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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-17 Minutes MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, January 17, 2008 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Les Wanninger, Steve Brown, Marie Thorpe, Marc Usem, Geof Workinger, Paul Mooty, Warren Plante MEMBERS ABSENT: Hilah Almog, Jean White, STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chair Wanninger. II. Housekeeping items a. Re-appointment of Commissioner Workinger Asst. City Engineer Sullivan announced that Commissioner Workinger was re-appointed to another term. b. Vote of Chair and Vice-Chair Commissioner Plante nominated Chair Wanninger to continue on in the position as the chair because of his leadership and unfinished business. Chair Wanninger said he would not be able to serve because the Council has a two-year limit for chairs. Commissioners Workinger and Usem agreed with Commissioner Plante that Chair Wanninger should continue on as chair. Commissioner Workinger moved that the nomination for chair be closed. Motion was seconded Commissioner Mooty. All voted aye. Commissioner Workinger nominated Commissioner Plante as vice-chair. Commissioner Plante declined. Commissioner Usem nominated Commissioner Workinger and the nomination was seconded by Commission Brown. Commissioner Workinger accepted the nomination. All voted aye. c. Attendance Per the Council, Commissioners are to begin signing an attendance sheet at each meeting. III. Comments a. Chairman Comments None. 2 b. Commission Comments Commissioner Brown said he is not comfortable with the options that have been presented for the W. 70th/Cornelia Area Traffic Study. He said more solutions should be considered and he does not feel they have pushed hard enough to find more options. He said his expectation is for the same consideration given to the Country Club to be given to W. 70th and to push the consultants to dig deeper to find more solutions. In response, Chair Wanninger said the same process used in the NE Edina study is being used and will continue to be used. Commissioner Brown said his concerns are based on input received from constituents feeling that a deal has already been struck and consultants not been pushed to be more creative. He said none of the solutions included getting traffic down to 8,000 even though the consultants said at this level they begin to see traffic problems arise. Commissioner Brown said he wants to challenge the ETC and the consultants to find a solution. Chair Wanninger said it is a myth that there is a pre-determined solution and Commissioner Brown agreed. c. Public Comments None. IV. Old Business a. Edina Gateway – Pentagon Redevelopment Asst. City Engineer Sullivan said the next phase of the project will be discussed at the February 21st ETC meeting. He said staff has been meeting weekly with the development team to discuss expectations of the Engineering and Planning Departments. He said some of the major issues are traffic-related such as intersection access, and close proximity to the City of Bloomington, as well as balancing the primarily residential with the commercial side of the development to have acceptable level of services. b. Bike Edina Task Force – Bike Comprehensive Plan Asst. City Engineer Sullivan recommended that all comments are submitted by the February 21st ETC meeting because the plan will need to be forwarded on to the Planning Commission and Council. Chair Wanninger said Commissioner White forwarded some questions/concerns that she would like addressed. They are:  Implication of funding – what is the cost going to be?  Jurisdictional control – France for example, is a county road, but also involve the City of Minneapolis.  Who has responsibility for the Bike Plan? The Council? The ETC?  Complete street concept vs. share-the-road approach.  Who will physically oversee the plan within the City and where does the Park Board fit in since some things are park-related. Commissioner Usem noted that the plan mentioned a Bike Task Force member serving on the ETC. Commissioner Workinger recommended considering this appointment only if there is an opening. Commissioner Usem questioned how much of the ETC work is bike-related to warrant having a full-time member from the Bike Task Force. Chair Wanninger said biking is one issue for the ETC and the individual would be expected to focus on all of the issues, not just those that are bike-related. 3 V. New Business a. Opus Development – Existing Public Works Facility The City is working with Opus to redevelop the existing Public Works site and relocate Public Works to a different location. The plans are still at the very early stage and therefore, it is not know what the site might become; however, in the past, Metro Transit has talked about a park- and-ride lot in this area. VI. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of November 15, 2007 Commissioner Plante motioned to approve the minutes of November 15, 2007 and it was seconded by Commissioner Workinger. All voted ayes. VII. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Brown) Commissioner Brown said they are still focusing on the Comp Plan; another public meeting for comments is scheduled, followed by a workshop with Council. One major project that they are also working on is the Pentagon Park in terms of impact on the area and the Comp Plan. VIII. Staff Liaison Comments (Sullivan) a. Upcoming W. 70th/Cornelia Area Traffic Study Meetings An open house is scheduled for January 23, 6:30-9:00 p.m., at Cornelia Elementary School; approximately 1400 mailers were sent out to area residents inviting them to the open house. A public hearing is scheduled for January 31, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at City Hall. b. Halifax Avenue Traffic Management Plan Application An application was received and Sullivan recommended that the ETC accept as valid and determine how to proceed. Chair Wanninger noted that this is the first application they’ve received in four years. He said the application will be addressed based on the current process in place. c. “Pace Car’ Signage “Pace Car” signage is scheduled to be rolled out this spring. IX. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 6;50 p.m. and was followed by a workshop to discuss the Bike Plan.