currently required by ordinance, such as schools and small businesses. • Expand bike parking requirements as recommended in the Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan: o Tailor parking requirements by land use type. o Specify requirements for both short-term and long-term (overnight) parking. Traffic Calming In areas where traffic speeds are too high for the surrounding context, traffic calming measures may be necessary to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists as well as motorists. Traffic calming devices such as speed tables, bulb-outs, or traffic circles help to reduce traffic speeds, making the area safer and more welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. Bloomington Division of Public Health 2017 – Made possible through support from the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, Minnesota Department of Health Edina Active Transportation Opportunities Summary, Last Updated December 21, 2017 - Page 4 Opportunities to improve Edina’s traffic calming policies include: • Allow PACS funding for traffic calming improvements. • Assess feasibility of funding through PACS or other sources in cases where an assessment would impose financial hardship on the benefitting residents. • Explore additional opportunities for reducing traffic speed, such as narrower lane widths, roadside trees, and reducing the speed limit to 25 mph for eligible streets.6 Municipal Recognition Programs Various nonprofit and governmental organizations offer recognition programs to municipalities to incentivize progress and recognize achievement in areas such as bicycle/pedestrian-friendly design, aging in place, or environmental sustainability. Recognition programs provide external incentives for improvement, metrics for evaluating progress, and guidance from subject matter experts, which can ultimately help cities improve policies and resident outcomes. Opportunities for Edina to promote active transportation through recognition programs include: • Continue to participate in Minnesota GreenStep Cities and complete the remaining two of five steps.7 • Participate in the Walk Friendly Communities program, administered by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.8 • Join the Network of Age Friendly Cities, administered by AARP.9 • Contact Smart Growth America to request that Edina’s Living Streets Policy be included in their annual nationwide evaluation of Complete Streets Policies.10 1 City of Edina Living Streets Policy. 2 City of Edina Living Streets Plan. (2015); City of Edina Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan. (2007). 3 Edina, Minnesota, Code of Ordinances Sec. 36-1274. - Sidewalks, trails, and bicycle facilities. 4 An example of the Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District can be found in the Minneapolis City Code. See Minneapolis Code of Ordinances Ch. 551, Art. II: Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District. 5 City of Edina Municipal Code §36-1274 6 MINN. STAT. §§169.14, Subd. 2. Speed Limits; §169.011, Subd. 64. Residential roadway; §160.263, Subd. 4. Speed on street with bicycle lane. 7 Minnesota GreenStep Cities. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/index.cfm 8 Walk Friendly Communities. http://walkfriendly.org/about/. 9 AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities. http://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/network-age-friendly- communities/info-2014/an-introduction.html. 10 Smart Growth America. (2017). The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2016. Edina Healthy Eating Opportunities Summary, Last Updated January 11, 2018 - Page 1 Opportunities to Increase Access to Healthy Eating Edina, Minnesota Local policy initiatives play a pivotal role in promoting the health of a community, including supporting healthy eating. A variety of policy options are available to provide opportunities for all residents to access and eat healthier foods. This document provides an overview of Edina municipal ordinances impacting the local food system, and provides recommendations to support integration of healthy food policies into Edina’s comprehensive plan update, as well as future plans and code amendments. The review of Edina’s policies identified the following key areas related to the food system and corresponding opportunities to enhance current municipal policies and create new policies where gaps exist: • Growing and Producing Food • Processing Food • Distributing Food • Getting Food • Making Food • Surplus and Waste Management STATE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY A number of Minnesota state laws impact the food system and the authority municipal governments have to regulate a certain area. Areas impacted by state law include, but are not limited to: • Building construction standards • Sale of personally grown, unprocessed agricultural products • Licensing and inspection of food establishments • Food safety standards • Sale of Cottage Food products, and • Food sampling at farmers’ markets and other community events. Edina Healthy Eating Opportunities Summary, Last Updated January 11, 2018 - Page 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY Growing, Producing, and Processing Food Local Vegetable and Fruit Production Edina has a limited number of ordinances that address gardening, farming or food production activities and there are no ordinances that address community gardens. It does allow greenhouses, which is a type of growing structure used to extend the growing season. Other types of growing structures include hoop houses, low-tunnels and cold frames, which are effective tools to increase food production. Opportunities to improve local food production include: • Assess how ordinances and zoning can support personal and community gardens. • Determine need for additional community garden sites on public property and ensure garden sites are available and accessible to all residents, especially renters and those without access to land. • Allow other types of local food production, such as urban farms, market gardens or indoor aquaponics. • Offer gardening opportunities as an amenity in mixed-use or planned unit developments. • Allow alternatives to zoning standards if Planned Unit Development [PUD] includes site amenities, including active transportation and food production. • Allow structures that extend the growing season and develop ordinances addressing these structures. • Consider allowing greenhouses on lots primarily used for food production, such as community gardens. • Assess if growing structures would be better regulated under their own ordinance rather than fall under the general classification of an accessory structure or building. Beekeeping and Pollinator Protection Edina allows residents to keep bees and their ordinances address the key elements of beekeeping in an urban environment. In recent years, the populations of honey bees, bumble bees, and other important pollinators have been decreasing. Pollinator health is important, as pollinators support both ecological health and agricultural production. In Minnesota, pollination from honey bees for food production is valued at $17 billion annually and pollination from other pollinators is valued at $6 billion annually. There are two main contributors to the decrease in pollinator health that can be addressed through local government action in Minnesota: the loss of pollinator habitat and the use of neonicotinoid or other systemic insecticides. Opportunities to improve pollinator protection and beekeeping include: • Expand prohibition of spraying fruit trees and other flowering trees. • Assess need to register hives. • Add beekeeping as a principal, conditional or accessory use to the zoning districts where it is allowed. • Develop a pollinator policy to address use of pesticides and increase native landscaping on public land. • Reduce or eliminate the use of neonicotinoid and other systemic insecticides on public lands and their use on private land, as well as educate residents to discourage use on private land. • Increase pollinator friendly habitat. Edina Healthy Eating Opportunities Summary, Last Updated January 11, 2018 - Page 3 o Amend city law to decrease setbacks for restoration areas and planned landscape areas to increase the amount of lawn cover that can be native prairie and long grasses or other pollinator friendly plants. o Encourage the use of pollinator friendly plants in landscape designs. o Planting pollinator friendly plants in rights of way. Farm poultry and farm animals Edina’s ordinances do not allow any type of farm animal or farm poultry other than female chickens. Opportunities to improve keeping farm poultry in Edina include: • Provide definitions for types of farm poultry and animals. • Clarify shelter requirements and allowed locations for chickens. • Assess if other farm animals or farm poultry, such as ducks, could be permitted. Processing Food: Cottage food preparation and sale Cottage Food is a term used for specific types of foods that can be prepared outside of a licensed kitchen, often in a person’s home, and sold to the public. Cottage food vendors are often local food entrepreneurs that sell their product at farmers’ markets or other small-scale local retail settings. Edina does not allow residents to operate a cottage food home business. Opportunities to improve Edina residents’ ability to pursue cottage food activities include: • Consider permitting cottage food as a customary home occupation as an accessory use. • Evaluate need and create opportunities for licensed kitchens in Edina to support local food entrepreneurs. Distributing, Getting and Making Food Farmers’ Markets and Agricultural stands Edina permits farmers’ markets on city-owned property, but they appear to be restricted to Centennial Lakes Park. The City also allows the sale of locally grown produce at produce stands in a small number of zoning districts. Opportunities to support the sale of locally grown produce include: • Consider promoting and expanding farmers’ markets and allowing them in other parks or public spaces. • Consider accepting payment methods such as EBT cards, FMNP coupons or WIC vouchers. • Assess if locations of current markets are accessible to residents with fixed/low-incomes or limited mobility. • Consider adopting ordinances that would be less restrictive of outdoor sales of farm produce. • Provide guidelines as to whether a person can set up an agricultural stand at either a home or community garden and sell the produce that they grew. • Clarify how zoning restrictions and licensing fees impact location and occurrence of agricultural stands. Edina Healthy Eating Opportunities Summary, Last Updated January 11, 2018 - Page 4 Grocery stores As Edina is currently zoned, grocery stores are not allowed in primarily residentially zoned districts. This affects the development pattern, location, frequency and accessibility of grocery stores. Opportunities to increase access to healthy food include: • Assess if grocery stores are located in areas that are easily accessible, especially for people without a car or who have other mobility issues. • Allow grocery stores to be a principal use rather than as a provisional or conditional use. • Consider development of an overlay district, or allowing small grocery stores in other districts, that would allow for more even distribution throughout the residential areas of Edina. • Adopt a healthy corner store initiative to increase access to healthy food at small convenience stores. Restaurants In Edina, restaurants are not allowed in primarily residentially zoned districts. Edina primarily uses the term food establishment in place of restaurant, which are classified based on risk level to prevent food-borne illnesses. Other municipalities provide classifications for restaurants that differentiate between certain types of restaurants, such as full-service or fast food/drive-through. Making distinctions between different types of restaurants allows a municipality to better regulate the location and density of different types of restaurants. Opportunities to increase access to healthy restaurants include: • Clarify how the City use the terms Restaurant and Food Establishment • Include the health impact of different types of food establishments as part of regulatory framework. • Use zoning to influence location of healthier restaurants. Surplus and Waste Management Organic waste and food packaging waste Organic matter and food packaging waste make up a significant portion of the waste stream being thrown into landfills. Many of these materials ending up in landfills could be reduced, recycled, or composted. Edina currently does not offer an organics recycling program or regulate food containers or carryout bags. Edina’s organized waste and recycling pickup service, which is coordinated through the city, may provide some opportunities for a more coordinated city-wide organics recycling effort. Opportunities for recycling organics and reducing food packaging waste include: • Involve Edina’s Energy and Environment Commission in developing comprehensive plan language to address expanded waste reduction strategies and organics recycling. • Include strategy for Edina to meet the 2030 state and county goals for waste reduction in the 2018 comprehensive plan update. • Include recommendation in comprehensive plan to identify opportunities to expand organics recycling for city services and facilities, single and multi-family residential buildings, and businesses. • Consider revising the maximum size of compost containers to comply with cubic feet rather than square feet. Bloomington Division of Public Health 2017 – Made possible through support from the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, Minnesota Department of Health Edina Healthy Eating Opportunities Summary, Last Updated January 11, 2018 - Page 5 • Assess if current size limitations and location inhibit effective composting at community gardens. • Assess feasibility of a city-operated solid waste collection, similar to Hopkins, St. Louis Park or Minneapolis. • Evaluate opportunities to regulate take-out containers from food establishments, like the Green to Go: Environmentally Acceptable Packaging Ordinance adopted by Minneapolis in 2017.i • Promote educational opportunities for Edina’s residents, businesses, schools, and non-profits on how to separate organics from trash for pickup. • Explore possibility of imposing fee on single-use bags or incentivizing use of reusable bags. i Minneapolis, Minn., Code § 204.30 (2017). Jeff, I am writing to inquire if the Edina City Health Commission consulted an EMF expert regarding the best place to place cell towers before deciding to place 2 large cell towers at Kuhlman Field which is less than a block from Edina Elementary Schools and the Edina Community Education Building. Also, I am not familiar with the location of all the schools in Edina, but if any other schools have cell towers on, or very near the property, that those schools be reviewed and addressed. While there may be conflicting opinions on the negative health effects of EMF exposure of cell towers (and all forms of EMF exposure), many experts do agree that there are negative health effects, especially on children. There have been a studies that have reported “fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, difficulty concentrating, depression, memory loss, visual disruptions, skin problems, cardiovascular disorders, dizziness, irritability, appetite loss and cancer to those within a radius of 400 yards of cell towers”. Also, there is an IARC 2B rating (possible carcinogenic effect on humans) regarding cell towers. There are private firms that can measure EMF field strength. And there is no disagreement on the negative health impact on high EMF frequency radio waves, so I am wondering if there have been any professional EMF readings near and in the schools in our community that have cell towers? And if not if that can be done? I would appreciate if you could respond to this inquiry, and that this topic be addressed at an upcoming city meeting. Thank you for your time and effort looking into this issue.