HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 10-08-2020CITY OF PLYMOUTH
COUNCIL INFO MEMO
October 8, 2020
EVENTS / MEETINGS
Housing & Redevelopment Authority Agenda for October 13 .................................. Page 2
Environmental Quality Committee Agenda for October 14 .................................... Page 3
Official City Meeting Calendars .................................................................... Page 4
Tentative List of Agenda Items ..................................................................... Page 7
CORRESPONDENCE
Halloween at the Lake 2020 ........................................................................ Page 9
Request for Reguiding, Rezoning, Pre liminary Plat and Variance for former Hollydale
Golf Course site located at 4600, 4640 and 4710 Holly Lane (2020056) ................... Page 10
REPORTS & OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST
In Fight Against COVID-19, Plymouth Metrolink Installs Air-purifying
Technology on Buses, Star Tribune .............................................................. Page 12
Neighborhoods of Rental Houses Offer New Twist on Suburban
in Twin Cities Metro Area, Star Tribune ......................................................... Page 15
Housing & Redevelopment Authority 1 of 1 October 13, 2020
CITY OF PLYMOUTH
AGENDA
Housing and Redevelopment Authority – Special Meeting
October 13, 2020, 6:00 PM
City Hall
1.CALL TO ORDER
2.PUBLIC FORUM
3.APPROVE AGENDA
4.NEW BUSINESS
4A HRA Accessible Home Program – Consider purchase agreement for 3315
Garland Lane North
4B Strategic Plan. Review and finalize HRA’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and discuss list of best practices
5.UPDATES
6.ADJOURNMENT
Instructions to participate in virtual HRA Meeting
HRA meetings will be conducted virtually (via Zoom webinar/conference call) due to the state of local
emergency for the COVID 19 pandemic. The chair, commissioners, and staff will participate in this
meeting via telephone/video conference. The meeting will be live-streamed online via Zoom.
Public Comments
Written comments: Comments may be submitted for inclusion in the HRA packet by emailing
Community Development Coordinator Matt Lupini at mlupini@plymouthmn.gov. You may also request
that comments of up to one page be read into the record by the Community Development Coordinator.
Speaking during the meeting: The public may address the HRA regarding an item on the agenda via
Zoom conferencing service at no cost. Those who wish to speak must register online via Zoom and
indicate that they wish to provide public comment on an agenda item. Register via Zoom at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1DrNg_mcQDCbKvhO4eA1xg
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CITY OF PLYMOUTH
AGENDA
Environmental Quality Committee
October 14, 2020, 7:00 PM
Virtual Meeting
1.CALL TO ORDER
1.1 Instructions to participate in virtual Environmental Quality Committee Meeting
2.PUBLIC FORUM – Individuals may address the Committee about any item not contained on
the regular agenda. A maximum of 15 minutes is allotted for the Forum. If the full 15
minutes are not needed for the Forum, the Committee will continue with the agenda. The
Commission will take no official action on items discussed at the Forum, with the exception
of referral to staff for future report.
3.APPROVE AGENDA – Environmental Quality Committee members may add items to the
agenda for discussion purposes or staff direction only. The Environmental Quality
Committee will not normally take official action on items added to the agenda.
4.CONSENT AGENDA – These items are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one
motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Committee member or
citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and
placed elsewhere on the agenda.
4.1 Approve August 12, 2020 Environmental Quality Committee Meeting Minutes
5.GENERAL BUSINESS
5.1
5.2
Chloride Education Plan (Scharenbroich)
2021 Environmental Quality Committee Workplan (Scharenbroich)
6.REPORTS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 2020 – 2022 Water Efficiency Rebate Program (Scharenbroich)
7.FUTURE MEETINGS
7.1 November 18, 2020 – Moved due to Veterans Day
8.ADJOURNMENT
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SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
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October 2020
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Utility Study and other funds budget review Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 6:00 PM HRA SPECIAL
MEETING
Virtual
5:00 PM JOINT COUNCIL-HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT MEETING
HRA Strategic Plan Council Chambers
7:00 PM HRA MEETING
Council Chambers
SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT
8:00 AM-4:30 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Utility Study/other funds if needed Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Council Chambers CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
CHA
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Council Chambers
8:00 AM-4:30 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING
8:00 AM-4:30 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING
8:00 AM-4:30 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING
10:00 AM-3:00 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING
6:00 PM-9:00 PM Halloween at the Creek Plymouth Creek Center
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November 2020
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Review Board and Commission applications and Budget if needed Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Discuss process for Street Projects Council Chambers
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Council Chambers
SUN TUES MON THUR FRI SAT
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
2:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Canvass results of General Election Virtual
VETERANS DAY
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
8:00 AM-5:00 PM ABSENTEE/DIRECT BALLOTING
GENERAL ELECTION Polls open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
7:00 PM HOUSING AND
REDEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY
MEETING
Medicine Lake Room
6:00 PM INFORMATIONAL MEETING FOR FIRE STATION 3 PROJECT Virtual
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December 2020
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM CHARTER COMMISSION MEETING Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
CHRISTMAS DAY
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
CHRISTMAS EVE
CITY OFFICES CLOSED AT NOON
2:00 PM-5:00 PM Old Fashioned Christmas Plymouth Creek Park
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Board and Commission Interviews Medicine Lake Room
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Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative.
EDA refers to the Economic Development Authority
Tentative Schedule for
City Council Agenda Items
October 22, Joint Meeting with HRA, 5:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Discuss HRA Strategic Plan
October 27, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Approve partial release of Storm Water Underground Filtration System Maintenance
Agreement for Outlot C, Crossroad Commons
•Approve updates to Policy relating to the Procedures for Public Improvement Projects
•Consider 2020-2021 Parking Lot and Trail/Sidewalk Snow Removal Routes
October 27, Special, 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room (if needed)
•Utility Study and other funds budget review
November 10, Special, 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Review board and commission applications
•Budget (if needed)
November 10, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Public Hearing to consider five-year Capital Improvement Plan and the issuance of G.O. Bonds
for Fire Station Projects
November 13, Special, 2:00 p.m., Virtual
•Canvass results of General Election
November 24, Special, 5:30 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Discuss process for street projects
November 24, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Adopt ordinance amending Section 600 of the City Code concerning garbage and rubbish
disposal
December 1, Special, 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Conduct board and commission interviews
December 8, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Approve Payment No. 5 and Final for the Dunkirk Lane Street and Utility Improvements, City
Project No. 13015
•Approve Payment No. 7 and Final for the Candlelight Terrace Street Reconstruction Project
(ST199001)
•Approve Payment No. 4 and Final for the 2020 Mill and Overlay Preventative Maintenance -
Storm and Sanitary Sewer Project (ST209002)
•Approve Payment No. 3 and Final for the 2020 Mill and Overlay Preventative Maintenance -
Water Main Project (ST209002)
•Approve Acquisition of Easement for the Vicksburg Lane and Ferndale Road Pavement
Rehabilitation Project (ST199005)
•Discuss amending Section 305 of the City Code to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Commission
•Budget public hearing, CIP, budget, levy, and utility rates adoption
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DATE EVENT
OCTOBER 13 Council Study Session Utility Study & Other Funds Budget Review (Meeting #4)
OCTOBER 27 Council Study Session Utility Study & Other Funds Budget Review (Meeting #5) (if
needed)
NOVEMBER 4 Planning commission public hearing
NOVEMBER 10 Council Study Session (Budget meeting #6) (If needed)
DECEMBER 8 Budget Public Hearing - CIP, Budget, Levy, & Utility Rates Adoption
DECEMBER 28 Levy is certified with Hennepin County
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City of Plymouth
News Release
For Immediate Release
Oct. 6, 2020
Contact: Jessie Koch
Recreation Supervisor
City of Plymouth
763-509-5223
jkoch@plymouthmn.gov
Plymouth holds walk-through Halloween at the Lake event Oct. 30
Plymouth, Minn. – The City of Plymouth will feature a twist on its annual not-so-spooky Halloween
festivities this year. Halloween at the Lake, a new walk-through outdoor event, is set for 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30 at Parkers Lake Playfield, 15500 County Road 6.
A free event that brings together the best of Plymouth’s Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire
departments, Halloween at the Lake features police and fire emergency vehicles for children to view, as
well as treats and family-friendly fun.
Participants may show off their costumes on the orange carpet and stop for photos along the way.
Attendees may pick a free pumpkin and visit treat stations along the walk-through route – while supplies
last.
Costumes are encouraged.
COVID-19 Considerations
This year’s Halloween festivities have been modified due to COVID-19. Event attendees are encouraged
to practice social distancing and will be guided through a one-way foot-traffic-only route. For the safety
of all, participants are asked to wear masks.
Halloween at the Lake is sponsored by Kyle Vitense State Farm Agency and TCF Bank. Candy is provided
by Plymouth-based Maud Borup and pumpkins are available courtesy of Minnesota-based LuceLine
Orchard.
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CORONAVIRUS 572614872
In fight against COVID-19,
Plymouth Metrolink installs air-
purifying technology on buses
Plymouth Metrolink hopes they may be a key to getting riders to return to public
transportation.
By Tim Harlow Star Tribune OCTOBER 2, 2020 — 6:59PM
PROVIDED
Plymouth Metrolink has installed air purifying technology on its buses to help protect drivers from
contracting COVID-19.
A suburban transit agency has installed air-purifying technology on its buses to help protect its drivers
from contracting COVID-19.
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Plymouth Metrolink spent $11,000 to install the devices that look like Bluetooth speakers in the driver’s
cabin on each of its 44 buses and is believed to be the first public transportation agency in the country to
use the technology.
Called AirBubbl, the devices extract more than 95% of airborne viruses, pollutants, dust and pollen from
the air, then flood the vehicle with more than 30,000 liters of clean air every hour, said Marc Ottolini, CEO
of Airlabs, the London-based company that makes them.
Coronavirus “is real and it is a lottery,” Ottolini said. “You don’t get ill from one molecule, but how much
viral load does it take? This is about chipping away at the risk and making it as small as possible.”
That was a selling point for Nur Kasin, transit administrator for Plymouth. Like most transit agencies,
Metrolink enacted strict protocols when the pandemic broke out. The agency began temperature checks
and screenings for drivers. It provides drivers with personal protection equipment, and it installed
plexiglass barriers to keep drivers separate from riders. Metrolink also instituted a rigorous vehicle
cleaning schedule, restricted the number of passengers allowed to be on the bus and required them to wear
masks.
Kasin wondered if there was something more he could do. He saw a news article about AirBubbl being
used with positive results in London ambulances to protect emergency medical technicians. He decided to
bring it to Plymouth.
PROVIDED Air-cleaning devices that look like Bluetooth speakers in were installed in driver’s cabins on each of Plymouth
Metrolink’s 44 buses.
“We needed to do something extra,” Kasin said. “We can’t guarantee the removal of COVID, but this is
another device so drivers feel safe. It adds value and they feel taken care of.”
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Kasin said Plymouth Metrolink has not had any drivers infected with the coronavirus.
Airlabs is developing smaller units for passenger sections of buses and trains and hopes to have them
available by the end of the year. The units could be attached to every seat or placed above them to create a
personal clean air zone, Ottolini said.
The technology, Ottolini said, might hold the key to making people comfortable using public
transportation.
“If people are scared, how do we get people back on public transport?” he said. “Everybody is desperate
for a solution. People are going back to their cars, and that’s not what cities want. That creates more air
pollution.”
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LOCAL 572633721
Neighborhoods of rental houses
offer new twist on suburban living
in Twin Cities metro area
Upscale homes come with maintenance, privacy.
By Shannon Prather Star Tribune OCTOBER 4, 2020 — 8:32PM
AARON LAVINSKY – STAR TRIBUNE
Plymouth's Beacon Ridge is a new neighborhood of single-family rental homes, the newest trend in Twin
Cities home construction. More than 360 such houses could go up in Maple Grove, Plymouth, Woodbury
and Inver Grove Heights - some with rents topping $4,000 a month.
Ann and Scott Kemmitt owned their 3,000-square-foot home in Maple Grove for nearly three decades.
Once their two sons grew up and moved out, the empty nesters wanted to be done with home maintenance.
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“I am an electrician. I am outside all day,” Scott Kemmitt said. “I didn’t want to come home and weed the
garden and cut the grass.”
The couple sold their home and eventually leased a house in Beacon Ridge, a new neighborhood of single-
family rental homes in Plymouth, becoming part of the newest trend in Twin Cities suburban living.
Neighborhoods of single-family rental houses are planned or have recently been built in four Twin Cities
suburbs. Altogether, more than 360 such houses could go up in Maple Grove, Plymouth, Woodbury and
Inver Grove Heights — some with rents topping $4,000 a month.
City leaders say they welcome this new type of rental that meets a growing demand for flexible housing
options.
“What we hear from people all the time is they want to rent and they want the option for a maintenance-
free lifestyle but they don’t want the shared walls,” said Joe Hogeboom, Maple Grove’s community and
economic development director. “This really appeals to a lot of people. I think we will see a lot more of
this in the metro and in Maple Grove, and it will be really welcome here.”
Watermark Equity Group, based in suburban Chicago, is the developer behind four of these new
neighborhoods. They’re marketing the communities as suburban living with resort amenities, including
pools, clubhouses, dog parks and fitness trails. The homes have high-end finishes and smart-home features,
such as cameras at their front doors and keyless entry.
Rent also includes concierge-style services. Staff members plow driveways, mow and fertilize lawns, and
maintain appliances.
“It’s really a new product in the marketplace over the last four to five years, primarily in the South,” said
Ian Peterson, Watermark’s director of operations. “You see a lot of these in Phoenix, Dallas, Fort Worth
and even Florida.”
Mobile professionals
The Twin Cities area, with its cluster of Fortune 500 companies and its thriving professional class, seemed
like a ripe market for this style of housing, Peterson said.
Homes range in size from 1,500 square feet to more than 3,000. Monthly rents rival a mortgage payment.
They start around $2,000 and climb to more than $4,000 depending on the location and amenities. Leases
can range from one to three years.
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“The average income for the folks who live in our communities is about $150,000,” Peterson said. “These
are people who can afford to buy, but they are choosing to live this lifestyle.”
The lack of maintenance is a big part of the appeal. He said about a third of renters are empty nesters,
sometimes with vacation homes elsewhere. Another third are middle-age people, some single or recently
divorced, and professionals who relocate frequently for work. The final third are younger millennial
couples testing out life in the suburbs.
“They’ve done the North Loop thing and the Uptown thing. They are starting to have kids and want extra
space,” Peterson said. “They want their own four walls.”
AARON LAVINSKY, STAR TRIBUNE Empty nesters Ann and Scott Kemmitt outside their new rental home in Plymouth.
A new trend for suburbs
For decades, homeownership has been a defining feature of suburbs. More than 80% of residents in Maple
Grove and Woodbury own their homes, according to census data.
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Apartments and other rental properties have not always been well received in suburban communities, with
homeowners raising concerns about increased density and traffic as well as substandard upkeep. But Twin
Cities planners say these high-end rentals are filling a need.
Peterson said they do a lot of upfront work trying to educate city leaders and erase the stereotype of a
rundown rental with “cars on the blocks” in the front yard. Still, some cities have balked, and Peterson said
Watermark hasn’t pushed where they’re not welcome.
The first of the Twin Cities-area rental communities, 66 houses in a neighborhood called Mills Creek, was
completed in Maple Grove earlier this year — and it’s already full. In September, the Maple Grove City
Council approved the Excelsior Group’s plan for a second single-family rental neighborhood near Cook
Lake with 58 rental homes.
“There really weren’t any huge concerns related to the type of housing,” Hogeboom said. Instead, the city
planning office has received a handful of calls inquiring how to rent there.
Construction crews have already started preliminary work at Canvas of Woodbury, a neighborhood of 81
single-family rental homes to be built in the “modern farmhouse style.”
Woodbury City Planner Eric Searles said the new development fits within the city’s commitment to
expanding housing options, which also includes several apartment complexes that are under construction.
“They are addressing a new market for single-family rentals,” Searles said.
Later this fall, the Inver Grove Heights City Council will consider Watermark’s application to build 120
single-family rental homes. One of the most noticeable differences between these rental neighborhoods
and conventional ones is lot size. Rental homes tend to be closer together.
Inver Grove Heights Community Development Director Heather Rand said city staff will recommend
approval, though she anticipates some questions from elected leaders.
“This is definitely something new for our planning commission and City Council,” she said. “I think there
will be some discussion, and that’s OK.”
More space plus privacy
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The Kemmitts, both 59, are paying about $2,800 a month for their two-bedroom rental home. They still
spend their weekends at their lake home Up North. Before moving into Beacon Ridge, they tried a luxury
one-bedroom apartment. It just didn’t work for their dog, who needed space, or for Ann, who co-owns a
flooring company and often works from home.
The new rental house is open concept with cathedral ceilings, a fireplace, a modern kitchen and views of
nature outside their back picture windows. Ann Kemmitt said she’s looking forward to Christmas. She’ll
again have room to host family gatherings.
“It’s more expensive but for us right now, it’s so worth it,” Kemmitt said. “It’s more our style.”
Shannon Prather covers Ramsey County for the Star Tribune. Previously, she covered
philanthropy and nonprofits. Prather has two decades of experience reporting for newspapers in
Minnesota, California, Idaho, Wisconsin and North Dakota. She has covered a variety of topics including
the legal system, law enforcement, education, municipal government and slice-of-life community news.
Shannon.Prather@startribune.com 612-673-4804 ShannonMPrather
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