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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-18 Work Session Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024 5:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Answering rollcall were Members Agnew, Jackson, Pierce, Risser, and Mayor Hovland. Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Ari Lenz, Assistant City Manager; Chad Millner, Director of Engineering; Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager; Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications Director; Andrew Scipioni, Transportation Planner; Jesse Meyer-Ruud, IT Supervisor; Sharon Allison, City Clerk. Transportation Commissioners in attendance: Roger Bildsten, Chris Brown, Grant Wright, Adam Rosen, and Chair Andy Lewis. Energy and Environment Commissioners in attendance: Chair Cory Lukens JOINT MEETING: TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION Transportation Commission Chair Andy Lewis provided updates to the Council on activities, work plan initiatives, and deliverables for the Transportation Commission, including: Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Transportation Commission; Parking, Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Review; and Traffic Safety Infrastructure Research. He asked for input from the Council on additional items they may want the Commission to take on as part of the current initiatives. The Council gave input on the Parking initiative including the possibility of expansion of 'parking' to include delivery services, such as Amazon, parking in 'No Parking' areas on top of the bike lanes; patrons at Maison Green paying for less parking than anticipated; possibly researching what lenders have been requiring related to parking, because that may need to be brought into the discussion, for example, finding out if there is any tolerance for reduced parking; and anecdotal information that has been heard that in the north loop, the less parking that the buildings has correlated to having higher vacancy rates. The Council gave input on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Review related to Concord Street reconstruction near Pamela Park and the difficulty in understanding where the twin loops were located; outlined the suggestion that the Transportation Commission take a field trip and walk the loops to ensure they really work as a connector; the feeling that using a bike to travel in the City can feel 'dangerous'; the prevalence of e-bike usage; ways to clarify the City's process in making sure what they put in place is operating the way they want it to; the possibility of having protected bike lanes rather than just a 'label'; rules for bikes/scooters that use the bike paths or shared paths in situations where those motorized bikes are not supposed to be on the street; possible creation of core principles to help guide the decision making process; interest in having a data point that shows where the City is actually seeing usage compared to what was projected; ways to bring visibility to usage; ways to use data tracking to assist in decision making; discussed ideas about the best way to bring Commission input to the Council in a way that includes dialogue between the Council and the Commission; the importance of hearing from the Commission on various issues, such as the Concord sidewalk and organized trash collection as representatives/citizens of the City in both formal and informal ways; the importance that the summation of the Commission discussion and recommendation matching what is presented to the Council with the knowledge that it is another data point for Council consideration; and encouraged members of the Commission to reach out to the Council on issues they felt were important. The Council asked staff to include communication from the Commission in the packet materials when they were being considered rather than being placed in the Advisory Communication portion of the packet; and Page 1 Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/June 18. 2024 reiterated their encouragement for the Commission members to feel free to communicate with the Council if there are specific things that they are passionate about, even if that means coming to the Council meeting and speaking during Public Comment portion JO►NT MEETING: ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION Energy & Environment Commission (EEC) Chair Cory Lukens gave an update on the Energy & Environment Commission 2024 Work Plan, including: Green Business Outreach Program that has received 5 applications; study paved area opportunities for conversion to green space for community gardens with a focus on Fred Richards Park; buckthorn removal event in high-priority area scheduled for July 13, 2024 at Pamela Park from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon; and, an EV ride and drive event scheduled for October 5, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the City Hall parking lot which will focus on education efforts. The Council asked if the EV ride and drive event may be an opportunity for the City to also have Fire Department involvement because the response for an EV incident is different than other vehicles which would help cover the safety aspect of education; possible involvement of City EVs, e-bike dealers, and the E-buses from the school district in the event. EEC Chair Lukens gave an update on parking, including the EV charging infrastructure and explained that the EEC is in favor of adding as many EV parking spots as possible because of the uptick in EVs in the City as well as adding additional locations for locking up e-bikes. The Council discussed the possibility of exploring locations for fast charging stations throughout the City, even though the City would not be eligible for the available funding; revenue expectations with charging stations; ways to encourage people to charge their vehicles at home during non-peak hours; ways to study what are the 'smart' charging patterns; what the City should be asking the developers to do related to number of EV charging stations required for projects; consideration of solar charging stations; and consideration of possible covered parking options. EEC Chair Lukens gave an overview of their plans surrounding tree recognition celebrations and noted that 'No Mow May' was longer being a formal initiative in the City because studies have shown that it was not actually beneficial. He explained that they recommended that the City not issue citations for turf and weed height for the month of May through the second week of June and noted that the EEC was planning to shift their focus away from the mowing issue and onto year-round pollinator habitat protection. The Council discussed the benefits of encouraging a move to electric mowers and leaf blowers, especially for smaller lots; the idea that 'No Mow May' was a good community builder and encouraged the EEC to remember that aspect of this effort as they move towards pollinator protection. EEC Chair Lukens noted that the residential tree ordinance was on their work plan in 2023 and thinks that the collaboration between the Council and the EEC has worked well and was making progress. He noted that the EEC will be touring the recycling plant in August and invited the Council to join them. The Council discussed the reduction in student commissioner interest/participation; education/ communication about recycling materials especially related to contamination and finding ways to promote increased participation for traditional and organics recycling; the possible closing of one of the recycling sites and the pushback it has received; the possibility of using the Mayor's Minute to offer testimonials in order to get the word out about the benefits households have seen from choosing to compost; feedback that has been received on why people have chosen not to participate; ways the City may be able to study this issue in order to help change the participation rate; participation rates in Minneapolis; the possibility of partnering with retail establishments to give away free composting bags as a way to encourage participation; and possible ways to help promote composting at schools in order to get kids excited about it and to bring that excitement back home. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:47 p.m. Page 2 Minutes/Edina City Co k Session/June 18, 2024 Co Sharon Allison, City Clerk Minutes approved by Edina City Council, July 16, 2024. James B. Hovland, Mayor Respectfully submitted, Page 3