HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 01-12-2023CITY OF PLYMOUTH
COUNCIL INFO MEMO
January 12, 2023
EVENTS / MEETINGS
Planning Commission Agenda for January 18 .................................................... Page 2
Official City Meeting Calendars .................................................................... Page 4
Tentative List of Agenda Items ..................................................................... Page 7
REPORTS & OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Plymouth Instructor Still Works to Help Writers 'Get Things Done', Star Tribune ........... Page 8
Andrea Rich Joins the City of Plymouth Team as Finance Director, Sun Sailor ........... Page 11
Plymouth Fire & Ice Winter Festival Set for Feb. 4, Sun Sailor ............................. Page 12
Plymouth Fire Department Reminds Residents of
Adopt a Hydrant Program, Sun Sailor ........................................................ Page 14
Plymouth to Host New Viva Las Vegas Event, Sun Sailor ..................................... Page 15
Planning Commission 1 of 2 January 18, 2023
CITY OF PLYMOUTH
AGENDA
Regular Planning Commission
January 18, 2023, 7:00 PM
1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
1.1 Election of Planning Commission Chair and Vice Chair for 2022
2. PUBLIC FORUM—Individuals may address the Commission 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 Commission 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 reports.
3. APPROVE AGENDA —Planning Commission members may add items to the agenda for discussion
purposes or staff direction only. The Commission will not normally take official action on items added to
the agenda.
4. CONSENT AGENDA —These items are considered to be routine and enacted by one motion. There
will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commission 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 Adopt proposed December 7, 2022 Planning Commission minutes.
Draft Minutes.pdf
4.2 Variance to allow a swimming pool in the front yard at 19040 County Road 6 (Scalon
Inc. - 2022086)
Planning Commission Report
Resolution
Location Map
Aerial Map
Variance Standards
Applicants Narrative and Site Graphics
4.3 Variance to allow an eight foot fence in the side yard at 17145 9th Ave N (Robert
Mueller - 2022085)
Planning Report.pdf
Resolution.pdf
Site Graphics.pdf
Applicant Narrative.pdf
Variance Standards
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Planning Commission 2 of 2 January 18, 2023
Aerial.pdf
Hennepin County Locate & Notify Map.pdf
Location Map.pdf
4.4 Review 2023 Meeting Dates
2023 Meeting Dates.pdf
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
5.1 Preliminary plat, site plan, and variances for a new one-story, 32-unit "Suite Living"
assisted living/memory care home in the west portion of the property located at 4325
Zachary Lane (Hampton Companies, LLC -- 2022-080)
Planning Commission Report Information
Location Map
Aerial Map
Hennepin County Locate & Notify Map
Functional Classification Map
Applicant's Narrative
Variance Standards
Site Graphics
Resolution
5.2 Site plan amendment and conditional use permit for the construction of a freestanding
laboratory building and associated improvements (Honeywell International, Inc. -
12001 Highway 55 - 2022081)
Planning Commission Report
Location Map
Aerial
Notification Area Map
CUP Standards
Applicant's Narrative
Survey
Honeywell Parking Space Exhibit
Civil Plans
Architectural Elevations and Floor Plan
Draft Resolution SPA CUP
6. NEW BUSINESS
7. ADJOURNMENT
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January 2023
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT
CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED
NEW YEAR’S DAY OBSERVED
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
Prudential and Four Seasons Mall Update Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Board Interviews and City Attorney Presentation Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.DAY
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
8:00 AM COUNCIL STRATEGIC WORKSHOP
Plymouth Community Center Cedar Room
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February 2023
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
PRESIDENTS DAY
CITY OFFICES CLOSED
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room
6:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM HOUSING AND
REDEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY
MEETING
Council Chambers
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
Board and Commission Recognition Event Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Council Chambers
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March 2023
3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov
SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Council Chambers
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
City Center Update Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Council Chambers
7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room
5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Council Strategic Workshop Follow Up Medicine Lake Room
7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers
7:00 PM HOUSING AND
REDEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY
MEETING
Council Chambers
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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
January 21, Special 8:00 a.m., Plymouth Community Center
•Council Strategic Workshop
January 24, Special 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Prudential and Four Seasons Update
January 24, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
•Legislative Updates
•Order and receive preliminary engineering report, order and approve plans and specifications,
call for a public hearing, order advertisement for bids, declare costs to be assessed, order
preparation of proposed assessments, and set public improvement and assessment hearings
for the Hidden Lake and Beacon Heights 2nd Street Reconstruction Project (ST229001)
•Approve 2022-2023 Labor Agreement with Law Enforcement Labor Services, Inc (LELS Local
#521), representing police captains
February 28, Special 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Board and Commission Recognition Event
March 14, Special 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•Council Strategic Workshop follow-up
March 28, Special 5:00 p.m., Medicine Lake Room
•City Center Update
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BUSINESS 600241759
Plymouth instructor still works
to help writers 'get things done'
After a period of hybrid and remote work, Stan Berry is returning to in-person teaching.
By: Todd Nelson, Special to the Star Tribune JANUARY 8, 2023 — 2:00PM
JOLENE BERTRAND | AVALON PHOTOGRAPHY Stan Berry
Stan Berry's four decades of teaching corporate writing is coming full circle.
Berry, president of Berry Writing Group in Plymouth, got his start teaching in-person "Writing to
Get Things Done" seminars to corporate groups in the Twin Cities. His work expanded nationally
to businesses, government agencies and military bases.
He subsequently added other platforms, releasing his course on videocassettes in the 1980s and
online in the 2000s. He built the online version in 2020 to combine live Zoom instruction and
self-paced online training.
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This month, Berry will be back in front of students in person by teaching writing and speaking to
leadership classes at the U.S. Navy base in San Diego.
Through the years and across all those miles, Berry has taught more than 100,000 students,
between in-person, video and online courses.
His message has been consistent, and passionately delivered: Everything written in corporate
America and government — emails, memos, letters, technical reports — can be rewritten in three
paragraphs that clearly and concisely state what you want to get done, your reason and your
deadline.
Berry's first fix for poor writing turns the English 101 model upside down. "Academic writing
does not work well in business," Berry said. "Introduction-body-conclusion is the kiss of death."
His other solution: Figure out what you want to get done before you begin writing. Otherwise,
the result can be rambling prose. "No matter who the person is, when they write that way, they
create an unreadable document," he said.
The rise of texting and social media has had mixed results on writing, Berry said. It gets people to
write and, with limited space, writers have to — or should — get to the point.
The downside, however, is that writers often don't because they're still writing as though they're
at work. Like other unfocused writing, FYI texts, posts and emails leave busy readers wondering
what the writer wanted or needed and when.
Berry's hybrid course involves six to eight hours of self-paced, on-demand learning for groups of
25 over three to five days. Berry leads a Zoom kickoff session, a 90-minute midcourse check-in
and a post-course follow-up.
The hybrid class is cost-effective, Berry said, and, of course, it enables students to learn from
anywhere. One client scheduled 50 employees from 13 offices. Berry said it improves on live
classroom training, with additional learning activities and multiple sets of instructions to help
students revise preseminar writing samples.
"People have said this is more than a writing class. This is more than a speaking class," Berry
said. "This is about how to be in the world with people. This is about how to work in spirit of
cooperation. This is about learning to love my colleagues, to care about people."
"It's my ministry," said Berry, who has a master's degree in art and religion from Yale, choosing
divinity school over the Vietnam War.
Communicating was a challenge for much of Berry's early life. He was critically injured when an
ice truck ran him over when he was just 18 months old. He stuttered as a child and stopped
speaking in class in seventh grade.
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It wasn't until he was at the University of Minnesota, at age 20, that he got comfortable speaking
in class.
Berry worked with his father, an English teacher who also taught at writing camps. He began
honing his "Writing to Get Things Done" coursework and trademarked the phrase.
"My dad's the coolest guy I ever met," he said. "Sometimes when I teach, a lot of times, almost
every time, I just feel my dad's presence in the room. I think, thanks for coming, Dad."
Todd Nelson is a freelance writer in Lake Elmo. His e-mail is todd_nelson@mac.com.
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Andrea Rich joins the city of
Plymouth team as finance director
Jan 9, 2023
Plymouth City Manager Dave Callister has announced the appointment of Andrea Rich to the
role of finance director for the city of Plymouth.
At the helm of the Finance Department, Rich is responsible for ensuring the integrity, timeliness
and accuracy of city finances. She will manage the internal and external audit processes,
develop and implement sound financial and accounting policies, oversee payroll and budgeting,
and supervise accounting staff.
“Andrea has hit the ground running and we’re excited to have her on the team,” Callister said.
“We look forward to Plymouth continuing its long history of award-winning financial practices
and careful long-term planning.”
Rich said she plans to continue fostering a strong focus on customer service and will lead
Plymouth’s finance team with an emphasis on collaboration.
“Plymouth has great facilities and a great team – there’s a very positive culture here,” she said.
“The finances here are in ship shape and have a track record of being well run.”
Prior to starting work in Plymouth, Rich served the city of Edina as assistant finance director.
She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
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Plymouth Fire & Ice winter festival
set for Feb. 4
Jan 9, 2023
Fire & Ice, Plymouth’s 34th-annual winter festival, is set for 3-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at
Parkers Lake Park, at County Road 6 and Niagara Lane.
The free event offers winter activities that celebrate the best of the bold north, including sled
dog rides, a youth ice fishing contest, ice games, recycle bin races, horse-drawn trolley rides,
pony rides, box hockey, ice skating, food trucks, bonfire pits, snowshoeing and cross-country
skiing, weather permitting.
Fire & Ice wraps up with a fireworks display beginning at 6:30 p.m., sponsored by the Plymouth
Civic League. Participants should bring cash and/or credit cards for food truck purchases.
Shuttle Service
Free shuttle service will be available for Fire & Ice from 3:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 4. Shuttles will run
to and from Parkers Lake Park and the Plymouth Corporate Center, 1405 Xenium Lane N.
Parking is free.
Coloring Contest
The fourth-annual Fire & Ice Coloring Contest begins Monday, Jan. 9 – and community
members of all ages are invited to participate in the contest in advance of Fire & Ice. Entries will
be judged in six age categories:
Youth – ages 3-4
Youth – ages 5-7
Youth – ages 8-10
Youth – ages 11-13
Teens – ages 14-17
Adults – ages 18 and older
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Coloring contest sheets can be downloaded in early January from the Fire & Ice
webpage, plymouthmn.gov/fireandice. Any art supplies may be used except computer editing
software.
Submissions may be dropped off at Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., or the Plymouth
Community Center, 14800 34th Ave. N. Contestants may also submit entries online
at plymouthmn.gov/fireandice. All entries must be received by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.
Coloring contest winners will be announced Wednesday, Jan. 25 on the Fire & Ice webpage and
the city’s social media platforms. The final winner and runner-up in each category will receive a
gift card.
Medallion Hunt
The 13th-annual Fire & Ice Medallion Hunt begins Thursday, Jan. 5 with a clue on the Fire & Ice
webpage and the city’s social media platforms. More clues will be published Thursdays, Jan. 12,
19 and 26, or until someone finds the medallion.
A $250 prize will be awarded to the first sleuth who finds the medallion. Only Plymouth
residents are eligible. There is no need to register or pay to participate. For clues and more
information, visit plymouthmn.gov/fireandice.
More information
Fire & Ice is free, aside from food trucks, and open to the public. The event is sponsored by the
city of Plymouth, CCX Media, Plymouth Civic League, Renewal by Andersen and State Farm Kyle
Vitense Agency.
For weather concerns, call the weather line at 763-509-5205. To view the Fire & Ice event
schedule, visit plymouthmn.gov/fireandice.
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Plymouth Fire Department reminds
residents of Adopt a Hydrant
program
Jan 9, 2023
The Plymouth Fire Department encourages residents to participate in the Adopt a Hydrant
program and help firefighters by clearing snow and ice from around fire hydrants.
The department reported that quick access to hydrants is crucial during a fire, as a fire engine’s
water supply depletes rapidly. Shoveling around hydrants allows first responders to gain access
to water faster during a fire and eliminates the need for firefighters to dig a hydrant out of the
snow before it can be used during an emergency situation.
Adopt a Hydrant participants are asked to:
• Remove significant snow and ice in a three-foot radius around the fire hydrant within 24
hours of a snow event;
•Report hydrant damage at plymouthmn.gov/myplymouth;
• Register the adopted hydrant on the city website, which will help log the location and
volunteer time invested.
Those interested can sign up online at plymouthmn.gov/adoptahydrant. The webpage displays
an interactive map with the location and availability of each fire hydrant.
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Plymouth to host new Viva Las
Vegas event
By: Kaitlin McCoskey Jan 9, 2023
The event will be put on by the city’s Parks and
Recreation department
Plymouth will be hosting a new event Friday, Jan. 20 put on by the Parks and Recreation department;
Viva Las Vegas. This adult-only event for those ages 21 and up will offer guests a night of food, drinks,
and authentic casino games.
Plymouth Education and Inclusion Supervisor Paul Pearson helped create this event and shared more
information about what it will entail.
“Myself and my fellow recreation supervisor, Katie Yandell, are putting on this event,” he said. “We’ve
kind of rebranded. We’ve done the adult-night-out events before, pre-COVID, but it’s along similar lines.
We do a lot of family community events, and we’ve gotten requests from attendees, like parents, who
would love to kind of do their own adult event.”
“We’ve done comedians in the past, we’ve done a stage hypnotist, but we thought this was kind of
unique, that not a lot of cities do, so we decided to go the Las Vegas route,” Pearson said.
This event will indeed provide guests with a unique opportunity, as Pearson shared that the city will be
renting “authentic, Vegas-style” game tables from Minneapolis Casino and Poker Rental. Games include
blackjack, poker, beat the house, red dog, and more.
“The table games are staffed with professional dealers,” Pearson said. “Those dealers will help explain
the rules, so if people don’t know how to play the games, there’s no problem there.”
Plymouth-area businesses have donated prizes to be given away in a raffle at the end of the night.
Pearson explained how the night will work. With the cost of their ticket, guests will receive about
“$1,000” in chips to play the table games. At the end of the night, the remaining or earned chips will be
traded for raffle tickets for the various prizes available.
“We’ll do a fishbowl-style raffle, meaning there will be a bowl next to each prize, so (guests) can choose
to put all their tickets toward one prize if they really like that prize, or spread them out,” Pearson said.
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In addition to the gambling features of the night, appetizers and drinks will be available, a cash bar will
be present for an additional charge, and live music will be performed by Tim Patrick.
While the event is put on by the City of Plymouth, Pearson said that everyone is welcome to attend, not
just Plymouth residents.
For those with young children, he said there will also be childcare services available.
“If you have kids ages five to 11, it’s $20 per child for that. We’ll have it staffed, they’ll get a pizza dinner,
they’ll be able to play at our new indoor playground, we’ll have games and crafts and movies. So if you
do have kids, you’re definitely welcome to still come, and we’ll babysit,” Pearson said.
This unique event has been a long time coming for Plymouth Parks and Recreation.
“Originally it was scheduled for last January at this time, but we were still dealing with COVID with the
Omicron variant, so we canceled then,” Pearson said. “And then in the fall, we had something else come
up, I can’t remember exactly what it was, but we rescheduled again. So hopefully the third time’s the
charm.”
Tickets for this event will be $30, and can be purchased at plymouthmn.gov/vivalasvegas, or from the
Parks and Recreation Department at 763-509-5200.
Follow the Sun Sailor on Facebook at facebook.com/mnsunsailor.
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