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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-27-19 Planning Commission MinutesDraft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 1 of 6 Minutes City Of Edina, Minnesota Planning Commission Edina City Hall Council Chambers March 27, 2019 I. Call To Order Chair Olsen called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM II. Roll Call Answering the roll call were: Commissioners Miranda, Lee, Thorsen, Strauss, Mangalick, Nemerov, Hamilton, Berube, Chair Olsen Staff Present: Cary Teague, Community Development Director, Kaylin Eidsness, Senior Communications Coordinator, Liz Olson, Administrative Support Specialist Absent from the roll call: Bennett and Melton III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda Commissioner Thorsen moved to approve the March 27, 2019, agenda. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes Commissioner Thorsen moved to approve the March 13, 2019, meeting minutes. Commissioner Strauss seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. V. Special Recognitions and Presentations A. Annual Meeting, Election of Officers Director Teague explained that what needed to be accomplished was the election of officers for Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Teague explained that those currently in their positions are eligible to continue in their position. Teague also explained that the Planning Commission is going to vote on adopting the bylaws and the process involves asking for nominations. Commissioner Nemerov moved to nominate Chair Olsen to continue in her position as Chair. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Draft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 2 of 6 Commissioner Hamilton moved to nominate Commissioner Nemerov to continue in his position as Vice Chair. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Strauss moved to nominate Commissioner Thorsen to continue in his position as Secretary. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Annual Meeting, Bylaws Director Teague presented revisions to the bylaws that were proposed by Commissioners Nemerov and Olsen. Teague stated that he would revise the bylaws with the recommendations and bring the proposal back to the Planning Commission on April 10. The approval of the Bylaws was tabled to the next Planning Commission meeting. Commissioner Thorsen moved to close the Annual Meeting. Commissioner Miranda seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. VI. Public Hearings A. 50th & France Small Area Plan Commissioner Nemerov introduced himself and thanked and introduced the members of the 50th & France Small Area Plan Working Group which included Thomas Koon, John Breitinger, Jen Auguston, Mark Arnold, and Patrick Huss. Commissioner Nemerov also explained that Commissioner Hamilton and he were Co-Chairs for the Working Group and he thanked Bill Smith, Consultant, for all of the work he has done. Nemerov explained that they started in March of 2018, started receiving applications, and selected a Working Group in May of 2019. Commissioner Nemerov gave a brief history on the 50th & France study area on a PowerPoint presentation. Ede Pecard and Christine Rice introduced themselves and explained that the Working Group has been meeting since October of 2019. Christine explained their Community Engagement Process that included engagement from the public in the following ways: Open house style public meetings with an open forum, working sessions, presentations, question and answer sessions, and comment cards. Task force group review of emails sent to the City of Edina staff. Discussion amongst task force group members on community postings to public media forums such as Nextdoor. Invitation to join draft plan working sessions. An open booth at the Edina Art Fair. Rice commented on the low attendance numbers from residents at the meetings and stated that the City of Edina needs to do a better job with their notification process with these types of things in the Draft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 3 of 6 community are going on. Rice summarized the community feedback they received regarding what the community wanted and discussed in detail the concerns including traffic, building height and density, and direct connections into the residential neighborhood. Rice and Pecard discussed in length the connectivity and access to the district has been an important topic of discussion in development of the small area plan. They explained that the small area plan task force believes strongly that access to and throughout the site will be a vital part of supporting businesses within the district and should be a consideration as new developments are proposed. Rice and Pecard also discussed that during community meetings some neighbors expressed a desire for pedestrian and bike improvements, while others expressed an adverse reaction to new roadways or passages directly through neighborhoods, particularly to the North. Pecard and Rice explained that the small area plan indicates connectivity as a guiding principle to be considered with the proposal of new developments, but the plan does not propose locations or means of providing access to the site. Pecard explained that there were concerns regarding the existing easement on the west side of the US Bank site and explained that the plan supports the easement remaining. Pecard read the following vision statement, “50th & France is the heart of Edina and will continue to be an energetic mixed use district in the future. Its vibrancy and energy will stem from activity occurring at street level, which will be enhanced by its walkability, tree-lined streets, public areas, and linkages within and between buildings and public areas. Its buildings will be pedestrian-oriented and of the highest architectural quality. Even while evolving, as it always has, 50th & France will continue to be a year-round meeting and gathering place that is inviting to wide ranges of people who will enjoy living, shopping, working, and being entertained in the district. The district will value street level pedestrian activity, which will combine with the placement of building to enhance movement through, to, and within the district.” Pecard and Rice explained that the Working Group came up with 8 guiding principles that they would want someone to focus on when considering possible development in the future. The principles included connectivity, building a design, density and scale, economic vitality, public realm, urban design, site sustainability, and access, parking, and movement. Pecard explained that connectivity included Improvements within the district should strengthen the connection between this area and surrounding Neighborhoods and pathways and public areas should encourage and promote safe and convenient walking and biking experience throughout the district and between the district and adjacent neighborhoods. Pecard also discussed that the building design should maintain the upscale aesthetic and traditional main street experience of the 50th & France district through use of high-quality materials, notable attention to detail, and variety in design. Buildings should strive to enhance conservation of energy and include features like green roofs to improve the district’s aesthetics and protect the environment. Pecard explained that increased density and mixed-use development will support the district’s economic and environmental sustainability. Pecard also explained that building massing and stepbacks will take into consideration access to daylight and human scale at the street level. Pecard and Rice continued with explaining that the economic vitality meant a range of housing and commercial uses that should support living, working, shopping, and playing within the district. Pecard noted that the emphasis should be placed on promoting a strategic commercial mix, ranging from basic goods and services to entertainment and boutique shops that continue the economic success of the district. Pecard and Rice discussed the public realm principle and explained that the public spaces at the street level, such as sidewalks, restaurant patios and building entrances, should incorporate vegetation, Draft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 4 of 6 ambient lighting, landmark elements, art features, and enhanced materials to enhance the welcoming atmosphere of the district. Pecard explained that site sustainability included open green space, canopy tree coverage, and green roofs should be encourages to reduce the heat island effect in summer months. Pecard explained that the landscaping material selection should prioritize use of narrative, low- maintenance plant species and natural methods of stormwater management, such as rain gardens, should be utilized where appropriate. Rice and Pecard explained that urban design included Developments should include spaces that are safe, inviting, walkable, support life-long learning, and mix well with the unique character of 50th & France. Pecard explained that design should promote year-round public gathering and provide spaces for events for diverse groups of residents and visitors, to enable formal and informal events and social interaction. The last principle the Pecard discussed was access, parking, and movement which included parking lots, buildings, and pedestrian and bike infrastructure should support residents’ and visitors’ ability to arrive at one location and comfortably walk to destinations within the district. Pecard and Rice explained that development within the district should create a welcoming face for surrounding neighborhoods and support convenient movement within the district and between the district and adjacent neighborhoods and added transit options will enhance movement through the district. Pecard and Rice discussed the conceptual development plan and briefly discussed that takes a look at the existing building and how they may relate to new development, ideal opportunities for new development in just looking at the plan today, and looking at the public realm and how that interfaces with the existing and new buildings. Pecard ended the presentation with a brief comparison and discussion of the existing 50th & France plan to the conceptual plan. Public Hearing Roberta Castellano, 4854 France Ave. S., stated that she believes there are factors in the plan that the City’s goal is to get that plan through so the City of Edina has mad modifications, but that some of the modifications aren’t changing the potential of what’s going to happen with the plan. Castellano explained that the buffer is included in the redevelopment area and it puts it at risk. Martha Moffit, 4829 Maple Road, stated that she is against the development and is very concerned about height and density. Moffit suggested that any developer be asked to improve the public realm as part of their plan with a proposed 4 or 2 story building and not just required for 6 stories. Moffit thanked the Working Group for all of the hard work. Dayna Deutsch, 4921 Maple Road, thanked the Working Group and Commission Nemerov for all of the hard work gone into the plan. Deutsch expressed concern about height, density, and the buffer and explained an incident on Maple Road last summer involving a flipped vehicle, due to heavy parking on Maple Road. Deutsch commented that speeds and risks are greater and she would love consideration of proposed retail and commercial and the impact on the perimeter of roads around 50th & France. Hope Melton, 4825 Valley View Road, asked the Planning Commission if they had thought about the possibility of work force and senior affordable housing in the area. Melton explained that there are seniors Draft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 5 of 6 in the area that would like to stay in the area and might need to downsize. Melton explained that there is a Noah housing project north of Walgreens and Melton hopes that can be preserved. Melton complimented the Working Group and thanked them. Steve Halloway, 4809 Townes Road, Commented that it didn’t make sense to him that the residential traffic would not impact the traffic. Halloway also commented on connectivity and that he is concerned about cars and traffic passing thought the area. Halloway also stated that he is also concerned about people using the residential neighborhood streets as parking lots to access retail. Peter MacDonagh 5132 Hankerson Ave., stated that he thought the plans were very forward thinking. MacDonagh stated that he liked the idea of increasing the density and it is needed. MacDonagh also commented that he appreciates of the idea of requiring developers to increase street amenities if they went taller, including similar art like downtown Hopkins. Commissioner Thorsen moved to close the public hearing. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Discussion/Comments/Questions Commissioners complimented the Working Group and Commissioner Nemerov. Commissioners also complimented Commissioner Nemerov and how he started the introduction with a background and history of the area and then the outreach efforts to the community. Commissioners complimented the presentation and stated that the document was well put together. Commissioners commented on the 3 main concerns with density, height, and traffic and how they were addressed as well as working on communication with residents that can be improved. Commissioners commented on the implementation section and stated that the plan did a great job at framing the history. Motion Commissioner Thorsen moved approval of the 50th & France Small Area Plan. Commissioner Miranda seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. VII. Community Comment None. VIII. Reports/Recommendations A. Comprehensive Plan Update Draft Minutes Approved Minutes Approved Date: April 10, 2019 Page 6 of 6 Commissioners explained that the Planning Commission has received several comments from the public though Better Together and it seems to be working well. Commissioners also stated that they have a work session with the City Council on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 5:30 PM in the Community Room. Director Teague commented that they have received 47 comments and 10 people have left those comments on Better Together. Teague added that Better Together has had over 1,100 visits. Commissioners commented that one of the comments that was discussed by the citizens and by Ede and Christine was communication. Commissioners commented that they believes it will be an ongoing discussion and commented that Staff’s Better Together tool is going to improve collecting feedback from people, being able to organize it, and respond to it. IX. Correspondence and Petitions None. X. Chair and Member Comments Commissioners discussed the student protest across the country regarding concerns with changes in the environment and stated that Edina students participated too. Commissioners commented that they need to be thinking about that issue too when making decisions and to remember that climate changes affects everything that the Planning Commission, City Council, and the City of Edina does. Commissioner Miranda commented that he attended the Sub Committee meeting of the Transportation Commission on TDM with Commissioner Lee. Commissioner Miranda explained that the City of Edina is a member of the organized called the I-494 Corridor Commission. Miranda explained that it acts as a liaison between Bloomington, Richfield, Edina, Eden Prairie, and Minnetonka to see how they can get themselves and businesses in the area to encourage people to use alternative methods of transportation to reduce congestion. Commissioner Miranda commented that the City of Bloomington has a TDM ordinance and perhaps the City of Edina should consider one as well. XI. Staff Comments None. XII. Adjournment Commissioner Thorsen moved to adjourn the March 27, 2019, Meeting of the Edina Planning Commission at 8:23 PM. Commissioner Berube seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.