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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Connection 04022013Council continues work to ‘Name Your Neighborhood’ At a work session prior to its regular meeting, the Council again discussed a proposed policy for neighborhood associations and a map defining neighborhoods in the community. The City has been working on a policy to “encourage the voluntary formation of neighborhood associations for the purpose of facilitating communication between residents, City staff and officials; fostering interaction between individuals of common geographic concern and building a better commu- nity through cooperative action.” Once a policy is approved by the Coun-cil, residents would have the oppor- tunity to join City-recognized civic neighborhood associations. Neighbor- hood associations would serve as a vehicle for communication and collec- tive action, but they will not replace the City’s current public input process or inhibit the ability of residents to speak about their individual concerns. The proposed City-wide neighborhood map is the culmination of several months of work by the volunteer Neighborhood Identification Steering Committee. The Council reviewed it and Council Member Josh Sprague’s recommendations to rename “Londonderry” as “Bredesen Park” and “Interlachen” as “Interlachen Park” and add a few more neighbor-hoods, including Rolling Green, Hill- dale, Todd Park, Sunny Slope, Golf Terrace Heights and Creek Knoll. The Council is expected to take action on the policy and map at its April 16 meeting. Council approves ‘demolition ordinance’ The Council approved an ordinance amendment to better regulate resi- dential redevelopment in the commu-nity. For several months, the City has re- quired builders to follow a “Construction Management Plan” to improve communication and protect adjacent properties during construc- tion. This winter, the City began evalu-ating the overall use and effectiveness of the Construction Management Plan in regulating residential redevelop- ment projects, particularly those that are “teardowns.” City staff found that the Construction Management Plan is a useful guide, but did not have any “teeth.” Among other things, before a home is demolished, the permit holder must provide written notice to all property owners within 300 feet of the demoli- tion site at least 15 days in advance of the demolition notifying them of the impending demolition and building plans (if applicable) and invite them to a neighborhood meeting. The neigh-borhood meeting must be held at least five days before demolition begins. In addition, a sign measuring between five and six feet must be posted on the demolition site at least five days before demolition begins, identifying the nature of the demolition, the permit holder, a contact name and phone number and the site address. The sign must also provide a City phone number to call with any ques- tions, complaints or concerns. The sign must be kept in place until the demolition is completed. The ordinance limits the hours of activity on the site. Deliveries of equip- ment and material to the site, work crews on site and construction and demolition activity are allowed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. No work is allowed on Sunday. Existing City staff does not have the capacity to coordinate the new en- forcement. City Manager Scott Neal is currently evaluating options for staff- ing the enforcement effort. Options include hiring a new full-time staff member, hiring several part-time staff members or outsourcing the service. The staffing will be paid for with reve- nue generated by an increase in the demolition permit fee. The ordinance does not affect major remodeling projects unless more than 50 percent of the area of the exterior walls are removed. However, the Council might consider additional regulations for remodeling projects in the future. Council OKs community gardens, shared parking lot The Council approved a community garden at Yorktown Park as a pilot program. Fifty-five gardens are available in plot sizes of 10 feet-by-10 feet for $25 or 10 feet-by-15 feet for $30. Although garden plots are available on a first A summary of the April 2 Edina City Council meeting April 5, 2013 Volume 15, Issue 7 Council Connection Upcoming meetings: Park Board, 7 p.m. April 9 Heritage Preservation Board, 7 p.m. April 9 Planning Commission, 7 p.m. April 10 Energy & Environment Com- mission, 7 p.m. April 11 City Council, 7 p.m. April 16 Transportation Commission, 6 p.m. April 18 City Contacts City Manager Scott Neal 952-826-0401 Assistant City Manager Karen Kurt 952-826-0415 City Clerk Debra Mangen 952-826-0408 Community Development Director Cary Teague 952-826-0460 Fire Chief Marty Scheerer 952-826-0332 Parks & Recreation Director Ann Kattreh 952-826-0430 We’d like to hear from you … If you have any comments, call Communications & Technology Services Director Jennifer Bennerotte at 952-833- 9520. The text of this publication will be available online at www.EdinaMN.gov. www.EdinaMN.gov come, first served basis, residents and people who work in Edina have first priority. Gardeners may begin planting on May 18, weather permit- ting. All gardens must be planted by June 3. In addition to approving the pilot program, the Council agreed to a new, shared parking lot with the Southdale YMCA. Yorktown Park does not currently have a parking lot. The YMCA is adjacent to the park and could use additional parking in the winter when the community gardens will not be in use. The YMCA will pay for the cost of the parking lot, esti-mated to be $66,000. One Southdale Place moves forward The Council approved revised plans for One Southdale Place, approved by the City several months ago for the southeast corner of Southdale Center at 69th Street and York Avenue. The five-acre site is currently an over- flow parking area for the mall and is used by Metro Transit Park-N-Go riders. Stuart Company planned to build a six- and a 10-story apartment building on the site, as well as a three- to four-story townhouse build- ing. Last month, representatives of the developer, StuartCo., presented revised plans, citing potential cost over-runs with building the complex as they had originally planned. Among other things, they decided to reduce the six-story building to five stories and change the townhouse building to more apartments. When the Council saw the plans in March, members expressed concern that the project had lost some of the details they first liked. They were also concerned about the elimination of some York Avenue intersection im- provements. They tabled action on the matter, giving StuartCo. another two weeks to revise the plans. When the Council reviewed the plans again, they were satisfied with the changes and deemed them not signif- icant enough for the developer to go back to the Planning Commission for a full review, essentially starting over with the approval process. Construction of One Southdale Place is set to begin in July.